We have been planning. We have been learning. We have been making lists and checking them twice. We’ve purchased tickets, printed confirmation pages and have anxiously, oh so anxiously, counted down.
And now, in 4 days, we leave for our first family beach vacation. Sea World and the San Diego Zoo are waiting for us. A condo 50 yards from the beach stands clean and ready, waiting for the sounds of sandy feet prancing and sun-soaked laughter. To say that I’m excited is an understatement. I am positively giddy. I get so much joy from creating memories for my children. We didn’t take vacations like this when I was a kid, and I am so happy that we can provide them for our children.
So, like any good teacher-mom, we’ve spent lots of time learning about everything we will see and do. I’m a big fan of knowledge and how that can make an experience exponentially more pleasurable. Imagine visiting Philadelphia without knowing the background of The American Revolution. Sure, it’s a beautiful city and you’d have lots of fun. But knowing all the treasures of that city, wanting to explore them and getting deep into history…that makes it so much better! That’s how I’ve approached this vacation with our children. We’ve dived headfirst into all things ocean. We’ve checked out and poured over tons of books on all things ocean related, from seahorses and seals to sharks and starfish. We’ve read books on dolphins and are fluent in dolphin-ese (Brooklyn is very good at squeaking). And we’ve crafted. Oh, how we’ve crafted.
Paper plate glitter seahorses. Quite easy…easier to clean up if you do it outside on the patio.
Coffee filter jellyfish. A bit of watercolor, a coffee filter, tissue paper, and a whole lot of patience from Mama.
Tomorrow are finger print fish. Maybe. I’m a little crafted out and I have some packing to do. đŸ™‚
We’ve tried out new goggles. Speedo makes the best, and I scored a 3 pack for $12. Not that I expect my kids to dunk their heads in the ocean; in fact, I would be quite surprised if any of them actually got in deeper than their ankles the whole week.
You see this little love-bug? She has four teeth coming in right now. So, lets all hope and pray that she isn’t miserable next week, mmkay? Just in case, Motrin is in the bag. Poor little seahorse.
Sea breezes. Sandy toes. Cold watermelon dripping down chins. Sunscreen flavored cheeks and salty skin. Magnificent sunsets and seagulls on the horizon.
I may have to be dragged home.
A Tale of Three Cities 