Frank Brown Park, Panama City Beach, Florida

We took a little trip on Saturday, January 7 to Under the Palms Playground at Frank Brown Park to check out the place. We are also looking for a location in the area for a upcomming birthday party! The link to the park's website is http://www.playballinparadise.com/

So here is the skinny on Frank Brown Park:

The park is great in January. HOWEVER, any park in Florida WITHOUT shade like this one feels like the surface of the sun in the summer. Steer clear unless you are there for the water park (which we will have to check out then) or for a  Softball Tournament (apparently several are hosted there).

There are a few gaping holes in the rubber which need to be seen to, BUT I do like that the play area does have rubber.

Bring a bike if your kids has one- or a skate board/skooter. There were several kids who were riding trails and my little one wished he had his bike.

The play area is great for even smaller ones, but A HUGE CON: bathrooms. There is not a bathroom near the play area. So, we either walked to the aquatic center or go to the huge building about 1/4 miles away. A huge CON for a mommy with a little one.

Under the Palms Playground

A view of the play area.

We loved the swings!!

A view...

The sandbox seemed to be a hit.

Ringing in the 2012 @ Countdown Seaside

ok. I must admit that this (SEASIDE) is one of my absolute favorite place to go in the Emerald Coast. Here people are real friendly and the water is clear emerald. So, this year we decided to try Countdown Seasde- a family affair- and we rated it an A+ (need a rating system) on friendly to the smaller family members.

We also had an opprotunity to eat at Pickles resturant in seaside and try their fried pickles. The pickles were wonderful my family agreed- and my husband is a pickle connoisseur. Really. He is. The atmosphere was very casual on New Year's Eve and that is just what we wanted. The service was fairly quick and their prices were in line with the area. It would be a great place to walk up from the beach and eat at. Here is the link: http://www.sweetwilliamsltd.com/pickles.html


Tips for a New Year's Eve at Seaside:
-Have a blanket or chair handy to watch the concerts.
- Bring something for the kid(s) to do if you plan on staying late for the fireworks. Listening to music for a few hours won't work. Don't expect it to.
- Prepared to park and walk. We brought a stoller- it made parking and walking a breeze.

Here is an overview of the night...

As we walked up to the festivities, the first thing that we spotted was balloon making. And there was a ling. How cool?!

The ballon making lady. On stilts.

The craft tent. They had two crafts for the kids to decorate the noise makers to bring in the new year. Our little one was super excited.

Craft #1.  There were tons of fuzzies and beads to put on the boxes of noise! He loved it.

Craft #2 was a tube to decorate with gliter, paper and sequins. Inside, we wrote our favorite memory from the year and locked it in. What's better than glue and glitter? All of the kids around were excited to decorate their noise makers. And, at that sight we were prepared for lots of noise making at 12:00 AM January 1, 2012.

The crowd. Seaside had several bands rocking the stage to entertain families. They were pretty mellow.

Then, Camden decided he was hungry, so we were off to Pcikles to grab a bit. Mommy and Camden @ Pickles.  

Fun with Daddy.

Happy 2012! 

 Jessica

Our Excursion to St. Andrew's State Park

We decided to venture out to St. Andrew's St. Park in nearby Panama City Beach, Florida. It was a ideal sun shiney day in December- what better time to check out a park in the winter?

We had a load of fun. But were certainly tired. We hope our little one came away with a fun outdoor experience in the park. All in all the park was a welcoming winter spot. Hiking this time of year in Florida is best in St. Andrew's. Summers are just too hot- I want to be near or on some body of water. The highlight, of course, is the pristine beaches. But we had a fun time looking for shells without the heat and being in the water- and the walk on the beach is great.

Here are a few of my recommendations for visiting in St. Andrew's State Park:
1) Bring a change of clothes. We were soaked from walking on the beach.
2) Bring a bag to put the dirty clothes in
3) If you are planning on collecting shells, bring a zip-lock type bag to put them in. It is eaiser to carry, and less messy than putting them in a jacket pocket.
4) Wear tennis shoes
5) Snack. Little ones can't live without snacks. And if your planning a day in the winter, a picnic is best. The camp stores looked like a ghost town
6) If you plan to go on a trail or leisure walk- the area, remember, is sandy- so an all-terrain stroller is ideal.
7) Dress in layers. It's Florida. We have crazy weather here.

St. Andrew's State Park entrance. It wouldn't be Florida without palm trees!

First things first: our little one was very eager to ride his new BIKE in the park. So, that is just what we did. There are several areas (like the camp area) where we biked and had a view of the bay. The other areas of the park are wooded and provide an opportunity to find deer roaming the park.

Then off to JETTY BEACH. As we approached, Jetty Beach, this was the view. Breathtaking. I know.

And we walked out on the wooded walkway. It is a fun spot for the little ones to run. There was a sort of camp store behind us- but it was a ghost town on this December day.

It was a RED FLAG day meaning that the waves were too rough. Don't worry, we didn't plan on swimming on the cold December water though it made for a windy adventure on the beach.

THE JETTIES and a view of the gulf.

One of our favorites things to do is to find shells to skip on the water.

The park has a ton of SEA SHELLS- the best sea shell hunting area we've found yet. Cam found a a shell to add to our collection.

Smiles on the beach.

People fishing off the jetties.

Yes, there were guys skim boarding.

And ther was the OTHER PIER. This is where, as the sign says, boats and kayaks can be rented. We decided not to this windy December day. We opted to watch the fishermen and the PELICANS.

Guys casting their nets.

 Nearby the smaller pier, there was an Old Cracker Turpintine Still. Our little one was a interested in it. But, we went for a walk and the nature walk behind it. He enjoyed running through the woods much more.

Playground Near the Turpintine Still. Much needed.

On our way out, we ran into a group of DEER grazing by the road. My son was amazed at this apparent commen place in the park.

     Jessica

What to do for New Year's?

So, we have a family and we want to include our little one in our New Year's festivities- a dilemma. What to do? What to do? Do we go to Countdown Seaside? This seems like the most appealing option that we have for our family-so I think we are going to see what the event is all about.

And then what to do New Year's day? Should we venture out to a local park? I am thinking yes. Which one should we try? The jury it out on that one. Eden Gardens State Park seems appealing. Her is the link for the park information: http://www.floridastateparks.org/edengardens/default.cfm

Reviews to come on Countdown Seaside and Eden Gardens. In the meantime, we are visitng St. Andrew's State Park in Panama City Beach, Fl- update will come tomorrow.

     Jessica

Pier Park Christmas Parade

Our family decided Saturday that we would venture out to the Pier Park Christmas Parade. It was cold, but not unbearable for our little one. We wrapped a blanket around him in his stroller and he was good to go!

We arrived only minutes before the start of the parade, parked in a nearby restaurant's parking lot, and scurried over to the front of Dillard's east doors. And we waited. And waited. And finally- the Parade! Despite the wait, we could not have chosen a better spot! No crowd and we could see everything close. The down side, all of the candy was gone by the time the parade came to us (is that really all that bad?). There were a few major gaps- perhaps it should have been better timed. Our tot became a little impatient. So did we.

Local Girl Scouts

Surfside Middle School Band

The ever-popular Chick-Fil-A cow.

Beach Mosquito Patrol

Ron Jon's Surf Shop group

Beach Fireman

Beach Fire Truck

Santa came to town atop a fire truck. Our little one was amused! But he was difficult to see- from the picture only a glimpse of a white glove can be seen. Wish he would have been it more light.

So, if you are in town, or a local, it was a fun parade to watch- while shopping. Santa is always a plus.

Jessica

Mamma Friendly Launch

Mamma Friendly? Oh, yes! I have long refused to join the blogosphere and blog about my life, triumphs, and challenges. In short, I am a more private person. I am not one to put all of the details out there. HOWEVER, I am a very opinionated person. Two experiences with my young son led me to begin this blog:

1. I was less than impressed with the mountain of effort that it required to go through two sets of doors and the maneuverability and shopability of the mall whose marketing on every door is targeted to Mothers.

2. A visit to a pediatrician’s office. My son and I, like everyone else, found ourselves in the pediatrician’s office for those frequent first two years of well visits. We were less than impressed with the availability of entertainments and the atmosphere. Was it supposed to be a place for CHILDREN? There was a clear lack planning for the clients, the children!

So, here I am. I find myself creating a blog for mothers and families alike in Northwest Florida providing a raw critique of places, spaces, shops and activities.

Jessica

Rosemary Beach Breakfast with Santa

On Saturday we ventured out to one of our favorite spots- Rosemary Beach! We love it. So we lined up for the Rosemary Beach Annual Breakfast with Santa. We arrived promptly at 9. Boy, we should have lined up at 8. After a good 45 minutes in line, we made it! Our little one was so patient with the line. Luckily Gigi's (a super cool children's clothing/toy store) put together a bag of goodies. This was enough to coax him to sit with Santa in the quaint workshop and sit in the sleigh with Santa. The photographer was great. And after a quick shot with him we were off to test the sack breakfast. And for a sack breakfast the muffins were mighty moist and the apple a nice balance.

We would recommend the experience, with one warning: arrive right at 8:00 AM or late at 10:00 AM. Ideally this will eliminate the wait time with sometimes impatient little ones.