I'm back

Well, I am finally back to blogging after a week long vacation with the family. We traveled to Massachusetts last week. Friday we piled into our car and traveled this great country of ours with 3 kids in the back seat. I have to be honest, I was a little concerned about such a long car ride with 3 kids, but, they proved to be very well behaved without a lot of fighting.

This vacation was taken with a budget in mind. We were very fortunate to be able to use a timeshare that cost us $189 for the week. With the timeshare we get a full kitchen, so we made all of our breakfasts and dinners in our unit to save money. On the days that we were not taking advantage of the pool, we were sightseeing, so we ate lunch out on those days.

Last week was the first time we had traveled to New England. We all loved it. The countryside is beautiful and the history is so rich. We took a day to go to Salem and learned so much about a very short but dark period in our nations very early history. My kids enjoyed learning about it, as did my husband and I. In all honesty, we did not adhere to a very strict budget the day we were in Salem. That was a choice almost out of necessity if we wanted to get a full Salem experience.

Another area that proved to bust the budget was the fuel. Driving from Wisconsin to Massachusetts and back again is not easy on the fuel budget. We had to fill up several times. We also did a lot of sight seeing several miles away from our resort, because of that, we used more gas than we had originally intended to. I would be a liar if I said I don' t regret that, I do. Not only was it bad for our wallets, it is not exactly "green". But to dwell on that would be pointless because we had a great time with all the sightseeing. I have decided that in the coming weeks, I will be more aware of my gas consumption at home so that I can even things out a bit from vacation.

The last area in which we saved a little money was lodging while traveling to our destination. On our way to the coast, we had to stay in a hotel because we had gotten late start, and we lost an hour going from Central time to Eastern time. But, when it was time to return, we left early and decided to drive straight through. It was a 15 hour trip, but gained that lost hour and were able to return home at a decent hour. It was worth it to sleep in our own beds that night. I dreaded the return trip, fearing that 15 hours in an enclosed space with 3 kids was going to be brutal. But, they proved to us that they can spend time together without fighting. I was so proud of how well my kids behaved on the way home, they really behaved better than they had to considering the less than perfect circumstances of their back seat accommodations.

So, this years family vacation is over early and we had a great time. However, I do feel this is the best place in my blog to emphasize one point. The best part about traveling is coming home! There truly is no place like home.