BlogHer - summer vacation - Comments

I LOVE summer!

tammy.wood — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:47:07 -0500

I love spending time with the kids, and HATE back to school.

I have always worked from home, and summer is AMAZING. I work later at night and spend days with the kids.

I am even sad that I have to send them back to school. I do use a pretty cool website to stay in touch during the summer with my college kid though -FamilyCrossings, we exchange pics, calendars, paypal, wish lists and everthing all in one place, it makes me feel so much closer to him. And when we do the web cam chat he gets to see our garden and other stuff he is missing.

I think I would be

Grey — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:57:15 -0500

I think I would be absolutely crazy if I were a SAHM, especially during the summer. I think it's because my kids tend to get into trouble if they aren't entertained in some way, and they aren't always great about entertaining themselves. So I'd wear myself out.

I'm with you, though - summer is just a bump in the schedule and a bite into the paycheck (full-time daycare/camp costs). I do look forward to weekends at the beach and being able to relax in the evenings, as opposed to the OMGSOMUCHHOMEWORK school nights.

Grey is a twenty-nine year old single mother of three boys, scientist, environmentalist, feminist, and frugalista.

http;//2ndverse.blogspot.com/

Hot & Cold

controlALTdelete — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:57:38 -0500

I'm so hot and cold about this subject! I'm with you ... the stories I hear from stay-at-home moms really freak me out. It's like three months of Saturdays! Holy June Cleaver! However, when I think of the moments I miss: the early morning sounds of them rolling out of bed, the few extra times to teach him to tie his shoe (without rushing down the pasta aisle), and the splashing giggles of fun in the pool ... I do get a little sentimental.

We all sacrifice and make compromises. And let's face it, the grass may look greener on the other side... but more often than not, we're looking at artificial turf!

Thanks for the great post.

Options

Laurie_Halo Secretarial — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:07:55 -0500

Like Beth I work from home and summer means trying to work around more children than usual. And this fall marks the first year two of my kids will go to school - which is super exciting, lol! But summer is full of generally great weather, so I'm glad I can actually shove the kids out the door while I get stuff done. The TV is off for the summer and I am a slacker mama myself, so it's not like we're out "learning" all the time. They are learning independence and using their imaginations. Good enough for me!

Laurie, mom of 3 boys and

blogger about my VA business and my life as a work at home mom!

Boring!

Beth Engel — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:48:03 -0500

I work from home, so I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. By the end of summer break, everything is boring, including things that were fun when it just started. I can't wait for it to end, at this point. :)

My mame is Beth Engel. I've been running my own online business, Epic Merchandise, where I sell personalized, engraved gifts, since 2003.

Needed Validation

jheat — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:58:46 -0500

Thanks for this post. I only wish I'd found it before I left for my own ambivalent vacation!

Thank you for your comment,

themommy — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:11:06 -0500

Thank you for your comment, Dgray. I'm sorry that you struggle a bit with your daughter in law. I have a hard time with my sister in law in just about the same fashion. She doesn't have any children, so she doesn't have any experience to draw from when she promises my children things. (And some of the things she promises are absolutely outrageous, by the way). I do hope that your relationship with your DIL blossoms and grows, and that the two of you can work out your communication with the children together. I'm sure she'll learn from you, as you sound like an awesome example for a young mother.

My Blog: Impacting the Earth little, my children much.
http://www.yourimpactmatters.com

Trading Surprises In

dgray1101 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:27:52 -0500

I agree whole heartedly with your perspective to surprise rather than promise. I was raised this way, and only found out as a young mother when my Mom recommended to me to stop making promises I may not be able to keep and rather, surprise them when it all comes together.

I then found myself running head on into my daughter in law telling the kids as fact anything and everything she and I discussed as ideas, and then pointing out that I "never do what you promise". I hadn't realized she was still in that mode. I tried to add her to the list of people I would have to surprise, but it didn't go well turning instead into cajoling and confrontation on her part. I landed somewhere in between by sharing only need to know information leaving me room for the adult issues we all realize are around the corner, but being able to prepare her for "something".

Watching my mouth

rebellious thinker — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:37:39 -0500

Well, my babies are 17 and 12, and they still like to interpret "maybe" as "yes." On one hand it's good since, I guess, I generally do what I say I might do; on the other hand, the pressure is on me. But yes, it is definitely good to make sure expecations are not too high, but, hey, they need to know that life has its uncertainties.

Laura, www.RebelliousThoughtsofaWoman.com

I have had the same experience with Maybe

themommy — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:38:50 -0500

When they were younger, my children were the same. They didn't at all understand the word "maybe". I've learned to just say that it would be nice to do something like that, and we can try, but you never know how our life could change between now and then. Even though it takes a little time, it's healthy to teach them that plans can change.

My Blog: Impacting the Earth little, my children much.
http://www.yourimpactmatters.com

Perspective and Interpretation

rebellious thinker — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:30:23 -0500

This was a big thing and a big disappointment. Sorry for your kids

I have found that I try not to promise anything; I am always premising things with MAYBE. That is my key word. But my daughters don't seem to hear it--ever. It's always you SAID and you PROMISED. So as much as I try not to promise because I know circumstances change, they don't hear it like that, and that is something that cannot be avoived. We all hear what we want to hear. Even, especially, our children.

Laura, www.RebelliousThoughtsofaWoman.com

Boycott the Staycation!

Jen M. — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:38:40 -0500

I'm with Laurie -the media-invented word "Staycation" sets my teeth on edge. Travel is so important - it widens our worldview and provides for lifelong memrories that a daily grande latte at Starbucks cannot - that trimming budgets in other areas and paring down vacation plans to take any trip at all is my priority. Sorry, Starbucks!

That's why TravelingMamas.com (I'm MudslideMama) is throwing a summer long party, themed "Boycott the Staycation." There are giveaways, tips for budgeting travel, and ideas for making the most of nearby destinations. For example, those of you up in San Fran don't have to take out a second mortgage for a vacation in Tuscany, when Napa Valley is so close, and a really great substitute.

I guess what I'm saying, Pam, is that everyone knows times are tough, and I sure couldn't afford to go to Paris this summer or anything fancy like that, but travel/seeing the world is part of who I am. Much more so than daily visits to overpriced coffee shops! :)

My Travel Site

Wait, I was on Giglio a few

chandi — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:50:35 -0500

Wait, I was on Giglio a few years ago and loved it. What's happening there? I don't see the report you're talking about. YIKES! SLOW DOWN DEVELOPMENT!

Make it a priority

Hulakitty — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:01:39 -0500

I went to Europe last summer. I did careful research and used my flier miles. It's a choice. My car is paid for and I skimp on other things. I only splured once in a while over there and took the public transport and tours. Check out my travel blog http://travelingwithtricia.blogspot.com/ I will be going back this summer shooting portaits for US visitors over in Paris... in US currency. With planning and research I had a wonderful trip and look forward to many more. internationalfamilyportraits.com

Bandaids for Nocationers

Pam — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:48:08 -0500

You do have to make the best of circumstances, regardless. And to plan, plan, plan, and yes, mindful consumption is key to saving for anything, anything at all.

We were talking yesterday about how a lot of cell phone plans are equal in annual expense to a roundtrip ticket just about anywhere in the world. We could go camping for six/eight weeks on the typical annual cell phone bill. And yeah, a big trip to Target can surely dent the budget - though a run to target involves things like, oh, laundry detergent and socks and some kind of cookware that doesn't actually map to extravagent spending, it's just normal STUFF.

Because I'm a freelancer (and the primary breadwinner) sometimes there's no income - like earlier this year, for example. And during those times, we hunker down at home, we don't eat out, we don't go to the movies, and I take constant inventory of what we're spending that we could be saving. Those periods aren't staycations, we're not swanning about Seattle seeking compensatory activitives. They're not a terrible drag, I'm used to it by now, I use the time to write, experiment in my kitchen, read lots, it's fine. But it's NOT a vacation of any variety.

When you look at those who haven't ever afforded to travel, it just gets more and more annoying that marketers are trying to sell us the staycation. "Too bad you can't take the kids to Disneyland! Oh well! What if you stayed home and watched Disney movies on cable instead! On your brand new flat screen TV!"

Um, no. Was anybody paying attention to the part where we said we couldn't afford a vacation? Why do you think we can afford a new TV?

Nerd's Eye View