I'm calling it practice for retirement. (The fact that I need to get a job first before I can officially retire is neither here nor there). These few days of the first week of school holidays have been practice for 'empty nest' time, and I confess I am enjoying it.

It doesn't happen much that we are minus many of our kids at one time. The grandparental backup on both sides is several hundred kilometres away. Paternal side is not really able to look after children anymore, for health reasons. Maternal side grandparents have had them stay occasionally, but is unwilling to have them while we go off for more than a night or two on anything that resembles enjoyment. (So now you know why we drag the kids off on 9 day bike rides!!) The kids have stayed a week when we have had to do something "important" to do in regard to moving house - but let's just say we are unlikely to get an offer to have the kids while we swan off on some overseas holiday.

So, we enjoy what we can when we can. This past weekend, the netball rep rules had the girls travelling on the team bus to the competition - so last Friday we had the luxury of travelling 6 hours down the highway with ONE CHILD in the back of the car. Oh the bliss! No fights. No whingeing. And she enjoyed it as much as we did. "How are you enjoying being an only child, Zoe?" "GREAT!" she said.

We stopped off to visit Nana on the way down - a quick detour and lunch with her in a cafe. We decided after that to make another detour - this time into Newcastle to see the stranded bulk carrier, the Pasha Bulker that had grounded on one of Newcastle's main surf beaches in the wild storms a few weeks ago. Nana had heard that it was now hard to see - with an exclusion zone of a few blocks, and supposedly parking being impossible. Never ones to believe the panic, we decided it was worth a go. We snagged a car space 3 cars back from the exclusion zone, and it was an easy walk up the headland to a poor vantage point, and then, on the advice of another spectator, only another few hundred metres back down to the ocean baths, where you got a good view of this enormous ship "parked" in the breakers.

Zoe later told Grandma that it was a "long walk" - which Grandma was inclined to believe (because she thinks we expect too much much of our kids.) I pointed out to Zoe that it was less distance than the 2.5km cross country course that she runs (without stopping or walking) in about 15 minutes. So perhaps she should have run it!!!

They successfully refloated it the other night, so it was a worthwhile side-jaunt.

The next morning we headed off down to the netball, with NO KIDS! Grandma was happy to have Zoe to spoil for a few days. (The alternative for Zoe was having to watch 3 days of netball, which wouldn't have been ok for her in Grandma's book. Fine with me! We got a couple of nights there in the holiday house where we could come in, crash on the lounge with beer and chips, and not have to worry about anyone else but us. More significantly, we only had to get ourselves up and ready in the morning. Bliss!)

Grandma does get torn between wanting to see her grandchildren and not letting us go off and have a good time without them. With Marc having to be back at work, she was ok about keeping all three for a few more days. I opted to return home with him, and the deal was struck that they would drive the kids up to Nana's on Saturday. (Good excuse there not being room in the car for me, huh!)

So, we have a house to ourselves.! For three days!! The novelty of not having to nag kids to bed will never, ever, wear off, let me tell you. And although Marc is working, and has a late touch game tonight, I don't mind having all those hours to myself. The TV to myself. Ahhh... bliss! I am heading into town for a chiro appointment now - and we are going to meet up for lunch.

Don't get me wrong. I love my kids!! But, gee it's nice to have a break!!

Labels: holidays, kids