Vacation?

Aaaah. February Vacation. Palm trees, toes in the sand, sunshine and drinking adult beverages out of a coconut. Insert record scratching here. Not for Team Scola. Our February break was filled with highways, hockey and hot coffee. The worst part being the hot coffee. Yuck.

Nothing says vacation like being up and out of the house by 5:45AM.

There is a little part of me that cringes when people ask where are you going. Does Waltham count? Or maybe even a touch of jealousy when I see families jumping on planes or renting a ski house for the week. Jealously is not a feeling that I often experience because this is our life and I’m doing my best.

Am I alone? Probably not. I know there are many families that cannot afford elaborate vacations. I’m sure there are many families wondering if our kids are missing out on creating magical vacation memories and feeling a little guilty because of it. But it’s not for lack of trying.

I work hard (like 3 jobs hard) to provide for us. I don’t have a husband with a cushy job. There is no financial support from Ben’s dad. If we want to do something or go somewhere, it’s on me. Thankfully my parents like spending time with us and will sometimes foot the bill for us to go away. I also have a handful of friends who are happy to host us for a few days if we want to visit. But hopping on a plane to go to Italy (or even Florida) is just not an option for us right now. And I’m ok with that. You want to know why? Because this vacation, Ben spent time doing what he loves. He played in a hockey tournament. He hung out with friends. He read Harry Potter. He watched the Olympics and he ate pizza for breakfast. Hey – no judging. We are on vacation.

Go Big Ben #17!

Semi-finals, baby! So proud of this Mite team!

I took the week off work to spend one-on-one quality time with my son. This week wasn’t about palm trees and drinking beverages out of coconuts, it was about being present and creating memories. Even if those memories were less than an hour from home.