counting down

Well we have been counting down for a while and now we are in the single digits for 'sleeps left until we go on holiday' - not a '3 hours down the road' type holiday but a 'get on a plane take the passport' holiday.   I must admit my excitement levels have been a little low,  holidaying with children is gorgeous in one sense - having time together in a different setting is to be cherished, and the small details they focus on are very different to what we generally see and hear and are curious about, and so it does allow us adults to have a whole new set of experiences and joys. But, to be honest, there is a part of me still getting used to the fact that you still have to do a lot of the hard work and mundane stuff that is being a parent. Up until last week I have even felt that perhaps I haven't really 'earned' a holiday, a lingering bad habit that seems to equate holidays with full time (paid) work and then I think ... hang on a minute - who am I kidding - full time work would be a holiday !  So lists are being made (by me) for all the crap that needs to be packed (me again), but I have also allowed myself to write the 'things for me' list - books I want to start and finish, friends in far and away places I want to write to,  music I would like to listen to whilst in a reclining type chair, and yoga positions I will practice. These are small and simple things that I miss and never have time to do (which, ironically, I did have time to do when working full time - I will let others join the dots with that one) and the thought of managing just a couple of these things whilst spending quality time with my loved ones, gets me all excited and makes me realise I Do need a holiday