31 Days to a More Organized Life : Day Thirteen : Vacation Recovery

We just got back from a four day trip to the LA area for some great time with family and friends. I'm sorry that I had to skip two days of posting, but I promise to fulfill the 31 days anyway. At the last minute, the hubs was able to take some extra time and we extended our trip, which was awesome, but also meant packing in a hurry and not enough time to get posts ready for our absence. Boo (but yay for our trip)!

Now we're back and I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk about how I "recover" our family and home from an out of town trip. Here's what happened when we came home and unloaded the car...

And that's not even all of it! So what do I do??

31 Days to a More Organized Life : Day Twelve : Packing the Family for a Vacation

Yesterday I offered some helpful tips for prepping your house before a vacation! Today we're talking about getting the family ready to go. Packing is easy enough when you are only planning for yourself, but when you factor in kids who need diaper changes, snacks, and activities to keep them busy, it can become quite the ordeal.

I'm a classic overpacker. It is what it is and I've learned to accept it. I truly hate the feeling of not having something I need on a trip so I tend to overcompensate a wee bit. Fortunately, I've tamed it down since having kids who require so much extra stuff just so that we can actually fit it all in one car. I'm also a big believer in learning from prior experiences so here are a few things I'm doing this time around to ease the stress. Remember the intention I set in the beginning of the series...

Packing us up in an orderly way will help to keep things running smoothly during not just the packing process but the trip itself.

A Vacation & A Staycation

Last week was my mother in law's 75th birthday. Can you even imagine being 75?? Me either. Ironically my MIL is more like 75 going on 45, and I hope I'll be going that strong at that age.

We decided sort of last minute to take a trip up to LA to spend the birthday weekend with my in-laws. The grandparents were thrilled to see the little ones and we couldn't have asked for better beach weather.

I mean how beautiful is that?!

Then even more last minute we decided to try to squeeze in one last vacation day at home with a little staycation for the hubs and me. One of our fave sitters was available to stay the night, the hotel we wanted to stay at had a room and it was a done deal. We had some wonderful time just the two of us and again the weather was perfect!

Can't complain with a view like that! We lounged at the pool all day, ate room service and watched a movie. You know you have young children when staying in your room watching a movie sounds better than a fancy dinner ;) This simple but beautiful floral arrangement was in the main lobby of our hotel. I love how the simplicity makes the color really pop.

This morning we came home and now I'm trying to get us all back in the swing of things in time for school to start up next week. I can't believe the official summer break is almost over. I have some great posts planned for later this week and next. For now, check out my new Projects & Tutorials page.

Living on Vacation

What is it about being on vacation that makes us relax?

Is it the break from our normal routine? The feeling that we aren't accountable to our regular responsibilities?

As we start day five of our extended stay in the Pink Palace, I'm discovering that while we are basically on vacation, we have to be careful not to fall too far into that mentality. Yes, it's spring break and we've spent plenty of time by the pool, but for a two week trip with kiddos in tow, we still have to maintain a sense of routine because without it we would all be losing our minds unhappy.

A couple days break from the norm won't hurt anyone, but for the sake of everyone's sanity, sticking to a general routine is making life much easier. Kids thrive on consistency. They simply operate better when they have some idea of what to expect out of the day. We don't follow a rigid schedule at home, but we have a general flow to the day that includes meals, playtime and time for rest. Since we've been here, we essentially apply the same overall scheme to each day with a little more flexibility. It keeps everyone happier when they get meals and naps at the regular intervals they know from home.

Another part of living on this extended vacation is remembering that just because we aren't at home doesn't mean we need to be lazy. There's a difference between relaxation and laziness. Obviously we're taking it easy out here. I personally spent about 5 hours by the pool this weekend which was wonderful and peaceful and fabulous. But I've also noticed that we're just a little more wasteful. At home we use mostly cloth for napkins and cleaning, but I didn't want to deal with packing that type of thing so we've been going full tilt on the paper towel usage. Pool towels tend to go into the wash after one use when they could easily hang dry and go another round. It's only two weeks so I'm not overly concerned, just noticing a trend.

I'm also observing that I personally have been a lot more umm, flexible with what I eat and drink during the day. Being on my own for a good deal and getting less sleep as we all adjust to a different place, caffeine has been my best friend so I've been sucking down the soda and coffee drinks just as fast as I can get them. I haven't been snacking much, but my meals aren't exactly the picture of health every day. It's always funny to me how much more effort I put into making sure the kids get good, well-rounded meals, but lose the focus when it comes to my own eating habits. Why don't I feel the same responsibility to care for myself as I do for my kids? I think it's that pesky vacation mentality creeping in that tells me it's just for now, just a treat because I'm on a break. But all those days add up quickly so I better tune in and watch out.

Do you try to keep up a sense of normal living on vacation or do you let it all go?

Sleepless in the Springs

photo from marthastewart.com

Our Easter celebration with the grandparents this year was a fun one but not the relaxing, restorative weekend that we had imagined when we set out for the Pink Palace.

Baby seemed to be recovering from a cold so we decided to make the trip even though she had been stuffy and sniffly. Wrong. Her cold escalated to a cough and made for a very difficult time getting her to sleep in an unfamiliar bed, which is usually a task on its own. Which bed did she want to sleep in? Ours of course, which we were happy to oblige at 9:30 the first night when she still wasn’t asleep after over an hour of useless attempts. By the third night of wrestling with her at bedtime, we were ready to pack our bags.
Easter was spent with an egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa’s golf club. You’d have thought they had hidden $100 bills by the chaos that ensued when 40 or so children were released into the wilderness of the golf course to find eggs. Eggs, which by the way, were dyed and got all over everyone’s hands… except ours because at almost 2 years old Baby couldn’t give a rip about finding eggs in the grass. She was far more intent on pulling the flags off the putting green. The egg hunt was followed by a delicious brunch at the club where we ate enough that the idea of packing the car and fighting traffic was so unappealing that we decided to give naptime one more shot and were able to spend a few hours in the sun. All in all, I’m glad to be home and I’ll be even happier when everyone is back to normal.

Bachelorette Bonanza

The weekend has finally arrived. Tomorrow three of my girlfriends and I will head to the Pink Palace for my bachelorette celebration and Saturday about ten other gals will join us. I am almost completely in the dark on this one so I'm pretty much ready for anything. My maid of honor/sister and two of my bridesmaids have put a lot of time and energy into planning a fun weekend for me and my friends and I could not be more grateful.

This weekend getaway comes at a prime time when the details of our wedding are starting to become overwhelming. We had one of "those weeks" when you just feel like nothing is coming out the way it was intended. I can't think of a better way to recharge my batteries than to blow off some steam in the desert with my girls! The Fiance is on full dad duty and seems genuinely excited for his daddy-daughter weekend.

The activities that I am aware of include dinner, dancing and time relaxing by the pool. Did I mention it will be 103 out there?! That's actually cooler than I was anticipating. I'm obviously not packed yet but I figure I won't need much besides a bikini and a fun outfit for Saturday night. In my mind I'm already sitting in the pool raft with a magazine and a drink. It's sure to be a fun and memorable weekend for this soon-to-be-mrs!

Sweet, Sweet Vacation

We made it. For the past two days I have been relaxing. Really and truly relaxing. And it feels so nice. Playing with Baby and spending time with my folks is pretty much the extent of my responsibility. Hopefully this will continue for the next week before my friend's wedding events start rolling. Then things will be a little more chaotic but I'm really looking forward to watching one of my besties walk down the aisle. Hope to get some pix up of beautiful Boulder sometime this weekend but for now I'm enjoying the peaceful easy feeling of doing practically nothing.

Our Big Adventure

Boulder, Colorado. My hometown. Jealous? We leave Wednesday and I'm very excited! I haven't been back since I was about 3 months pregnant and it should be a great trip. One of my bridesmaids is getting hitched in Boulder in two weeks and I decided that Baby and I would make it an extended vacation to spend time with Nana and Grampy. We don't see them that often because of the distance so this is the perfect opportunity to get some good quality time. The Fiance is going to fly out for the weekend of the wedding but for the next 9 days, it's just me and Baby... and of course Nana, Grampy and Auntie M.

I'm nervous and excited all at once. This will be the longest I've taken care of Baby by myself and while I'm obviously capable, there's something a little daunting about being away from the Fiance for so long. Fortunately I will have some help and might even get a night out with the other soon-to-be-mrs so we can celebrate properly. But it's also the longest the Fiance and I have been apart in a long time. I'm just saying that I might miss him. Maybe. A little. But I'm focusing on the positives that I get a vacation from housework and for the first time, we get to spend time with the grandparents on their turf where I don't have to be the hostess and to me that sounds very relaxing. Boulder this time of year is beautiful and I'm actually stoked to take Baby around to some of the fun spots, even though she won't remember it. Here's to vacations!

Off to the Desert

Today we are leaving for a mini-vacation in Indian Wells (adjacent to Palm Desert) at the Fiance's parents' vacation home with some friends. I am so happy to be leaving town for even a few days to relax and recharge. There's something about a change in location that helps me move past the feeling of monotony that I get during winter. Hopefully this weekend will include some time laying by the pool in the lovely sunshine, but even if it doesn't there is still the jacuzzi and plenty of wine to be had.

Better known as the "Pink Palace" due to its almost universally mauve interior paint job, the house is 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with a shared pool, jacuzzi and tennis courts about 10 yards from the back patio. It rests in a small community inhabited by mostly retired folks which actually makes it perfect as a weekend getaway. We are usually the only young people around so there's no searching for a seat at a crowded pool or waiting to use the jacuzzi. All the blue-hairs are inside by the time we put the kids to bed and move outside for adult conversation so there's no one to overhear the not-so-witty banter that comes out after a few drinks.

I'm stocked up on magazines and the ipod is ready to go. Now if I would just quit procrastinating and pack already...