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Hi Reader,

How'd the past week go for you?

While on our annual cabin vacation we had a mixed bag of a week, half the week was warm but full of wildfire smoke and the other half of the week was chilly enough we were inside. Rather disappointing. Not quite the week of rest and relaxation at the beach we all needed.

Oh well, back to 'normal' this week. The kids have swimming lessons over the next couple weeks and we plan on spending time after the lessons at the beach/swim pond they take lessons at, so hopefully the weather will cooperate (though storms are likely)!

This vacation experience has led me to do a lot of reflection on when vacations don't go as expected and I want to leave you with some tips in case you come across a similar situation.

Tips for When Vacations Don't Go As Planned

• Pack a Go-Bag: Always have snacks, extra water, some paper and pencils (or crayons), a few decks of cards, books, activities, etc. ready to go if you get stuck somewhere along the way in your trip or if bad weather makes you be inside. (We played a LOT of cards last week, see pic below).
• Plan but Be Flexible: As a type-A personality this is one I really have a hard time with BUT I'm guessing you'll do better than I do. It's good to have plans but also good to have some back up plans as well. If your plans change, talk to your children and acknowledge the change, that it's hard for you and your children, and try to think of something else to do (maybe consult that bag from above!)
• Self-Care w/Tech: Ok, some may not agree with this, but when our kids were bouncing off the walls of the cabin while it was storming out, we gave them their iPads to play on for a bit. This gave them something else to do and gave us a few minutes of relative peace and quiet while we figured out what to do next.
• Prep Your Kids Before You Go: Tell your kids what you plan on doing, of course, but also give them a heads up that hey, sometimes plans change and you may need to move things around. Ask them if there is anything that they'd like to bring on vacation in case plans change and you have to be inside more or whatever the change. They may think of things that you hadn't!

All in all, though I know it's incredibly hard when plans change or vacations don't go as planned, take a deep breath and realize it's ok. You can still make some great family memories in the chaos and know that you're not alone.

We're actually considering doing a staycation in the future, still with plenty of beach time at a local beach, instead of the week-long cabin trip 3 hours North of us. We'll see though...who knows.

Let me know if these tips helped you or if you have more to add!

Have a great week!!

Nicole Prom, Ed.S.

Founder/Blogger at TheWayitReallyIs.com​

P.S. Use the code Newsletter20 for an extra 20% off at my shop of over 100 products! ​

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