School holidays: making the most of it

I can hardly believe that I am going to write the next words...I am not hating this heat wave that Melbourne is currently going thru. And yes I am 36 weeks pregnant plus have a seven year old and almost 2 year old to take care. And no we don't have air conditioning just ceiling fans. But never the less we are managing and despite having a couple of emotional moment I am actually enjoying quite a lot about this heat.

First off we have been extremely blessed to have amazing friends and family who have offered to share the air con or swimming pools with us which has helped us greatly but we have still had our little hot box to go home to each night to sweat it out. However I am so grateful for the respite it has given the kids and myself. As well as its given us a chance to catch up with people in a pretty relaxed way.

Whilst I haven't enjoyed the hot sweaty nights I have loved having the kids outside at 7am eating breakfast and playing before its unbearably hot. I also love the way that we go outside late in the day just as the sun is going down to let the kids burn off some energy before bed time. We don't have a swimming pool so we get the hose and spray them down as the jump on the trampoline jumping and giggling as the eat icy poles.

Tonight having spent the day hiding away from the heat, going a little stir crazy we braved the heat and made our way to the beach along with what I assume to be half of Melbourne. It was fantastic, the water the reviving and the kids had a fantastic time, splashing and swimming while darling husband and I refreshed ourselves. We ate fish and chips with added sand for dinner and the whole evening had a special feel, its not often you find yourself at the beach 7pm on a weekday night with kids, well at least not often for us.

Another thing I like about this heat is nothing really matters all that much, apart from keeping the kids as comfortable as I can nothing else really matters all that much. No big stress over dinner, who cares about house work as long as we are feed and watered everything else can wait. I have had lots of time just to sit under the fan playing with the kids, making up silly games, reading stories, singing songs. Not that every moment has been a barrel of laugh I have reached my limit more than once and needed to have cool drink or a quick shower to restore myself but really school holidays are testing times.

the change of routine is joy, brings back memories of my own childhood, swimming in the local public pool until the sun was setting and eating ham steaks and iceberg lettuce for dinner. Thankfully and wonderfully no matter how hot it gets here in Melbourne its always just a few days away till the cool change blows in and rest assured that tomorrow when the cool change rolls in I will be excitedly opening all the windows and doors running outside to greet the lovely cool air. I will be grateful that the heat only lasted a few days.