Tales From The Beach...with Kids.

Happy Hump Day!

On Monday afternoon the girls and I headed out to the beach house for a week of sun, fun, and water! It's become a July 4th tradition the past two years. 

July 4th 2014

The group of us includes my family, plus my brother Jay, Katie, Kennedy, Alisha, Harper, and Josh.

We've been relaxing  hanging out and doing nothing but playing, eating, drinking...and teaching these kids how to share. 

Sitting around yesterday we started talking about what it would be like if we didn't have kids with us and nobody in the group was about to give birth (Alisha's due date is a little over 2 weeks). Basically we'd be over at the beach tiki bar, hanging around at the pool, reading magazines, getting sun, maybe a trip to the spa, and most likely 100% tipsy. 

There is no argument that vacationing with kids, is something some people wouldn't even call a vacation. I'm talking young kids, under the age of 5. 

It's exhausting at times, frustrating at times, but it's all about building these memories and having fun WITH OUR KIDS. But sometimes what we think would be fun for our kids, turns out not to be fun for anyone. 

That's how this morning went. 

We decided to take a early trip to the beach, figuring if there's any "best" time to go to the beach, it's as early as we can possibly get out there. 

We figured we'd only be there for about an hour, two at most, so we packed light. Sunscreen,towels, and water. We loaded the kids up in their strollers and down the road we strolled to the beach.

By the time we made it to the sand, the fun level was already at 70%. It was 10 am and miserably hot. 

A couple meters into the sand, towards the water, pulling two strollers and four kids with us. Fun level 50%. 

Then a very nice couple saw us struggling and helped us with the stroller. 
Fun level 60%.

Thinking about the way back without this wonderful help, I told the nice couple to just park our strollers by the grassy area (probably 100 yards from the ocean). We parked the strollers, gathered our valuables and headed to the water. 

All four kids were racing to the water, screaming "water!!" with excitement! (They've seen the ocean before...)

Fun level 100%!

We get to the shore line and the excitement stops. No one wants to go in the ocean. Partly because we're all secretly scared of getting that flesh eating bacteria and partly because the water was a bit choppy. The girls had little interest, other than looking at the waves come crashing in. 

We walked along the shore for maybe 5 minutes. Took some photos, sat in the sand, smiled, and thought about how much better the pool sounded than this sticky misery.

Getting the strollers back to the road was something out of a comedy. We had Alisha thinking she's about to go into labor, Harper not wanting anyone to carry her except Alisha. Me with the two girls, two beach bags, and a double stroller. And Katie with the stroller, cooler, and Kennedy.

I don't know if you've ever tried pushing a stroller in the sand, but let me highly discourage you from ever giving it a try.

We made it to the house, after all kids had their own kind of melt down along the way, and immediately jumped in the pool. We decided not to give the beach another go until the guys came back to help us with everything. 

While it had it's enjoyable moments, the experience was one that makes us wonder why we ever thought it was a good idea to being with. That's what we get for trying to create these fun adventures with the kids, when they're happiest in the pool with a Popsicle. :) Life with Kids. 

P.S. Alisha didn't go into labor.

Hope everyone is enjoying the week!! 

XOXO

Becoming 4: 10 things you will experience with Baby #2

When I got pregnant with Penelope, so many crazy emotions went through me the entire 9 months of that pregnancy.

I cried about loving another child other than Sophia. I cried about not being able to give Sophia all my attention. I cried while everyone sang happy birthday to Sophia at her 2nd birthday. I cried listening to country songs. I cried at my best friend’s bridal shower. If I was alone there was a good chance I was crying about something. And that’s totally not me.

Then someone told me something: the best gift you can give your child is a sibling.

And I thought about it. I thought about my childhood with my siblings.

And just like that, all was good.

Well, Not all good. Those emotions…that's just the beginning. Penelope hadn't even arrived yet.

The first month was hard and things got harder when Sophia was out of school for holiday breaks. Breastfeeding a baby and having your other baby asking you for things every 5 seconds is not fun. You'll feel like you are literally being pulled in two opposite directions.

You start to realize that letting your newborn cry for a few extra minutes is a lot easier than dealing with a 2 year old's temper tantrum. If both kids are crying, deal with the toddler first. They will be the quick fix (food, drink, getting a book off a shelf, etc), while the newborn baby will need more time.

Your 1st child may do things to get your attention. They may revert back to some old habits or become more sensitive to things. They will start asking for things that the baby has. "Where are my smashed up avocados? Where is my bib? Where are my new shoes/hat/pants/shirt? Where is my bottle/boob/pacifier? Why don’t I wear diapers anymore?”

10 things you will experience with Baby #2:

1.  You’ll wonder why you ever thought having one child was difficult. Going to the grocery store with one child will feel like a breeze. Getting one child in a car seat will feel like the easiest task in the world. Getting everyone ready to leave the house will take forever! Everything you did with your first, double it. Because you will be doing all those things with two humans…plus yourself, so make it three humans.

2. Laundry increase: the amount of dirty clothes that appear in the laundry basket is something sort of a magic trick. I don't know how, when, why, or where all these clothes come from, but I do know some are filled with dirt and paint and others are filled with baby poop, throw up, and sweet potato.

3. Disease control. Your first baby was sniffle and sneeze free for an entire year. Your second baby will most likely get whatever your preschooler brings home from school. Sophia was almost never sick. Penelope was in the hospital with RSV at day 10 of life.

4. The feeling of being outnumbered. Unless you have nanny on hand (let’s not kid ourselves), you’re going to think REAL hard about how to be two places at once. How do you feed the baby AND make a peanut butter sandwich for your toddler? How do you get baby to sleep with toddler trying to give them kisses every 18 seconds? You’ll figure it out.

5. You will dread the day your second baby becomes mobile. With you first, you encouraged and praised them when they started walking. With your second you will pray for inspector gadget arms when you have two running in opposite directions. Cherish those short few months when all baby does is sleep, eat, and poop. Cherish.Them.

6. Baby proofing the house will look like a joke. Your second baby isn't interested in those light sockets you forgot to cover; they're more interested in learning how to climb up the couch, belly flop to the ground, nearly knocking out their teeth....exactly how their sibling just showed them. 

7. Wardrobe mishaps: First baby had a wardrobe that rivaled Rachel Zoe’s. Every outfit had matching accessories and shoes.  You’re second child will probably be shoeless half the time, wearing the same 5 outfits that rotate out the laundry, because that’s the easiest solution on a busy morning.

8. Leaving the house: with your first child you packed up your whole house (felt like it) when you made a trip. With number two, you know you only need two things: diapers and wipes. You'll have a baby in one arm while holding your others child's hand. You want to carry an additional 10 lbs worth of stuff you don't need? Nope.

9. Fighting. Oh the joy of innocent sibling fighting. It’ll happen, probably sooner than expected.

10. Totally new things. You think you experienced it all with baby #1. Birthing horror stories, poop horror stories, laugh so hard you peed yourself stories.Then things happen with baby #2 and you'll think "Well that's a first..."

While the differences will be innumerable, some things will be exactly the same. Those "I don't want to be put down" moments when you think your arm will fall off at any moment. Those emotions when you feel like everything is a mess and you want to crawl in a hole and come out when your kids go to bed. That feeling of pure amazement when you look at your new baby. That feeling of uncontrollable love when you think your heart is literally bursting. All the feels. If you felt them with your first, they will come back. Double in size. 

All children, no matter which numerical order they come in, are blessings.

They are all different and they are all the same.

Time goes by fast and you are now an old timer telling all those first time moms how fast it does. 

XOXO

A Week Of Nothing; 10 Things You Can Do Without Plans

When you're a mother with young kids, every day is different. And it's only different because that's the way you make it. 

I'm guilty of packing our calendars with play dates, lunch dates, appointment's, etc. and it actually ends up with me getting a tad overwhelmed. If I feel this way, do my kids?!

Recently I started thinking about Summer and "WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE WE GOING TO DO?!" entered my mind. I started thinking about summer camp, weekend getaways, what kind of annual passes we have, and all other things moms think about when Summer starts peaking around the corner. 

Then I thought, how about we just make a week of NOTHING! Doesn't that sound nice?Sometimes you have to wipe your calendar clean and keep it that way for a few days. It's good for both you and the kids. They don't need constant zoo trips, lunch dates to eat french fries, or pool days. Those are all super fun but it's easy to get burnt out. 

When I don't have anything on the calendar for a day and someone asks me what I'm doing, I quickly say "Nothing". As in "nothing, so don't ask me to do anything."

But am I really doing nothing? Days with "no plans" means I can do things that I need/want to get done. 

10 Things You Can Do Without Plans

1. Get random hours of work done. To me, this means going to the office and entering data into Quickbooks and/or balancing bank accounts. If the girls are with me at the office they are either destroying the office, watching tv, or eating all the office snacks.

2. Clean up the house a little bit more. Pick up toys and put them in their designated toy binds, clean yogurt stains off the couch, and tiny hand prints off glass doors. 

3. Do some laundry; get that load of laundry finally out of the dryer, hang up that pile of clothes over there, or  put the clothes away in the correct drawers.

4. Actually make dinner, or cook a meal that doesn't consist of mac-n-cheese or something out of the crockpot (although always very tasty).

5. Sit down.

6. Snuggle, make funny faces, play airplane, and giggle on the floor. 

7. Catch up on Scandal or other shows taking up all my DVR space while the girls "cook" me cupcakes and soup in their play kitchen.

8. Go outside and play in the backyard with the dogs. Blow bubbles or paint the porch with chalk. 

9. Have a picnic in the backyard. Nothing formal. Just grab a towel, water, and pretzels and go sit in the backyard. 

10. Pop popcorn and watch a movie. OR, clean out the fridge and pantry while the kids are mesmerized by a Disney classic. :)

All these might sound like plans, but this is all stuff you can do without making plans! Isn't it great? 

What is your favorite thing to do when you don't have plans?

XOXO