Here in NSW it is almost School Holiday time, and we get an extra couple of days for Good Friday and a pupil free day on the first Monday back in Term 2!
I am torn about the holidays. On one hand I want to hang with the kids, on the other, getting work done is going to be harder. I always tend to head into the holidays with all these amazing intentions and ideas, and then I get to the end and I am disappointed that I didn't do everything on the list, or I felt like I didn't achieve anything in the holidays.
Some of you might be thinking that I am a little loopy, "Holidays are for spontaneity and relaxing and doing whatever, whenever" you say.
And you know what? Even if you take yourself to be an ultra relaxed person, you may still have some expectations of the holidays that if they didn't happen, there would be some disappointment.
Clearly the ultimate holiday is at the beach... who is with me?!
When we first had holidays with kids, whether we went away or not, David and I had differing expectations of what it should be like, AND we didn't communicate that to each other. It did mean a lot of arguments that could have been avoided. The first realization was that a holiday with kids wasn't actually a holiday how we always thought, full of relaxation and me-time. Essentially the purpose and goal of holidays was and still is, making memories and connecting with the kids and as a family. Once we recognized that, there was a huge shift in how we saw holidays and our expectations aligned. So tomorrow is the last day of term and we have talked about our expectations and wants for the holiday break. These things need to be included:
Time off individually - I want to continue going to my exercise classes and David needs time to catch up with some friends.
I want to spend time connecting with the kids individually. I am planning on taking them all out separately for some mum time. This will refresh their cups from a long term at school, and will grow our relationships and be fun.
Family time - connecting together, allowing the kids to continue to foster close relationships with each other through fun activities that help them bond.
More movie/date nights
I have to add in that I have to continue working part-time throughout the holidays... this is the not fun part!
This way both David and I are on the same page about our needs and wants for this school holiday break and we can both make sure the other gets to the end of the holiday satisfied :-)
Do you plan things like this, or are you a more go with the flow kind of holiday lover?
I hope you have a fantastic Easter and holiday break!
Nina x
