Our slow June holidays

This must be the strangest June holidays ever. It’s the first time #1 is on a different school term schedule as the other 5 kids. With 1 kid ‘missing’, somehow it doesn’t feel like ‘yay the kids are all on holiday let’s go do stuff’ (even though I know that technically she’s not a kid anymore and realistically she doesn’t always want to go do stuff with us). But still.

She does have 2 weeks overlapping with her younger siblings, although the first week is mostly filled with CCA training and camp, and the second week she’s trying to get her assignments and upcoming tests settled.

I intentionally chose the first 2 weeks of the school holidays for our helper to go back on home leave and envisioned taking the kids out to do our usual holiday activities like going to the trampoline park, rock climbing, and lots of swimming and water play.

1st week of holidays

As it turned out, #3 is recuperating from her surgery and is not allowed to do anything active due to her double vision. I felt bad taking the rest for active sports without her, so we shelved our plans. Then Kate came down with a flu and I had to stay home. Which meant everyone else had to as well! 

As Kate started to recover, I wanted to ensure she did not miss her naps, which left us with a window of time between 3 – 6pm for activities, as by the time the teens woke up and were ready to start the day, it was close to her nap time. Add to that the household chores and cooking of meals, I was left with neither time nor energy to take them out.

Even though I was exhausted, I had to take one kid for their appointment almost everyday. No, not the fun sort. It was either to see the eye doctor, the podiatrist for an ingrown toe nail, another eye doctor for a second opinion, a GP for antibiotics (because of the infected toe), the dentist for braces, another doctor to follow up on a spine problem, etc, etc. As I was grumbling about how much time I’ve wasted waiting in hospitals and waiting rooms this past fortnight, #2 pointed out, “Mum, how come you are surprised. You’ve got 6 kids. Expected, right?”

Yup, right. It never rains but pours.

Our holiday has been so dull that the highlight so far was watching Jurassic World. The kids absolutely loved it. Even Kate. I tried shielding her face during the scenes where I thought she might be scared, but she kept swiping my hand away until the hubs told me to stop spoiling her fun.

Which plane is Auntie Mary on?

But you know what? When we went to pick our helper from the airport, and she was telling me how her children cried when she left, I felt so disturbed. Here I was thinking what a tough 2 weeks I’ve had (with the kids cooped up indoors, they have been getting on one another’s nerves, and mine), yet I can’t even begin to understand how it must feel for her and all the other foreign workers who are parents, to have to leave their young children behind and see them once every 2 years.

We have so much to be thankful for. Too easy to take everything for granted.