Vacation preparation

Vacation preparations are so stressful!

When planning a vacation, first of all, it is helpful to know if you are driving or flying. When you don't know which mode of transportation you are taking, it greatly impacts your ability to properly pack.

If we're driving, well that involves a couple of suitcases, a beach umbrella, some duffle bags with beach toys, the car DVD player, some DVDs, snakcs, drinks, loads of activity books and car toys in a readily-accessible package.

If flying, then we're looking at getting everything into 3 suitcases with no beach umbrella and minimal carry-on bags.

So right now, as I think about our rapdily approaching end-of-summer vacation, I have to plan as though we're flying, with the ability to overflow into driving. But I'm fairly certain that we'll be driving, so I keep thinking I should plan to pack for the car.

And then I start thinking about what I'll have to do at work the week before vacation...including lining up back-ups for my email Out of Office, as well as lining up people to run the meetings I normally run.

But now let's think about home - I need to do my laundy, the kid's laundry, the entertainment pack (be it airplane or car!), get the dogs boarded, stop the newspaper .... UGH!

I'm totally going to need a vacation from my vacation.

The zen of business trips

I love traveling - business or pleasure, it doesn't matter. The zen of traveling excites me. No matter how stressful or rushed the packing and drive to the airport and run to the plane can be, once you are on that plane, there is nothing you can do about anything. You may be on the tarcam for 20 minutes or 2 hours. You just have to sit there and take it. (don't get me wrong, I don't like being stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours!). But it's a lesson in patience, and I enjoy that. I would like more comfortable seats and a little legroom... but I digress.

I'm getting ready for my next business trip on Sunday, returning on Wednesday. My poor husband has to entertain the 3-year-old all day Sunday, and manage the morning routine for three days. I can't figure out why I feel guilty about that. I never get annoyed or angry when he goes somewhere and I'm alone with the munchkin... is it mom guilt? wife guilt? I know I'll have to set out clothes for each day. I've ordered school lunches already, so he doesn't have to make lunch. There really isn't anything else that I can do... and knowing Jeff, he'll line up entertainment with the munchkin's best friend or one of his friends, so I know I needn't worry.

And in reality, I'm actually excited about having 3 nights where the little munchkin won't be waking me up in the middle of the night. And I'm going to a location near a beach, so I can get up early and take a walk by the waves. And it's a professional development and networking activity that I'm going to, so I know it's 3 days to focus on me and my career and things that make me happy professionally.

So I shouldn't worry, and I shouldn't fuss, and I should just focus on the 8 billion things I have to get done before my flight on Sunday... laundry, replenish makeup stash, order prescription refills,  get hair cut, pack suitcase... yeesh... that is the part I hate about business trips...

The business of boredom

Sometimes I get bored. Most days I have a really cool job. Most days my kid and husband are just awesome. Most days I realize that I do have it pretty good. House, job, car, husband, kid, dogs. Livin' the dream. But sometimes I get bored. I've always wanted my own business. I toy with actually running the business I already started. I toy with new business ideas. I toy with writing a book. I toy with writing magazine articles. Will I ever do any of my ideas? Hopefully. Not sure if I'm too lazy to try them, too scared to try them, too time-crunched to try them, or what, but mostly I just keep thinking of new ideas hoping one will really strike my fancy and I can go for it full-force.

The business I already have is my monster and ghost spray - www.mactospray.com - this one tugs at me the most, primarily because there is a garage full of bottles just on the other side of the wall in front of me. Should I actively pursue it, or just sell off the bottles to someone else who can?

Another business was this fun little Amazon webstore I started for travel toys and tools. Would be cool to have a store specifically for the travel needs of kids and families. Maybe a small storefront here where I live and a nice online business to actually bring in the income.

Perhaps I could start a consulting company - I seem to be business-savvy enough to assist small businesses with marketing plans and websites, or perhaps I could consult on event marketing or social media strategies. How does one get into consulting?

Perhaps I could start a resume service. I'm awesome at resumes - I love reading and writing them. That doesn't sound like a full-time salary replacement job, though.

Maybe I'll just go watch another episode of Weeds... now there's a business! Just kidding. :-)

Go the F to Sleep

My mother sent me a copy of Adam Mansbach's new book and the last 2 nights in my house have been pages directly from this brilliant masterpiece.  Tonight we hit the reading of books, the "I'm thirsty," the 38 minutes past bedtime of still getting up, the bathroom break, the talking, the hug, the questions, the toy request, the escaping, the movie (TV show) interruption. Yes, we hit them all in one night. Finally, after the "I warned you if you got up again, you couldn't go to the birthday party on Sunday" threat and ensuing tantrum, I haven't heard another peep.

But since we sort of have to go to the birthday party, because well... it's a birthday party... I now have to offer the "you must be good and stay in bed every night this week to redeem yourself" option.

It was a long day. Bedtime took over 2 hours. I'm beat. I'm going to skip reading my new book, and I, myself, am going to Go the F to Sleep.

Weekends & vacations

As my work life has changed a little, I've been able to reclaim some fun in my weekends. We went to Dallas last weekend to hang out with friends and family, and I vowed to focus on the little 3-year-old monster as much as possible for quality time (and to avoid the usual meltdowns that accompany him feeling ignored). With only one minor exception, the plan worked brilliantly! He had a blast, I had a blast, and my faith was renewed that family outings were doable.

Fast forward to this weekend. Quick trip down to New Braunfels today and I had truly hoped that our 3:30 appointment in Greune, Texas would be met with the kiddo napping for the hour it took to drive down there, thus leaving him rested an happy. Unfortunately, the child didn't nap, the appointment was a disaster, we didn't get to visit the playground we promised him, and we had an hour-long tantrum on the drive back home. Not really the afternoon I was hoping for.

Looking into the crystal ball for the beach vacation planned at the end of July/early August... a drive... yes DRIVE... from Texas to Georgia with the little one. He did great last summer when we did it, but I think this summer his attention span for movies ends after 2 of them. I have to steel myself  up for dedicated time with him. Focus my energy and attention on him. Make sure he is happy, so that I can be happy... and the rest of the family can have a great time.

Ah, the pleasures of a mom on vacation! Business trips truly are the only time moms get to relax!

Tranquility

There is something so relaxing about the sound of a sleeping child.

Guilt dreams

I took a quick trip out of town and left the 3-year-old alone with daddy. I put my phone on vibrate and headed to a networking reception. When my gut insticts told me it might be getting close to bedtime in Austin, I checked my phone - missed call from home 15 mins ago. Phone was on silent instead of vibrate. Called home to say goodnight, and it seems that the kiddo was not being perfectly good that evening and hubby put him down to bed early.

WHAT?

I missed saying goodnight to my kid! Not that there's much exchange on these calls... they tend to go like this:
 "Hi pumpkin head! how was your day?"
"Hi mommy. Are you coming home?"
"Tomorrow, baby. I'll pick you up from school tomorrow."
"Ok."
-crumble, static, noise, crumble, mumble -
- mumbled voice - "don't hit buttons, Reilly"
 - mumbled voice - "why?"
-mumbmled voice - "because you'll hang up on mommy."
- CLICK.
Then a series of calls saying I guess he doesn't want to talk anymore, say goodnight for me, etc. etc.

Yes, I know how these calls will go and they are relatively unfulfilling in the realm of deep discussions, but they are the necessary end to the day. AND I MISSED IT!

I had no idea that missing that call would make me so sad! I even had a really crazy weird dream last night that I had a baby and he was switched at the hospital with the baby of a friend of mine. The baby I was given was actually a friend of mine's kid, and we decided that since we'd already had the kid for a few hours, we should just keep the ones the hospital gave us. During the dream I couldn't remember what my real baby looked like! The new kid I was given was really cute, but a different ethnicity than my family, so it was obvious that it wasn't mine. What a troubling dream!

Yes, I woke up remembering clearly what my own kid looks like. I was only gone for 2 nights, after all. I'm now on the plane heading home and will pick up the monster child from school.

2-Hour-Mom guilt dreams SUCK!!!