Getting a family selfie can be challenging, especially with a wild 2 year old and a sick and grumpy 5 year old….

https://youtu.be/bCitLHK7zj0

Sleeping late, peaceful walks

https://youtu.be/XpP9Kr6JbEM

Grace was in her first eisteddfod today with the school singing group

https://youtu.be/0Kzj-fq0EnM

And Donné went for laser iridotomy…

https://youtu.be/DecLzWLUgkY

We’ve been making an eco brick to take to the aquarium for the past 6 weeks or so – it’s amazing how much rubbish you can fit into a single 5L bottle!

After having a very unhappy Adam the night before he was back to himself today, but he certainly has the war wounds to remember.

Addy had a little biking accident….

Yesterday was travelling back and today was the first day back at school

I think if you ask any of my kids where their happy place is they will say Jeffrey’s Bay. It’s the place where we spend time together as a family, where time in the sun, sea and sand is a daily occurrence, where we play games in the garden, and around the table. Where we read and build puzzles, and just be. It’s a time to step away from our day to day, and to recharge.

For me Jeffrey’s Bay is a place to clear my mind, I get to take a break from the day to day of food making and house chores, thanks to Gogo and Gramps, and get to spend that energy on Duncan and the kids. I am so grateful that twice a year they allow us to invade their quiet space with the crazy of us 5 and love us and serve us in a way that helps sustain us for the next few months.

As our holiday ends, I admit I have my usual end of holiday blues, life is so much simpler and slower in Jbay making it very appealing for me to just stay and ostrich away. I know all 5 of us woke up this morning feeling not quite ready for the demands and reality of a new term but it’s happening peeps.

So as I lie here in my own bed planning the week ahead, I hold onto that holiday feeling, that energy and freedom it brings and I say bring on this new term and all of its busyness and craziness, I am ready! Through embracing it let me find time to just be, to clear my mind and make time for me and my tribe

Our last little bit of holiday and also a sobering reminder of why we need life buoys on the beach