Our Spring Break was a couple of weeks ago, and this year Randy and I thought it would be a good idea to take the kids to the beach. It's been a while since we've been there and knew the kids would have a great time. We have a little spot that we like in Newport that my SIL showed us that has a bike path and plenty of beach to spread out on where the waves are calm for the kids. We decided that three days away would be perfect, not to long, but longer than our usual overnight trips. I spent the better part of the week before doing research on the best ways to pack for the beach, for the kids, for us. I watched youtube videos, read blogs, and I came up with some great tips and tricks that worked for us that I included at the end of this post if you are heading to the beach soon.
The kids knew we were going to California for break and the Friday before could not come fast enough for these two! Rory loves to pack and travel and was super excited to help me when he got home from school.
Lets go get Rory!!!
After spending the weekend packing up we were ready to hit the road. Rian has found a new love for flip flops just time for our trip.
We are ready
We hit so much traffic that our 3 hour trip turned into 4.5 hours. But the kiddos were troopers!!!
We finally arrived and we just hung out for the night visiting with family. The next morning we jumped back into the car and headed to the beach...Newport bound!
It was so windy and the water was cold, but it was beautiful. There is no such thing as a bad day at the beach.
Rian spent the whole time on the beach digging in the sand.
Rory spent his time down at the water. He drew a shark.
The wind got the best of us and we decided to pack it up and take the bikes out for a trip to get some ice cream.
One of my favorite things about this spot is that the beach is on one side and the marina is on the other. I just love all the boats.
Later that night while having dinner at my SIL's house Rory lost another tooth, one of his top fronts. And just like the others, he was eating. As you know in the past, he usually writes a letter to the tooth fairy to accompany his tooth. But we decided to cut our trip short a day and we headed home right after dinner. The kids fell asleep on the way home, so Rory didn't have a chance to write a letter. So I stepped in and wrote one based on a conversation we had right after the tooth came out.
And yes we put it under his pillow for the TF to find. He woke up the next morning upset that he didn't write his letter and didn't put this tooth under his pillow. Then I showed him this picture and he went running back to his room to look for what the TF had left for him.
His 4 quarters wrapped in two dollar bills with a note.
And with that the first part of the week was over. Our Easter fun is coming up, so stay tuned.
All my packing tips and tricks are next. Whether you are taking a road trip or flying, staying at a hotel or a beach house, check out below for some helpful tidbits that made our trip less stressful.
Tip 1 // TRY ON SEASONAL CLOTHES A FEW DAYS BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO PACK
Since this was going to be the first time we needed swim clothes for the season, I, along with the kids tried on some clothes just to make sure everything fit. Lucky for me it did and I didn't have to make any clothing purchases for us.
Tip 2 // PACK COORDINATING CLOTHES FOR EACH PERSON
Now I don't mean pack matching outfits for the whole family. Pick a color scheme for each person so that instead of packing 5 outfits of different colors, pack only 3 of similar color that can be mixed and matched together to create 2 or 3 more outfits. Less clothes, but the same number of outfits. I chose a red, white and blue color scheme for Rian and green, blue and grey for Rory (although he insisted he wanted to pack his favorite red Lego shirt).
Tip 3 // PACK AS IF YOU WERE FLYING (EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT) AND THE AIRLINE IS GOING TO LOOSE YOUR LUGGAGE.
This is probably my most important tip! I originally packed the kids's clothes in a small duffel bag and backpack that they could each carry, But things were not looking good as I quickly realized that I hadn't even begun packing the beach stuff and it was beginning to look like a family of ten was traveling. This is when Randy starts to complain about how much stuff we are bringing. Luckily for me he was at work and never saw this stage of the packing. Insert tip three here! Out came the carry-on suitcases. Now I consider Randy's complaining equivalent to the airline regulations. So my goal was to fit everything in a carry-on and have one "personal" item bag for each of us. Rory opted not to take his backpack for his toys and just carry his minion that he wanted to bring. But I packed a small bag his suitcase just in case he changed his mind (and would have a personal bag if we were flying). And if you are traveling with little kiddos that have trouble with wheeling around a suitcase, I suggest packing a weekend bag for yourself. It's difficult to wheel two suitcases around in the event that you need to help your little ones. So I packed Rian's stuff in the pink suitcase and I had the weekender bag. That way she could pull her suitcase when she wanted to be independent, and I could shoulder my bag when she needed help with her suitcase and it still left me with a free hand. There is nothing worse when your hands are full and you're trying to guide and direct the kids. They don't really understand the chin-point method. ;0)
Randy // suitcase & small duffle bag
Me // weekend bag & backpack (which is my day-to-day bag right now, but really handy when traveling too)
Rory // suitcase
Rian // suitcase & mini backpack
PACKING THE CLOTES AND THE BEACH ITEMS IN THE SUITCASES
Tip 4 // YOU PACK IT, YOU CARRY IT
This was my mom's golden rule growing up. If you wanted to bring something you had to carry it. I remember more than a few times feeling like I was about to dislocate my shoulder trying to carry a bag that was way too heavy. But that was the rule and I've now adopted it as the kids are getting older. I took the kids to the dollar store and told them they could pick out 3 items each to take the beach. They each picked a pail, with Rory picking a rake set and a paddle/ball game. Rian added a set of mini shovels and a bag of sand molds to her pail. I found that several other moms found it helpful when the kids carried their own stuff to the beach. So in each pail were the kids's items that they picked out at the store, a bag of snacks (orange/apple, crackers, cookies and a granola bar), and their towel.
Sometimes your plan works out perfectly...
...and sometimes it doesn't. Rian refused to walk on the sand at first so I carried a double load.
I kinda knew I was going to have to carry Rian at some point, so I picked up a pack of medium size carabiners at the dollar store and hooked them to my bag so I could attach her bucket to my bag and manage the extra load across the sand.
Tip 5 // CHOOSE LUGGAGE THAT SUITS YOUR FAMILY'S NEEDS
Each one of our suitcases is slightly different, varying in size and features. I try and utilize them so that we get the maximum use out of them without overpacking them. And for this trip I divided the suitcase space into two, one side is for the clothes and the other side is for the beach.
Rory's suitcase it very basic and it fits his needs perfectly. And although it lacks pockets, it is a little deeper than most basic ones.
Rian's suitcase offers a ton of pockets, inside and out and the spaces between the handle casing is perfect for her little shoes, extra diapers or in this case, some of our beach supplies. I also snuck in our beach blanket (sheet) and my foldable beach bag.
Randy's suitcase it a great one. It has all the features that Rian's has but it also has a zippered compartment that allows it to expand the depth if you find yourself needing extra space. I didn't need this feature for this trip but I have many times in the past. In his suitcase I packed mine and his beach towels along side his clothes.
Since I was able to fit my towel in Randy's suitcase it allowed me to fit all my things in a weekender bag. And like I mentioned above, the weekender bag suits our family's needs better than a fourth suitcase at this time.
I hope you find these tips helpful. I know they really worked for us and made life a little more stress-free and isn't that the point of a getaway!?! Let me know if you have any questions or have any tips that have worked for you. The second part of our Spring Break will be up next. :0)
xoxo
-aMie
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