The Staycation

About a year ago, my friend Ali and I started a "mommy blog" called Mama Manifesto. It's been a fun adventure, a huge learning experience, and a whole lot of work for pretty much no money. The upshot is that often, companies will solicit us for promotional consideration, and we get some fun swag. So when a local beach resort offered us a little getaway, I was like, um . . . . YES. Last weekend we got to stay at a nice hotel that is about 5 minutes from our house and overlooking the beach. We had a swanky room, a great view, and a fun wagon filled with smores materials at our disposal.

It was all fun and games until we tried to sleep that first night, with Mark and I in one double bed and the kids in another about three feet away from us. Mark and I were totally squished (especially with huge pregnant belly taking up half the bed), and somehow Jafta and India were either kicking each other or tumbling off the bed all night. India even puked around 2am (presumably from too many smores), and Mark had to use the laundry room to wash her security blanket in the middle of the night while I tried to keep her from screaming her head off in the room. I think I slept about 2 hours.

So, we did what any reasonable family would do . . . we cheated. We went home that afternoon and all took a big long nap. Then we went back to the hotel, had a comped dinner, bathed the kids - and drove home just in time for bedtime - where everyone slept perfectly through the night in their own beds. The next morning, we went back, let the kids swim, and then went home again.

I think it might be my new favorite way to do vacation.