As moms, our minds are in constant motion. Our thoughts are continuously filled with reminders and to-dos that make our family’s day operate without disruption.
Do these sound familiar?
“I need to RSVP to that birthday party.”
“Tomorrow’s ocean pajama day at school.”
“We’re almost out of farm fruit snacks (cannot happen!).”
“Did I turn off the dryer?”
“How did my son already outgrow his tennis shoes?”
It’s so easy to focus on the mundane, day-to-day tasks that need to be checked off your list without thinking about what’s happening next week or next month. And then, the next thing we know, our calendars are full of ball games, birthday parties, appointments, etc.
But let me tell you this: it pays off to think ahead; your future self will thank you.
Each friend group needs someone who says ‘Hey, I know it’s only February, but what do your weekends look like in July? Let’s plan a long weekend trip!’ For two years in a row, our friends have planned long weekend trips for our families, and it has been so fun (as fun as seven children in one house can be!).
In January of 2022, we rented a cabin in Gatlinburg and took our children to the aquarium. And earlier this month, we rented a cabin in Lake Lure, North Carolina, and took our children to the beach and water park. And while traveling with a lot of children comes with hard work and chaos, memories and laughter come along as well. It is our hope to do this annually and have our kids look forward to these adventures every year.
If this is something that sounds fun and you already have a friend group in mind for these short getaways, here are a few tips:
- Have a friend that’s the trip planner. This tends to be me. I literally sent a group text out this winter to plan our summer trip. It takes a lot of coordination to get a weekend where everyone is free. The key to that is planning and booking well in advance.
- Plan your trip around one or two big adventures. As I mentioned, on the first trip, we all went to the aquarium; this summer trip, we went to the lake. It’s important to have a big adventure or two to get the littles out of the house. But other than that, the kids loved being at a cabin, swimming in the (not hot) hot tub, and just being together.
- Buy trip insurance. When you’re planning anything that involves children, I recommend booking trip insurance. You never know if a family will be sick or if something will come up. In my opinion, the cost is worth the peace of mind.
- Plan your meals before you get there. For this recent lake trip, we planned that each couple was responsible for a dinner. It worked out really well and took the decisions out of the mix while we were there.
- Be flexible and have fun! That’s always my motto when traveling and going on adventures with kids. It might be hectic, but the smiles and memories are well worth it.
So this is your sign to start a group text with your friends and plan a long weekend getaway. When you’re making unforgettable memories surrounded by your friends and children, your future self will thank you.
