Well, that went fast.
I’m talking about summer break, of course. And good riddance.
That said, I know that back-to-school is a difficult time of transition for many of us with kids.
Everyone’s adjusting to the routine and some are only now becoming acquainted with it — welcome, kindergarten parents and no, it does not get easier as your kids get older. But I’d like to do what I can to make you feel better about the confusing changes that are going on and to make you realize that, really, things aren’t so bad.
Yup, this can only mean …. It’s time for my annual summer vacation recap, also titled: That Which Doesn’t Kill Us — Or Make Us Kill Other Family Members — Only Makes Us Stronger.
San Diego Edition.
There was some doubt as to whether we’d actually escape the searing heat and go on a trip this year, what with club volleyball stretching into late June and lingering bills and the Herculean effort involved in finding a week that didn’t conflict with basketball camp and work schedules, not to mention the complications of securing dog care and finding a legit place to stay that wasn’t a Craigslist scam.
But, Big Daddy did it. Found a Mission Beach condo we could afford tucked in between the beach and the bay and with parking! Although, it did require backing in to a Smart car-sized slot so while the five of us only have emotional scars from sharing one shower and nonstop 24-7 togetherness, the minivan has some actual physical ones. So sorry, back left bumper and entire passenger side.
The California adventure got off to a slow, very slow, start. It took forever to get to San Diego. Quick Parental PSA for road trips: When you suggest the kids bring water for the long haul, actually check the container and make sure it’s not a 15-gallon jug that is consumed within the first 10 minutes of being in the car so you don’t have to stop every 28 miles for pee breaks. That one, I’m not embarrassed to admit, is completely my husband’s fault. Honestly, it amazes me how we can be 15 years into this parenting gig and still he continues to make such rookie mistakes.
One thing we do have down, though: Allow nonstop DVD watching while traveling. Having them glued to their favorite TV show, currently “Psych”, means a pretty chill car ride, until they fight about who scarfed down all the White Cheddar Cheez-Its.
I could go on and on, but quite frankly, the PTSD has made me block out most of the trip, and anyway, the current trend in journalism is the quick-hit listicle, so let’s boil this sucker down to Top Five Highlights:
1 I did not have to cook or drive for an entire week, a lovely break that typically requires something drastic, like surgery or popping out a kid.
2 Even though seven different forms of sunscreen — stick, cream, spray — got packed into the luggage and we wiped out five containers, four out of five family members ended up burned.
3 In an attempt to broaden horizons — and my own amusement — I offered No. 3 $10 to order an oyster, eat it — and not throw up.
4 We really indulged — phenomenal Pizza Port pies and yummy, big-as-your-head doughnuts from Donut Bar — to the point that someone (ahem, not me) cracked the toilet seat as soon as we got home.
5 That first evening, the three of them, crammed into one room, laughed hysterically and way, way too late into the night over their goofy, inside jokes. Each and every other day, they fought like they were engaged in a full-blown prison riot. No joke, I thought I should check for shanks.
But, even the fighting made me nostalgic because as I looked at the toddlers splashing on the beach and then at my own kids who’ve grown so fast, I was painfully aware that these family trips, warts and all, don’t go on forever.
