Before I had kids when I wanted to go the beach, I simply grabbed a towel, put on my swimsuit and went. Total time-5 minutes.
Leaving the house is now, a production and it usually goes a little something like this...
Make a list
Sunscreen
Hats
Towels
Blanket
Sand toys
Drinks
Snacks
Wipes
Diaper bag
Extra clothes
Bag for wet clothes
Cash
Purse
Cell phone
Extra swim diapers
Hmmm, I know I forgot something, it's inevitable. Time to pack the bag, first I need to find a bag big enough. Okay, bag packed and ready. Time to get the kids ready. Crap, need to dig the sunscreen back out to put on the kids. Sunscreen on, get them into their swimsuits. Awesome, Kiersten pooped in her swim diaper. Diaper change. Kids all dressed, time for shoes. Made it through shoes without an incident. Aiden needs to pee. Done. All right, let head out to the car. Digging out my keys and the phone starts ringing. It's Daddy wondering how our day is going...hmmm, was he not on parental for 9 months. Pretty sure he knows the answer. Okay, really getting in the car now. Kiersten in and buckled. Aiden-check, Noah-check. Grab the bag and we're good to go. Noah-Mommy I poohed. Awesome, another diaper change. Finally everyone is ready! Total time-30-45 minutes.
Truth be told, I have not even attempted the beach on my own, I'm not that crazy! This is however an everyday occurance for whatever adventure we may embark on. And yes, I do consider going to playgroup, soccer, playdates, the park and so on adventures. You never know what may happen or what you're going to forget. In the end however, just looking at their smiles erases all the exhaustion and stress. It will alway be worth it when it comes to my kids!
