On vacation: two of the most magical words in the English language.
 
When you’re on vacation or holiday, your state of mind changes completely.
 
You’re adventurous. You’re lazy. You want to talk to strangers. You seek new and novel experiences. You eat until your stomach nearly explodes.
 
It’s all part of the charm of vacating your everyday life. 

Our family LOVES to travel. Lives for it, really.
 
In honor of our upcoming trip to Seattle and Alaska (bucket list!), here’s a little vacation fun to brighten up your day, whether you’re lying on a pristine beach or plugging away at the office.

44 things you only do when you're on vacation or holiday 

1.  Consume dessert twice, if not three times, every day
2.  Sleep in until OMG-o-clock
3.  Tell yourself and your travel companions: It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!
4.  Watch other drunk tourists sing karaoke, and possibly join in
5.  Consider showering only after you've already hit the beach or pool

6.  Convince yourself that calories are an illusion
7.  Say things like ‘the native culture’ even though you're in Minneapolis
8.  Push from your mind the fact that you will eventually have to settle that credit card bill
9.  Take photos with random street performers
10.  Two words: day drinking

11.  Wear a beach hat on a plane
12.  Proudly activate your out of office message
13.  Actually read a book or magazine from cover to cover
14.  Take photos of random buildings
15.  Go ziplining or four-wheeling

16.  Say things like "I want the authentic experience"
17.  Order food in a foreign language
18.  Aggressively ignore email messages
19.  Carry a backpack or fanny pack
20.  Wear a shirt decked out with palm trees

21.  Eat enough breakfast at the buffet to keep you stuffed all day
22.  Lay out in the sun doing nothing
23.  Get a massage, guilt-free
24.  Talk to strangers from your home country or hometown
25.  Take hundreds of photos that you'll never print out or make into physical photo album

26.  Walk around in public barefoot and swimsuit-clad
27.  Bring home tiny pilfered bottles of shampoo and shower gel
28.  Observe the one ice cream or gelato per day rule
29.  Stake out poolside loungers around 6 am, then go back to bed, eat breakfast, and show up at the pool at 11 am. Yup, everyone hates you.
30.  Buy useless, overpriced trinkets

31.  Check the weather back home and gloat as required
32.  Opt for an impromptu ping pong championship
33.  Practice yoga on the beach
34.  Befriend the local cab driver, bellman and hotel concierge so you can get the 'inside scoop'
35.  Tan your skin to a lovely shade of crimson

36.  Take a bubble bath in a deep soaking tub
37.  Get hair braids or henna tattoos
38.  Pass on a drink unless it contains fruit garnish or a tiny paper umbrella
39.  Sit shivering in an air-conditioned cocoon while it's 90+ degrees outside
40.  Wear sunglasses, even at night

41.  Eventually wish you were back home in your own bed, in your regular routine
42.  Worry over tipping customs
43.  Ask other people where they are from
44.  Watch the sunrise or sunset

Cheers to treasured vacation memories!
 
You may also like these blogs by Megan Sharma:
Baby/toddler travel guide series: going international
Baby/toddler travel guide series: what to pack
Baby/toddler travel guide series: the essentials!
Travel: Insider’s guide to the best Seattle outdoor activities
Your insider Seattle trip planner: lodging (where to stay) and getting around (rental car or no rental car?)
An insider’s guide to Seattle’s Pike Place Market
60 fun and unique date ideas for the young at heart
What I never expected about Midwest living
Parenting: A no-fuss guide to your toddler’s birthday party for Pinterest-fatigued parents
How to be the perfect friend: a guide for the ladies
One year after my major career change from full-time mom to full-time writer: reflections and lessons learned

Did you know that March is Women’s History Month? It is, indeed.
 
In doing research for my book, When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: A Surgeon’s Wife Tells It Like It Is, I discovered several women of medicine and the sciences that impressed the heck out of me. Some names may be familiar and some may be new to you.
 
10 women of medicine and science that will knock your socks off:

1.     Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell: Dr. Blackwell paved the way for women physicians in America by becoming the first woman to receive an M.D. degree from an American medical school in 1849. Before earning this coveted title and graduating first in her class, no less, Dr. Blackwell faced rejection after rejection from U.S. medical schools. She was even advised to travel to Paris and disguise herself as a man to obtain her medical training, which she declined to do. Dr. Blackwell went on to found a full-scale hospital which still exists today as the New York University Downtown Hospital and also founded the Woman’s Medical College of New York Infirmary in 1868, giving women the opportunity for a medical education when they were denied admittance to the all-male medical colleges of the period. Dr. Blackwell dedicated her life to championing women and fighting for women’s rights.  

2.     Dr. Rebecca Crumpler: Dr. Crumpler is distinguished as the first African American woman in the U.S. to earn a medical degree in 1864. Following the end of the Civil War, Dr. Crumpler joined other African American physicians caring for freed slaves who would otherwise have no access to medical care. In 1883 Dr. Crumpler published her “Book of Medical Discourses”, an exceptionally rare accomplishment for an African American in her day and age. Most of what we know of Dr. Crumpler comes from this book. Unfortunately, there are no surviving photographs or images of Dr. Crumpler. 

3.     Clara Barton: Clarissa Harlowe Barton, who preferred to be called Clara, put herself directly in the line of danger during the Civil War to comfort, nurse and cook for the wounded. She founded the American Red Cross in 1881 at the age of 60 and led it for the next 23 years. Her personal passion and gift for service will always be remembered. 

4.     Dr. Bertha Van Hoosen: This was a woman with a fighting spirit. Dr. Van Hoosen earned both her bachelor’s degree and her medical degree, despite her parents’ refusal to finance her education. And although her appointment was opposed by the all-male faculty, she became a professor of gynecology at the Illinois University Medical School. She became increasingly vocal about the medical establishment’s discrimination toward women, and was barred from the Chicago Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. In 1915, she gathered a meeting of women in Chicago that eventually led to the formation of the American Medical Women’s Association. She served as the organization’s first president.

5.     Rosalind Franklin: Even if you don’t know her name, you know her work. Rosalind Franklin was a brilliant chemist whose studies of x-ray diffraction provided critical clues into the structure of DNA, the building blocks of life. Unfortunately, she was not recognized for her contributions until long after her death. Rosalind succumbed to ovarian cancer at a young age. Her colleagues, James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, were awarded the Nobel Prize for discovering the double helix after viewing x-ray photographs of DNA taken by Rosalind. 

6.     Dr. Mary Edwards Walker: Dr. Walker was both a physician and a women’s rights advocate. She was the first woman awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for her work as a surgeon during the Civil War. Although her name (along with others) was removed from the honoree list in 1917 during a period of confusion and turmoil regarding eligibility, she refused to give up her medal. She continued to wear it proudly for the rest of her life. Many years after her death, thanks to efforts of her family and a reappraisal of her work by Congress, the honor was finally restored to Dr. Walker in 1977.

7.     Dr. Virginia Apgar: Dr. Apgar was the first woman to become a full professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Parents also know her as the woman behind the Apgar Score, the first standardized method for evaluating a newborn baby’s transition to life outside the womb. 

8.   Dr. Mary Amanda Dixon Jones: Dr. Dixon Jones became internationally known as a surgeon in obstetrics and gynecology at a time when women physicians struggled to build careers in the field (during the Civil War era). She was the first person in the U.S. to propose and perform a full hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) to treat uterine tumors. 

9.     Dr. Leona Baumgartner: Dr. Baumgartner’s passion for public health stemmed partially from her pediatric home visits to some of the poorest areas of Depression-Era New York in the mid-1930s, where she connected the dots between poverty and ill-health. She served as the first female commissioner of New York City’s Department of Health from 1954-1962, leveraging her role to bring basic health and hygiene advice to millions of Americans via frequent TV and radio broadcasts, as well as sending health care professionals to visit schools and churches. 

10.     Madame Marie Curie: Mme. Curie is a household name and a winner of two Nobel Prizes for her work in radioactivity. But you may not know that she won her second Nobel Prize in the midst of tragedy. She shared her first Nobel Prize in the field of nuclear physics with her husband Pierre Curie and colleague Henry Becquerel in 1903. In 1906, her beloved Pierre was killed after stepping in front of a horse-drawn carriage, leaving Marie alone to raise two young daughters and to carry on their legacy. She won her second Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1911 for her discovery of radium and polonium. After a lifetime dedicated to scientific discovery that led to breakthroughs in modern medicine, especially in oncology, Mme. Curie died of complications caused by prolonged exposure to radiation.

What women inspire you, historically or present day? Leave your comments!

You may also like these blogs by Megan Sharma:
A real, imperfect day in the life of a writer: me
10 ways to overcome a creative block and find inspiration 
Physician Family guest blog: Does Match Day dictate your destiny? A surgeon’s wife weighs in
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: A word to mothers who aspire to have a surgeon-in-law
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: No, I don’t want no scrubs
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: For the love of Danskos
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: The other shoe
Date night: 60 fun and unique date ideas for the young at heart
Parenting: A no-fuss guide to your toddler’s birthday party for Pinterest-fatigued parents
Parenting: You know you’re a mom (of young children) when…

My mind is incredibly powerful. It allows me to predict, with a 1% margin of error, at least one of your 2017 New Year’s resolutions.
 
Some people can do calculus. I’m not one of them. But, we all have our talents!
 
So, without further ado, I present your goals for the New Year!

Eat healthier / cut down on carbs / cut down on sugar

Eat more vegetables

Join a gym / go to the gym to which I belong / get fit / stay fit / run a marathon

Quit drinking / drink less / avoid hangovers / quit smoking

Save more money / spend less money / create budget / stick to a budget / pay off debt / make a dent in debt / create kids' college fund

Spend more quality time with friends and family

Sleep more / stress less / enjoy life to the fullest / tackle my bucket list

Do things at my own pace / avoid getting caught up in the daily grind

Make time for myself and the things I enjoy

Meditate / start a journal / practice yoga / do deep breathing exercises on the subway

Why is this time of year both so magical and so stressful? Why do we dash from store to store looking for the perfect gifts, wait in crazy lines at the post office, and stay up until 11:34 pm baking gobs of goodies for the neighbors? One word: expectations.
 
The key to a less manic and happier holiday season is to manage expectations: starting with ourselves and branching out to our loved ones.
 
If we expect to have a more fulfilling holiday, then we will have it. If you want to say no to gifts, then do it! There is no law against not giving gifts at Christmas.
 
I’ll be perfectly honest with you: I come from a gift-giving family. Growing up, I loved getting gifts from Santa at Christmastime. I still remember the year my mom completely outdid herself (mom of the century!) with a Barbie themed Christmas that would knock your socks off. I received a Barbie limousine and a bunch of stylish Barbie duds my mom had—get this—HAND-SEWN. Can you imagine trying to sew clothing for a figure as disproportionate as Barbie? I was beyond myself with glee that year. 

And yet, now, my aging 33-year-old brain can’t recall more than a few brief glimpses of Lite-Brite and bicycles of Christmas past.
 
You see, my fondest Christmas memories are not of the things I was fortunate enough to receive. No, my most treasured Christmas memories are of the times we spent with family and friends, while my dad dressed up as Santa and pretended to feed carrots to the reindeer.
 
My favorite family Christmas traditions are hanging out in new PJs on Christmas Eve, eating fun appetizers and watching Christmas movies, and then eating a fancy breakfast on Christmas morning. Nothing too fancy.

It wasn’t until we had our daughter in 2015 that I became adamant against adult to adult Christmas gift giving. Here we were, blessed with this perfect, healthy and gorgeous little girl, and there was nothing else in the world we could possibly want.
 
It just seemed silly and pointless. Why give gifts that aren’t needed or wanted?
 
Ever since, I’ve been lobbying in my family for time together to replace physical gifts. My ultimate goal is to get our entire family together for a vacation during the Christmas season. It hasn’t happened yet, but I know we’ll get there. And ‘there’ will be somewhere on a beach.
 
It doesn’t even have to be a vacation. Unfortunately, my husband and I are smack dab in the middle of the country with our parents flanking both coasts, so travel isn’t always possible. When we are together, even if it’s not during Christmas, we aim to make the most of it. 

Want to get in on the action?
 
Here are some ideas to replace things with family time and experiences, and maybe even help someone else along the way:
​

• Make cookies together and distribute them to neighbors, teachers, friends, and/or a local homeless shelter.

• Go to view some holiday lights together. Drive through a well-lit neighborhood or visit a display at a local zoo or botanical garden.

 

• If you live near mountains, take a day trip to go tubing, sledding, or skiing together.

 

• Organize a silly gift exchange with a limit of $5 or $10 per person.

 

• Have a potluck lunch or brunch in someone’s home. Maybe even set up a hot chocolate bar with a variety of toppings.

 

• If your kids like trains, visit a Polar Express type of event.

 

• Go see a seasonal production like The Nutcracker ballet.

 

• Look for Christmas story time opportunities at your local book store or library.

 

• Find a place where your kids can see real live reindeer.

 

• Bundle up and go ice skating.

 

• Write Christmas cards for our men and women serving in the military.

 

• Go bargain shopping for winter clothing and canned foods, and then deliver them personally to local charities.

 

• Have a Christmas movie marathon, complete with popcorn and other yummy treats—chosen by the kids.

 

• Think of a tourist attraction in your town that you have never visited, and make it happen.

 

• Make paper snowflakes to decorate your home.

 
Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a very happy 2017!

What are your favorite holiday traditions? Share in the comments!

To all the moms
Young and old
Past and future
Clever and bold
You are treasured
You are loved
Happy Mother's Day
​Now, where is my mimosa???!!!