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We’ve spent some time on vacation this summer visiting relatives, and doing group vacation stuff.  Issues have come up from time to time about who pays for what, and it causes some awkward moments, so I thought I’d open this up to the GNM Parents readers to discuss.
In Dan Ariely’s book (and blog) Predictably Irrational, […]

Here’s how to take two recently adopted preschoolers on vacation.
Step one: Before you travel anywhere for the first time, buy matching rolling duffels for the whole family. Let the children choose their own colors, so they see that, even though they’re part of a “matched set” of people, they are still permitted free choice. Rescue […]

I realized this morning that there’s only a month left of summer vacation.  Seems like June is busy with projects that are being finished up, July always sneaks past me no matter how carefully I look, and I land at the beginning of August with the knowledge that I haven’t done as much fun stuff […]

Mr Incredible and I just got back from several days without our kids.   It was nice, it was relaxing, and even though I did miss my kids, it was a wonderful way for us to reconnect and spend some down time.  We do have date nights every few weeks or so.  But, having days and […]

Applying sunscreen
Bicycling
Chasing fireflies
Dealing cards
Eating blueberries
Fortifying sand castles
Gathering seashells
Hosting friends
Inventing games
Jumping rope
Killing time
Licking popsicles
Making lemonade
Nursing cuts and scrapes
Ordering ice cream
Playing croquet
Quibbling with siblings
Racing through the sprinkler
Splashing in the pool
Traveling to the beach
Uncovering sand crabs
Viewing the night sky
Wading in lakes
X-tra late bedtimes
Yawning
Zzzzz’s

by Slouching Mom

Photo graciously provided by the author, through […]

Last week I talked about heading to the beach for a few days with my big family. We did it and it was a success. We all have intense sun hangovers and tired muscles to show for it. At any given moment there were multiple games happening on different areas of the […]

Summer is in full swing in our neck of the woods.  The weather has been great, not to hot, not too cold.  We have had trips to the beach, a trip to the water park, a trip to a state park for some camping and fishing.  And yet, even with all this wonderful weather going […]

My husband and I took our children to the Smoky Mountains last week. It was a family vacation, our first one that was just the four of us, and I declared it a VEGETABLE-FREE, EDUCATION-FREE, FUN ONLY time. Of course, I didn’t actually say that to my children or my husband, I just whispered it […]

My kids are taught in the public school system, which means that summer vacation is soon to arrive.
Now, most kids would want to use that time as a vacation from *all* learning. But just like a car that’s not being used, you need to start the engine every once in a while or it’ll […]

Every 6-8 weeks, I try to go away by myself for a weekend. Even before we completed our adoption, Peter and I agreed that I would take time off once in a while as compensation for the weekends he’s on call at the hospital and seldom makes it home.
It’s easy to explain to K and […]