When I went to Canada, my youngest was 3 years old, the winter PJ’s i picked up for her from Value Village had to be rolled couple of times to fit her short legs . She is 10 years old now. From Dora ( including the hairstyle and the back pack) to a beautiful girl on her way to be a beautiful woman.
As I stood there at the car park this morning, watching my children going to their class, I tried to desperately remember the intervening years of my youngest child from the age of 3 to 10. I don’t know where those years have gone. It is like one minute she was 3, sitting on my lap while I read countless Dora stories ( and the much hated magic school bus stories.I hated those series, my kids loved them) to a child who cooks a proper dinner for me as a surprise.
I have eidetic memory, I was there with my children every bit of their childhood, yet I feel I don’t have much in my memory box to remember their childhood..It is all a blur
In 4 years, Yaya will be going to University and I know when she leaves my nest, my life will be like a ship lost in a storm. My children are the captains of their own ship and I have no right to hold on to them and I am hoping that when the time comes, I will have my memories to chew on..like cud.
Yet, this morning I felt bereft..that I am holding an empty memory box, that time that I have with my children are slipping through my fingers..
I will be away the next two weeks. I am taking my kids to NZ for their school holidays.
The moment I talk about going somewhere for holidays, the first assumption most people make is that I am rich and that is why I can take holidays like this. And it bothers me much.
I am not rich. Not at all.
But I am determined that my children will see the world and I work hard to make sure that I can take them for holidays.
I have a Quantas American express card and am a member of Quantas frequent flyer program. I also have flybuy. If I go to coles and buy grocery and pay using my Amex, I get points on my Quantas frequent flyer and flybuys. I never miss a single triple flybuy event at coles.
I also subscribe to email bulletin for Quantas.
So whenever there is a promotion, I buy my ticket using points I have accumulated.
Return ticket for my children and I came to less than 1000$. I have also paid for a rental car.
I am planning to do this trip this time. I haven’t actually had time to read about the trip and am planning to do that in the aircraft. We have a light weight tent and all of us have good sleeping bags. I have no idea where we will be staying. A bit of skiing at the snowplanet and lots of driving.
I will be back, with my batteries fully charged!
Wow…have fun!!!!!