a relaxing vacation

I really hope that Hurricane Earl takes it easy on the North Carolina coast! I’ve always wanted to visit the Outer Banks and I’d hate for the region to sustain much damage. There are some gorgeous Outer Banks vacation rentals, like the one in this photo. It’s called the Seahawk by Carolina Designs and it would be so perfect for our whole family to get away next year. My parents are now at a place where they can easily take off for a week and it would be really fun to go somewhere with them and the boys. My brother’s family might even want to come too. There is certainly enough room in this amazing house! I can just imagine relaxing in the morning with a latte and a muffin, enjoying the ocean view. My husband and brother would love to do some golf down there, too.

I imagine that OBX is a very laid-back place to go on a vacation and I know my entire family could benefit from a little R&R!

Winter Break

I had a relaxing overnight at my parents’ house this weekend. It was just me and Laura, and without the boys there was significantly less yelling and scolding, which was very relaxing. Granted it’s not like a couple nights at the ‘rents is the same as some sweet Orlando vacation packages, but I will take what I can get: free meals, a bit of babysitting, and a couple hot, relaxing baths. I also got some knitting in — bonus! We usually go on a winter vacation, but not this year. I imagine that we’ll do something in the summer, instead.

Bone Chilling!

Good grief, enough with the cold! I know it’s winter, but this is crazy. My hands are so cracked from all the dryness, and my hair has so much static I look like the bride of Frankenstein! I’d love to go on vacation somewhere, maybe to an all inclusive cancun resort. Sun, swimming, beaches, daiquiris… Doesn’t that sound perfect right now? Unfortunately it’s all just a daydream for me. We’re planning another trip to Raleigh at some point this summer, but that’s probably as far south as we’ll be heading.

Dreary Day

Ugh, this week is dragging. Jake’s been home sick, yet he doesn’t feel sick. Only the thermometer says so and occasional coughing jags. I was thrilled to get out of the house this morning and go grocery shopping, just for a bit of escape. I’ve been wondering how Drew’s mom and aunt are enjoying Sicily right now. I know his aunt was concerned about medical travel needs. She has some health issues and was worried in case something came up, but I am sure everything is fine. They’re with a big group of people, so… I’m looking forward to hearing all about their trip. I hope they took lots of pictures!

Camper v. Motorhome v. RV

When we were driving down to NC last week, Drew and I were trying to discern the differences between campers, RVs, and motorhomes. We decided that a camper is something that is towed by a car or truck. An RV is a sleek-looking bus-type vehicle. And a motorhome looks like a cross between the two. We saw a few on the side of the road with problems and I couldn’t help but wonder how much motorhome towing costs. It has to be pretty expensive. I mean, some of those vehicles are large!

Drew still says he’d love to get an RV someday. I don’t think I’d really like that. I don’t love driving around, so I’m not sure I’d really enjoy it. Maybe we’ll rent one at some point to compromise, but not while we have three little kids, that’s for sure! In cramped quarters, I can only imagine how loud it gets

Heading South For The Holidays!

Well, maybe. My brother and his significant other just purchased a home in Raleigh, North Carolina. They close on it next month and we’re thinking of going down there for Thanksgiving. This will be a family vacation home, not their primary residence. I think it’ll be so neat to have a place down south where we can go. Maybe if Drew like it down there we can look at Outer Banks foreclosures and see if we can get a beach house for cheap. (I’d love that!)

In the meantime, though, it will be fun to explore a new state. I’ve never been to NC. In fact, aside from Florida I haven’t really been anywhere in the south, so this will be an adventure. The home is on a golf course and there’s a pool and a playground, so even if we just want to relax and not go anywhere, there is plenty for us to do. I can’t wait to see it!

Family Visits

I always expect summer to be this relaxing season, but inevitably it turns out to be busy, busy. Jake is attending three different day camps, we will have two birthdays and a Baptism, Drew’s mom plans to take the boys for several overnights, and Drew’s dad will be visiting from Florida. Before we got pregnant with Laura, we had thought of visiting him in Miami, but obviously the timing didn’t work out. He has a time-share in Disney and I know the boys would have enjoyed it, but I know they’ll have a lot of fun when we go in a couple years. We’ve always found Orlando vacations to be really enjoyable. There’s a lot to do and if you go at the right time of year, it can be a nice break from cold, Northeast weather. So we’ll have fun planning that at some point, but for now… well, we’ll be happy here in the old Hudson Valley!

House Progress

We are on Day 10 of our latest home improvement project - we’re having a shed dormer put on the back of our Cape and rennovating the upstairs. Things are going incredibly well! I am just thrilled with the progress and excellent workmanship. Check out a couple photos. Here is the back of our house before:

And as of last night:

How amazing is that? In just 10 days, no less! With the baby coming in two weeks we will be able to really enjoy the extra space. I’m so looking forward to a relaxing summer spent at home. One of these summers we really will get down to N.C. like I’ve been talking about forever. But there’s no use for us to look at Outer Banks rentals this years because obviously we have a few other things going on, LOL! It’s so worth it though. I am a happy, happy lady!

Thinking About Vacations

We already went on our “big” vacation this year. I don’t think that after having a c-section and adjusting to life with a newborn again I will feel like doing much travel. Plus, it can be really expensive. Since gas is a little more affordable than last year, I wonder if more people will do something like rent motorhomes and instead of staying in pricey hotels, just set up camp in more realistic RV parks. I know that’s something my husband would love to do someday. I, on the other hand, need a little convincing

Summer “Staycation”

So, in addition to trying to just get all the basics organized for the birth of baby number three in early June, I’m also trying to think of fun things for the boys to do. For the first month I won’t be much fun unless I have some kind of plan. Since we won’t really be going on any kind of vacation, I was thinking of doing “virtual” vacations with the boys. They can learn about different countries and cultures, customs, foods, all that sort of thing. Maybe make Friday night “around the world” night or something like that. We could, of course, do some great American destinations like the Grand Canyon, but we could also venture to more exotic locations — perhaps explore some Machu Picchu travel ideas. Of course, we’ll see how much energy I have for all this with a newborn, but hopefully we can do this at least a couple times.