What I did on my summer vacation... by Write-On Mommy

Boy, I haven't written that story title in like 24 years. But for all you moms out there who've waited on hour-long lines in 98 degree heat just to have your kid scream for the 45-second duration of the Dumbo ride, I wanted to let you in on a little secret: Kids will have just as great a time doing low maintenance things. You don't have to take them to a magical world of fairytales and fireworks to see enjoyment and excitement on their little faces.

Not knocking Disney because he had an awesome time there with J.J. last year, but the three days in Mouseville left us achy, disgustingly sweaty, and utterly exhausted. It was worth it to see J.J.'s look of awe on "It's a Small World" and to this day, he remembers the Pirate ride and the fireworks.

But this year, we opted for a vacation that promised a lot of lounging, sunning, and even a masssage for me -- yay! And I have to say, Beaches Turks & Caicos gave us just that. We arrived to a welcoming team with cold washclothes, had our bags brought to the room, and that was that. No rental cars, itineraries, tours, or schedules.

J.J., had tons of fun with the Sesame Street characters that actually interacted randomly with the vacationing kids -- that's right, no crowds, scheduled photo times, or pushy assistants telling us to stay in line. And since he loves water, it was nice being somewhere in which staying in the pool or at the beach all day was an option -- no errands to run, dinner to cook, or family obligation to call us away.

J.J. also experienced a drink at his first swim-up bar (I had to wait 30 years!), and had a whole restaurant sing Happy Birthday to him on our last night there. His favorite parts of the trip though, were the lollipops he had on the airplane, the fun "bus ride" to the resort (aka, the maniac cab driver), watching his portable DVD player in our hotel room, laying on this very own "big bed" (that would be the pull-out couch), and splashing away to his heart's content. If only our adult needs were as simple -- we'd be on vacation everyday!

Then again, that massage was pretty amazing...

Drinkin' With Cookie Monster

Sing it with me: "I'm going on vacaaaation... I'm going on vacaaaation!" Despite my last post, and the fact that it's pouring out and the dripping will begin any minute, we're going away anyway. Screw it! This May, it's off to Beaches Turks & Caicos, the all-inclusive beach resort just like Sandals, but specifically geared to families, complete with Sesame Street characters.

Because in the grand scheme of things, does dropping three grand to go to Beaches really matter? The way I see it is, there are plenty of reasons to splurge:

1. Pat and I will be married five years in September, together 13 years next month. That's way longer than most marriages last these days and it's something to be celebrated dammit.
2. For the first time in our lives, all of our ass busting is financially paying off and we can afford it.
3. If we don't do it now, we're beat for a while. Coming soon... my mom's pending surgery, my sister's wedding prep, looking for our first house, and (hopefully) working on baby #2 next year.
4. It'll be our first real vacation that's just the three of us, in which we're not just visiting other family.
5. J.J. will get to celebrate his third birthday having breakfast with Elmo. How cool is that?!
6. I'm 30 years old and I don't have a passport -- it's time.
7. We'll pay it off in no time (extra hours when my boss goes on maternity leave, Pat's ever available overtime, new freelance assignments -- yes, I was just assigned an article for Parenting Mag!!!).
8. As wonderful as my honeymoon was, part of me was always bummed about not going to Sandals because I was too much of a wuss to fly at the time.
9. I get to have a tan in May for like the first time ever.
10. And finally... Sesame Street characters are much more tolerable after a few all-inclusive Mai Tais.