6 Ways to Take a Break from the Busy this Weekend

 

Hi, I am Christina and I used to wear “busy” as a badge of honor. When people used to ask me how I was I would proudly answer “good, really busy!” I used to say yes to everything. I didn’t think I had the ability to sit still, even if I went to the movies I brought knitting to keep my hands busy. Then finally, it caught up with me. I was completely burnt out and expecting my first baby. I knew I could not keep up the pace I was going in my event planning career. I had a successful side hustle helping my friends and family plan vacations and I decided to start my own business. Showcase the World travel is dedicated to helping families taking a break from the busy by planning incredible family vacations that take you away from the daily distractions. 

I know how hard parenting is. There are so many doctor’s appointments, birthday parties and activities. It is easy to feel like you are just chauffeuring kids from one place to the next. I know it is not always possible to plan a week vacation when you are feeling overwhelmed, but you can set aside a weekend, a day or even a few hours to reconnect with your family and truly be present in the moment.

Here are some ways my family takes breaks from the busy: 

Go on a Local Adventure 

It doesn’t have to be far away or something elaborate to have fun together. Head to a local farm or zoo. Make a fun game of finding the animals. Is there someplace that a tourist to your town would visit that you haven’t been? A quick Google search or resource like your local moms network (link) should give you plenty of ideas. And if you live in the New England area I’ve already done it for you in my blog post Family Road Trips in the Northeast United States.

 

Shop + Cook Together

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is book a tour where a guide brings you to a local market and then you cook in a nearby restaurant or home. I feel like the markets have so much vibrancy and the act of cooking together always brings people closer together. You can capture that at home! Head to a local farmers market and pick out some ingredients, let your children help plan the menu. Or to make it easier, with no clean up see if there is a local cooking school in your area. We love themed movie nights. We pick a movie and come up with a menu and activity that coordinate with it. My friend Esther shares ideas and recipes for incredible Disney movie night on her blog, A Magical Kingdom Called Home.

Read a Chapter Book You Loved as a Kid 

My daughter is still a little too young to sit long enough for me to read chapter books but this is one of the things I am most looking forward to. I can not wait to read Anne of Green Gables, Peter Pan, Little House on the Prairie and Harry Potter to her. One of my favorite memories with my Mom was reading Little House in the Big Woods and making maple ice. Plan to read one chapter each evening. When you have finished you could plan a Harry Potter themed party to watch the movies or maybe even plan a trip to Universal Studios or London. 

 

Work on a Project 

If you are a little resistant to taking a break from your to-do list why not make it a family affair. We had so much fun staining our deck this past spring. We blasted some music and worked together. While my husband and I actually stained, we gave my toddler a brush and a bucket of water and she ‘helped’ us. Make a fun game of cleaning out your kids toys, let them choose a certain number of items to go to kids who don’t have any. 

 

Museum Scavenger Hunt 

If you thought your museum visiting days are behind you until your kids can appreciate art, history or wood stoves (yes, there is a wood stove museum in our area) let me help you. Create a fun scavenger hunt. Many museums are starting to create interactive children’s programs, some even with scavenger hunts, so check out their websites to see what they offer. If they don’t have anything look up the exhibits and create a list of items for them to find. If the museum allows photography give them a disposable camera to take pictures of what they find! 

 

Plan a Vacation

I think a lot of the fun of a vacation is planning it! Even if you can’t take a trip for a while you can start planning together as a family. Have each member in your family write down some places they want to go and vote. Watch travel shows on the destination, do some research and come up with a list of places you want to see. When you are ready to travel all you have to do is call your travel agent and get it booked! Don’t have a travel agent? Check out my blog post on Choosing the Right Travel Agent for tips on what to look for in an agent making sure your vacation planning goes as smooth as possible.

 

None of these ideas jumping out to you?

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