When Things Don't Go As Planned

I sat in Downtown Greenville last Sunday night laughing with my best friends at the couples we saw with no kids. We remembered the spontaneity of those days fondly, realizing that they were good days, but so are these.

Nothing spontaneous about taking four kids to the beach for four days!

I made a list of things to pack before we left that was three pages long!

Eric and I sat earlier this week planning what we'd do each day, when the kids would nap, what we'd eat, what nights we'd go out, etc.

"Nothing spontaneous" means nothing went unplanned.

When Annabelle woke up Wednesday morning with a fever, my statement went something like, "Why can't anything be easy?" Honestly, a vacation isn't a vacation when you've got a sick kid.

Not wanting to have her out in the heat of the day, we sunscreened, suited, and loaded everyone up last night for a few hours at the beach. We stopped for dinner in the quaint, Calabash, NC. During dinner a storm blew in--the works, thunder, lightening and big, summer raindrops. Instead of heading to the beach, we headed to a Redbox for a movie and popcorn night.

As we tucked our kiddos in bed last night, I was discouraged that nothing had gone as planned. Rain was in the forecast for today, so Eric and I scoured the internet for things to do in case we couldn't be outside.

Today is Friday and it's the first time we've seen the beach! We woke this morning to a big sunshine and it was a beautiful morning at the beach. The breeze blew off the ocean making it almost chilly in the shade--the kind of day you could get super sunburned and never know it because you never really feel the heat. One of my favorite things to do is watch my kids play on the beach, and they didn't disappoint. It was Little Man's first time to see the ocean and the giant sandbox we call the shore! He loved the waves and was, like the rest of us, covered in sand before leaving! The girls giggled remembering the awe of God's vast ocean and understanding in a new way what their Daddy and I mean when we say, "I love you more than the sand on the beach and bigger than the ocean!"

Ironically, after we got back to our condo, it began to rain. It was God's gentle reminder to me that he's in control no matter how much I try to plan!

Thank you, Creator, for a wonderful morning full of memories!

Pictures to follow...

Beach Bound!

After a visit to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia...
We settled into our condo, had a quick dinner, and swam until bedtime! At which time, four sleepy kiddos fell asleep dreaming of tomorrow--a day at the beach!

Make-It Monday: Painting

Here are some of our favorite activities using paint:

(there are no pictures, sorry, remember our camera in Mexico?)

• Car Painting: place a few blobs of paint on a sheet of paper and allow your kids to drive cars through the paint. This makes a fun design especially if you use cars with different wheels. If you use cardstock, this also makes a great card for grandma! When they're finished painting, my kids love filling the sink or water table and creating a car wash. I give them sponges, toothbrushes, rags, etc.--this is a nice activity that keeps them busy for a while! More detailed instructions can be found here.
• Crayon Resist Painting: we haven't done much of this, but what we've done, my kids have been fascinated with. Check here for some ideas.
• Painter's Tape: we use the blue tape meant for taping baseboards and ceilings before painting a room to make different pictures. I will say this works best when using cardboard to paint on instead of paper. I've made the kid's initials and let them paint around them, carefully removed the tape to reveal the first letter of their name still in white. We used painter's tape for the Fourth to make American flags--they turned out great! You can also practice shapes with small children or let older children make simple outlines like a house!
• Rolling Pin Painting: we use old cereal boxes most often to paint on. A few weeks ago, when we'd reached the point of growing bored with "just painting," I got a few sheets of paper and the kids put it right on top of the pictures they'd been working on. They then passed my rolling pin around taking turns rolling the print from their painting onto the white paper. They LOVED this activity!
• Outside Painting: the dollar store usually sells packs of regular size paintbrushes (like the kind you'd paint a wall with). These are great with a bucket of water. My kids love painting the driveway and are fascinated with watching their painting disappear.

There are so many other ideas out there that we haven't yet tried. These we've all tried with relative success...hope there's some success for you and your little Picasso too!

Mexico Pictures!

The Summer's Greatest Invention

The Dripstik!

It's simply brilliant and works surprisingly well for both popsicles and ice cream cones!

And...uh...Katie really needs one!!

Make-It Monday: Learning to Tell Time

Ella Grace has been very interested in the passage of time for . . . well, a long time. We made these clocks from the template found here a few weeks ago:


One thing we enjoyed doing was reading The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle, a story that mentions different times of the day throughout.

Enjoy!

Happy 4th Tu-Tu You!

inspiration found here.