A Day In St. Andrews

Today I took the kids to St. Andrews, it was our first time visiting this seaside town. Tyler was in a golf tournament today and I was really craving a little adventure with my kids. I had been planning to go to St. Andrews for the last few days and before bed last night I started to doubt my decision. I was wondering if I would have enough energy and I also started to fear going into labour and being an hour away from home, because I am like 39 weeks pregnant.

This morning I woke up and prayed and decided it was a great day for an adventure, I trusted the Lord to sustain me.

The drive was beautiful.

We started our day at Kingsbrae Garden. I wasn’t sure if my kids would think this is completely boring but they loved it. They ran through most of the gardens and highlights included, the maze, the pond with the metal hippo, the animals and the tiny houses.

Next we stopped at an amazing park that was just outside the gardens. We parked in the shade and ate our picnic lunch in the tailgate of the truck, then enjoyed some play time at the park. There is something about the unplanned parts of days like this, that are my favourite so this part of the day was a highlight for me.

We had really worked up a sweat by the time we were done playing at the park so we headed to the beach or what we thought was the beach. We drove down the street, parked the car on the side of the road and headed towards the little town and ocean with towels in hand. Once we got to the ocean we realized you couldn’t swim right there so we grabbed ice cream, iced coffee and headed for a walk down the pier and around a few shops.

We learned the best beach in town was actually Katy’s Cove. This beach is man made with super soft sand fenced in against the cove, with docks you can jump off of for swimming. What made this beach a win for me is that it also had three playgrounds. Evelyn loves to swim but doesn’t always swim as long as Luke and Elizabeth so I love a beach that also has a playground so she can stay active and entertained.

It was a great day and instead of feeling drained I actually finished the day feeling energized. Adventuring with my children is one of my favourite things about being a mom. I love to explore with them free from schedule. I feel inspired after taking in all the beauty of this seaside town.

Before becoming a mom, I followed a few blogs by moms who went on really big adventures with their kids regularly or lived in New York and brought their children everywhere with them. These moms were doing things differently. They were not ruled by nap times and schedules, they were living their lives with their kids alongside them. All the societal norms that I had heard about motherhood hindering life and bringing burden didn’t seem to be impacting these moms and this has heavily influenced my approach to motherhood. This is your reminder that you get to design your motherhood and their childhood and your children need you to be exactly the mother God created you to be.

Thanks for reading about our adventure. What is something you have done recently with your children that brought you energy and joy?

xo

Heather