This time last week we were relaxing at Turtle Beach Resort at Mermaid Beach. Although when I say relaxing, I really mean it was a change of routine and scenery from the usual week at home. Holidays with three kids aren’t exactly relaxing but we still had a good time anyway, despite me getting sick on the last few days of our holiday.
I had booked the one week holiday using our timeshare at the beginning of the year as I’d heard great things about the resort, but had no idea how awesome it was going to be for our kids.
The resort itself is not near the beach, it’s on the opposite side of the Gold Coast Highway, inland. This didn’t particularly bother us as we knew we’d have to drive to our favourite beach anyway. But for some families this could be a deal breaker.
What the resort lacks in proximity to the beach, it makes up for in pools and activities. The resort has 3 swimming pool areas as well as a Splash Zone, a mini waterpark, which 2 out of 3 girls loved. Maggie wasn’t so keen on the slides and had to be coaxed into using the little baby slides, while Phoebe had no hesitation sliding down with daddy, again and again and again. And Esther surprised me be going down the fastest slide multiple times too.
Every day I would check the weather and Google would tell me it would be overcast, but we had blue skies nearly each day.
One of the days that was scheduled to have rain, we decided to go to Robina to do some shopping and do our yearly visit to Max Brenner. And thank goodness it’s an annual treat because I nearly died at the cost. The mess wasn’t pretty either. Although everyone literally licked their plate clean, there was chocolate on little faces, fingers, up and down arms and of course on clothes.
I hadn’t packed spare clothes with me, so we headed to Cotton On Kids and bought the girls new dresses. Apparently it’s quite common for parents to treat their kids to Max Brenner and then head to Cotton On for new outfits because their kids have dowsed themselves in chocolate. Glad to hear we were following tradition.
Last Thursday we headed to Greenmount Beach and the water was freezing. Maggie was quite happy to sit and make sandcastles which was fine by me. The sandbar had created a shallow lagoon that was perfect for Phoebe to walk in. If you’re looking for a great family friendly beach, Greenmount is perfect. There are always lifeguards on duty and I find the beach isn’t too rough.
By Friday I had a cold and wasn’t feeling up to doing anything too strenuous. Unfortunately the girls didn’t understand that mummy wasn’t up to swimming. We headed to the pool anyway, and the swimming made me temporarily forget I had a cold.
Overall we had a great week. It was strange to go away and not buy any new clothes. We did eat out a lot though and I enjoyed not having to cook dinner.
During the girl’s afternoon nap times I would catch up with the world by reading some blogs. So many bloggers are going through tough health issues at the moment. And I’ve been praying hard for Bruce and his gorgeous wife Tracey, but things haven’t been looking good on that front. Please keep them in your prayers.
On the eve of going on holidays, I read this post from Mrs Woog about buying shoes and drinking coke. Life can change unexpectedly and quickly. I’ve been stressing about a lot of things this year and it has been a very challenging year for me, which I’ve been unable to blog about. Life is never absent of problems is it? I’ve stressed about a lot this year and it’s been quite emotionally and mentally draining. Yet reading issues that others are currently facing has given me perspective to ensure each day is lived gratefully and generously.
Our holiday was much needed for a change in thinking, although today, I hit the ground running trying to keep up to date with my inbox and spending the day helping at Esther’s Kindy.
How has your last week been? When was the last time you went on holiday? When is your next holiday?
I’m linking up very late with Essentially Jess for IBOT.
