Beach Travel with Kids

Here are a few things to remember if you're traveling to the beach with kids that will be of great help.

1. Rent a beach house. Seriously. They come with a washer, dryer, full-functioning kitchen, and living area. You will be so glad you did. We came home with ONE load of dirty laundry. One. We took tons of snacks, ingredients for breakfasts, lunches, and some dinners. It was so much better than staying in a hotel and really did not cost any more than a hotel. Actually, with not having to pay for lunches or snacks, because most hotels will give you free breakfasts, and being able to do other things instead of being confined to one room like you would be in a hotel, it was cheaper and made life a lot easier.

2. I made sure to take a variety of activities for the kids to do. I know I've blogged about it before, but, Thirty-one has an awesome large utility tote that fit perfectly between both boys' car seats and was easily accessible to them. If you don't want to invest in that, Target has the Cubeicals fabric drawers that work well, too!

3. Doodle books, crayons, map colors, books, and sketch pads. My kids loved these on the 8-10 hour car trip more than the dvd, DSI, LeapPad, etc. And yes, we bought the BIG packs of crayons and colored pencils.

4. Bring lots and lots of sunscreen! LOTS. I have never had to reapply as much as I did while we were on the beach and the boats. I love the Neutrogena baby faces stick for face application. Perfect for squirmy little wormy kids. I used Neutrogena Wet-Skin kids. I should have used the Mustela though. That one was awesome! Neutrogena is okay, but it didn't seem to last very long.

5. I had my kids wear sunglasses and colored bandannas on their heads. Seems weird, I know, BUT it was an easy way for me to keep my eyes on those colored bandannas while they were playing in the water.

6. Find a Buc-ee's and stop there! Cleanest bathrooms and it makes it a lot less intimidating for kids who have qualms about using the bathroom in public. Also, beaver nuggets are the bomb!

7. Flip flops- buy some for your kids...and you. They were so much easier than Crocs to hose off after a trip from the beach. Every beach house we've stayed in has an outside water source, complete with hose and warm water, to wash your feet down before you venture into the house. Crocs get clods of sand stuck in them and are hard to wash out. Flip flops will wash cleanly. I got the boys each a pair of Sanuks. They are a little pricey, but so comfortable! They were able to walk through town with them and the beach. You can just use the $5 ones from Old Navy and those will be just as good in terms of ease in cleaning.

8. Body Butter- You'll need it. Your kids will need it. Trust me on this. Body butter was the only thing that kept my kids moisturized. Salt water and sea air, despite the humidity, will do some insane things to your skin.

Above all, have fun. This was something I had to tell myself because I like clean and I definitely like neat. Yes, your kids will be sandy, dirty, sticky from the saltwater, and in desperate need of baths, but, capturing the first time they see the ocean and watching them play and learn in their environment is so worth it. Now, time to schedule myself a pedicure because the beach has done some serious damage to my feet. Ack!

Port Aransas, TX

This champagne shore washin' over me
It's a sweet sweet life livin' by the salty sea
One day you can be as lost as me
Change your geography and maybe you might be

Knee deep in the water somewhere
got the blue sky breeze blowin' wind thru my hair
only worry in the world
is the tide gonna reach my chair
Sunrise, there's a fire in the sky
never been so happy
never felt so high
and I think I might've found me my own kind of paradise

It has become a tradition, of sorts, for us to vacation at the beach town just outside of Corpus Christi with our friends, The Bradens. This year was chock-full of new experiences for the kids and us. Brian and John spent quite a bit of time fishing and even chartered a boat to take them out almost into international waters. Katie, the kids, and I all took some time in at the beach. Let me say, that Caden is FEARLESS when it comes to the sea and Ethan only wants to dig in every, single crevice to search for any signs of life-current or prehistoric. We were able to watch Kemp's Ridley sea turtle hatchlings be released into the ocean which was an amazing and precious experience. We took a boat around and did some dolphin watching. That was a surreal experience. Sadly, it also meant that we watched a pod of dolphins bring a dead dolphin up to the surface. Ethan told me it's just something they do. If a dolphin is sick, the pod will bring it up to help it get some air. If it's dead, they try to do the same. This was so interesting for me to learn and experience. I was in awe even more over the fact Ethan knew all of this and was more than willing to share it with the group.

We attempted to go crab fishing on a private beach. That was interesting. I'm glad Katie grew up in the Northeast so that she could teach us about these things. The private beach itself was nice. It's located on St. Joe's Island and is only accessible by taking a boat to and from. The kids collected tons of sand dollars, shells, and chased small crabs. It was beautiful! Ethan really enjoyed exploring the tide pools with John while Brian fished, and Katie and the two little ones fished for crabs with nothing more than a chicken wing and a string. (By the by, raw chicken-EW.)

We spent a good chunk of our time at the beach or hanging around town in Port Aransas. Katie and I stopped by our favorite store, Gratitudes, because it always has some great stuff. We went around the souvenir shops with the kids and, of course, Winton's Island Candy for some homemade caramel. We dined at some great restaurants and some not-so-great restaurants. (Beaches restaurant was awesome! Moby Dick's was NOT!) We usually try to do breakfasts and lunches at the condo and only go out for dinner. One night, for dinner, Katie showed me how to make a seafood boil. I can't wait to try to do it on my own. I actually went into a fresh seafood market with her and she showed me the difference in grocery store seafood and fresh seafood. Although this year we stayed longer than last year, it still didn't feel like enough time. Leaving is always sad. Apparently the beach feels the same way because it rained again for the second year in a row, the day we left.

One last thing: I fell IN LOVE with H.E.B. Plus stores. I love H.E.B. So, I just have to ask:

My Little Guidos

My sister, Jamie, came over and showed the boys how to make their own pizza from scratch. Whole wheat crust, olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh mozzarella, garden-grown basil, etc. They had a blast and the best part? They realize the difference in quality between pizzeria pizza and homemade pizza.

Maybe I'll open a pizza place of my own. I can utilize those little muscles of E and C to have an assembly line going. ;)

*Sidenote: I used the dough attachment on my Kitchen Aid and it was awesome!!!

*Another Sidenote: Jamie and I also made the most delicious cake with cake mix, instant pudding, vodka, and Kahlua. It. Was. Balls-to-the-wall-Awesome! Gonna name it, "Momma's Cake" from now on.