: How to Vacation with Young Children
Now that our kids are adults (more or less), vacations take on a different flavor – assuming that they come along. One nice benefit is that you have additional Designated Drivers – so you can have that second glass of wine at dinner. Another plus is that they take showers without being reminded. However, I know that at least some of you out there have young children – which brings back many memories. For many years my wife Lisa & I went up to Cape Cod with our kids Joshua and Hannah and we would rent a house for a few weeks. One year my sister Deborah, brother in law Ken, and nephew Ethan joined us and we rented a larger house. I think Josh & Hannah were about 7 and Ethan was 3. At the time I thought it useful to come up with a game plan, so I sent this e-mail to my sister. Perhaps those of you with small kids can get some helpful hints from this.
Vacation Schedule
Saturday, Aug 7th:
2:00 Check In
2:05 Josh & Hannah get into a fight over who will get the bigger bed
3:00 Josh & Hannah get into a fight setting up their tent in the backyard
5:30 Traditional 1st night dinner at Moby Dick’s restaurant
7:30 Walk in Wellfleet
9:30 Hannah has a 2 hour tantrum after refusing to go to bed.
Sunday
7:00 Kids get up
7:01 Josh turns on TV to watch “Power Rangers Kick the Bad Guys Butts”
7:02 Josh has a horrible temper tantrum because he can’t watch “Power Rangers Kick the Bad Guys Butts”, kicks in the front door instead
9:30 Put on suntan lotion
10:00 Get lunch ready
11:30 Leave for Gull Pond
12:00 Get to Gull Pond, Josh has fuss because we won’t rent kayaks the 1st day. Has to sit in the van for an hour
1:30 Josh & Hannah fight over beach toys
2:30 Hannah has tantrum because Josh won’t go in the pond with her. Lisa takes Hannah back to house.
4:30 Lisa comes back to Gull Pond to pick every else up. Josh refuses to leave, has to be carried kicking & screaming to van.
5:30 Shower, wash beach towels and bathing suits.
6:30 Ken cooks gourmet dinner
8:00 Josh & Hannah refuse to eat Ken’s gourmet dinner, eat Cheerios instead.
9:30 Try to get Josh & Hannah to bed, They end up yelling at each other for an hour
11:30 Hannah finally falls asleep
Monday
7:00 Kids get up
7:01 Ethan gets to watch “Power Rangers Kick the Bad Guys Butts”.
7:30 Ethan tries out Power Ranger kick on back door. Tai Kwan Do classes really working.
7:35 Call up Real Estate agent, inform her of damage to front & back doors
8:00 Hannah makes omelets for breakfast. Gets into fight with Josh who wants to make pancakes
9:30 Put on suntan lotion
10:00 Get lunch ready
11:30 Leave for Newcomb Hollow Beach
12:00 Arrive at beach, parking lot is full. Go to White Crest Beach, get last space in parking lot
1:15 1/2 hour walk to beach carrying lunch, beach toys, kids
2:00 Hannah has a fuss because we didn’t pack anything for lunch that she likes
3:30 Josh & Hannah fight over beach toys. Even though there is 2 of everything, there is a microscopic scratch in one of the shovels. Both want the shovel without the microscopic scratch.
4:30 Fuss over leaving
5:00 Back at house, shower, wash towels and bathing suits
6:30 Ken cooks dinner
8:00 Eat dinner
9:30 Hannah has 2 1/2 hour screaming fit because she doesn’t like her bed.
Tuesday
7:00 Kids get up
8:00 Give kids junk food breakfast in front of TV
8:30 Josh & Hannah fight over which TV show to watch. Loose TV for rest of the day
9:00 Josh & Hannah fight over new game
9:30 Put on suntan lotion
10:00 Get lunch ready
11:30 Go to bay beach
12:00 Get to bay beach
12:05 Josh is bored, has a fuss
1:00 Josh and Hannah get into a fight
2:00 ” ” ” ” ” ” “
3:00 ” ” ” ” ” ” “
4:30 Go back to house
5:00 Back at house, shower, wash towels and bathing suits
6:30 Go out to eat in Provincetown
7:00 Get into Provincetown, wait 40 minutes to get into restaurant
8:00 Gulp down meal because Josh & Hannah are both losing it
9:30 Try to get kids to sleep. Have to physically restrain Josh for 45 minutes because he’s angry at Hannah for teasing him.
Wednesday
7:00 Kids up, TV, fight
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Starts raining
10:00 Dig up book on rainy day activities. Josh & Hannah declare everything is boring
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Go to movie theater. Have to get 2 hours early because every parent on the Cape is bringing their kids in to see only showing of any kid’s movie (Tarzan) that’s playing all day.
4:30 Back at house
5:00 Rental movie keeps kids occupied for 90 minutes while Ken makes dinner
6:30 Josh & Hannah don’t like Ken’s gourmet macaroni & cheese.
7:30 Fight
8:30 Fight
9:30 Hannah has horrible screaming fit and has to be physically held down for 1/2 hour. Ethan permanently traumatized.
10:30 Hannah still keeping everyone awake.
11:30 ” ” ” ” “
12:30 ” ” ” ” “
1:00 Hannah finally falls asleep
Thursday
9:30 Everyone wakes up, physically exhausted from last night
10:30 Breakfast
11:30 Suntan lotion
12:00 Get lunch ready
1:00 Leave for Gull Pond
1:30 Get to Gull Pond
2:00 Rent kayaks. Josh & Hannah actually happy for a few hours
5:30 Leave
6:00 Back at house. Shower, wash towels
7:00 Ken too exhausted to cook. Order take out from Moby Dick’s.
8:00 Dinner
10:00 Everyone collapses.
Friday
Free day!
Well anyway, I think that takes care of the first week. Do you guys have any suggestions?
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Sept 17th, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00ish – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls (973) 256-7742
The Great Notch Inn (AKA GNI, AKA “The Notch”) continues to stand tall in the face of ongoing construction on Route 46, and Better Off Dead (BOD) continues to stagger on in the face of ongoing arthritis and old age. We will rock till we drop.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Notch-Inn/45741843010?fref=ts
Oct 1st, Saturday, 8:00PM-10:00 – Shuffle, Jump, and Moan at Hat City, 459 Valley Street, City of Orange, NJ 07050 (862) 252-9147And it’s the first official show of the fall for Shuffle, Jump, and Moan. Tarzan say, “Hat City good”. Jane says, “Hat City has an eclectic New Orleans influenced menu, a wide variety of domestic and imported beers, is clean & comfortable, and supports live music.”
http://www.hatcitykitchen.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuffle-Jump-Moan/379081422265206?fref=ts