It’s my blog and I can post vacation pictures if I want to… (You’ll look at them, and you’ll like it, dammit.)

So Hubs and I lost our freaking MINDS this year and decided that rather than a beach vacation, a Disney cruise, or some other simple getaway for spring break, we were going to take our four and six year old boys (by way of a 9-hour drive in Vanischewitz) to tour our nation’s capital.

Mostly on foot. Sometimes in the rain. Without backup.

And… it actually turned out okay. We got to hang out with some friends in Richmond we haven’t seen in a long time and some friends in Maryland we haven’t seen in even longer, and grab a quick dinner with another friend we actually see all the time here in Atlanta but seeing him in D.C. was its own novelty.

We took in several of the amazing Smithsonian museums. The Air and Space Museum was a special favorite — both because the kids love it and because Hubs and I got to geek out a bit with our own memories. My dad (who was a physicist) actually helped create one of the small antennae on the Hubble Telescope, so whenever we get a chance to see some of Hubble’s handiwork first hand, it’s a cool way to connect the boys with their Granddad, who can’t be here to connect with them directly. We also hiked a looooong way around most of the National Mall monuments (“Daddy pick me up, I’m tired…”) and rode the subway several times, which the guys thought was super cool and grown up.

Being a family of baseball nerds, we also enjoyed checking Major League Baseball Stadium #3 off our family bucket list, catching the first couple innings of the Nationals’ home opener before the rain sent us heading for the hills. And the subway.

As a bonus, on the way up to D.C., we took the boys by the University of Georgia in Athens (my alma mater along with at least half of Hubs’ family). We watched the NCAA gymnastics regional final, rang the famous chapel bell (YES, the same one from THE MARRIAGE PACT!) and I posed with my little guys in front of the iconic UGA Arch.

So, all in all, even though there may have been more whining and complaining about tired feet than on a typical beach vacation, I’m glad we went the enrichment route this spring break. The boys are still talking about stars and supernovas and the Washington monument, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

PS – We also just booked our next big vacation. A Disney cruise. Can’t win ’em all…

MJ Pullen

M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.