I never feel we are a big family.I just feel we are us, that is untill we come to preparing to go away on holiday.This is a monumental task that seemingly knows no end.
Just when you begin to think you are breaking the back of the now daily trip around the shops, and child suggests a selection of other items you have forgotton to buy.
My holiday lists have been revolutionised by having an iphone.I am famed for my lists and equally famed for loosing my lists, which with my phone I stand an outside chance of remebering!
I spend months before hand looking for little things to keep the children entertained on the long car journeys we do each year. Having such a large family makes air travel nearly impossible, and actually the last time we attempted it (four years ago, with 9 kids, one new grandbaby, one boyfriend and two adults) very stressful.Everytime we watch Home Alone we laugh, and identify! The passport control lady in Prague even managed to stiffle a smile (I swear I saw the ends of her lips curl) as my husband stood at one end of the control, and I at the other.Each child was handed a passport with strict instructions to go through and give it to dad! It was certainly a sight to behold, and one that I would rather not repeat in a hurry!
So, instead we have the car drive...this time three and a half days!
How too keep a large family entertained? well its a lot easier than it was 15 years ago when we started our mega drives thats for sure.
Back then I collected all the comics and with the school ring binder made books.I split these into puzzle ones, story ones and cartoon ones.I bought some new books and cassettes for the tape recorders, and some little dolls and toys.These were all stashed away and produced every four hours or so when bordom set in.There are also the long list of car games we have to play.Of course now I have teenagers these have taken on a new and more sinister twist involving pieces of paper and rude words! hmmm.
Of course now we have mobile phones and games (alas the battery soon runs out) DS and vtech computors, portable videos and ipods.Of course they dont all have these each, but thank god for ebay and splitter cables, thus enabling two children to watch one DVD player.
I also go for the old fashioned things like cut out dolls, and colouring books, word searches and cross words.With such a variety to have a choice of, we manage the journey quite well.
Then of course there is the inflicted holiday diary! they know its coming each year as I return from one of my endless trips with bulging bags of scrap books, new pens and pencils and pritt sticks, but they dont ask, they avoid the conversation untill the D word is finally mentioned admist groans.They love these diaries when they look back, but do not like the thought of doing them, or infact anything at all on holiday.
I also pack travel bags so we dont have to go rumaging around all the ironed clothes for the one pair of underpants we brought! these stay near us and can be taken in and out of over night stays with ease.
Clothing used to be simple, again untill the teenager years when we want to take everything we own.This year it will be hot, I have made lists of what I need packed and then suggestions, I wonder if they will be read and heeded?
My husband prides himself on being streamlined.This worked well untill one year when he forgot his Pjamas and virtualy all his under wear! He can fit everything into a rucksack! Unlike the 17 year old that struggles to get everything into a suitcase large enough to fit my youngest three children!
We always start to pack days before, and this is the point we are at now.The house looks like a cross between widow twankes laundry and ebay! I get steadily more hoarse as the days roll on and I tell one child or other to stop looking through bags, taking things out or moving them! A spare room would be bliss.
So, I had better go, as in another 5 hours, I have shops to go to and people to nag!
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