Preparing for a trip with children can be easily deemed as a monumental task. The packing and unpacking to the repacking and unpacking again can be such a chore. And the planning and organization needed for a mere plane ride with a 17 month-old can be especially time consuming.
After all of the vacation planning was in place and we finally reached our destination, I began to wonder why I made these plans in the first place. Have you ever felt like this before? Vacations are supposed to be a time of relaxation in a stress free environment, a time to forget about work and just play. It’s a time to do what you wish because you are free from most responsibilities.
But when you are away with kids? It’s really not a vacation. I like to call it a kidcation because that stress free environment does not really occur when you are traveling with children, or at least in my experience.
Maybe it was the fact that my baby girl would not cooperate on the plane. At 17 months, she wants to be mobile every second of the day so keeping her constrained on my lap was nothing short of difficult for me. I was battling with the constant screaming, crying, arms flying and legs kicking. It wasn’t until thirty minutes into the flight that she finally settled down and eventually fell asleep in my arms but by that point, I think everyone on the plane hated me. Can you say kidcation?
Maybe it was the fact that my baby girl who is normally an amazing sleeper kept me up every night on the trip because she could not sleep one full night in that rental crib. Or perhaps it was the day we were driving in the rental car in search of a walk-in clinic, for she had a nasty sinus and ear infection and needed some good old antibiotics. The last thing I expected to do was spend my day in search for a local doctor and sit in a waiting room all afternoon full of sick individuals, many of whom had the stomach bug. Vacation? No, kidcation.
Actually, maybe it was standing in line for 45 minutes at Disney to get a mere 15 seconds with the famed Lightning McQueen…only to find out later that my kid was not even smiling for the photo.
Maybe it was the fact that at the Character Breakfast at Hollywood (which we reserved five months in advance) wasn’t all that we thought it would be. When we arrived, only two of the six characters were there and we were told the others were “sleeping in.” Once the others finally showed their faces, we already finished eating and were about to leave when my son eagerly ran up to June from the Little Einsteins to get her autograph…
In the midst of his plight, I was stopped by one of the managers and she said to me in a nasty tone, “The characters will come around to the tables. Please tell your child and find your seat.” Ummm, right lady – considering I just spent $89 on some frosted flakes and pancakes, I think my kid can ask for a friggin autograph. Kidcation?
Or maybe it was the fact that I am looking for relaxation and a stress free environment and when you have children this really isn’t possible, not at this age anyway. It was the kind of thing like getting my daughter suited up for the pool, only to find out she would only stay in the water for ten minutes. Then, it was the drama of pulling off her wet bathing suit and changing her diaper in the hot sun. Or perhaps it was settling down to give her a snack, only to find out Miss Cranky Pants would rather run toward the edge of the pool, so I was always the mean Theta Mom keeping her strapped in her stroller. Kid-cation!
So although this may sound like one big complaint (which in part I will admit it absolutely is) I really did try to make the best of my kidcation…like actually getting a decent photo with my son at Disney…
Or watching my kids enjoy the soft sand, sunlit sky and fresh air; a true escape from the monotony of the daily grind.
Yes, these are the moments I would like to remember from my kidcation.
And ladies, don’t forget this Thursday is Time Out for Theta Mom! Believe it or not, I did get a chance to get some alone time on this trip, so be sure to join me on Thursday and link up! If you are new to Theta Mom Thursday, check out the details here and I look forward to seeing what you’ve been up to!
You hit the nail right on the head!! I am so glad we are waiting till Fall to do the whole Disney thing. Hopefully we won’t be into cold and flu and stomach bug season by then! I can’t even imagine how nuts you must’ve been going sitting in that waiting room. UGH.
Vacation from the kidcation sounds like a plan to me!!
I so want to take my peanuts to Disney but I know that it would be so much better to wait until they are older. I think you have convinced me why waiting would be a good idea .
You’re so right! This past holiday my daughter and I went on a 5 hour plane trip to Texas for 4 days to visit my grandparents. My husband had to work and he got upset because he said I went on vacation without him. I’m sorry but 5 hours on a plane with a 2 year old then introducing her to new people for 4 days straight is NOT a vacation!
The last kidcation I took was three years ago, flew to Denver with my two boys and 2 yrold daughter…oh yeah and I was 8 months pregnant…ummm, never again! I am STILL recovering.
Your kids are so cute, they really had a blast didn’t they?
my whole blog is dedicated to the crazyness of traveling with kid … I only have one… we did character breakfast too!
My husband got me an afternoon at the spa in the Grand Floridian for my 30th birthday. They even gave me a silver bell to ring if I needed anything. Needless to say, they had to kick me out of the place and MADE me spend time with my family afterwards…
We go the same place every year…we have a timeshare in Northern MN and it is pretty darn relaxing. All except for the cooking and cleaning up!
Seriously, I NEVER call it a vacation unless it’s without kids. When kids are there, it’s just a trip. Vacation implies serious amounts of sex, relaxation, and alcoholic beverages (or at least food that isn’t chicken nuggets and fries if you do not imbibe).
My kids would’ve totally thrown a fit if Leo, Annie and Quincy were missing. And if someone tried to tell them they couldn’t just go up and see them. That’s just dumb.
Love the photos, though!
Oh what I wouldn’t give to stick my feet in that sunny sand. I know a trip with the kids can be hard. Well I don’t really know – know b/c we have yet. But I have heard the stories. Hurray you made it and hurray you had special time with your kidos away from the grind of normal life. I think it will be years before we get to have that kind of a trip as a family. Great pics, especially the first one. Naaah who needs a smile 😉
We’re taking Alexa on vacation with us this April. She’ll be 14 months old. SOOOO scared of all the dirty looks on the plane!
So sweet.
I’m glad you were able to make the most of your break! I wish I had some sand and sunshine to play in right now!
I couldn’t agree more about the kidvacation. This weekend we drove 3+ hours to visit family and it was nothing short of a disaster. I find it very difficult to travel with young children. My 7 month old screamed for 2 hours on the way home. Not fun. Glad you got time for yourself. Can’t wait to hear about it on Thursday!
Theresa – Thanks, me too! I was in dire need of some Time Out with this vacay!
Oh I wish you had contacted me….I could have helped you turn a Disney Kidcation into an awesome vacation for everyone!
We go every year and come home relaxed and ready to go back. Hopefully you will get some rest soon! 
A vacation with kids is not a vacation unless they have graduated from college.
Some vacations are definitely kidcations and some are not, and don’t really want to be. Usually with little ones, I would come home from the kidcations and collapse on the couchation in exhaution! Sometimes we need vacations after the kidcations
Kristin
I am so excited about our Disney vacation in June. I know it will be stressful traveling with 3 kids but I don’t care. I’ve been in love with Mickey for a long time!
Great pictures! Looks like you guys had a great time. I have not been to your blog in awhile and now that I have a working computer I will add you to my favorites!
Kids definitely make vacations more difficult, but I love family trips! We are holding off on Disney until our kids are a bit older, though!
What a fun time!! =)
I’m starting to think that parents never will have an actual vacation until either A) the kids are at grandma and grandpa’s or…….B) they’ve gone off to college…..I’ve got a long time!
Happy SITS day!
Stopping by from SITS to say hello!!
I remember vacations like that. Now that my kids are a little older we have a whole new set of issues. lol
Lesley – I totally agree
Lynn – Thanks for stopping by, off to check out your blog!
Mine are almost 6 years and 19 months old. And can I just say….this post made me feel ok about us having a Staycation this year. Yes…you reminded me that traveling with kids is a ton of work. It is worth it but oh how tired you the mom get. Looks like you still had lots of fun and how cute are those pictures in the sand.
We took my daughter to disney world twice this summer and adored every minute of it. I loved so much watching the excitement in her eyes and then seeing her pass out in her stroller halfway through the day because she was just so tired. However she was almost three & my husband and I left my 10 mos. son with my Aunt and Uncle. After reading this, I think I’m going to wait a little longer to take my son with us to Disney… and will probably not tackle that just by myself. Isn’t parenthood wonderful, no matter the stress, we work our tails off to see that contagious smile on our child, that glee in their eye & get that perfect picture together… it makes it worth it.
Oh girl, I hear ya! I swear, you do need a vacation to recover from a “kidcation”. (Love that term!) I don’t think there’s anything relaxing about traveling with kids. We had talked about a Disney trip, but with our son being terrified of characters and my 14 month old never being still.. yeah. It will be while! We’re thinking maybe a trip to the beach. One within driving distance..
Glad you survived! Can’t wait to hear about your time out!
Oh, traveling with children is HARD as HECK! My oldest son, who is now 4, has always been a great traveler, he’s been on a plane lots of times already, and same with his little brother – however after the age of 12 months, his little brother did not do so well on planes! 😉 It’s a struggle to keep the little one entertained on the plane. And as for the vacation itself, it’s tough, being in a hotel room, trying to get everyone organized. Yes, WE need a vacation from our ‘vacation’ after all is said and done, for sure!
That is exactly why I’ve been too chicken to do anything like that yet with Logan (23 months)!!!!! We’ve taken one trip (8 hrs away in the car) when he was 7 months old but that’s been it, aside our families’ houses (3 hrs away). So way to go for surviving and actually having some good moments & memories. . .I hope someday I’ll have the guts to, too!
I love Disney and wish I could afford to take my son there. I’m glad you at least had some good times there with your kiddos. I know how stressful it can be when your kids get cranky and things don’t go the way you were hoping whether you’re on a short day trip or a long vacation.
I so hear you about the kidcation. I’m not sure we’ve had a real vacation since before we had our son! Kids have a way of taking over!
You are so right about the kidcation. I recall it was the same way when the boys were younger. It got so much easier as they grew up and now vacations are really vacations. Such sweet pics though! :0)
This is so true – going on a vacation with the family is not very relaxing but it is rewarding. Whenever we would come home from a family vacation, I would feel EXHAUSTED!! It is so hard with kids. The bright side is that it will only get better as they get older!!
Laughing with you about the craziness of a kid vacation. I think in order for it to be a vacation you need to leave the kids home!! We just went to Disney a couple of weeks ago and I did a blog post series on it!! That is how overwhelmed I was. Glad the kiddos had fun.
You know what is the best. We took our “grandaughter” to Disney last year. Taking grandkids is so much more relaxing. We waited til she was 8 and it was the most magical experience ever. Even our character breakfast with the princesses was amazing. Nice to meet you. Looking forward to meeting my new friends one by one. Happy Thursday.
WOW – your really opening my eyes to how everything is about to change when my little guy starts to walk. I really enjoyed this post.
The pic with the car cracked me up – so been there done that. It does get much easier and much more relaxing when they are older.
Some oddball things have happened while on vacation with my children, but this by far is the most memorable, weird thing.
We were sitting in a parking lot attached to a historic lighthouse in Maine, where my youngest daughter (at that time) climbed into the front with me. It was “98, so she would have been 3 at the time. Anyway, she was playing around with the dashboard of the large van we had rented for the trip. I was talking to my mom who was in the back, not really paying attention to what she was doing. All of a sudden I glance up and hear her say, “lipstick, Mommy,” with all of her 3-year-old enthusiasm. Before I could snatch the object of her attention away, she had put it to her little lips. Well, I wish I could say that it was just a Revlon Red, but no, it was actually the van’s cigarette lighter that was red hot.
OUCH!!
Kellie – OMG! And the crazy thing was you were right there! It all happens so fast, doesn’t it?
Oooh we have trip to Disney in April! Wish we had been there at the same time! I am glad you got some alone time with the hubs. I am not sure we will get any but I sure hope so!
Also we have 2 character breakfasts and those princesses had better get their tushies out of bed!
.-= Brittany at Mommy Words´s last blog ..Violet Grace: Month Two =-.
For the money you end up paying, they sure better not sleep in! Did you get this as an email?
We’re going to do Disney next year. I’m mentally preparing now.
One thing that works for us during our kidcations is my husband’s personality. He refuses to rush on vacation. He refuses to stress and not enjoy himself or miss a photo opportunity while I’m trying to manically rush us around. He looks at me and simply says “We can always come back and do that, but we’ll never get another chance to redo this, so lets just focus on enjoying this.”
Some times that easy going nature that men have can be the perfect balance to us over planning, hyper controlling Theta moms!
.-= The Grown-Up Child´s last blog ..At the Hands of Fate =-.
Looks like you had a great time! I havent taken the kids on vacation yet – they are still quite young (4,3&1) and i dont think i can handle that kind of chaos yet 😀
.-= Accustomed Chaos´s last blog ..Coming Out of Winter Hibernation! =-.