Spring break = inner tubes

We've reached the insanity-inducing stage of Minnesota winter where we've started remembering life without snow...we've even had a couple days above 40...but spring will keep teasing us for another month (or two) before actually giving up the goods. And then it will be spring for a week, and then we'll all be complaining about how hot it is. Oh well.

The one spring-related thing we can count on is spring break, which closely resembles winter break here, except that everyone flies to Florida or Mexico. We could have (should have?) jumped on that bandwagon, but apparently the idea of planning a beach vacation for spring break was too obvious for me. I don't even know if I really considered it since I was so busy conjuring up more creative adventures...including our road trip down the PCH this summer.

But man, a beach vacation sure sounds good right about now. I've got to work on my distrust of things everyone likes.

So anyway, instead of jetting off to a sandy beach with palm trees, we are heading down to waterpark central: Wisconsin Dells.

Last year for spring break we took a one night staycation to the Waterpark of America (which is 5 minutes from our house) and the boys acted like we'd taken them to Disney, so this year I thought we'd go nuts and make it a two-night stay out of town and include both a gigantic waterpark AND a MagicQuest ("Like being inside a video game!").

In retrospect, I'm wishing we'd just planned a trip to Chicago, where we could alternate between kid things (like ESPN Zone) and mommy things (like Topolobampo) but that's mostly just because I hate waterparks...and wearing a swimsuit...and screaming children. But, you know, it's their spring break. I'm just happy to have a few days of uninterrupted time together.

And that is what I will remind myself when I am trapped in the lazy river tube-jam with six dozen strangers, staring at my unpedicured toes, while my pasty white legs chafe against the plastic raft.

Somehow this means I love my kids.