Vacay Wrap-Up and More Guest Posting

One of the things on our Summer list was to go to the beach.  Being a Southern California girl, the beach (no matter what coast) makes me extremely happy.  We've been vacationing at Kiawah Island, SC since we got married almost eleven years ago.  The hubs parents have a house there, and we usually head down once a year.  It's a nice, relaxing family vacation filled with playing at the beach, riding bikes around the island, and eating too much seafood.  Yeah, it's the perfect vacation trifecta!

The drive from Lexington, Kentucky is about 9 hours.  With two kids in tow, it can take a little longer.  :)  So, the most essential part of the packing process includes road trip survival kits.

The math workbooks were a nice thought in theory :)  

I keep these plastic bins (dollar store) in the van (yes, I drive a swagger wagon - cuz I'm cool like that) all the time.  When we are headed on a long trip somewhere, I clean them out and add in a few new things.  Everything usually comes from the dollar section at Target or the dollar store.  They're a nice way for the kids to keep their stuff organized, and they know that if it doesn't fit in the bin it's not coming on the trip. This helps keep my van free of stuffed animals and other large items.  These car kits give the kids something to do besides snacking on junk food.  Obviously, we also have an entertainment system so there's always a movie marathon as well.  By the way, if you haven't seen Megamind yet you seriously need to rent or buy it.  It's HI-larious, and the soundtrack rocks!

The kids aren't the only ones that need a little help making it through about 9 hours on the road.  Momma needs to survive too!

I learned to crochet a few years ago.  It keeps me busy so the time flies by.  I did help drive (a little) - thank goodness the hubs was back to driving a week before we left.  His ankle is almost completely back to normal.

All the time spent traveling was so worthwhile.   Watching my little peeps play on the beach was priceless.

I taught the boy how to boogie board this time.  He was pretty impressed with his momma.  I don't know how to surf, but I can boogie with the best of them.  :)  Just sayin'.

All in all we had a great time!  The icing on the cake was meeting up with a blog friend.  There's something magical about the beach, and Kiawah Island never disappoints.

Where do you like to vacation with your family?  Do you like to beach bum it as much as we do?  Anyone have any road trip survival skills they'd like to share?

On another note, I'm guest posting over at Living Savvy today!  Tiffany invited me over to join her spray painters anonymous support group.  :)  Clearly she knows I'm obsessed.