Keepsakes

My daughter and I are making little sand and shell containers to help us remember the DR when we're gone. The sand is from Punta Cana, and the shells, coral, and pebbles are from all over the island.

My favorite beach gear

We spend a lot of time on the beach, so I thought I'd write a post about my favorite beach gear. I must say I enjoy having the right thing at the right time and passing on my awesome finds.

I recently discovered Saltwater Canvas mesh bags, and I am in love. I wish I could justify buying one in every color. They stand up on the beach, hold a bunch of stuff, and look cute. The thing I like the best is that you can fit towels and other large items on the inside, and then stack the outside pockets with all those little things that get lost in a big beach bag: sunscreen, books, goggles, sunglasses. Also, the mesh means that sand just shakes out.

Aqua Sphere swim goggles kind of changed the game for us. I think my kids are typical in that they had a real aversion to getting their eyes wet, so they were afraid to stick their faces in the water. These goggles have such a great, consistant seal that they stopped being afraid of getting wet....and learned to swim! Then my husband and I got some- they are really amazing. I always hated goggles before because they never really worked. Not these kind.

Check out our family of goggles:

When I posted this list on Facebook, a friend suggested a sunscreen stick, and I couldn't agree more. I lather the kids with sunscreen when we first arrive at the beach, but later, when we are all sandy, it is really hard to reapply on the face. I use this Coppertone kids sunscreen stick to get their cheeks, lips, ears, nose. I try to carry one at all times.

These days, everyone needs a rash guard. I used to buy Lands End, but to be honest, they don't hold up to frequent wear, even when hand washing. Now I go to Swim Outlet or Coolibar.  With his rash guard, my husband no longer gets burned on his back. I wish I could get him to wear a bucket hat (see below). My kids just know that a rash guard is a fact of life.

Speaking of Coolibar, if you have child under 4, you have to buy this bucket hat. This is my favorite kid product, hands down. It stays on the head, can get wet, dries quickly, and provides a lot of coverage. Many other hats are annoying and kids don't want to wear them. This one does the job.

And another favorite Coolibar product: the infant beach romper. This romper protects baby's delicate skin and keeps sand out of tender places.

We always take a small fabric cooler, like this one from Thermos. I try not to take something too huge.

I love taking our Easy Lunchboxes to the beach, because you can pack the whole lunch (including snacks) right in the boxes and you're done. No passing around the containers or bags of chips- each person has his/her own. 

I don't have chairs, tents, or umbrellas on this list, because here in the DR, umbrellas and other major accessories kind of scream American. We usually bring some beat-up chairs or frequent a beach that provides them. No one uses a tent here- in fact, no local brings half the stuff that an American brings to the beach, but we have accepted this fact. I try to minimize as best I can.

So there you have it- my favorite beach products. Hope this helps someone else!

My Spanish dilemma

Lately, when I hear my kids speaking Spanish, my heart kind of aches. Since before they were born, it has been my dream for my children to speak fluent Spanish, since I learned Spanish as a teenager (not quite early enough to become truly fluent) and it has been such a joy and a help in my life. They are speaking so beautifully now.

But we are going to China next, and it will be at least 3 years and possibly many more until we return to the region. When we were first assigned to China, I accepted the fact that the kids will likely lose their Spanish. They will only be 5 and 7 when we leave. Everyone tells me they will retain it somewhere and will be able to draw on it when we return to Latin America. I love Latin America and have many dream posts from this region, but the realities of the bid list  and all the other requirements sometimes mean that you end up in unexpected places.

I really want to embrace Mandarin. It's certainly a useful and interesting language. I don't know how we will end up feeling about China, and/or whether we'll want to do another Chinese speaking post, but I want to give it our all. So, the whole family will be taking Mandarin in Virginia (assuming my husband gets into FSI class). I have found a Chinese school and plan to sign the kids up for weekly classes. The Chinese schools in the region seem to be more affordable than the language schools that teach a variety of languages, so that's a plus. I think it's all too easy for FS kids to never really learn the local language, and while I understand it, since school and social life are often in English, I am going to do my best to help them learn.

But that brings me back to Spanish. Can I help them hold onto it somehow? People recommend TV shows and videos in Spanish, but I know that won't work. My kids reject those, even now. I'm not sure I can juggle both Spanish and Chinese classes in VA and in China, but I'm thinking about hiring a native Spanish-speaker to come speak with them for an hour a week. Would that be enough to help them hold onto it? I don't know. But I think I want to try.

Thoughts welcome.

We love visitors!

We've had lots of wonderful visitors recently. My father in law visited in early January and we headed to Bayahibe for some relaxation and diving. The prices at the all-inclusives were so outrageous that we decided to go to a resort that did not include food. It was still pricey, but nicer. I must say, the best time to come here is the fall- Sept-early Dec. Just get some travel insurance in case there is a hurricane. Otherwise, it's cheap, hot (meaning the pools are great to swim in), and did I mention cheap?

Anyway, here are a few photos from our fun with Papa B.

 

This resort has a lovely Mediterranean atmosphere. It also has a lovely pier where you can spend the day and some fun water activities. Unfortunately, there are a ton of rocks at the entrance to the water, and for that reason, I really can't recommend it.

In mid-February, I got a message from a dear Venezuelan friend. More than 20 years ago, I lived in Venezuela as an exchange student, and I was lucky to come away with two life-long friends who I only see every few years. O was coming to Punta Cana for a few nights, so we dropped everything, and drove to Punta Cana for the night (thankfully, the new highway means it only takes 2.5 hours rather than 4+, but I would have gone no matter how long the trip would take!). I haven't seen O since I was pregnant with M. Anyway, we had a great night catching up. The kids fell asleep at the table and we talked until we dropped. I really hope it won't be another 6 years.

A week ago, some dear friends from New York came to Punta Cana (only 4 hours direct!). Last year, we met them at a resort. This year, we decided to rent a condo so we could spend time together at night. It turned out to be a great choice- we chose a lovely place, right on a wide, sparsely populated beach. We had such a great time catching up, enjoying the sun and sand, and watching our kids play together. I wish we could do it every year, but we are moving on...

This condo development was very quiet, I'm not sure why...but that meant more room on the beach for us! I highly recommend it.

 See you guys next time in NYC!

We love seeing friends and family here...you still have time! Come on down for some sun and sand!