By: Joya Williams

We had a great time in Barbados! Three families: four kids and five adults in a rented 3 bedroom house right across from the beach and close to shops and restaurants.

So you know traveling with kids is never boring, right?

The Injury

Two days before our trip, Diva girl injured her leg at camp when she accidentally ran into a jutting rock wall while trying to catch a ball. By the time she got home her knee was so swollen she could barely walk.

The following morning was spent at the doctor’s and getting x-rays done. No serious damage, thank goodness.

The morning of our trip she woke up with a tender leg, but able to walk.

Whew!

The Picky Eater

Our very close friends have a 6 year old son who is a very picky eater. A very picky eater! This meant doing research before traveling and finding the website for the grocery store that was in walking distance from our place to determine what brands/types of food they carried and what they would need to bring.

They also discovered that there is a permit that can be obtained to bring meat/dairy products into Barbados. So we ended up freezing and packing snacks and items that were kid friendly and could be used for lunches. This option might not be for you, but it worked well for us. Since we weren’t staying at an all-inclusive resort it also helped to cut down on costs for our daily meals and snacks.

The Cautious One

You can’t rush Baby girl into doing something unfamiliar or uncertain. I wasn’t quite sure how she would feel at the beach since she refuses to take swimming lessons. I know enough to let Baby girl take her time. We put on her life jacket, water shoes, a swim cap and goggles….that kid was too cute. Then with quiet determination, she took my hand and walked slowly into the water. We did a little dance to get used to the cold and then she took my hand and said “Okay Mommy, hold me”. She did all the kicks she refused to do in swim class, she even dared to put her face close enough to the water to blow bubbles.

Breakthrough!

Same ritual every morning; swim attire, dance and she was good to go. Maybe she’ll be ready to try lessons again soon…but we won’t push it.

The Squabbles

Four children ages 4, 5, 6 and 7. There’s got to be conflict at some point!

“She’s being mean to me!”

“He’s not sharing!”

“You hit me!”

“Move over!”

“That’s mine!”

It was unavoidable. We usually sent them to separate corners of the house or we used the beach as leverage to get them to calm down. Aside from that we were all parents there, we know how to block out at least 50% of the whining, arguing and pouting. It’s in our DNA.

The Patient #1

Early in the week my Diva came down with a fever. We think it was too much sun mixed with boundless energy.

Treatment: Advil and cold compresses and lots of water.

The next day she was right as rain and ready to go back to the beach. That girl is like the Energizer Bunny!

The Patient #2

Baby girl came down with a fever 2 nights later. We did the same things as before and her fever lasted only through the one night but she developed a sore throat that stayed with her the rest of the trip. Treatment: Cereal and soft fruit (mangoes, bananas), ice cream and lots of fluid. We found lozenges and lollipops to soothe her throat.

The Recovery

We got back the following Saturday, we had Sunday to recuperate and I was back to work on Monday. Big Mistake! I completely forgot to factor in jet lag from the 5 hour flight and the fact that I’m not as young as I used to be. I can’t bounce back from things like that so easily. Geez!

Guess who became Patient #3? By Monday evening I had a fever and chills and a really sore throat! Sigh…

I need a vacation from my vacation.. with kids!

Joya Williams is a working mother of 2 beautiful little girls. She loves to write and currently blogs about her life as a mom at Supermom Doesn’t Live Here. She has also just started a gift basket business called LIFE HAPPENS GIFT BAGS & BASKETS where her aim is to make people laugh on those occasions that aren’t normally celebrated.