Stuck for ideas on what to do with your kids this summer? We were too.

March Break had its ups — fun playdates, a couple of nice sunny days in full rainsuit attire in a sopping wet garden. We even accomplished a cute art project (yep, just the one). But reminiscing about time off is still kind of giving me the sweats about what’s to come. That’s right: Summer Holidays. *cue the violins from Psycho*

Now that my daughter is in full day kindergarten, I have to admit, school holidays really mess with Texas. They interrupt a precious established routine. Call me boring, but routine is one of the things that keep me grounded in life (coffee is another one of those things. I have a whole list, actually. Yay organization! Yay coffee!). There’s a certain safety in having things planned out, so I’ve jumped right into planning our family’s summer schedule. With all the summer camps I’m lining up, it’s gonna be Routine Heaven. Doesn’t that sound fun, kids? … Kids?

Of course, being a little spontaneous is important, so I left a week conspicuously blank. What to do with that week has been the subject of a lively debate. Day trips around rural Ontario could be cool, but there are a few cons: long travel time in a car with car-allergic children makes us all kind of queasy. My husband loves the idea of renting a cottage on a lake or going camping, but I don’t love the idea of planning all the meals & activities, packing everything but the kitchen sink, and doing all the cleaning.

Recently, someone left some Sunwing promotional materials on my desk. I picked them up and thought, “That’s the kind of summer vacation I want to have. White sandy beach, pool, and sun.” Slowly the wheels in my head started to turn, and it occurred to me that we could go there on our Week of Mystery. Sure, going down south in the summer sounds unconventional, but hear me out. Just a short plane ride away is a change of scenery, a different, tropical kind of heat, and most importantly, the feeling that you’re on vacation. Not just ‘taking time off,’ not just ‘getting away for the weekend.’ You’re unavailable right now. Because you’re on another planet, called Vacation. And on this planet there are loads of activities for kids, pre-planned and awaiting your arrival. You’re on vacation. Meals and cleaning? Oh, those are all included. You’re on vacation.

Perhaps you’d be interested to know that our friends at Sunwing are beating their already amazing prices with a 40% sale happening right now. The best part of using Sunwing to book your travel is that they have expert kids and grownups testing and approving all of their top-rated resorts. The only catch is that you’ll need to hurry and book soon because a) the very best places will sell out if you wait and b) the sale ends April 28.

So, Summer Holidays, my one-time foe: I’m so ready, I’m already drafting my Out Of Office Auto-Reply.

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