Vacation With Alex

Well, this year Alex had her very first family vacation.  She's taken trips to Grandma's in the past, but I always had to stay home due to work.  Well, this summer, we decided to take a wonderful vacation, Alex, myself, and Grandma, to the beach.  It was Alex's very first time at the beach, but that wasn't all!  We didn't go to just ANY beach, we went to Chincoteague Island.  And, right over the bridge from Chincoteague is Assateague-home of the wild ponies!!
The trip was GREAT!  After the long car ride(and several times of Alex getting restless) we made it to the hotel to unload all of our luggage.  She couldn't wait to go to the beach, and we hadn't even told her about the ponies yet!  So she was very surprised on the short trip to the beach when she saw a herd of wild ponies along side of the road.
And when we made it to the beach, she couldn't hold her excitement in!  The sand was almost overwhelming to her, and the crashing waves and seagulls put her over the top!
On our vacation, Alex built sandcastles, hunted for seashells, learned to swim in the hotel's swimming pool(without floaties!) and how to boogie board.  We fed seagulls, looked for crabs off the dock, dug for clams(but only the little ones that get uncovered with the waves), and went to the Pony Round-Up carnival.  All in all, it was an amazing vacation.  I hope you enjoy some of our vacation pictures!!

Building Sand Castles

CANNON BALL!!!

Playing in the Waves

Assateague Ponies

Seashell Hunting

Good Morning Seagull

Boogie Boarding

Kid's Snack- S'mores Milkshakes!!!

When I think of summer, one of the first things that I think about is spending time outside, with campfires being on the very top of the list.  And what's a campfire without s'mores?!  Add in the summer classic of a milkshake, and you have an amazing snack you and your kids are sure to love!

This recipe is done in estimates.  I have never used a set recipe for this, which gives you the opportunity to add/subtract to your own preference.

What You'll Need:
Milk
Vanilla Ice Cream
Graham Crackers
Marshmellow Fluff
Chocolate Syrup
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar
Blender

First, take a few scoops of ice cream and put them in the blender, with about a cup of milk and blend it well.  Add more ice cream to make your shake thicker, and more milk to make it thinner.
After blending your shake, take three graham crackers, crush them up very fine, and add them to the blender.  Then, add a few spoon fulls of marshmellow fluff.  Blend this very well.  Now, you add the chocolate syrup-just a little squirt.  Crush half of the chocolate bar very well, and add it as well.  Blend again for a few minutes, and serve.

Ideally, the marshmellow fluff will kind of stay separate, and the chocolate pieces will add a nice little chocolatey crunch.  Enjoy!

Feel free to add reviews on this recipe, or give your own variations in the comments.

Kid's Craft- Shoe Planters

This is a fun activity that helps merge from winter and spring into summer, recycling some of the old shoes that won't be of any use next year when your kids have outgrown them.

Simple and easy

-Take your child's old shoes from winter and spring, or any shoes that they have outgrown.  We used my daughter's old crocs, but you can also use old boots or sneakers.

-Fill the child's shoe losely with potting soil, and add a flower that will stay small.  We used Impatients.

-Find a nice spot out in the yard, by the front door, or along a walkway to keep the flowers. You can even hang the new planters from a wall, a fence post, or a doorway. Make sure that they are in a spot where they will recieve adequate sunlight for the type of flower that you have chosen, and that you keep them watered as well.

-Sit back and enjoy your new decor that your children will love.  You can even let them water them as needed.