June 13, 2009

Vacation

I remember going on vacation before children.  Packing was easy, just take what you needed.  Travel time was quick.  The trip was relaxing and wonderful.  I loved going on vacations growing up with my family and even as a young adult with my husband.  Sleeping in.  Going to wonderful new places.  Experiencing the sights.  Taking your time and not rushings.  Laying out by the pool.  It was a much needed break.

Now I am a stay at home mother, a job I always wanted and feel truely blessed to have.  I still get the same excitement and feeling when we are going on vacation, until I start getting ready.  Now I have to get not only myself packed, but also 2 other people.  I have to take into consideration accidents, and extra clothes, and other items.  Oh yea don't forget toys, favorite stuffed animals, and blankets that they just can not live without.  I find that I have to plan out everything so I don't forget anything.  Not to mention that I am stressed even before leaving.

Now getting in the car used to be fine, and packing the car was easy.  Now you have to strategicly place different bags throughout the car.  Keep the blankets close and toys to play with.  Don't forget drinks and food so when a little voice from the backseat says that they are hungry or thirsty you can help them with that.  Now that DVD players are a must on any vacation, making sure that the favorite DVD's are packed is very important.  Getting the car settled takes almost as much time as packing the bags. 

Driving takes twice as long because it seems every five minutes you hear a little voice say "Mommy I have to go to the bathroom" which means find the next rest stop.  That adds so much time onto your traveling that it is crazy.  Knowing that one easy way to eliminate the problem is to eliminate drinks, but that will then cause another problem, the repeated phrase "Mommy I'm Thirsty."  Adding additional time to your trip makes everything so much more tiring than before.

Then you finally arrive.  Check into your hotel room, and unpack the car, now what?  The first thing you think of is, now it is time to relax.  A much needed break, to sit and read a book or go lay by the pool.  Then you realize that this is not going to happen, you have to be a Mommy first.  You have to watch and entertain your children just as you would at home.  Except for now you are not in a familiar setting and you have to watch every move that much closer than before so that nothing breaks or no one gets hurt.

Time to sit and relax is just not something that will happen.  By the end of the day, when the wonderful bedtime arrives, you see that it is not so wonderful this time.  They don't want to sleep.  Someone is scared because it is new.  It takes twice as long, and you are already late going to bed because, well you are on vacation and strict bedtimes are not as important as at home.  Remember you can relax and have fun, well not so much.

So after looking around and realizing that vacations are no longer, relaxing and calm as they used to be, there is a whole new level of fun and excitement on vacation that was never there before, your children.  They are amazed at just about everything.  When they have fun the laughter and smiles make your heart melt.  The wonderful and amazing words "thank you mommy" makes all of the stress just seem so insignificant.  Somehow you experience everything just a little differently when you take the time to look at it through the eyes of a child. 

Looking at vacations a little differently, makes the difference.  Seeing that vacations are not just for you anymore and seeing that vacations are for your family, makes them so special, and a wonderful feeling!

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