Well, we ended up getting a little later start than anticipated (almost 8:30am instead of 7am), so instead of planning…we just kind of…WENT. :) This is normally the way my life goes. I figure we are blessed enough that nothing we forget can't be bought at a Target along the way (like a bottle…not like a $200 thing…we're not THAT blessed!!). It makes for a much more carefree approach to life with kiddos. I know I would be heartbroken if I had done all the work to prepare for something and then it didn't go the way I'd planned…and then I assure you I'd never have the nerve to do it again. So, that's kind of my parenting philosophy. :) Plan and be wise about things of your child's character…but be carefree in the "doing things" of life. Kid's need very little and don't have super high expectations of being entertained or pampered…unless you set them up for this by providing that from a very early age. We have been intentional not to do that–and it's worked so far for the most part.
Anyway, I threw a change of clothes, a towel, a quilt, and a bucket and some laundry caps (great bath toys for littles…save them and run them through the dishwasher real quick and you have an instant and free toy! my grandma did this for us when I was a kid. thrifty and it causes children to actually exercise their imagination!) in an L.L. Bean bag that we always travel with. BUT, notice that I forgot diapers and wipes. :) That's how I roll. I realized once we had gotten on the interstate–but, at that point I didn't want to turn back because we had already lost an 1.5hrs of beach time!
Notice that it is 8:23am as we pull out of the driveway…which, is actually quite a feat considering I woke up at 7:45am and we hadn't packed or anything the night before. :) I got the gift of "getting ready swiftness" from my mother, and I am INCREDIBLY and FOREVER thankful for that. It makes it much less daunting to go on these types of adventures.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand, it was rainy and dreary as we left. Twig1 was sad about this and wondered aloud how we were going to stay dry at the "seashore". I prayed and prayed that it would be sunny when we got to the beach. (It was, by the way! No need to leave you in suspense until tomorrow!!)
We then quickly stopped to fuel up the car and get some ROAD TRIP FOOD. Yay! This was the part I was so looking forward to. A giant Diet Mountain Dew and some random treats for the 4 hour car ride ahead.
And, we're off! Without diapers or wipes, just hoping that Twig2 doesn't GO number 2 during our trip. :) Also, see that GPS device by the convenience store bounty of food? It chimed "low battery" 5 minutes into our 8 hour round trip day. GREAT. I had never been where we went and I had NO CLUE how to get there. More on that tomorrow.
So, as you can see…I didn't plan much for this adventure…but it worked to my advantage because I actually left and DID it. If I had obsessed over the details, I would have decided that it was much too much work for a mere 1 1/2 hours at the beach. But it wasn't, dear friends, it ended up being such a magical day.