It’s not as hard as you think!

After kiddos everything is a little harder than it used to be.

Going to the dinner or the movies on a whim? Only if the sitter is available!

A weekend trip? Only if you rent a u-haul for all the extra baby gear!

But some things are easier than you think they will be!

Like going to the beach.

When Hot hubby and I were dating/newly married we went to the beach a lot. It was close enough to ride our bikes on weekends or just to  hang out after work. All we needed was sunscreen, our beach towel made for two and a few snacks. We ALWAYS spent the day there after church. Hours of sleeping in the sun, smash ball and bodyboarding!

Then I got preggers (2006). We still went…

After Eli was born everyone said our Sunday tradition would stop (2007). It didn’t…

(side note: Burying your baby in the sand is like the best way to keep them close.)

Then Cora Jane was born and we were still hitting the Sand Sundays (2008)…

(Though Hot Hubby’s bodyboarding time turned into skimboarding so he could be close at hand to watch the kiddos.)

Still going (2009)…

Then I had Cy (2010) in the Summer and we weren’t as consistent. Hot Hubby took the big kiddos while I stayed home with the lil’ leech and we went to our local lagoon or pool on Sundays instead.

This Summer we were determined to get back into the beach groove – and we are down at Salt Creek every Sunday after church. We want our kiddos to {heart} the beach as much as we do. And we can’t expect them to just fall in love with the beach when it’s “easy” for us to go!

Sure, we need to pack a bit more than our beach towels and body boards…

And instead of sleeping on the sand we play in it (or clean it off lil’ hands)…

But going to the beach isn’t as hard as you think it will be.

It’s different. But doable.

Here’s a few things to keep in mind when venturing out of your local park/library comfort zone.

~Keep it simple. Wherever you are going don’t think you have to pack for Armageddon. Sure, it’s nice if you have that one thing you may need that one specific time but stick to the necessities. Otherwise you’ll get so caught up with the I must be prepared for everything mind set that the prep will be too stressful and you won’t want to do it again. For the beach, we pack sand toys, sunscreen, towels, snacks, an umbrella and our camera. No change of clothes or extra anything. Somehow we survive.

~Keep it short. We loved our all day beach sessions years ago but our trips now are about 3 hours. As the kiddos get older we hope to start staying longer.

~Always pack snacks. But again don’t get overwhelmed. Sometimes I just throw in grapes, fruit snacks and goldfish, or we may drive thru somewhere on the way.

~Try again. If things don’t go well the first time reassess, modify and go again. You are a parent. I guarantee you’ll have all the kinks worked out by the next trip!

~Don’t stress about having the “perfect day.” Just relax. Every trip may not be magical but you can make it memorable just by going!

~Kids are kids. Get messy, have fun and know the unexpected will happen. i.e. Your kiddo will eventually stop eating the sand (And if they don’t, why not get them checked for anemia at their next well-check?).

We are passing down memories of beach fun to our kiddos.

What’s the “activity” in your family?

Camping. Morning fishing. Movies. Museums. Theme parks. Hiking.

What’s holding you back from actually doing these things with small kiddos?

If we wait till they are old enough for an easy trip (and really, is it EVER easy??) it may be too late to brainwash encourage them into liking what we like.

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Kara Noel Lawson

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