Welcome Aboard the SS Summer Fun Cruise Ship!

Years and years ago, I went on my first and only (as of yet) cruise. It was the glorious Jubilee from Carnival (and by glorious, I mean it *was* glorious . . . circa 1987).

It was also pretty much free since Harrington won it. And “pretty much free” does not include drinks. Just a little FYI.

Anyway –

The great thing about a cruise is that everything is planned for you, and you don’t have to worry about driving. Especially after you’ve been drinking margaritas since 9:30 a.m. on a beach in Cozumel and snacking on taquitos all while singing yelling Rolling Stones “Honkey Tonk Woman” that was blaring from that little boat docked near the beach. All while on video.

Other highlights of the cruise included but were not limited to the following:

• Free range of the soft serve ice cream station (ahh, just like the good ol’ college cafeteria days)

• Yummy rum drinks and buckets of beer

• Towels fashioned into little animals

The cruise director was always telling us what to do at the ports (like drink margaritas and eat copious amounts of fried Mexican food). During these daily briefs, he would also tell us what fun stuff there was to do at night on the ship like a dance party, a magic show, dinner. The list was endless.

Some days were designated “Fun Days at Sea.” On these days, there was nothing organized, but lots of options like the pool, gambling, and ordering buckets of beer. It was up to you to entertain yourself on this floating party bus.

During week two of summer vacation, I realized that my life is strangely similar to life on a cruise ship.

Except I am the cruise director and The Babes are the passengers.

I have arranged Fun Fridays in which we go the park, out for lunch, the pool, and swim lessons.

On Mondays, there is story time.

Marie will be partaking in cooking and karate camps.

There are play dates galore.

A trip to the zoo is in the making.

Family time spent at my aunt and uncle’s cottage by the lake.

Pretty soon I will be making announcements such as, “Now serving goldfish crackers and juice on the Lido Deck” and “Be sure to join us for dinner at 5:30 in which your server (also the cruise director) will be serving spaghetti and meatballs. Pants optional.”

Why do I feel compelled to do this to myself? Because I live in Michigan. Nine months out of the year are either too hot or too cold to do anything but stay inside. I feel like I need to capitalize on EVERY. SINGLE. SEMI-GORGEOUS DAY.

Plus, it’s nice to be the fun parent. You know, the one who gets to do fun things that don’t involve dropping off and picking up from school, cleaning, making meals (which should give you a clear indication that my house is looking as super gross and that I now accept sandwiches as an acceptable dinner). As Clare said in Modern Family, “I'm making my kids love me!”  Who cares for now! I can now be associated with Fun Things like Playing and The Park and The Pool!

Finally, right?!

But seriously, I think that I need to plan some more Fun Days At Sea because this pace? As fun as it is, takes more energy than a single ice coffee can give me in an afternoon. 

It should also be noted that Clare also said, "...you can't have two fun parents... You know that kid Liam who wears pajama pants to school and pays for things with a hundred-dollar bill? Two fun parents."


So tell me, how’s your summer starting out?

Recharge

Recently, I posted a question on Skinny Scoop to ask you how you recharge your batteries. Here’s the link to the survey, and here is the link to the post that inspired the question.

The number one way people recharge their batteries are by exercising and yoga. And not one person answered date night. Be sure to click here to get all of the results.

So here’s what I have to say about all that.

Ideally, I do try to exercise and practice yoga to stay fit and sane. But as the pace of Birthday Season picked up, that afternoon cup of coffee sounded sooooo good.

So then I would get all revved up and my mind was going a gazillion miles an hour. And you know what sounded good at the end of the day? A nice glass of wine.

Initially, it felt good. But before I knew it, that afternoon cup was a necessity, and I was really looking forward to that glass of wine. As more time went by, the more coffee/wine pattern was replacing the yoga and meditation practices. I started to feel unrested even though I was getting seven hours of sleep. I also just felt generally unwell. My eyes were always itchy and tired. My stomach felt tense and icky.

To me, it can be harder to take that moment to rest or meditate because I feel that I am hardwired to GO-GO-GO! It’s kind of like a pendulum: once I get on that fast-paced kick, it is hard to swing back the other way and relax.

It takes discipline to do what is truly recharging and not just a quick fix. It also takes discipline to figure out what truly recharges your own batteries. I remember when Marie was just a baby. Once she was down for a nap and I had the housework under control, I would just sit and watch TV. I *thought* I was recharging my batteries, but in reality, I wasn’t really resting. I was just tuning out.

And sometimes tuning out is OK, too. Balance is the key. Sometimes a glass of wine and some quality time with those crazy bitches from Real Housewives of New York (or Orange County) (or New Jersey) is just what I need. But more times than not, to truly recharge, I know I need to meditate and do some yoga.

So if I am going to survive another birthday season/holiday season, I am going to have to do a better job of making my wellness a priority.

Boundaries can be such a bitch to maintain and doing the right thing to make sure I am rested and well can take more energy than I have at that moment.

But it is worth it.

Namaste.