Happy Birthday to Me! @ Matheson Hammock Park Beach

Yesterday was my birthday, and I knew exactly how I wanted to spend it--at the beach. I headed to Matheson Hammock Park Beach mid-morning with Elle, met a couple of friends and their little ones, and just hung out until time to go pick up Skyler from school. Bliss! But the point of this post is not to solicit belated birthday presents from you readers;-), though you're welcome to contact me by email for my mailing address if you like! I wanted to remind all of you who have flexibility during the weekdays, are looking for children's activities in Miami, and live anywhere near the Grove/Gables/Pinecrest area, or off of Old Cutler Road, to head to Matheson Hammock Beach NOW, before school is out for the summer.

If you've never been before, this is a GREAT beach for kids--the beach part is a man-made atoll pool, so it's like a pretty small, shallow lagoon with no waves. The beach is moon-shaped and flat, so you have a good vantage point to watch the kiddies. There are palm trees all over for shade. There is a really basic snack bar, but no chair rentals or anything like that. But the best part is, during the week before school is out for the summer, you practically have the whole beach to yourself. There are always a few other moms there, so your little ones will have other kids to play with, but it's sooooo nice and peaceful and beautiful and laid back.

On the flip side....once summer really kicks in, and it is more crowded with kids all day every day, and the sun is really heating the lagoon water to almost bathwater temp, I stop going there and switch to Key Biscayne, because....ewww! It's like the water is stagnating with all the....well, you know how kids are in the water, with their bodily fluids free flowing and all....it just grosses me out. I mean, this beach is almost ALL littler kids (six and under) and their parents. And I've heard stories from other moms and nannies about their kids getting unexplained rashes, or funguses, and even though unproven, they kind of blame this beach. According to the brochure and website about Matheson Park, the atoll beach is "flushed naturally by the tidal action of nearby Biscayne Bay." That's great to know and all, but I'm not convinced that the "natural tidal action" of Biscayne Bay can necessarily keep up with day in/day out toddler poo and pee-power in the middle of summer.

My point is not to talk you out of this beach right after I talked you into it, but to say GO NOW! before school is out. It's been lightly used for the most part over the winter, it hasn't gotten crowded yet for the summer, and with all the wind we've been having, the water has been circulating like mad. $5 parking fee. There is a marina and some other stuff at Matheson Hammock, so if you're unsure of how to find the beach ask at the guard gate. For more info, check out their website.

Photo: sxc.hu/nkzs

The More Adults There Are At the Pool, the Less Safe the Kids Are?

I just read this on Strollerderby, and it gave me pause. We live in Miami, Florida, and I'll be that a lot of us have pools or spend time at pools with our kids. We've all heard the typical rules--have a pool fence, don't EVER leave kids unattended, etc. But the blogger from Strollerderby shares her theory that the more adults there are around a pool, the more dangerous it is because the adults are busy talking to each other, and so aren't reeeeally paying attention to all the kids, and a kid could literally slip through the cracks, and under the water. It happened to her kid, actually. Her suggestion and current rule is to specifically assign one adult to each kid, so every kid is definitely being watched at all times. Great idea, I say. She's right, sometimes when we're hanging out at the pool and really into our grownup conversations, which of us totally focusing on the two-year-old? Something to think about, that I hadn't, but now I will.

Photo: sxc.hu/woodsy

Ballet for Two-Year-Olds at Tula and Tupi

Elle is almost three now, but in her early twos she became completely fascinated with ballet and ballerinas. I poked around the internet a bit looking for a class that would enroll two-year-olds, and quickly found that most studios offered classes for three-year-olds at the youngest, and required potty training. Seemed to be the same with gymnastics, I found at my nine-year-old's gymnastics studio. Anything before that was more of a "mommy and me" type setup. Elle has since moved past her ballet obsession, and will soon be three anyway, but I did take note when I saw a flyer in the window of kids store Tula and Tupi in the Grove offering ballet classes for girls 2 - 4.

A professional instructor teaches the 45 minute lessons every Saturday, and they sound TOO CUTE! Sounds like they are as much about the ballet-cuteness as about learning to dance: according to the website "We ask all ballerinas to come dressed in pink tights, black leotard, pink ballet shoes, tutu (if you want) , and hair in bun. " How adorable is that? If you want more info, you can call 305-441-2153 or visit this web page I found as an offshoot of the Tula and Tupi website. The brochure I picked up said the classes cost $15 per class and started on May 16.

photo credit: sxc.hu/alitaylor

On Miami Native Patrick Farrell's Pulitzer Prize Winning Haiti Photographs

Patrick Farrell, a photojournalist with The Miami-Herald, has won the Pulitzer Prize for his images of Haiti after this past year's hurricane season, which ravaged the tiny island again, and again, and again. (The photo accompanying this post is of a Haitian boy, but is not one of Farrell's photos.) You can view a slideshow of the award-winning images on the Herald website at A People In Despair. And please, please do. I started weeping after the first two photographs, and kept right on long after the slideshow had ended. Because as a mother viewing the slideshow with so many images of Haiti's children, mothers, pregnant women in so much pain, despair, and misery, it was impossible not to.

Farrell's photos inspired the following thoughts, rapid-fire:

I am not volunteering enough of my time to help those less fortunate.

I am not giving enough of my money to those in need.

I am so, so, so fortunate and blessed.

We all get wrapped up in the minutiae our own lives, and that's understandable--we're all human. And that's kind of the point--we're ALL human. Remember to reach out a helping hand and help other humans on a regular basis. Do it in your own way, whatever that may be: giving money, volunteering time, helping those in your neighborhood, or helping those far, far away.

But I have to say, if you aren't able to come up with an example of how you help those outside of your "inner circle" (your own family and friends), then perhaps you should take another look at Farrell's photographs, let the emotion overcome you, and DO SOMETHING.

Photo: sxc.hu/ljk

Why Didn't I Think of That?

It's 8 o'clock on the dot, and I'm getting ready to vacuum and load the dishwasher--why oh why did I not think of Mindy Lewis's idea first? She edited--[Note: not "wrote", only edited] a book called DIRT: The Quirks, Habits, and Passions of Keeping House that I read a review of in the April issue of Elle. Apparently, editor Lewis invited several writers to write about "their relationships with the humble work of vacuuming, closet organizing,bathroom scrubbing, and window washing." Whatever. I have a really close "relationship" with vacuuming thanks to my wood floors and my family's dirty shoes, but I'd definitely qualify it as passive-aggressive. My relationship with closet organizing and window washing? We only see each other a few times a year, and only when I'm in the mood.
My knee-jerk reaction to this book is *eyes rolling*, because I'm thinking, this chick didn't even write this entire, ridiculous book about housekeeping, she contacted other writers, asked them to contribute, and then compiled the essays and got the book published based on the strength of her well-regarded first (and only) book (Life Inside: A Memoir). THEN AGAIN...I suppose I shouldn't judge a book by its cover (haha), so if this book shows up at my library, I will check it out, read it, and review it here. In the meantime, back to my relationship with my Miele.

photo: sxc.hu/lusi

Corn Smoothie, Anyone?

Well, parents are always saying they want more healthy fast food options, right? The other day, Erik and I were at The Falls, and we were stopped in our tracks by what appeared to be a corn restaurant. Yes, I said corn restaurant. Corn2Go is indeed a corn restaurant that serves flavored corn in the cup, in addition to cornbread, corn soups, and yes, corn smoothies, according to their menu.

As we watched, a lady walked away from the Corn2Go kiosk at The Falls happily eating a cup of corn, and sharing with her toddler.

It's a weird concept, but then again, not all that far-fetched. When we go to festivals, the corn on the cob stand is always wildly popular, and so are the arepa stands all over town. Of all the vegetables, almost everyone--including most kids--loves corn. And it is healthier than a lot of mall food options.

Corn2Go is a Miami-based company, and from their website, it looks like they have their eye on conquering Florida with corn by planning to be in malls all over Florida, so keep your eyes peeled.

Corn2Go offers their corn in the cup in three different sizes, and their website lists the following flavors: Butter & salt - BBQ - chipotle - garlic - teriyaki - lemon - honey - parmesan - chili - cajun. The Corn2Go website says that they are also located at Sunset Place, though I haven't noticed it.

You can visit the Corn2Go website here. If the kiosk had been offering samples, we would have tried some Corn2Go, but since they weren't I passed up the opportunity. I'll be sure to give it a try next time I see a Corn2Go, and report back!

photo: sxc.hu/shiyali

Thank God She's In the Cookie Club! Free Cookies for Kids in Miami

I'm big on reward-based teachable moments (also known as bribery) when it comes to raising kids. Thought I'd mention the grocery stores that I go to that offer a "cookie club." You stop by the bakery and ask for a cookie club cookie for your child, and they give you a free cookie. Sometimes you even get a choice of flavors! It's a pretty easy club to get into, from what I can tell, you just have to be a kid. It's not an every time thing, but it's great for those longer trips that I know she's going to get antsy--I tell Elle that if she is a good girl, we will visit the cookie club before we leave, and after I've finished quite a bit of my shopping, we head to the bakery. Or, if she's a little saucy at the beginning of the grocery shopping, I can head it off by telling her that "I wish you were being a really good helper, because good helpers get to visit the cookie club." Like I said: reward-based teachable moments;-)

The other side benefit is that she gets to practice her please, thank you, may I have, etc., and work on speaking in a louder voice when she's addressing people. When she was younger she'd say "Cookie, please?" and now she knows to say "May I have a cookie, please?"

Publix offers the cookie club at all of its stores, and from what I've heard from moms in other areas, some stores have an actual card that gets stamped, and when you fill the card with stamps, you are entered into a drawing. The Publix that I visit doesn't have a card, I just stopped by the bakery after hearing about the cookie club and asked about it, and now they know us, so Elle asks the bakery lady for the cookie, and if it's an unfamiliar face I mention that "we're in the cookie club."

Fresh Market did give us a card that proclaims Elle an "Official Member of the Cookie Club". It's fun for her to show the card at the bakery when she asks for the cookie.

Gardner's Market and Winn-Dixie also offer the cookie club; I'm not sure if they have official "cards", just ask for a cookie club cookie at the bakery.

photo: sxc.hu/JR3

Best Summertime Park in Miami: Evelyn Greer Park

One of the great things about living in Miami is that in winter, when the rest of the country is bundled and stuck inside much of the time, we're out and about, enjoying flawless weather and hitting the outdoor parks with the kids. But what about summertime? Going to the park for a couple hours can leave you drenched in sweat, sunburned, and HOT.

My favorite park in the summer is Evelyn Greer Park in Pinecrest. The playground is 80% shaded (swings are not shaded), and that counts for a lot. Aside from that, the play equipment in over wood chips rather than sand, so it's not too messy. The City of Pinecrest provides free wifi, the bathrooms are really clean and have a changing table, the water fountains are under a shelter, so the water is cool, and....what else....oh yeah, the park is never that crowded when I go on weekday mornings, but there are always a few kids and parents there, so you don't feel like you are out there alone.

The main drawback is that the playground is right next to the parking lot, and there is no fence. My toddler has never been one to bolt, but I know plenty of other moms who have toddlers that do take off running, and whenever we are at that park, they are never comfortable taking their eyes off the little one, even for a second.

The park is right off US 1 at 8200 SW 124th St (33156), which is right around the corner from the more popular Suniland Park. I prefer Greer park because of the shade, though.

There is also a large gazebo with several tables that are great for picnics, that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are also smaller tables and benches bordering the playground, but for a more "formal" picnic or party, the gazebo tables would be better.

GoCityKids has a great writeup, with map, here.

photo credit: sxc.hu/adrl