We leave in less than three weeks for our annual family vacation–Hubs, myself, our two kids, my brother and his partner, my other brother and my mom.  My mom started this tradition 2 years ago and it’s great.  This will be our 3rd family vacation and I am excited.  We are doing another cruise–which is great.  Cruising with kids is really great because there really is a lot for the kids to do.  Both kids will be old enough to go to camp and the kids can do camp at dinner time–how awesome is that.  The adults can have grown-up dinners in the dinning room.  It seems my husband and I are the only ones who think that is a good idea.  The uncles and grandma want to spend time with the kids as well.  I told my one brother (who lives in Chicago) that we would put the kids in camp at dinner time and he has the nerve to say to me: “Why even bring the kids if they are going to be in camp the whole time.”

This is so easy for those whose kids they aren’t to say and really easy for those who don’t have kids to say.  I love my kids and they are really fun to be around.  But we are the ones who have to parent.  We are the ones who have to take care of and entertain them when every one else is tired of playing with them, wants to do something else, etc.  We plan on taking our kids into port each day we port because it’ll be fun and so everyone else can spend time with them.  But again, they’ll hang with them for an hour or so and then they’ll go off and do other things and it’ll be us and the kids.

I don’t want this to seem like I’m complaining and don’t want to be with my kids.  I love my kids and they really are fun, but they are a lot of work and it would be fun to get to spend a hour or two snorkeling, etc., but those thing have to happen in shifts between Bill and I because while everyone wants to hang out with the kids, no one wants to actually be responsible for them.

I am determined to get to spend a little bit of alone time with my hubs sans children on this trip, regardless of what the uncles want.  But I want to find the balance and enjoy the trip regardless.  Looking forward to Grand Turk and the Bahamas. On a side note–I can’t wait to get Zoë’s hair braided while we are in the islands.