While Saturday it poured, Sunday’s weather was beautiful! It was a great day for church, lunch out, naps then a boat ride. As fas as the boys’ shoes go, I’ve tried so many pairs, but I always go back to the tried and true grey velcro New Balances. The other super cute ones always seem to run narrow, and my boys’ feet are so wide. And Logan rarely will wear anything else, but his Crocs. I’ve always loved saddle shoes on boys, but they were always too tight on my boys’ feet. Well, I tried Keds on the other day, and they fit Vaughn well. Still too tight for Logan. I like the pair is Vaughn wearing more than other saddle shoes too, because they seem to be more padded and comfortable. Plus, they’re currently on sale for $23.96! Girls are wearing their Saltwater Sweetheart Sandals and Logan is wearing his crocs, as always. I have a pair of these sandals in tan, but he refuses to wear them.
Running has been a little challenging with all of this rain this past week, but I’ve been managing to squeeze it in most days. I did get caught in a serious downpour on Saturday, so I came in for a bit until it stopped, and then went back out with dry clothes to finish.
Many of you have asked about how I liked the wine in a can that I posted about on Thursday and over the weekend. It’s actually really good! Not too sweet. I’ve only tried the pinot gris, as it was the only kind in the store the other day, but I’m really wanting to try the rosé too. One other note: I didn’t want to drink it too fast as it equates to half a bottle of wine, but as I sipped it slowly I found that it didn’t stay chilled for that long. Next time, I’ll bring a cup and split it with a friend, rather than having to refrigerate it without a cork. Not sure how long it’ll keep in the fridge in a can.
My sweet baby slept in a big boy bed for the first time on Saturday night! More about that on Wednesday’s post, but I’m just so proud of how well he did! He’s growing up way too fast!
PrismSport Top (LOVE this work-out top! A great weight, a little longer in the back and not too fitted. Currently on sale! For size, this is a small.) // PrismSport Leggings (The colors of these are amazing! I found them on sale too.) // Flip Flops // Still going strong with my Fitbit Charge HR!
Love how he’s looking at her here. The sweetest!
We took our friend’s boat out yesterday afternoon. We’ve done it so much this summer that it’s become an easy routine for us to prepare for a boat ride. Kind of like the beginning of pool season or the start of school, once you get into the swing of it, it’s so easy. You’re not constantly forgetting that one thing you forgot, you’ve got it down pat.
I had a reader request for a How I Do It: Boating with Kids, so here you go…
On most trips, we drive out to an island and hang out there for most of the day, swimming, building sand castles, listening to music, and snacking on whatever meal we’re out there for. It’s pretty simple. We don’t do tons of swim toys or even chairs. I’ve taught mine to enjoy the simplicity of drip castles, playing in the water with me, wandering around the beach and just looking for shells. Sometimes they do find a really cool shell or two, and I’ll toss it in my beach bag, but other than that, the buckets, shovels, etc. are left at home. They play with that enough at the pool anyway. Plus, if anything else, it’s easier to pack up when you’re not having to remember every single thing you’ve brought. We’ve even ditched shoes and coverups at this point. Very basic. I do let them bring a car or two for the boat ride, but even yesterday they accidentally dropped one in the water and we lost it, so we’ll probably leave even those at home from now on.
Boating Essentials
Beach Towels
Suntan Lotion
Life Jackets
Hats
Juice Boxes
Snacks
Sunglasses
Music
Seriously, it’s that simple. Now you know why we enjoy doing it so much! And it’s easier than the beach too, as the kids can rinse off the sand before they get in the boat, while at beaches, they’re caked in sand from walking off the beach, and there’s no place to rinse them down before jumping in the car for the car ride home. I have heard that some people carry gallons of water in their cars to douse their kids and themselves before getting in the car after a beach trip, but with myself and four, that would be a ton of water, and quite the task.
Whatever it is, we consider ourselves to lucky to live so close to the water! I hope we always will!
I hope y’all have a great start to your week!
I would love to hear which island you anchor at. We live in the area and bought our first boat in July! It's been a ton of fun taking it on the rivers/creeks/and in the harbor, but we have been wanting to beach somewhere and can't seem to find the spot. We've researched online a little, but a few beaches got terrible reviews for bugs and other wildlife. We trailer our boat and drop in at Shem Creek most of the time. If you don't mind sharing, I would love to hear which beach you guys anchor at. We have a 2.5 year old and 4.5 year old and daddy and the 4.5 year old love to fish, but myself and my minnie love to relax and get bored quicker than the boys 😉
Email me. 😉 sweetsouthernprep at gmail
Ashley, thank you so much for the quick post. I definitely wasn't expecting something so quick! I like the idea of finding ways of entertaining the kids without all the toys. That is totally how we like to do things. Our kids (7 and 5) think we are so mean because we don't let them use electronics or watch movies in the car like their friends do. But, we have lots of wonderful conversations when their heads are up and in tune with what is going on around them. Thanks again Ashley!
Same here! I'm not going to say they don't enjoy their iPad time, but never in the car. And we don't watch tv in the car either. While sometimes it leads to more arguments at times, the great conversation, the good music and everyone singing is the BEST! Growing up, my mom was the same with myself and my five younger sisters. And we have the best memories from car rides!