Beach chair status

When I first stepped into the Pacific Ocean ten years ago, my toddler bolted straight in. Mind you, this was not a planned beach day. It was an, “Oh, hey, we are driving over here—and look! There’s the ocean! Let’s put our toes in the sand!” kind of day. I chased after her, but she was fast and I was very pregnant and very slow. By the time I got her she was soaked. There were no clean clothes in the car and there was sand everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I was shocked by how much work those fifteen minutes of “toes in the sand” cost me as a mama..⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I must have waited almost a year before going back to the beach with my kids. Going to the beach with small kids is just hard. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good for them. They benefit from the experiences, the small risks, the time playing outdoors, and the exploration.

But it’s also a lot of hard work for parents.. It's no cakewalk attempting to simultaneously smear sunscreen on a wriggling toddler while keeping it out of their eyes. It's exhausting to tirelessly teach toddlers how to judge the size of the waves while standing by to quickly retrieve them when they judge wrong.. It's no vacation to coach your child on how to keep your spot in sight while they are in the water. They have to learn hand signals that say "too far out", "just right", or “too far to the left". I won’t even mention the currents that slowly carry them further north or south along the shore.

And sand. So much sand. Sand in hair. Sand in mouths. Sand in eyes. Sand. Everywhere. Moms don’t typically need to bring a chair to the beach because they know they won’t have a chance to sit down.

I often remember this as I'm unloading our van at the beach. Now I have four sets of hands that help carry things to the beach. These days when we go to the beach we stay all day. Times have changed.

This was my view last week at the beach: All four of my kids in the water boogie boarding with their friends. Each of them knows how deep is too deep. They have all learned how the waves break and how much is too much. I sit and I monitor, but my involvement these days is much more passive. Most Fridays you can find me at the beach, sipping coffee or sparkling water in a beach chair, chatting with two friends. Yes, I have achieved “get-to-bring-a-beach-chair -status! I can now sit in my chair for hours. ⁣⁣ And most Fridays I see another mama setting up nearby while holding a baby and managing a crabby toddler. She has a beach wagon, sand toys, and no beach chair. She doesn't stop moving. She’s tending to her two littles. If I can, I catch her eye and smile, because I remember those days.

You are doing a great job, mama. This is not a vacation for you. But hang in there. Your kids appreciate the work you do to make this day happen. Beach chair status is coming and is totally worth the wait.

Unwind Sleepy Spray

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to good health and with the long and busy days of summer, it's sometimes hard for my kids to wind down after a fun-filled day. It's even harder when the sun stays up longer than they do. This sleepy spray creates a dreamy atmosphere and helps them wind down.

Tip: Give this a try yourself when you are traveling. I always find it harder to fall asleep when it's not my own bed.

Snippets of My Week

Wednesday morning's hike was above the clouds. Just beautiful.

43 books returned to the library and every single one of them was overdue. How do you keep track of due dates for your library books?!

Our very favorite used bookstore in town is finally opened again! We brought home stacks of Newberry Award winners and a few fun baking cookbooks.

Thanks for reading! Have you had a "beach chair status" moment? Or something similar? I’d love to hear about it! Just hit reply if you’d like to respond. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.