The Baby-Led Selfie
Usually the week leading up to the holiday break is a hectic one for me. I have a last minute flurry of things to do before the troops hit the home front and cripple my effectiveness for accomplishing anything.
This week was certainly no exception.
There were baby's immunisations; my eldest of the boys had an important interview for an accelerated learning program at high school; I had two inboxes happily bubbling with blogging opportunities to churn through and somewhere in there, a week's worth of washing to co-ordinate in varying states of wet to dry chaos - all before I could even fathom the enormity of the noise and mess that was shortly coming my way for a whole fortnight. (AKA - children!)
By the time I swung the car into school for the end of term pick-up, I was unsurprisingly, exhausted.
My poor babies arrived home to a house sadly lacking in the general 'junk fest' I usually allow it to become at vacation times; I never even got around to shopping for them. No bread, margarine - you name it - we didn't have it. The kids took it all in their stride though and flopped about eating fruit and breakfast cereals while enjoying a mindless flick through the assorted offerings on TV with the promise of fish and chips for dinner to launch into the festivities.
I have this inherent fear that surfaces at school vacation times which is not unlike the FOMO. (Fear of Missing Out.) Parents of school aged children will understand when I mention the dreaded 'projects' kids are forced to present in their first weeks back at school after any term break:
The feared 'What I Did on the School Holidays' assignments.
For those of you who are uninitiated in the process, let me explain: Kids have to write about and illustrate, their holiday activities for the pleasure of their teachers and friends. This is great if you are having a wonderful life filled with bottomless funds like 'Sally who skied the Swiss Alps and then swam with the dolphins' and not so fab if you are 'Jeremy' who by comparison 'played marbles and watched TV.'
It is not uncommon to see anxious Mums milling about these assignments that decorate the classroom walls, eager to rank their successes and failings as parents against each other. You can almost hear them thinking How did we compare? It's both humiliating and hilarious! Naturally the kids provide some great reads and illustrations too.
The challenge to entertain, impress and even thrill your kidlets, begins now. What is on the agenda for your family these school holidays? I have lots of ideas for family entertainment and they are all here on the blog. (Some of them are still coming to this space in the weeks to come so stay tuned. "D)
For cheap and happy, home-grown ways to staycation, have a read of an older post I wrote here:
For something a little more out there, try the beautiful Rippon Lea. Let the kids run wild at the historic Gulf Station homestead or view Melbourne from the highest point in the Southern Hemisphere at the fabulous Eureka Skydeck88.
There's been plenty happening here for those of you living in Melbourne. In case you missed it, there's the spectacular Dinosaur Adventures extravaganza happening right now at the Caulfield Racecourse. This huge animatronics show features life-sized dinosaurs with light and sound effects. My kids were lucky enough to attend a special VIP publicity event and totally loved the activities on offer.
The giant T-Rex that roars, breathes and moves - my boys hung about this one for ages!
Touch, feel and pose with the dinosaurs inside the entrance to the event.
Taite meets a Velociraptor. (They're the quick and scary predators in the Jurassic Park movies.)
Kids can even dress up as Paleontologists (costumes supplied free at the venue) and participate in their very own dinosaur dig.
There are jumping castles and sand pits, story telling and show bags; plenty to see. Take extra cash for any purchases you may wish to make as there are themed stalls too.
There is so much to do at this event and all of it directed at thrilling your children. You can find out the dates and details by visiting here for more information.
If you've got some gore obsessed kids like mine, get them along to the Melbourne Museum pronto to see the exciting Aztecs exhibition. This brilliant collection of artefacts tells the story of the Aztec Empire and features more than 200 sacred objects all the way from Mexico's most prominent Museums. This was an ancient culture seriously obsessed with death and there's much to see for curious visitors of all ages.
The Aztecs invented the rubber ball as we know it today. This we did not know and were surprised to discover. Kids can have a try at lifting a reproduction Aztec game ball - good luck with that. (Hint: it's very heavy!) Failing at this sport meant possible death and if it didn't come via this avenue, there were plenty of other methods and reasons for an early demise in this culture.
There's even an Aztec Family Trail for younger guests. My kids really enjoyed this exhibition.
Aztecs at the Melbourne Museum is on until August the 10th, 2014 and is open daily from 10am-5pm. Full details can be found on their website here.
Enjoy your school holidays!
What will you get up to these holidays?
Are you intimidated by your child's post-vacation school projects too?!
Are you feeling pressured to do everything or ignoring it and going with the flow?
Recent posts on Six Little Hearts you may enjoy: