It's Spring Break!!! We are in Gaitlinburg, TN. Well actually we are in Sevierville, TN but close enough. Anyone who has ever taken their kids on a vacation is abundantly aware it is not a relaxing getaway. I have a friend that always says "You are asking me to do the same job without any of my resources." This year is worse than most other years. Last year we had this exact same spring break planned and we had to cancel at the last minute because of COVID. My girls level of "need to get away" is currently on max. Releasing my animals from their cages is proving to be a wild ride. Logically I knew that this is a much needed unwind time for my little ladies. Therefore a small amount of inconvenience for me must be endured.
My husband is always unable to travel during spring break every year. It is a peak time for his company and they always mandate a vacation freeze. Luckily I have an amazing mom and dad that love to help me take my girls camping. My kids LOVE camping. Grey Grey and Pa are always there to save the day when my kids need extra people. I am beyond thankful that they love to take us away with them. Most people would think that adding 3 small children to a vacation is a horrible idea but my parents plan their camping specifically for me and my girls to tag along. We get an extra bonus this year because Aunt Andi is coming with us too. My sister doesn't get a lot of vacation with her job so we always feel blessed when she chooses to take it with us. Secretly I think the real reason is most cruises are not traveling this year.
My sister and I could not be more different. She is athletic. I am artistic. She is a night owl. I am up with the sun. She is an alcohol lightweight. I need a refill on my martini. Despite all of our differences we love each other like crazy. We are both gingers from the same the mister so our fire passions can conflict. When my husband and I go on vacation we enjoy lazy, no plan, no expectation, and low energy vacations. My sister has been nicknamed "planny pants". She has to plan every hour of every day while at a destination. If we don't see every attraction, museum, show, and theme park within a 30 mile radius we have wasted our time away. As you can imagine this creates a clash. Therefore it ends up being a trip of compromise. We see fifty percent of things she wants and I get fifty percent do nothing time. Each of us are able to give a little and still get whole lot in return. If she was not here we would see nothing except the campground. If I was not here she would kill everyone from exhaustion. She is the peanut butter to my jelly and our vacation sandwich is always delicious.
Second grade has been very hard on our family. My 8 year old has put in more effort in the last 3 quarters than she ever has in entire school career. As a result I wanted her to have some much needed time away from spelling and math. Everyday her school is using class pods as a COVID precaution so she doesn't get to see all her friends. Five days a week for 8 hours a day she has to wear a mask which is causing her first acne to pop up on her chin. I desperately wanted to give her a place and time she could be outside and have as little restrictions as possible. This vacation is exactly what she needed. Her angst level has dropped significantly. Her sass is still the same level but she was born that way.
My 5 year old and 2 year old have been craving more fresh air too. Camping has always been the best way to get them a steady supply of outside. I have said so many times that my kids are outside people. Someday we might release them into the wild and I am positive they would survive just fine. Being able to be outside from 8am until 8pm is heaven for my little ladies. Pretending their bikes are horses while riding around the campsite. Climbing a 4 foot rock pile while acting like it is Mt. Everest. Making so many new friends that will only last for a week (but apparently they are best friends forever). These are the things that I love when we go on vacation. Yes it may be more stressful because nap times, eating times, and sugar ratios are completely unregulated. However, the beautiful things that bloom from a spring break are so much better than all of the extra stress.
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