Since the campsites at Anastasia State Park for spring break book so quickly, I reserved our campsite for back in August. Typically, when booking that far in advance, there’s no way to predict the weather but we could never have predicted that pollen levels would have forced us to cancel our highly coveted camping spot.
Of course, we were all greatly disappointed as we had been anticipating the trip for months, but the girls took the news the worst. Even though Allana’s eyes swelled shut and her snot ran green due to the amount of pollen in the air, she still was willing to suffer through it for the sake of some s’ mores . However, Allan and I simply could not allow anyone to endure the elements that would trigger an asthma attack or a severe allergic reaction. So, to make it up to the girls, we promised four fun-filled days.
Thursday, we spent the day at Busch Gardens. It had been years since we last visited the park. Allan and I couldn’t believe how much had changed, but it was all new to the girls and they loved every inch of it.
Friday, we visited Dinosaur World. The girls and I had been several time before, but this was Allan’s first time and he really enjoyed this outdoor dinosaur museum. The weather was perfect but being outside under the shady cypress and oak trees was all anyone’s allergies could handle.
Saturday, we took a road trip to St. Augustine. The girls loved climbing the Castillo de San Marco and exploring the oldest city in the U.S. They especially liked stopping for a refreshing root beer at the A1A Aleworks and for homemade ice cream and fudge at Kilwin’s. Before we left to head back home, we stumbled upon a beautiful wooden park and I think the girls may have enjoyed it more than the fort.
On Sunday, Grandma treated the girls to How to Train Your Dragon in 3D while Allan and I rested to recover from our exhausting excursions.











































When my kitchen counter became too cluttered with recyclables, I cleverly devised a plan to encourage my children to help me clean up.
I began by showing them the #1 and #2 triangle recycle symbols on the bottom of the plastic containers. Other number plastics were tossed into the trash or we found find other ways to reuse them, but all glass containers and aluminum cans could be recycled with the #1 and #2 plastics.




































