We just got back from a week on Martha's Vineyard, a week that started off seeming like the longest vacation in history (five kids, five adults in cloudy, misty weather) and, on the ferry ride back, ended up seeming way too short. After a shaky start with the weather, it cleared up and we all had just the best time ever. Along the way I started racking up some good ideas and not so good ideas for next year. I thought I'd share them:

Good Idea: Grocery shopping before we were on-island to save time and have a well-stocked fridge.
Not So Good Idea: Three women and three hours running around from store to store - to the farm stand, to BJs, to Stop & Shop, to the liquor store for some special Puerto Rican brandy my friend insisted would make the most killer margaritas ever. We were ready to kill her.

Good Idea: Buying all the kids fun sunglasses (girls with rhinestones and flowers in funny shapes, boys had Spiderman) to wear on the beach and around town.
Not So Good Idea: Buying the kids fun sunglasses that they'd lose, misplace and just generally leave in unlikely spots so we had to hear, "Mom, where's my sunglasses?" whined about a million times.

Good Idea: Going for a run around the island after a day at the beach to breath some fresh air and get some exercise.
Not So Good Idea: Downing four Corona's before going for a run around the island, and realizing if you go any further you're either going to throw up or collapse right there in front of a sweet family vacationing with their six children.

Good Idea: Performing a B & E (breaking and entering) on a gorgeous house under construction, just to see what it looks like inside.
Not So Good Idea: Three women performing a B & E in flip flops, where, at any moment, we anticipated a band saw cutting us off at the ankles or a nail-filled plank of wood spearing our pedicurd feet - at which point we'd have to call an ambulance and find out if the sign out front proclaiming "No Tresspassing - All Violators Will Be Prosecuted to the Full Extent of the Law" actually applied to us.

Good Idea: An Appletini (or four) at a cute Vineyard bar.
Not So Good Idea: $14 a pop for an Appletini (or four) at a cute Vineyard bar.

Good Idea: Getting some work done while sitting on a deck overlooking the ocean, just to catch up on some things while away.
Not So Good Idea: Three laptops, five cell phones, and one Blackberry that kept vibrating. "I put vacation on my calendar and it's reminding me that I'm supposed to be relaxing," my friend explained.