A Place at the Beach

Each time we begin searching for a place to stay at the beach, there are always a few "must have" amenities that top our list. We require a place that will hold all of us, first and foremost. We don't get too hung up on spaciousness but we like to be able to move about without stepping on too many sets of toes. Our digs must also have a full-sized oven and stove and fridge because we do most of our eating in. Beyond that, the only deal breaker that remains is the number and size of the pools and/or lazy rivers on the property.

Once my Man narrows down the choices, he usually begins calling kids to the computer to work toward earning their blessing on the pool situation. Often during this process you will hear a question asked in jest, or maybe not, "Kids, would you rather swim in this pool and sleep on the floor in the room OR would you rather have a bed and enjoy this pool?" or sometimes "Ok, this one has 6 lazy rivers but no oven so we'd need to be satisfied with Pop Tarts all week...any takers?" and so it goes until at least an entire weekend has been devoted to the pursuit of the best spot. Even after that arduous process we still hold our collective breath until we open the door to our home away from home and move in for the week.

This year we selected a place with a bigger kitchen than usual, and a tad more walk about space, but in so doing we opted for a few less lazy rivers and bucket drenching wading pools and some of us were concerned that this choice might leave us wanting.

We need not have worried. 

As dawn broke this morning we woke to find all four children working in harmony helping one another with breakfast with a cooperation heretofore unheard of in our home. Their goal: to get to the pools and fast. We'd spent all of the evening before gathering groceries for the week and this morning was to be the kids' first shot at the pools/lazy rivers/hot tubs.

The pools here stretch the length of the three towers of condos where we are located. In our first half hour poolside we had moved our base of operations no fewer than five times attempting to set up shop in a place with an optimal view of all 4 kids as they flitted hummingbird-like from one pool and lazy river to the next.

Eventually we fell into an arrangement where one of us remained on a pool chair with the stuff and the other of us in a pool chair close to where Molly was hanging out. 

 At this point in our poolside parenting the children don't actually need us my Man IN the water with them. We are now free to relax, albeit separately, near them while they swim. 

It's super except, as  my man decided, marching with a bit of indignance toward my post near the kids, "I didn't come on vacation to sit alone on the other side of the universe from you!" He carried with him a small bag of cell phones and wallets and relaxed into the chair beside mine, refusing to drag the rest of our stuff along with him this time.  

We sat, happily watching Molly make friends in the pool and reading our books until we noticed, approaching from the east, a small caravan of children who slightly resembled us, lugging our non-essentials toward our latest locale.

"Ok," they said, when they reached our post, "we are ready to go do the inside lazy river! Hey Molly! Wanna come?"

"Just stay here," said he, "I'll go."

So, there we sat lounging in beach chairs by separate pools, one of us inside and the other outside TEXTING each other! 

Next time, our pool priorities will be different! We are going to choose a place to stay that has one teensy pool and lots of pool chairs! 

Tomorrow perhaps we might actually get to the beach!?

{To read our vacation adventures from the beginning, click here to read the next post click here}