The last two days we traded the lazy days of summer for a little bit of industry.

We washed the sheets and beach towels and cleaned out the fridge.

We spent a good thirty minutes standing in front of the game cupboard, carefully picking out the best games for life at the beach. (The selection committee takes their job seriously.)

Savannah made four kinds of cookies and bars. They are sitting on the counter, ziplocked and waiting for their big adventure.

Ethan and I went on a Target run for sand toys and wheat thins and sunscreen.

Caleb found the boogie boards and the beach umbrella. (Check that big box in the corner, son. The one labelled "salvation.")

We packed light. Swimsuits and jackets only. Oh, and books. A few bags of books and we'll tie the bicycles on the back.

In a few weeks, we will be back to rising early and kissing goodbye. We will be back to packing lunches and practicing spelling words and reading only what they're assigned. Add to that the anticipated pain of looking around the bus stop and classroom and the lunchroom and not knowing a single soul...and I almost can't breathe.

With the calendar looming, David and I lay in the dark discussing our options. We listed the pros (salvation) and cons (money). We discussed directions (north, east, west) and locations (the beach or the mountains). We tried to figure out how capable and brave I am (on my own) or am not (as the case may be). In the end, the choice was easy. My children need a few days of glee, a few days of freedom, a few days of salty air and icy waves, a few days of bliss, to store away and keep for the days that are coming.

And so, I am taking my children to the beach where I intend to make the most of these summer days of mothering, when they are mine, and the world and its sorrows are very, very, very far away.