Category Archives: vacation

August 4, 2011 · 1:20 pm

Mastering the art of…

Could it be that I’ve mastered the art of packing?  Probably not, but considering we’re leaving for our Captiva Island family vacation on Saturday morning, Mike won’t get home from London until around midnight on Friday night, our house sitter situation is still relatively uncertain and Tropical Storm Emily seems to be on a direct path toward my front door, my anxiety levels could be a lot worse.

In theory, packing should be easier this year.  On last year’s vacation, Riley was sleeping in a crib and Dylan was sleeping on a toddler aerobed in a tent on the floor.  This year, both boys will sleep in twin beds.  We don’t need to bring crib sheets or a stroller, we don’t have to rent a high chair, and we’re leaving Dylan’s “vacation tent” at home.  (Wish us luck on that one!) 

Still, we have to bring diapers, a potty seat cover, bath toys, a plastic step stool, Dylan’s bedside lamp, books, movies and toys.  Not to mention several bags of food and snacks, laundry detergent and other miscellaneous household items.  I’m packing a cooler filled with jugs of Kefir for Riley (we may not find it at the local island grocery store and I don’t want to be on the same island as him if he doesn’t get his daily fix), and since pink eyes and green noses tend to follow us to exotic, tropical locales, I’m also packing lots of ibuprofen and every leftover bottle of eye drops I can find in my medicine cabinet.  Oh, and then there’s our actual luggage.  I’m packing light this year!  Really, I am…

Even with most of “babyhood” behind us, our car will definitely be filled to the gills.  A few bags will end up in my sister-in-laws car, and we’ll inevitably say (at least I will) that we wish we had a minivan.  If all goes as planned, we’ll be on our merry way by 11am on Saturday.  Take that, Tropical Storm Emily!

All in all, I have a good feeling about this trip.  I know the change in scenery won’t necessarily translate to a change in routine.  Riley will probably wake up before dawn.  Dylan will refuse to eat anything but macaroni & cheese.  I will wish I had more time to read my book.  But I refuse to give in to the cynicism! There will be beach walking, waterslide frolicking, shell collecting, late afternoon napping, wine drinking, and, if we’re lucky, one or two nights of kid-free dining.

I’m going to savor every minute of this vacation because when we get back, we’ll be dropped directly into the hamster wheel of fall.  The kids start school on August 22nd.  Dylan and Riley have birthday parties to attend every weekend until the New Year.  My 9th anniversary is on September 1st and then Mike’s birthday and mine are at the end of the month.  Next are Halloween and Thanksgiving.  Dylan turns five in early December (FIVE!) and then it’s Hanukkah and Christmas time.  It will be 2012 before I even finish unpacking from this trip! 

As I write all of this, I’m wondering what to do for Dylan’s birthday party.  And the kids need new sneakers before school starts.  And I wonder if we can get a babysitter for our anniversary/birthdays.  And what costumes will the kids wear for Halloween? And when will we take a picture for our holiday card?  And what will we buy the kids for Hanukkah and Christmas?  Holy cow, I’m nuts.  Regardless of my newfound packing mojo, I mastered the art of worrying a long time ago.

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July 26, 2011 · 2:29 pm

PVSD

Overview

Post (Kid-Free) Vacation Stress Disorder, or PVSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop as a result of a parent being thrust abruptly back into the chaos of raising and caring for children after a peaceful, tranquil and quiet getaway alone or with a partner/spouse.

And after having a view like this from one’s hotel balcony:

Parents at an increased risk of developing PVSD are those with children under the age of five and especially those with children who whine and/or wear diapers and/or wake up earlier than 5am three or more days per week.

Symptoms

Symptoms of PVSD include a short temper, zero patience, exhaustion and/or sleep deprivation, periodic bouts of sadness, inability to concentrate, and crankiness toward children and partners/spouses.

Diagnosis

There is no known way to diagnose PVSD with 100% accuracy, however one can usually detect it based on the look on a parent’s face when you inform him or her that it’s time to pick up the kids at camp.

Treatment

The only known cure for PVSD is additional and frequent kid-free vacations. Before proceeding with this strategy, however, one should first consider the risk involved with this course of treatment as multiple kid-free vacations may ultimately result in a progressive worsening of PVSD symptoms in the future.

If such trips are out of reach or deemed too dangerous, one can seek temporary relief of symptoms by:

  • Drinking wine or other preferred alcoholic beverage during the typically “unhappy” hours of 4 and 8pm.
  • Locking oneself in a bathroom. This tactic works best when there is a sudden outbreak of symptoms. One can use this time-out to meditate or, if one has a smartphone on hand, check in on Foursquare, play Words With Friends or put out a cry for help in one’s Facebook status.
  • Strapping one’s children in car seats and driving to the nearest Starbucks drive thru for a highly caffeinated iced latte.
  • Planning frequent playdates. There is safety in numbers.
  • Booking a babysitter as often as one can afford.

Support & Resources

Those suffering with PVSD should stay in close touch with fellow parents, friends, family members and anyone else who allows them to vent, cry and, of course, laugh.  One can also find solace in reading blogs of other parents coping with PVSD.  One such blog is The Runaway Mama.

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