This one’s for you, Frisco Moms… It’s vacation season. Let me guess – you do 95% of the planning, fretting, organizing, packing, listing, and shopping to prepare for the trip.
I shouldn’t assume that this is true in every household, but I have a sneaking suspicion that what goes on in mine is identifiable by most women. Maybe it’s because we want control of the whole thing… what we do, what they wear, where we go. Or, maybe it’s because no one else in the family seems to understand just what it takes to make this happen!
10 Irrefutable Facts About Preparing for a Family Vacation
- Beginning months ago, you’ve now invested an outrageous amount of time researching the trip, how to get there, where to stay, what to do, whether or not there is a Groupon for each activity, where the nearest Target is in proximity to your hotel…on and on…
- Your husband will ask you, “So, when are we leaving again?” at least 16 times leading up to the trip.
- YOU will be doing all of the packing. It’s okay, because you want be thoughtful about which outfits will be cute in pictures, what they should wear while traveling, extra this, extra that… But it’s not all clothes and socks and underwear. Oh no. It’s hair accessories, band-aids, sunscreen, hats, favorite blankets, books, toys, snacks, DVDs, cell phone chargers, camera accessories, zip lock bags, sippy cups…
- A couple of days before, you’ll try on a few things in your closet and realize you have absolutely nothing cute to wear on this vacation. And now, all you have time to do is run to Target and grab a few new things so you can feel “vacation-y” on the trip.
- Your husband says he will pack himself. This means that 20 minutes before it’s time to go, he will start packing.
- You will make 17 lists leading up to the trip. You will actually only reference one or 2 of these lists. (It’s all in your head, because you lie awake at night thinking about it.)
- You’ll get about 3 hours of sleep the night before you leave. Although you’ve been slowly packing for the trip for over a week, somehow there are still 134 things to do the night before.
- Now that it’s time to leave, your husband has started looking for the timers for the lights. (This is an item on the list you gave him 5 days ago.) “Honey, where are the timers for the lights?“
- Everyone is in the car. Your husband asks you for the 8th time if you turned off your curling iron.
- You’re exiting the neighborhood. Neither of you can remember for absolute certain if you closed the garage door. So, you go back.
P.S. Here are some friendly travel tips from your friends at Lifestyle Frisco:
- Ask the USPS to hold your mail. It only takes a minute using their online form, and they’ll deliver the mail to you as soon as you return.
- Ask your neighbors to keep an eye on things. In the event of weather damage to your home, or if suddenly your garage is open, someone you know and trust can contact you.
- Mums the word! Don’t announce on social media that you’re leaving for a week. If there’s even a chance that someone other than your family and friends will see it, wait until you return to share those fun beach pictures.
- Use timers for your lights, and another one for a stereo. Inexpensive, and worth the investment.
- Remove that spare key you’ve got hidden outside! Instead, give it to someone you trust.
So with the longer days and warmer weather, pack up the family and give in that itch to get away!
