Some Accepted Truths About the Beach

1. There is no way to get all of the sand out of Peanut’s fat rolls and we gave up trying about mid-week and figure that we will give him one great bath as soon as we get home.

2. The family shower at the outside shower at the beach house is the best call upon returning from the beach. We juggle kids from one of us to the other until somehow we all end up without sand on us and then go on up for whatever meal awaits us (unfortunately we didn’t figure out this magic configuration until Thursday afternoon).

3. Little Man eats twice his normal food intake after playing in the ocean – and we have just accepted that while on a beach vacation there probably won’t be any vegetables on the menu, in fact the menu has been limited to pizza, hot dogs, mac and cheese, ice cream, cookies and blue Gatorade.

4. While we will bring a ton of food with the good intention of making our own meals instead of going out to eat – we will probably only make one meal and then decide that no one should have to cook while on vacation SO we will either go out or order in every night and save the left overs for lunch the next day ensuring that we gain at least 10 pounds.

5. If we don’t reach that 10 pounds from going out to eat, we will make the difference up in eating fudge and other fun chocolate and purchasing it on Tuesday and thinking we will bring some home for gifts for our friends is really just a joke…so we will have to stop by on our way out of town and see if it survives the drive home!

6. The coupon for FREE HERMIT CRAB with the purchase of crab condo is just a way to lure parents into getting the first pet for their kid and then having to explain how Mrs. Hewitt (the hermit crab) aka Abby Crabby went to hermit crab heaven when he was totally forgotten about and not given any food or water for days. Oh the cruelty of the free crab with condo coupon.

7. When Little Man says “I want to go to beach house now” it really means, “My hands are messy from the sand and I want to go back to the beach house and rinse off and then whine to go back to the beach again” so the better solution is to take him into the ocean and show him how to rinse off in the water. This ritual will be performed at least 4 times an hour while at the beach.

8. Peanut has proven to us that he is the most transportable sleeper ever. He has slept on the beach (on a towel and in his tent), on a boat ride, in the car, in our arms, in his pack n play, at the aquarium. We have learned that he can power nap and then be ready to go as long as he gets fed on time he is a happy happy baby.

9. It is possible to lay out in the sun, book in hand with no worries with 2 young kids (if you time naps right and your wonderful husband agrees to stay inside to listen for kids). It might only happen once during the vacation, but it can happen and it WILL BE as good as you remember.

10 No matter what we do, we will bring the beach back with us to the house and we will be finding sand in places for weeks. Not that I am complaining at all, I will accept sand for weeks in my house and the fat rolls of the baby for a perfect week like we just had!