The Blessing of Time

Last week I decided to take the kids on a road trip to visit where my parents live and stay with my Dad and his partner at their new house. It was a bit of a last minute decision to go and a little bit scary having to drive the kids 12 hours up the coast by myself. Before I went, I put the question to you all on Facebook and got some helpful tips for travelling with small children which I shared yesterday. What I didn't tell you was how amazing it was to take my girls away by myself.  I love my girls so much, but I find that in the busyness of life I don't give them as much of me as I would like when I am at home. There is always cleaning to do, or a blog post to write, or an outing head out to.

I began this blog as an encouragement to other mums (and to myself) to appreciate the blessings that children are. Sometimes I feel like I fail at that so often when we are at home. Being a natural introvert it is so much easier for me to retreat into my own thoughts even when I am playing with my kids. This past week was a great way to put all the stress of life out of my mind and just be present with my girls.

Of course the drive up wasn't all that easy to have time with them, but we still had fun counting, singing, chatting and playing eye spy. However, the little stops we had along with way were part of our fun adventure and it was a good chance to play and chat and cuddle.

A picnic with my little ladies

I have written before about how my kids prefer their dad over me so getting away with them alone was a nice chance to see that they do enjoy spending time with me. I love that they love their Daddy, but it is also lovely when all the cuddles and kisses are for me.

Our holiday was mainly for the girls to spend time with their grandparents (and me to see them too), but I made sure to take the girls out in the afternoons to have some time alone with them. It also gave my Dad and his partner some kid free time. The days I took them out, we went to get an ice cream and have a play by the beach. It was so special because they had me all to themselves and they were doing things they LOVE.

I introduced them to Bubble O Bill

I let them get messy

I let them run free on the beach

We went shopping for new swimmers & sunnies

Even though it was mostly all up to me to get them up and dressed and bathed and to sleep, I just loved being able to do all those things for them and give them my whole attention. It was also lovely not having to make dinner or thoroughly clean the house (Thanks Linda for her hospitality).

I know my hubby missed us terribly but for me it was such a blessing to really connect with my girls. I would love to do it again next year -if my hubby can bare it :)

Do you ever get away with your kids and really connect with them?

Come to Canberra & WIN a Family Pass to the National Zoo & Aquarium

Who really would want to visit Canberra????  When we first heard there was an Assistant Minister's job for my hubby in Canberra that is exactly what I said to my husband."Who would come and visit us if we lived in Canberra?"

Thankfully, God knows better than I do and we have absolutely loved living in Canberra. Today I wanted to share the things we love to do in Canberra especially those things that are good for a young family. Also as a special treat I have a giveaway for you.

Parks, Playgrounds & Gardens

Now is the time to visit Canberra, the winter has passed and it is slightly warmer. There are gorgeous blossoms out everywhere and one of the best places to see Canberra's tulips is at Floriade. The great thing about Floriade is that it is free so you can go a few times while it is on. The flowers are gorgeous and it is a really fun day out.

If you have a little more time and want to see something really special at this time of year, I highly recommend Tulip Top Gardens (check out this review I did on Her Canberra last year). I think the flowers are even nicer than Floriade, mostly because of the blossoms.

Tulip Top Gardens

For something a bit different and to get out into Nature, our favourite day out is Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. There are great playgrounds, picnic areas, bush walks and there are even Emus, Kangaroos and a Koala for the kids to see. 

Our kids also like the Australian National Botanic Gardens as a nice place to have a picnic and walk around in nature.

Canberra is filled with lots and lots of great parks and playgrounds. We are always on the lookout for a good playground. The one at the Arboretum is my kids favourite. It is well worth a visit as the playground is massive and there is also a nice cafe and restaurant there. They also love Weston Park because it has a Miniature Railway 


Attractions

Our favourite kid friendly attraction is Questacon. It is fun for every member of the family and especially good for very little people as they can play at Mini Q. Even if you are not into Science (like me) it is worth visiting.

For a good look out over the whole of Canberra, my kids LOVE Black Mountain Tower. Since we went there they haven't stopped talking about it and point it out every time they see it (which is a lot).

Who remembers when it was Telecom tower??

You can't go past Cockington Green for a cute thing to do with the kids. There are heaps of miniature replicas of buildings from around the world. My kids are still a little bit young to appreciate it but they enjoy being there and running around.

We also love the National Zoo & Aquarium. The kids can't get enough of the animals you have the chance to check it out for FREE if you enter the giveaway below.

Also around the same area are Parliament House, The War Memorial, The National Gallery of Australia, The National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum. We love these places but are a little bit harder with very little people.

Drives

We love to take drives to get out of Canberra for the day. Our favourite drives are Murrumbateman (30 -40 mins out of Canberra cute town lots of wineries), Hall (Poachers Pantry), & Gundaroo.  

I could go on and on but I will stop and give you a chance to WIN something (this is not sponsored. I just wanted to give you a chance to win something nice).

 

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