Is "getting away from it all" with your in-laws really a break?

Guest blogger mom-on-the-edge: I knew spending eight days away with my husband's family wouldn't be easy. So like a boxer ready for the ring, I had my bite guard (I was ready to bite my tongue at all times), I threw on my commanding-sized terry robe (compliments of the hotel, of course) and I braced for the small blows Grandpa would throw at Grandma (like "If you rolled your shirt, it wouldn't have so many wrinkles...").

Midway through our trip, though, I'm wondering -- is taking a vacation with your in-laws really a vacation?

Pro
- I didn't have to plan anything.

Con
- I didn't have to plan anything.
It's nice to have some say about where you're gonna go and what you're gonna do. After weeks of pushing a stroller through the frozen streets of New York, lounging in a chair with the sun beating on my face would be sweeeet. My in-laws chose a resort up north. It's 18 degrees below zero today! Too cold to ski, too cold to take my 18-month-old outside.

Pro
- The lodge is INsanely beautiful and way OUT of our budget.
The woodsy and warm Adirondack style is charming. My husband and I couldn't afford to stay at a place this nice right now.

Con
- We're all staying in the same suite, so there's no escape! It's the in-law hour 24-7. And, taxidermy. There are stuffed animals everywhere. I don't need a dead moose staring at me while I eat my Cheerios.

Pro
- I'm not in my tiny apartment and I have some help!

Con
- I'm not in my apartment and I have some help. My son does great with his routine at home but this change has him, literally, pulling his hair out. There's too much stimulation. His grandma, grandpa, aunt and uncle are constantly in his face and rough-housing. He can't nap or sleep until I push him up and down the hallway for hours and he's started biting and hitting out of frustration. Something they find funny.

So, you tell me -- is taking a vacation with your in-laws really a vacation?