Summer Vacation 2012
For vacation this year, we decided to stay somewhat local and rent a beach house for two weeks. We had a great time, Arianna especially. The weather was fantastic, the food was scrumptious, and, since I completely overpacked, we had everything we needed
Going to the beach with a two year-old requires a lot of stuff and a lot of energy. Reading a novel and snoozing in the sun are distant memories for the parents on the beach. No, wait, let me rephrase that: Reading a novel and snoozing in the sun are distant memories for the moms on the beach. I did bring a book though and I tried to read it. At most I was able to read a page at a time, before something came up. "I need a snack... There's sand in my MOUTH [dry heaving]... Let's go get seashells... A seagull is trying to get my snack!... There's sand on my feet, get it OFF!..." And of course the ever popular "PLAY WITH ME!"
On top of that, I had melanoma concerns. The Skin Cancer Foundation warns that even one bad sunburn in childhood or adolescence can double a person's risk of skin cancer. Your risk also doubles if you've gotten five sunburns at any point in your life. And sunburn gives you wrinkles and makes your skin look leathery, which is really not a good look on anyone. All these concerns and the fact that we are all fair-skinned, made me a little psychotic about it. I applied sunscreen the recommended thirty minutes before hitting the beach, reapplies after swimming and every two hours, and Little Miss sat and played in the shade of the umbrella the entire time. Honestly, sitting in the shade at the beach is like a whole new experience. I didn't sweat and I wasn't uncomfortable at all, it was really enjoyable. Who knew? Happily we all came back just as pale as when we left : )
My other major concern was drowning. I love the ocean but I'm also terrified of it. It's so powerful and mysterious and can swallow up people and boats and cities in the blink of an eye. Roughly twenty people have drowned this year alone in New Jersey, the majority of them being in the beach communities. So we held hands tightly, didn't go in past our ankles, and stood directly in front of the lifeguards.
Aside from my melanoma and drowning concerns, we all had a fabulous time. We collected seashells and made them into art projects, we blew bubbles, went mini-golfing, went to the arcade and went on rides, went to a nearby kiddie amusement park, Marc went to Atlantic City, we went to restaurants and to ice cream parlors. We built sand castles, went to a lighthouse, and had professional pictures taken on the beach. We flew a kite. And we went shopping. Not enough though apparently, because at one point Arianna began to cry and said "I don't want to go to the beach. I want to go shopping!"
Here's a few of my favorite pics from our vacation.
Going to the beach with a two year-old requires a lot of stuff and a lot of energy. Reading a novel and snoozing in the sun are distant memories for the parents on the beach. No, wait, let me rephrase that: Reading a novel and snoozing in the sun are distant memories for the moms on the beach. I did bring a book though and I tried to read it. At most I was able to read a page at a time, before something came up. "I need a snack... There's sand in my MOUTH [dry heaving]... Let's go get seashells... A seagull is trying to get my snack!... There's sand on my feet, get it OFF!..." And of course the ever popular "PLAY WITH ME!"
On top of that, I had melanoma concerns. The Skin Cancer Foundation warns that even one bad sunburn in childhood or adolescence can double a person's risk of skin cancer. Your risk also doubles if you've gotten five sunburns at any point in your life. And sunburn gives you wrinkles and makes your skin look leathery, which is really not a good look on anyone. All these concerns and the fact that we are all fair-skinned, made me a little psychotic about it. I applied sunscreen the recommended thirty minutes before hitting the beach, reapplies after swimming and every two hours, and Little Miss sat and played in the shade of the umbrella the entire time. Honestly, sitting in the shade at the beach is like a whole new experience. I didn't sweat and I wasn't uncomfortable at all, it was really enjoyable. Who knew? Happily we all came back just as pale as when we left : )
My other major concern was drowning. I love the ocean but I'm also terrified of it. It's so powerful and mysterious and can swallow up people and boats and cities in the blink of an eye. Roughly twenty people have drowned this year alone in New Jersey, the majority of them being in the beach communities. So we held hands tightly, didn't go in past our ankles, and stood directly in front of the lifeguards.
Aside from my melanoma and drowning concerns, we all had a fabulous time. We collected seashells and made them into art projects, we blew bubbles, went mini-golfing, went to the arcade and went on rides, went to a nearby kiddie amusement park, Marc went to Atlantic City, we went to restaurants and to ice cream parlors. We built sand castles, went to a lighthouse, and had professional pictures taken on the beach. We flew a kite. And we went shopping. Not enough though apparently, because at one point Arianna began to cry and said "I don't want to go to the beach. I want to go shopping!"
Here's a few of my favorite pics from our vacation.
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