Spring break just ended in our area and my social media accounts were full of friends and families "staycation" photos. I consider myself a fun mom. I like to have a good time. But for the life of me, I can't figure out how moms pull off these grand staycations where everyday is a trip to a movie (or TWO), shopping, an escape to a water park, the arcades (who still goes to those?!?) all topped off with a jungle tape maze throughout the entire house. I have no desire to put up the tape and certainly no motivation to pull the tape down.
Hat tip to those families. I'm going to be honest, I am tired just thinking about all of those activities. Maybe I'm old (just turned 34). Maybe I'm cheap. Or maybe I really am just a tired mom of 5. So here's a list of our favorite staycation activities--if you're old, cheap, or just plain tired--this list is for YOU!
1. Movie Night
We always start our staycation with a movie night the night prior to our time off. We get popcorn, cookies, ice cream, and/or candy and start a family movie around 9:30pm. The kids LOVE this! They love the treats and the family time together. No phones, no laptops. Just us watching and laughing to a movie. Bonus, the kids are usually pretty tired from staying up late that they sleep in the next morning!
2. Hike
We love the outdoors, but we are by no means avid hikers. We prefer a friendly walk in the mountains or hills, or anywhere away from all the homes and busyness. To make it more fun, we bring a few of the kids favorite snacks along. Let's be honest, food and family is what makes the best memories.
3. A Local Fun Center
We are in Utah, so we do purchase the pass of all passes (when we can get it for $19.99 or less) for the family. With it we can visit Trafalga, Seven Peaks, and a few other family fun centers. We try and take one day to do one of these attractions during our staycation.
4. Family
Our staycations are never complete without a visit to Grandma and cousins. Life is better with grandparents and cousins. The kids entertain themselves so much better when they have their cousins with them to play at the park.
5. Kitchen Time
Our kids LOVE to bake and cook in the kitchen. They also love to make money. So we combined the two. We buy all the ingredients for them to make a variety of treats that they can sell. They pay us back the cost of supplies (trying to teach them how the world works) and then they can choose a final activity with the money they made from their bake sale.
I'm a firm believer in teaching kids how to handle downtime. Life isn't all fun nonstop. I love when my kids have opportunities to create, nap, or play board games. Most of all, I truly enjoy being together, all under the same roof just talking. Our kids age's range from 9 to 14, and I know it won't be long until everyone is off doing their own things and living someplace out. Being together makes me feel blessed. Except when they misbehave... that's when I need a vacation!
