Fun in the Sun!

I think I've finally got it! So many of the people I know live for their holidays. I'm not talking about the kind where you don't have to go to work, I'm talking about the ones where you have to pack a suitcase and go away from your house! I've never been one for holidays. Even as a kid, my parents used to have to cut their holidays short because I was (in their words) "a bloody nightmare!" I just didn't understand why people would want to leave their house and their comforts, to spend time somewhere strange with nothing to do that they normally enjoy doing. I had this opinion until this summer. My husband and I got together in 2002. Until this summer we had had one holiday, which was our honeymoon in 2005, which I think we only really went on because you kind of have to! We had lots of weekends away, visits to friends etc. but nothing you would actually term a proper holiday.

Having grown up very untravelled, I never wanted this for my children, so my husband and I decided that from this year we would make sure that we went on holiday somewhere every year. Even booking it this year was only done 3 weeks before we left, because I had so many fears and reservations, but we had to do it for the kids!

However, I feel quite grown up now having been on a proper holiday all by myself! We had 2 short holidays back to back. First of all we went camping for 3 days to Norden Farm near Corfe, very close to where we live, we then went to La Grande Metairie campsite in France for a week. The kids had an amazing time as they got to experience things they've never done before, and with an innocence, enthusiasm and excitement that can never be seen in the mundanity of every day life. So what made it so special for me?

• Not wearing a watch because it didn't really matter what the time was
• Not cringing every time the kids got dirty because it'd soon wash off in the pool!
• Being able to say yes when the kids asked to do something because there was no reason why they couldn't like there is at home
• Drinking wine in the middle of the day
• Having no internet or xbox!

Her fave place on holiday (expensive as we have one in our garden)!

Poor Daddy's turn!

I asked my 3 year old what she most enjoyed about holiday too. Here are her answers:

• Eating chocolate yoghurts and Smarties ice cream
• Saying Bonjour and Au Revoir
• Burying Mummy and Daddy in the sand
• The bouncy castle and swings
• The mini disco

Here's what she thought her 1 year old brother enjoyed most:

• Eating chocolate yoghurts
• Eating Smarties ice cream
• Burying Mummy and Daddy in the sand
• Eating sand on the beach
• Weeing in the shower!

Giving it some at the Mini Disco!

I've definitely learnt to understand why people value their holidays now and we're already looking into next year, although knowing us, we'll be scrabbling around 3 weeks before again, just hope we get as lucky second time!