Scalloping

Scalloping is such a fun thing to do with kids!  I like to describe it as an underwater Easter egg hunt.  We usually go every summer.  Here is what you need for a good time scalloping:
1)  Check the reports online and find out where to go!  Scallops like to hang out just north of where a river meets the gulf. 
2)  Round up your equipment: snorkels- check!  masks- check!  flippers- check!  shell bag and 5 gallon bucket- check!  dive flag- check!  fishing license- DOH! (had to renew mine at the last minute online!) 

 3)  Find the spot and start finding them!  Usually the water is pretty shallow when we scallop which makes it fun for everyone, even the kids, but it still helps to have snorkel equipment.  You can find them just hanging out in the grass and sandy areas out in the bay.  

4)  Head back in and find a shady spot to shuck!  We usually sit under a tree back at home, and have some cold drinks to help us along.  Shuckin' tips:  Dark side up, use a grapefruit spoon, sometimes ice makes them pop open, but sometimes just keeping them in their own water works better.  

 5)  Cook em up!  I dip them in egg and put them in a baggie full of panko breadcrumbs and shake it all about!  I put a little oil in a pan and fry them for about 3 minutes on each side until they are brown.  At the last minute, I pour 2 tablespoons of Rose's lime juice and a pat of butter in the pan and let it sizzle.  Serve over pasta or yellow corn grits.  Mmmmm!  
Are you ready to try scalloping?


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Woobies

Does your child have a "woobie"?  Mine does.  His name is "Bear" and it is a small green blanket that she has had since she was born.  

 Well, correction, she has lost him 3 times and 3 times I was at the mercy of E-Bay to try to find another one since it is no longer made.  I even paid 35 dollars one time.  (There is a business that I should invest in- forget stocks, I should start investing in woobies!)  I went to a baby shower the other day and they asked all the ladies to write advice for the mom-to-be.  My advice is that if your kid has a woobie, buy several and hide them.  Oh, and don't wash the woobie- your kid will cry and you will feel bad.  Woobies are stinky, and kids like them that way.  So many times when we are out and about and someone sees my daughter and her woobie, they will stop me to tell me about one they had when they were a kid and how their parents threw it away, or slowly cut pieces off until there was nothing left!  I could never do that to my daughter!  I don't think it hurts anything for her to keep her bear- to tell you a secret, she comes by it honestly.

Bear hanging out with my old woobie, Hansel!

Do you still have your woobie?


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Linking to lovelinks!

Wordless Wednesday

Should I set her free???

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It's Hot, Hot, Hot

Well, I guess summer is here!  It is so hot here in Florida that you practically melt when you go outside.  So, what are some ways to keep cool with your kids?
1) Go to the movie theater.  I usually freeze there, so it feels great in the hot weather!
2) Go ice skating!  Ice skating is an awesome summer time activity- your nose may even run!

Not me!

3) Check out synchronized swimming.  I have been doing synchronized swimming with my daughter this summer.  She is way better than me because when I get my arms going good, my legs stop, and when I get my legs kicking good I forget to move my arms.  I am not a multi-tasker in the water apparently!

Really not me!

4)  Hook up a sprinkler to your hose and run through it.  Or scoot or bike through it.

 5)  Spend the day in the library.  It is nice and air conditioned there!  I usually grab the latest issues of the gossip magazines and sit in the comfy chairs in the children's room while my daughter plays on the computers there.
6) Hit the beach- build sandcastles and find shells.  We usually go in the evening when the sun is not so bright.
7)  Make homemade snowcones or popsicles.
8)  Visit a spring.  There are many beautiful springs and they are so refreshing to swim in when it is cold.  Springs have this great smell and your hair is SO soft after you swim in one!
9)  Go tubing!  Take a fun group of people with you and don't forget to take an extra tube for your cooler full of snacks and drinks!  It also pays to arrange for a ride at the end of the tube run to take you back to your car.

 10)  Visit a museum.  Take a sketch pad and colored pencils for your child to draw the art that they liked the best.  

What do you do to stay cool on the hottest summer days?

Making a Magnetic Chalkboard Wall

Doesn't the title of this post sound so easy- "Making a Magnetic Chalkboard Wall".  I looked at a few other lovely blogs for inspiration and then decided that this would be something I could handle.  I thought it would take a few hours, slap some paint up and BANG, we would be in business!  Hmmm.  Check it out:
Step One: Tape the wall.  Ok, done!

Step Two: Put on Magnetic Paint- three thin layers- why is it still so sticky??? oh, well it is probably fine... move to next step.

Step Three: Put chalkboard paint on wall, two layers.  Hmmm.  Why is nothing sticking to this thing???  


Step Four:  Read instructions on sides of cans (one has paint on it!?)  Call friend for support.  Friend suggests call 800 number on side of can- GREAT IDEA!  They pick up right away- amazing. 
Operator:  "Did you stir the paint?"  
Me:  "Of course!" Grab paint stirrer and "OMG, this stuff is supposed to be thick?!"  
Operator:  "Yes, you should use 1/3 of the can".  
Me:  "But I already painted the chalkboard paint over it!!!"  
Operator: "Yes ma'am (since when am I a ma'am?!), I understand.  You will have to sand the wall and start again"  
Me: "But I hate sanding almost as much as I hate ironing."  
Operator: "Is there anything else I can help you with today?"  
Me: "Wanna come sand my wall?"   

 Step 5: Sand Wall, Apply magnetic paint (stirred well this time!).  Apply chalkboard paint.  Allow to dry 24 hours.  Rub all over with chalk, then erase!  


Step 6: Peel off tape.  Uh,oh paint snuck under the tape.  Hmmm.  I know, paint a gold frame around chalkboard.

Step 7: Hot glue a jewel, and ledge to make it pretty for a little princess!

Best Seashell Crafts!

Thank you to all the great crafters who linked up their best sea shell crafts to my seashell craft share!
All the ideas are so cute!  Here they are:


Seashell Craft Ideas

1. Lobster Tails & Clam Shells	2. Patti Easton	3. Sharon
4. Sharon	5. Shell Crafts for Kids	6. Sea shell crafts
7. Chere	8. Della	9. Cute Clam Critters
10. Sea Shell Koalas

		For even more ideas, you can link back to the original post here!

Starbucks Card Giveaway!

 I have reached 100 followers on GFC!  
LET'S CELEBRATE!  
Better yet, let's celebrate with a GIVEAWAY!
I am giving away a $10 Starbucks Giftcard!

 Thank you to everyone who has followed and read and commented on my blog and I look forward to meeting many more followers in the future!

 Contest rules:
Mandatory entry: Follow me on GFC AND vote for my blog by clicking the picket fences link below!  Leave one comment to let me know that you did this! *Be sure to leave your e-mail address in the comment.
1 Extra entry: Follow me on Twitter! Leave one comment to let me know that you did this!  *Be sure to leave your e-mail in the comment.  
1 Extra entry: Join my "blogfrog community" by clicking the link below! Leave one comment to let me know that you did this!  *Be sure to leave your e-mail in the comment.
2 Extra entries: Post my button on your blog!  Leave 2 comments telling me the name of your blog and be sure to leave your e-mail address!
Example: You follow me on GFC, voted, and follow on Twitter- leave me 2 comments- don't forget your e-mail address!
Let's get jazzied up on some Starbucks!  Contest ends Sunday, July 31st at 6PM!

6 word Saturday

Keeping my daughter from 
SUMMER BOREDOM!

Making Fairy Gardens

Making Crafts

Sciency Fun

Fishing

Making a Sand-Village

Fairy Fun

My daughter has been making fairy gardens for about a year now ever since we saw the Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue movie.  We got to see a sneak preview of it at Disney's Hollywood Studios, got our picture taken with the fairies and got a goodie bag with a little fairy house that you could put together.  

 From then on she has been making and re-making her fairy garden!  Here is a picture of how it looks now:

She made it in a planter that I wasn't using.  Making fairy gardens are a great way to entertain your kid for a few hours!  
If you would like to see some other really cool fairy gardens click here!

http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2011/07/fairy-garden-competion-2011.html

 

Finding Fun

About a week ago my daughter got her first library card and we have been spending a lot of time at the library.  
Believe it or not, she has been checking out and watching nearly every Bill Nye the Science Guy video that the library owns!  This is funny to me because I am a science teacher and have almost every Bill Nye ever recorded- but they are locked up in my classroom at school for the summer!  

Love his theme song! Anyway, I am not very much in the mood for teaching kids over the summer- even my own kid, but I thought that I would jump on this opportunity to do some science activities with her.  
I found some black-line masters of snakes and butterflies online and told her that we were going to play a little hide and seek game.  

 I told her to observe the backyard and decide where the best place would be to put her butterflies and snakes out in plain sight.  I told her to color the animals so they are camouflaged to their surroundings, and that I would pretend to be a bird and try to find her animals to eat them.  She did an awesome job!  

So, while she was at camp today, I hid the animals in the kitchen.

Do you think she will find them???

100 Readers!

 I am just two followers away from having 100 followers of my blog on GFC!  I really never thought that would happen since it seems like just yesterday that I only had 8 followers!  So, thank you for following my blog!  I have been writing for one and a half years- can't believe it has been that long!    When I started doing this, I secretly worried about running out of things to talk about, but between my students, my daughter and my adventurous life, I am never lacking things to write about!  I would like to do a giveaway to show my appreciation to my followers.  What do you think I should give away?  (Keep in mind I am a teacher and not getting paid over the summer time- keep in cheap, people!)  Click on comment to give a suggestion!

Lovin the Library

My library has a limit of 50 items that can be checked out at a time.  I know that seems like a lot of items, but when I check out a few books, magazines and videos and my daughter checks out a bunch of books and videos, well, let's just say that we are constantly up to our limit.  We are big lovers of our local library!  About a week ago I decided that it was time to get my daughter her own library card.  We went to the good library further from our house (that is not always wiped out of children's books and has a park to play in) to get the card.  She even got to check out her own items.  Next we went to the craft section of Walmart and bought a large blank canvas bag for her to decorate herself to hold her library books in.  She used puff paint to write the word "READ" on the bag and we attached her card to the handle.  It turned out very cute and she feels extra special when we walk into the library now! 

My daughter's puffy paint library bag!

I am a little jealous of my daughter's cute bag and want a special bag too.  
I loved this bag I spied on pinterest and am thinking about making it for myself!  What do you think?

Bag I want to make for me!

Happy happy joy joy!

These are the things that are putting a smile on my face this summer:
 
Tyler Candles!

I have never smelled a better candle!  My favorite is the pineapple with fleur de lis as a close second!

Reading!  Summer is a great time for catching up on my reading! I read my daughter a story before bed every night.  

My daughter's favorite book

The book that I can't wait to read!

                                                
Synchronized Swimming

The Real Housewives

Sorry, I am hooked!

                                                                   
Buxom Lip Gloss

So pretty!

                                                                        
Harry Potter!

What do you love this summer?