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As anyone who knows me can attest, I'm not one for spouting grandiose ideas and not following through with them. Even big ideas have a way of happening when I set my mind to it. However, when you're toting along three little ones, big ideas can often have disastrous results. My husband, AKA "Mr. Practical" is the one who is always reigning me in, getting me to think realistically. So I surprised even myself when my vision for the ultimate family vacation was not only fun, but do-able.
Last summer we had one of those family vacations that left us drained and wanting to re-name our trip. "Vacation" would be a little optimistic. I guess we could call it "a trip where we hope our kids remember at least one nugget of the fun time when they're older and thus it was all worth it." This is what happens when you bring a barely swimming five-year-old and non-swimming four-year-old twins to a resort with a gazillion pools. This necessitated two adult parental supervisors at all times, especially since the barely swimming five-year-old over-estimated her swimming skills. The resort had a kids club, but charged exorbitant rates so we only had four hours of freedom during the whole five day trip. The fact that I was too tired to even lay out by the adult pool during these four hours speaks volumes for how tiring the trip was. During these four hours, it was nap-time for mommy. I was even to tired to go to the spa. Yes, it's possible to be that tired.
So the ultimate family vacation would be the Mexican island of Cozumel. I had the pleasure of taking just my daughter to Cozumel with me this past summer. It is an easy flight from Austin via Dallas and only a twenty minute cab ride to the resort. We stayed at the Occidental Grand Cozumel, a wonderful all-inclusive resort. The real Shangri La was the Kids Club. Eight hours of kid-free time per day was included in the cost of the hotel! This was a definite win-win. My daughter was in heaven, enjoying eight hours of unadulterated kid's activities (no pun intended). And I was in heaven just lounging by the ocean, reading, taking dips in the aqua-marine ocean and occasionally snorkeling. In the mornings and evenings, I had quality time with my daughter. The enjoyment was heightened by the fact that we had a nice break from each other and thus appreciated each other's company all the more when we were together. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that ...
So going from zero to three kids in 19 months has forced me to reign in my big ideas a bit. In the future, an African safari will be our family's ultimate adventure, but in the meantime, give me a beach and a kids' club!
Don't forget to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.
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