I was feeling overwhelmed yesterday and I’m not sure why. Maybe holiday malaise has already sunk in? Could it be that I have pushed myself so incredibly hard over the last year that I am fried? How about the fact that I am going away this weekend and I have so much sh*t to do?I don’t know. More than likely a little bit of all of the above. This is exactly what vacations are for, except that you and I both know that traveling with kids is no vacation. Fun. Yes. Great Memories. Yes. Exhausting. Most definitely.
For me, it all starts with the packing. In my house the ratio is this: I pack for 3 people and the hubs packs ONE. I don’t want to get caught up with all the tiny minor details though.
I think everyone deserves a little time off now and again. If you are lucky enough to take time over the holidays – KUDOS. I always think of the doctors who take call over the holiday season or the nurses who care for patients in the hospital and the countless volunteers who spend their holidays serving food in a soup kitchen. These are people who I admire. Although I get to take a small break now with my family, my plan is to give back when I arrive home (My boys and I always do a beginning of the year food bank run and donation to kick off the new year).
Last year I wrote a lot about the winter break and holiday season in relation to whether we should tweet or not, blogging and it’s place, and conversing in cyber world as parents or if the attention should solely be on our kids. I am pretty sure that I came to some happy medium that I will look for again this year.
This year, my winter vacation plans (and tips to you) are short and sweet:
1. Who cares what you pack? No one. Check the weather for where you are going or at home (for staycations) and take some clothes. In a decade, you are going to look back at what you were wearing in pictures and laugh regardless.
2. Set boundaries for email checking and logging online. I am not a fan of the automated email ‘out of office’ response. Check mail once a day, trash junk, respond to anything pressing, and file away messages that you can return after your break. Period.
3. Leave high expectations behind. Formerly a vacation planner, I ditched that nasty habit a long time ago. The only thing that heavy planning left me with was disappointment. Make general expectations as in Rest, Togetherness, Great Photography, or maybe Shopping, and everything will fall into place. Better to be unexpected with happy results than disappointed.
4. Spend 30 minutes (or more if you like) at the tail end of your trip jotting down notes about what YOU NEED to accomplish first upon arriving home. Attend to these steps first and then BRING IT ON! Back from break and ready to go!
What is most important is to enjoy your family and remember those that do not have a big Fam or have to work….holidays are special, fun, exciting, invigorating, and leave us flat out exhausted and ready for the routine of a new year.
What are your plans to reconnect this holiday season?
Join me at http://backngroovemom.com for upcoming ‘resolutions’
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