Move over Clark W. Griswald . . .

 . . . the Dugdales stepped it up a notch with Christmas AND European Vacation all rolled into one. 

Yes, that isn't an illusion created by Disney Magic, that's the real Matterhorn.  In our infinite Runamuk wisdom we decided it would be a good idea to take our three psychoanalytic theories to Switzerland, Germany and Austria over the holiday break, and just because we like to make our lives extra difficult, we did it with an injured Superego!

Thankfully the Id doesn’t yet have a boyfriend, so we didn’t have any $1,000 phone calls to home!

And those Europeans sure know how to make life much easier for Mommy and Daddy with free flowing Bier and Kirschwasser (Cherry Vodka).  We had a magical holiday with few hiccups, but of course, there is no way to go halfway across the world with the trifecta and not learn a few things. 

So, here’s The Swiss Family Dugdale Top 10:

On the road again . . .

So I’ve been at this mom thing for over a decade now, and for all that time I’ve been traveling with children.  And yes, I need my head examined.  You really think I would have learned a few things by now and that I would be much better prepared.  So when we left for memorial day and the kids said they had packed their carry-on backpacks with all the entertainment they could need, I really should have double checked what that meant.

Here’s what I learned about getting lazy about vacationing with your kids:

Over the river and through the woods . . .

To Lake Tahoe we go.  Another car trip and we all know what that means . . . surprise balls!  These things are like crack for the children.  From the moment we got in the car they started begging for them.  With our car packed full of so much sh*t we actually worried that we would violate the weight limits on bridges, we set out for a Nelson family Christmas in Lake Tahoe (the Nelsons are Heather’s mother’s family – the one that has 11 of her 15 cousins who between them have 11 children (and several of them are not even married yet).  The adventures over the next 12 days will give the Griswolds a run for their money.

It wouldn’t be a Dugdale family vacation without a few lessons learned early: