Things I know about our first family holiday (little kids included)

Good morning world! Back from our first family holiday, 5 days in Launceston, Tasmania. We wanted to go somewhere by plane to see how the kids would go with that (since I want to take them to Italy next year and thought I might get them used to a plane before hitting them with a 24 hour flight...), so we chose somewhere close where we'd already been (we went to Tassie back in '03 when we were childfree...) so we knew our way around a bit.

So here are a few post-holiday things I know:

• we had a nice time but it was sooo challenging

• Sosi actually enjoyed the plane: I was expecting Sosi to stress out because of the air pressure (remember her hearing "issues"?) or maybe throw up (the child is blessed with random bouts of motion sickness), but she actually enjoyed the whole experience (even if her ears were hurting a little after 1/2 hour)

• Casi enjoyed the plane... after the first 5 minutes when he was screaming at the top of his lungs "MUMMY GET OFF PLANE". Thank goodness for D putting on a show with finger puppets on the way there. And thank goodness for Talking Tom on the iPhone which stopped the screaming on the flight back....

• kids used to living in a house with garden really struggle confined in a small holiday apartment for 5 days: cabin fever started early on day 2... I have never had to break so many fights between the kids as on this holiday

• the holiday was 1 day too long; Sosi started day 4 asking "when are we going home?" and D and I wishing we didn't have that extra day to go...

52 holiday activities: squeeze daddy's face when bored

• Casi particularly struggled being out of his home environment; he had 2 of the most massive meltdowns he's ever had (you cannot call them tantrums, he was like a crazed banshee)

• it's not really a holiday if you're the parent, it's much more fun if you're the kid and there's someone else doing the organising of the whole thing...

• taking young children to a cave tour was a dumb idea

• there are so many beautiful spots in Tassie, it's always so nice going there

near Mole Creek caves

City Park in Launceston

• the kids LOVED the Honey Farm at Chudleigh

blue gum honey ice cream, yum!

• Treasure Island playcentre in Launceston is awesome fun for kids!

Sosi zooming down the middle slide

• Sosi summed it up well on Wed when she said "going on holiday is nice but it's nicer being home"

testing marble run I whipped up during breakfast...

marble run has become car ramp:
ambulance just rammed school bus....

So, what do you all know? Share your wealth of knowledge with the lovely Shae at Yay For Home and all the other lovelies over there :)