Road trip south - Miami

The drive from Cocoa Beach to Miami took just over 4 hours.  It was a Saturday, and the nearer we got to Miami, the more crazy the traffic was.  I was glad I drove first, so paul handled the Miami traffic.

I have been to Miami before, back in 1998, when I was 16.  I can remember most of that trip, it was my first time in America, and everything was amazing and awe inspiring.  In that respect, Miami has not changed.  We drove to South Beach first.  We parked up and headed for the beach.  What an affluent area.  

Typically the boys wanted to go in the sea, even though it was freezing.  So they got their stuff on.  Daddy had to go with them.  To be honest, this was really not a very nice beach.  It seemed dirty, the tide was rough, and there were more asses on display than at a donkey farm.  

The weather started to turn a little grey and windy, so we headed back to the car, very unimpressed.  Fortunately the hotel we had booked was in Coconut Grove, a suburb south of the craziness of Miami. Driving there was an experience: high rise buildings, people everywhere, and the general madness of a city.  Reminded me why I didn't like them.

As we drove into Coconut Grove, we breathed a little sigh of relief.  Yes, there were still high rises, but all the crazy people had gone. Granted it was raining.......

We took a little drive around before checking into our hotel.  What a delightful, artistic, eclectic area.  A real breath of fresh air.  However, not overly kid friendly......  We ended up eating dinner at a local sports bar, early.  They were more than accommodating, and it was almost relaxing

We had booked into a suite hotel, so the boys took the 2 rooms, and we slept on the sofa.  It wasn't a great night sleep, but us all not being in the same room was nice......  We awoke the next morning, and went for a good breakfast, before going for a walk to the local marina.  We walked past the Ritz-Carlton on the way.....

There were some nice boats here.  Absolutely stunning on a Sunday morning.

There was a park of sorts, so the boys had fun playing and climbing.  

We headed back to the hotel as the boys wanted to take a dip in the pool.  It was freezing.  Our hotel was full of NASCAR supporters.  I sat by the side of the pool watching them all depart for the race at Homestread, before deciding we needed to get a wriggle on to the track too.....

Since holiday ( Photo drop)

Hey y'all!  This is just a quick one to put some photos in and talk about what we have been up to.  Most of these have been on my Instagram account, with the hashtag #CGis33.  If you are not on Instagram, why not?!?  You can always type the hashtag into google, and that will generally lead you to what we have been up to.

So, first things first.  This is our new mobile, do you like it? 

It is on a Siblu mobile home park in the south west of France.   My mum initially purchased a mobile 7 years ago for this pitch.  This pitch is very good, as it is large, in the quiet owners area, and behind where the photo is taken from is a lovely view out over the estuary bay.  My mum transferred ownership of her Mobile to me, and the rent of the pitch, before she passed away.  We have been waiting for the right deal to come along before we purchased a new mobile.  It was placed on pitch while we were on holiday.  It looks good! Siblu will rent it out next year, and it will be ours after next summer.  I can't wait to go and stay there.  It has 3 bedrooms, and a generous living area.  Plus the decking is awesome.... The site, Bonne Anse Plage, is where Paul and I met, many years ago, so it will always have significance for us.

Paul borrowed a Go Pro camera from work.  They are awesome.  The kids loved using it, playing with it, and taking loads of photos and videos.  Think I know what is on Paul's Christmas list.....

Look at this water Baby! Swimming underwater with his mouth open.  I am so please all our boys now swim, albeit not with any great skill or form.  But they are generally water safe, doesn't stop is being constantly on our guard though...

Yep, we have booked more NASCAR races.  This one is for the Southern 500, over Labor Day weekend (the unofficial end of summer).  It is the only race held in South Carolina, and is in Darlington, about a 2 hour drive from here.  We are just going to drive it, so it could be interesting with the boys.  At least they are off school the next day......

I seem to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Sundays are my prep days.  The one pictured above was also a BBQ day.  We have bison burgers, hard boiled eggs, croutons and bacon in the background.  Bison burgers are delicious, possibly because they are grass fed? These eggs were organic too.  The croutons are from the ends of the homemade bread.  Oliver and Sebastian love them, and will often take them for snack at school.  The bacon? I have taken to cooking off a packet a week! Oliver eats it with his lunch, as do paul and I.  We are trying to take greater care as to the types of food we put in to our bodies.  I am still trying to cut the carbs and exercise more.  Not sure it is making much of a difference, but I feel better for it.  Hopefully once the kids go back it will be a little easier.....

I took Oliver and Isaac peach picking.  I was surprised how much they enjoyed it.  I did it last year with Isaac and Seb.  I think we picked a better day this year, as it was much cooler, and much earlier in the morning.  I spent $25 on peaches.  I gave some away, have eaten a lot, and frozen even more.  I make an awesome smoothie with 1 peach, Half a mango, a handful of blueberries, coconut water and yogurt.  Delicious!

The boys uniform arrived.  *hopefully* this will be the last uniform with embroidery I have to purchase here for this school. Pretty sure I will be buying more trousers or shorts later in the school year. I can't believe we are about to enter their last school year in America.  So scary, we try our best not to think about next year yet.  I know it's coming, I just don't want to face it.....

We finally made it to Main Street Friday, up in Greenville.  First one this year.  Bad form by us.  The kids had a blast, and we enjoyed it too.  Seb even saw someone from his class!  It felt a lot easier this year. I think that is just a reflection on the age of the kids. 

So that's it for now.  The boys return to school on Friday, but I will do a post for that after the weekend.

Adiós amigos xxx

Last few days on Anna Marie Island

We enjoyed our last couple of days on Anna Marie Island.  We went out for dinner at the Sandbar, and had a few too many cocktails.  The kids loved walking home on the beach

I think this holiday really did show that we are beach people.  Well, just holiday people.  We certainly work to live, and not live to work.  We loved the beach here, it was so beautiful, and the water was always warm.

The kids got really into swimming in the pool.  I am so pleased that they can now all swim without any type of flotation device.  Granted, Isaac swims best when he is snorkeling, and Sebastian does a bobbing type of swim, but thats cos he loves being under water.

After last years crazy holiday, and the trips to the UK that followed it, it was nice to go and relax as a family.  I loved being able to spend time with my husband and my boys.  We have built such a close family unit.  Yes, we have our issues, but who doesn't?  We are learning to work together as a team, and are constantly refining our techniques and strategies of dealing with the boys.  As they grow, we learn......

See, water babies!

OF course, we had to get some souvenirs. I was advised by a girl in the bakery to head up to Holmes Beach area, as there is a huge shop that sold every kind of souvenir you could wish for.  She wasn't wrong.  The kids loved these delightful pirates out the front.

And then, we had to leave.  No one wanted to go home.  We left on a saturday, and managed to be out the door by 7.30am.  We should probably have left earlier.  We hit dreadful weather around Tampa, with a massive thunderstorm, where we had to drive at 35 mph.  We then got stuck in traffic on I75 due to the Interstate being closed.  A man shot at a highway patrol officer who had stopped to assist a disabled vehicle (more details here).  We ended up being stuck on the interstate for about 3 hours, barely moving.  We even had to pull over and do the wee at the side of the road thing for the boys.  We eventually reached an area where we could do a U-turn through the median.  Once we were off the interstate, all the roads in the area were choca-block, due to it closure.  Absolute nightmare! 

But we did see a cool Army convoy.  

All in, it took us about 14 hours to get home.  Given how long we were stuck on the Interstate, and the fact we stopped for lunch and dinner, this was not too bad.  

We are absolutely in love with Florida.  It is still fairly wild, yet touristy enough to cater for what we want. Anna Marie Island, and Tampa area in general are heavenly.  I would quite like to go back there, possibly while we are still living here, or I would be more than happy to make that flight from the UK.....

Better weather = beach, pool, beach, pool, beach, pool

Ready for some ramblings?!?

Our children loved having their own pool, as did we.  By the end of the first day, both Isaac and Seb had lost their arm bands.  Using a combination of swimming and snorkeling techniques, they were both able to swim lengths of the pool. Their under water swimming is awesome also. They are always in their googles at the pool now.

Our house had a fabulous grill, and 3 different areas to sit and eat.  We grilled pretty much every other night, but had to stop sitting outside as I was being eaten alive by mosquitos (as was Oliver!).  These are some delicious chicken kebabs we had.  He ate them in soft taco shells, with all the trimmings.  Delicious!

Speaking of tacos, we went for lunch at Poppo's Taquerias, just round the corner for the house.  Paul and I both had huge burritos, Oliver and Seb had quesadillas, while Isaac went for chips (it is the one thing he will eat at Mexican style places).  These were some of the best burritos we have ever had.  Add in the local crafted beer, and the healthiest sodas you could wish for, and you are on to a winner. It even gets Isaacs thumbs up!

 

We could not be on the Gulf of Mexico with out seeing a sun set.  It was beautiful.  Although we didn't get to see the whole thing go down (darn clouds), it was certainly worth the little walk.  The kids loved splashing in the sea too!

We went for lunch at Ginny and Jane E's.  This is not your usual cafe.  They are also a shop specializing in one of a kind and handcrafted goods.  I even saw some products made in Sussex, UK! They have a bakery at the back of the store and cater for breakfast and lunch also.  The kids certainly enjoyed their lunch, especially as their brownie came out first. They must have been hungry though, as they devoured everything on their plates.  Paul and I both went with the Philly Cheesesteak, and it was delicious.  The only thing that put a dampener on the experience for us was an older gentleman sitting at the table next to us.  As he departed with his friends he made some comment about adult only eateries.  Not sure what he was getting at.... My kids aren't that bad (most of the time!)

 

As this post says, we spent a lot of time at the beach.  It was so nice and peaceful.  The kids are all pretty good at making sandcastles now, if a little impatient sometimes... Paul and I don't mind helping most of the time.

One afternoon we headed to the beach.  It had been a cloudy kinda day but there was no sign of a storm.  Then these clouds were spotted.....

We checked our Accuweather App.  Rain was expected in 15 minutes, but only actually raining for 10.  We decided to sit it out.  We covered all the important stuff like diabetic supplies and my phone.  As soon as it started raining, we went and lay in the shallows.  The sea water was warmer than the rain!! We weren't the only ones either. Any part of you that was no in the water was really cold, but in the water it was very pleasant.  If this had been the Atlantic coast, I don't think you could have done it.  But we did it.  We sat out the rain, and behind it was some beautiful blue sky.  We stayed on the beach for about an hour after the rain had passed.

You are not British till you have sat on the beach in the rain......

Anna Marie - Beach, pool, beach, pool

Most of the posts from here in will likely be photo drops.  So here goes.

This was our yard.   The pool was a good size.  Adequate for 3 small boys.  The house had a sitting area outside, as well as 3 loungers.  Most of our time for the first 5 days was spent between the beach and the pool, with some thunderstorms thrown in for good measure.  There was also a very good grill, which we used at least every other day.

We found this guy in the pool the first morning.  It is a ghost crab.  We had never seen one before.  

We let him go in the yard, but he quickly made his way back into the pool.  We ended up taking him to the beach to release him.

This was one of the sitting areas in the house.  We liked sitting here in the evening, with the doors open, as they had bug screens over the doors.  And good job, cos I got bitten a LOT

There was also tones of lizards around.  You could barely move outside without one running by you.

We ate out at The Sandbar twice, once for lunch and once for dinner.  Once outside, on the beach, and once inside, in the evening.  A nice restaurant.  Busy in the evening, not too bad at lunch.

The beach was awesome. The waves varied from day to day, but we did end up buying another boogie board, so all the boys had one.  There were some awesome looking fish, and we think we may have seen something a little bigger.....  When a guy fishing in the water pegs it out, it is highly likely he spotted something with a grey fin, and a tool shaped head.....

But it was so beautiful.  And quiet too.  We were a short walk from the Sandbar restaurant along the beach, and as you looked south, you could see how much busier the beaches  became. We were very fortunate to have chosen the quieter end of the island. 

Weekend Away in Kiawah Island

The boys finished school on 28th May.  They survived a whole year, woohoo!!! The next day we headed off to Kiawah Island Golf Resort.  This is on St John's Island, about a 30 minute drive from Charleston.

Honestly, I was so ready for this holiday.  I know we only went away at the beginning of March, but this was needed.  Summer has well and truly arrived in South Carolina, and the days are getting hotter and hotter.  Kiawah Island is just under 4 hours away, and we left early.  well, 10.30.  We stopped for some lunch on the way.  First time trying Bo Jangles, not bad!  

We arrived at the resort about 3.  We have never really done a resort before, we aren't even hotel people, though our children would like it if we were! We drove through the security get and parked up.  Paul went into the reception area and checked us in.  Unfortunately, we could not get into the villa till 4.30!  so we took a drive to see where it was, then headed to the pool.

I had done some wise packing, and left the beach clothing and swimming pool stuff separate from everything else.  We parked up at Night Heron Park and headed to the Children's Pool.  We did not know it at the time, but they offered a towel service, so they provided the towels.  We got changed, and headed past the family pool to the children's pool.

The kids loved it.  Loads of water features, and the deepest part is only 3 and a half foot.  Both Isaac and Oliver were big enough to ride the slides, though Isaac chose not too.  Good job as the pool there is over 4ft deep, and he cannot fully swim yet.  We ended up staying at the pool till gone 5, then we headed to the villa.

We rented this through VRBO, the owner Martha was exceptionally helpful.  The villa was perfect for us.  3 bedrooms, Isaac and Seb shared, and every bedroom had an en suite, which was very useful.  The living area was a good size.  The kitchen was a little small, but we managed.  It had a screened in porch looking out over a lagoon.  We spent a lot of time on the porch.  Only tv's in the living area and the master bedroom, so the kids didn't watch too much tv.

Scary Clare

After a picnic style dinner, we headed off for an explore.  We knew from Martha's info and looking at the map that we were not far from the beach. The photo below shows our villa, on the bottom, from the bridge over the lagoon.

When you turn around from the same spot and look up, you see an osprey's nest.  There was mum and dad, and at least one baby.  These guys were amazing. 

Over the bridge, across a service road, over another bridge through what can only be described as swamp, past a golf green, then on to the final bridge over the dunes and on to the beach.  About 10 minutes walk.  The beach was beautiful.

bad mummy, making faces

We were also very close to the Sanctuary Hotel.  This is a very nice hotel on the island.  

We walked back through the hotel.  Wow.  Luxury at its finest.  The boys like the guy playing piano in the lobby. Stunning, and waaaaayyyyyy out of our price range! 

We returned back to the villa, pretty much the same way we came.  The boys went to bed, and we were not far behind.

I love how my children like to get up early, particularly on holiday.  Because of this, we were on the beach by 9.30am the next morning.  When we arrived, the tide was just on its way out.  there were very few people on the beach, given the early hour.  There were plenty of cyclists, runners and walkers though.  The compact sand is just perfect for it.

As the tide retreated, it left pools of sea water.  Some where up past your knees.  All contained wildlife.  Plenty of fish, and a few crabs

The current was quite strong, but the sea bed was very flat.  You could walk out quite far, without it going above your waist.  The boys loved hanging out in the pools, which warmed up as the day went on.

We stayed at the beach until just after lunch.  Then we headed back for some lunch at the villa, before heading back to the pool.  I had spotted the day before that they did waiter service at the pool.  I had also spotted "The Cup".  These are souvenir cups, cost $20 each, including your first drink, then you get discount for any other drinks you put in them.  They also do a kids version for the same price, but with unlimited soft drinks included.  We had to get them!!! I am such a sucker for souvenirs these days.....

Paul and I enjoyed a couple of cocktails, while the boys began on their sodas.  We only got one cup for the 3 of them to share, and to be honest, they did quite well (to start!) 

Again, the boys had a great time.  It was saturday, but was not very busy.  Turns out, this is one of the main change over days on Kiawah.

We had out dinner at Night Heron Bar and Grill that evening.  We were able to use our cups, woohoo.  

We had the usual, grilled cheese, burgers, wraps, etc.  The food was good.  And the service was good too.  This is were we discovered resort privileges.  We were able to charge all our drinks from the pool and our meal to our villa.  Dangerous....

We headed back to the villa, and enjoyed more drinks on the screened in porch.  

It was so beautiful and peaceful, even with our noisy children. They were inside, we were outside.  Blissful.  Such a gorgeous view from our villa.  Left you feeling like it was quite secluded, despite the fact you had neighbors.  Saw out first alligator that night too.

The next day went pretty much the same.  A trip to the beach in the morning, followed by lunch at Southern Kitchen, and a trip to the pool.  While on the beach, we couldn't believe we were having to go home the next day.  We so wanted to stay longer.  I had a quick look on the web page for the villa, as I remembered Martha saying to Paul that she was surprised the villa was still available. The calendar for  availability said it was free till the following saturday.  We umm-ed and ahh-ed for a big, before contacting Martha, and asking if it was still free. It was..... So we sent some emails, contacted Paul's work, spoke to the neighbor about the cat and spoke with Martha, and sorted out payment. She was kind enough to do it at a reduced cost too!  

We managed to extend out holiday from a 3 night break to an 8 night break.  Now praying the weather played ball..........