Coming up soon...a holiday!

In a couple of days Kaydin and I are going up to my grandmother's old house near a beach for 5 days and I can't wait! The family got together to buy the house off my grandmother to use as a holiday home of sorts but I haven't been up there since Kaydin was less than a year so i'm really looking foward to taking him up there again and also to spend some time with just my grandma and me and kaydin. I had to ask Kaydins dad if we could swap weekends though as it would run into his weekend but he was ok with that which worked out well. That's just one of the issues surrounding shared parenting, when something falls on the other parents time and you really want to have your child with you and you can't reschedule (or in this case HAVE to have your child with you because we will be gone longer than just the weekend dad would have had him.)
I'm looking foward to taking Kaydin in the water at the beach, last time he wasn't that keen on standing or sitting in that cold, wet stuff, but now he really likes water. We will go for walks and collect shells, we shall swing on the rope swing on the water's edge. We will play games and cuddle up and watch dvds (Smurfs are his favourite). And we will go for a walk up the hill to visit Grandads grave to say hi. I just can't wait to spend quality time with Kaydin when we are so far removed from anything that quality time ( and quantity) is all we have. Soooo very excited!!!

presents in shared parenting

I don't remember Christmas being this stressful last year.
i thought i was doing well when i had all my presents except two by the second week of december, wrapped and hidden even. unfortunately those two were my cousin who has everything she needs and can buy anything she wants and my ex partner Kaydins dad. this is a problem every year even when we were together because he absoloutly refuses to admit he wants anything his standard answer to the question 'what would yu like for (xmas, birthday, father's day)?' is always 'nothing' so this year his sister and i cornered him and made him sit at the table throwing suggestions at him till he had agreed to some. but then of course i couldn't find the play station game he wanted for the price i was willing to pay and i had no idea which books he already had by the author he suggested. and did i mention to add to my present shopping drama his birthday is the 24th december which means two presents are needed! in the end i found a ps2 game i hope he's happy with, i got a book he hadn't read and fell back on my usual buy a t-shirt with a funny saying on it, actually i let kaydin choose two and a singlet, but he keeps wearing them so he can't mind too much.
i've also heard through his mother and sister that he actually got me a present this year and it's not chocolate and i'm not complaining but it does seem strange. out of all my birthdays, mother's day's and christmasses i've known him i can recall 3 presents. Flower's and a mosquito net for my first birthday i spent with him, an engagement ring (which was nice but not as long lasting as the net which i still have), and a box of choccies last year. but we shall see what happens whatever it is it's certainly better than nothing and the thought is definately what counts.
i hope you all have a (relatively)relaxed christmas and may all your present thoughts be appreciated :)