Most days as a mom are wonderful and fun filled...Do you hear the sarcasm in my voice? This Spring vacation has been fine with only one day of madness that involved a dental appointment, restraining, and biting. That's all I will say, there's still time for a lawsuit. And let me say now, I don't sue, so let your vivid imagination fill in the details.

My husband decided he would take a day off of work (after I begged and pleaded for a week telling him that a full week alone with three children would surely drive me over the bridge of insanity where I'd then dwell in the desolate land of dirty laundry and more crazy ranting than any human ears have ever heard). I painstakingly researched how to save us some money on this trip, e.g. googled Mystic Aquarium discount tickets. I took the kids to our local library and rented a discounted day pass to the aquarium. It saved us $30 off of the admission price! Then I mapped out our entire day knowing that a crowded aquarium would quickly turn a child into a panicky ball of mush and we'd need an escape plan enticing enough to lure the balls of mush into their carseats in anticipation of the next stop. Luckily, right down the road is Misquamicut Beach. A lovely little strip of ocean reminiscent of all the small rural beach towns on stilts I've ever seen. We spent three hours at the overcrowded aquarium. Here we viewed a playful and agile Beluga whale, terms you don't often hear together when speaking of anything over 1,000 pounds.

The kids were impressed with the enormity of this creature and the rarity of such a sight...for all of five minutes. Thanks goodness for pictures that forever capture their fascination!

I will never get over how amazing these creatures are. Listening to their high pitched squeals that I interpret as delight is extremely entertaining. Of course, these animals ARE in captivity, which makes me very sad, but their lives have been saved and often prolonged by the care and attention given to them at the aquarium. To be able to witness these majestic animals this close is a selfish indulgence I crave every so often. Since I haven't yet found a wealthy benefactor to support my lusty desire of world travel, this type of thing will have to do!

The kids marveled at the sting rays as we watched a scuba diver take notes on them. Like playful kittens, the rays dove and swooped after the bubbles as they left the diver's mask. It was nice to see that all creatures enjoy playing. Too bad more of our human lives couldn't involved sitting on rocks in the sun with our families and then foraging for food while toppling and tackling one another. Some days I almost wish we weren't so evolved!

At any opportunity, Ember will always choose to do things that involve skipping, jumping, and climbing. Nova is more cerebral. He is the type of child that wants you to read every placard word for word at any place we visit. What he doesn't understand, he questions, so that the next time we return he is able to explain the exhibits to us, almost verbatim. It was hard to convince Nova that it was time to leave, but Nova received the final blow when I made one of the staff there explain to him that there were no seahorses on display. Seahorses are very difficult to care for and often don't live long when moved. It took him a while to understand that our desire to see some animals must sometimes be sacrificed for the love and respect we have for their survival. Anyway, the aquarium was crowded and we had seen, touched, and sanitized all we could handle at this point. Nova managed to put on a happy face occasionally interjecting that he still wanted to see seahorses. All was forgotten when we saw sand...

The kids ran from waves, collected rocks, and giggled at the possibility of being swept out to sea. It was a cool and windy day, but nothing could stop Ember from throwing herself upon wave after wave of frigid water. Her goosebumps stood tall upon her little arms, but she never complained. She ran, giggling, back towards the ocean, each time I inquired about her comfort. She gathered stones in her pockets and filled her tiny fists with seaweed and sticks from the shore. Nova played along with her until his body registered the lack of warmth. I had forgotten my jacket but toughed it out to walk along the beach and feel the sand in my toes. I needed to be at the ocean. Water has been a calling for me as long as I can remember. I spent my baby years in water, took my first steps at Myrtle beach, and my last two children were born in water from the warm salty waters of my womb. I can't help but to feel an overwhelming sense of serenity when I set foot upon sandy shores. Through salt water we are ushered into the world and in salt water we can see all of the world. It is a connection to all who exist.

Even Ayda seemed to take it all in.

After the beach we ate at a nice seafood restaurant with a view of the canal and boats, right by a drawbridge. The kids were fascinated and so well behaved that I'm still reeling from the experience. It was an amazing day!