Holiday is just not a holiday

[Wedonttalk]

I'm a teacher and have two kids. I look forward to the holidays as I can finally be with my kids and not have the pressure of planning and marking. We have no help and cannot afford holiday day activities. I can't fill the car up with petrol until Friday. The weather is shit. Kids are already driving me mad. Snacks, arguing over TV, one wants to paint, other wants to dig in the garden. It's not even ten am and I just want to go back to bed. I have Covid symptoms but testing negative and just want a rest. I feel like such a crap mum. Never there in term time and no energy in holidays. Social media is full of people on holiday abroad and in UK.

I have a drones who is paring every hour pics from their holiday abroad. I reply every so often looks lovely. Another one is out and about cinema/theme parks…I couldn’t give a shit if truth be told.

Me and my DC aren’t doing anything this Easter holiday, they need a new bed so I had to buy one. Wham all the money had gone.

But they are gaming and you tube mad so have spent the past days, a couple of hours at a time, in their room gaming. They are happy

Can your 2 make a tent of sheets/duvets and have a camping adventure? With a picnic tea under an umbrella if necessary!?

A friend who posts every hour

It's just so draining. I'm still getting over illness. Tomorrow husband is in office and out at a work thing until 10. I'm already dreading it as he'll leave at 6. Dunno how single parent s do it. I know I sound so ungrateful and grumpy and selfish. I know there's bigger shit going on in the world.

Someone posting every hour can't be having that great a time.....

Don't feel bad - I always think children benefit from time at home after weeks of being at school and rushing about. Just recuperate as best you can. Keep everyone alive and count that as a job well done

@Wedonttalk, wish i could pop over, make you a cuppa and entertain your kids and give you a rest

As for those feckers having a whale of a time, 2 fingers up to them

Ignore social media. I’m sorry if this sounds rude or blunt, but somebody posting about their holiday multiple times a day is

a) having a shit time of it and really bored on the actual holiday
b) someone with very low self-esteem who constantly seeks reassurance from others online
c) someone whose highlight of their life is going on that holiday

You’re not a bad mum and holidays aren’t about going places and spending money on fancy days out. Don’t kick yourself and if the kids just want TV and garden digging, let them do that.

Don’t look at social media and think about how your children are feeling during this holiday, not the neighbours’ in Lanzarote or Thorpe Park.

Sorry to hear you’re still ill, I hope you start feeling better soon

If you haven't got covid, reciprocal joint play dates, you do one afternoon of chaos and then you get an afternoon off!

Yep, a friend of mine is on her long awaited luxury holiday to Central America. I’m really pleased for her. But I do not need see 5 FB posts every day about the wonderful weather, amazing food and drinks etc etc. So I have snoozed her for 30 days.

Remove yourself from social media, it might help a bit. As you are a teacher, people probably would be more understanding if you did than for most professions.

I think a large majority of people will be having a quiet Easter holiday at home. Nothing wrong with that. We can’t afford to do much anyway and the kids will be happy just being allowed to rest and do their own thing for two weeks after a long term.

Don’t look at social media if it makes you feel bad.

Time for home movie day, close the curtains, get the popcorn and watch movies for a day to recharge.

@balalake

Remove yourself from social media, it might help a bit. As you are a teacher, people probably would be more understanding if you did than for most professions.

Why wouldn’t people be understanding in the first place? I wouldn’t even notice if a friend snoozed or stopped replying to my posts, so I don’t really get what you mean here.

Movie afternoon.

A) hope you feel better soon
B) thank you for being a teacher

Toucan boxes are really good if you are stuck at home as they are easy to make.crafts and you can play with them afterwards (tho does depend on age of the kids). Also inside picnic parties are a nice way to kill sometime especially if you get the kids to help prep the food.

Can your kids not have friends over? I find that if they have seen a friend for a couple of hours then they are happy to potter/watch TV/play with a sibling.

I relate OP and it’s shit. Any suggestions people have tend to be futile because EVERYTHING costs money. One of mine was crying with boredom and wanted to bake brownies but we didn’t have coca powder and the car was nearly out of fuel. The trip to the shop would have finished my fuel and I can’t afford to put much in it until payday. So we just made pancakes and they were shit.

We aren’t doing anything either. Hardly any money left till next Thursday and weather is shit here. Today we went to the garden centre as I had a voucher for two free coffees and cakes so we did that for nothing, spent £2 on a tray of sale bedding plants and spent an hour between the rain planting them. The rest of the time was screen/gaming time but they have had a good day!

Can you just get them out irrespective of bad weather? Raincoats and wellies and just off for a walk then hot choc and biscuits with YouTube / Xbox / movies when you get home?! Realise this is some kids' idea of hell

Just a thought, and I don't know where you live, but a National Trust family membership is only £10 a month and they always have things going on in the holidays. I always take a picnic and a flask and let them have fun.

It's hard when the weather is rubbish. I agree that social media doesn't help, watching everyone else having a lovely time.

My free/ cheap activities (appreciate everyone's view of 'cheap' is different)

-Going on an adventure. So walk through the forest/ country park, kids choose the direction and see where we end up.

-Bike riding

-Baking. My two love playing Bake Off and having me be the judge.

• Library. Can easily kill an hour and they often have stuff going on in the holidays

• YouTube drawing tutorials.

-Board games/ learn a new card game.

-Swimming (We have have a membership so feels free)

I'm a teacher too and sometimes we go into work and I let them roam around the field/ school, while I get some jobs done. 🙈 They love it!!