Did y’all know I went to Mexico? L to the OL, because of course you did. Yeah, I’m that person who bores you with umpteen stories about her vacation. The truth is that, between the kids and my job, we don’t get to go on many vacations any more, so I milk them for all the conversational fodder I can get away with. Hey, be happy you’re not my co-workers.
Gosh, I have quite a way with an introductory paragraph, don’t I? So, yes, I went to Mexico, and had a pretty good time of it, too. The kids were (predictably) a handful and a half, and I didn’t get to sleep nearly as much as I had (optimistically) hoped, but we got to enjoy some beautiful moments. Like this one:
at duskafternoon rainbow
There aren’t many things in life better than a late afternoon stroll along a gorgeous shore with your loved ones. It’s a sort of re-set button for the ultra-hectic lives we seem intent on pursuing. But enough philosophizing. You guys are here to talk clothes.
One of the pieces I was really excited to bring with me on the trip was this Tibi iris-print dress. It’s a little too va-va-voom for my everyday life here in Edmonton, but is made for the vibe at a tropical resort. Even when it’s just for a dinner with the family.
And it seems to go really well with 80s-rock-band-video-chick hair. Tropical humidity + ocean breeze, joining together to make a mockery of your humble blogger. Not cool, Mother Nature.
It has been almost exactly 4.5 years since the last time my husband and I left Canadian borders; back then, we were headed to Mexico on our honeymoon. This time, we’re again headed to Mexico … with two kids (and two grandparents) in tow. Writing all that out is slightly discombobulating because one, I can’t believe how much our life has changed in less than 5 years, and two, I can’t believe it’s been only 5 years. I feel like I’ve aged a decade, at least. Tired cliche is true. Anyway, Mexico. Or, rather, Mexico!
I know many people are not fans of resort vacations, but I find them incredibly relaxing. Sometimes I want adventures from my travels; sometimes I just want to sloth. Reading and eating and sleeping are, literally, the only things I’m interested in at the moment. Of course, kids change that formula somewhat, but I’m hopeful that I can hit at least 2 of my 3 lofty goals on any given day this time around. And having the kids around will add a healthy dose of excitement – this will be their first time on a bona fide beach (Vancouver doesn’t count because we were there in the winter time), and they are bound to lose their minds, judging by their love of water parks and backyard splashing pools exhibited this past summer. You know I will be that mom on the beach snapping a bazillion photos. Call me a documentarian of important childhood memories.
The real point of this post (you were wondering, I’m sure) is the packing. Sorry: my tropical vacation capsule. (Totally on top of blogging trends am I.) Normally, I’m all about packing smart and light; this time, I took a slightly different approach. We’re paying a crapton (rough estimate) of money for our tickets, so you better believe that I’ll be taking full advantage of our checked luggage and carry-on allowance. The kids’ stuff takes up approximately 80% of that allowance, but this did not deter me from my plan to take exactly all the pieces I wanted to wear. That was my guideline: take everything I was really looking forward to wearing in a warm climate. Why wait for summer to come to me, when I can go to it.
First order of business: no pants. Except shorts (and my fleecy leggings/lounge pants for the plane ride). For an 11-day vacation, I am packing:
Eight dresses (but of course) …
dresses
Five tops, two cardigans, a denim jacket (not pictured), one pair of shorts …
stuff
Three swimsuits and a cover-up …
beach stuff
Seven pairs of shoes (I know, I know) …
sneakers and flip flops not pictured
And a bunch of stuff to wear on the plane. Oh, and workout gear I probably won’t use. Also, 3 books (this is key):
books, books, books
I’ve talked about my approach to picking vacation reading material before, but this time I went with a 2:1 fiction to non-fiction ratio – two novels (one recommended by a BCRL reader, one an impulse buy at Chapters) plus a history book about St. Petersburg I’ve been meaning to read forever. Is a 3-book reading list too ambitious for a 11-day trip with kids? Possibly, but I hate running out of reading material at a resort where my options are really limited, so. Better safe than sorry. That’s why we’re paying the big bucks for all that luggage allowance, right?
Of course, there were some last minute additions. I went out to the outlet mall the weekend before the trip, and $37 later, came home with these:
more stuff
The J. Crew outlet came out with another print version of my fave 5-inch shorts, and they proved to be sartorial catnip to my vacation-obsessed mind. (Never thought I’d write that about shorts, to be honest.) I threw in a couple of tees because they were less than $5 apiece and you never know when a comfy cotton tee will come in handy. The book was a bargain bin find that had me at “entertaining romp for any Downton Abbey fan”. Talk about catnip!
Because the majority of the pieces I packed are lightweight summer clothes (and the rest I’m wearing on the plane), they take up almost no room. The only 2 pieces that might be overkill are the jelly pumps (but I’m not sure where else but Mexico I’d wear them) and the sneakers (the odds of my working out while on vacation are … slight). But we’ll see how good the pack-everything-you-love approach to vacation capsule-ing turns out to be – stay tuned.
For more vacation capsules, see here and here. And read this for my general random thoughts on vacation packing.
Note: I’ve got a bunch of posts scheduled to run next week, so feel free to stop by. I may not be able to respond to comments right away, but I love getting them so, you know, comment away. Or not. No pressure.
In the weeks leading up to my return to work, I allowed myself to wallow in the blues to a somewhat unnecessary extent. I always get a bit sad at the end of summer, and this year that time was more bittersweet than usual. I just hate change, even when it’s the good kind. Bah! But that’s by way of explaining how we ended up taking the kids to Calgary for an impromptu weekend road-trip. Let me back up.
Seven thirty on a Saturday morning found me complaining about my slightly depressive ennui. My husband’s response: “Why don’t we go to Calgary?” We both pondered this for a moment, and decided that it sounded like a terrible idea. So, naturally, we started packing up the car. I was saving this outfit for a tentative brunch date, but I figured I might as well throw it on. It wasn’t the most ridiculous choice I made that morning.
The many possibilities of the Mag bag
(Quick outfit aside: I know that’s a whole lotta blue, but I just couldn’t resist throwing all these pieces together. I’m a colour addict.)
Also kinda crazy about these shoes
Predictably, traveling with kids was the opposite of relaxing. Neither of the kids has been acclimatized to long car rides, so the trip to (and from) Calgary was all sorts of interesting. Luckily, the scenery is lovely this time of year.
Prairies in late summer
And there is always a chance of some cool car-spotting.
Possibly an MG Midget (according to my old-car expert)
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but we never make a trip to Calgary without stopping in at the Donut Mill on Gasoline Alley. Even if that means compounding our road-trip problems by getting the kids hopped up on sugar.
mmmmm, donut
The (recent) birthday girl got in on the action too:
hey, you gonna eat that?
But, you know what? We survived the trip, kids and all. There is a lesson in that. Something about embracing chaos, and change.
