Thursday, April 4, 2013

A Balanced Holiday Break


Sometimes as a Mum, you make decisions not based on any specific reasoning, parenting philosophies or age-old wisdom, but solely upon what can only be described as a ‘mother’s instinct’ – that strong feeling of what is ultimately best for your children and your family. After returning home from our holiday house stay last week, we were meant to have three days reprieve at home (one of those days being Easter Sunday) before embarking on a five hour plus car journey to Bremer Bay, joining my brother-in-law and his family who were going to holiday there.  However, at the last minute, we chose not to go, forfeiting the bond we’d already paid on a chalet but with Paul and I both feeling such an overwhelming sense of having made the best decision for ‘us’.



Instead, we enjoyed a relaxing few days at home. Easter itself was a simple, casual affair at our place with the obligatory egg hunt followed by a small lunch. The rest of the long weekend was spent at home pottering, playing and spending time together. We went for a morning swim at the beach, had friends over for a fish and chip dinner and took advantage of the balmy evenings by lingering outdoors as long as possible.



Then, on Tuesday afternoon, we returned to the holiday house. We had a fabulous dinner at a little Italian restaurant in town, ending the night with a delicious crème brulee dessert which the four of us shared. On Wednesday we went for a boat trip to the marina for morning tea, accompanied once again by some friendly dolphins, including one who playfully did a two metre high ‘Sea World style’ leap and twist out of the water not far in front of us. This morning, we woke to Grace and Sophie carrying Paul’s present into our bedroom for his birthday. As always, breakfast was enjoyed in the first morning light on the deck, this time with the added treat of croissants to feast on. And then, once packed, we headed home late morning, eager to settle the girls back into a more normal routine and to make sure Grace was well rested for kindy tomorrow.

As a mother, only you know what is best for your children. It’s so important to trust that little voice inside and to go with that gut feeling of what is right for your family. For us, with our girls at the ages they are, what’s best for us are simple days, still filled with adventure and fun, but balanced with down time and rest too.

8 comments:

  1. Your Easter and trip away look and sound PERFECT! And yes, i agree, sometimes we just have to follow our gut feeling when it comes to parenting decisions - it ends up being right!
    Enjoy your weekend Amanda.
    xx
    P.S. And yes, I still blink twice when I see photos of Sophie - her and Ryder are so alike. LOVE!

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  2. Amanda this is so nicely written - and sounds like you had a beautiful, restful, restorative weekend with memories to treasure. The fact that you and Paul felt relief once you made the decision not to drive out to Bremer Bay shows that you made the right choice, hard as it may have been. Glad you, Paul and the girls got some decent down time and had a lovely weekend! The girls look so gorgeous with their eggs xx

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  3. I think you made a very wise choice to stay home Amanda. Their early years are so fleeting that it's really important to enjoy time together doing simple things.
    x

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  4. Absolutely Amanda. Always go with your gut. Sometimes you don't know how you are going to feel about something until the time comes but then obligation sets in which means you do things you don't want to - I think it's totally fine to bail out of things. So glad you made this choice. What a beautiful way to spend your time together as a family. Mel xxx

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  5. nice post Amanda. I felt relaxed reading it. I love the choices you made for your family. instinct is so important in our decision making. and that photo of the girls is magic. have a great weekend. Jane x

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  6. Absolutely, sometimes you just know when you need to cancel something and just take things easier with the family. So glad you had a nice and balanced Easter break, Amanda. It really does sound lovely.
    Ronnie xo

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  7. Home stays can be the best kind of "getaways!" That fish and chips dinner just topped my weekend plans. Thanks for the message of caring on my blog post. This too shall pass and when it does I can't wait to suck the marrow out of life again;) xx ashley

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  8. It sounds like you made the best decision for all of you, enjoying a more calm and relaxing time just the four of you. And Happy belated birthday to Paul, what a special way to celebrate with breakfast on the deck and his two little girls bringing him gifts in bed:) xx

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