The true cost of a vacation...

When you are married, vacation has 2 types of costs. Real and nominal.

The nominal cost of my vacation to Israel was, I am proud to say, about $500. (Big factor here was frequent flyer mile redemption).

The real cost, well that's much higher.

It looks like it comes down to the following equation.
1. For the 2 weeks prior to leaving, I need to be on extra good behavior to Tamar (no sense in having her angry with me when I leave) and be extra diligent in helping with the kids
2. For the 3-4 weeks following my return, I need to deliver the same higher than usual degree of care and attentiveness.

In other words, it's a 6:1 ratio of extra care/work:vacation.

Now, the next question to figure out is: how much time needs to elapse after a week of solo vacation before I can take another one? :-)