When you think of the beach do you think of a cool ocean breeze, that yummy coconut smell of sunscreen, reading magazines & sand between your toes? I have been having trouble with this lately. Not that I don't love the beach, because I do and always have. If you ask my husband- he wouldn't know that. When I think of the beach lately, I think of STRESS- not stress relief.
I come home after a long work week to pack up the kids (3 1/2 & 2), dog, clothes, diapers, toys, food, loveys, bathing suits...then my clothes and stuff. My husband who is an amazing dad helps load the car, but I do all of the planning and packing. Then there are the thoughts of leaving at the right time to beat any traffic we may hit. Then unpacking our stuff...kids...dog & etc. into my husband's sister's beach house. Thank you sis for always being a wonderful hostess and even handing me a much needed marguerita upon arrival!! Then, I hope my kids will eat anything for dinner or all weekend besides bowls of chips and juice boxes. Then there is the sunscreen process the next morning before we hit the beach & the lugging of everything to the beach and making sure we haven't fogotten any of our necessary beach items. My magazine...always in the bag, but somehow never gets read. Then there is the umbrella set up and the monitoring of kids running on our towels and those towels of beach goers around us. Now there are those moments once we are there that I really do have fun playing with my kids in the sand or just even sitting and watching them be silly or in wonder of everything around them. And there are times that I can smell the coconut sunscreen and pull out my magazine. Usually, once I am all set up with my magazine, I hear "Mommy, I've got to go potty". So up through the hot sand I lug my daughter piggy back with a full bladder to the public restroom, "yuck- don't touch anything!"
After a few hours of sun and tired kids, we head back to the car to ride back to the house to get two sleepy sandy kids out of the car into the shower. Then again...fingers crossed they eat dinner in a strange place with unfamiliar foods and go to sleep soundly in an unfamiliar bed. Then on Sunday to find and pack all of the trail of things we have left to head home where I can un-pack the tired kids, worn out dog, dirty toys, sandy everything, wet bathing suits, damp clothes & did I remember my??? Where is my??? What do I have scheduled tomorrow? Uh oh...
But is all of this work worth it for a few stolen moments of relaxation on the actual beach or with family at the beach house? I think it is and couldn't imagine not giving my kids these weekends with their Aunties, Uncles and cousins, but just not every weekend of the summer. It physically drains me! Then off I have to go to work Monday in a sandy car missing my kids who I feel I didn't even get to snuggle or relax with all weekend. Is it selfish to feel this way? Is is selfish to want just stay home and relax...putter around in my garden with my kids watering behind me with there cute little cans? I just want to make plans with friends and relax at home on most weekends. Don't get me wrong- I love going to the beach and love our family- just like I love Christmas. But sometimes too much beach is like too much Christmas. I think I would much rather take a week's vacation at the beach and spend most of my weekends home. Does anyone else feel this way?
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