The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

(My kids, plus Poppet in the front)

So, we're back from our vacation in mostly sunny but sometimes not Rosebud, which is on the Mornington Peninsula. I really wanted this summer to be a fabulous one for the trio, who in 10 days are starting school as "big kids" - while they may have many more carefree summers, this one in effect is their last as footloose and fancy free children. This early part of their childhood is ending - and while I'm thrilled and excited about the next part, I'm sad to think that my babies have grown up so much, and that I'll never get to experience this again. So we've spent the summer having adventure after adventure - bowling, museums, beach trips, running around hedge mazes, picking strawberries, going to wave pools, riding ponies - and endless array of activities which were as much fun for them as they were for us! I have learned a few things, though, and present this list for your enjoyment.

The Good: Lazy days spent on a sunny beach playing for hours on end
The Bad: Sand in all places imaginable
The Ugly: Having your kids clean out each others butt cracks with a hose in the backyard and find it hysterically funny

The Good: Cheap imitation brand Cocoa Pops for breakfast (a no-no usually)
The Bad: Eating 4 boxes worth in less than 10 days
The Ugly: Small child requiring a hospital visit to treat constipation from influx of high-sugar items she's not used to

The Good: Salty fish & chips eaten outdoors with a sea breeze
The Bad: Realizing that no two calamari rings are made of the same thing
The Ugly: Wondering what exactly might be IN a calamari ring, if it's not calamari

The Good: Picking strawberries - red, juicy, stunningly bright fat ones under a warm sun with my family
The Bad: Trying to convince my son that he needed to stop picking them as we couldn't possibly eat as many as he was picking
The Ugly: The $65 bill which came from the 6 and a bit KILOS of strawberries we picked and consequently ate

You get the idea. We've had a lovely time this summer, and I'm hoping the next 10 days will also be filled with further adventures. Interestingly, DH and I recently had a conversation about families. We determined that while we grew up a generation apart, several thousand miles apart, and with parents from very different cultural backgrounds, we were raised in a similar fashion. A fashion which I like to think he and I are now raising our kids in - one in which our family operates as a team. We want to spend time together as a group, and will specifically seek out experiences we can do together. Sure, sometimes DH and I choose to do our own thing (peace and quiet should never be underrated) - but by and large we LIKE to spend time together. We WANT to do stuff together. We've spent the last 6 weeks doing fun things and being together because we want to, not just because we have to - it's just how we like it.

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Note to my readers: I'm going to spend some time in the next few weeks thinking about how to organise this blog - it was supposed to be about food, work, and kids ... but seems to mainly be about random shit instead. I'm wondering if I need more structure. Suggestions welcome as per usual to emzeegee@hotmail.com or just posted here.