Travel

Summer Escape: Kennebunkport

This summer I am taking advantage of the kids being out of school and really trying to travel with them whenever I can. They’re at the perfect age when we can really all have fun together and they can (for the most part) appreciate their new surroundings. Last week we traveled up the East Coast to Kennebunkport, Maine. We visited a few years ago with the kids and fell in love with it, so decided to make another visit.

The town is small, beautiful and quaint. It’s full of so much history, gorgeous architecture, and of course, a lot of lobster.

We took a lobster tour upon arrival in Kennebunkport. It was super educational and you really learn so much about lobstering. I wish I’d gotten more photos, but it was super windy and quite informational that I didn’t have a chance to take out my camera. And the kids wouldn’t go near the lobsters that we caught in the trap. Fun Maine Lobster fact: When applying for your lobster license, each person is given a buoy to design. The buoy is what they attach to their boat and to each trap. The design on the buoy is how they determine which trap in the ocean is theirs. It’s best to keep the design as simple as possible because they are in charge of painting all of their buoys (which can be hundreds for the commercial lobsterman.)

While in Kennebunkport we stayed at The Lodge on the Cove. It’s a family-friendly hip hotel that is nestled in the woods in Kennebunkport. The site is actually a refurbished motor lodge and offers so much for the entire family.  Between the food, games, and the pool, The Lodge on the Cove could’ve kept us at the resort for our entire stay.

The kids spent hours in the pool. It had a large shallow area that was perfect for Macks and Avery to practice their swimming while the deeper area was wonderful for Harlan to perfect her cannon ball. I loved that it was so intimate that I felt relaxed lounging poolside while the kids played.


They could’ve played corn hole for hours. It’s so funny to watch their faces as they threw the bean bags. I loved all of the family-friendly outdoor activities that the Lodge on the Cove offered. And because the resort is so intimate, there was never a wait to play with anything.

We spent a lot of our time in The Dory, the restaurant at the resort. Not only did it offer great fun and delicious drinks (rootbeer floats and milkshakes were a fav,) but the games were a hit with everyone!

The Club House had the perfect hip yet vintage vibe for board games and even a record player (complete with a TON of records) to play some tunes!

We made sure to take advantage of all that the town of Kennebunkport. We shopped in all of the shops and of course had to make a stop at the famous Clam Shack for dinner. While MacKay dined on their famous lobster roll, Harlan and I had the full lobster dinner. This was the freshest lobster I’ve ever had (the Maine seawater came out of the shell when I cracked it.) We made it a goal to try to eat lobster at every meal while we were there and Kennebunkport makes it easy to do so. Seriously it’s so good.

The kids loved walking around the town and seeing everything. And we always made sure to stop at the local fudge stop each night for a nightly candy fill.


Each night before we headed to bed, we’d enjoy the bonfire at The Lodge on the Cove and the s’mores that they provided for all of the families. It was the perfect treat and such a great way to end a great day. Harlan also made sure to always get in a little bike ride in the parking lot. The Lodge on the Cove offers complimentary bikes during your stay, and with Harlan just learning to ride a bike without the training weeks, she took advantage. It was such a fun thing for her to do during our stay.

The front porch of our room was a favorite place to hang out. The kids would sit and enjoy the view and our bikes were right outside so we could just pick them up and go.

For our last two trips to Kennebunkport, Maine, we’ve been fortunate enough to visit the Bush family on Walker’s Point. MacKay has been close with the family for many years. And every time I see President Bush and Mrs. Bush, I am always in awe. They are both such wonderful people.

If you’re looking for a place in the Northeast to bring the family, you will not be disappointed in Kennebunkport. With the beaches, the history, the shopping (make sure to stop at H.B. Provisions for a whoopie pie,) the activities, the wonderful places to stay, and the food, there is so much to do for the whole family, you’ll always wish you had more time to stay. We loved it so much this time that we’re already planning our next trip out next summer!

 

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Family

The Summer of Us

The kids got out of school a few weeks ago. As much as they loved the routine of going to school each day, I was itching those laid-back days where we didn’t have a schedule to abide to. For us, summer is about being together and going with the flow. It’s about really spending time with one another and embracing the days of adventure and the days of doing nothing.

A couple of months ago, I decided to take a step back from work. I stepped down from my full-time position and decided to do more freelance consulting. While working from home is wonderful, I knew that this is the prime-time with these three little ones and ultimately, that’s what matters. So with less on my plate and more time during the day, I decided that this summer is all about us.

We’ve got no schedule. No routine. Nothing on our plate, except for whatever adventure the day takes us on.

I have to admit that I am loving the age that the kids are at right now. They’re more independent than they’ve ever been, yet still love having me around and involved in everything. We’ve built sand castles together, enjoyed many cups of shaved ice, and have played for many hours on the playground.

Most of all, we’re enjoying this time together. When I think back of my childhood, the summers that I spent with my family are the memories that stick out most vividly for me. They are a sacred time that should never be wasted. So we’re taking full advantage.

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Family

In His Time

Last night, shortly after putting the kids to bed, I sat on the couch and cried. Some tears were tears of joy, while others were tears of sadness. Just an hour before, Macks called me up to his room and told me he had to use the potty. We’ve been in the potty training process for about a month now and he’s finally starting to get it. But we’ve hit a few obstacles along the way. One being (for lack of a better word) poop. He won’t go. Not in the potty, not in his Pampers Easy Ups training underwear. He will just hold it in until he’s absolutely miserable. Which then makes us both miserable. But last night something must have clicked. He called me up, told me he had to poop, went to the potty and went. It was as easy as that. We did our little excited potty dance and headed off to bed, like this was something that was part of his daily routine (which I assure you it is not.)

I didn’t lose it until after he went to bed. Because I was happy for him. Elated that we were making it over this hump, yet filled with so much sadness that we were closing yet another chapter in our lives. Yet another step towards more independence. We’re closing this baby stage in our family and moving forward as a family with three “kids.” It’s a hard pill to swallow when you realize your youngest baby isn’t such a baby anymore.

Macks has always been one to do things on his own time. He wants to do things his way. There’s no reasoning with him. He was my first child that went past his due date. He was the one that took the longest to sleep train. And alas, he’s the one that’s taking the longest to potty train.

The girls were easy to potty train. As soon as I put them in preschool, they’d see their classmates using the potty and within weeks, we were out of diapers. Avery was potty trained both during the day and through the night within a month. It felt like I didn’t even have to try, it was so easy.

And then it came time for Macks to use the potty and it wasn’t even close to how the girls were. Once again, Macks assured me that he wanted to do it on his own time. So learning from his cues, I decided, we’d just wait for him when he was ready.

Rather than pushing it and asking him to try to use the potty, I just let him be. We started using Pampers Easy Ups Training Underwear, but I didn’t even make a big deal about them. He loved that he could wear something with Thomas the Train on them, but I didn’t harp to him on the fact that that looked like big boy underwear or they were easy to pull up and down like underwear.  Thank goodness that they were ultra-absorbent because we needed that extra protection with the way he was using them. And he used them for months.

He was one of the only ones in his class that still wasn’t potty trained and yet he was fine with it and I was too. I remember speaking with his pediatrician at his three year appointment and the doctor assured me that it would come. He said, let him be and eventually he would turn the corner. He didn’t give me any tricks or three-day methods to get him over the hump. His only suggestion was to give him the time that he needs.

And that was the best advice I could have ever been given. Because it worked. Macks didn’t need any special methods to help him use the potty. All of the tricks that I’d used with the girls were completely useless to him. Because in true Macks fashion, Macks had to do it his way in his time.

So if you’ve got a “Macks” in your house, just let them do it their way and in their time. Because eventually it will happen. And you’ll think to yourself, the timing couldn’t be better.

Pampers Easy Ups Training Underwear won the 2017 Best New Product Award. Easy Ups look, fit, and feel like real underwear while providing the outstanding leak protection you’d expect from Pampers. Your little ones will think it’s underwear, but you’ll know it’s Pampers.

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