The Top 10 Best Things About a Staycation

I have never had a Staycation before when I have taken time off work. Usually when I have more than a week off, we are going abroad or it is Christmas. This was meant to be happening this summer too and we were heading to Spain to stay with friends. It didn’t happen, as our flight was cancelled. Hubby and I both admitted we panicked a little. Not about not going away but suddenly we had over a week at home with the girls.

A Staycation.

What the heck were we going to do with them?

We weren’t going to go away in the UK instead, so we would be at home for the whole time. I’m one of those people who go completely mad being stuck in all the time. There is only so much playing, drawing and hide and seek a woman can do and I hate relying on the telly too much.

We had to plan a little and turns out a staycation is actually a lot more fun than I ever thought it could be.

This is why.

– It is really flexible. I guess I’m used to all-inclusive breaks where you are stuck to a schedule for eating and getting ready. We loved lazy mornings in front of the telly and not always having to rush.

– We had our own beds and it didn’t disrupt the girls at all. Call me boring but I’m always happy to have my own bed back after a break. I never sleep as well somewhere else and being tired can dampen things.

– We made use of our National Trust membership a lot. This saves money and we headed to a couple of places we hadn’t visited before. They are so lovely.

– Picnics! The weather has been amazing so a couple of days we packed up lovely picnics at home so we could sit and eat outside. The girls loved it, cheaper than eating out for sure.

– We ate out in some of our fave places. Contradiction to above yes! I love the food when we are abroad, don’t get me wrong but it was nice to have some local favourites; Pizza Hut, Nandos and some of the good old National Trust cafes. Can’t beat a good old jacket potato.

– We enjoyed some chill time at home. It was nice to shove on a film and chill out with a cuppa and the girls. There didn’t have to be a plan or an agenda everyday and we enjoyed this.

– We got some household jobs done. Hubby started paint stripping the door and I did daft things like cleaned under my bed and sorted out the girls’ rooms.

– We could put the youngest in nursery and have some quality time with the eldest. She went climbing with her Daddy, whilst I cleaned the house and we went out for lunch as a three. I also had a Mummy-daughter day where she was treated to some autumn clothes. I always feel bad leaving little Piglet but she has fun and is still not old enough to remember!!

– I have mentioned money a few times but we did find some of the best days were free or at least very cheap. We headed to a local park and took a picnic. I sometimes find we spend a lot more when away, as feel you should do!

– We could see friends. The grem had some unexpected fun times with her neighbours and we saw friends in the middle weekend, which was nice. Lovely to mix friend and family time.

Overall we had a good time off and it was unexpected. The girls were a bit bonkers but I didn’t find myself feeling overwhelmed or stressed. I had a lovely time with the gremlin on our 1:1 time and it was nice to see the girls bonding. The grem admitted she missed her sister a lot when we put her in nursery.

It may have not been what we planned but we definitely will include some family time at home next year too!