Friday I'm in Love: Tampa With Kids

Normally as the winter drags on into March, I don't care because I'm too busy planning our March/April trip to Florida. But this year, in addition to being one of the worst winters I can remember, we're not going to Florida.

I am trying not to be bitter.

In effort to stick with my "Friday I'm in Love" theme of being more f***ing positive, I have decided to share some of the fun things to do with kids in the Tampa area. And to try to be grateful that we've gotten to go for the last couple of years.

This is my (now-local) brother-in-law's favorite beach. 

Not only does this park have an old fort, it also has some great beaches. 

This is the BEST aquarium. You can see Winter (the dolphin from the movie Dolphin Tale) and learn so much. Plus, it's way more ethical than Sea World. And it's right near Clearwater Beach!

This museum has a really fun children's play area as well. 

Anna Maria is closer to Bradenton, but it is my all-time favorite place in Florida. Beaches, restaurants, history and quaintness. 

We love aquariums. This one also has a cool kids' water play area. 

What are some of your favorite warm weather destinations? Help me daydream, please. 

Check out some other great posts at the Epic Linky Party:

Our First Full Family Road Trip

The first time I was really nervous about taking a road trip was our initial family trip to Florida. Hugmonkey, you see, was all of two months old.




 Ironflower was 4 and Lovebug was not quite 3. I was still recovering from the post c-section complications I'd had, so I might not have been in the most energetic frame of mind. Also, it was the first road trip we were taking in the Kia, and much as I loved all the space we had in it, I was nervous. I didn't trust it yet.

Though I was certainly more inclined to trust it as we were able to pile in the portable crib, a vibrating bouncy seat, a triple stroller, a Barbie house, a train set, clothes for two weeks and a case of wine (what? I wasn't pregnant anymore. Actually, the wine was really for my dad, whom we were meeting in Florida).

I have to be honest; it was probably the worst road trip we ever had, as far as the being on the road part. While the Kia itself proved just as reliable and easy to drive as my old car, we had some extenuating circumstances on that particular trip down; Ironflower was sick and Lovebug was terribly unhappy. One day ended with the entire family crying as we pulled into the hotel.

But then we got to Florida.

The beach in Naples. 

And we felt better. 

I swear the whole trip was worth it just to have this picture of all three of them.

Having the Kia there meant it was easy to go to the beach, the zoo and the store with the entire family. And we didn't have to worry about rental car fees or costly gas prices. 

Ironflower fell in love with the beach.

The zoo was so much fun. 

Not the best picture of Lovebug, but I actually don't hate myself in this picture. 

We even had room for the Baby Bjorn. 

Lovebug realized that he didn't totally hate the water. 

By the time we had to head home, I was much, much calmer about the prospect of road tripping with 3 small children. I don't know if it was my calmness, the relaxing time in Florida, or the fact that Hugmonkey was just that much more able to sleep, but the trip home was much more fun. I don't remember any days that ended with all of us in tears, just fun stops in Washington, D.C. and Savannah. 

At the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. 

Ironflower still gets excited when we stop in Savannah. 

This post is sponsored by Kia.

We Finally Made It Home

So our car died while we were in Florida. Luckily, we were able to stay with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend (who are totally awesome) while it was getting a new engine (FYI, never buy a car that has previously been leased. Just don't.)  But I found it hard to blog there and I was all stressed out, except when I was trying to pretend it was an extended vacation.

Which it was, really. I mean, it was sunny and over 80 the whole time. Look.

Fort De Soto State Park. Beaches and history - it's like it was made for our family. 

Brief visit to the Car Fix set. You know it's bad when even they can't fix your car.

This is not Winter, heroine of Dolphin Tale. This is Nicholas. He is more exciting to watch. 

We did watch Winter though, I swear. 

There was too much TV watching. 

Making a movie at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Anna Maria Island is my new favorite place. 

Apollo Beach. 

Someday, when my brain is not freaking out about all the stuff I have to put away and the laundry and all the things we are behind on, I should write about traveling with kids to the Tampa Bay area. I totally feel like an expert now. 

Road Trip!

As you read this, I will be heading down interstate 95 with 3 kids, a husband and a very full minivan. Acquaintances have literally recoiled in horror as I've recounted our vacation plans with them; first we're heading to Jekyll Island, Georgia for a family reunion in honor of my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary, then we're heading to my brother-in-law's house outside of Tampa.

And then we'll drive back, possibly stopping in our beloved Savannah or discovering a new destination.

Yes, we're road tripping with our spawn. On purpose.

The first time we made the NJ to Florida trip, Hugmonkey was two months old and my brother-in-law didn't even live there yet.

In addition to having to stop nearly every hour for me to nurse Hugmonkey, Ironflower also vomited about 4 hours into the trip, right as we got stuck in bumper-to-bumper D.C. traffic. And yet when road tripping to Maryland for my cousin's wedding came up a few months later, Ironflower and Lovebug were all over it. Hugmonkey still not so much. 

But now? Every day he asks if we're leaving for our road trip. 

I don't know if it's the break from routine, the total relaxation of screen time rules or what, but my kids loooove road trips. Well, they like the destinations better, but they are no problem in the car. They are just ready for whatever adventure comes up next, I guess. And for them, a rest area can be an adventure - especially if we play tag there. 

I highly recommend playing tag on road trips, by the way. Unless the rest stop is really skeevy.  Also, never let your kids watch videos in the car except on road trips - it makes the whole experience much more exciting. I know, I know, I'm not one for giving parenting advice. . .but I feel qualified in this case, and it's so rare that I feel qualified about anything. . . . . 

1. Videos in the car.

2. Rest stop tag.

3. Pack favorite healthy snacks that are easily accessible. Do not buy junk food at every stop. 

4. Buy junk food at one stop only if you desperately need to bribe them. 

5. Put each outfit (top/bottom/underwear/socks) in a Ziploc bag so that everything stays sorted. 

6. Stay in motels with indoor pools, or really good cable. 

7. Treat the road part of the trip like a vacation, not a painful marathon to get to your final destination. 

8. Have special toys just for the car, like Etch-a-Sketch, Wiki Stix and art sets. 

9. Make them pause the videos and look at the window when you get to new parts of the country. 

10. Have a minivan. Seriously. 

You're A Sly One, Florida

Just when I think I'm over the idea of moving to Florida, Hugmonkey gets his winter illness. I was hoping that this year, being four and all, he would have outgrown it. Put the poor kid has had no such luck.

The year the poor kid was born, all the kids had walking pneumonia in the winter. Hugmonkey was only two months old, the poor baby. Until last year, every time he had a cold he had to go through nebulizer treatments because it would invariably head straight for his lungs. This year, he's had a few colds that didn't require breathing treatments. I was so relieved.

But now, I hear the mucky cough. He's got a fever that's not in the danger zone but is making him fatigued. Ironflower has a touch of it, but definitely not anything like his.

This happens every fucking January. Except when we've gone to Florida, where he seems to get better instantaneously. According to my mother, I was the same way as I child. Whenever we went somewhere warm in the winter, I would get over whatever cough I was having and my allergies would get better.

Florida also has this. 

I'm sure we'd still get viruses in Florida. But I feel like Hugmonkey wouldn't suffer so much. Plus, you know, no scraping ice off the car every morning. And no quality pizza. I'd probably lose five pounds without even trying. 

Oh Florida fantasy, I just can't quit you. 

What I Learned On My Winter Vacation

One of the things I love about traveling is that you can learn so many things. I mean, sure I loved being in a warmer part of the country (have I mentioned that it actually got down to freezing while we were there? It did.) and having my parents to share so many child-rearing duties, but the best part was going somewhere new. Okay, all the alone time Hot Guy and I got was pretty cool too, but still, I loved exploring. Seeing new things and new for the kids things was fabulous too. But nothing beats the learning.

I learned things about my family:

Hot Guy has an odd affinity for Kool and the Gang.

Feeding Ironflower donut holes and lemonade is a very BAD idea, especially when she's going to be riding in a car that day.

Lovebug has traindar - he can find a train no matter where he is and no matter what he is doing.

ChunkyMonkey must go to sleep at 9pm if he is to sleep through the night - any other time and he wakes up.

My Dad has amazing putting baby to sleep powers.

My mom has mastered her iPhone but is freaked out by the ATM.

I learned things about life south of the Mason-Dixon line and east of Alabama:

Apparently no one there has ever seen a triple stroller. Seriously, people stared at us wherever we went - I now have so much sympathy for those families that are "different" for some reason.

Everyone seems to have missed the highway driving section on the driving test. Also lacking: the parking skills section.

Warm Saturdays are not the day to try to park anywhere near any Smithsonian museums.

All the straight men sound like Larry the Cable Guy.

No one in Florida got the memo about tanning being bad for you.

You can find good NPR and decent country music everywhere except the New York area.

ALL senior citizens want to know "What aisle did you find that baby in?" whenever and wherever you take your infant shopping.

I learned even more about traveling with small children:

Never try it without at least one electronic entertainment device.

Museums are fine, but beaches and playgrounds are better.

And nothing beats having a TV in your vacation bedroom.

Nothing can drown out the sound of a four year old girl's voice or a two year old boy's tantrum, no matter how big the minivan or how loud the radio.

Construction vehicles stop being exciting after ten minutes of construction zone traffic.

Parents should have access to alcohol and/or chocolate at all times.

The Other Woman Loses Some of Her Allure

When Garmin Girl did not lead us directly to the interstate, I didn't say anything. After all, we already know that I have issues with the GPS, plus driving around all of these speeding old people makes Hot Guy annoyed enough without my helpful suggestions.

I also kept my tongue when Garmin Girl had us bypass the interstate completely. Just because the ad for the outlets had stated its interstate exit did not mean that the interstate was the best way for us to get there. Still, I began to worry. Garmin Girl is not known for sensible alternatives to the highway, after all.

We drove farther and farther into the Gulf Coast's interior, which seemed to me a logical place for an outlet mall. Land would be cheaper and no one would be distracted by a good view. It sort of looked like Kansas with palm trees. Except soon there were less shopping centers. My mother was the first to voice her concern about our location. By that time, though, we were nearly there.

Or so Garmin Girl said.

Garmin Girl felt that the outlet mall was on the dirt road to the right. Not even the paved version of the road on the left, not for Garmin Girl. That's when I thought about Dad programming the GPS for us. And how, of course, you have to program the town before you can program the street name. I asked Hot Guy if Garmin Girl would search for a street name in the nearby towns too.

Apparently Garmin Girl is not able to that, she searches one town only. Get the wrong town and you wind up at the end of a dirt road surrounded by swampland. Which mom and I were totally open to exploring, but Hot Guy and the kids not so much. So, while I did find the correct route to the correct place on Garmin Girl, we mostly followed MY directions to get to the outlets.

Because unlike Garmin Girl, I can synthesize information. And use logic.

Thankfully, Hot Guy finds these skills sexy.

I May Be Doing Something Right

This morning, after telling the kids that we would be leaving for Florida tomorrow, I overheard this conversation.

Lovebug: I want to see the pyramids. I want to see them in Florida.

Ironflower: Lovebug, the pyramids are in Egypt. You can't see them in Florida. We'll see them when we go to Egypt.

Lovebug: I want to go to the beach in Florida!

Let's hope they can maintain their positive attitudes and intellect while we drive down there. We weren't going to go, but my parents have rented a rather large condo and well, we feel that we all deserve a vacation after this fall and winter.

Of course, my parents are flying down.

We'll be driving the minivan with three kids and eighteen bottles of wine. The wine is supposed to be for after we get there.

I'm not entirely sure about that.