Last week the kids and I hit the road to take advantage of Spring Break and being able to visit with friends. Although planning and packing for a 5 hour car trip and 3-day stay away from home has become more streamlined, it's still an ordeal. Toss in driving and round-the-clock childcare and the thrill of a good challenge gets even better.
Luckily, the kids are good travelers, having become acquainted at a tender age with I-5 and 400+ mile jaunts. I have learned that when traveling, lists are my friend. It helps me when I pack up at home and when it's time to go home. The kids are learning how to pack their own suitcases. Travel Light can actually be our motto now.
Last Tuesday well all hit the beach. Lucky us in SoCal, where it was sunny and warm. The water was cold but the sand was toasty. James actually played in the waves by himself and enjoyed the advance/retreat rhythms of their dance. He grabbed handfuls of wet, gloppy sand and threw them at the waves. He rolled and crawled in the warm sand. He seemed to enjoy walking on the pebbly patches of beach in his bare feet. He sidled away to slide at the play area.
The kids' Easter beach towels were christened and I used all the extra towels in the van. Hey, I know where my towels are ... I am a frood and hoopy mom.
There was packing and unpacking of clothes and groceries. Exploration of where we stayed and our friends' house. Cooking and eating of good food by all, and consumption of strawberries and fine sherry by the grownups. I kept up the potty training, did 5 loads of laundry and ran 4 dishwasher loads while we were there. Oh, and gave 2 baths to remove approximately 10 pounds of sand from my children.
I know it's counter-intuitive to say that we tackled a vacation and won, but that's almost what it felt like!
This Saturday, we'll be tackling the Walk for Autism Speaks. We are looking forward to it!
What was your challenge? Read and be inspired at Tackle It Tuesday on 5 Minutes for Mom. Post your own story to share with other Tacklers.
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