Like so many others due to Covid-19 we were forced to postpone our annual family holiday. Our entire family looks forward to going away together to our regular holiday hot spot the same time every year.
Both kids body clocks were bang on and building excitement but accepted the fact that we weren’t able to go because everyone was sick and we repeatedly promised to take them as soon as possible.
Nanny and Poppy also usually accompany us on this particular trip to spend quality time and to enable a bit of respite while we’re away. We conveniently stay on the same floor in the same apartment building so they can babysit the kids occasionally and take turns to venture out for evening meals.
For so many years going out for dinner was a nightmare with the kids. We weren’t able to sit down to enjoy a meal because they didn’t have the attention span to sit still for that long and couldn’t cope with the sensory overload environment.
It was so overwhelming the more we tried and confronting witnessing our friends and other families enjoying their evening out.
Unfortunately, for the first time Nanny and Poppy couldn’t make the trip so we flew solo.
Just before we left, we went out for dinner with close friends and were pleasantly surprised by both kids acting very cool, calm and collected. So, we asked if they would like to go out for dinner when we were away? They were genuinely excited and responded with a resounding fist pumping yes!
Initially we were anxious as always about taking a leap of faith but we’re so glad we did.
We chose the simple surf club literally across the road and off we went with our survival back pack full of supplies, which is actually non-essential these days but better to be safe than sorry. We ordered on arrival and didn’t overstay. The kids were great.
We ended up going out for dinner three nights out of the six that we were there!
The first night to the surf club and the other two nights to the Italian down stairs. It was close and convenient. The kids feasted on their usual staples of chicken and chips and we were able to chug down a few quick drinks. Madi and I also enjoyed busting out some dance moves sitting around the table.
Moments like these were non existent but are now becoming more frequent. It would seriously have to be one of the best nights of our life!
As we were walking back upstairs to our room, I actually said out loud, “This is what it was supposed to be like…” We all had so much fun and enjoyed a completely drama free evening.
It’s reinforced once again that things like this are possible all in good time. We’ll never take it for granted and appreciate every precious moment.
