Life in the Little House

Several people have e-mailed about our forays to the beach, wondering how our days are, and what we do. “Do you ever get tired of going to the beach?” “How do you keep the kids from getting too much sun?” “How do you afford it so often?”

The beach, for Bill and I, is like oxygen. We have to have it. It is just part of our souls…..it is who we are. If I had my way, we would be there right now. We would sell it all, and head to Mexico, home school the kids, surf like maniacs along the west coast and enjoy the culture. (sigh) Alas, we have yet to find a buried treasure full of money, so Bill must work and the beach must be reserved for weekend getaways.

We do get our fair share of sun. Before we even leave for the day, I lather the kids with mega sunscreen…usually Water Babies, but I am trying something new, Ocean Potion, at the recommendation of my SIL. The kids rarely get sunburned, but get do get very tan. There are a few red faces from time to time, but the only bad sunburn has been from a day of fishing when Bill and Cory forgot to load up on sunscreen.

As for how we afford it…..we budget. Money is one of the main reasons we went with a 5th wheel. We could not afford a beach house, or frequent overnight stays in a hotel. It costs $18 a night to stay at the county park. We limit eating out to once a trip…sometimes not at all, as in this trip to Port A. Eating in saves major bucks. Gas is becoming more of an issue. Thankfully, we are within a couple of hours from the beach, so it has not been too bad. We may have to cut our trips down to once a month if prices climb much higher.

As for our days at the beach, they sort of flow like the tides. So, in Travelogue fashion, I present to you a typical day at the beach in the Little House.

We rouse slowly in the morning. Mia climbs into bed with us, nurses, and falls back to sleep with Bill. I get up and make some coffee. Bill untangles himself from the toddler and heads to the beach for a.m. patrol.
Waking up

The boys sleep in, usually coming out of their lair when they smell breakfast…..or until I lean in their room and tell them “Gameboys OFF!”
The kids room

We lounge around until around 9am, sipping coffee and eating breakfast. Then we slowly gather our stuff to head to the beach. Once there, we surf, swim, surf, dig in the sand, surf, collect sea creatures, surf, and walk the shores. We stay there most of the day, returning around 4pm to clean up and start dinner.

Dinner is a big affair. We plan it throughout the day, and I try and make it special, while trying not to spend a fortune. Usually I buy everything I need before we leave, and load up the 5th wheel the night before. Once in Port A, we make small runs to the local grocery for milk, movies etc. on an as needed basis.

Our last night in Port A. I boiled shrimp, made spinach fettucine with crushed tomatoe sauce and a fresh salad. Lime daiquiris were the drink of choice.

We gobbled it all

Doing our last day up in style!

Drinks for mom and dad

Bill served up the kiddos.
Serving salad

The kids loved it, eating the shrimp dipped in cocktail sauce and cleaning their plates.
Dinner

Shrimpies

Bill and I sat outside and enjoyed our frosty drinks, then went with Mia for a gorgeous evening stroll on the beach.

We finished up the evening with a hilarious movie.

Around 10pm, the kids are off to bed, and Bill and I curl up in our room and visit briefly. Usually we are so worn out, sleep comes quickly. The silence at the park is amazing, and the air conditioner literally freezes us under the covers until morning.

Then, we begin again.