The Wellness Poet
By Krissy Regan The Wellness Poet
Ice Age plays loudly on the TV a foot from my head while I eat Tiramisu from a plastic take-away container before it melts. It’s the classic story; Last night of family holidays, two tired young kids, parents wanting a hot meal that is cooked by someone else but when the meal arrives and the kids need to go to the toilet. Mum spends half the time standing in the toilet room while two kids take turns doing wees and poos. The food is hardly eaten as the kids are too tired and want to go back to the hotel. You ask for dessert To-Go. Leaving the restaurant one child says she needs to go the toilet again so you spend another 10mins standing in the same toilet. You’ve spent more time in the toilets than the total time you spent sitting at your chair in the restaurant.
Back in the room the kids are now enjoying the movie while Mum sits and sips the herbal tea she bought from home. The tiramisu is runny and the TV is too loud to do anything relaxing. So, she writes, reflects and wonders. This is my holiday story! In that same restaurant an older man occupied the table next to us. He ate his dessert slowly, made notes in his journal and looked so happy, in no rush to leave the busy restaurant where long lines of hungry families waited! So, I reflected on the years I spent traversing the globe, going to the toilet when I needed and sitting in a restaurant as long as I wanted. I wonder if holidays with small kids are actually worth the effort sometimes, and I choose to write honestly about the comedy that is parenting.
We’ve not had a family holiday in almost two years other than a few short weekend breaks and I combined those trips with work while my family played. So, this holiday I was determined to not work, relax, explore, unwind and enjoy a bit of luxury i.e. breakfast included. My family are really frustrating to go anywhere with as they are totally disorganised and they don’t listen to a word I say. But they share their meltdowns with me when they are tired, hungry, sunburned, constipated or whatever it happens to be based on NOT following my good advice. I know this is not unique to me as a mother, but it’s a challenge I find difficult to accept, and takes a lot of deep breathing on my part.
In a former life I organised trips for up to 8000 people at a time including all their travel, logistics, hotels and so forth. These people came from more than 50 different countries. I had to ensure they would all arrive at the right time, get checked into their rooms efficiently, be well fed, including their dietary requirements, were well hosted, well cared for and wanted for nothing. I did this job very successfully for many years and even won an award for it. So, organising a trip for my two young kids, and my husband, who likes to leave everything until the last possible minute, is not exactly a recipe for happy touring. They just don’t follow my schedule.
Before you think I’m a total lunatic, let me be clear. I organise trips that I know my family will enjoy and always ensure that we stay in places that suit families, and I pack more than enough stuff for any eventuality. I guess part of my issue is I’m far too organised so I don’t deal well with the chaos of inefficiency. So, what have I learned in 7.5years of travelling with young kids pre and post Covid?
- A holiday must include some alone time for Mum. To walk, shop, sip, explore or meet with a friend.
- Your husband will snore in a hotel room, and your kids will tell him that his snoring kept them awake. You will all be tired.
- Carry any medicines/creams you use at home especially if your child is prone to being bitten and then having a bad reaction.
- If you choose to not book a restaurant for dinner then make sure you are planning to eat very early or very late. There is no point trying to find a restaurant when you are already hungry and it would normally be dinner time.
- If breakfast is included make sure you take some snacks for morning tea.
- Ensure you can park your car as close as possible to your accommodation. It’s good for storage and little legs.
- Scooters, helmets, colouring stuff, toys are necessary regardless of where you are staying.
- Car seats and boosters that fold down or inflate for ease of packing and set up are really useful.
- Spending a little more for a hotel which is close to all the attractions will save you a lot of hassle. You can explore and pop back to the room whenever you need.
- Don’t be afraid to move hotels if your family’s health and safety is compromised in any way.
There will be some holidays that don’t go to plan. There will be some days that don’t go to plan. You will spend your time in a toilet, a hospital, a pharmacy wondering what the hell happened to your long-awaited holiday.
When things go smoothly you will feel like a VIP. If you are seated right away, the waiter gives your kids colouring things, and there is a glass of house wine included with the lunch special then you will know you are on to a good thing. Enjoy those moments, they are few and far between. Mum’s need a break! Today while my family rested, I took a wander, had a foot massage and a glass of wine. There was no guilt. I reminisced about my days travelling the world alone. It was blissful. When I returned to the hotel, the kids greeted me with hugs and kisses. It was a nice balance to spending most of my evening in a restaurant toilet and eating my melted desert from a plastic container in my hotel room.
I’m hoping that in 2022 you get to enjoy a well-deserved holiday, and if you can laugh at my story then it means you too have shared “un-holiday” like moments while on holiday!
Krissy Regan is The Wellness Poet and Founder of Mindful Mums Queensland. She is author of 4 new books;
- Broken to Unbreakable, 12 Steps to an Unbreakable Mind, Body & Spirit.
- The Koala who Lost his Heart.
- Bobby, a Horse who teaches a young girl how to Love.
- Go Get-em Mumma!
Krissy wrote these books and more than 50 poems, whilst working part-time at home, raising 2 small children and juggling the demands of her household. Krissy offers workshops, retreats and 1-1 coaching and launched her global online wellness school at the start of 2021. You can register right here and have access to 12 months of amazing wellness content for only $99.00 https://krissy-regans-wellness-movement-mindful-mums-3.teachable.com/
You can contact Krissy Regan at mindfulmumsqld@gmail.com or follow Mindful Mums Qld on Facebook and Instagram @mindfulmumsqld and view Krissy’s work here: https://www.thewellnesspoet.com/
