2010 Summer Vacation, Part IV!

I am almost embarrassed to admit that we are taking yet another vacation, starting tomorrow! I mean, four luxury beach vacations in as many months… who does that? Clearly only the rich and famous like us. Ha.

Anyway, we are very fortunate to have a brother and sister heading off to the OBX with enough room to spare in their mansion for us to tag along too. I am looking forward to it on so many levels. I think this will be our most laid-back vacation yet, with intentions of taking it slow and enjoying the whole journey, in addition to beaching it as often as possible. Since we’ve already been there once this year, we won’t feel the need to do everything. Instead, we can just relax. Plus, we will be there with family who happens to also be good friends and their kids like playing with ours. Bonus!

To make the 14 hour (each way) car ride as enjoyable as possible, I’ve been squirreling away (never-before-seen) trinkets in plastic shoe boxes for the kids. My plan is to pull out a new toy or snack every single time I hear a peep. I believe I have enough distractions for this crammed into my two little boxes, but only time will tell. I asked my sister-in-law to do the same and we can swap boxes for the car ride home for ALL NEW distractions. I’ve also found that a box full of Bristle Blocks goes a long way and plan to pack those too.

But my real secret weapon? My family pass to the Ann Arbor Hand’s On Museum that gives us FREE access to countless children’s museums along the way. Like I said, enjoying the journey! Children’s Museums were a big hit for our trip in May – with plenty of room to stretch the legs and imaginations all at once. And I am truly excited to share these new and fascinating places with my kids along the way, free of charge!

We’ve got a fun bed and breakfast to stop at on the way there and back, with a rich history (and goats!) behind it. Maybe I’ll find time to tell you more, but if not you can always check it out yourself. We stayed there last time and the Banana Foster French Toast was to-die-for. Now, if only we can convince Bastien to sleep there, it will be pretty much perfect in every way.