Our 6th anniversary is comin’ right up!

I had big fabulous hopes to leave the kids and get away for a weekend on a gorgeous lake with my gorgeous husband and have a gorgeously lazy time. But the short of it is that we had to buy a new oven instead (how’s that for heating things up??), and started planning what genuinely looks to be an even more gorgeous staycation.

The whole point of any vacay is to escape common demands and monotony, experience the thrill of the new, and relish in discovery; all of which Andrew and I will achieve by simply staying put. After making sure there was money in the bank to make it feel like we’re headed out of town, we went to the drawing board because any Type A knows that fun has to come with rules and a plan.

1) Clean the house, evacuate the kids

We’ve decided that every second spent at home must be as stress free as possible (the baby gates are comin’ down!!), which means we’re spending days leading up to our anniversary with scrub brushes in-hand and noses to the grindstone. To be clear: we will not be cleaning anything during our time. Not a chance. Everyone knows mess = stress and there’s no room for that when you’re trying to escape the day-to-day. AND – I beam just writing it – our kids will be on a staycation of their own with generous and hospitable family, so Andrew and I can have a whole conversation without toys flying across the room (because they do). If easy, breezy fun is on the agenda, then the house will be neat and quiet, which are rare and rarer around here.

2) Unplug

Do I really need to mention this? Doesn’t it go without saying? It should. You’re right. But let’s be honest – 99% of Smartphone America are overly attached to their devices and 1% are in denial. The whole point of an anniversary staycation is for my Mr. and me to focus on each other and only each other. Texts and newsfeeds will wait. The second we drop off the kids, we’ll whittle our phone use to Andrew’s camera and emergency incoming calls because for all intents and purposes, we might as well be out of town. Any other day of the year, we both feel tugs and pulls from every direction, so narrowing our accessibility will be immensely freeing, allowing us to hold a gaze without some alert going off.

3) Out with the old

You might think a staycation is just bumming around the same ol’ scene, which is why Rule No. 3 dictates that nothing on our agenda will be familiar – just as though we were discovering a new town. Aside from sleeping at our house, everything else will be brand new. Breakfast at the Farmer’s Market, a tour at Great Raft Brewing, going to see The Edge of Tomorrow, perusing a museum. Check your local and regional touring websites for events and attractions – they were an awesome resource for us. When discussing how our time “away” would be spent,  it was important that our schedule be a pleasant balance of fun and relaxing. Seeing the sites will be fantastic, but I’m so looking forward to taking it easy in our down time.

4) Be flexible

Vacation or staycation – either one can be ruined by the person(s) who won’t budge from The Almighty Plan. While it’s thrilling to have a list of to-dos and attractions to experience, the whole point is to kick back right? I know that between Andrew and me, I’m the one with the stiffer neck who’s more likely to get uptight if we veer from what we discussed, so I’m resolving the matter right now: you guys are my witnesses – I’m officially letting it all go because as much as I want to have a spree, I want smiles and quality time with my husband, regardless of The Plan. 

5) Don’t “go home” too soon

Staycationing in our house, surrounded by the homespun ordinary, we’ll have to fight off the temptation to “come home” earlier than necessary. Work and kids are always on our horizon, but by following the above tips to the letter and sticking to a here-and-now mentality, Andrew and I will be able to stave off any worries and relish in our time together.

I’m psyched about the whole thing! If you’ve planned or taken a staycation yourself, drop your suggestions at #staycationgetaway on Twitter or Facebook.