15 things I'll be doing next week instead of blogging

We're off on vacation for a week, so I won't be blogging. This will really determine the level of my blog addiction. So instead I will be...

1. Reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" aloud to my children (this way I also get first crack at it!).

2. Swimming, floating on the lazy river, going down waterslides, getting dumped on by a giant water bucket.

3. Lounging by the pool (probably more of this than of number 2).

4. Having a kids-free time-out at the sauna. Maybe even going for a massage and/or beauty treatment!

5. Not cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, organizing, etc., etc., after all, it's vacation!!

6. Going to a restaurant. At least once. We'll see how the kids behave to find out if it's something we want to repeat. (My kids are not very good at eating out, unless it's somewhere with yellow arches, and I'm not very good there so we don't do much of this.)

7. Sleeping late. We'll be at a CenterParcs facility, where access is limited and after the first move-in day, no vehicles are allowed on-site. This makes it a very kid-friendly environment. So our usual routine is to let the kids run down to the bakery and pick up croissants and fresh buns for our breakfast. They love the independence and responsibility, and we love having a good half-hour to stay in bed longer. Well, I might not be sleeping...

8. Walking around the hills of Hochsauerland. The vacation park is in the middle of north Germany in an area known as the land of 1000 hills. In the winter this is a popular ski resort, though it isn't alpine skiing. It is beautiful
rolling hills and forest area with a number of hiking/walking trails. If the weather permits we will try and walk every day.

9. Star gazing. If the weather permits we will be outdoors and try and use the telescope to look at planets and various deep-sky objects. My girls already know some of the constellations, but hopefully we can see a few more as well.

10. Playing board games. Set! and Scrabble and chess are favorites, as well as Monopoly (Astronomy version). And DD1 wants to learn backgammon while DD2 is still partial to Memory (Disney version) as she can usually beat her parents.

11. Taking a nap. During vacation breaks we all are a little flexible with bedtime, and after a morning of swimming and playing in the pool, we are all ready for a little siesta!

12. Exercising. I absolutely have to start back on aerobics and the facility has various workouts at different times, so I think this will be a good way to ease back into a healthier routine. (Wish me luck!)

13. Cuddling my kids. During the school year we get out of the routine of cuddle time. Usually there is homework and housework and playdates and sports and afterschool activities, and, and, and... Vacation time is a break from all that and a chance to catch up on some one-on-one affection. Won't be many more years they'll let me do this I'm afraid, so I'll enjoy it while I can!

14. Reading up on various blog tricks, HTML code, etc. I have to try and make some improvements, add some blogrolls, buttons, etc.

15. Thinking about future blog topics. Even if I'm not online, I will very likely be composing some new entries that I hope you will enjoy reading!

Happy holidays!!