The vacation fantasy: It would be a wonderful, restful time where I would be able to enjoy both relaxing and getting caught up on things so that when I returned to work I would be rejuvenated and ready to take on the world. The house would be clean. I would somehow find a way to finally potty train Natalia. The children would finally relax with me home, and would start sleeping in and enjoying their summer vacation. And we would have wonderful memories of fun family adventures. And I would emerge from it all, a beautiful butterfly!
The vacation reality: Our vacation wasn't terrible, but it was, well, wonky. We never found a groove. The kids didn't sleep. At all. I tried scheduled, I tried unscheduled. It was all a disaster. The first day of vacation they got up at 6:15, the second day at 5:45, the third day at 5:15...I was seriously afraid that by the end of vacation they would be getting up for the day before Jeff and I even made it to bed at night. We made the mistake of letting each kid pick out a fun activity which sounds great, but with four kids that pretty much filled the week. And because we were so busy, when we were home the kids couldn't switch into independent play time. (Although frustrating, I can't get too mad at them for this. I'm pretty bad about this myself. When I've been super busy and things calm down I find myself wandering around confused rather than finally tackling the things that have been piling up or GASP! actually enjoying the down time.)
I won't say we will never take a week off to just stay put again, because it was nice in many ways. I found time to read a book and watch a few movies. I have no idea how I would've gotten ready for a vacation right now, and we do live in a great place to vacation. (On multiple trips to visit the grandparents I've talked to families at rest stops (when you have four young children, people often feel compelled to talk to you!) who are on their way back home to the Midwest after spending a week at the beach, and they looked at me like I had two heads when I told them we were heading away from the beach and to Ohio for vacation.) And I even managed to get a project done! Bunk beds are assembled. At least mostly. We are still lacking a ladder and rails for the top bunk. And the kids did have a good time. I'll just chalk it up to a lesson learned and next time plan better and with fewer activities (if that makes any sense).
As so often happens, the best moments of the week were the ones that were unplanned. The kids turned the girls' new bunk beds into their clubhouse and spent hours sitting on the bottom bunk playing. Natalia noted that it was "hurricane-ing" all day on Thursday, and in the evening, we let the kids play on the front porch in the storm. I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket, and I took the four kids on a solo trip to Olive Garden. They, amazingly, sat there for an hour and a half quietly playing and making polite conversation. (I think bodily fluids only came up once!)
Some other great moments of the week:
The Butterfly Whisperer at the Aquarium.
Ree saved up her money for a Play-Doh ice cream shop and spent the week making "treats" for her siblings. There was surprisingly little jealousy, although in the process Mike did talk us into finally giving him (and his siblings) a weekly allowance.
Sparklers before bedtime on the Fourth of July.
The hurricane dance.
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