Happy Easter Shmeaster

Despite the honour and privilege of being married to a Boy in Blue, the pain-in-the-arse times are definitely all the public holidays and special occasions during the year that I am left stagging it with the kids.  Sadly, our emergency/shift workers etc. always work when others are out having fun; where there is alcohol and car travel involved, it is generally a really busy time for our boys. Most public holidays Mr Point Five does 12 hour plus shifts, and over a festive period such as the four day Easter “holiday” we hardly even see him.  It wouldn’t be so bad if we lived closer to grandparents and other family friends, but as you know we are three hours plus drive in a new country town; away from all those special people, and most festive occasions are spent by myself with the kids at home.

Christmas just gone Mr Point Five was on an afternoon shift which was actually pretty cool for us as a family as he was here for the magical morning with the kids and witnessed the delight that Santa came for them.  But then, just as most families were having a cheeky champagne with a late lunch, he was soberly showering and heading off to work, not coming home until after midnight.

Australia Day was a bust again – I blogged that day here. My facebook feed was full of families enjoying a BBQ and some friendly cricket and it was just another day in the small town where I live with no festivities that were appropriate for the kids and me at all. I used to love doing the Aussie Day thing and it really gave me the irrits this year.

Its Easter Day today, and ironically I am writing a post that prolly nobody will read as most of my readers are out with their family, enjoying an Easter lunch with extended family and friends. Once again, my Boy in Blue is working although he did see the boys wake up to a visit from the Easter Bunny for half an hour before he headed off to cruise the highways. For me and the boys it was just another groundhog day (albeit with a fun morning) with no prospect of a family caravanning trip, day at the lake or a BBQ with friends and family at home. I guess I could have taken the kids up to Perth a day earlier and spent Easter with their grandparents but then hubby would have missed that half hour of delight this morning and he certainly doesn’t deserve to miss that; I wouldn’t even contemplate it.

This is by no means another woe-is me post though 🙂 I loved that we got to do the morning hunt together as a family, even if it was for only 30 minutes. There are a lot of shift workers who missed out on that this morning and I am so grateful that we got that magical morning at both Easter and Christmas just gone.  It is Mr Point Fives Birthday whilst we are up in Perth this week so are celebrating it this afternoon when if he gets home on time. The kids and I have made a birthday cake and cooked some meals for him to have whilst we are away. I have helped them with their Lego that the Easter Bunny left them and we are making some eggs for Nana and Poppy for our visit tomorrow, so its been a lovely day. We also did this earlier in the month for Easter, and these are our Easter photos 🙂

So Happy Easter from me to you.

I know I am not alone in my predicament and that there and many, many others who also stag it with the kids on all the fun times too.  Thank you to all the families of our emergency workers, hospital staff, defence force, truckies, farmers and anyone else who sacrifices so much family time to ensure we remain safe, looked after and have food on our table. I hope you are making the most of your day in the best way you can. My boys are still in their P.J.’s, munching eggs (interspersed with fruit and yoghurt cos I’m mean like that), playing with their Chima lego EB present and supervising my cooking.

Oh, and for all of those people/bloggers who are smugly saying they are “switching off” for the holiday so they can spend some “quality time” with their family, BITE ME!!

On days like this and all the other times you are out celebrating with your friends, I am home alone with the kids and technology is most often my only adult interaction of the entire day.

You will not shame me with your smugness; all my family and my friends are online and I will celebrate with them if I can 🙂