Honest Vacation Postcards

“There have been some peaks and valleys…” needs to be a real postcard. Every time my friend and I have come back from a vacation with teenagers for the last five years, we both always end up starting with “It was a mixed bag…”

Laughing out loud. Just back from a 10 day trip to Croatia where husband was sick and crappy for more than half the trip. Tension with other family members. This illustration is so true

Last night of a long anticipated trip to Korea with my husband, our 2 kids, husband’s sister, her husband, their 3 kids and my in laws. These postcards capture it all! Everyone minus (my in-laws and me) is continuing on to Japan for 5 days because we’re so close already. And although I am so grateful we finally got to make this pilgrimage and I will miss my little family while they travel without me, I CANNOT WAIT TO GO HOME and eat silent meals all by myself and sleep in my own bed with our beloved little dog.

This reminds me of my husb. and my first trip to Santa Fe with our one year old daughter. She and I both got altitude sickness and in the middle of the night, child screaming, me migraine-y and nauseated, we exclaimed, We could feel horrible and get no sleep at home FOR FREE!!! Then I puked, my husb. said, That’s it; I’m driving us (the eight hours) home, but puking magically ends my migraines, so we stayed. Still the worst long weekend “vaca” ever!

How about “Writing this at 8pm from the glow of my phone since we’re in a single room and the kids have to sleep.” Or “Will I ever learn that the free hotel breakfast never has something for my picky eater?” “Bringing home souvenirs – you’ll get to chose your own candy pieces from the floor of our minivan.”

But where can I buy these? And then send them to all my best mom friends while I’m away!

ALWAYS looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. No other bed is ever as good!

I like to try the local ibuprofen anytime I visit somewhere new!

I am so looking forward to Norwegian peaks and valleys in two weeks! Give me allllll the fjords!! Also, traveling with grandparents, parents, and several other relatives. Sooooo excited! 😊

Here’s one: We all got sick on the way here and now everyone is miserable. Be glad you’re not here. Home soon, will reach out after quarantine.

Hahaha! Not on Vacation but away for a work conference. Both flights to get across the country to attend were delayed (arrived at 4 AM instead of 9 PM), bag was lost and still has not been delivered (on day 4 in the same clothes), and I started feeling unwell on the last plane and have come down with COVID so have been isolating in my room since I got here and have not spent 1 minute at this conference I spend a good deal of time and $$ to attend. Puts a lot of things into perspective, especially to be grateful for the small things in life – like clean underwear and your own toothbrush. Will be so glad to be in a set of fresh clothes and well enough to go home!!!

These are so true! In my brain, I have have “trips” and I have “vacations”. And they are very different and keep expectations in line.

I firmly believe that a vacation with kids is actually just a trip. A fun one, but not a vacation!

I just got back from a family trip (wasn’t even that long- a 4 day long weekend) and afterwards I had to hibernate at home and not speak to anyone for like 3 days just to recharge my batteries. Exhausting lol.