10 Things I Loved About Cuba

1. Unlimited food I did not have to prepare or clean up myself. (Jeffy particularly enjoyed the freshly-grilled scampi, each and every day.)

2. Being sans enfants at an adults-only resort. (When we heard a toddler screaming at the airport on the way home, we really truly realized just how relaxing it was for us to be completely kid-free for one week; even having other kids around would have been a wee bit stressful.)

3. Reading a million books by the pool and the beach.

4. Walks on the beautiful beach in the morning before it got too hot. Also: realizing that I can still do this pose, even though I'm 5 months pregnant.



5. Knowing that we were in a country where everyone's basic needs are taken care of. Tips were pooled by the staff and distributed equally (talk about communism at work), and tipping didn't seem to change the kind or quality of service we got. When we were in Mexico a year ago, I remember wondering how the resort could afford to pay all of its staff, until I realized the answer: they probably weren't getting paid adequately. No worries like that in Cuba. Everyone has food, lodging, education, health and dental care, and child care provided by the government. Obviously it's not utopia, but it's certainly better than many other countries in the world.

6. Seeing the joie de vivre of the staff. When the live bands were playing in the restaurants at lunch and dinner, the staff would dance around and laugh with each other in what seemed a truly genuine manner. Patrons of the resort would sometimes get up and dance with each other to the music as well. It was a real feeling of enjoying the moment, for everyone.

7. Knitting and people-watching by the pool. I realized how quickly I can knit when I have no other distractions. I also realized that skinny is not beautiful. The most beautiful people there were the ones who looked like real people, men and women alike. The ones who looked like they walked out of a magazine or television show just looked... weird, standing there in real life.

8. Unlimited napping opportunities. On the beach, by the pool, in our room -- not a bad nap was had.

9. Unlimited time with Jeffy. Sometimes when we're so busy with work and kids we lose sight of each other, so to speak. A secret little part of me wondered if we'd have anything to talk about over the meals by the time the third day rolled around. Turns out, we did. We're really a perfect match for each other: respectful of each other's preferences, guilt-free, chatty when we want to be and quiet when we want to be, and it all just feels comfortable and loving and wonderful. I'm so, so lucky.

10. Being overwhelmed with love by the kids when we got home. They had a great time at the Sheldrakes', there's no doubt, and there was a definite "honeymoon" period when we arrived home which has since evaporated, but seeing them again, and having all of us say how much we loved and missed each other was really wonderful. And ultimately, the only reason we could enjoy our kid-free vacation was because we knew we were coming home to them. And now it feels really, really good to be home.