Vacation

I’m Baaaaaack….

Yes, here I am...another year has begun. I hope everyone had an amazing holiday.

So where have I been??? Well I always think a picture is worth a 1000 words so here it goes....

Ahh...yes....VACATION.

It’s actually amazing to me how much the word “Vacation” has changed over my 3 decades. As a kid, vacation meant fun family trips, Disney, beaches…anywhere with a large store where you could get t-shirts or a snow globe. Of course vacations were awesome because you could buy every souvenir in the gift shop, ride every ride in the amusement park, and never even think about the fact this trip actually had to be paid for. Trust me a hot fudge sundae in a fancy hotel tastes much sweeter when someone else is footing the bill.

In my early 20’s vacations simply meant breaks from school. A law student has limited income and therefore I couldn't afford to go anywhere. But in all honesty, it didn't matter. Vacation for me was simply anytime I didn't have to crack open a book.

My late 20's brought the romantic getaways with my boyfriend, who became my fiancé, who became my husband. The time frame of, "sure this vacation is costing us a lot of money but hell, we're young, we're in love, so pop open another bottle wine and let Visa pick up the tab".

And then came the kids…and once again vacations have changed. Now I’m the one footing the bill for the floppy ear hat or the t-shirt from the gift shop that will only fit the day before its washed. I’m the tour director having to find a location to please a Diva 5 year old, an all-boy 4 year old, and an active toddler. I’m also the one that has to figure out how to best use every square inch of a Dodge Caravan so we can bring the 3 American Girl Dolls, the 5 stuffed animals, cooler full of Capri Suns and fruit cups, and oh yeah the stuff we actually need.

I actually break up my vacations at work into two separate vacations: a week in the summer where my family travels and a week after Christmas where I treat myself to a true luxury for me...a staycation. I know you must be thinking I'm crazy for staying home in Iowa in the middle of winter. But in all honesty just being able to be home, run errands with no time clock, sleep in, and get to cross out the "working" in front of "working Mom" for a week is worth more to me than the swankiest resort.

And so that’s what I did. I celebrated the last week of 2011 in the comfort of my home. And boy did I have a lot to celebrate. I made it through my first year of partnership, made it through watching my baby learn to walk, survived sending my first born to kindergarten, and simply made it through another year of the never ending struggle of work-life balance.

So I spent a week away from the headaches of work, with only a few short breaks in my day to keep my emails in check. I kept off social networking sites, hardly perused my standard gossip columns and just enjoyed living the role I am the most comfortable in, Mommy. Sure, we planned an overnight trip, attended a fun New Year’s party, went ice skating and bowling, but most often we were simply at home. And I’ll tell you it was just what the doctor ordered. Dorothy is right my friends, there really is no place like HOME. (And footnote: As you can see my staycation truly inspired even the decorating of my family room!)

I think as an attorney vacations are naturally more precious. In a job where billable hours govern, deadlines are king, and paperwork towers over you it’s very important to take time to get away. The work part of my life could consume me if I let it. I have enough work to be able to work 24 hours a day and still not be up to date on everything. My job is fast paced, high volume, and often high stress. And take that and mix in everything that goes along with raising three young children and...well you get the idea.

I had the best week, and honestly we didn’t do much. My favorite moments were our pajama lazy days just curled up on the couch together. My kids and I of course had a ton of toys to build and play with compliments of Santa and family. With sleeping in, no classes to run to, and no late night brief writing, everyone was in the perfect mood. My house was clean, we played for hours, and yes I am happy to report not one meal came from the crock pot.

My staycation always gives me a renewed perspective on life and allows me to really cherish my blessings. My favorite moment of Christmas break was very simple yet powerful. Recently, my children and I have started to attend church. For years I’ve been on this quest to find a perfect church for my family to grow in, but with the terrible two’s and antsy babies we did the standard “holiday churching" that my family did growing up. Sorry but even my strong faith could not get me into a busy church with a screaming baby (no crying room wall is sound proof enough for a colickly H). But now that 2 of my 3 are past the roller coaster toddler years I knew it was time for us to get back into this. So we started going to church weekly and the past month has been amazing. My kids and I have found a perfect home in our church. The children love Sunday school, they hug our Pastor on the way out of church as if they have known him for years, J belted out Away in the Manger in the Christmas program…everything has just fallen in place. So Christmas Eve I decided to head home from my parents’ house early and take the kids to their first candlelight Christmas service. With L being exhausted from the days events, J, H, and I walked into our church and got ready for the service. During the service the lights were turned out and we sang Silent Night by candlelight. There by candlelight I got a chance to really feel Christmas. It was beautiful. In that quiet moment I was able to just get back to what is truly important in life.

And that’s what this vacation was to me, a simple time to exhale and ready myself for the year ahead. Of course it was absolutely crazy coming back. I may take a vacation every now and then, but my work certainly never does…mail piles up, phone calls are missed, and so getting back into the swing of things after a rest is always hard. But alas that is a blog for another day.

So here we go 2012…I’m ready…I’m set…let’s go.

Mandi

Have Kids, Will Travel!

I'm BAAACK....

Yes, although I'm not too happy to say this, I am back to reality after an amazing vacation.

As you know if you read my prior blogs, my family and I took a week long vacation to Tennessee, visiting Memphis and Nashville. It turned out to be one of those vacations I will never forget, a vacation I never wanted to end. A vacation where everything fell into place. Laughter, adventure...and Elvis Sunglasses! 

 Our vacation was a road trip for a couple of reasons: (1) I'm really not in the mood to have to take out another mortgage on my house just to pay for the insanely high price of airline tickets and (2) the idea of being sandwiched between business suited professionals and people without kids while stuffing myself into the small airplane bathrooms because my 4 year old has to pee for the 5th time in an hour, trying to explain to my 3 year old why his ears keep popping, and trying to stop my baby from attempting to pull the hair of the lady sitting in front of us does not sound like my idea of a vacation. I may be eccentric at times, but I'm not crazy!

So last week we loaded up our Dodge Caravan and headed south. The drive took us about 13 hours each way with our planned stops.

Now, if you are like everyone else around me, reading that I took a 13 hour road trip with my 4, 3, and 1 year old you are thinking one thing: "Are you CRAZY????" If you are thinking this, you are not alone I can assure you. Todd and I were called crazy by pretty much everyone, from family, to friends, to a random stranger on a trolley in Memphis.

I've always wondered why people instantly think you need to medicate or drink heavily when you decide to road trip with young kids? And why do people instantly raise their eyebrows if God forbid you choose a destination other than an amusement park or some highly commercialized "Disney world" like destination.

Oh trust me, when I told people we were taking the kids to Nashville and Memphis I saw my fair share of raised eyebrows. I was met with countless comments like "Oh that's more of an adult town" or "Do you have family there or something?" Once I explained to people the 50 state mission we are on with our kids that silenced a few of the "Reallys???" from people, but still simply because my husband and I chose destinations that don't have ads in a parenting magazine people instantly jumped to the conclusion that our kids would be complaining and bored and we would be hitting the mini fridge in the hotel room in search of the tiny bottles.

But you know what? It's this close minded way of thinking that keeps places like Six Flags and Disney World in the black, but deprives our kids of really seeing this country. I want my kids to see this country and all the interesting things in it.

When I returned from vacation and posted my hundreds of pics online for my family and friends to see, I was met with emails and comments like "Wow, how do your kids do so well"? Honestly, my kids are amazing vacationers. They are great in the car, will sit patiently during tours, love being in hotels, and sit relatively patiently at any restaurant you take them to.

There is no secret behind the three amigos' travel ability...they are good at traveling because WE TRAVEL. I'm not one of those parents that says..."Oh we can't drive more than 4 hours because the baby needs to take a nap at 1:00 p.m.". Rather, L fell asleep in his stroller or anywhere he could get a few short winks between attractions. I think parents that think their kids won't do good on road trips or on a certain vacation create those beliefs in their kids. If you are stressed out about the trip...they will be stressed out.  My kids have always traveled well because since they were born we had them in the car. Whether traveling to some dot on the map town with me when I have a deposition or just going for a leisurely weekend drive, we go. That's seriously the only secret.

Now that's not to say that I don't have tips or strategies I use when I travel with my kids.  So allow me to share with you some things I have learned about traveling with kids:

 

First of all, plan, PLAN, PLAN, and (did I mention) Plan. Once a location is picked for a vacation, I start my research. My favorite site to find vacation stops, restaurants, and hotels is Trip Advisor. In fact, if you haven't already, download Trip Advisor's app onto your cell phones or IPads. Trip Advisor allows you to find kid friendly spots in pretty much every city in the country. I also search blogs, articles, or websites, in search of kid friendly ideas.

Now I'll warn you:  finding stuff is not easy. I promise you if you google "Kid friendly things to do in (INSERT CITY)", you will be brought to the Chamber of Commerce website with a link to a McDonald's Play Zone. So you have to dig deeper.... I found my best sources of information from blogs or sites that parents can weigh in with their opinions on destinations. I'm even going to do my share in my next blog and will give you my kids travel guide to the cities I visited (because honestly I was so frustrated with the lack of help from the internet on my vacation destinations).

 My tips for surviving in the car?? Leave your June Cleaver Mommy self at home and act a little more "Roseanne". You can't be a perfect Mommy on vacation, you have to break the rules. For example, at home I try and limit tv time for my kids...in the van its an all out technological marathon with an IPad, IPhone, and DVD player all playing at the same time. At home, I try and push healthy snacks. On the road? Well, lets just say there was more than a few pictures taken of L with orange lips from the countless Cheetos I fed him in the van.  Just go into survival mode...vacation is just that, vacation...so throw caution to the wind and do whatever you need to make it a fun and memorable time.

I also follow a formula on vacation...for every site that Todd and I want to see, we work in an activity for the kids. So after a trip to the Ryman Auditorium, the kids swam in the hotel pool....after Graceland, a trip to the Children's Museum. Keep the ratio and everyone will be happy!

So, Have Kids? Well, then TRAVEL!! And TRAVEL OFTEN PEOPLE!! The best memories are made on the open road, I can assure you!!

Mandi

Leaving in a Caravan!

Okay so I had to tweak the Peter, Paul, and Mary classic "Leaving on Jet Plane"...but here I am a few days away from our family vacation. So happy its finally here!

In my world, getting ready for a vacation is extremely exhausting. Not only do I have to make sure my family life is ready for the trip, I have to make sure my work life is well taken care of. This means a ton of preparation. My job is fast paced, high volume, and full of "has to be done this second" moments. This means I have to spend weeks getting everything in order. Yes, this means I'm going to have to tackle that "I'm trying to pretend you're not there" research project, I have to respond to the dozens of "you should have responded yesterday" letters. I have to make sure that my world will run smoothly without me in it for awhile.

Then of course there is the packing. I am the family packer...the one responsible to pack for each member of my family, including my husband. And this usually leads to beautifully packed suitcases for my kids, maybe a missing pair of socks for Todd, and a suitcase of "well there's always Wal-Mart" for me as I tend to forget everything.

It's funny that even in this age of "connectedness", where I am taking the iPhone and iPad that keeps me on the pulse of my life, its still really hard to get ready to leave. Why is it that you can have a week of absolutely no fires to put out, yet the week you happen to take a vacation all hell breaks loose??

So this week I have been in a mad dash to get everything ready. This has led to lots of late nights, lots of checklists, lots of "I'll be out of the office"-type warnings to all the insurance adjusters that will have to handle their files solo for the week.

So in just a few days, off we will go on vacation! I can't wait. But for a woman that tries so hard to keep complete control, complete balance of my life it will be hard to leave the chips where they may lie and step away from reality for awhile. I have to admit I miss the days when I was a kid and I had no cares in the world as I left on a family trip!

Wish me luck...luck for happy traveling kids, luck for beautiful weather, luck for time to slow down so I can enjoy this family time, and of course luck that I'll remember to pack Todd's toothbrush and deodorant (otherwise it might not be such a fun trip!)

Mandi

Family Vacation

This week I have started a process I have never gone through before…planning a family vacation. Okay, so let me clarify this comment for those of you who know that I have traveled before with my family. Yes its true that I have planned vacations before in my past, we took J to Texas, H and J RVing in South Dakota, and traveled out to North Carolina, but this year is entirely different. This time, my kids (well 2 of the 3) are old enough to voice their opinions on vacation and, therefore, vacation planning has entered a whole new dimension! Now we have to please the requests of many “vacation voices”.

When kids are babies, vacation planning is easy. Now remember I said, vacation PLANNING is easy, I know the actual vacation (especially packing) can be quite difficult. But if you think about it vacation planning for a baby involves merely looking to find out what you want you to do and maybe checking to make sure the locations you tour are stroller friendly.  But a baby doesn’t care if you want to take some historic tour or eat at a trendy restaurant….you want to do a 3 hour walking tour of some Presidential Library? Go for it! Just remember to bring a bottle, pacifier, and Gerber Graduate Puffs and learn away.

But as the kids grow and their “wants/dreams/desires” have to be considered…vacation planning becomes more challenging, and actually more rewarding.

Vacationing with our kids is not something we merely love, it’s a mission. When J was born, Todd and I came up with this idea that we want to take our children to each of the 50 states before they “leave the nest”. We knew we would end with the really cool locations: Hawaii for J’s high school graduation, Alaska for H or L’s graduation. But we really didn’t plan how we would start this journey. Now, we knew that we didn’t want to be “those parents” that visited all the really cool locations when the kids were too young to remember. Don’t hate me but I still think it’s cruel when parents take their babies to their one and only shot to see Disney World.  I mean come on, take them when they can remember the joy and magic! So, Todd and I decided that for the first few years we’d hit the states that we think we will enjoy, but that the kids won’t feel jipped that they “missed”.

The “50 states” mission is important to me. Sure it’s a cool scrapbook page in their books as I color and date each state as they hit it, but it’s also something I feel passionate about. I want my kids to love travel, to look forward to exploring new places. I want them to never be afraid to visit or live somewhere new. I think this stems from the fact I was born and raised in a small rural town in central Illinois.  Everything compared to my town was a “big city”.  My parents did an amazing job showing my brothers and I life outside small-town Illinois. My Dad made sure we saw the historic things, my Mom made sure we did the fun stuff. So because of them I’ve gotten an excellent opportunity to see our states…but still at 32 I haven’t seen them all. I want to change that with my kids.

So this year we sat down to decide what everyone wanted to do for vacation. I knew we were going to drive somewhere, as airline tickets are way pricey, and the idea of having a 1, 3, and 4 year old on an airplane didn’t sit well with me. Todd and I looked at how far we could get in 10 hours or under, a distance we knew our kids could handle with ease. Lots of ideas came up: Mall of America, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee.

I love vacation planning with my husband, because he (unlike me) does not have a tourist-y bone in his body. You know the places that people have on their “Must see before I die” list?  The sandy beaches of Florida, New York City, California, Hawaii,  Disney World? Well my husband doesn’t have the drive to see those places. He’s a traveler that seeks out unique and different locations…he finds the beauty in regular locations. He finds the fun in locations that frankly not a lot of people see as fun.  Instead of sitting in an all-inclusive resort on a beach, Todd would rather be in some rural mountain area with not a tourist in site.

Now me, I’m the opposite. I want to see all the popular places…I LOVED New York City and can’t wait to take my kids there, I would live in Austin Texas in a heartbeat, Disney World is high on my list of priorities, and sipping fruity beverages from an umbrella straw on some beach by the pacific is a huge dream.

So I think Todd and I make perfect planning partners. With the two of us, you know you will see the popular spots, and walk off the unbeaten path a bit.

The other two vacation voices…well they are too  young to have developed a “vacation personality”, but their voices are just as loud as ours. If you ask them what they want to see, most of the time what they say sounds like things they do on some regular Tuesday. Mommy do they have:  “Children’s Museums” “Parks?” “Swings”, “Playgrounds”??  

I’m happy to work these “regular” locations in for them, because honestly they are the ones my kids remember. For example,  if you ask J to tell you about the RVing trip to South Dakota we took a couple years back, she won’t tell you she hiked around Mount Rushmore, stood for pictures in front of Crazy Horse, laughed at Wall Drug. Nope she says one thing: “We stopped and ate at Arby’s”.

So with our four planners (and one baby just waiting for us to make up our minds), here we are planning our annual vacation. We decided that Nashville and Memphis Tennessee were the perfect distance away (9 hours). So presto…we have a vacation destination.  

With the locations picked we then sat down to decide how to please the: Unique Traveler (Todd); the Tourist (Me); the Shopper (J); the Park ranger (H); and the Stroller Rider (L).  

We started with an internet search. I’m finding it really hard to plan along with the internet when you have such strong personalities of varying ages to please. So I asked friends and family members for advice.  After a few nights we penciled in some “Must sees”…Grand Ole Opry, Opryland Hotel, Beale Street, Memphis Zoo, and of course what trip to Memphis would be complete without a trip to Graceland (Uh –huh –huh).

Although our planning hit a great stride, we did encounter some road bumps. This trip marks the first time we discovered the new unexpected challenge of booking hotel rooms for a Party of 5. We called the Opryland Hotel and were excited to get a reservation. Then we were told “You have too many people to fit in one room.” Suddenly a $400 hotel bill jumped to $800.  I was disappointed the hotel was out, but luckily, the Hyatt Opryland saved the day as it is very close to the Opryland hotel and they do allow 3 kids in the room. Then as I penciled down that I wanted to see Sun Studio in Memphis, I saw the bright yellow lettering on the web-site telling me kids under 5 are not allowed. But I took all the road bumps with a grain of salt, its part of the adventure that is family vacation planning.

We hit the road to the music capitol in a couple of weeks and will be Walking in Memphis before we know it! I’ll be sure to let you know how our first official compilation planned vacation turns out. I know L will LOVE the zoo, J will be excited to get on the Opry stage, H will just be happy if I can find him a playground. And Todd and I? Well, we are just excited to get out and about on a new adventure with our family.

Mandi