Pros, Cons, and Neutrals of the "Staycation"

I think the title is pretty self-explanatory.  Let's jump right in.

Pros:

• We all slept in our own beds in our own rooms.  I'm a light sleeper.  I don't enjoy sharing a room with my children.  They wake each other up when they're in the same room.  [Some day, my boys will surely share a room, and I think that's a good thing . . . but not until we're past baby stage.]  Naps are inevitably shorter in pack'n'plays.  Etc.
• It's exceptionally cost-effective.  We used up gift cards that sit around for months, waiting for that perfect opportunity to go out.  We discovered free things we'd never tried (like the library toddler story time).  We ate breakfast at home.
• That said, since we do keep aside money for a "travel budget," we felt free to spend money on things that we wouldn't normally pay full-price for, like the zoo and the aquarium.  It was fun, to be tourists in our own city.
• I kept up with laundry: only as absolutely necessary (cloth diapers, the two pairs of shorts Levi has that aren't too big), but enough that I won't have a giant mound of it waiting for me when we "get home."
• We got a few projects done around the house that, much like the gift cards, sit around for months, waiting for that perfect opportunity.  That might not sound like vacation, but for Isaac, who works so many hours at his away-from-home job, the chance to chisel away at his at-home job was welcome.

Cons:

• When there's still a house and children to take care of, Mommy never really gets a break.  (But then, I wouldn't stop taking care of my children in any vacation destination.)  I had to deliberately choose to sit down with a book during nap time, choose to let some of my little chores go undone in the name of relaxation.
• I'm very accustomed to being the only adult in the house for the majority of the day.  It took a few days for Isaac and me to settle into a daily routine at home, without a lot of, "I thought you were watching the kids!" and such.  
• No wanderlust was quenched in this vacation.  I'm still itching to go somewhere, be somewhere different.  And while unpacking (and the attendant laundry) is never fun, setting out for a new place is fun.  Fortunately, we're headed to Texas in September -- Isaac to a conference, and all of us to visit a dear friend and her family!

Neutrals:

• I still taught a few piano lessons and worked on my kids' choir preparation.  I felt irresponsible, to cancel lessons two weeks in a row, and anyway my leaving the house with the kids a few times gave Isaac a chance to work on some things of his own choosing in peace.  As for kids' choir, I simply can't do some of these things while I'm "on duty" all day, and I needed Isaac at home to watch the boys while I worked.  Like I said, I forced myself to relax in other ways as often as possible.
• [Technically, this is a "con," but since it'd be true at home or away, I'm putting it as "neutral."]  Turns out that giving myself license to "eat like I'm on vacation" put on vacation-pounds as much here as it would anywhere.  Many thanks to Grandpa Alan for the coupons for free potato chips and Oreos . . . .  Following our church luau Sunday night, we go back to sensible eating!

The list is accurate: the pros definitely outweighed the cons for us.  As my husband said, short of renting a 3-bedroom cabin for our little family, this was the best possible scenario for maintaining well-rested children at this stage.  And we all know that well-rested children are the key to happiness.  ;)