Family Vacations

She loved the sand.

 

When I was little we got to go on tons of family vacations.  My parents were divorced and my brother and I lived with our maternal grandparents.  We usually went to the beach at least twice a year:  once with our grandparents, and once with either of our parents.  Then in the fall we were guaranteed to go to the mountains at least twice:  once with our grandparents to get a pumpkin for Halloween and once with our dad and his parents. 

Now that I'm older I realize there are lots of people who never had a family vacation when they were a kid.  That makes me really sad because most of my best memories come from those vacations.  I think those vacations were important, and now that I'm older and I have a kid of my own to consider I have a renewed interest in family vacations.

I never knew how much planning and money goes into a vacation when you have a small child going with you.  As a parent you really want your kid(s) to have a good time, and if you're anything like me you also want them to learn something while they're there. 

No vacation is complete without a trip to a museum! @Cape Fear Museum

I recently went on my very first family vacation with my boyfriend and our daughter (technically she is his child, but I have claimed her as my own and I could not love her more had I birthed her myself).  I spent a lot of time planning our short three day vacation--looking up kid friendly activities, finding an affordable hotel that also had a pool for her to play in, purchasing toys for the beach, and researching sunscreen (yes, really) so I could make sure she was covered head to toe in the best and least toxic sunscreen out there. 

I'd say all my hard work paid off. We had family vacation success.  We spent our time in Kure Beach and Wilmington, NC.  It was beautiful and overall fairly inexpensive.  I highly recommend the Cape Fear Museum.  There are lots of exhibits for adults to enjoy, and several hands-on exhibits for kids too. Kure Beach has free parking, and it wasn't too crowded either.  It was sunny and the water was warm.  Overall, this was one great vacation.