On Holidays

Wednesday 14 October, 2010
We’ve only got three days left of our holiday, tomorrow we’ve been here a week. I always find the first few days go slowly, and then, as the routine of the days becomes established, the time goes more quickly. Actually almost as quick as our money.

Actually, I wonder how much money families spend on holidays. The families with good incomes, who do lots of paid things with their kids. The ones who attend the movies and theme parks and eat out all the time. It would run into the thousands. We’ve found we are having to be very careful with our funds, and what we are spending is all being spent on food, and most of it with food that we’re buying from the supermarket and eating at homes.

It’s been lovely to enjoy days that are quiet and relaxing. Days where my husband and I can just be together, where neither of us has to be anywhere else. Where the lack of routine means that we’re not rushing off to work, or having to take the kids anywhere. We’re all enjoying the rest. The kids are having fun spending so much time with us and have not tired of fishing everyday. My boys don’t fish to catch and eat the fish, but merely for the sport aspect of it. Billy-Joe caught a fabulous flathead the other day, it’s my favourite fish, and would have made a great meal, but there was no way that he could have killed it and brought it home. Suits me fine though, I like the fact that my boys are soft and enjoy letting the fish go back into the water.

We’ve all been sleeping in, with the exception of Mickey, who always falls asleep first and then is up early. Even Sammy and Billy-Joe slept until 10am today. It’s obvious our beds are comfy.

As the holiday nears its end, I’m thinking and planning already for the next holiday and also for the year ahead. I have a bit of catching up to do with my coursework and I also have a class booked for next week. So the day after we return, I“m right back into the routine, but with the knowledge that there are only 8 weeks left of the school year. I can’t believe that another school year is almost over, and that summer is quickly approaching. Next year Billy-Joe will be in year 10 and Sammy heads into his second last year of primary school. It didn’t seem all that long ago that they were all tiny children.

Thursday 15 October, 2010
I got up early and went fishing with my boys this morning. Bunny was most impressed that I was out of bed first!! Me the one who loves to snooze and snooze. I enjoyed it for the fact that I took lots of photos, and it's always nice just to watch the kids. I am loving just being with them. I sat down on the beach for an hour and a half and then had enough of the wind as my ears were beginning to ache, so I headed up to the car. I made a shopping list for Woolies and when the boys came up to the car we went home. We left Billy-Joe at home and headed out to Cooloola Cove and did some shopping, and I had to put a script in. 

After we took the food home, we went and had lunch at the sportman's club. The food was great. I had a chicken, and avocado pizza, which was just divine. It was even better than from the Italian Restaurant, and that dinner was really good. We hired some videos for the kids and had an ice cream. It was blustering and windy, but we still walked down and checked out the surf and I took a photo of the kids in front of the Cherry Venture’s propellor. I want to do a digi layout where I add the same photo from last year.

We got home, I showered and then laid down as I had a mild headache. Unfortunately I feel asleep lol....and woke up over an hour later.

The boys are now home from fishing, love how happy and excited they are when they come home.

At Rain(bow) Beach

We're away on our long awaited annual holiday. It almost seems unfair, that we save so hard for our break and then it rains....but you know what? We are still making the most of it. For one thing, we've already decided that next year, we'll go away a little later in the year. Sept/Oct is too unstable weatherwise here in Qld. Last week the weather was just glorious. Hot everyday, cool nights and I was in summer clothes, with short shorts and a singlet top and this week, it's raining.... Thankfully though it's not cold.

We booked the same house that we had last year. We're a little sad though to see that nothing's been done to the place. The weeds have been let run rampant and the broken towel rails, and door knobs haven't been fixed. Even the hissing/whisting toilet that Bunny fixed last year, hasn't been fixed properly. We'll go somewhere else next year, and this house is on the market too, it's obvious the owner doesn't want to spend any money. Sadly too, most people who rent holiday homes treat them badly. We treat this house like our own.....why can't more people be like us.

On the flipside though, the beds are still comfy, the house roomy, and I love having an ensuite. I can't believe that I think having my own shower and toilet is luxurious, but it is. Home has had bucketloads of rain, it's made the papers, they've had 10 inches of rain in a few hours....we're lucky to not have had as much here.

Probably the only thing we've done different so far, is that we can't sit on the beach, and I've not sat by the pool. We have still eaten out, enjoyed the relaxed feeling and enjoyed each others' company. We've even all been in the pool, crazy as it sounds, because it's not hot, but we're not going to miss out on having our own pool.

Even from last year, my kids have grown up so much. We let them in the water on their own now. All three are competent in the water, and it's a liberating feeling.

We stopped in at Aldi on the way up here and bought some nice food. There's a woolies about a half hour away from here, and an IGA and Foodworks handy for everyday things. The bakery sells yummy bread and there's the obligatory fish and chip shops, cafes and pizza places. Last night we out out Thai. It was very nice, but rather expensive. It's a shame that it costs $145 to take a family of five out for dinner!!!! We won't be doing that again. The same menu in Nambour would have cost us about $85, and the food would have been just as good. No wonder we don't eat out much as a family, the cost is prohibitive. The kids love eating out though, and we love taking them out, so it's a real treat for all of us.

The boys have been fishing twice already, and I've been happy staying home, on my MacBook, reading and snoozing. Tomorrow they want me to go too though.....and they want me to get dirty yikes, they want me to have the mud coming up through my toes.....not sure about that lol........ I don't mind to fish though, so we'll see what transpires. I'm not going if this weather continues though.

Sammy playing with the wrestling figurines in the lounge room.

Billy-Joe on his 'Apple Dell' in the family room.

Kidlets enjoying an ice cream at the yummy ice cream shop.

Kids swimming , with Mickey saving on washing.

A Cardmaking Retreat

It's Sunday afternoon, the last day of the holidays. The Grand Final (NRL) has just finished and my kids are just finishing their dinner. We're not really sad because on Friday we head off to Rainbow Beach for our annual holiday. A time that we all look forward to, and my dear hardworking husband needs this time to recharge his battery.

This last week was lovely. I still didn't end up achieving what I wanted to do, but I thoroughly enjoyed these aspects
- sleeping in every day, some days later than I wanted
- the fact that days aren't strictly regulated by time or schedule
- the fact my kids now occupy themselves and are happy and content
- if I decide on the spur of the moment to cook something or go somewhere, I can
- the kids are now old enough, so if I have an errand or an appointment, I can take Mickey with me and the two older kids are fine at home on their own.
- the fact that school pick up time comes along and I can stay home

Downsides to the holidays
- the time goes too fast
- For some reason I chop and change what I'm doing, and I don't seem to spend time just settled and relaxed. I always think of something else I could do (based around chores).
- I plan to create and I don't take the time :(
- I don't have the money to do lots of fun things with the kids (I did take them to Lazerzone on one morning, but that was largely funded by the Golf Club).
- No one takes my chores away just because I'm on holidays.

Normally I'm feeling a bit down on the last day before the kids go back, but because we're going away, no one feels too bad today. The kids will have four days back at school and then we're off. Ten days of the barest of housework, eating out, ice creams, fishing and lazying on the beach of by the pool and reading lots, and watching movies!!

Okay, once again I've had this sitting here without uploading it, and the post isn't finished. Rather than deleting it, I'll upload and made a new one asap....