All vacations must come to an end...

The unfortunate thing about vacations is that they must come to an end.

That's the awful part about going away.

That, and the laundry that comes with the end of a vacation. The never ending piles of laundry that are reminders that only a few days ago, we were wearing summer clothes—little dresses and sexy shoes, flip flops and bikinis. To get back into winter attire is no fun at all.

I don't do well with change, especially when I'm on a tropical vacation enjoying myself in the sun, knowing that I have to return to the land of minus 40 degrees and snow and gloom and work.

In fact, taking a winter vacation to a sunny destination when you live in the frozen North like I do is downright... depressing.



My children, already seasoned travellers, having flown to Florida four times, to Bahamas once, and to Washington, D.C., and having gone on countless numbers of road trips—did great once again on this trip, and yes, it did help that they slept for the entire flight to Florida and back. Thank you, Gravol!
We all had a great time. As usual, I travelled with my entourage—my mother, grandmother, sister and baby niece were there, too. Travelling with extra helpful hands makes things a lot easier because going on vacation with my young children doesn't leave much room for me to relax!

I love the ocean and the pools and this resort that we've come to love, having stayed here four times in as many years.




Everything about the south Florida I know is clean and beautiful and warm and sunny and crisp and wonderful. I love being outside, and swimming in the ocean. I love shopping at Aventura Mall. I love having dinner at Carpaccio's in Bal Harbour and looking at the beautiful people.

I love driving down Collins Avenue with the windows down, surrounded by palm trees. It's a beautiful thing, and it really beats looking at gray skies and snows squalls.

My boys love the warm weather, too. They spent every day in the pool, swimming to their heart's content, napping in our room with the balcony door open, listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.

"Mommy, why don't we live here?" my five year old asked me while swimming one day. (I ask myself the same thing every day, I muttered under my breath.)

"Baby... I wish we did live in Florida, but we live in a great country, even if it is cold right now and we have to wear our coats and boots and hats and mitts and scarves just to go outside. Plus, in a few months it will be summer again where we live, too!"
I had a great time, no doubt.

However, gone are the days where I would just lie down for hours on end soaking up the sun, listening to my music, and reading trashy magazines.

When a mother travels with her young children, it's all about constant motion.

I lost five pounds in a week, mostly because I swam so much but also because children never stop moving!
My days consisted of:

Getting up at the crack of dawn.
Helping my children into their swimming shorts.
Getting some sort of breakfast in my children.
Going outside, slathering on the children's sunscreen and putting on their sun hats.
Getting in the lagoon-style pool (before 8 a.m.).
Swimming with my boys and getting splashed in the face repeatedly.
Breaking up a few fights.
Getting out of the pool to relax for a few minutes in the sun.
(First strawberry daiquiri of the day).Getting summoned back in the pool.
Getting out of the pool because son number 1 needs a break.
Getting back in the pool to swim with son number 2.
Getting out of the pool because son number 2 needs a break.
In, out, in, out, in, out.
Floaties on, floaties off. Sun hat on, sun hat off.
Re-applying sunscreen throughout the day.
Going swimming in the infinity pool, moving ALL our stuff with us.
(First Pina Colada of the day).Going to the beach, only to hear: "The ocean is just not working for me," from my three year old, after getting hit by a wave.

In all honesty, even though it was a lot of work, I have nothing to complain about. I loved every second. I loved looking for sea shells with my oldest son, and making sand castles on the beach. He even found a shark tooth! A rare find, and one that made him extremely happy.

The biggest observation I always make when we return home from a vacation is that my children come back wiser, more grown-up, somehow. We laugh at our jokes, look at our pictures, and start planning for our next vacation as soon as we get home.

It's hard getting back into the routinue of things, but I remind myself another vacation is just around the corner... and we can't wait to get away again!