summer vacation

Since Jonathan started a new job this summer he didn't have vacation days to spare.  I usually spend a month at the beach each summer and didn't want this year to be too different so I attempted a shorter beach trip with the kids by myself and here's what I learned.

Being at the beach by yourself with two small kids poses some interesting situations.  Take for example the time I left Julianna playing quietly in her room while I took Josh into the bedroom so that I could get a quick shower.  I cleared everything off the floor that he might be able to get into.  I put some baby toys on the floor just outside of the bathroom and since there's a clear glass shower door I figured I could watch him pretty easily from the shower if I left the door open.

Well, everything was going great until about halfway through my shower I felt the water pressure ease up a bit.  I glanced out the shower and there was Joshua flushing the toilet over and over again.

There was also the time that I took both kids in the single jogging stroller for a walk to the swash one morning so that I could get some exercise.  After an hour of Joshua pulling Julianna's hair and kicking her forcefully in the back as she sat on the front of the jogger I soon found myself in the local Target purchasing a double stroller.  Nevermind the fact that my oldest kid is pretty much too old to ride in strollers anymore, if I want to exercise while I'm here then I had to have something that she could ride in.

Or how about the time when I had finally given up on having a decent vacation and decided it would just be easier to put the kids in the car and head home at bedtime one night than ride home early in the morning when they were wide awake? 

Anyway, I'm home now.  Finally recovered and back to co-parenting.  I had a marvelous weekend thanks to help from my much-appreciated husband and it will be a long time before I go to the beach without him again.  And I've started my penny jar for a babysitter to go with us on our next trip.