We are big Graham Norton watchers in our house. I often get lost in a Graham Norton youtube vortex, somehow I click on one clip and twenty minutes disappears. This one popped up this week. Surely your most embarrassing moment couldn't be worse than this? If it is - you have to share!
The little travellers are Halloween crazy, without sounding like to much of a heathen, it may possibly be their all time favourite holiday. Whenever I tell them Australians don't do Halloween, they look at me like I'm making some sort of cruel and heinous joke. With the combination of G's birthday, it is always frantic here in the lead up. One of the things I knew I had to get organized before leaving was their costumes; this year we have a bee, a blue crayon, a soldier and a zombie, they look hysterical together. We'll decorate the house this week, I'll buy the treats and hopefully it will all run smoothly for G on the day. There's no school on Halloween so at least he'll be spared the pain of packing 4 costumes in a bag amongst the usual chaos. This made me laugh this week:
And now, it's time to ask for advice.
I've been thinking of leaving a picture of me and each traveler next to their beds while I'm away, but I'm a little torn about the idea. Will this just make them sadder? Or will it be comforting?
What do you think?
What would you do?
Comforting :) My partner works away and while I haven't got round to putting one in my boy's bedroom he loves to look at the canvas pics of our family photos when his dads away
ReplyDeleteDo it! They will love it.
ReplyDeleteFirmly on the comforting vote, especially the fun ones :-)
ReplyDeleteOMG Graham Norton and the exposed diaries......sooooo bloody funny - thanks for making me laugh out loud today. Put the pics beside the bed so they can kiss you goodnight every night. S x
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm with the rest, do it.....Especially the funny ones....
ReplyDeletepictures are good I think..love Graham and looking forward to seeing him tonight and hopefully going to see a show this time!!
ReplyDeletePics of you is a great idea. Thanks for the clip I laughed so hard it hurt. Just what I needed today:)
ReplyDeleteThe Charlie Sheen cartoon cracked me up!
ReplyDeleteLove Graham Norton! Who'd be so foolish to give him their diary!!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!
ReplyDeletePhotos are a lovely idea, or another one, that I've done the few times I've gone away is to leave a little treat wrapped up with a note for each day I'm away .... something each for MissM and husband. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant: for MissM it might be her favorite sweet for desert ( a merangue, or choc for her ice cream), for DH it's making sure there's enough Salt'n'Vinegar chips in the cupboard to nosh.
The funny observation about all this, is when the dads go away, do they leave little gifts or photos of themselves? Do they go thru the same 'wrench' that we do?
I know in our house, MissM and hubby cope so much better with out me, than MissM and I do without him.
x
Definitely leave some pictures, especially fun, casual ones. Just don't leave any sort of heart-wrenching "My FINAL message to you" type letters. As in this:http://www.freerangekids.com/parents-asked-to-write-wrenching-notes-to-their-kids/
ReplyDeleteI used to be a nanny who would 'proxy parent'. Some parents would go for a week or two, not call, not email... no contact at all, as they felt it would make it harder on the children. It worked well in the moment, the kids were always fine and we got on with it. (obviously I don't know if it had a long term effect, but the kids that I've kept in touch all seem every bit as delicious as they were then)
ReplyDeleteAs a mum, I'd leave a photo and call constantly. I really have no idea which is better.
Graham Norton is hilarious! Thanks for the giggle...
ReplyDeleteand Yes to leave a photo for the goodnight kiss and the funny ones are great :)
Definitely do the pics and put little notes under their pillows so they find them when you're away! They can be funny jokes or a kind word for each child that is special to each child, a nick name or favorite saying etc. Love your posts by the way...will continue to read your blog (fellow expat, Canadian living in Sydney, heading to Hong Kong in February). You're an inspiration and amazingly astute and down to earth lady who seems to complete my thoughts/sentences with some of your blogs! Happy to have found you recently! Best wishes for your surgery and you'll find that you'll miss them like crazy but you'll also appreciate the chance to recuperate fully and come back strong, healthy and re-energized with probably more patience and understanding and definitely more love for them and G than ever before. xxx
ReplyDeleteMy kids both have laminated A4 pictures of our family all together and with notes on the back. They have them in their rooms and they take them when they go away on their week-long school trips. It seems to work for both of them and they have resisted all efforts on my part to updates them with newer photos (they are about 5 years old!) A photo each with a little love note - I sometimes hide post its in places where I know they'll be found but not immediately.
ReplyDeleteI think the pictures are a fabulous idea and the kids will love them even when you're home again.
ReplyDeletepics and little notes hidden where they can find them :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely leave the photos, but I'd put the emphasis on how you're doing it so you can keep up with them since you'll miss them so much. As for Graham Norton, he's a national treasure!
ReplyDeleteI'd leave pictures - in my experience when I've been travelling they cope really well, it is the going and the coming back that are the hard parts
ReplyDeleteAlso lots of Skype - not entirely sure how we managed before Skype
I like the photo idea but I'm wondering if you should ask each traveler? Each child is different, one will love it and another one might prefer something else. We all give and recieve love in different ways - here is one tool to figure it out if you haven't already for each traveler - http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/personal-profiles/children/
ReplyDeleteI know that you will all miss each other and that Skype will be your lifeline but the reality is that this will be painful and hard yet survivable - YOU CAN DO THIS! Anything you can do to make it easier for you and them should be done - I hope that you find the perfect special thing for each traveler.
My friend left heart notes for the day to put in her girls bed every night and they loved it... Love notes, have fun at swiming, dont forget to do so and so... Like fairy messages from mum...
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