beach packing

On this Independence day we are skipping the parties and festivities. we are cleaning out our fridge. washing clothes. running errands. making list. but it is all for a great reason...in less than 24 hours we will be beach bound! We are beyond excited to pack up and head to Alabama for a week of relaxation on the sand. This trip is something we have done for the last three years and I have to say that before that I would have never considered myself a beach person. I have always loved the water and sand on my toes, but it sounded like a hard trip to take with my kids. I worried if they would be entertained or if I would feel that I was spending all my time cleaning sand off everyone and everything. Friends it could not have been further from the truth. From the moment we pull up at our beach home my kids are in heaven. They would just assume never leave our little spot on the sand . And the sand really becomes like another member of the family... It is always present, but not the annoyance I thought it might be.

All of this wonder was right at my fingertips and I had no idea. It is now one of our most favorite things to do as a family. We plan this trip around Christmas time and are the crazy people counting down the days until we load up and drive south. When the big day finally arrives I couldn't do any of it without the help of my handy packing list, I am a girl who loves a packing list, and on a trip like this where you are staying in a rental house it is essential to do a little bit of planning and prep. 

In December or January: we book our house. this is early, but we go with a big group and are all trying to get homes within 2-3 blocks of each other and July is prime beach time in the Gulf.

In April or May: make sure final payments are made and reserve beach canopy for the week we will be there. 

A week of two before: we make any food or event reservations. we have a place we like to do a kids breakfast every year.  also include deep sea fishing or zip lining.

The week of the trip, or the day before: gather up snacks and get packed. I am including my packing list and a list of my favorite beach things.

We are a family of four trying to make it to the beach in a Prius without being packed in like sardines. We will be packed in three good size duffle bags, a computer bag, camera bag, and 2 open top bags for travel toys and travel food. Wish us luck :)

Packing for a 1 week beach trip (starting with my few beach favorites):

-sunscreen, obsessed with Alba Natural Sunscreen it smells amazing and is one of the only sunscreens that doesn't irritate my kids skin
-games. we take cards everywhere. with the kids we love Spot It and Pit
-glow sticks. my kids wear them every night out on the beach so i can see them running in the dark.
-flashlights. same as glowsticks and also needed for crab hunting and making it around at night.
-beach spike. these are new to us this year, but I am so excited to test them out.
-koozies. i am loving these AR koozies from Riffraff and the Mustache
-camera
-chargers
-movies
-goggles
-beach toys
-paper towels (2 rolls)
-toilet paper (4-6 just in case)
-laundry soap
-dish soap
-dish washing detergent
-paper plates
-beach bag
-cups/water bottles
-foil
-ziplocks
-sharpie
-pen
-small pad or notebook
-starbucks coffee
-coffee filters
-binoculars
-trash bags ( we pack 7)
-salt and pepper
-books and magazines
-lighter
-towels (one each)
-medicine (advil, swimmers ear, eye drops, bandaids, neosporin)
-aloe
-chip clips
-clothes (a couple pairs of shorts, a hoodie and 5-7 shirts for the boys and I pack pretty heavy for me bc i really love clothes)
-swimsuits, coverups, rash guards (my kids don't wear rash guards at home, but they are great for a day when you had too much sun or a little sand rash)
-shoes
-rubber bands
-hats
-toiletries

When we get to the beach we will shop for groceries only. It is more expensive to buy household items when you are there and so much easier to just take the amount you will need.
what should i add to my list? or any beach tricks i must know?