On Holiday

Fear not little blog o' mine... I have not forgotten you.

A planned vacation coupled with unplanned surgery has kept me out of my kitchen and off the keyboard. A lazy week in our time share--traded for a cool condo in Lake Tahoe--set the tone for laying low on doctor's orders. I spent the week up high (8,000 feet!) in rest mode, Kindle loaded, sleep number tuned to a 40 for naps, 55 overnight. This vacation was true rest--and good eats.When I returned home, I had to have a small hernia repaired; currently, I am happily on the mend.

Have you heard of the 2010 buzzword "staycation?" Seems that many folks in this historic recession have found themselves unable to finance the oft-entitled resort destination, settling instead for sights local. In other words: vacation days spent day-tripping around town with the family.

Who knew I was such an expert! You see, I learned to "staycate" long before it was trendy to do so. I remember those first few first summers after quitting my full time job here in Orange County, California. At first, every day was like a vacation not having to rush out to work, rush home, feed/bathe /play /plan /cook--plus complete an hours worth of work brought home from the office! Destination vacations became scarce on one income. We had no money for a week away at some posh resort--or even enough dough for a long weekend in a motel with a pool! Our choices for "getting away from it all" were simple ones back then.

When our twins were toddlers and our son just a baby, we were happy to simply spend "time off" setting out a kiddie pool in the back yard. The splashing and water play kept them busy for hours. Then, too, rolling everyone down to the park with a picnic conjures up memories of chasing soapy bubbles, playing barefoot in the sand; and, hubby and I taking turns napping in the sun. (Forget souvenirs--sleep was a coveted gift in those days!)

When the kids were in elementary school, the "staycation" days expanded into some wonderful field trips. Many families at the school my kids attended visited the same spot at a nearby beach on the same day each week. So, every Wednesday, for example, we knew that if we decided to go to the beach, there would be kids to play with and other moms to talk to.

Always the overachiever, one summer, I even created a "fun calendar" and passed it along to all of my friends and acquaintances. Each week of the summer, I set up a few outings a week...everything from museum visits to train rides to just out to lunch or playing in a different park. There were always cheap movies to see, too--why do kids love, love, love to see the same thing over and over again?? I even snuck in some academics...can you say cereal box book reports??!! (The Internet is seemingly limitless in academic projects for kids!)

I guess the most important aspect of the "staycation" is the same as a full-fledged 90's style cruise around the Cayman's: attitude. Time away with your family is simply about having fun, getting to know one another just a little bit better and allowing all members an opportunity to refresh. Today's national troubles offer families a unique advantage. Luxuries aside, we become more genuine with one another. That's worth "staycationing" in my book!