It was one of those long, didn't-really-do-anything-but-stayed-busy-just-the-same kind of weekends, so excuse me for not being around this weekend.
My parents and niece and nephew came down for the weekend, so we spent a lot of time just hanging out. We spent Saturday at the beach - which was exhausting for me and my Dad and super relaxing for my Mom. My Mom is the "doer" of things related to the kids during the normal week and Dad is the "doer" of outdoor chores. But at the beach, all bets are off because Mom doesn't like to get in the water. So, Dad and I spent the day in the water with four kids (3, 5, 9 & 10) while they jumped waves, plunged into the surf, got bashed by waves, got yanked by the current and generally just enjoyed being in the water.
And then we came home to conk out.
When we go to the beach (which is at least once a week during the summer, more if I can swing it), I am militant.
I love the beach, but I don't believe it's necessary to be coated in sand to enjoy yourself. We take toys, but only as much as the kids can carry to and from the beach, so usually that means each kid carries a boogie board and a bucket/shovel. I take a cooler (on wheels!) full of waters and a few Coca-Colas (because I have a problem - I know!) and usually sandwiches, chips, cookies and maybe granola bars.
*Note: When I go to the beach with kids, I plan to stay for the day. Barring a turn in the weather, we usually are on the beach for anywhere from 4-8 hours. Taking more waters than you expect to need is crucial to being able to leave without succumbing to heat/sun stroke. We also take lots of sunscreen!
I have the coolest chair ever - it has a deep pocket on the back that is big enough for a book, towel, sunscreen and the car keys. Best of all, the chair itself has backpack straps, leaving my hands free. Sometimes (but not always) I take a beach umbrella. I usually take one towel onto the beach (for wiping faces/bodies when it's time to reapply the sunscreen or if someone gets a face full of salt-water).
But the best thing that I do when we go to the beach, is take shampoo and leave-in conditioner and pajamas. Yep. Shampoo and conditioner, folks.
When we're finished with our day at the beach, I have the kids shower off, I lather up their heads with shampoo and rinse them off, then I slather on some leave-in conditioner and hand them each their dry clothes to change into.
By the time we get home from the beach the kids are usually absolutely exhausted, so they get to go on into the house and have supper (I usually leave something going in the crock-pot or I run in ahead of them and give them something easy - cheese, turkey, Triscuits and fruit is a favorite light and easy meal at our house) ... and I clean out the car. Since we pack lightly for our beach days, I usually only need to grab wet suits, hang up towels (we will use them again and the kids were clean when they used them - it's our small way of being earth-friendly) and empty out the cooler.
The cooler is maybe the biggest deal ... We have super high-humidity here in coastal South Carolina, so after every beach trip we have to drain, rinse and then leave the cooler out in the sun to dry completely, lest we end up with a cooler full of mold and mildew. Yuck.
What do y'all do to make your beach - or mountain? camping? - day trips go more smoothly?
Dad, Mom, The Boy & The Nephew at Driessen Beach, Labor Day Weekend 2013
Oh ... We also watched Clemson beat the University of Georgia on Saturday night (between doing on couches) .. and we worked on the kids' "book nook" - when that project is finished, I'll share some pictures.
Thanks for coming by!
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