Places to Go (Vacation) - A Mellower Outer Banks (i.e. Vacation, Part II) & Random Links

The second half of our Outer Banks vacation proved much more mellow then the first half. Due to jobs, sports, school, SOLs and various other commitments everyone else in the big group left on the Tuesday following Memorial Day. In contrast to our friends, we decided to keep the kids out of school and stay for the rest of the week - after all, Dan can (sometimes) telecommute. We invited some good friends to join us and thus began a few days of complete relaxation. The kids painted seashells and played German Shephard-opoly (seriously is there any noun (as in ANY NOUN??) that hasn't become a version of Monopoly?). F said "wow, this used to seem like a small house and now it's a MANSION." To prove her statement the girls slept in different bedrooms every night.

After Wednesday, outdoor temps cooled considerably (though the ocean actually became warmer). I read books and searched for seashells. My friend Julia made us a fabulous pasta dinner. It felt like an entirely different vacation, which made for a wonderful week. It was hard to leave. So. So. Hard.

Don't forget to check out this week's fabulous images over at Cherish This Day. HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH EVERYONE!! (Any ideas for kid-appropriate scary movies?)

RANDOM LINKS:

* I love these tablecloth playhouses, but I think my kids are too old for them now (so sad).

* 5 Great Documentaries. I loved Queen of Versailles, now I need to see the rest.

* The Metropolitan Museum of Art Puts 400,000 High-Res Images Online & Makes Them Free to Use.

* For local folks, KidFriendly DC posted about renting a pontoon boat on the Patuxent, which looks awesome.

*"Artistic" temporary tattoos - part of me thinks, jeez "haven't we upmarketed enough already?" and part of me thinks "they're just so so pretty" (link via A Cup of Jo).



When the days became colder, at first the kids didn't want to swim. But then (of course) they changed their minds.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Petting Stingrays & "Saving" Turtles at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island (Outer Banks, NC)

By the last day of our vacation I had grown somewhat tired of the beach (so. much. sun.). Thus we planned an outing. Unfortunately, most of the Outer Bank's major attractions are located at the south end of the peninsula, approximately an hour from our rental house in Corolla. Luckily, the drive went smoothly and eventually we arrived at our destination - the North Carolina Aquarium.

Upon first arriving, we learned that our National Zoo memberships entitled us to discounted ticket prices (I forget the total amount of the discount), making us all very happy. Then we started exploring - the aquarium is small but really well done. The otters and albino alligator kept both children and adults entertained for quite awhile, until we finally arrived at the turtle rescue center - an interactive exhibit where children "diagnosis" rubber turtles in trouble and then rehabilitate them for the wild. The exhibit even includes child sized lab coats. We spent A LOT of time here (so many rubber turtles need saving!!) and I must say, it was one of the best kid-based exhibits I've ever come across.

After saving the turtles, we pet stingrays in the museum's touch tank. I especially liked that the tank was deep, so we had to wait for the rays to come to us. And then we spent some time checking out the sharks, as a presentation at the aquarium taught us some info about how sharks operate in the wild.

This summer the museum also hosts an outdoor exhibit full of animatronic dinosaurs, complete with a dinosaur dig sandpit. In addition to the dinosaurs, the grounds of the museum are absolutely lovely with gorgeous water views and nature paths.

All in all, a fantastic destination. We stayed for over three hours and the kids still didn't want to leave.



If you're looking for other things to do in the Outer Banks, here are some of our adventures from past years:

* Roanoke Island Festival Park
* Estuarine Nature Walk (Corolla, NC)



I'm a little addicted to green screen photos, despite their crazy marked up prices. Maybe because we have so few pictures of me. Then again, maybe I just love the cheese factor.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY EVERYONE!!

Places to Go (Vacation) - A House Full of Friends in the Outer Banks (Corolla, NC) & Cherish This Day

Last year we had so much fun in Corolla, NC for the week of Memorial Day (click here for 2013's photos) that we decided to return this year. We mentioned it to a few of our friends, who mentioned it to a few of their friends and soon we had 6 wonderful families committed to vacationing together (12 adults, 13 kids).

Planning a group vacation always causes some anxiety for me (what if our parenting styles don't mesh? what if people don't get along? what if it feels awkward?). Luckily, we all had an amazingly good time - turns out it really does take a village (or, at least, villages are more fun). Parents took watching kids in the ocean, making huge (and amazing) meals, negotiating screen time disputes, etc.

And every day at 4 pm, us adults gathered together for Coronas on the beach (actually, I should say we STARTED at 4).

Really, I could not feel more blessed to have such an amazing group of neighbors/friends/crazy people in my life. Now click on over to Cherish This Day to see some wonderful photos.



Every beach vacation requires a few (or more rounds) of Cards Against Humanity. Just to keep the sarcasm flowing.



Sometimes a group of 20-somethings invites a group of 30-40 year old dads to play football. And the dads win. This was a BIG deal everyone.



The end!! Have a great weekend everyone!!