Staycation

I am on a week break from work, starting from Wednesday this week until next Tuesday. This was really needed after such a busy period,, especially from June to August. We are not travelling anywhere, and Al has to work all seven days at the shop (its a busy time for him), but even just taking work out of the picture for a week makes a big difference. E is on school holidays, but O still has daycare this week (we'll give him next week off), and my parents are close by, so I'm managing to have a mix of rest, kids stuff, social activities, and house tasks.

Trying to emulate St John and his expert relaxation skills on my break.

So far, I have:

• Gone with mum and E to visit our good friends for a long lunch

• Got halfway through a big decluttering job (will finish tomorrow)

• Took E to the library, where they had a scavenger hunt, and borrowed some great kids books

• Did a lot of laundry and tidying (while listening to a podcast)

• Had an afternoon nap one day

• Cooked dinner in a leisurely way

E also got to pet a friends Guinea pig. How cute are his little back legs

Still to come is:

• Taking E to a big toy shop to spend her pocket money on a toy

• Mum and I going out for lunch and shopping, just the two of us

• Cooking a slow cooked corned beef

• Finishing the decluttering

• Doing a little bit of work for a professional organisation I volunteer for

• Probably both kids have a play date at mum and dads while I go for a walk

• Planning my next Quintile (Q4 for me aligns with Term 4 of school for the E)

And.... Drum-roll please....

• Two nights at a local resort next to the beach (25 mins down the road)!

  
  

I booked this before I knew that Al had to work those days, but its worked out well, because his shop is around the corner from the resort, so when he finishes mid afternoon he can join us for an afternoon swim and our evening activities. The resort has an amazing splash park area, resort pool, bouncy pillow and mini golf course. Its also close to the beach, and all the cafes and restaurants too. Mum and Dad can also visit while Al is at work and watch the kids while I have a break from parenting, which will be great. So I think it will be a great little school holiday break which is super practical and takes advantage of the fact that we live close to many holiday destinations. Not only do we save money on travel, we also don't have any of the pain of travelling with young kids (haha). The weather is due to be perfect - sunny and high 20s (Celsius), and I'm really looking forward to it.

How good does that pool look for the kids?

One final thing, for fellow bloggers - I'm having trouble with Feedly, its stopped reliably picking up my new blog posts (its always taken 1-2 days, but it didn't pick up my last one at all). Very frustrating! Any ideas how to troubleshoot?

Over to you. Do you like a staycation, or prefer to travel during your vacation? Ever taken a holiday close to home?