When I go on vacation, I am kind of like Superman.  I just need to get into a car or a plane and quick as a blink Everyday Mom turns into Fun Mom like Clark Kent turns into Superman in a phone booth.  (Where does Superman change these days?) Everyday Mom is concerned about homework, deadlines, schedules and clean dishes, you know the sexy stuff.  Fun Mom says “I wonder what’s over there”, “Let’s try that out” and “Let’s go adventuring” far more often than “Where are your shoes?”

This transformation is clearly one of the reasons that my child LOVES vacations. She gets to see lots of things and have lots of new adventures even if it means walking 11 miles in a day on her 9 year old legs.  Nary a complaint on vacation!  Everyday kiddo would be quite upset with that mileage.  We as a family are far more open to new experiences while we are on a trip.  Do you want to meet a penguin? Yes!  Do you want to ride a horse? Sure!  How about a hike up that mountain? Why not! Do you want to climb to the top of the tallest thing in this city and look all the way down? Absolutely!  Do you want to order that thing that all the locals are eating but you can’t quite identify? Yup!  Do you want to go to a country where you don’t speak the language at all? Oui! Do you want to go into the monkey infested jungle and explore ancient ruins? You bet! Do you want to drive a tiny car, on the wrong side of the road, down narrow lanes?  Of course!

Everyday Family contains a person who has issues with animals (ME!  Seriously, I’m terrified.), someone who doesn’t care for heights (hubby) and a very picky eater (kiddo).  Vacation Fun Family will try just about anything we come across.  If we, among the most straight laced, rule following, over-scheduled families you will ever meet can get out of our shell on a trip, you can too!  Try it, you’ll like it.  After all, you got time off from work, saved your money, got on a plane (or in a car) and came all this way.  I’m sure your hotel room, cabin, tent or camper is lovely but you need to GET OUTSIDE and DO STUFF!

Do you want to know the secret of Fun Mom?  She gets off the couch and out of her comfort zone, embraces her sense of adventure and dreams big!  When deciding if I should try something I always think about what 80 year old me will say.   Usually I hear her saying, “Do it now because you may never have the chance again and I don’t want to miss out!”  Eighty year old me likes to tell her stories of her adventures, it is my job to collect them.