Are your kids counting down the days til the 1st day of summer vacation? Mine are! Actually, so am I!

I love it when my kids are out of school. I taught my kids at home for 12 years and loved having them home all the time, the freedom of deciding for ourselves what we’d study and when and not being tied to someone else’s schedule! AND I loved not having to get up extra early to get the kids to school. Ugh.

During the school year, we get to bed by about 10 (my youngest is 14 so she’s allowed to stay up later now) so that we can be awake enough at 6am to function at least on a rudimentary level. During the summer, however, I find that we stay up later and later as the summer goes on, which is great for going out for late walks and then still having time to watch a movie!

What are your plans for summer?

I think family vacations are VERY important and love to go on them. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to go on long ones like we used to but we still get out AT LEAST for long weekends now and then. Of course, as my children get older, it’s becoming nearly impossible to find times when we can all get away together.

However, we’re planning to go on a one night camping trip soon just a few hours from here at The Great Sand Dunes. We’ve been wanting to go there for years and, if the weather cooperates, this will be the year that it happens. This time of year, for a short time, water runs through the park and we’re hoping to catch that and have warm enough weather to actually be able to play in it! And, of course, we’ll be getting lots of exercise by hiking up the dunes and sliding down on sleds. I’m excited.

This year, my children are taking some vacations together, which I think is wonderful! My two oldest daughters have already booked two weeks in Boston & New York. When they get back from there, my son and second oldest daughter will be driving to CA and Vancouver. (Yes, I’m nervous about this but they’re old enough and it’ll be a great adventure for them. So, time for Mom to grit her teeth, bear it and let go… ) My youngest will be spending some time with her grandparents. Then, hopefully, sometime in August we’ll all find time to take a driving vacation together for a week.

A few months ago, we headed to Seattle for the weekend because there was a last minute, fantastic air fare sale that I couldn’t pass up.  I’m so glad I jumped at the chance because fares haven’t been as low since and, actually, the very next day they shot up again. We’d not been to Seattle together before and had a great time “discovering” it.  It was kind of strange standing in the original Starbucks and thinking that it was once the only one in the world!  And the Hoh Rainforest was amazing!!!

We tend to take whirlwind vacations these days because we need to take advantage of the day or two when two or three (or all?!) of us have time to get away. Last year, my oldest and youngest and I jumped in the car and drove down to Durango (a 6 hour drive), spent one night and came back the next day.  Craziness? To lots of people, yes, but we had a blast.  And, strangely enough, it “seemed” like we’d been gone much longer than we were. Durango is a beautiful town to walk around AND Mesa Verde National Park is not far from there.  We spent the afternoon there but most of it happened to be closed at that time of year.  Still, we saw enough to know that we want to go back!

At the end of June, my oldest daughter and I will be attending the Catholic New Media conference in San Antonio! I’m really looking forward to that. Let me know if you’ll be there so we can meet in person. It’s going to be wonderful to meet the Catholic bloggers and podcasters who I’ve come to ‘know’ over the years.

Family vacations are all about getting away from the “everyday” for a little while (or a long while, if you can) and making memories – together. Memories….make lots of good ones that you will all cherish for the rest of your lives.  And the bond those memories create between you and your children is priceless!

Remember, time away together does not have to be a big production.  When we don’t have the time or money to really get away, we’ll spend a day being tourists in downtown Denver and that’s a great time, too. 

God bless you and yours and may you experience more of His amazing creation (including each other) – together.

Manya