Meet Ashley, a mom of two living in Kona, on Hawai’i’s Big Island. Ashley takes us on an ideal family-friendly day in Kona where we discover the perfect beaches, shops, and shave ice joints that her family loves. Ashley is also a BabyQuip Quality Provider, which means she rents out baby gear, like strollers, pack n’plays, and car seats to traveling families.  BabyQuip is an affiliate of Bébé Voyage which means that we earn a small commission if you rent an item from BabyQuip from this page, at no additional cost to you. This helps us pay for some of our operational costs.

Parenting in paradise may sound a little cheesy, but when I take a moment to truly look around, I realize that it is all too real.
My little family of four lives in Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i and every moment is spent in a true paradise (one that includes stinky diapers, massive tantrums, lots of sand and sun, very few naps, and lots of coffee). Our family includes our three-year-old independent, strong-willed daughter, my curious little eight-month-old son, my biggest child, AKA my husband (lol), and of course, me–the mama!

My husband works full time in his own business, PropertyTech LLC, as an appliance repair technician.  I also own my own business–a baby gear rental company through BabyQuip. I have done this since my son was born eight months ago as a means of earning income for my family while being able to stay home and raise my kids. I am so thankful and lucky to have found this opportunity.

7-8 AM: Wake Up, Breakfast, and Free Time

My son (and unfortunately me as well) wakes up around 7AM while my daughter sleeps in until around 8. We have breakfast, which is almost religiously watermelon, egg whites, and for some of us, breast milk. After breakfast, we will free play while we decide what we want to do today. We usually run through the options: Park? Bounce house? Beach? A walk around town? A hike? Or a lazy day? And the usual answer from my daughter: Everything, please! And so our busy day begins.

9 AM: Small Home School Routine and Day Prep

Around 9AM, we do our small home school routine of colors, reading, and word recognition. We have another discussion of why we have to learn things and not just watch TV all day as per my daughter’s request, and then we do some math.
After school, we have a snack (usually consisting of carrots or celery), change clothes and diapers, pack a diaper bag, console my son who detests his car seat, and then it’s off to our daily adventure!

10 AM: Family Errands

First stop–coffee so that Mommy can make it through the day!

Second stop–the storage unit to put a lot of baby gear in the car for an afternoon delivery (all prepared yesterday during nap time).

Third stop……
Me: “U’i, where to?
Kau’ionalani (Daughter): The walk!
Third stop–Ali’i Drive, our town’s center and the best place to go for a walk that will keep the kids entertained.

11:20 AM: Family Walk

We park the car around 11:20AM and take out the jogging stroller for the baby. The stroller is a lifesaver in this heat (carriers + 90 degree-weather = sad Mommy), put on hats that will be immediately taken off and lost, and apply sunblock since the kids will definitely not use the hats. We walk around on a busy street full of restaurants, shops, volleyball courts in the sand, beaches, and lots of people that are so fun to watch. My kids love that part–the people–because of course, every person stops and tells them how cute, well mannered, and precious they are. They relish the attention and the nice people.

We stop at a little beach called Honl’s Beach, remove our shoes, and wander around on the sand. We step into the ocean, just until where the waves break and get our legs wet. My daughter tries to jump in fully clothed with her backpack on, my son keeps trying to eat the sand, and I laugh out loud because this may not have been the best idea at the start of our little excursion. But it was all fun!
We keep on walking. We peek into a few stores to see all the fun things they have for sale, mostly beach gear, local art, and jewelry.

12:45 PM: Lunch Time

It’s now about 12:45 PM and time for lunch. We stop outside a shave ice shop and grab a table. We have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apples for my daughter, boobies for my son, and what a surprise–I didn’t pack anything for myself! I steal a bite from a sandwich and an apple slice and chug the remainder of my now very warm, iced coffee.
After lunch, my daughter wants to take pictures outside Scandi’s Shave Ice and Coffee Shop. It’s the same picture we take EVERY time we walk past here. I have about 50 pictures of my daughter looking like a shave ice cone, but it’s one of her favorite parts of the walk. Today, I have 53 photos!

Since we are right outside the shop, she mentions that she is starving (didn’t we just have lunch?) and needs a shave ice! We walk across the street to another shave ice spot that has benches in the shade, order a small kids’ cone (which could feed a small army!), and sit on the benches to watch the waves crash on the shore. It’s a good day.
But it’s also time for naps or my baby gear delivery. We make our way back to the car, picking plumeria flowers from every tree on the way.

2 PM: Baby Quip Drop-off

We get to the car around 2PM and head down the road for a delivery to one of the vacation homes here in Kona.

When we arrive, I take the baby out in his carrier. Meanwhile, my daughter usually grabs the smallest item or goody bag and I carry the rest. We set up all the gear in the home before our customer arrives. We finish by 2:45PM. As the house happens to be next to the park, we run right to the swings for 15 minutes. This is the kids’ favorite park activity.

After a quick snack of celery, apples and peanut butter in the car, and we start our drive home. My daughter doesn’t always nap at 3 but today she does!

3:45 PM: Home For Naps and Work

Both kids fall asleep in the car and we get home by 3:45PM. I put the kids down to finish their naps. I clean what I can (which many times is nothing at all), eat a snack, work on the business on my phone, get distracted on Facebook, then Instagram, then Pinterest and then back to business, start dinner, plan the day for tomorrow (there is a fun kids’ day at the park tomorrow), unpack the diaper bag, and throw clothes in the wash. My husband makes it home right at 4:30 PM.

4:30 PM: Dad is Home

He slams the door and immediately wakes up the kids. Happily rested, they are ready to play. We play tea party, food, dollhouse, don’t hit your brother please, patty cake, read a book, don’t draw on the carpet, and karaoke.

6:30 PM: Dinner Time

Dinner is ready by 6:30PM. Since we are trying to eat healthier, tonight we have salmon, zucchini, spinach, and quinoa. As my daughter doesn’t trust it yet, so she licks the salmon, pokes the quinoa, and smells the zucchini. My son eats pureed zucchini.

7-8:30 PM: Post-Dinner Play and Bedtime

Dinner is over at 7 PM. It’s bath time for two, teeth brushing, and changing into our PJs. Tonight, we finish by 8. On a rougher day, we’re done at around 9…
We play until the first eye rub, usually around 8:30-9:15PM. Then we head into the room, read between one and ten books, and sing between one to five songs until the kids and then the husband all fall asleep.

10 PM: Housework and Bedtime for Mom

I sneak out of the room around 10PM, clean up the dishes from dinner, finish the laundry, get distracted by Instagram, finally take a shower, shove some ice cream into my mouth, make my husband’s lunch for tomorrow, eat more ice cream, and then walk back to my room. I look at my little family all asleep: my daughter’s butt is in my husband’s face and my son is drooling all over her foot. I squeeze in between the kids, kiss them good night and think about my day. Yeah, parenting in paradise…. I’d say it’s true. “WWWAAAHHHHHHHH” (My son wakes up crying)…..

For more “Days in the Life” article by BabyQuip Quality Providers, see Tracy’s day in Greenville, South Carolina.