Beaching with Babies

I rarely went to the beach as a child.

My mother disliked sand, and with six children, an excursion to the beach more closely resembled an invasion of enemy territory than a joyful, memory-making opportunity. Because of that, as soon as I became mobile (read: drivers license + car), I made beaching my job whenever I wasn't actually, you know, at my job. Day trips, weekend trips, corn hole on the sand, day-drinking, wave jumping, body surfing, driving on the beach in a jacked up pick-up truck, raising the Jolly Roger high to the croons of Jimmy Buffett - these are all essential parts of the American beach experience!

Topsail, North Carolina - Turtle Haven & Toddler Heaven

The beach is my happy place.

No matter the season and through nearly any type of weather, I experience a great peace when I hear the waves crashing and can feast my eyes on the great expanse of the water. At the end of last summer, we drove to Topsail Island, North Carolina, to spend five days just steps from the ocean, and despite sick children and a less than ideal house situation, we had a great time worrying primarily about applying sunscreen and rinsing the sand off our feet.