Does a vacation with kids count as a vacation?

Yes, we are back from Santa Fe. I’m so glad that I went into the weekend with few expectations because I was pleasantly surprised.

The car ride was uneventful. No car sickness.

Lesson 1: Don’t allow child who gets carsick to watch or read on trip. Instead, audio books on the ipod are the way to go. (And now I have Prince Caspian to listen to as well!)

The hotel was perfect for kids, not so much for adults and kids mixed. We had a hotel suite, that is a king sized bed in a room with a sofa couch for the kids.

Lesson 2: Always book a hotel room with a kitchenette when traveling with kids. We even got a “hot” breakfast every morning. Score on money saving!

Museums for adults are plentiful in Santa Fe. The adults did not partake of said museums but we enjoyed discovering all the kid activities.

Lesson 3: Do research prior to trip with kids. The Santa Fe Children’s Museum was amazing. We spent a good 5 hours there and came home with a car of crafts. This mommy was convicted to pull out the glue, magazines and start crafting with her kids at home.

Eating out with kids can be cheap, especially when all they order are tortilla chips and cheese. The adults were able to save money.

Lesson 4: Eat most of your meals in the hotel room with the kitchenette. When we did eat out (once a day), we ended up eating off the kid’s plates to justify the adult price tag that came with their meals.

Trader Joe’s is my favorite store. We went there daily and stocked up. The children were falling asleep in the cart but I was undeterred. I was a woman on a mission to get all the goodies that aren’t available in the Springs.

No lesson here. Just a fun freebie.

We promised the kids a trip to a toy store or other store of their choice if they were good on the hikes.

Lesson 5: Kids don’t care that you are in an historic town with treasures to uncover. Nope, just give them a Target and a budget and all is well.

Will we take our kids on a trip again? Yes.

Will we have Mimi with us for that next trip? YES!

As I reminded Matthew throughout the trip, hit them young and hit them hard with culture. (not literally hit them…you know what I mean folks!) We will continue to expose our kids to different parts of our country but the next trip will be adults only.

Since I have a policy of not posting pictures of my children on this blog, you’ll have to settle for pictures of me taken by my seven year old photographer!