Sleep deprivation is definitely a form of torture

I have just returned from a brief (and impromptu) 13-day visit to Oz. (Obviously, I'm intent on making it clear that the trip was short - not quite a fortnight - for friends I missed out on seeing, sorry! I hope to be back soon).

You will recall, in my last post, after a quiet Eid day, I longed for the booked-for-breakfast/lunch/dinner lifestyle that we were once accustomed to in Melbourne. My exact words, drenched in yearning, were, "the grass is always greener"... Be careful what you wish for. Not trying to sound ungrateful or anything...it was wonderful being amongst fam and friends... but a calmer, stress-free, slower paced trip home might have been a little more relaxing.

We landed back in Bahrain this morning and I am EXHAUSTED. I am ready to collapse in a heap. I barely slept two hours on the overnight, 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi (which was followed by a two hour transit and one hour flight from AD to Bah). Why didn't I sleep? Because, I was watching over a toddler who refused to wear her seat belt whilst asleep - as a result of which, she had a tendency to roll off her seat and shout out at regular intervals through the night. Suffice it to say, I haven't been this sleep deprived since...well since this child of mine was a baby. She's usually been a good traveler, so it's the first time I've been this exhausted (maybe second time - my first trip to Bahrain was on my own - with a newly walking toddler. Fun). On this occasion, each time I dozed into slumber, I was woken by a thump or a wiggle, or a cry and then I'd be up again. It was as though toothpicks were keeping my eyes wide open. M was with us, but my dear M (bless him) could sleep through a cyclone - so he was relatively unaffected by these intense sleep conditions...but he did take over supervisory duties once he was up and alert - at which point I happily handed over my sheriff’s badge.

I am in absolute awe of all those mums and dads who frequently travel with more than one child. Does more children mean that you should expect nil sleep on a journey? Given the way I'm feeling today, this is a really unsettling thought. Next time round, something like this (above) might be nice?