Tuesday Tradition #11

Some families have the tradition of a yearly vacation away from it all. Families use this time to reconnect and get to know each other again without all the distractions and hustle and bustle of daily life. Some families travel to grandma's or visit a new place within their state, some may travel to historical monuments while others may take off to another continent. Maybe it's heading to the mountains for one last ski trip before spring hits or hitting the beaches for Spring Break.

Our family has never really had a tradition of traveling and vacationing. My husband and I both grew up families that didn't vacation much. I think the closest I got to a family vacation was hitting the local "lake" with a bunch of my parent's friends. The highlight of my vacation was collecting pollywogs in the water I was forced to swim in. Memories were made and some great stories can be told, but for my family now, I want a little bit more than that.

Because we have 5 kids it's hard to travel far and wide and still remain on a budget. So we've decided to start a tradition right here in our own state of Florida. This will be our first real vacation as a family of 7. We're going to start a Spring Break tradition of heading south to Longboat Key for a few days each Spring Break. My husband surprised me at Christmas last year and took me there for a few days and the entire time we were there we thought about how fun it would be to enjoy this beautiful place as a family. So we're heading out Thursday for our first Family Spring Break vacation! I'm very excited and have prepped myself to enjoy the sun, fun, and family!

Family traditions are what the kids will remember as they grow up, go off to college and begin families of their own. Family traditions are an important part of any family. Whether the traditions are small, like grandma's famous chocolate chip cookies, or big like the trips to Longboat Key, they are a great way for a family to bond, and pass down the importance of relationships and togetherness.