Curing 10 Hundred Days of Inside Time

The Lower Mainland, as everyone knows, gets more than it's fair share of rain. Having said that, is it just me, or is this the longest, most spectacular string of crappy weather days in a row? Look, I'm grateful for the extra time and proximity to my children (or I try to convince myself) but according to my daughter it has been 10 hundred days of inside time. I feel any parent would agree, that's a pretty long time. So... today we headed to the beach!! 

Within moments, we all had shovels in hand and were in for the dig.

To 6Pack Beach specifically. If you haven't heard of it, 6Pack Beach is an indoor beach. Yes, it lacks natural sun and the sound of island waves, but it more than makes up for those dreamy details on a blustery, wet, and not so wonderful Spring type day because it still provides sand, beach toys, all the beach balls the kids could ever dream of and some pretty great music to boot. We sought out their little diggers (ages 1-10) time slot (10 am-12 pm) on a Wednesday (today) and virtually had the place to ourselves. 

I dressed the kids in long pants and long sleeve shirts and brought less clothes if the, ahem, weather allowed. In the end I was glad that their little limbs were covered because it was a bit cool in the oversized facility. I'm sure that if we had brought a bus load of children, the place would have warmed up even quicker. Barefoot is mandatory in the beach area; none of us minded, our toes warmed up with a bit of movement very quickly. I mean, what kind of weirdo wears socks and sandals to the beach anyway? (Sorry Dad)

The only thing I wish I had brought, but didn't, is my proper camera. I was a bit worried about getting sand in the lens, but I (obviously) could have really used a better quality camera to preserve these precious memories.

Other options on offer at 6Pack include a parachute (for larger parties), archery tag (what?!), soccer darts, and five full courts dedicated to beach volleyball as well as a little tiki bar that apparently opens later in the day and stays open until way past our bedtime. In short, it looked like a really good time for "big kids" too. 

We will definitely be going back whenever we are once again caught in the rut of rain here in the Lower Mainland and aching for the sublime feeling of sand between our toes. 

Wishing you blissful ruckus always.