Lovin' Life at Laughlin During Labor Day Weekend!

Fun in the Desert Sun!

Laughlin, Nevada for the Win

Nothing beats getting away for a weekend without going too far.

What I mean by that is–– while we'd be thrilled to visit Tokyo and Sao Paolo and Oahu, a vacation with kids is, well, hardly a vacation for mom and dad. It's a lot of work and stress and round-the-clock snack requests and bathroom trips and while seeing the little smiles on their faces makes it all worth it, returning home usually calls for another vacation just to give us a chance to decompress! We've ventured on several international trips with Benny but when Toby arrived we decided to keep things muuuuuuuch simpler and hassle-free.

These days,

a dream vacation means a road trip to San Francisco, where we make multiple stops along the way; or a train ride to San Diego where we end up at the Marina and enjoy arcade time and ice cream cones. Most recently, we were invited to hang out in Laughlin, Nevada, with some good friends who own a home & a boat near the Colorado River.

Our friend Laurie who's been enjoying the Mohave Lake since childhood!

It sounded like a perfect destination:

close enough to drive back home if an emergency occurred, but far away to feel the joy of being on family vacation-mode. The trip was so, so fun.

We hung out at Lake Mohave for two straight days-- cruising on our friends' boat, swimming for hours, enjoying adult beverages and letting the kids eat all the chips, snacks and juice they wanted (we actually had sandwiches, fruit and veggies too).

There's something about venturing off into the water

that is very relaxing. For one, there's no internet service in the lake, located in the middle of the desert.  That completely removes you from the tendency to check your phone every few minutes.

Fact: I still don't know how to swim! But life jackets are plentiful. There are even loaners for guests to use before heading out to the lake.

The desert heat is a whole other level of hot,

which makes you want to stay cool in the water and hug your kids in their adorable little floaties. Toby decided to throw rocks into the lake for about 30 minutes. He laughed every time a rock would hit the water.

Benny decided to play good guys v. bad guys using small water guns and exchanged water attacks with his new buddy Andrew. Then he hopped out of the water and joyfully acted as if he lived in, and owned the boat while we hung out in the water.

Lake Mohave offers

237 miles of shoreline and nearly 200 sandy beach cove areas that can only be accessed by boat. It's really fun to scope out the different beaches and decide where your crew will settle for the day.

Once you find a spot that everyone agrees on,

you basically mark your territory by parking the boat and setting up your fun zone, which usually includes tents, beach chairs, tables, coolers, water games and water toys. Those seeking bigger water thrills take their Jet Skis and Sea-Doo's.

A quick stop in front of this fun mural at a Jerky shop along Route 66 on our way home from Laughlin.

By the time you wrap up for the day

and arrive at your accommodations (we stayed at our friends' super comfy house), you've had plenty of fun in the sun and the only thing left to do is rest and relax some more.

Then if you have time the next morning, you can head over to Casino drive, enjoy a breakfast buffet and try your luck at a slot machine or Blackjack table before returning to Los Angeles.

It's exactly what we did and drove home $30 richer. Lol. It was an overall wonderful escape.

Thanks Alex and Laurie! We can't wait to hang out again!

Xo,

-Anabel M.