Well, I can’t say the Family Vacation Group Writing Project was hugely successful. It came as a shock because I thought the prize of $1 per participating post was incentive enough for entrants to help drive up the final dollar amount. It could have been the bad timing, it could have been the price of gasoline, it could just be that a lot of people don’t travel. Over the ten or eleven days the contest ran, only ten blogs entered posts. Luckily, they are all excellent.

1. I had re-entry shock when we returned from our vacation.

2. A Thrifty Mommy had a taste of luxury (and it didn’t taste just like chicken).

3. We went along to the most magical place on Earth.

4. Jenny is just happy to be back at home.

5. Weary Parent left the house at least ten times this summer.

6. Mama’s Rant went over the mountain,

7. Tiffany told us about visiting the plain people.

8. Lillie cruised in with her parents.

9. Laura and her daughter went to the beach.

10. Was about Summer’s family’s RV trip.

Usually, the winner of group writing projects is decided by random draw. This time, I was going for merit. I wanted to be inspired to keep reading, to like the people I met in the post and to be informed. All of these posts (I took my own out of the running) do those three things, but the words of one post are still ringing through my mind. It might be the call to the endless buffet, it might be the final bell declaring the last round of the knobby knees contest. The winner of the $10 prize is Lillie. I wish the prize were worth more. This is her winning post.

Post from: Babylune

There are just a few hours until the end of the Family Vacation Group Writing Project. I’ll be watching carefully to see if anything else comes in. I am very glad that the tenth entry has arrived in time.

Its about the kind of vacation we’ve all seen in Hollywood movies and on TV. A family packs up, drives a long, long way and takes in Mount Rushmore, Old Faithful and other famous sites. Summer’s family actually did it. They did it when she and her four siblings were teens and tweens. In an RV. And they survived. With just a few slap marks…

Post from: Babylune

Laura at Writing Thoughts took a three year-old on a road trip to the beach. Perhaps this is the reason why the Family Vacation GWP hasn’t really taken off. Can it be that people get post traumatic stress syndrome from traveling with their relatives?

Post from: Babylune

Tomorrow is my son’s fifth birthday. We have a theme. Counting our own kids, we’re expecting 13 little pirates to board the ship of our apartment. I am not sure how the guest list got so out of control or how it reached that particular number. I must confess that it is with some fear and trepidation that my husband and I prepare to embark on a two and a half hour cruise with this scurvy lot.

Inspiration and courage, though, have come from some unexpected places. I don’t want to walk the plank after reading the 8th entry in the Family Vacation Group Writing Project. Lillie at a Writer’s Words, an Editor’s Eye took a cruise with her elderly parents. The result was a treasure chest full of memories.

Post from: Babylune

Vacations mystify a lot of people. Some people can’t imagine spending a week or two away from home. They don’t want to break their carefully crafter routines. Others think that a vacation is about staying in a hotel and can’t understand why a family would live in one room voluntarily. My family is traveling family, but a budget travel one and we seldom stay in anything but the cheapest hotels when we do. We’re more of a family-run pension, youth hostel or stay with friends and relatives kind of crowd. Naturally, our friends and relatives are always welcome here too. The best part of this kind of lifestyle is that, when we’re not away, we have a lot of house guests to make life interesting.

Adventures, both accidental and planned, are always on the itinerary when you travel with kids. That’s certainly what the next to entries in the Family Vacation Group Writing Project show. All you need for that is a child or two.
A Mama’s Rant went up the mountain where she met a dangerous beast (or two) in a hotel room hallway.

Char the Weary Parent had 10 little adventures this summer.

Jenny at The So-Called Me is happy to be home after a camping trip.

You have until Friday night (August 31, 2007) to get your entries in for the Family Vacation GWP. The prize will equal $1 for every entry…so far, we’re up to $6. You could raise it to $7. Getting 93 of your friends to enter could raise it to the maximum of $100.

Post from: Babylune

There have been some delays on the runway, but the Family Vacation Group Writing Project has finally taken off!

Over at Running with Books, the family endures a hissing monster, a night of shaking and ringing bells and the fear of a life-threatening meal to discover the most magical place on Earth.

Thrifty Mommy Kelly experienced a little luxury in the deserts of Arizona. She even enjoyed the sand storm.

After a week back at home, I still have re-entry shock. The return to real life post-vacation is tough!

You still have a week to get your entries in for this Group Writing Project. Remember, the prize will total $1 for each participant. As of today, that means the prize is ummm, $3. If you enter, it will be $4 and if 46 of your friends enter with you, it will reach $50. Don’t forget to link back to the post announcing the prize and leave a link to your own post in the comments section.

Post from: Babylune

There is only one relationship in the world, that I am not directly involved in, that worries me. That would be the relationship between my mother and my husband.

Now, the whole mother-in-law, son-in-law thing is pretty well documented. Mostly it’s a joke, sometimes it’s sad, but the stereotypes are everywhere. As surprising as you may find this revelation, this particular relationship has not always been smooth in our family.

Before I go on, let me give you a moment to absorb the shock.

My mother flew to Germany to attend the birth of our first son, who was rather late. During labor I told everyone to do exactly as I told them to, which was my right as a woman in transition. My husband replied with an inappropriate joke. My mother countered with a threat to scratch his eyes out. I told them both to shut up or I was going to throw them both out.

The incident was never mentioned between us again. After all, transition is not just for laboring women anymore. There are times in one’s life (becoming a father, becoming a grandmother) when a little tension is rather appropriate.

Fast forward to the birth of our second child. This time, my mother can’t come to the birth because she needs to stay home with our son. Everything goes smoothly until our new daughter is hospitalized with jaundice and I have to stay with her in a town about 30 minutes South of here. Over Christmas. Conditions in the hospital were not ideal, especially for parents, so I was stressed out. Our son, hopped up on toys and confusion, is a handful. My mother, in an attempt to give us a real Christmas dinner, starts slaving over a small turkey and a goose breast shortly after the boy has finished opening his presents. Meanwhile, my husband, overcome with exhaustion, returns to bed where he remains even after I have called him to say,

“Guess what? They’re discharging her! Come and get us!”

Can you see where this is going?

One of the complications is that we have a cultural disconnect in our family. Mostly, it’s nothing that millions of other families in multicultural societies don’t experience too. My husband immigrated to Canada. When we married, my family was by my side while he was one his own. As a result, no one in my birth family has ever seen my husband’s culture or met anyone from his family. In short, they don’t know where he’s coming from.  I can’t help but feel this has something to do with the tensions between my mother and my husband.

We are now preparing for our annual trek to Bulgaria, the country of my husband’s birth. This year, the week before we leave, my mother will join us in Germany. Then, we’ll all fly together. I am excited about the new era of understanding this could bring about. I am also very, very nervous about the opposite effect that could come about. Do any of you have experience in this area? What happened to you?

Post from: Babylune