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Backwards N High Heels

Balancing work and play while wearing many hats (I mean heels).

Surviving The Beach With Kids

August 15, 2016

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I was going to title this Blog post – Beach Hacks or Tips for Beaching With Kids. SEO friendly post titles that get straight to the point of my message. But, as I reflect on our beach vacation (you can read all about it – Here) I realized, those titles, just won’t do.

No, sometimes, it is straight up survival mode around here. And, well, sand and waves, you really are no exception.

Children are tough little cookies and they require more work and attention when it comes to beach planning than I myself every did.

I pretty much took three things to the sandy shores – 1) a beach chair 2) a magazine 3) a cold beverage. I was set.

Yeah, not so much anymore. Thank goodness my in-laws rent an oceanfront home each year which saves us from completely thinking ahead, as we merely run across hot coals, I mean the sand, to the house for said items. But, while we do have that advantage to our stay, I still find the following beach tips necessary to share.

  1. Zip Lock Baggie It

    I have a Lifeproof cell phone case, but that does not mean I confidently leave my phone on my towel or in the cup of my beach car. No! I still zip lock baggie that baby. I even will throw extra bags in our cooler. They are great for holding a pacifier, snacks, random seashells found on the beach and that precious cell phone!

  2. Baby Powder

    Sprinkle some of this magic pixie dust on your little ones feet and legs to easily remove sand. It is much better than rubbing a towel against your child’s skin which can easily irritate.

  3. Dig A Bed

    I know, you are thinking… “What?” Laying a towel on the sand and climbing under the umbrella, while sounds appealing actually is the worse “mattress” you may sleep on in your life. Have you tried? It is hard! And, yet, you see parents do it over and over for their kids. Use the palm of your hand to scoop the sand left and right to create an indent (almost like a cradle). Then lay a towel over the sand and place child. We even do this for the older kids, creating mini recliners in the sand.

  4. Pack Snacks… And Well!

    Unless you want to make multiple runs from the ocean to your lodging, pack some great snacks. Always prepare to be on the beach for a length of time. Even if you are not! We pre-make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, gummies, pretzels, goldfish crackers, etc. Try to pack individual snacks so nothing goes to waste and you can accommodate multiple people.

  5. Freeze Water Bottles & Use As Ice

    This tip accompanies the tip above. Food safety is a must. Especially on a hot beach. Keep cold foods cold with frozen bottles of water. 1) They tend to last longer than heaping piles of ice and 2) They are multi-purpose. As they melt you eventually have water and we also use the bottles to cool down. Placing the bottle against the back of our necks for some instant relief.

  6. Beach Towel

    This Towel for the win! My sister-in-law, Abbey scored this great beach find. It repels sand! Yes. You read that correct.

  7. Water Shoes

    This was a total whim, but I am glad I purchased and packed. When we got to the beach we were greeted by lots and lots of jellyfish. They were in the water and all over the shore. Within the first hour, my oldest niece was stung three times and she never went in the water! I packed the shoes for the rough ocean floor but these provided some comfort and piece of mind for walking across the jellyfish invested shore. Try These or These!

  8. Pack A Spray Bottle of Vinegar

    For the fries, y’all! Just kidding. Hence the tip above and the jellyfish dilemma and possible stings. I had always heard, you pee on a jellyfish sting. I think that public form of medicine is looked down upon. Vinegar does the trick! We actually learned that from a lifeguard. Vinegar takes the sting out.

  9. Reusable Shopping Bags

    These make great beach bags! Coming from a self-proclaimed, “fashion girl” – skip the beach bag fashion. Unless you are in Saint-Tropez… no one cares! These are great for toting sandy towels and toys and they rinse up and dry great. Seriously, save your money.

  10. 5 Gallon Bucket

    Can’t you tell from the photo above? My dear daughter and our young nieces and nephews enjoyed every single moment with this bucket! Fill that sucker up with ocean water and watch the kiddies frolic around it like it is a magic well or something. No, in all seriousness, it is great for quick washes of the hands and feet, for sand castle play and for even quick dunks from the sun.

Do you have a beach tip that I missed? If so, share in the comments section below. Happy beaching!

Enjoyed this post?  Awe, thanks. I am blushing. We can connect through facebook || twitter || instagram || pinterest || bloglovin’
TOMS Shoes

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Family, Travel TAGGED: Backwards In High Heels, Backwards N High Heels, Backwards N High Heels Lifestyle Blog, BackwardsNHighHeels, Beach Hacks, Beach Tips With Kids, Beach Vacation, Being A Mom, Mom Advice, Motherhood, Parenting, Parenting Hacks

Beaching In South Carolina

August 7, 2016

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Things have been QUIET around here.  Not like in the physical home form (oh, contrary) – I am talking about on the Blog Diggity.

We have been beaching it up for the past week in South Carolina. Shout out to the Palmetto State, you are beautiful.

Each year my husband’s side makes the pilgrimage for a week of fun, sun, laughter, crying, whining, food & drinks (oh, lots of drinks) and little to no relaxing. Yes, you read it right – little to no relaxing. What all vacations are made of!

Oh, and there were selfies. Lots and lots of selfies!

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We take it in great stride. It has not always been this way and won’t always either. In fact, this is the 10th summer I have spent with his side ocean front and many, many years were spent staying out late, bar hopping, shopping for cute cover-ups and suits (for hours, not minutes), dining out often and staying on the beach from sun up to practically sundown.

8 Adults. 8 Children (Ages 7 and under) and 1 House. Yes, 1 house. What the hell are we thinking? I swear I question our sanity each year as we load up the SUV’s and truck, and place sleeping babies in their car seats and take bets on how long until – “Are we there yet?” begins or complete meltdowns and bribery take place. The trip is long, even for us adults. Although, the kids were champs, except for my nephew, Sam. I think he puked about 4 times along I-95. Just kidding. Not about the puke, but about the champ comment. In reality, he can take the crown for longest car ride ever for a car sick little boy.

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My sister-in-law, Amie wins the most-creative-mom award for entertaining her kiddies with a small toy on the hour. Unlike Nathan and I who purchased a portable DVD player and three DVD’s and popped that sucker in the moment Lo made her first peep. Anyways, Amie shopped at the local Dollar General before we left and gift wrapped coloring books, stickers, small figures, etc and allowed the kids to select one as each hour passed – all 9 long hours. So, take note, fellow parents of little kids, as you plan a long roadtrip. Just calculate better. Amie missed an hour so we had to convenience them dinner was one of their gifts!

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I made the point to someone that driving to South Carolina was sort of like having a baby. The trip is painful like delivery. The beach week is delightful like the baby and the whole experience is so worth it that you do it over and over again, forgetting the upfront pain (hence, why women have more than one child and why this growing family keeps going back for more and more).

The week flew by. But, it always does when you are on vacation. Time is never enough. You feel selfish for wanting more and yet deserving for not having enough. Or, at least we do! When you work so hard all year and await this one week yearly, you can feel selfish with your time and money. Vacation almost becomes a celebration of all your hard work.

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And, while there were meltdowns, and there were fights over baby dolls and pacifiers and swim gear and sand toys, our 8 human beings are so lucky to have this experience and each other.

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My daughter woke up screaming in pure joy each morning when she heard her cousins outside our bedroom door.

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We also successfully went out for, wait for it – lunch. Which could have been like a tornado hitting a house but we managed to get through it with minimal wind damage. One child dive bombed off a chair sideways and most-creative-mom, Amie, turned into most-easily-persuaded-mom and then morphed into thank-the-heavens-you-think-of-this-crap-mom, purchasing cotton candy and rainbow popcorn PRE-lunch for us all to snack on at the table. I think for 2 minutes all of us were in our dining room seats eating, but as meltdowns began to occur an adult and child would pop-out. Hey, small victories, right? This was one.

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The only proof we have that this happened.

Somehow we also managed a birthday party for the family “triplets.” Really a set of identical twin boys and an ornery red head girl who all shared their third birthday just days a part.

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Someone get my daughter a slice of cake.

It helps that us adults enjoy our morning bloody marys and afternoon Corona’s with lime, because when the chaos hit a high and the majority of our children were whining like baby birds waiting for Momma Bird to drop a worm, we would look across the madness, open the refrigerator or uncork some wine and just laugh.

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When all else fails, just stick your kid in a water filled bucket! 15 minutes of fun.

So, I am not refreshed for Monday morning – sorry, world! I am not richer – much poorer and I am not relaxed, oh the opposite – I am pretty beat.

I am; however, content, grateful and fulfilled.

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We have given our Lo girl and along with our family, our 7 nieces and nephews some amazing memories. We do it all for the kids right? And, us too! We laughed much, we ate well, raised our glasses, got some serious tans (y’all I looked like Casper pre-vacation) and were able to carve out time some much needed family time.

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P.S. – One twin boy and adult men missing. P.S.S. – I do not know why we packed clothes! Diaper and swimsuit week.


Enjoyed this post?  Awe, thanks. I am blushing. We can connect through facebook || twitter || instagram || pinterest || bloglovin’

The Honest Company

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Family, Travel TAGGED: Adulthood, Backwards In High Heels, Backwards N High Heels, Backwards N High Heels Lifestyle Blog, BackwardsNHighHeels, Beach Trip With Kids, Beach Vacation, Beaching In South Carolina, Being A Mom, Mom Advice, Motherhood, Parenting, South Carolina Vacations

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