Take a Break

My very first job was in the fast food industry. I remember working 8 hours shifts and the most magical words my supervisor could say was "take a break." That meant I got to go sit down, eat, and stare at the wall for 20 minutes. No one was asking for food, rushing around behind me, throwing money at me and wanting the right change (a lot harder than it should be when you're on the spot) and so on. Taking a break is a huge deal and it should be something we all get to do.
Sometimes, weekends are breaks. At least from the normal, every day life.

It was Father's Day Weekend so it only seemed right to go camping. But the campground we usually haunt was full. Can you believe it?! They didn't save room for us! It seemed like a disaster because we'd been promising our oldest a camping trip. We were all packed. What were we to do?

Thanks to modern technology we were able to find one lonely campground with spots still available so we grabbed one. It wasn't very far from our house, but there happened to be a festival complete with a carnival going on in a town nearby so though the campground didn't have a pool, we had plenty to do. Crisis averted!

And I got to watch my husband's dad side come out. He played outside in the 90 degree heat when he would probably rather be cool, watch TV, or do anything else inside. Our weekend had its ups and downs, as is true of any minute you spend with these two crazy girls, but overall, we had a great time. It was a new place to camp and gave us a chance to do some new things. We even saw the Inside Out movie, which was adorable. My oldest was thrilled with the playground and my youngest was happy there were flowers nearby to pick. To the campground, I'm sorry...you will soon have a LOT more dandelions than you already have because we picked ALL of the white fluffy ones and spread the seeds!!

But now the week is here and we have to go back to normal life. You know, me pulling my hair out trying to format a book to paperback and having no idea what I'm doing. That sort of thing. :) With any luck, the week will move along and have more moments like the one below than ones where they are fighting and pushing. I kid myself, I know, but a mom can hope!

This summer, no matter what you enjoy doing, I hope you are able to get away from it all for a day or two and enjoy a different side of life. The whole reason I write books is for an escape from the daily grind. If reading gives you a break, grab a book! Otherwise, camp, go to an amusement park, hit the trails, you deserve a break! Take one!