Bluewater Beach

Every summer my Uncle Jeff and his family rent a cottage on Bluewater Beach, located in Tiny Township, just off the shores of Georgian Bay...and every year I've been grateful to have the opportunity to join them and enjoy some time with the family at this spectacular beach. It's become a highlight of my summers and now as my children get a little older, they get excited and look forward to our little beach vacation. One thing I love about this cottage is looking out over the water and imagining that you could literally be anywhere in the world - on any beach that is. For miles and miles all you see is water and then the horizon...I've enjoyed some of the most beautiful sunsets on these shores. But that's not all I look forward to...although our stay is usually fairly short we always manage to fill our days with endless activities. Daily trips to the ice cream parlour, building sand castles, flying kites, long walks on the beach, board games, movie nights, dancing in the sunsets and camp fires - my kids always seem to sleep so well!

This year was a little different...for the first time the kids and I decided to head up on our own. I must admit I was a little intimidated about the whole idea - taking care of three kids on my own in an environment they weren't familiar with and a house that definitely wasn't baby proof. There were accidents waiting to happen around every corner and I didn't want to be a burden on my Uncle Jeff and his family. At the last minute I made a phone call to my Uncle. I was prepared to tell him we couldn't make it this year. Thankfully he convinced me to make the trip! It turns out we weren't the only guests arriving that day. My Aunt Sandee, her oldest son Andrew and his girlfriend Rachel were planning on visiting too. I felt a sudden sense of relief knowing there would be plenty of help - and several sets of eyes! So it was settled, we packed our bags and left first thing Sunday morning. But not without several hours organizing and packing.

Here are some of the things I did in order to ensure our trip went smoothly:

I washed and pre-cut all the fruits and vegetables my kids would eat. It took a couple hours but saved me a lot of meal prep at the cottage.
I carefully picked a few of their favourite books, games and toys to bring with us. I knew there would be so much to do up there but I wanted to be prepared for rainy days.
I packed only their favourite clothes - it sounds silly but my daughter in particular has a very unique sense of style. In order to avoid morning melt downs, I caved and packed only what I knew she would love (definitely not my taste -ha!)
My husband helped me pack the car the night prior. This helped us to avoid anyone trying to unpack their bags right before leaving.
I knew the drive up would be the most challenging so I promised the kiddies a special stop to the dollar store in Barrie (behaviour dependent). We bought some toys for the beach and few other fun activities. It was surprisingly a quiet and peaceful trip!
Once we arrived I decided to keep the kiddies on their regular routines (meal times, naps etc...), although they went to bed a little later than normal!
They had a laundry machine at the cottage so thankfully I didn't come home with a pile of dirty clothes.
I did my best to keep all our things in one spot and clean up regularly after the kids...easier said than done!
We had an early departure on Tuesday morning so we had a "movie morning" and pancake breakfast (made by my cousin Julia). This gave me the opportunity to pack everything up and load the car. The drive home was a smooth ride and we made it in record time.

Another year gone by, but not without loads of wonderful memories! I couldn't have done it without my cousins Julia and Henry who played with Hudson and Georgia nonstop! As well as my other family and friends who as always made us feel at home. Hudson and Georgia are already asking when they get to return...