Planning, planning and more planning

I don't understand how other people do it.  I seem to spend so much time planning, there's not much time left for living. But I don't feel like I'm overplanning; there's just so much to manage.

After being away for 10 months, my eldest came home on Tuesday. She is leaving for summer camp on Dec 28 (she is leading it this time) so that gives us just two weeks to sort out everything she needs for uni. 

On top of that, my wife and I have to take holiday between Christmas and New Year's so we wanted to do something with the family, and the kids voted for Tangariro Crossing.  That's normally very crowded during summer so we decided to do it on Christmas day, when it should be quieter.  We normally have a Christmas lunch with family so we moved that to the 24th, because they are on the way to Tongariro.

Last month I booked a cabin at a holiday park, and a shuttle to take us to the start of the crossing/pick us up at the end.  Then the shuttle service emailed to say they were closing for Christmas and refunding my money.  I found another (for 25% more) and booked a 7am shuttle. (It's an 8-10 hour walk, and I wanted an early start so we weren't rushing to catch the shuttle on the other side.) Yesterday they emailed me to say they were moving it to 8am.

We have to come home on the 27th in order for my eldest to fly to summer camp on the 28th, but my wife and I still have 5 more days of forced holiday.  We are trying to save money so so we decided to go camping, but even that is $75/day for a campsite with toilets and showers.  (In New Zealand, it's considered glamping.)  We also have to decide where to go.  (All signs point to Paekakariki, which is where we've gone the past four years.)

Wellington does a nice New Year's eve party (with fireworks and a big band on the lagoon) so we'll go camping on New Year's day, then be home on the 4th as the other two kids leave for camp on the 5th.  I'd like to say I'm looking forward to a house without kids, but the next day we go back to work.

The following weekend, we go to visit the kids.  (We are gluttons for punishment.)  We fly to Auckland Sat morning, have a day to ourselves, then spend Sunday with the kids and fly home Sunday evening.  I planned something fun for that weekend, but it's a surprise. :-)

The kids will trickle home between the 15th and 22nd, depending on how many friends they have in Auckland.  Jan 23 is the eldest's birthday, but we've organised a family dinner on the 24th.  On the 25th we leave two kids home alone and fly to Dunedin, at the very southern end of New Zealand.

On the 27th - while we're in Dunedin - one kid starts school and the other goes to school camp.  We're all home on the 28th and we have four days of normality before we have to attend a wedding in the back of beyond. I've booked a cabin for one night, we'll go rafting on Sunday, then drive four hours home.  (Google maps says 3 hours, but Google maps assumes you're single and have a large bladder, a small stomach and a trunk full of energy drinks.)

We're not done yet, because that Thursday is Waitangi day, a national holiday, so my wife and I are going to Napier, our son is going to Abel Tasman, the middle child has a dragonboating event (she's co-captain of the school team).  After that she is practicing after school for two hours, three times a week, until the Wellington festival in March.

The following weekend my eldest is finished with "summer school" (an intensive 3-week physics catchup) and so my wife is going to fly down and help her move to the halls of residence.  As she is flying out, my middle-child -- who spent three weeks in France last year -- has her exchange student flying in.  She is with us for three weeks, although the school is taking them to the Marlborough Sounds one weekend.

Finally things quiet down for a month...and then hopefully we're off to the UK.  (I still haven't bought plane tickets....)