So we've been at the shore house now for a week and a half. We're staying next week also. However, I think I just want to move here for the summer. Actually I think I want to sell my house and move her permanently. I love it here. There are so many things to do with the kids, so many things to keep them occupied. I'm just afraid I would hate it in the winter because I don't know what it's like here in the winter. I've only spent weekends here. In any case, should I move us here for the summer?

Pros:
Beach
Boardwalk
Yacht club
Outdoor tennis
Lots of kids
Gillian and Kaitlyn would love goimg to swim camp all summer instead of just a week here and there.

Cons:
I already paid for a pool membership
My other house is bigger although there is an addition being put on right now.
Its noisy with the construction workers.
What do I do with marley (turtle) and Lemon (bird). They'll be lonely if left all summer with just the sitter stopping in everyday. It will be easy to bring Lemon here to us but not Marley.

What do you guys think. I'm on my phone right now. Sorry for any typos.

I think you should just finish out this trip.

As someone who vacations A LOT I can tell you first hand everyone is tempted and seduced by the change of scenery as well as the appeal of tossing your everyday problems behind... BUT the same list of attractive pros, start to wear on you and become frustrating once you become home sick, bored and broke once the trip drags on!
I know myself, I start to obsess over stupid little things, then I know for sure the vacation is officially over.

Good luck in whatever you decide, I'm glad you are all having a wonderful time Felissa!

Becky hit it on the nail. I also like to travel, and find myself wanting to move wherever it is that we go, lol.

I think because you already have the shore house and can return anytime, that you should really think about it. Maybe make a trip there in the winter and stay the weekend to see what it's like.

But personally, if you do and it's not that bad, I say go for it!

As my mother would say, I have poor impulse control. So keep that in mind when I make my suggestion. I say move there year round! I'm sure where your beach house is is not that different from Ocean City, NJ. And that town is lovely in the winter. It's quiet and peaceful, and the schools are great. There's something so relaxing about being there. But like Becky and Gwen said, it may not be that great once you are put back into the daily grind and no longer on vacation.

What if you move there for one month every summer? my stepmom leaves PA at the start of July and stays at the shore house until mid August. Is that an option?

I agree with Jess about spending a month in the summer. But I also think you should go some in the winter too.

Ocean City, NJ is the most amazing place in the world, all year long. I would totally move there if I ever had the chance, so I say go for it!

Its not really a vacation there for me. Its just another place I live. I own my house in PA. I'm still paying the mortgage on the shore house. If I sell the PA house I can probably almost pay off the shore house mortgage. It would be nice to not have a mortgage again. I still have to pay bills while I'm there, DJ still goes to work, I still have to clean, and do laundry. I just like the fact that there are so many things there to keep the kids busy and happy. A nice outing for us is to go to the Boardwalk 5 min. away and have lunch. I don't have that option in PA. Obviously I can take the kids somewhere for lunch but its completely different than the boardwalk.
I can come here whenever I want and stay as long as I want in the summer. I can't in the winter because of the kids being in school. We usually do 2 weekends a month during the school year. I always love it while I'm there on weekends and don't want to go back to PA. There are so many good reasons to just move here and sell the PA house. This is a very hard decision for me. If it weren't in Jersey I wouldn't have to think about it at all.

could you maybe stay there for two weeks in the winter and see what it's like to live your daily life then?

I'd stay there all summer and make the turtle two homes. As for selling and moving...not familiar at all with the yankee parts of the US so I'm afraid I'm no help.