Over the years we have only found one effective solution. As soon as we get home, unpack, go through the post and maybe catch up on a little sleep, we just have to logon to Expedia and arrange the next trip! Knowing that there is more Florida sunshine on the horizon helps us cope with the English weather. It really is an addiction. We then break the calendar up into the relevant number of weeks (always sounds better than months) and ‘sleeps’, and start to count down :-) This little family ritual keeps us – mostly – sane.

As the years have gone by we find ourselves needing to do less and less. This is a good thing. We don’t need to rush round every park; we have no quota to reach. The children by and large are happy just to live in the pool – coming from the UK, it is such a rarity for them to have the weather and the facility to do this. If we can get them out of the pool by about 1pm, we can have a light lunch, let them chill in front of the TV for an hour or so and then we can go out to a park (preferably one that we have annual passes for!) in the later afternoon as the parts start to empty and the temperature starts to drop a little.

If we don’t fancy a park then we will do our second favourite thing in Florida – eat! For as long as the dollar stays at almost $2 to £1 then we can justify eating out again and again. I know it sounds both  extravagant and lazy, but there is such value at places like Bob Evans and Perkins that we cannot help ourselves! As long as we point the children towards the healthier options (and finding meals with good servings of fruit and vegetables is getting much easier) then we have few qualms about eating out. We still find it a little weird to find carrots, corn and even broccoli sweetened and glazed with honey, but it is a small price to pay.  

As I write, we have just returned from 2 weeks ‘quality r&r’ at our villa. True to form, we are counting down and – fantastically – we have just 91 sleeps until we return!