I Have Family Jet Lag

"Family vacation" is an oxymoron. If you're a mom, you prioritize packing for your kids, so you unzip this huge-ass suitcase only to realize you brought one shabby bra. If you're finally able to visit family--i.e. mom, dad, step-parents or siblings--you arrive home and suddenly regress back to your former glum teen self. (I forage for high-sodium snacks like a rabid squirrel. "Stop looking at me!") Chalk it all up to "family jet lag," a term coined a few years ago that nails how I feel this summer. I know, I know--we all came together and trust me, I'm thankful for our collective health. But I'm also sick of board games, baking, running out of toilet paper, lame ground turkey recipes and the crafting we never even started. It's okay to feel exhausted by this glut of family time. What I'm doing to bounce back is watching '80s movies by myself on Sundays, not sharing my kettle corn and taking long walks with my friends. If you're jet lagged too, find time alone. Buy a treat that only you are allowed to eat. Listen to music no one else likes. Put your needs before your family's endless wants--they will survive.

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