Crabby Kids

Thanks to our time at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, the boys have a new fascination with the water. Dip a net into the water, you almost always pull out something interesting. They love a program at the Wetlands Institute called Catch of the Day, where kids get to pull a seine net through the water and dump its contents into a large tub where they can inspect the wonders of the bay: minnows, shrimp, mussels, jelly fish and seaweed, lots of seaweed. At times, they also give each child a hand net. They love to sprawl on their bellies on the wooden dock, purposefully scooping out the bay's treasures to inspect. Will, surprisingly, is not squeamish and is happy to hold a squirming minnow between his fingers.

Both boys were excited at the prospect of crabbing today. After a brief session of Internet research, Will and Craig headed to a local bait and tackle store to buy some traps. There, they also received the lay of the land, picking up some bait and the locations of some good places to go crabbing.

So, joined by Colleen and Brian, we piled in the car and headed to our location. I’m not sure I want to tell you exactly where, since we were the only ones there to crab (we were joined by some spectators) and had a moderate amount of success.

For bait, Craig had picked up two frozen fish, which he bravely hacked right in two for a fishy set of heads and tails. There was some debate by Carter whether “front bait” or “bottom bait” would be better for catching crabs. We started with the tail section and threw our nets into the bay.

Within a few minutes, we had caught our first crab, a feisty blue claw, so angry at his capture. We used our leftover bucket of chicken container from a recent dinner at Blitz’s market to hold our crabby prisoners. Once we had a few crabs, we had to put the lid on to keep them from escaping.

After a few hours of crabbing, we had six good-sized crabs. That was enough for dinner for all of us. Will and Carter wanted to keep them, but were undecided about dinner. I believe they had delusions about having six new friends for their hermit crabs. Will had the honors of depositing the crustaceans back into the bay, with he did with one delft swing of the bucket.

We’ll go back again, probably to catch the same six crabs. We all had fun catching crabs, but am not sure we have the heart to actually eat them. We'll save our crab appetite for a restaurant, where we don't know the crabs quite so well.

When Life Gives You Lemons

If it is possible for a child to have an entrepreneurial spirit, Will truly does. His favorite thing to play is "store," and he has finally succeeded in training Carter to join him in a pretend game where they sell their toys, artwork and pretend food, at a price, to willing family members, namely, Craig and me.

Last year, for his birthday, Will asked his Aunt Colleen for a lemonade stand. And she delivered, giving him a nifty little contraption that looks like an old fashioned peddler's cart, squeezing lemons and dispensing the tart juice into cups.

He's been thinking about selling lemonade for many, many months. We decided it would be a perfect venture for him at the beach in Ocean City, where he could provide a refreshing beverage in the afternoon, just as tired-out beach goers are on the long, hot walk home.

Our lemonade stand took more planning than you might imagine. First, we took a trip to the farmer's market we like for some lemons, 2 dozen to be exact. The next morning, we went on a walk down the boardwalk, scoping out the competition. Since fresh squeezed lemonade runs about $4 a cup on the boardwalk, we knew we'd catch the bargain shoppers with our 25-cents a glass sale. Then came the actual lemonade making. Craig found a tasty recipe for the perfect cup of lemonade and made up a batch of simple syrup.(Here's the recipe:

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000479perfect_lemonade.php). He and Will then squeezed the juice out of several lemons and added ice, putting our poor ice maker on over drive. Finally, the sign. Will thought long and hard about his wording, finally selecting "real, homemade lemonade," illustrating a picture of his wares as well. My favorite part of his stand was Will's tip jar, his very own idea. He took one of his lemonade cups and stuck a piece of masking tape with the word "tips" written in magic market on it, something he must have picked up on one of the boardwalk stands.

We set him up in front of our house, where he immediately attracted attention. Our upstairs neighbors were the first customers, requesting a cup to be delivered to them directly. Dog walkers and bike riders also stopped. Will went through a few batches right in front of the house and, unless Craig or I was there to remind him, he conveniently forgot to offer people change. He's cute enough that people must not mind paying a 75-cent premium.

All good businessmen know that three keys to success are location, location, location. And Will is no different. Once he realized that he was missing prime business from people walking down the cross street, past his location on Central Avenue, Will picked up and moved business to the corner--his own idea. Thinking I would help him out and buy a cup, I walked down to the corner only to find him absolutely mobbed--and sold out. He was devastated since many people had said they would be back for more. Craig consoled him by explaining that another key to business is to always leave the people wanting more. As you might imagine, Will is already thinking about his next lemonade stand.

Will's first day in business was a success and he banked about $18, a pretty good profit for a few hours of work, considering he didn't even buy the lemons. There's money to be made in the lemonade business, especially if you're a gap-toothed, smiling 7-year-old. Sure, I bought the lemons and Craig helped with the actual concoction, but Will, with a little help from sidekick Carter, did all the selling himself. He sat there in the hot sun, unwilling to disappoint his customers who might find themselves both thirsty and with a quarter in their pockets just as they pass him by. I'm sure by the end of the summer, he'll have a loyal following, and some fond memories of his first real store.

Night at the Movies

For a change of pace, we headed over the bridge after dinner for a night at the movies in Sea Isle City. Like in Ocean City, Sea Isle has a family movie night. Ocean City's movie night is in the Cornerstone Auditorium on the 2nd floor of Stainton's Square at 810 Asbury Avenue on Tuesdays at 7:15. For $4 per person, or $15 per family, not only do you watch a family-friendly movie, but they serve pizza, popcorn and sodas. We went last year for a viewing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and will definitely be going back next Tuesday for Charlotte's Web, as well as some of the other movies planned for the each, all from the 1970s--perfect for Will, who is growing wary of "babyish" cartoons, and for me, who gets to relive my youth in cinema.

Across the bridge in Sea Isle, family movie night is twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays at dusk, outside in a field next to the promenade. A huge movie screen and projector sit at one end of the field. Blankets and beach chairs scatter across the field as daytime beach goers became nighttime movie watchers. Each child was given a "Sea Isle" beach ball and a small container of bubbles, keeping them all entertained before the movie started. A local restaurant, Shoobie's, handed out free bags of popcorn, much to my boys' delight. And, save for the $1.50 bridge toll, the night was absolutely free!

Tonight's feature film was Flipper. The night was definitely more about the venue than the movie itself. If you haven't seen it, but have seen other tween favorites like Firehouse Dog, Hotel for Dogs, Free Willy, you know the story all ready. Misfit boy meets misfit animal, hijinks ensue, followed by drama and tragedy, culminating in a poignant ending. Will and Carter ended up in the two beach chairs we brought. Will loved the movie--it is right up a 7-year-old's alley. The plot twists were exciting to him, even though he had seen them previously in the other aforementioned movies. Carter enjoyed it, but once his popcorn was done, he propped his Crocs on top of his new beach ball and fell sound asleep. I had expected Charlotte to sleep in her stroller, but she stayed awake and happy for the whole movie, spending most of it chatting to the woman sitting next to me.

I've been gun shy about taking Charlotte to a movie again, since our last outing to see Up on the boardwalk a few weeks ago. We had to leave Craig and the boy to see the movie on their own before the opening credits were even over. However, seeing a movie outside is perfect for kids--they can make a little noise, they can get up--it's all a little more relaxed.

Next time, we'll put our blanket and chairs down to save our spots and then run onto the promenade for a slice of pizza or a snack, maybe a scoop of ice cream. Although the beach balls kept the boys entertained, we did spent a lot of time just waiting for that sun to go down so the movie could start. Everyone else seemed to think ahead and bring bug spray. However, the constant mists of DEET seemed to have a group effect and we escaped the buggy field without a bite. Sweatshirts were a must and I'm glad that Will also threw sweatpants into my bag. The ocean breeze cooled down our open air theater considerably.

The downside? There's only one, really. The movie doesn't start until dusk, so we didn't really start watching until 8:30. Carter stayed asleep through Charlotte's shrieks of protest over being put back in the stroller, me picking him up and putting him in the grass as I folded up the beach chair, and then picking him up and carrying him halfway to the car. When my arms gave out, he quietly stumbled to the car, his eyes only half open. Although it made it difficult to get my 3 zombie-eyed kids to the car, I'm glad that they were too sleepy to notice the nightly Sea Isle bar crowd was out in force as we walked down 40th Street.

By the time we found ourselves back in Ocean City again, all three kids were zonked in the backseat, which left me with a real dilemma--how do I get them all inside? The boys were so sound asleep, heads tilted to the sides, mouthes wide open. I finally decided to wake them up, but found the only way to do so was to unbuckle their seat belts and stand them up in the driveway. As I was helping Will, and then picking up Charlotte, Carter kept leaning over and resting his sleepy head onto the side of my car, and then curling up and falling back asleep right on the concrete. It was quite a challenge to get them all awake enough to trek into the house.

Will moaned as I shepherded them up the stairs, "Can I please go right to bed?" What music to any mother's ears!

Bayside Nature Center

I'm always up for a field trip, something new to see, something different to learn. The kids and I have developed a nice little routine here in Ocean City. We now have things to do, places to go and people--people who actually know us--to see. Still, the idea of doing something new is always appealing.

I'd read many times of the Bayside Nature Center, but every time I'd searched for it online, I'd come up empty handed. Save for a description on the OC Chamber of Commerce website, I couldn't find a website, a schedule or anything. A website is a great mom barometer. It helps me judge if an event or attraction is worth getting 3 kids into the car, buckling car seats, navigating through traffic, unbuckling car seats and getting 3 kids out of the car.

Today, we went to the beach with our new friends from camp, Zach and his mom Brenda. When Brenda mentioned the Bayside Center, I knew we had to give it a try. After dinner, we met there, at 5th and Bay, to hear a kid-friendly speaker. The speaker, however, was late, and after 20 minutes of letting the kids run around the parking lot, we decided to call it a night.

Sometimes it pays to be slow. It took me a while to load every one back into the car, and just as we were pulling out of the driveway, the speaker arrived. He waved us back into the parking lot and convinced us to stay. Will and Carter made up the small, but captive audience.

The speaker, a man named Colby from the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (www.fsw.gov.northeast/forsythe), talked to the kids about the wilderness. He gave then note cards and asked them to write or draw what they thought of when he said the word "wild." Will drew a dinosaur and a swordfish. (Carter wrote the letters x, o and t, never missing an opportunity to show off. He later demonstrated his ability to add and spell the words "top" and "tot." Thank you, Electric Company.) He then talked to the kids about what wilderness is and showed them pictures of his trips through the wilderness in the desert in Joshua Tree, in Alaska and in Idaho.

He did a great job and really kept the kids engaged. Real kudos to him, since I'm sure we weren't quite the audience he was expecting. He gave the kids lots of opportunities to ask questions and they learned a lot about native plants, caribou, bears and moose, plus a lot about the concept of preserving our nation's wilderness.

The Bayside Nature Center is also a museum, right on the Ocean City bay. Another bonus of our private class was the wonderful view of the sunset from the top floor of the center. We'll definitely go back to explore the museum itself, which includes a whole room on life saving, right up Will's alley. Every Tuesday and Thursday night, they offer free, hands-on presentations done by different speakers from the community, all geared towards kids and nature.

We'll definitely go back again. Website or not, it passes this mom's 3-kids-in-car seats test.

Gambling for Family Fun

Our boys beg to go to Atlantic City. Not to gamble, of course, although they have seen the gaming floors, filled with one-armed bandits and roulette wheels, as we trek from parking garage to the infamous boardwalk, but to go to their favorite restaurant, The Rainforest Cafe.

There are many reasons why they enjoy this outing. The restaurant is decorated to look like you're dining al fresco in the rainforest. Every so often, the already dim lights flash and the room fills with mist as life size, animated jungle animals yelp and screech. (The boys love this part. Charlotte, not so much.) The highlight, I believe, is light-up drinking cups. Filled to the brim with lemonade or chocolate milk, these plastic cups sparkle in the restaurant's darkness. Plus, they can take them home, making them a drinking vessel and souvenir all in one. So, when Craig and I feel like driving for 30 minutes, finding a parking spot in an overpriced casino garage, and spending $100 of our hard-earned cash on lunch, we're happy to oblige.

If this were an SAT question, I'd say the Atlantic City Boardwalk is to the Ocean City Boardwalk as Barney Miller is to Andy Griffith. Take the OC Boardwalk, add alcohol, cigarettes, gambling and pawn shops, replace surreys with pedicabs, and you have the AC Boardwalk. I don't know if I'd ever venture there with the kids on my own, not just because it is a slightly rougher destination, but also because I'm not sure I could ever navigate back through the casino to the car.

Yet, people watching and shopping on the AC Boardwalk can't be beat. We dined today at the Rainforest Cafe, the result of some good behavior and several weeks of begging from the boys. With full bellies, and empty pockets, we walked off our lunch by exploring the near-by shopping mall, The Pier Shops at Caesar’s, an extravaganza of overpriced designer stores overlooking the ocean. We never buy, just look, despite the Siren call of the technicolor candy store, It'Sugar, the home of giant gummy bears and other cavity-inducing treats.

At the end of the mall, on the first floor, is a fountain that displays a water show once an hour, on the hour. I wouldn't plan a trip around this attraction, but it sure was fun to watch. Loud music played as the fountain spouted water at difference heights and speeds, accompanied by flashing, multi-colored lights. Imagine fireworks, but with water instead of ammunition. The kids' reaction reminded me of watching 4th of July fireworks on the beach this year. Charlotte, wide-eyed in amazement, clapped away, unprompted by me. She clung to me like a koala bear, slightly taken back by the display, but intrigued nonetheless. Carter jumped in time to the music, raising his fists in the air, giving high fives to imaginary onlookers, his excitement both palpable and contagious. Will watched in awe, as Craig and I did as well. What an unexpected treat for us all.

Surrey with the Fringe On Top

It's no secret that I love the Ocean City boardwalk. Yes, it can be fun to stroll down the boardwalk to snack, shop and people watch. But for me, a trip to the boardwalk is more about the journey than the destination.

My goal for the summer is to ride the boardwalk from end to end, a six mile round trip, from where it starts at 23rd Street all the way to the North end of the island. Will has made the trip a few times with his buddies next door. Carter, Charlotte and I usually make it to about 12th Street, where Carter declares that he is simultaneously tired and thirsty. Tired legs are an insurmountable obstacle to a stubborn 4-year-old. Will usually catches us on his loop back to 23rd Street, finding me walking alongside my cruiser, with Carter sitting on my bicycle seat, Charlotte in the back, and Carter's two-wheeler precariously balanced on my front basket. Old ladies cluck their tongues, and knowing mothers who have been there and done that give me crooked smiles. Will likes to pass us with a smirk and impatiently wait for us at the end of the trail.

With the two boys in camp last week, I thought Charlotte and I would finally make it to the end of the boardwalk. We made it to Oves Restaurant, close, but not quite, to the end. When she started to fuss, I reluctantly turned around, knowing there was still unexplored territory ahead.

Make no mistake, the boardwalk is just as fun to explore by foot. When Mom was visiting last week, she tested out a new pedometer. Our strolls on the boardwalk alone helped us log way over 10,000 steps a day. Of course, the adrenaline rush from jumping out of the way of racing bikers, sweaty runners, wayward surreys and swooping seagulls turned our leisurely steps into more of an aerobic workout.

But is there any better way to tour the Ocean City boardwalk then by surrey? Nope, no fringe on these surreys, but who wouldn't feel like singing while pedaling this part bicycle-built-for-4, part Flintstones car? I dream of one day having my own surrey that I'll park in the garage and use to pedal us all to the steps to the beach or to haul our kayaks to the bay. I have my someday-surrey already decorated in my dreams in red, white and blue for the annual 4th of July parade, in which, one day, I will win first prize.



For now, I'll settle to rent one. My friend Jen and I (of Uncle Bill's fame) decided, after our ill-fated restaurant trip, that we'd take all seven of our children on a surrey ride. The babies rode up front in the baskets. Will sat in front, next to Jen and me, the brave captains of the surrey, where he was always willing to lend a hand by unexpectedly pulling on the brake or "helping" steer. The remaining four crammed into the back, squished together as we pushed the surrey occupancy limits and tested the strength of our flip-flopped feet.


The hardest part of riding a surrey is the trip up and, as you might imagine, the trip back down, the ramp up to the boardwalk. We realized halfway up the ramp that with only two adults pedaling, we couldn't make it up the ramp. I'm not sure how we did it, but Jen and I managed to hop out of the surrey and muster up all of our inner mom strength to push that vehicle--and its wiggling, screaming occupants--up that ramp.

Surreys aren't permitted to explore the boardwalk in its entirety--only from about 14th to maybe 4th Street where the walkway is at its widest. We used part of our hour rental pedaling down the ocean side, enjoying the breeze and laughing at the attention we attracting. (Do onlookers smile because the kids are cute or because they pity for us? We're still not sure.) Yet, those demons Hungry and his evil brother Thirsty struck--all 7 kids. We tried to satiate these persistent brothers with hot, fried donuts and icy lemonade from the food court, while the surrey rested in front of a not-yet-open Mack & Manco's Pizza.

Hungry and Thirsty were soon chased away by other well-known twins, Hot and Tired. (Perhaps you know them, as well?) We loaded back onto the surrey and pedaled back down to our starting point. The trip back down the ramp was as frightening as the trip up. I held onto the handbrake, several of the kids squeezed their eyes shut, and we shouted warnings of our uncontrolled descent to the unsuspecting bikers in our path.

Whether by bicycle, surrey or by foot, I've explored almost every inch of the OC Boardwalk--with the exception of those elusive last few blocks. Yet, each time is its own adventure. When we arrive back home, our hair is windblown, our skin is salty, and often, our tummies are full--and we're already planning our next journey down the Boardwalk.

Hut, 2, 3, 4

My mom has been visiting us at the beach, so we've really been up for some extra exploring. Last week, we drove the kids down to the Aviation Museum at the Cape May Airport. It is about a 40-minute drive from Ocean City. You can preview the venue at: http://usnasw.org/. If you're a AAA member, be sure to bring your card for a discount off of admission.

Will is a collector of facts, greedily stuffing them into his pockets like other kids would candy or toys. He just wants to know, and has a special interest in the military. A few years ago, we went to the National Air Force Museum at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with my grandfather, a WWII and Korean War Air Force pilot. Will still talks about that trip and had really looked forward to checking out this museum.

It was right up his alley. This is a no frills museum--a huge hanger at the Wildwood Naval Air Station and Cape May Airport. It is filled with restored air craft and vehicles, many from the Vietnam and Korean wars. Many of them are equipped with ladders, which the kids can either climb and inspect the inside of the plane or actually sit in the cockpit. Will was in his element. I followed him around while he tried plane after plane after plane, his face decorated with a perpetual grin.

Will especially loved a display on radar. He officiously sat at a desk surrounded by outdated radar equipment, pressing buttons and yelling commands to imaginary soldiers. He relinquished control after accidentally setting off an alarm, obviously set up to startle kids in command. His eyes were wide as saucers as he slowly backed away from the display, to the amusement of the museum docent.

The Franklin Institute has also provided several hands-on exhibits that work to explain the mechanics of flying, such as how the angle of the wing changes the flight pattern. Will enjoyed those as well, but they came in a definite second to the airplanes.

Following the Aviation Museum, we headed to the Historic Cold Spring Village (http://www.hcsv.org/), an open-air Early American museum. The boys had purchased army helmets at the Aviation Museum and continued to wear them here, dutifully marching through the museum grounds. Will, with his love of facts, thoroughly enjoyed this visit as well. The museum features a collection of 20 restored buildings, each one with a guide dressed in costume, who will tell about the building and answer questions. Will particularly liked the school, where he learned about slates and the dreaded dunce cap.

Mosquitoes were out in force that day. "I'm afraid we grow there here, too," a guide explained. We were miserable, hot and itchy after about an hour and decided to call it quits, much to Will's disappointment. That's a trip I'll try again in the fall.