Surviving the holidays

Well, the holidays are coming to an end, and we’ve survived. Yes, the parents of 5 kids – 2 girls, 3 boys – are still alive after 2 weeks of no school and kindy. And to top it off, we’re alive after a lot of cold, wet weather which has meant the kids have been stuck inside for most of it.

So how did we survive? Well, that’s a good question. Here’s my take on how we survived these holidays:

1. We had lots of kids. This is really important. The more kids you have, the easier your holiday will be. Okay, this isn’t completely true, but it certainly does help keep them entertained, as they’ll play together a lot of the time, and don’t need parents to always find things for them to do.
2. The kids had playdates. Actually, two out of the three playdates was really a result of the Mum’s wanting to catch up. So parents, get to know one another and invite yourselves round for a coffee. I’m pretty sure the fact my wife makes a range of coffees and hot chocolate with her coffee machine is a big help in this. Oh, and don’t forget the baking!
3. Along with the playdates, we had relatives with kids come and visit. Again, the parents got to chat and spend time together while the kids simply played and played and played.
4. Making the most of fine weather was essential these holidays. There was not a lot of it, but we made sure that we got the kids out when we had the chance. Do what you can for free, but make sure you put some money aside to take the kids somewhere different. Maybe the zoo, the pools – we took them to Staglands, a nature reserve where you can get right up to the animals and feed them. We also took them to the park and let them run wild on the playground for a couple of hours (this is challenging with 5 kids of various ages).
5. We let the kids pull out the puzzles and games. Simple, yet effective.
6. We let the kids interact with technology. We let them watch movies – Star Wars was a hit – (and TV). Oh, the TV is a life saver for us in wet weather. They played Wii; on the computer and the iPad.
7. Oh, and I mustn’t forget they got a stack of books from the library. This is normal for them anyway – they usually visit the library once a week, but books really do keep the kids entertained.
8. Possibly the most important thing we did actually was relaxed and did nothing the first few days of the holidays. We were all exhausted after a busy term, and we took the time to recover.
9. A finally, Rebecca and I took time for ourselves. One of us got out every few days while the other stayed home with the kids and had some ‘me’ time. It’s so important for parents to realise that they don’t have to be with their kids 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year. You can take time for yourself! – We’re also going out together at the end of this week now that we’ve organised a babysitter .

One thing we didn’t do these holidays but usually do is make playdough. This can provide hours and hours of fun. Of course there’s always baking with Mum (or Dad – yes I like baking).

So what did you do to survive these holidays? Or what have you done in the past? It’s always good to hear what other parents do. We can learn from each other and become better parents together.

– Nathaniel