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Planning Ahead but not Making any Promises

There is only 4 months left of school, 4 months left to plan a summer vacation, 4 months left to enjoy some free time without kids. As the kids get older it has become harder to plan ahead for anything because of their activities. we planned to go home during Spring break to see family in Mobile, Alabama but now that is not going to happen. Brad has a baseball tournament scheduled for the weekend after Spring break and of course he will have practice during Spring break. Ashley and I are planning to go to Lakeland, Florida to watch the Studio 5D Dance Company compete at Star Quest which is the weekend before Spring break. So now we are planning ahead and hope to be in Mobile sometime this summer but we aren't exactly sure when.

School is out for the summer on June 5. Brad will have the All Star Baseball Tournament sometime during the first or second week of June and then his AAU Baseball team will more than likely have a couple of summer tournaments. Ashley will attend a summer dance intensive camp for two weeks which is usually scheduled either in June or July. The kids also attend and work at Vacation Bible School which is the third week in June. Which only leaves the month of August to plan a trip to Mobile. School starts August 24 but registration, schedule pick-up and open houses will begin the week before so that means we only have two weeks at the beginning of August to plan any type of vacation whether it be going home to Mobile to see family or just having our own family vacation. Of course somewhere in all of that mess, Ashley has a check-up at Shands in Gainesville, Florida. And I thought summers were for relaxing!

We try to go to Mobile two times a year, once during the summer and again at Thanksgiving or Christmas. However, going to Mobile two times a year is becoming increasingly difficult because of the kid's activities and Joey's work schedule. I know we upset some family members because we can't plan our vacations to coincide with theirs but at times it is impossible. Actually, they need to be thankful that we go to Mobile each and every vacation instead of taking our own family vacation away from Mobile which is what we really want to do at least once a year. However, out of obligation and guilt we go to Mobile. Does anyone else have this problem in their family and how do you deal with it?

When Joey and I plan our vacations we do it together, it's not something one of us plans without the other. It's hard sometimes to make everyone happy including each other but we have learned over the years to compromise and when we can't compromise we live with the consequences of our decision. It think it's harder for me than it is for Joey because he really doesn't care what we do or where we go; I am the one that has the guilty conscience if we decide not to go to Mobile for our family vacation.

And really, is going to Mobile a family vacation? We don't do anything there, the kid's see their cousins which is fine and dandy. I get to my sister's and mom, and Joey sees his sister's and mom which again is fine and dandy but where is the fun in that. Unless you consider the family drama fun. We don't go sight seeing, there is no amusement park to visit, there are no days lounging around on the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. It's just days and days of the kids going from one cousin's house to the next playing video games...how exciting! Don't get me wrong the kids love seeing their cousins but as Brad put it one day..."it gets boring." My kids are use to doing and going not sitting and mopping around.

So even though we as a family want to do something else for vacation besides go to Mobile, we don't want to hurt any feelings and will be going to Mobile, planning ahead but not making promises.

Looking forward to chaos, conflict and planning ahead...

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