Holidaze

"The sea is THIS big..."

Captain Stressed (aka hardworking hubby) and I took the kids to the coast for a much needed break on the weekend.  We all just needed some time out, an opportunity to recoup, and the chance to have some fun together.  But weekend getaways aren’t quite what they used to be.  Little mouths still need feeding, hands need washing, and bottoms need wiping – plus sleep times are challenging and tantrums are inevitable!  For mums, a weekend away can be little more than a change in scenery.  So with the Easter break just around the corner, here are a couple of ideas on how to handle holidays…

Firstly, my husband and I break up the parenting tasks.  We have tried different ways of doing this, and had varying degrees of success with each.  Sometimes we just make one parent “in charge” for each day, giving the other the day off.  (I’m not so good at this one, because I can’t butt out when it’s not my turn.  Hmmm…)  Sometimes we are responsible for one child each for the day (this works well with 2 kids).  Sometimes I write down all of the mummy jobs I do on a daily basis on squares of paper and spread them out face up.  Hubby and I take turns picking which jobs we’ll do.  Then I glue the squares onto a his-and-hers chart for the holidays.  This option is kinda fun, and it’s always interesting to see which jobs are left until last!

Secondly, everyone in our family picks a holiday activity.  Even though my kids are young, I firmly believe that you should start things the way you mean to continue.  I want our kids to know that holidays are for EVERYONE in our family.  We have the same surname but we are individuals, with different interests and different ideas of fun.  No one is more important than anyone else.  So on our weekend away, our daughter chose a beach trip, I picked a visit to the markets, and Daddy’s choice was a nice restaurant lunch.  We all did these activities together and it was a real opportunity to strengthen our family unit.  I can’t wait to see what our kids will pick in their teen years!

There’s no denying that holidays with kids are more work than holidays without.  They are worth the effort though and the rewards are great.  So what do you do to ensure your getaways don’t become crazy holidaze?!  Leave your comments below.