I made the huge sacrifice to work an extra week, and keep the dogs out of the kennel for a bit longer as well - while they took advantage of the cheaper flights before the Christmas price hike.
And, oh my goodness, am I loving it. Sure I miss them, but I needed this down time. It's been a full on year. I have been working full-time at school in a Year 7 classroom with some special needs kids this year - fun, but incredibly stressful.
Plus the kid's lives are getting busier with music and sporting commitments and sometimes the only down time I get is 10 o'clock at night - and that's when I do the dishes and the laundry.
So I am cleaning house with a vengeance, reading those books that have been piling up, and writing my first blog post in six months.
Check out this photo...
