more Sydney

outdoor iceskating

needed to be carried a lot (we chose not to bring the stroller - mistake)

that landmark as seen from ferry (Dadda's show was in the Studio theatre on the bottom level)

in the skyrail heading uphill at the zoo

Sydney Aquarium - just fabulous, unless you are three, overstimulated and only interested in your next sugar fix

dugong + lettuce

exactly

Miffy enjoyed all of Sydney with us

post-Aquarium meal - we ate seafood, what else?

Small kids and big cities are an interesting combination. By the end of the first day (including first ever plane flight for all three), our boys were rather overwhelmed and full of questions.

We hadn't actually planned our time a lot and the boys were desperate to know what we would be doing, when. I remembered something I'd read about in the book I wrote about here, about grounding and calming kids with a sense of predictability. So Andy and I sat down on the first night and worked out a basic itinerary, and once we had laid out these plans to the boys, they seemed a lot happier. It made life easier for me too when I could quickly and confidently answer Clem's questions: "when are we going ice skating?" "two o'clock today".

I think since having kids I've become less and less of a planner. Alright, I never have been much of one. But as parents we have so many best-laid-plans go awry, I find it best to have very few expectations. So it's a fine balance. Give the kids plans to look forward to and have a sense of order... and deal with their devastation if it doesn't happen because someone's sick/overtired/takes too long/misbehaves?

We also spent a bit of time just chilling out in our apartment to give the boys a sense of a 'home base'. Er, and to give Mama a break from dragging three boys around a city while Dadda worked.

It was a slower pace than an adult holiday, but in four days we took in a huge amount.

And the good memories are the ones that linger, aren't they?

- Jane x