Our Weekend Getaway . . .in the backyard!

A look ahead on the calendar and there was an entire weekend with no plans and the weather forecast was warm and sunny . . . it was the perfect set up for a weekend getaway!

We announced to the kids that it was going to be a family weekend and they excitedly ran upstairs and packed their stuff. Minutes later Tinkerbelle, Cinderella and Mickey Mouse suitcases bounced down the stairs filled with all their favorite possessions ready to go. They were off!

Our 3 kids ran out the back door, suitcases in tow, jumped into the tent . . . and unpacked! Our weekend getaway was to our own backyard!

You may be thinking, what kind of getaway is that? Well, if you plan it right, it can be the best getaway! And by plan, I mean don't make any! That was the hardest part. For 2 days we did not go anywhere in the car. No groceries, no playdates, no visitors, and not even a trip downtown to visit our local music festival that we love.

We were determined to stay together, close to home and do all those things we never seem to have time for! And if you know us, that meant getting out and being active with our kids . . .from home!

We got on our bikes and did a couple loops of the neighbourhood and even did a lap around the park in our running shoes! Then we floated the rest of the day away in the pool. We set up the tent, kids decided who was sleeping where, they got all their bedding and far too many stuffed animals and played in the tent while Dad and I read under the gazebo. We fired up the bbq when hungry and brought out the frozen drinks and popsicles when thirsty.

When it got dark we sat around our fire pit and roasted marshmallows before retiring to the tent with popcorn and a movie on our computer!

We all fell asleep in the tent watching the stars above in our own backyard . . . it was pure family vacation bliss.

The next morning happened to be Fathers Day and the kids couldn't wait to put on their "our dad rocks" shirts and get their homemade gifts for Dad to open in the tent. After our traditional waffle breakfast we all hopped on our bikes again and rode to the park with our tennis racquets.

We finally had time to play tennis as a family and even spent time swinging on the swings after we got tired of chasing tennis balls.

It was a perfect weekend because this busy family of 5 decided to not be so busy. No one ran errands, no one needed chauffeuring to birthday parties, no one had anywhere to go. Our cars stayed parked, our laundry stayed dirty, our grass stayed long, our phone went unanswered. We had coffee outside, cocktails in the pool, and popcorn in the tent . . . and the 5 of us hung out together.

It was definitely the one of our best family getaways . . and we will be booking that camp site again really soon!!

Have you tried a weekend getaway at home? Would love to hear about it!