tips for enduring the extended family beach house week?
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Anonymous
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It's our first time -- any tips?
Three generations. Many young children. Many different personalities. |
Anonymous
| Don't try to all do everything together the entire time. Honor naps if possible. |
Anonymous
| We have a yearly get-together. My sister is the oldest of the sibling and likes to be in charge. I submit to birth order. |
Anonymous
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We do this every year. Over time what works best has been:
-divide up dinners. We are 3 families so we each do 2 meals (grandma doesn't cook). Whoever cooks doesn't clean that night. Whoever cooks announces what time dinner will be but if people aren't there we save food for them. No complaints about the meal. We each announce what we'll be making ahead of time. If some people do spaghetti and others do steak on the grill that's OK. Everyone brings extra backups in case dinner is something their kids don't eat - breakfast and lunches are on our own and we label things in the fridge - don't plan to do everything together. Do try to do ONE big things together (like we plan to rent a boat for the day and go waterskiing on the lake). Do let people know what you plan to do and see if they want to join you but don't take offense if they don't. - offer to watch each other's kids so people can have a meal out when it isn't their night to cook. - decide ahead of time how you will handle clean up of the rental house on the last day. Sometimes we've had everyone decide they needed to use the washer/dryer for some reason (continuing on a second week of vacation elsewhere) and this really backed up everyone at the last minute. Also one year we had two families leave the night before to get a jump on traffic, leaving us and grandma to clean up and check out. Communicate! -Communicate about money! One year we tried everyone putting money in the kitty and buying groceries and sharing and it was really unfair -- some people spent a LOT more than others. So that's when we switched to everyone cooking 2 meals and being on our own for food. Just label things in the fridge. - If people don't want their kids to eat lots of junk food don't buy junk food for your kids. One year we bought juice and taught the kids how to make homemade popsicles and it was a huge hit. |
Anonymous
| Alcohol |
Anonymous
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Alcohol, weed or don't go.
We have 3 trips a year with 50 ppl each time. I choose one of the above. |
Anonymous
But only if you are a happy, friendly drunk. Not if you're an argumentative drunk. |
Anonymous
| We put all receipts in a bucket and divide food.alcohol.everythinf equally by number of family members who actually eat. If you choose not to eat or drink, your choice,but we're a family and everyone contributes. My wine makes up for SiL's organics. |
Anonymous
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Back out now! Just say one of your kids is sick. It is not worth it.
I sent my husband. It is his family. Peace for me. Cheers! |
Anonymous
| Everyone takes turn for dinner and breakfast/lunch is independent. |
Anonymous
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wine. Take time for yourself and go the gym/run/walk/spa/go get a mani/pedi. Wine. Breath.
Really, it sucks, but we do it every year. |
Anonymous
| You say no that is not the way you choose to spend your vacation time or money. Or you quit mooching off your parents and inlaws and pay for your vacation like a grown up |
Anonymous
| Two words: happy hour. |
Anonymous
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I love our big family vacation. It's crazy, but the purpose is to have it be kind of crazy so you can spend time with people you otherwise would not.
We divide dinners out--2 per family. Lunch and breakfast on our own. Set your expectations low for cleanliness and organization. If you want things cleaner or more organized then certainly don't be the martyr. But offer to help clean up so the group can stay ahead of the dishes. Enjoy the adult company and let the kid mob-mentality rule. I normally try to get away by myself for 45 minutes in the afternoon and then my husband and I sneak off once the kids are in bed. Seriously, this is my family's favorite week of the year. But we generally like each other and rarely fight about important matters. |
Anonymous
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Drink heavily.
We just got back from this. (And to the pp about being a mooch, we paid for our share of this "vacation," including the $1500 in plane tickets to get to the God awful locale.) And I used DC's nap as an excuse to disappear for a few hours every day so I could hear when DC woke up. |