Adventures With Mama

When Man was told he would be going to Utah for a couple of weeks for work he was slightly excited.  However, he was mortified to learn it would fall over Mother's Day.  He has always gone out of his way to make that day special for me by giving me the day "off" or creating great big surprises like last year.  I decided two things immediately.  1. He was going to be off the hook for gift buying this year (All I wanted was a new vacuum and rain boots---this is not his area folks).  2. I was going to do something I love and take my girls with me.  Travel.

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I have a little Florida bucket list and this particular place has been at the top for a year now.  I picked up a state parks book a year ago while visiting Tallahassee, and when I saw the promotional photo for the park I knew I had to take my girls there.  When all of this happened with Man's schedule it didn't take me long to know where we were going.  In the excitement of the planning I added on a few more days and stops and just like that we had a girl's trip planned.  He was slightly concerned about all of this travel without him, but he knew that it.was.happening.  And it did.  And it was marvelous.  And I would do it again tomorrow.  

The Friday before Mother's Day we set out for Weeki Wachee Springs, FL.  I thought that we were going to be in a fairly small town, but not so.  There was a Target.  I judge every town on size based on whether or not they have a Target.  We traveled along two lane roads most of the way and it was when we found a Walmart and unloaded for a potty break that the most awesome thing happened.  Olivia (who was very worried about our ability to do this without her dad) excitedly said, "Mama, we are doing it!  We are making it without Daddy!"  She was so proud of us and had a great surge of confidence seeing what we had already accomplished.  This was one of my goals for this trip.  I want to raise three strong and confident women.  I will have failed them if they come out on the other side of my raising and do not believe that they can truly do anything.  So, we are starting with baby steps...that reward us with mermaid sightings.

Weeki Wachee State Park, FL

Looking for mermaids.

I totally chalked this up to a little girl's fantasy trip but I have to say it was truly amazing to watch.  They never go to the surface, instead using wands, throughout the performance, that blow air into their mouths.  The current show is the story of The Little Mermaid, based on Hans Christian Anderson's original work, per the information at the park.  However, we have studied the original tale of Anderson and they are not even close.  If you have never read the original story to your child, you should.  It is a work of art.  This was the work of Disney.

After explaining to Olivia that we really didn't need to inform the park (as bad as even I wanted too) we went and posed as mermaids...

 and with a mermaid...

We spent the afternoon swimming in the spring water, enjoying the water slides, and eating lots of yummy treats.  

We closed the park down, hopped in our car, and drove another hour south to Treasure Island, where we found a slice of Heaven on Earth.

When we stepped through the doors of our hotel we were met with music, dancing, swimming, and a beach view so far we couldn't see the ocean.  Crisp white sand drew us in as we threw our stuff in the room, slid on dry swimsuits and ran to see the beauty of this place.  With hungry bellies we meandered back to the patio of our hotel and ate pizza underneath palm trees lined with Christmas tree lights and beach music playing in the background.  The thirty minute wait period was put to rest as we went straight for the pool and swam well into the darkness of night.

 

  

When we checked in, the lady at the front desk said we should go down to John's Pass the next day and check out the Pirate Fest going on.  So we did.  Only after I got a serenade, sweet cards, flowers, and lots of hugs and kisses.  Oh, and some doughnuts for breakfast.

Pirates need swords to attack their bigger sister!

Since the girls were a little freaked out by the adults walking around dressed up and acting like pirates, we didn't last long.  Mostly, they couldn't understand why they were doing this.  And, since I couldn't either, we grabbed some Italian Ice and hit the road.  We had some more swimming to do!

These two built a strong bond around fun in the water during this trip.

 Late in the afternoon we gathered some things and went to the beach.  We spent a little time collecting seashells and jumping some waves.  Allye had not been feeling 100% so Olivia and Addison took turns playing the sand with her while the other one jumped some waves. 

As the sun set that evening I stood back and watched our girls stand along the edge of the ocean holding hands, laughing, and skipping waves.  I grabbed my camera, almost feeling like I shouldn't intrude on the moment, but it was perfection in my eyes.

The next morning we packed up and headed to Clearwater, FL.  When I studied the map and saw that we would be so close to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium I knew we were going.  My girls watched Dolphin Tale some time ago, leading us to view Winter, the star, from the internet several times.  If you don't know, Winter is a dolphin who's tale got caught in a net and was rescued and brought to this aquarium.  She swims with an artificial tale for physical therapy.  

 

I can not say enough wonderful things about this place.  Had I known how much learning could be done in this one place, I would have planned the entire day there.  The staff is dedicated to you learning about the animals, seeing them up close, and touching as many of them as you can.  All three girls loved it!

We spent the rest of the day traveling to visit a friend and spend the night close to her.  The following morning we drove the rest of the way home laughing over the funnies that happened along the way, wishing we were still splashing around Treasure Island, and so very grateful for the opportunity to make these memories together.

**I put together this video to share with you what I was so grateful to see in person.**
*If you are viewing this in the email subscription service you will have to click the title at the top of the page to link into the website to view the video.*

-----The Mama

I love her.

I love her...

even when she wants to go outside and play in a cream dress and cowgirl boots. 

I love her...

so I went with it.  

I love her...

  so I threw a flower in her hair and took my camera too.  

I love her...

forever and a day.

----The Mama

Another Outdoor Adventure

As I play blog catch-up, please note that I am dating them back as this is a diary for my daughters to look back upon.  Enjoy our February adventure in the outdoors.  :)

Falling Waters State Park

We caught a break in the coldest winter ever...for Florida... so we decided to take a drive to the next stop on Man's outdoor adventure list.  Sitting just off of I-10 about one hour from our home is Florida's tallest waterfall, at 73 feet.  

Even though I have traveled this route a few more times than Man, I had never noticed any signs pointing me in this direction.  Perhaps it has something to do with the final destination I am seeking on each of my trips.  Ummm....shopping in Tallahassee, Disney, Cruising.  You get the point.  Man vs. Woman.  He wins on this one.  It was gorgeous.

When we stepped onto the paved path, leading into the forest, we were met with the enticing sound of the water falling.  As we strolled along, the girls were able to stop and look at the different plants, trees, and sinkholes that abound in this part of nature.

Allye insisted that we stop and look at every "river" along the way.  She was thoroughly amused and I was terrified she might try to jump in.  Thankfully, she decided dry was best.  When the paved paths ran out, there were beautiful wood paths and stairways that took over and opened up to a two acre lake with white sandy beaches.  It was so heart-warming to see that many of these paths were the final project for an Eagle Scout or Boy Scout troops.

A quaint little bridge to the right of this lake captured our attention and drew us to a path that meandered beyond what our wishful eyes could see.  Although dreamers and adventure seekers we are, we are also Realists.  Approaching the lunching hour with no picnic basket in sight and countless steps taken already, we knew it was time to begin our journey back.

We ate under the cover of sky high pine trees on picnic tables with a cool breeze blowing.  This majestic park offered a great playground area for the kids as well.  So, of course, we spent lots of time there seeing who could swing the highest and slide the fastest.  We paused to hear birds singing and tree branches swaying. We pierced the silent air with shrieks of laughter playing chase and had moments of silence as we drank in the awesomeness of God's creation.

We couldn't leave without a mandatory family shot.

Let's just keep it real...we have way more of this kind...and I kind of love it.

Until we meet again...

Source - Support Handmade

Love,

The Outdoor Mama

Tubing. Tobogganing. Sledding.

When our family was in the mountains at Thanksgiving we were so fortunate to be in Boone one afternoon when a snowstorm came in.  It was wonderful, miraculous, and beautiful.  Since we already knew about our outdoor theme for 2014, and seeing the excitement in the girls about the snow, we knew what our first outdoor adventure had to be.  With a return trip to North Carolina already planned for Christmas, our idea was set in motion.  We were taking our girls sledding.  Or tubing.  Or tobogganing.  Depends on who you ask...so I have learned.

  We initially had one location selected but then chose Sugar Mountain Resort once we realized that the snowstorm we needed was not going to "hit" in time.  This is a larger resort with great snow making capabilities and we can't just come back next week folks.  We had a blast and the girls had so much fun.  I was quite upset to have all of our plans made and then find out Allye could not participate.  Thankfully we had Popi and Meme and they were all the entertainment she needed.

Never having had an experience like this, I was so impressed with how organized, efficient, and kind all of the employees were.  We enjoyed two hours of solid riding and it was a great way to start off our Year in the Great Outdoors!

---The Mama

New Year. New Resolution.

2013

As I reflect on my 2013 resolution ,to BE with my children, I truly feel I made great strides in this area.  I would say that the resolution forced me to constantly be aware of what I was doing with my time.  The plus side of this was that there were definitely times I realized that I was making the wrong decisions with my time and quickly worked to refocus on the girls.  Other times, when I had to make choices to "get things done," I felt extremely guilty because I had made said resolution.  In whole, I am happy I chose to focus on truly living and enjoying my children.  We splashed in the tub, read lots of books, hugged, kissed, lived, and loved.  Hard.  It made me more aware then ever that my time with them is limited and that it is passing so quickly.  I learned that if I just show up they will do the planning....tea parties, hide-n-seek, tag, coloring, dancing, cooking, laughing, giggling, and talking.  They showed me that my time with them doesn't always have to be extravagantly planned, it just has to be with them.   I find myself grasping, with both hands, to moments I have with them knowing that I only have that day, that moment, that memory with them once...and I am so thankful those moments and memories are mine.  Here's to living and loving in 2013...one moment at a time.

 
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2014

  A few months ago, probably at some point when I was on a "high" from the whole moments with my kids thing, I had a light-bulb moment.  In an instant I knew what I wanted our resolution for 2014 to be.  However, I knew that Man would have to be on board because I would need lots of help to plan and carry out this idea.  I sat him down, he got worried, then I laid it on him.  2014 was going to be The Year of the Great Outdoors.  His job?  To plan many of the activities.  He was game.  So, we began formulating our plans and doing some research.  Some things will be bigger adventures then others, and the goal is to complete one bigger outdoor activity each month.  So, to tell the girls about this year's resolution, we purchased everyone a new water bottle and the Eco Smash book to chronicle our outdoor adventures.
 

Because these books are themed, constructed, and  ready for pictures and captions I hope this will be a great way to quickly update each adventure for the girls to enjoy and remember along the way.  I see it as a great way to have the scrapbook effect without all of the extra work. :)






  Our first adventure?  The Great Outdoors of North Carolina.  In the mountains.  Happening tomorrow.

I will post photos of our adventures as we are enjoying them on Instagram @MAMABPLUS3.  Feel free to follow me there and enjoy the journey as it happens.  Otherwise, I will see you here on the blog.  We truly enjoy reading your comments and would love for you to post them on the blog so they will be here for our girls to have throughout time.  Feel free to leave us some ideas too!

 ----The Mama