Coastal Camping

I love going away with my kids for mini, unplanned vacations.  There are some places that I feel more comfortable going with my kids than others without my husband.  The beach is at the top of the list.  So inevitably each summer I take a weekend or two or a couple days mid week and we go to the beach and camp it up.  It's fairly cheap and we're great survivalists. 

Give us stuff for a fire, junk food like hot dogs, chips, S'mores, and we've got dinner and give us sandwich stuff and tons of fruits and vegetables and water and you have our lunches.  Last power pack those days with the often denied sugary breakfast of Poptarts and my kids are in seventh heaven.  The other nights we eat out.  We spend all day on the beach, all late afternoon at the camp playground and all night on the boardwalk. 

And I just happily watch it all, taking pictures where I can, joining the fun when asked and thanking my lucky stars for how good my life is turning out to be!

What?!?!

Sometimes the littlest things about parenting shock me the most.  So when Bella got her braces put on this month, I couldn't believe how fast she was growing up.  But then as I continued to ponder her orthodontia and the fact that our other kids will all have them too, I thought...I could buy a brand new Ford Mustang for the same price as all my kids orthodontia.  And that my friends is a parenting reality check.  This moment brought to you by me.  I hope you're planning financially now for these fun times.  Finished product pictures will be brought to you in approximately 14 months time!  Keep Smiling :)