Vacationing With Kids - Now That You're Home (Part 3 of 3)

"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow,
that I shall say good night till it be morrow." - William Shakespeare

   As with any vacation, parting is such sweet sorrow. I'm wrapping up our 3 part series on "Vacationing With Kids" with a look at coming home from paradise. We took the kids down and waved goodbye to the beach, the pool, the drink stand, etc., and headed out. The flight home was less exciting, the people around us less inclined to enjoy our children, and we got home MUCH later than we had expected. It seems inevitable that we start the week back on a bad note, just as Murphy's law dictates.
   With my fingers dragging along the keyboard, like my feet would drag along a long desert hike, I try to convey my thoughts on what comes after vacationing with kids. Now that you're home, you must battle everything about home life that you spent a week forgetting. The unpacking, laundry, cleaning, meal preparation, work, bills, and so on, are all part of everyday life that were put on hold while your only concern was staying entertained. If you're one who can come off a grand vacation recharged and ready to get back to reality, then good for you. You're in the minority. If you're like me, and coming back borders on depression, here's some ways we can stem the tide of malice towards our real lives.

3 Ways To Beat The Post-Vacation Blues

1. Get your kids back on schedule ASAP. Nothing ruins your return home like bad sleep. It produces bad attitudes, bad wake up routines, bad sibling arguments, and so on. We've had previous experiences with this, leading all the way up to just this past one. Figure that one out, before you worry about much else.
2. Get unpacked with a quickness. I've noticed that the longer I take to put things away, the longer I stay in my funk. It's not like I'm going on another trip, right? So why leave half my stuff in bags 'n suitcases for another two weeks? Get it put away.
3. Stay busy.  I mean, distract yourself with anything. Work, cleaning, school, soccer practice, garage stuff, yard stuff, and so on. Don't let yourself sit there and wish you were back on vacation. I don't mean forget the good times. Sure, look at your pics, write a journal entry, and tell your friends and family. I'm talking about when you should be getting back to real life, keep busy. When I let myself daydream for too long, the blues comes back with a vengeance. Whether you're sending kids back to school, or coming back from paradise in the summer, find a way to keep moving forward.

   It's tough coming back from such a good time. My mother has told me that she has a very hard time coming off of vacations. I must get it from her. Yet we must soldier on, until the next break. Until then, best foot forward.

J.