Thursday, April 11, 2013

Secret Subject Swap April -Take Two!

It's time for April's second Secret Subject Swap!  This week 12 brave bloggers were assigned a subject to interpret and write about in their own style, while also coming up with a secret topic for someone else to write about.  Today we are all simutaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.  This is really a fun activity to participate in; if you haven't tried it, get in touch with Karen at Baking In A Tornado who is the mastermind of the whole shebang!  Here's a list of everybody participating this week; check them all out and let them know how you liked what they came up with:

http://lifeonthesonnyside.blogspot.com/             
 
My subject is "If you were only allowed one more vacation in your life, where would you go and what would you do?"  It was submitted by Home On Deranged, who's getting hit with a little extra winter right now.  Make sure you bring some hot chocolate when you go over and read her post!
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
One. Last. Vacation.
 
One.
 
But-but-but---
 
Ok, fine, one. 
 
My first reaction to this question was pure selfishness; I pictured me on a beach, by myself, reading and soaking up the sun, tropical drink in hand.  No kids.  Not even anybody else's kids.  A kid free island. 
 
                                    Yeah, in my beach dream I'm skinny too. So what.
 
I would spend my time lying in the sand, enjoying the peace and quiet, and doing this thing I've heard of that I've always wanted to try:  relaxing.  No big adventures for me; a little shopping, lunches that don't come with toys, and the breeze in my hair (clean hair, I might add, because I can take a shower whenever I want to, not just at nap time). 
 
But that's the today me, the 'stay at home mom stuck in the house with a toddler and only getting out to run my teenagers around everywhere' me.  If I take a step back, and really think about planning my very last vacation, I'd actually want my kids with me.
 
Yes I said that.  No I haven't been drinking.  (Ok, one glass of wine but that doesn't count.)
 
My kids are pretty fun to hang out with.  They have great senses of humor and are really mastering the art of sarcasm. If you've got something to keep them busy, they get along and actually enjoy each others' company.  I know families that have their kid(s) invite a friend along on every vacation so the kid has someone to hang out with and play with.  My kids are close to each other.  It wouldn't even occur to me to bring extras along because it's unnecessary.  They're friends as well as siblings.  And I love that.
 
Yes they fight like cats and dogs, but that's normal (unfortunately).  But I can just picture them on this idyllic beach with me and the hubs, wind surfing and building giant sand castles.  Going shopping and thinking the most touristy, plastic wad of junk is just the best thing to buy and bring home and show off. 
 
They'd explore and run and play.  Even the teens, who are sometimes too cool for that stuff at our local lake.  They'd spread out their beach towels next to each other and warm up in the sun after swimming so long their hands look like wrinkled prunes. 
 
 
 
And at night, when we went back to our hotel  beach house (hey, last vacation right?) they'd all grab their blankets and have a big camp out on the living room floor, actually agreeing on a movie to watch, and having a snack without causing the floor to look like a popcorn-carpet.  There'd be no school or work in the morning to worry about; no phone calls to be made, bills to be paid, or homework to be struggled through. We'd enjoy each other.  The way we forget to when life gets in the way.  When we're so busy we overlook each other.  When we're stressed and we snap at each other.  When we're bored and we pick at each other.  
 
And I'd grab a book and a tropical drink, sit out on the patio with the only man crazy enough to marry a woman with 6 kids, and think "this is the life".   And maybe "shit, did we remember to ask someone to feed the dog??"                                            
 
 
 
 
 
 

18 comments:

  1. That does sound like a great vacation-I would totally want my kids with me too. But maybe one night to myself and one night spent with the hubs alone!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perfect compromise! No reason it has to be all or nothing, right?

      Delete
  2. The little voice in my head is screaming "take the first one, take the first one. Vacations are for meals that don't come with toys and clean hair."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahahaha! I hear you woman. See, I figured my one last vacation could be a family thing. But I could take plenty of "business trips" to say, the mid-west, to do some serious blog work with a friend, I mean, co-worker, and her Cosmos.....

      Delete
  3. People think I'm crazy when I tell them I would NEVER want to go on a vacation without my kids. They do drive me crazy, but we are a family. I love when we are all together. Great post.
    BTW.. love the cowboy hat you're sporting in the pic. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol I wish that was actually me in the pic! I love family time, especially now that most of the kids are older and we can really interact and everybody has such distinct personalities!

      Delete
  4. I like taking my kids on our trips too! But now I want to tag along with your family because y'all sound like FUN! And I swear I got goose bumps at the end of this post---that was brilliant!!! Will you bring me along if I bring the mojitos???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will definitely bring mojitos, I mean you, along! I would looooove to have a girls vacation with friends, that would be amazing too! And yeah, we have a lot of fun around here. I bitch and complain, but big families rock :)

      Delete
  5. I love this! I have five kids and my husband and I did take two dream vacations to Kauai without our kids. Even though I had a blast and enjoyed lying on the beach without any responsibilities, I missed the kids dearly and thought of them every second, lol! We made several phone calls home to check on them (they were being watched by grandma and were perfectly safe). Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I find that with a big family it's like having your own little community, and while it't awesome and necessary to get away sometimes, it's also hard to leave your little village :)

      Delete
  6. Love your answer. Your last vacay sounds amazing. I find that the teens end up having the most fun on those kinds of trips. There is no one to show off to, so they can just "play" like they want to. I especially liked your last line. We've just adopted two dogs and even though I love them, they'd have to stay home. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's really nothing like watching a teen who is fighting so hard to grow up, find their inner kid and let him out :) Our dog gets car sick, so I'm thinking taking her with us may not end well...

      Delete
  7. Concurring with everyone else - I love your answer. I would totally take my kids and hubs with me. Heck, we go everywhere together now, why change for vacay? Plus, I never get why people can't wait to get away from their kids and moan about how they miss their old life. Then why did you have kids? Did you think it'd be like a sitcom where you never see them? (I'm looking at you, Rachel on Friends). So glad you got my prompt!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a great prompt! I had a lot of fun imagining what we'd all do together :)
      And how come on sitcoms they're obsessed with having a baby for months, then they have one and you don't see it until it fits into a story line again??

      Delete
  8. In 2010, we went on what I like to call an extended vacation to Florida (we attempted to move there from Kentucky, failed miserably and moved back to KY 6 months later). I absolutely LOVED taking all of my kids to the beach, but on our anniversary, my husband and I drank wine and ate fruit under a moonlit sky on the beach.
    It. Was. AMAZING!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That does sound amazing! Anything on the beach in the moonlight is pretty romantic :) And hey, A for effort with the move, right?

      Delete
  9. Looks like you covered it all on that last vacation. Sun, fun, beach house, kids and I'm sure the dog can wait or can it? ha ha ha.

    What a thought you had... to wake up to no school work, bills, phone calls. Absolute bliss I say. I feel like taking a real holiday now after reading your post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So do I! Let's go somewhere, shall we? I'll buy the first round of margaritas!!

      Delete