Carried Away

School holidays are virtually over. How did you survive? Here are my holiday highlights:

1. Renovations…Rescue Me.

No school holidays would be complete without a home renovation project. We are having our laundry re-done. This began the week before the holidays and is not yet completed. I’m experiencing the joys of tradesmen in and out of the house, the smell of waterproofing and tile grout not to mention my laundry items scattered all over the house and deck. My home looks like something out of ‘Hoarders’. I’m really missing our second toilet. Showering and singing my own personal rendition of ‘Simply Irresistible’ into the shampoo bottle isn’t really the same when someone is occupying the throne a metre away, or vice versa. There is about a week to go and I get my laundry and second toilet back, along with a new shower. But until then, it’s mayhem.

2. Feline First.

Our holidays have been spent settling in our new member of the family, Miss 9’s new cat Daphne. The only cat from childhood I remember was half feral and had unusual feline habits such as sitting on our fence posts during rainstorms with a melancholy expression. Daphne is teaching me all about normal cats attitudes, habits and God-complex. She goes where she wants when she wants. She roams the house, ready to pounce at any slight curiosity. Sometimes she’s friendly, sometimes aloof. And the God-complex is a new phenomenon. I’m used to dogs. Cedric is here for us, our loyal minion, a constant in a world of variables. He will sit staring at me, waiting loyally for as long as it takes for even one pat or crumb. But Daphne is her own boss. Our house is her kingdom, we are her loyal subjects and Cedric is her court jester.  The following video is spot on:

3. The Sleepover Trifecta Triumph

For the first time ever, we offloaded all 3 children to George’s mother. It took a 3 hour round trip to take them there but was totally worth it. I’d tried to psych Miss 3 up beforehand by telling her how exciting this would be and how big she was to stay at Nana’s and she started strong! No tears were cried upon my departure and I drove home feeling like a zoo animal that had just been released into the wild. On the first day we got a call there was trouble brewing – tears and demands to go home. But we decided to try to push through so long as Nana was willing. She was, she did and Miss 3 got over it. We enjoyed 2 nights without any children. I cannot tell you how rare this is. The house seemed eerily quiet like a ghost town. I half expected to see tumbleweeds blowing down the hallway. We enjoyed a dusk walk on the beach, uninterrupted meals that I didn’t have to cook and our favorite TV shows without having to stop and wipe anyone’s bottom or break up any fights. There was no partying due to my next point. But it was still glorious.

4. Sick Side-effects.

About a month ago I got sick. It turned into a nasty chest & lung infection which has had me beat for weeks. The holidays were spent recovering. I’ve had no energy for exciting day trips or physical activity. It was all I could do to get out of bed and keep my offspring fed and clothed. We survived with beach trips, board games and movie viewings. Because George has done a lot around the house and been generally amazing, one of the benefits of being sick is being able to binge watch TV. Here is a sample from my current viewing list:

• Happy Valley – Gritty UK police drama centered around a police sergeant (and her dysfunctional family) attempting to solve a botched kidnapping.
• Outlander (season 2 has just come out!) – Time travel, romance, action, history, Scottish scenery, what more could you ask for!
• Suits – totally addicted. Harvey Specter is both irrefutably arrogant and undeniably sexy.
• Brooklyn 99 – US detective comedy. When you just don’t want to have to think. Laughs guaranteed.
• Upper Middle Bogan – Aussie comedy about a middle-class doctor who finds out she was adopted and her biological family are drag racing bogans. Anything with Glenn Robbins is always a winner.
• Broadchurch – Another British drama. Set in a quaint little coastal town, detectives investigate who has murdered a local 11-year-old boy. Gripping stuff.
• Making a Murderer – Steven Avery, officially most unlucky man alive? I’m halfway through and don’t know how it ends (don’t tell me!). But that poor bastard…
• House of Cards – Everyone keeps telling me how good this is. I am watching and nearly done with the first season but these people are so awful, it depresses me. Time will tell if I persist.
• The original Full House. The kids and I are having a great

  

  time watching this together. Just between us, I am developing a bit of a crush on Uncle Jesse. Watching now as a parent, I have great respect for the mini Olsen Twins and whoever was able to get them to perform like little seals. My kid won’t even smile for a camera without a tantrum.

Umm, there are quite a few more but I am now feeling self-conscious about my lengthy list. It’s because I’ve been sick remember!!!! Let’s leave the rest for another time, OK.

In conclusion, I won’t say we thrived. But we survived. The cat survived my son burping in her face for kicks. The dog survived the cats head massages. Miss 3 survived her first sleepover. I survived my excessive TV watching without developing any bed-sores. I count it all as a win. School Holidays, see ya again in 3 months.