I remember the 38-degree summer days as a child, scrambling into a packed car, towel in hand, sunscreen smeared across my nose.

My parents rushed around the house, grabbing the beach ball, cricket bat, cut-up sandwiches and water from the fridge.

I sat in the middle of my two brothers, crammed into the back, sweating bullets as the aircon struggled to reach the back of the car.

The thought of cool ocean water, a picnic and a day at the beach pushed aside the thoughts of how uncomfortable the heat was.

This was until we reached the beach…
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The wind had picked up as we were driving. Once we arrived, the sand whipped our ankles and searching for a shaded spot became difficult amongst the sea of people. The blaring sun started to sting, but nevertheless, we were determined to enjoy our long-awaited day at the beach.

After picking a spot to lay down our towels, we tore off our clothes and ran towards the inviting blue water. Laughing, splashing and dunking each other was exhilarating.

When our tummies grumbled, we knew it was time for lunch. I saw my dad chasing after our beach umbrella as it disappeared down the sand. My mum tried to cover our sandwiches, waving frantically to ask for help.

Sand covered our sandwiches, our drinking water was uncomfortably warm, and our relaxing day at the beach had become stressful and unenjoyable.

After years of beach days gone wrong when I became a parent, I knew that I wanted to find a way to make the beach enjoyable for myself, my husband and my kids.

This was until we organised a family beach day with a few of our closest friends.

We all had kids under 10 and loved spending quality time with each other at the beach. When we arrived at the beach, my friend pulled out what looked like a small tent.

I stood there amused, curious as to whether she’d still be standing there half an hour later attempting to erect it. 

I have to admit, I was a bit sceptical. It kinda sounded too good to be true.