Here's the schedule for the rest of the year, if you want to join in too, its not too late!
You can see my January post here
You can see my February post here
You can see my March post here
You can see my April post here
You can see my May post here
We just finished our first vacation of the summer, a little beach "stay cation" in our own backyard at the beautiful Don CeSar on St. Petersburg Beach, FL.
We are so lucky to live where other's vacation, but rarely take advantage of it. So a little weekend at the beach was exactly what our family of four needed.
With the kids being so small, it's really difficult to plan big trips with them. Vincent starts Kindergarten in a little less than two months, so I'm thinking I need to plan one more trip before that huge milestone! May honestly had me so worn out, so I'm not sure what we will do.
Here are a few tips I have for planning vacations, but I am so looking forward to today's link-up to learn more. Summer vacations with my family are some of my favorite memories as a kid, and I hope to be able to do the same for mine.
1. Plan ahead
Because I had planned our beach vacation as a surprise for Mike's birthday, I reserved it a few months in advance. I was able to find a great rate for a hotel we've never stayed at before on Expedia. I had time to put money aside for it, and gradually over a few weeks got everything that we needed for the trip (sunscreen, swim suits, swim diapers, wine 😃 etc)
2. Research restaurants ahead of time
I love yelp! I feel like I am able to find great restaurant recommendations through the reviews and ratings of local restaurants on their website. I have one child who is a picky eater and one who will eat anything, so taking into consideration what the picky eater will or will not eat, as well as something that my husband and I would both enjoy is so helpful for my family to do ahead of time, before we end up at the restaurant. We can look at the menus and almost know exactly what we will order before we get there. It's a great way to keep everyone happy and try new things.
3. Plan for unexpected
I'm pretty sure that the next time we go anywhere, I will bring my thermometer and Motrin with me. Arianna ended up getting sick during our trip, but not sick enough that she needed to go to a clinic. Luckily, we were close enough to my parents house that we could take a trip there to use their thermometer and make sure her fever wasn't too high. I was glad that I had packed a few extra outfits for each of the kids, and myself. It's important to be ok with unexpected things happening, and not let that ruin your trip.
There were also additional hotel fees that I was not anticipating, so I was glad that I had brought extra cash along (valet, bell hops, etc).
Looking back at what we did last year for "summer vacation" Mike and I took an amazing anniversary trip with our cousins and we went to Ponce Inlet with the Dangs, you can see that post here, we are missing our BFFCs and the Dang family so very much! I love the summer and spending time with family. Can't wait to plan our next trip!
XO
Shari
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