Our "Staycation"

This spring break we went on our first "staycation". After not being able to decide where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do we decided to take the economical route and just stay home. In the past we have spent our spring breaks by staying in Bed and Breakfast Inns (pre-children), at hotels on the beach and by camping so I was a little worried this spring break was going to leave us feeling disappointed or at the very least, bored. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Knowing I wanted the week to be special and not spent inside wasting away the days by watching television, I made a list of things I thought would be fun to do as a family. Eric took the entire week off and Monday began our official first staycation. Here is the daily journal and pictures of our week:

Monday

Bowling: It's such an easy and affordable outing for a family but something often overlooked. The bowling balls were almost as big as the kids and the waiting of those balls to creep down the lanes was brutal but the kids had a blast. A few calls to the front desk for ball retrieval and repair of the automatic ball sweeping arm (someone, not me and not one of our children, hit the "reset" button and got it hung up on a bowling ball stuck in the gutter) and a couple falls later, we completed our first family game of bowling.

Later that night we went to the beach to soak in a hot tub and gaze at the stars. It was freezing and very windy but the kids loved the fact they were up way past their bedtimes and it was quality time with family.


Tuesday

Zoo: Ok so everyone takes their kids to the zoo and there's a reason why-it's fun! And educational. We packed a picnic and took the kids to Lowry Park Zoo. From feeding lorakeets to feeding giraffes we saw every animal and fed ourselves candied apples and giant cookies too. We took a ride on the skysafari which was a bit intimidating dangling over huge alligators and other man eating animals but an otherwise relaxing way to spend a little down time with the kids.

Drive-In Theater: Who (under the age of 50) has been to a drive-in theater? We have! Tuesday evening after dinner we surprised the kids with a trip to a local drive-in theater to see the movie, "How To Train Your Dragon". We met friends there and though the kids may have been more busy gorging themselves on popcorn and candy then jumping around in the back of the car, it was still a really neat experience. We saw the moon rise over the screen and the most amazing falling star ever.

Wednesday

Children's Choice Meal: This one I was really excited about! On Tuesday night I had the kids draw a meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) out of a hat and then tell me what they would like to eat for that meal. I told them they could choose ANYthing they wanted and I would make it. At first Eric was a little concerned about guidelines and conditions but I explained it was only one day and that I could sneak healthy snacks in between the "meals." Here are their choices:

Easton had breakfast and being very original chose...waffles. I helped him out a bit by offering sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, maple syrup, whipped cream and chocolate shavings as topping options.

Fisher, being a little more creative, chose banana splits for lunch. Vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream with bananas (of course), hot fudge, caramel sauce, strawberries, chopped pineapple, sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate shavings and cherries were on the menu.

And finally, for dinner, Finley chose cupcakes with pink, green and blue frosting. I let the children frost their own cupcakes then top them with jellybeans and sprinkles. Overall it was a lot of fun and not one time did I hear, "this is yucky."


Also on Wednesday the boys went on a successful fishing trip and caught several sheepshead and even a few grouper!











And Finley and I were able to do a little shopping and spent some quality mommy-daughter time.



Thursday

Beach: It would be a total lack of spring break respect if we did not make at least one trip to the beach so off we went. Again we packed a picnic and met friends and enjoyed the beautiful weather on one of our favorite beaches.













Pier 60: Every day at sunset the pier comes alive with street performers and tourists. We decided to 'tourist it' for the evening and grabbed dinner to go then went to the pier to eat dinner, watch the sunset and see the street performers. From fire juggling to fire breathing we were definitely entertained.

Friday

Farmer's Market: I've always loved going to farmer's markets and was really excited to be able to go as a family. We purchased fresh fruits and vegetables, listened to live folk music and checked out the many vendors. After an apple snack we left for hiking at Brooker Creek Preserve.

Brooker Creek Preserve: A nature park in our backyard, we were really impressed with the facilities and loved the shaded boardwalk. We watched an educational movie on how to take care of our natural resources then went on a leisurely hike through the forest and saw two armadillos ("badilwoes" as Finley calls them), several turtles, an alligator and a couple of wild turkeys. It was a perfect day for a hike and the kids had fun exploring.

Saturday/Sunday

We went to the beach again on Saturday and spent the day with family then that afternoon we hosted a neighborhood block party. And Sunday morning, after discovering our Easter treats, we went to church and rejoiced in the resurrection of our Saviour then had a wonderful lunch with family. It was a wonderful week and one that will definitely make us consider another staycation in the future. Fisher said it best when he said, "This was the best spring break ever!"

The girl does not like her picture taken.