School Holidays Are Here!

I am not usually a huge fan of school holidays.

I recognise how important it is for children to just relax and spend their day being children, rather than little sponges for the education curriculum.  It is also critical for our dedicated and very much overworked teachers, to lay down their Super Human Powers and just be Humans for a while.  It is even awesome as a parent to just han out with the kids and not have to worry about "school tomorrow" routines!  And the sleep ins...Ohhh the sleep ins!

What I am NOT a fan of is this...

• "I'm bored!"
• "I have nothing to do!"
• "I'm hungry!" (Especially 2 minutes after eating something!)
• The relentless niggling of siblings over toys, space to move, what's on TV etc...
• Boredom escalating into misbehaviour.
• Boredom escalating into fights over nothing, or something not worth the stress!
• Boredom that results in whining and endless niggling at parents. (Particularly ME!)

Now I'm not going to say I'm not going to have one of THOSE school holiday breaks... I know I will ABSOLUTELY have moments of it.  BUT, WE NEED THIS HOLIDAY so much!  We've all been sick, we're all really tired and we've all had enough.

My intention is to give my family rest, recuperation, fun, to regroup, tweak a few routines, LOTS of sleep and to regenerate, so that we are ready to GO GO GO next term! I want this to be a holiday to recharge the batteries!

PLEASE NOTE:  As I'm writing this I'm having to remind one little angel that throwing toys in the house is not acceptable.  :-p

So, in order for my intentions to become my reality, a little smorgasbord of ideas...

• Crafting with paint, pencils etc
• Finish decorating the kid's rooms
• Movies, popcorn and blankets!
• Camping in the lounge room
• Picnic in the park
• Feed the ducks
• Playgrounds
• Revamping the outdoor play areas
• Sleep overs with cousins
• Going out for ice-cream
• Maybe the cinema and/or tenpin bowling
• Visit the library
• Snuggling in bed with a pile of good books
• King's Park
• Dance party!
• Plant something
• DIY workshop at the hardware store!
• Write letters and post them!
• Cook
• Have a day on a theme
• Bubbles
• Balloons
• Go on public transport
• Play with the bunnies!
• Playdough
• Visit the pool!
• Go for a walk!
• Work on some behaviours and earn rewards!
• AND ANYTHING ELSE FUN THAT COMES UP!

It's not going to cost a lot, I refuse to schedule it all in.  I just want to go with the flow and ENJOY the family time and RELAX.  I DO want to avoid the whining that I know will happen.  But I want to minimise it.  :-)  

We can but try!

This afternoon we have kicked off the school holidays with a playdate with school friends, a visit from cousins and home-made fast food!  So far, the kids have been having a good time.  Me... I'm tired... But tomorrow we can all SLEEP IN!