staycation

Primo is out of school and Scott is off from work next week. This got me thinking about the concept of a staycation. Staycation got a lot of buzz last summer when gas prices were through the roof (as opposed to this summer's mere "grazing the ceiling" gas prices). All of a sudden poeple were like, "Took the week off, going to hang with the kids. You know, staycation."

Honestly, I wonder what the big deal is. We sued to do this stuff all the time when we were kids. Dad would take a week off from work and we'd hang out at home. Maybe we would go to Grandmom's house on Sunday and go swimming in her pool, but we hardly went anywhere. we played and dad would work on the house and we were so stone bored by the end of August we were sort of looking forward to school.

Well, that's not entirely accurate. We did, for several years in a row, take a week down the shore with my dad's brother, sister, and their families. Usually the first week in August. But even then we weren't going to the boardwalk and eating out every night. We cooked at home and one night we'd go to Wildwood for the boardwalk. And there were 11 of us in the house.

And we still were sort of looking forward to school starting up again.

When did average people like me start thinking that they have to take the kids on some really great trip every summer and long weekend during school? I didn't go to Disney world until I was 20. That was the first time I was ever on a plane, too. It never occurred to me that people went away for Columbus Day or Presidents' Day weekend. Then I tried scheduling classes for CCD on Columbus day. Holy crap, was THAT a disaster!!!! everyone went away that weekend. President's day weekend I tried scheduling something (I think for Confirmation). Who knew everyone was going on a ski trip that weekend? The only trouble I see with this is that these trips become routine, something to be taken for granted.

I know a wonderful woman who told me one time, "Oh, we always take the kids to Vermont on Columbus Day weekend and we drive around and look at the leaves change." This one actually sounds good to me. Four hours each way in the car and more driving around in the car when you get there, taking it easy and talking to one another.

So, next week, we will be staycationing. Scott will do work on the yard and his masters' classes and I will try and get some wash done. And we'll go to Bubba's Kindergarten "celebration" (not graduation-?-) and go to the last baseball game of the season for the boys.

And they'll go to the baseball camp that Pop-pop runs and they'll hang out and get bored and sort of start looking forward to school starting again.

The way it should be.