I always viewed Labor Day as the weekend that all the other weekends in the summer would be jealous of. It always had to be spent in the most perfect manner so that the good vibes would be SO GREAT that they would keep me going until Memorial Day of the following year. This meant that I would have to be away somewhere on a beach eating calorie-intense brunches and deliciously greasy BBQ dinners and, of course, perfecting the tan I had been diligently working on all summer long.
Then my husband and I thought it would be an awesome idea to have children and Labor Day weekend, along with every other long weekend, became a multi-day stretch of time between the end of summer vacation and the first day of school that we just had to survive. The idea of packing everyone up just to get away for 3 days before having to dive back in to all the prep work preschool requires (it’s uncanny how much prep there is!) as well as all those work projects that had been happily sitting on the back burner, is just too overwhelming. This is why we decided that there’s no better way to give a final salute to summer than with a staycation. I’ve compiled some pointers to create a guide to have the most successful – and hopefully stress-free (ha!) – staycation ever.
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
The key to being able to unwind is to have everything that you might need for the weekend (food, clean laundry, fun snacks, movies, etc) set up. It might be a bit hectic getting it all together but you’ll be so happy you did once the weekend begins.
In addition, take an hour to plan out activities for each day. No need to jam pack each day, but try to have some semblance of a schedule as this will help you look into hours of operation for places of interest as well as any potential holiday-related traffic to avoid.
Plan to do something you haven’t done
If you’re anything like me, you have probably had a multitude of grand ideas for the summer to collect butterflies with your kids, for instance, or to bake some sort of elaborate pie. A staycation is the PERFECT time to get to some of these plans.
Make time to see friends
Between commitments to work and family, seeing friends often falls through the cracks. Go out for brunch or invite them over for a potluck dinner. The laughter and memories you will share will be more valuable to you than any beach vacation.
Make time for your spouse
Remember that person to whom you made an oath to love and cherish? You both deserve each other’s time and attention. Make a commitment to go out on dates, make each other smile and let the other person know how grateful you are to be with him/her.
Make time to SHOP TILL YOU DROP!!!
LABOR DAY SALES!!!!! I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t start getting excited about fall fashion. I already have certain looks mapped out in my head and believe a staycation, particularly one with the opportunity to shop sales, is the PERFECT time to get a hold of some of these intended looks. And you didn’t hear it from me, but JCPenney is launching a new eyewear line soon so there are plenty of things to get excited about!
Happy Labor Day Staycationers and, as always, stay glassy!
