Summer Vacation
It’s Summer Vacation… the sun is shining, the water is cool and the kids are off school, skateboarding and biking through the town. I remember the days, free with my friends, at the beach all day, with nothing but fun to be had. Those days are long gone. This so called “summer vacation” is no vacation at all. You don’t see me sitting on the beach with a corona in my hand… that is what I consider a vacation.
Moms, as we know, never get a vacation. We are on duty 24/7 and put on another hat during the summer as a taxi driver. I find myself full of anxiety about a month before school gets out as I prepare for the time my kids are out of school. Will we take a vacation this summer? Can we afford it? Can my husband take time off work? Where could we go where the flights won’t cost an arm and a leg. What am I going to do all summer with my three boys at home? Panic sets in… I know that I have little patience and am not a “park mom”. I actually do have a job, although that seems to matter to no one but me. My two older boys would be so thrilled to sit at home all day, everyday, playing on the computer, video gaming, watching youtube and making legos sets. Getting them out of their underwear before noon is an act of god. They seem to have no shame in their game walking around the house in their “underoos”. My youngest son is the exact opposite and needs to be out of the house. He is a kid that comes home after a full day and is bored the second he walks in the door. He wants to shoot hoops, bike down to the beach, skateboard with the older kids at school, go surfing… and if he is trapped in the house, he causes havoc to all.
Camps… There are so many camps and activities available all over. In my town, camp owners are not stupid, and know they can charge a lot for camps, because the people here can afford it. A ½ day 9-12 camp can run anywhere from $300-$600/week. My kids have little to no interest in camps. I however would not only love to be able to get some work done and keep my sanity, but would like to see them out of the house, getting some exercise and socializing with their friends. The problem is, with three boys, camps get extremely expensive, and we are not made of money.
This summer we took our 2nd big family vacation. My husband and I agreed that we would try and take one trip each year. We want to make as many memories for our kids, taking them places we have never been. Unplugging from our world and spending time together with appreciation and being grateful for our family. There is a great big world out there and so much to see. Getting off the phones, no video games and less stress from work for mom and dad, it is something we all need. I am the worst of all, wound tighter than a spring. When I can go on true vacation mode, my entire family goes to a happy place, a place that reminds me how our life as a family should be. Living in the moment, conversations are had of leaving our town we have called home our entire lives, and moving to a remote island where we can slow down and enjoy life.
Vacation is over and I have been spat back out into the “East Australian Current” with all the other turtles. I am trying to hold on to the feeling of being away in a calm and happy place. I see my three beautiful boys, and as much as their bickering and annoying behavior have made me nuts, I am so happy. I am a mom to these three awesome boys. Someone said we only have 18 summers with our kids...I just want to freeze time. If I could freeze time, even in this crazy summer vacation time, I would. So tomorrow, I am going to “take the day off”, and be on Summer Vacation with my kids, right here in this amazing town we call home. I am going to sit in the sun, watch my bronzed boys surf the waves and dig my toes in the warm sand - and I am going to enjoy every minute of it.
