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Two A-Maze-ing Ways to Eat Corn

I have strong childhood memories of shucking sweet corn and scanning the ears for the kernels that were ready to pop off. Corn was a summertime staple. On the way home from our family’s cottage, my dad would pull the car off the side of a gravel county highway and pick up a half a dozen ears from the farmer’s stand for that night’s dinner. As a child, my favorite means to eat corn was classic…

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Allowance at the Pool

“You said I could have one every.time we came here,” she annunciates firmly. Her hands are squared on her hips. Her eyes are fixed upward on me, daring me to respond. I know this move. Her horns are locked into argument mode. I put my hands up in front of my chest. Whoa. Hold up. Wait a minute. There’s no way in h-e double hockey sticks that I promised a cookie ice cream bar every.time we…

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My Honey-Do List Is Key to a Happy Weekend

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Henry Ford There was a not too distant time in my life when Friday night whistled work over and the weekend was spent resting, regrouping, and revving it up. That and the weekend = two days of squiggling lines through my to-do list. Check. Cross off. Delete. I did what I set out to do. There’s no…

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The Only Salad You Need This Summer

I’m not much of a melon fan. I turn my nose up to honey dew every.time. I never got the cottage cheese and cantaloupe combo my mom craved, and to this day I pick my way around most melons on the standard fruit plate. Even sliced watermelon. Eeh, I can take it or leave it. But melon this way … like this, send me on my way! This simple salad may seem oddly paired, but the ingredients create a…

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5 Natural Deodorants Put to the Test

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” – Margaret Atwood No one wants to smell like the hot stank of 4th-grade classroom after gym class on a humid day in June. No one. It’s just nasty. And yet, I’m certain there were at least a few afternoons in the last two months that I was the smelly one. Maybe you noticed if you got too close to me in a faculty meeting. Did you…

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#natural deodorant

This Spring Break, we said see ya to Chicago …

and headed south to Marco Island, Florida …

Marco is a hidden gem as far southwest as you can go in Florida without plunking into the Everglades. It’s a beautiful island on the Gulf of Mexico with a massive network of canals, a relaxed vibe, and sand that feels like flour under your feet.

There are several resorts on Marco, but we prefer to rent a condo on the beach. This year my family rented one with my parents and our friends rented a unit situated one floor above us. The flat cost of condo versus hotel is less, plus condos are equipped with a kitchen. This allows you to save on food. We generally eat breakfast, snacks, and lunch at the condo and go out to dinner.

Where to Eat on Marco Island

Favorite Spots for Dinner

CJ’s on the Bay – This waterfront restaurant is set along the canal facing upscale boats and houses. Grab a table outside at sunset and you won’t be sorry. The food is fresh and flavorful and the view of Smokehouse Bay at sunset is spectacular. Spurge on the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Yum.

Bonus: The kids menu has variety and there are many options that are egg and nuts free. This made ordering stress free for Veronica.

Sale e Pepe – This is the spot to dine alfresco on the terrace facing the ocean at sunset. Mid-week my parents offered up a date night to my husband and our friends. My parents watched all five kids (God bless them) so the four parents could slip away before sunset for a drinks and dinner. We shared a bottle of Prosecco as the sun sank into the Golf and then feasted on outstanding Italian food.

Keeping it classy with our Solo cups en route to dinner. P.S. This is not our car.

Two of our family faves are in the heart of the Marco Walk Plaza, across the street from our condo. DaVinci’s touts the only wood-burning pizza oven on the island and the za is quite fantastic.

Nacho Mamas is a casual spot for Mexican. We like to snag a table outside on the piazza and share fish tacos, guacamole, and chips.

Favorite Spots for Lunch

Quinn’s on the Beach – This beach side casual spot is my favorite for lunch. It’s perfect for the first day when you’re sinking into vacation and a two-beer lunch is in order. It’s has a castaway, feet-in-the-sand feel, and you can saunter in beach attire. It’s overpriced, even by Chicago standards, but it’s a keeper due to the location.

Snook Inn – This is a lively outdoor spot that you can drive to or dock your boat at and enjoy some live music, casual food, and drinks.

Favorite Spots for Drinks

Stilts – This contemporary restaurant is located on the beach. It’s wide open to the outdoors with great views at sunset.

Sale e Pepe – See above.

The Beach – Picture this: The kids are running up and down the beach, collecting shells, and writing their names in the sand. You are staring at the tide as as the golden orange sun sinks into the gulf. Your feet are buried in the white sand and you’re chatting with friends and family with a drink in hand. To me, this is pure bliss.

Favorite Spots for Dessert

Dolce Mare – This sweet spot got a double thumbs up from both Veronica and Stella. Stella was geeked because my dad quite literally bought her an ice cream cone as big as her head and Veronica was pleased with the service. She said, “The owner knew which ice creams had eggs, which one had nuts, and which ones were good for me. He didn’t even have to look.”

What To Do on Marco Island

I’m completely happy toggling between the beach and the pool all day. There’s nothing I like more than hanging outdoors from sunup to sunset. We stop by Alvin’s Island on the first day and stock up. For $20 – 30 you can get enough buckets, shovels, and boogie boards to last your stay.

However, we also like to venture off our regular recipe of beach, pool, repeat and try a few adventures. This year we tried …

Parasailing. Marco Island Water Sports is stationed on the beach in several locations. One morning my mom and I signed up to parasail.

Flying through the air was a peaceful experience. The perspective of the islands was full and we spotted a 6-foot shark and a giant sea turtle from that vantage point. This is us at 400 feet in the air.

My girl V was onboard and took shots and smiled from ear to ear the entire time. The girls flipped a coin to see who got to ride along. Stella was promised next time. Veronica is hoping she’ll be up in the air with me.

Fishing. We chartered a boat to experience offshore fishing. There are many companies docked at the Rose Marina. We took our friends’ recommendation of Enterprise Charters as they had used the company a few weeks earlier with their young daughters. (The husband even caught a shark!)

Despite our desire to catch some grouper 30 miles off shore, we stuck to a few miles off. The wind was fierce and waves were rumbling at three and four feet. Stephen caught three mackerel. I caught a handful of toss backs and came so close to a mackerel. Instead of joining us in the boat, he was chomped by shark.

The girls caught some small fish. No keepers. It was fun, until V got seasick.

Stella and the pelican had front row seats to fish preparation.

She proclaimed she was having none of it. Although in the end, she tried a few nibbles of the mackerel.

The fisherman suggested we lunch at Sand Bar as you could bring your own catch and they’d prepare the filets family style. We used up half the mackerel and my husband saved the other half to grill at the condo with a supplement from Paradise Seafood Marco and a fridge dive to use our must-go’s. Our group sat on the pool patio and dined on fresh from the ocean food.

Pontooning. Our friends rented a pontoon boat for the day from the Isles of Carpri Marina. My crew of four and my parents hopped on mid-day at Snook Inn after our offshore fishing adventure. It was a treat to tool around the channel, keeping an eye out for dolphins, manatees, and the regional birds. Our friend was comfortable navigating the sandbar-landed islands around Marco and the one we banked on was one of my highlights of the trip.

Dolphin watching. We joined the crew of the Dolphin Explorer and cruised the canals, got educated on dorsal fins. Many dolphins were attracted to the boat’s wake and we spot them and learned about their family histories.

I know, wow! True be told, it’s not my shot. Stella sided up to the captain and got him to give her a pile of photos he took. The four girls coveted this one.

We toured near the the mangroves and canals and stopped at a quiet beach. The tour gave the kids bags for shelling.

We had a fun time with my parents and our friends. It’s a bonus when your daughters’ choice of friends matches with yours, n’est-ce pas?

This is my friend and I. Her family joined us on the trip.

My parents and the girls at sunset our last night.

My foursome.

Salt Life, I dig it.

Have you been to Marco? Any recs?

Next time I’d like to take the ferry to Key West from Rose Marina and rent bikes to circle the island.

Ciao.

Rudey

Marco Island Travel Journal This Spring Break, we said see ya to Chicago ... and headed south to Marco Island, Florida ...

8 Steps to Teach Your Kids How to Pack a Suitcase

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My Breastfeeding Story and 4 Tips I Have For You

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#breastfeeding #motherhood #nursing

How I Save My Sanity with Post-It Notes

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#organization #Post-It notes #sticky notes

My Favorite Parenting Books

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#books #mindful parenting #mindset

10 Things I Want My Daughters to Know About Dressing Themselves

At preschool drop-off another mom pointed out,”Your daughter’s socks don’t match.” I turned my palms upward in a je ne sais pas and wrinkled my nose, “Rough morning. Can’t win ’em all.” My then four-year-old was Little Miss Mismatched. She loved Disney princess dresses paired with rain boots and purple flowered leggings with her green and gold Packer t-shirt. That morning, I picked my battle.…

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Date Idea: Get a Numerology Read Together

“Stick with your gut. That’s a life lesson I’ve learned.” – Veronica, age 8 to Stella, age 5 Last Sunday, my husband and I had a 90-minute couples numerology read. It was a little treat from me to us to start off 2016. Have you ever dabbled in numerology? I’ve looked up my numbers before, read my horoscope – of course, but I’ve never had a full read by a healer. This past fall, my student…

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#connections #marriage #numbers #numerology

2016: Be Be Be, What Should I Be?

There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. – Aldous Huxley I was tapping away on my keyboard when Stella, my youngest, approached. I asked, “What should I title what I’m writing?” As a Kindergarten would, she naturally asked: “What’s a title?” I responded: “A name for something that I wrote.” Her immediate reaction, so random, but so ……

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Yes, Veronica, There is a Santa Claus

“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” – Conductor Polar Express Two years ago, when Veronica was in first grade, she started having doubts. She asked me several times that December, “Mama, is Santa for real?” My response was consistent: “What do you think?” She’d say, “I think he’s real.” Yet something about Santa wasn’t…

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Two Little Big Things

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Joanisms and Other Things My Mother Said

“Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.” – Victor Hugo My college roommate and I lovingly coined them: Joanisms. Joanisms This was the term we gave to the one liners my mom would evenly and consistently dish. I say this only with love because at 39 years old, I truly cherish these pearls of wisdom. Granted, sometimes they drove me a little…

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