First family trip to Phuket 2010

We did a 4D 3N trip to Phuket in June with the 2 little ones and David's family. It was a first overseas family trip for us and the packing before that took days! We booked a 2 bedroom resort at the Marriott Vacation Club Mai Khao Beach at special promotional price and I was really looking forward to it.

The trip turned out to be disappointing for me. Firstly, we made a mistake by not bringing along our helper so we ended up having to wash bottles change nappies, wash children clothes etc all by ourselves, when I dont even do this at home! Then I had to juggle my time between feeding baby, pumping, playing with Kaelyn.. Talk about going for a holiday... Secondly, the resort that we were booked in was very inaccessible, very very far from town and the nearest beach was not great at all. Then, Kaelyn came down with a fever the second night, and there goes the rest of our 'holiday'. We spent most of the time in the room itself or just take short walks around the resort, which doesnt have much to see anyway. But the consolation was that our room was big and spacious with full kitchen, 3 plasma TVs, large bathtubs, coffee / tea / water provided, fridge and freezer etc.

Phuket, here we come!



Kids enjoying themselves at the arcade and watching Playhouse Disney together


Sherryn and Kaelyn having a good time in the luxurious bathtub


Our day trip to the Phuket town - Having seafood, Big Buddha and Wat Chalong




I love the soft and big bed!

The beach - nothing to shout about..

The swimming pool - the kids had a great time there on the first day

Outdoor table tennis

Kids club in the resort, where the kids spend quite some time in


Home sweet home - Sherryn in the bassinet


Some takeaways from this trip:

(1) Bring your maid along if you do not want to spend most of your time focussing on a young kid and a baby. There is no time to relax at all! I feel so exhausted when I came back that I took 3 days to recover. Serious!

(2) Bring along all types of medicine for your kids. You never know when you will need them. We called the local doctor in to see Kaelyn in the wee hours of the morning. Good thing we are able to claim from travel insurance.

(3) Book somewhere accessible if you do not want to be stuck in the resort all the time.

(4) Keep the group small. It is sometimes quite difficult to move with a big group as there was a lot of waiting time, mostly contributed by us! Kids needing a change of clothes / diapers, needing to feed, I need to pump etc etc. So I feel quite guilty for holding the group back.

(5) Do planning in advance. We had no idea what to do and see there and in the end really ended up in the resort most of the time. But it was also partly because of the kids and Kaelyn being sick that prevented us from venturing out.

(6) Keep a bottle of water or pacifier or your breasts handy in the plane when the plane takes off and land. This will minimise wailing from the kids due to the pressure in their ears.

Well at least, the kids experienced their very first ride on an aeroplane!

Reflections..

When I was younger, I have always thought that I am a kids lover, those kind who really love kids (whether their own or not) to bits. You see, my personality is of the milder temperament, and with a great deal of patience. I was in Girl Guides (think of community work, campfires, singing songs, doing good deeds etc), and had a short stint as a relief teacher. Even when playing those silly horoscope games, I am always 'most suited' to be a childcare teacher, social worker, counsellor etc. If I were to look into a crystal ball then, I should be seeing a kind and patient mother, perhaps doing some part-time work in a nursery / childcare for the sake of her children, very adept with babies and children, always smiling and patiently teaching them....

Fast forward to today, I am now a mother of 2 (and I hope to stop here!), tired out by an active, temperamental 2.5 year old and a 4 month old infant. I cant seem to work out my time and love between the 2, and my schedule is often in a mess. My patience has been tested countless times, and I find myself screaming at my elder daughter at least once a day, mainly over mealtimes and when she throws tantrums (which is quite often). I fluctuate between the patient mother and an evil stepmother when that patience limit has been breached. I have frequent mood swings that sometimes will spiral into some kind of 'blues' (not depression yet, thankfully). I sometimes am guilty of wishing I was back at the good old childless days.

Having said the above, dont get me wrong, I love my children and enjoy being with them as can be seen in my previous postings. I love it when they rely on me on the smallest things which means I am a world to them. I love it when we say silly things, play silly games together etc. But the reality is that child rearing is an extremely demanding and energy-sapping affair. And 2 is really more than enough for me for now, thank you very much..