Respite is always full on!

Respite is a break. A break from the usual daily activities. However,most parents use this time to give the kitchen a good ‘ol scrub, or perhaps to redecorate your childs room, to grocery shop (in relative, peace), to bring your other children on a day out, it is however, rarely used for respite. A break.
My wonderful D believes respite should definitely, when possible, be used for ‘Us’ time. He truly believes I should not as much as wash a load of clothes when Ethan is away on respite…bless him, it’s easy know, I’m the ‘stay-at-home’ parent!
He plans days out for the four of us and when he ropes in a babysitter, we even go to the cinema as a couple! If it were left to me, I’d catch up on housework and take the other two boys out and about, nothing crazy, just a trip into town or to the beach.
D surprised me with a night away at the ‘Royal Marine Hotel’ in Dun Laoghaire. If you have never been to Dun Laoghaire, I suggest you make it ‘a must visit’ spot, it is a beautiful part of Dublin. Babysitters were at the ready, usually our good friend A or D’s parents, nanny and grandad Renton. We headed off.
The hotel itself, is steeped in history which was the perfect setting for the Vintage Fair, which D had tickets for. I was in my element, going through endless rails of 40’s, 50’s and 60’s style clothing while D was busy chatting to Joan, the organiser. I was dressed in my best ‘Rockabilly’ outfit and ready to shop. Bags, hats, shoes , jewellery…you name it, it was there and all vintage, all full of history and stories. Joan had told D it was normally busier, I found that hard to believe as the dance floor began to fill with those dressed in 1940’s style clothing , all dancing and singing while ‘The Doinnes’ blasted out Motown hits. I was in heaven.
D being D, had more planned, rest never comes easy to him. He had arranged dinner that evening with our late friends mother and her partner, (who we don’t get to see often) followed by drinks and endless reminiscent stories about our late friend and D as kids, as teenagers and finally as men.It was truly a lovely evening.
A lie in? Not on D’s watch (we were up by 9am, being honest, I suppose that was a lie in.) Filling the car with my spoils, we were on the road to a meeting D happened to organise for his upcoming event, Synapse//a Tech Carnival. I wasn’t surprised, I was thankful it was only the one meeting. We headed over to the other side of Dublin to meet D’s latest nephew.
Our car hit the road to Galway by 2pm. Reality hit by 4.30 as Ethan banged his fists against the sitting room window, screaming in delight as our car pulled into the driveway.
“Thanks D for a lovely, jam packed night away.I enjoyed it. Even your nerd meeting” I joked as I gave him a kiss. “You’re welcome wife,respite is for us too you know. We just have to pack a few extra bits into our date nights!” he laughed.
As always, we needed a rest after our respite…