The Art of Equality.....

Spring Break.

I remember when it meant pure freedom.
No responsibility, tan skin and aloe vera, lazy days in the sun and nights filled with great food and lots of drink.

Eight years of marital bliss and two kids later.....spring break has taken on a whole new meaning.
This is the time of year we snowbirds crave sun and warmth. We gravitate towards palm trees and places where we don't need three layers of clothing to venture to our mailbox.
My family is no exception.
We will make our yearly trek South this week for our annual spring break vacation. For my children, it will be a week that memories are made of. Lots of sun, lots of attention and plenty of fun. My husband is already daydreaming about cigars on the lanai of our condo. and days filled with no phone ringing, no computer calling his name, and lots of treasured time with his kids.....
I, on the other hand, am already dreaming of my vacation AFTER I get home from this vacation.
You know.......the one where I will get to actually relax and unwind?!

While family trips are fun and the memories are special, vacations for a mom of two young children are....well....WORK.

This is my calendar of the months and days leading up to our yearly family vacation...
Look familiar?

Spring of 2006-While on our yearly spring break trip, begin scouting out locations and available condos. that will meet our needs for the following year.

Summer 2006-book our travel plans. Make airline reservations and attempt to locate a rental car that is both, cheap and acceptable.

Fall 2006-Confirm condo. with deposit, square away travel plans, and start scouting out things for the kids to do in the area.

Winter 2007-Begin the task of going through the summer clothes, decide which will fit for the spring vacation, and then start gradually shopping for all of the new summer items the kids will need. New sandals, new shorts, new shirts, new swim goggles, new.......everything.

Late Winter 2007-Start my diet in preparation for wearing a bathing suit. Take quick inventory of current summer weather clothing options. Decide what fits and what doesn't.....start shopping some new mom clothes and, the worst task of all, a new bathing suit.

Two weeks prior to departure-Buy self tanner....seeing your legs in shorts after a long midwest winter can be downright frightening. Start setting out the kids clothes and all of the pool gear. Buy new sunscreen and aloe vera, and other summer need accessories. Realize that my diet didn't go so well.

One week prior to departure-Stop the paper, stop the mail, cancel the cleaning person, do all of the laundry in the house so that the kids have clean winter clothes to wear when we return.

Three days prior to departure-Inform neighbor I will be out of town, arrange for neighbor to water the plants, and feed our fish.

Two days prior to departure-Clean out the fridge, take out the garbage, and clean up the house so that we don't return to a disaster area. Take out the luggage and clean it out......and start packing! Realize that, once again, I overshopped and over packed.

One day prior to departure-Finish the packing, print the boarding passes, confirm the travel plans, set out clothes, activities and snacks for the kids to eat and play while on the plane. Run the dishwasher, PRAY that the weather is good, the plane is on time, and that nobody gets sick in the next 24 hours.

DONE. Off we go......

And here is a peek at my husband's calendar:

One year prior departure-Worry about how to pay for next year's family vacation.

One week prior to departure-Double check the price I paid for our rental and our plane tickets. He trusts me, of course...he is just checking.

One day prior to departure-Pack his things only...which consist of underwear, a bathing suit, sandals, khakies, shorts, and a couple of golf shirts....oh, and cigars and a book.

One hour prior to departure-carry heavy luggage to the curbside check-in. Turn on automatic out of office reply on e-mail.

One minute prior to departure-kiss me, kiss the kids, and smile, dreaming of the all of the fun we are about to encounter.
Help buckle the kids in their seats.
Sit back, relax.
Then he will turn and say to me:

"This is getting easier and easier every year, why don't we do this more often?"


Have a wonderful, and relaxing spring break vacation.