This weekend we were having a family over to dinner and I really wanted to make something everyone would like. When the kids were younger, we would usually make something fancier for the adults and then have a kid friendly option. Now that the kids are getting older, I really love having the kids at the table with us talking about dinner just like we always do with our friends. On the menu this weekend were grilled flat iron steaks, twice baked potatoes, corn on the cob and wedge salads with a super easy homemade ranch dressing.

While ranch is not my favorite, I knew the kids would all like it. I also realized I had only ever tried ranch from a bottle. Here’s what I came up with, I think it’s so much better than anything from a bottle.

2 Cloves Garlic
¼ cup Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives
1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano
1 cup Real Mayonnaise
½ cups Sour Cream, Low-Fat worked great
½ teaspoon White Vinegar
½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Dash Cayenne Pepper
¼ teaspoon Paprika
Buttermilk (as Needed To Desired Consistency)
Salt To Taste

Mince the garlic with a knife and then sprinkle about and 1/8 to ¼ teaspoons of salt on it and mash it into a paste with a fork. You have to mash it or you will end up with garlic pieces that are to bold in the dressing. Chop the parsley, chives and oregano very finely and add to the garlic.
In a bowl combine all ingredients, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thin with buttermilk if desired.

My husband and I make it a point to stop for lunch somewhere on long drives so the kids can stretch their legs and get a bit of energy out. We pack a big picnic lunch to carry with us in the car so we have the flexibility to stop anywhere that we want.

A few months back we were in the middle of an 8 hour drive, and we stopped at Falls Lake, a North Carolina State Park. I was testing out A Day’s Outing’s iPhone App when it was in development and found the park as we were driving down the road.

Falls Lake is quite large and offers camping, boating and fishing. We were just at the park for lunch and headed to one of the picnic areas. If we were fisherman, we could have made it a long lunch break and caught something wonderful for dinner. Instead, we ate under a tree and watched kayaks and motorboats make their way around the lake. It was wonderful to have lunch somewhere so beautiful and unexpected.

Recently we got this great review submitted to us by Debbie an A Day’s Outing fan.  We love fan submitted tales of their day trips!

The Museum of Life and Science in Durham is a great place for children and adults alike. There are lots of outside activities like climbing stations, a real caboose, a sound area with drums and other percussion instruments. The butterfly house is wonderful. There are two areas, a large tropical rainforest with butterflies from around the world and a smaller domestic butterfly section. Children can watch the butterflies as they emerge and take flight.

There is also an insectarium with a variety of unusual living bugs, even live black widow spiders. Exhibits are carefully arranged so that the insects and be viewed up close. There are tropical frogs in a variety of colors. There is also a dinosaur exhibit, but I didn’t get a chance to go through it.

Prepare to spend several hours when visiting- there are lots of hands on activities both inside and out.

Our whole family loves the Florida Keys, I hope to retire there one day with a boat. We have travel down at least once a year. Usually we drive and that way we can take all of our gear, fishing stuff, skim boards, etc. We have also taken the Autotrain down from Washington D.C. and you can read a review of that here. In the past, we have helped many of our friends with their vacation planning to the Keys and so I decided to finally go on and post my list of favorite places.  I would also like to say that I am not affiliated in any way with the places I am recommending.

These are as you drive down from Miami -

Sunshine Market on Tavernier Key - This Cuban gem is on the left as you are driving down to Key West in a yellow building. The coffee is wonderful and the to-go foods are great.

Home Away Islamorada/Tavernier Vacation House - We loved renting this house, it was beautifully decorated, had an amazing kitchen, we could park our boat right out front and the owner is a delight. We have rented several times through both Home Away and VRBO and we have had a great experience each time.

Islamorada Fish Company Restaurant at the huge Bass Pro Shop on Islamorada - The food is very good and it is a beautiful location to take photos at sunset. It is also fun when they feed the tarpon, grouper, and HUGE lemon sharks that come right up in the middle of the dockside restaurant to eat. The Bass Pro Shop is also amazing and they give great fishing advice.

Robbies of Islamorada- It is great spot to hire a fishing charter, go out on their night time party boat, and their largest attraction is allowing people to feed GIANT tarpon from their dock. There are also cute little open-air shops.

Indigo Reef and Coral Lagoon on Marathon- We love staying here too. You can park your boat right out in front of your townhouse, they are beautifully decorated, have wonderful linens and great kitchens. If you sign up for their emails you can get significantly discounted rates.

Bahia Honda State Park - This my daughter’s favorite place on earth! The beach is beautiful and one of the only real beaches in the Keys. It is perfect for skim boarding. The fishing from the jetty under the Seven-Mile Bridge is also fabulous!

Big Pine Key Deer Watching - You can almost always find some of the endangered tiny Key Deer on back roads at dusk.

On Key West -

Mangia Mangia - A restaurant with great Italian food that has been there since we honeymooned in 1993. It seems to be a little more of a local place and away from the craziness of Duval Street.

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park Beach - This another gem of a beach in the Keys. It is very clean and you can snorkel right from the beach.

Mel Fisher Treasure Museum - Who doesn’t love treasure? The Mel Fisher story is wonderful and well worth going to see first hand.

Truman Annex - The homes in the Truman Annex are the epitome of the Florida Keys to me. It is one of the most charming neighborhoods in the U.S.

Parrot Key Resort - These are great townhouse style vacation rentals that also have wonderful linens, great kitchens and are beautifully decorated.

The Mermaid & the Alligator B&B - This B&B is another great example of Key West architecture. We even stayed here on our honeymoon in 1993.

I went with my extended family May 13th-15th to the annual reenactment of the Raid on Martin’s Station. There are similar events at the park all summer long and almost every month throughout the year, but the this is the biggest. Wilderness Road State Park is in far southwest Virginia. The park is 310 acres that lie beside the Wilderness Road, a route carved by Daniel Boone in 1775 that followed a buffalo migration trail and opened America’s first western frontier. Martin’s Station is a replica of a colonial frontier fort that was on this site in 1775. Park officials brag that it is the most authentically reconstructed fort in the United States. The three-day event has more than 500 re-enactors, including Shawnee and Cherokee warriors (who were my kid’s favorite) and men, women and children (who were adorable) settlers.

I had never been to a reenactment and I wasn’t sure what I would think, but I knew my kids would love it. I think there is something for everyone. My father has a sincere appreciation for the authenticity the reactors strive for in everything they do and really enjoyed sharing that with us. Other than the other visitors to the site and the cars in the parking lot, there is nothing modern to be seen. It was a wonderful step back in time that brings history alive. Even the coffee shops and vendors in the 18th century Market Fair, serve on tin and there is no plastic anywhere.

My children and my nephew absolutely loved the Indians, their camp and watching them creep through the woods and across the field during the raid. They even told my dad, whom I think would enjoy being a re-enactor, they would dress up and come along to more of these if he would join the Indians. But, I don’t think he’s ready to join sides with the Indians just yet.

My mom, sister and I loved seeing how the re-enactors authentically prepare their meals in their camps. I think it’s a secret contest amongst them to see who can have the best food. A group of about 9 men had ribs, pies, greens, stuffing and salad. They were the winners in the secret contest that day! Although, I think there wives must have helped with a lot of prep before they got there.

I could also appreciate how authentic the camps were. There were no air mattresses, mosquito netting, or coolers anywhere. I have since found out that the coolers are hidden in crates. The men in the first picture below have an actual birch bark canoe they made.  One of the re-enactors told us how the night before that had to get cosy under a lean-to belonging to two people they had never met before during a sudden rain storm. I think I would only be happy camping in the actual fort, maybe!

The two reenactments of raids of the fort were enjoyed by everyone. You see the Indians sneak through the fields, capture the women caught outside the fort (of course!), fire original muskets and a cannon, burn down sections of the fort, and negotiate the return of the women.

I know there are reenactments in many places but the beauty of Wilderness Road State Park and Cumberland Gap is amazing. The town of Cumberland Gap is also very charming. There is only one restaurant, Webb’s Country Kitchen,  that serves great country cooked meals (we ate there 4 times that weekend) and it is quite funny to see the groups of re-enactors there having dinner. Early one morning, my four year-old nephew peeked out the window of our hotel only to see an Indian in the parking lot!

I love science museums. And, I can honestly say that I have never been to a museum and left without learning something fun and new. I didn’t expect to learn this from the Science Museum of Western Virginia, but I did.

How to make your own bouncy ball!

1 tablespoon Elmer’s Glue
1/2 teaspoon borax
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons warm water
2 disposable plastic cups
2 popsicle sticks
food coloring
rubber gloves

Instructions
1. Use a popsicle stick to mix the glue with food coloring in one of the disposable plastic cups.
2. Use the other popsicle stick to mix the water with the borax in the other cup. Stir until the borax has dissolved.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon of borax water to the glue mixture. Add cornstarch. Wait 15 seconds.
4. Stir the mixture together until it stiffens. Put on the rubber gloves and mold the ball until it becomes a solid.

What’s Happening?
The white glue contains polyvinyl acetate, a strong and flexible polymer that gives the ball strength. Cornstarch contains amylopectin, a polymer whose shape is best described as “branched” - it sticks out like the branches of a tree - and gives the ball the property of elasticity. Elasticity allows the ball to return to its original shape after being compressed or stretched, such as hitting the floor. So instead of splattering everywhere, the ball bounces back up. The borax is needed to help the glue and the starch stick together. This connects the two polymers into a netlike formation, keeping the ball from crumbling or becoming slime when it is bounced.

Important-
-Store your homemade bouncy ball in a bag or other airtight container so it won’t dry out.
-Borax is considered poisonous and should not be ingested or directly inhaled. Supervise children around borax and store in a safe place.

What ride threatens to make you sick at the fair?  Is it the Tilt-a-Whirl?  Maybe it is the Flying Pirate Ship that may at any moment dump you out of your seat.  For me it is the cute green dragons.

Those dragons seem innocent enough with their pretty colors and smiling faces, but beware!  Unknown to me was the fact that they each spin individually, while simultaneously being hurled around in a circle.  Really, I can’t think of any carnival ride more torturous for an adult.  Of course, my two small children thought it was the best ride they have ever been on.  They grabbed the wheel in the middle of the dragon and spun it around and around making us go faster and faster.  To survive, I had to look out the door and try and focus on a light or building, anything to keep my dizzy head from getting the best of me.

When the ride was finally over, I stumbled outside and safely away from the grinning dragon.  The kids handed the man two more tickets and jumped back on.  My lesson…. let the kids ride the spinning dragons.  I’m happy to wait by the fence with some kettle corn.

Dogwood Festival,   Coshocton, OH

April 30th – May 8th

Vashon Island Strawberry Festival,  Vashon, WA

July 17th - July 18th

Virginia Beach Neptune Festival, Virginia Beach, VA

September 24th - 26th

Norfolk Harborfest, Norfolk, VA

July 3rd - 5th

Recently while reading a blog I love, one of my friends wrote about her family’s recent trip to the Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show. While the Houston Rodeo is the world’s biggest rodeo, it reminded me of the fun my family had last year at a local rodeo near our hometown.

We had seen this rodeo advertised at a local farm on our way back and forth to D.C. Finally last summer we made plans to head out there one Saturday and not only did we have a great time, but it was a wonderful experience for my kids.

I had the opportunity to talk with a young girl beside me whose teenage boyfriend was a new bull rider. She explained that he trained by asking a local farmer if he could attempt to ride his bulls. He would literally stand on a fence and jump onto the backs of unsuspecting bulls!

There were many activities for the kids. Of course, by far the favorite event was the “mutton busting”. Which for those of you who might not know (I had never seen it before), it is kids riding sheep like bulls. My mother in law has a small farm with sheep and my daughter now wants to train, Oh Boy!

Here are some rodeos nationwide-

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Houston, TX

Angola Prison Rodeo Louisiana State Penitentiary Angola, LA

*this rodeo has an amazing history!

National Championship Rodeo Old Fort, NC

South Carolina Apple Festival Rodeo Westminster, SC

Christian County Cattlemen’s Association & IPRA “Rodeo” Hopkinsville, KY

Located right off interstate 81 in Natural Bridge the Virginia Safari Park is great fun for all ages. It gives you an unbelievable opportunity to get very close to many types of animals in a more natural setting than your typical zoo. You take your own car and drive through acres of free roaming animals and you are able to feed them from your car.

Last week during Spring Break, Elizabeth and I drove down to the Safari Park with our four kids. Elizabeth packed a great lunch which we sat under their pavilion and ate while being entertained watching other people attempt to drive through first. During weekends there is a huge wagon that you can take the hour ride through on, other times you are on your own.

We laughed ourselves silly and the kids are still talking about how much fun they had. The variety of free roaming animals is incredible. There are ostriches (which I must say terrify me), Watusi cattle, Scottish Highland cattle, water buffalo, bison, zebras, rheas, elk, camels, llama, and so many more. You get buckets of feed as you start your drive. I would ask the attendant to give you a few empty buckets to divide your feed into smaller portions so you don’t loose your whole bucket at once. Notice the bucket stealing camel below.

They have now opened an additional zoo that has a giraffe feeding station, cheetahs, tigers, reptiles, lorikeet feeding, an amazing aviary, and giant tortoises to name a few. This is a definite must do if you are headed down 81.  Where else will a camel put his head through the window of your car and let you pet him?

Anyone with children or grandchildren knows that visiting the gift shop is one of the exciting parts of a trip for little kids.  I am of mixed minds when it comes to the gift shop. I know that my two children can become a bit fixated on the gift shop and make me crazy by asking if we are going to stop by the shop.  But, I do like to visit the gift shops of museums because I know they raise money from the gift shops to help support the exhibits that we go to enjoy.

On a recent drive to see my mom, we decided to take a side trip to the Toy Museum in Natural Bridge, VA along the way.  This was a last minute decision and we pulled off the road at 3:45.  The kids were excited as we walked down the stairs to the museum, but as we approached the window to buy tickets I saw that the museum closed at 4:00.  The tickets weren’t cheap, so 15 minutes of walking around to see the toys was out of the question.  So, what was I going to do?   I decided my only way out was to say, “Do you guys want to visit the gift shop?”

Two scoops of ice cream later, we were back in the car and I was thanking my lucky stars there was a gift shop to save me.