It’s still winter; it’s cold, it’s rainy and it’s grey… and frankly I’m going a bit stir crazy, begging for Spring and Summer to peak their pretty heads out. Not to mention, I’ve been sick for the past two weeks (and very sick of that!) My mind constantly drifts off thinking about how nice it would be to be sitting on a beach, soaking in the sun and sipping on a margarita. Or this could just be the cold medication talking!

We currently don’t have the funds or time to jet off to a tropical paradise for a week to warm up and relax so I started thinking about ways I could bring the fun and sun feelin’ into my home. But first things first, what makes a vacation so great?

Aside from the sunshine and beaches, vacations are also a time to decompress from our hectic daily lives and recharge our energy. Not to mention it’s a time to give yourself a break about eating 100% healthy or watching your beverage consumption.

So in order to start off your vacation at home, or “staycation”, it’s time to unplug!  This means turning the computer off and powering the cell phone down. When you go on vacation, you are leaving the world behind so why not take a weekend at home where you pretend you are on a deserted island with no contact from the outside world?

One of my absolute favorite things about going on vacation is that you get to stop counting calories and throw away that diet plan. It’s okay to splurge every once in a while and so before your staycation begins, make sure to stop by the grocery store and stock up on food items you love to eat…even if they are not good for you. Because when you’re on vacation, those calories don’t count or so I’ve been told (or maybe convinced myself!). Either way, pig out on junk food, healthy food or even eat an entire cake. It doesn’t matter what you eat as long as you are enjoying yourself because that’s what vacations are all about.

And a tropical vacation would not be complete without a fancy fruity alcoholic drink in your hand, right? Personally, I feel that in order to make it feel like a vacation drink, you must invest in those little paper umbrellas!  They make all the difference as to how that drink will taste.  Even if you don’t drink alcohol, pour a pop or juice in a fancy daiquiri cup, drop in an umbrella and sip to your hearts’ content!

Unfortunately the only thing that you can’t guarantee on your staycation is the weather and it’s unlikely summer will start in February this year.  So the only thing that I can think of that is just as wonderful as lounging in the sun is putting on your coziest pajamas or sweats and cuddling under a warm down comforter on a cold and rainy day. As part of staycation law, I order you to stay in those pajamas the entire time.  And if you are lucky enough to have a fire place, light it up for extra coziness.

I’m getting really excited to go on my staycation this weekend and hopefully you are already starting to plan yours. Bon Voyage!