The Last Day of School

Help!! It's school holidays! Time to spend every waking moment with the kids for us, it's one day off six weeks. It's a little bittersweet, as I actually have time off to spend with my boys in the first half of the holidays, but work is already making itself known on January 8th.

So what are the plans? Today, they finish school at 1.30pm. I said I will take them out for lunch as an end of school treat. I'm sure there will be bickering about where we go, but I have a feeling a trek back to St Kilda might be on the cards. We are having Christmas drinks at a friend's house tonight and have been asked to take a plate, so I've decided to do camembert, quince paste & pear kebabs for the adults, and marshmallows, chocolate & strawberry kebabs for the kids (and I'm sure the kids at heart!).

Tomorrow is the big clean up day... sort out clothes in the cupboards that don't fit anymore, wash the sheets, vacuum, clean out the fridge and everything to make the place perfect for the beginning of the holidays.

Christmas Eve is traditionally a day the boys spend with their father... they are very apprehensive about going, something I've organised with their aunts as the boys don't want to be in his care, but want to see their cousins. I discovered a rash under my oldest son's armpits last night that he tells me stings, which I'm sure is nerves/stress about seeing him for the first time in 3.5 months. If he's like his mother, who's prone to stress related skin rashes (so much so that when I was married, my right hand couldn't even cope with touching water as it was so dry, it would crack and bleed constantly, and my skin was so sore it was impossible to bend my fingers, and no topical treatment would help), it wouldn't surprise me if this rash appearing now is due to spending time with his father.

Christmas Day is at my parent's place this year. We have an extra three family members attending this year (as two were in post-natal care in hospital last year, and one wasn't born), so it should be good with so much more wrapping paper to play with.

Then it will be a relaxing time off of enjoying our bikes, the beach, hopefully finishing my book (I've made more progress... up to 68,000 words now), maybe a day trip or two into the country, catch up with friends and I'm sure the boys will be indulging in their Christmas presents.

In the second week of January, work starts up again and I've booked the boys into a Cartoon Camp for 3 days, which they are very excited about (as am I, so I can have 3 days of silence!). Then they have almost 3 weeks left of holidays before my oldest starts his last year of primary school and my youngest works out that he only has a year left of having his big brother around to look after him in the school ground.

I've said to both of them that they have to do some homework every day to make sure they stay on top of things, as my oldest will sit for a couple of scholarships/entrance exams early in the new year, and my youngest, with his learning disabilities just needs to not fall behind, as he does so much over such an extended break from school.

I've told them that I don't want to hear the words 'I'm bored' anymore, as they will have plenty to do inside and outside, and we will be limiting TV watching so they can enjoy the sun.

So that's the plan... hope it works for all of us and there isn't much fighting or frustration. But all in all, I get the best hugs from my boys and the most beautiful smiles from them almost every day to show me that they are happy, healthy and enjoying life with me. That's all I can ask for.... hope I feel the same by the time the last day of the holidays comes around :)