As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, I recently went on a week-long beach vacation to the Outer Banks, NC with Jake, Lily, and my in-laws.  The Outer Banks are about a 9 hour car trip from Pittsburgh.  Unless you have a child; then it's 12 hours.  And to make the ride worse, Jake and I realized that Lily gets car sick AFTER hours of throwing up.  We kept saying, "Oh sweetheart, just read this book and you will feel better."  Parents of the year. Motion sickness aside, I learned a few things while at the beach:

1) Toddlers don't understand that the sand on their little hands will be turned into immediate pain when they wipe their eyes.  Prior to this vacation, I didn't know that evolution hasn't taken care of these kinds of issues.  Note to self: Always keep a clean water bucket for hand rinsing and, just in case that doesn't work, always keep saline solution in your beach bag.

2)  The beach is perfect first thing in the morning.  The sun isn't hot yet, the seashells are ripe for the picking, and almost no one it out there with you.  Since I am not the biggest fan of sun, sand, or heat, this was a wonderful thing.  Who wants burnt toes anyway!?

3)  I've heard all about how car rides in the olden days were spent with kids gazing out the window and reflecting on the world.  Don't believe it.  Keep your car stocked with Wiggles CDs and as many episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse saved on your iPad as possible.  Don't expect to listen to one minute of NPR or top 40 hits.  Mickey Mouse = Peace.  Dora, on the other hand, = headaches.  Why must she always be screaming and demanding things??

Also, a 12 hour car ride is NOT the time to fight about whether or not a pacifier is only for bedtime.

4) Rest.  Let other people carry your baby around.  They think it's fun because they don't see her often.  And they will buy her popsicles from the ice cream truck!  And, if you're lucky and your kid acts cute enough (train for this prior to the vacation), you could get babysitting offers!  Lily will be spending all of next summer staying with her Aunt Rose while mommy sleeps and goes to the spa. (That's what we agreed upon, right Rose?)

5)  Have fun!  Lots of it!  Rules are for home.  As are napkins, apparently.

 

This post is sponsored by Culturelle Kids because they love kids having fun and being healthy.  Even the wild and crazy ones.  And especially on vacation when schedules, food, and immune systems can get really out of whack.  No one wants a sick kid at the beach!

And I love Culturelle because it is such an easy way to give Lily a probiotic: it dissolves into any drink, it is flavorless so she doesn't even know she is taking it, and it helps to keep her feeling like the queen of the sand castle!

Note: Though Culturelle sponsored this post, all opinions are my own.  Which is good because I don't think they would want to claim any of them!