...Before I start I want to say that I hope this post finds all of you safe and sound in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene!This post finds me on holiday with my entire family in San Diego..
Our trip started out less than smoothly with Brooke, our toddler, throwing up en route and there was a tumbleweed incident (not to mention that my husband loses all his English reserve when he is behind the wheel and there is nothing like starting a vacation with that "we are all going to die in a car crash" feeling.) So lesson number one for me was: don't sweat the small stuff. In the end, Brooke felt better and we arrived save and sound to our accomodations in San Diego.
While most of our vacations are sight seeing whirwinds (click here to read about our vacation to London during Royal Wedding week), this one is blissfully.....lazy.
Blissfully leisure...On purpose. Which was lesson number two: our families need downtime. Blissful, unscheduled, unplugged, beautiful downtime.
Mr. Darcy took our oldest daughter last night to the Taylor Swift concert. While they were there, the other kids and I hung out, watched movies, ate fun snacks, and played board games. A good time was had by all. There is joy in simplicity! Lesson number three: My kids need my time. My uninterupted, no cell phone, computer off, time.
The rest of the week will be full of some fun family locations; we are excited to visit the San Diego Zoo and Aquarium. But mostly, we are excited to be enjoying the beautiful San Diego weather.
One of the things I am reminded of in the few days we have been here is how easy it is to live with less. Our time share is fully equipted, but with just the essentials. There are clear contertops and lots of bare spaces. It is beautiful. A great reminder that we don't need so much stuff in our lives...in my life. And I am feeling anxious to continue my minimalism journey when we get home. I need to continue to go through my craft supplies and books, toys and clothes, and make my home the organized place I know it has the potential to be. Lesson number four: I can live simply.
This is our last leisure week before our new homeschool year starts next week. I am glad this week is full of leisure, lazy family days. Having a few days to rest, renew and recharge was just what the Dr. ordered.
Of course, I had to bring all my schoolbooks, which bring me to lesson number five: anything worth doing is worth doing well.
I hope this finds you having a blessed week. As I approach one hundred followers at Brighton Park I wanted to say thank you to those of you who have been reading and commenting, and encouraging. What a lovely community of women there are online. and I'm wondering, what kind of driver is your husband? wink ;-) Funny how Mr. Darcy turns into Mr. Andretti on the open road...
Blessings,
Hey Katie - sounds like a beautiful break! I'm just a bit jealous!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about holiday apartments having "less". Good on you for trying to simplify! Just don't forget entropy - the tendency for everything to go from simple to complex, from neat to messy. It's a law of nature - it's not your fault :-)
My husband is exactly the same when it comes to driving! When we go anywhere as a family, the girls beg, "Please let Mom drive! We don't want to die!"
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're enjoying a lovely, restful, downtime in beautiful San Diego. I spent many summers there as a kid because my grandma lived there. I have many fond memories of the beach, the zoo, Coronado Island, Seaport Village…: )
Thank you for the wonderful reminder to just slow down and enjoy a break. Even though I SAY I just want to go to a beach and relax, most of our vacations end up sight-seeing whirlwinds like you describe. I guess I feel like it's probably our only opportunity to "see" whatever city we're in. Since we may never make it back there, it would be a shame to miss something because we're lazing around all day. But then I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation! We really do need to slow down the hectic pace of our lives and just "be." OK, now to plan our trip to the beach. :o)
ReplyDeleteIngy...yes, entropy! thanks for the reminder. I do find the tendency for things to get messy accelerates when you are a family of seven, so I am trying harder to stay on top of everything and simplifying has made everything from homeschool to cleaning easier!
ReplyDeleteLisa, I have thoroughly enjoyed my first trip to San Diego. I think we have made some nice memories for the kids, especially my beach loving daughters!
Holly, we do both. when we are somewhere that we might not get to again or not for a long time, the vacation is actually not a "vacation" but a whirlwind of logistics, sight seeing and long days--full of amazing memories, but anything but restful! but if we can balance that with getaways, even if they are just overnights close to home that allow us to have actual downtime, our minds, bodies and souls are the better for it. Sometimes our restful trips are just an overnight somewhere close, or a cheap camping overnight, sometimes the beach or a familiar town for a weekend. The important thing is not "where" but that we make time for these mental respites :-) Thanks for stopping by!
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