Summer fun is
here!
This year we have
many activities that are preventing us from a real summer vacation, so we are
focusing on mini staycations.
In June we did Orlando parks and
wildlife. I surprised myself going our
there are I am more of an urban girl.
But looking at nature and enjoying what it has to offer through the
kid’s eyes made a big difference in how I appreciated everything differently.
The highlight of
this trip was a canoe ride on Peace River, a little meandering and very
tranquil body of water located in south
west Florida, near Arcadia.
It was a true Florida experience, enjoyed
while we paddled an easy to learn activity.
As we begun, my
thoughts were toward alligators, mosquitoes, and under water currents.
As I got a hold
of how to paddle correctly, get the children doing it with me and finally
taking in the beauty of our surroundings, my senses were on high alert for
safety. The biggest worry: what if we tipped
over? Well, we did!!! It was a lot of
fun and what really put my nerves at ease.
I stood up to water to my knees!
Perfect, we were told that was the deepest stretch of the river. After that it was a wonderful
experience. We stopped at a few beaches;
picnic was in order for lunch and of course cooled down in the very serene
water of Peace River.
Two weekends ago
we went to an amazing resort where we took full advantage of pool and
beach. Simply wonderful, relaxing….yes,
the good life.
My little natural
science aficionado found out we could participate in helping baby sea turtles
get to the ocean. What a treat!
If you have never
participated, it all happens at night.
We started off by leveling all the sand castles busy architects erected
during sunshine hours. This is done to
make it easier for the turtles to reach the water, not to mention, the way Mother
Nature intended it to be.
Again this city
slicker started the evening by thinking about what might be lurking on the
beaches or the ocean where we stood. You may say I watch to many movies, but I
am re-comforted by a permanent sense of security when the kids are around. When they are not, you wouldn’t believe how
adventurous I might be ;-)
There was a big
sense of accomplishment and contribution among all of us participating that
night. Enriching and educational, just
perfect.
Last weekend, we
turned to a more metropolitan affair: museums.
Being that one of the kids is a conductor at heart we could not by pass
the Gold Coast Train Museum in Miami. While my little one was overjoyed and
overexcited to be there, I couldn’t help but go back to a video clip that has
marked me forever. I am sharing the clip
here with you. It is a bit long. If you
don’t want to watch it, I will give you a synopsis under it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOelrDX8Fjk
The video tells
the story of a minivan that was hit by a moving train. In the minivan a 2 year old sat strapped
inside his car seat despite his parent’s furious attempts to free the child
before the train hit. The van was completely mangled. This heart stopping test to a car seat by a
mother proved the amazing safety features of the Britax car seat they used
because the child was completely unharmed train hit. But luckily he was
completely unharmed. This seat was the
Roundabout, one of the many great products of the company that performed its
ultimate function: restrain and protect in a crash
What an ordeal,
but frankly, if I ever find my family in a situation such as this, I am
counting on Britax to care for our well-being.
I will take care of everything else: the mosquito repellent, sunscreen,
hydration needs, food, ok, ok I will stop here.
I love how great
companies think of everything (kids and parents alike). While doing their jobs of delivering great
products, I get more freedom to care for lesser concerns, and focus of giving
my kids the best summer of their lives!
Happy rest of the
summer, get out and take it all in. The
world through our children is so much more grandiose!
Keep safe.
Labels: arcadia, beach, Britax, car seats, children, education, fun, hatching, highlands, kids, learning, miami, museums, parks, peace river, safety, summer, trains, turtles
