Vacation

Is it just me? Or does anyone else find holidays to be, sometimes, like the most exhausting ever.

We are just back from ten days in the Philippines and, I realise that this sounds entitled and, like level 11 on the brattiness spectrum, but I came back totally exhausted and feeling 100 percent in need of a vacation from our vacation. 

It was a good holiday. Like amazingly fun. Just draining. 

I came down with the flu the day before we left, so my energy levels were depleted to begin with. I spent the first two days of the holiday feeling miserable. And then, we were just too busy going on adventures, playing in the sun, and exploring that great country, I guess I never really recovered properly.

The kids didn’t sleep well, suffering from too many early mornings, late nights, and skipped naps. No one ate well. And everyone tantrumed. Some more than others (I'm looking at someone who's name rhymes with Gugo.) 

I took two cameras with me, intending to come home with so many beautiful pictures set against gorgeous natural backgrounds, perfect golden light, framing memories of my children, our family, shiny and glittering. I took along my laptop, intending to use the quiet hotel evenings live blog all the FUN WE ARE HAVING LOOK AT US HAVING SO MUCH FUN! as well as catch up on some work for clients, and hahahaha that was a funny joke.

Instead, I hardly took any pictures at all. And only one that I love. I fell into bed every night immediately after the children, completely exhausted, barely able to keep my eyes open, and slept fitfully, waiting for one child or the other to cry out in the dark. 

We did have some incredible fun while we were away (and I’ll blog about those next week, but until then, spoiler alert, island hopping in the tropical turquoise sea, is probably the best thing ever.) 

Despite the bone crushing exhaustion, the sickness, and the tantrums,  it was all worth it. Hugo is two shades blonder, and both children are impossibly tanned. And I kept thinking, over and over again, as the children played together as the sun dipped low, this is everything that is important and good in my life, right here.