Real-Life Parenting Wins and Fails: Vacation Edition
Vacations are supposed to be magical, right? Well, sometimes they are—and sometimes they’re messy, chaotic, and unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. As a mom who’s traveled through it all (including soggy tents and express care pit stops), I’ve learned that the best stories usually come from the biggest mishaps.
Here’s a peek into our family’s real-life travel highs and lows—the wins, the fails, and the unforgettable in-betweens.
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Niagara Falls Magic By far my favorite vacation memory. Despite the long drive, the beauty and power of the falls were absolutely magical. We planned that trip around the kids’ interests—my son had seen the Rainforest Cafe on YouTube and wanted to go so badly, so we made it part of the journey. His joy made it all worth it.
Letting the Kids Help Plan As they get older, we’ve started asking the kids what they want to do on trips. Giving them a say makes the vacation more exciting for them and often leads us to discover new places together.
Beach Days We’ve had great family times in Ocean City, MD, Chincoteague, VA, and Atlantic City, NJ. There’s something special about beach trips—even with the sand in your snacks and the sunburn surprises.
The Largest Arcade in the World On one of our Atlantic City trips, we visited the largest arcade in the world. The kids were in absolute heaven—and honestly, so were we. It was loud, bright, and chaotic in the best way. Definitely a must-do for gaming families!
National Park Adventures One of our favorite vacation habits is checking out nearby national parks. They’re often free or low-cost and absolutely breathtaking. It’s our way of reconnecting with nature and sneaking in a bit of learning, too.
Great Wolf Lodge Traditions One of our favorite Great Wolf Lodge wins? Dressing up in matching Christmas pajamas and seeing Santa—right on my birthday! It was one of those rare, sweet moments where everything felt perfectly magical. Save $50 on your trip to Great Wolf Lodge!
Getting Sick on Vacation It’s never fun, but it happens. We’ve battled everything from swimmer’s ear on beach trips to full-on colds while trying to enjoy a getaway. Nothing like blowing your nose every five minutes while trying to take family photos!
Motion Sickness Mayhem My son and I both get motion sick, so long car trips are a challenge. We learned to break up the drive with a hotel stay and quick stops—like the time we visited a Dollar Tree every 30–40 minutes on the way to Niagara Falls. It kept us moving, exploring, and (mostly) nausea-free.
Camping Catastrophes We’ve had many beautiful nights around a campfire telling jokes and roasting marshmallows. But then there was the night our tent flooded and we had to wade through ankle-deep water. Hello, unexpected hotel stay!
Great Wolf Lodge Surprises We’ve had our share of post-trip colds and swimmer’s ear from those epic waterpark days. Now we always shower right after swimming and pack our own ear drops—lesson learned the hard way!
Vacationing with kids isn’t always relaxing, but it’s always meaningful. The laughs around a campfire, the awe in their eyes at something new, even the disasters that turn into stories—they’re all part of the adventure and maybe, just maybe, the biggest parenting win is learning to roll with it.
Got a vacation win or fail of your own? I’d love to hear it—let’s swap stories and keep it real!
Hi, I’m Mary Ellen, the creator of the YouTube channel "Life is Messy but I'm Learning as I Grow." I’m thrilled you’re here, joining me on this journey of discovery and creativity! As a mother of two, married to my high school sweetheart, and with a career background in childcare, my life is wonderfully busy and, yes, a little messy—but that's part of the fun.
On this site, I share my favorite things: plant-based cooking, crafting and DIY projects, family-friendly travel tips, gardening advice, and the occasional antics of my two adorable cats. I'm always eager to learn something new and love sharing my discoveries with anyone who will listen—so I’m glad you’re here to listen!
Whether you're looking for inspiration, practical tips, or just a place to connect, I hope you'll find something here that sparks joy and encourages you to learn and grow along with me.