Our Incredible Miami Day

One of the reasons I love living in South Florida is because I can get the kids in the car and drive a relatively short distance to so many great places. For example, on Saturday we invited my mother-in-law to come along and decided to have a Miami Day. We went to 94th Aero Squadron for lunch. I'm not sure if I recommend this restaurant for little kids. Older kids, definitely. Warning though, it is pricey. Now, the coolest part of this restaurant experience is the airplanes. They have headphones next to the tables and you get to listen to the air traffic controller from the airport. And you get to see airplanes land take off every couple of minutes. K. was mesmerized. She would not take the headphones of the whole time we were there.

Next, we went to HistoryMiami for their Free Family Fun Day. K. had a great time painting at one of their stations, working on puzzles, making a guayabera, and "riding" an old Miami trolley. Totally worth the drive, especially because it was all free.

K. tracing at HistoryMiami.

We also went to the Miami Art Museum since it's right in the same plaza and they also had free family activities going on. My favorite part was Needle Woman by Kim Sooja. You walk into a large room with projections on the wall whre you see a woman standing in the middle of a crowd. You watch most people ignore her and some of them react to her. She chose 8 of the most populated cities in the world. It was interesting trying to figure out where she was. Also, it was fascinating to see how different cultures reacted to her. We had fun talking about what the exhibit meant to each of us.

My husband, mother-in-law, and my two kiddos watching the big ship sail away.

Then we went to South Pointe Park in South Beach and it was just awesome! We got there around 4:30 pm so we got to wave goodbye to the outgoing cruise ships. A. loved the big boats. He was even waving to the tiny people sailing away on vacation. This park just has so much to offer. We also walked to the beach, the kids entertained themselves in the playground, and we all had fun watching the people, dogs, bicycles, etc. at the park. This park is a must-see. One thing. They were charging $20 for parking! I know. Ridiculous. We just parked a little ways down the road at the meter parking and walked over. The walk was great because we got to see all the fancy new buildings next to the park.

Family Fun Days at History Miami

Join History Miami the second Saturday of each month from 12 to 5 p.m. for FREE things to do, learn and experience with the whole family!
Spend the afternoon exploring the history and culture of our vibrant metropolitan city.

Family Fun Day Schedule

Passion for Fashion

July 14, 2012
Strike a pose in celebration of our new exhibition The Guayabera: A Shirt’s Story. Learn how clothing can tell stories about the past and present on our “Time Travel through Textiles” tour of the galleries, and enjoy a guayabera-inspired craft activity.

Summer Games

August 11, 2012
Come play with us! Celebrate the closing of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London with a full day of games and sports. Visit a variety of game stations throughout the galleries, learn about local athletics and create your own Olympic gold medal.
Family Fun Days are presented with the support of Miami-Dade County, The Michael and Diane Rosenberg Foundation, The Bachelor Foundation and The Carnival Foundation. 

Contact the museum if you have any questions:

Education Center
HistoryMiami
101 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33130
305-375-1629
tmartin@historymiami.org

$5 Days at Zoo Miami

Happy 4th of July, everyone! My three-year old is excited that tomorrow is America's birthday. She asked me if we're going to have cake. A great way to celebrate could be to visit Zoo Miami since they are currently having $5 Days.

Pay for One Day, Get One Year

What: Get a yearly pass for the price of a one-day pass
Who: South Florida residents
Where: Jungle Island
When: Now through September 30th

This is an incredible deal. Think about those South Florida winters days when the air is crisp and clean and pleasant cool breezes and cloudless skies remind you of why you live here in the first place. How nice is it going to be to have those yearly passes in November?

Back to School, Back to Reality

What: Back to School Splash - Family friendly exhibitors, performances, and activities like paddle boats, water games, hands-on crafts, and face painting.
Who: All ages
When: August 8 - 9, 2009 from noon to 5 p.m
Where: The Falls
How Much: Free

The end of summer is never easy for kids. Good bye, fun. Hello, school. This year, I feel their pain more than ever. I'm going back to work for the first time since K was born, almost 10 months ago. I'm making a conscious effort to have a positive attitude. Would I love to stay home with K? Abso-freaking-lutely! Did I want to go shopping for work pants that are a size too big because I still haven't lost my baby weight? I would rather pull out my eyelashes one by one. Oh, sorry, I forgot. Good attitude. Let's see, I do miss my work friends and I do love my school. And I'm convinced that the universe is going to bless me with great students this year. I'll let you know. Anyway, change is inevitable. It's constant. How I deal with it sets an example for K. And I want her to be flexible, independent, and, most importantly, happy. I'm committed to being the best mom I can be, whether I'm staying home or working, and that has to count for something. Right?
I wanted to share this with you: Back to School Splash at The Falls. Because going back to school is a great new beginning, when you have the right attitude. It's a new opportunity to start fresh, make new friends, and it's the perfect way to discover how strong you really are, how capable you are of appreciating new adventures. Because in the end, you always have the choice to make your life more difficult, or to let go, have faith, and embrace change.