Finer Things Friday...Road Trip

On the road again....We can't wait to get on the road again.... (you know the song!!)

The Cozy family is on their way to Maine tonight! It'll be clam "chowdah", "lobstah" (okay, trying to mimic the accent here), and Maine Diner's mac-and-cheese for the next few days. (Did I mention a visit to Stonewall Kitchen??!!)

We can't wait!!

Skipping rocks from the rocky shores of the Atlantic, driving on the coast, visiting our kids most favorite sweet shop, walking up to the lighthouse, and spending time with our family.

It doesn't get any finer than that!!!

Image credit click here

Fine Weather!!

Please excuse my tardiness in posting my Finer Things Friday... spring break business!



Easter Morning...

Every Easter for as long as I can remember, we went down to the beach for the weekend. We would pack our Easter baskets, as well as our snowsuits, hats, gloves, and boots. It was always so cold! (The heat was always going, and I still remember the smell of the electric heat being used the first time of the year!!) Easter at the beach, a Finer Thing in my book!!

Well folks, not this year!!! It was 82° and sunny on Easter!! My daughter wore her sleeveless dress and we left the cardigan at home! We went to mass, (no sunrise service for us this year!! slackers...), then went out for brunch and quickly returned home so we could go on the beach!! It was absolutely beautiful! We got some much needed Vitamin D, and some color, and the kids played in the sand and the water until dusk! Then, at dusk, we had Papa's...I mean the Easter Bunny's... annual egg hunt on the beach.

The sun is setting at our egg hunt..

The next day was even hotter...a scorching 86°! Too bad Daddy had a baseball game and had to get home!!

We're home now from our little jaunt to the coast, but we were reveling in the beautiful, un-seasonal weather... as high as 88°!! I had to make a trip up to the attic to get some clothes for everyone! Alas, today we were quickly faced with reality, as it is 50°, and damp. Oh well, so much for the tease. We enjoyed it while it lasted!!

Pictures from last year's Easter here...

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail...

..Famous words my husband uses with his high school students. And a plan we did have yesterday for our "Daycation" to Hershey Park. But, as we all know, things don't always go as planned, so plan for a Plan B....

Let me explain...

Hershey park is a little over three hours from us, so we planned on leaving at 7am, that way we'd get out there just after the park opened at 10am. Well, our little potty-trainee had a little bit of potty trouble earlier in the morning and couldn't be/didn't want to be, rushed. So, we waited...and waited...then, time was a wastin', so we left at 7:30am. We hit every source of rush hour traffic possible, on every interstate. But, that wasn't it. The kicker was that every 15-20mins we'd hear "I'm goin', I'm goin...I gotta' go...pull over, quick!!" So, we'd pull over, get out the potty seat, and we'd wait, and wait, and wait. To no avail. We risked our lives along Route 78 with 18-wheelers whizzing by pulled over on the side of the road because we'd sat at the previous rest area for a half hour, and finally left, and the next one wasn't for another 22 miles. It probably wasn't in our best interest to plan such a lengthy trip this early in the "potty going" stage, but it was a risk we took.

Well, to make a long story short...come 10:30am, we were still in our home state. There was no way we were making it to Hershey Park that day...

So, after driving another 15 minutes and another 25 minute potty break, and quietly/secretly discussing what to do amongst ourselves in the front, my husband proudly announces..."We're here!!" We look over and see a great sight for our stressed out, weary eyes...Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom (about an hour and a half closer to us than HP). We heard a great cheer from the back of the van and oohs and aahs at all of the rides. We pulled in, paid our parking and our admission (and I even had a coupon in my bag of tricks because this was a contender as one of our Daycations), and enjoyed our day.

Camp Snoopy...a section of the amusement park just for preschoolers and little riders.

Sally...one of the many Peanuts characters visiting in Camp Snoopy

Waterworks... a waterpark just for kids inside Wildwater Kingdom, which is all in one place! Two parks for one price.

It all worked out, and, thankfully, so did our potty-trainees digestive issues. We ended up having a great day.

As we were slowly sauntering out of the park from sheer exhaustion at 8pm, my little guy says, "I had a great time at Hershey Park!" He didn't even know the difference, and we didn't have the heart to tell him!

Plan Ahead for Outings

Today we're heading out to central Pennsylvania to Hershey Park, a few hours drive, for one of our planned "Daycations". We visit every December to celebrate my daughters birthday at Christmas Candylane, but it's been a few years since we've been there in the summer and we are excited! We'll hopefully get to meet up with an old friend of mine I used to teach with who moved out there. We were pregnant together with our oldest girls, and pregnant at the same time again with our second children. We try to see them each year when we're visiting.

With Hershey Park comes the "chocolate characters", the shows, and of course, the candy. We'll be surrounded by everything chocolate...hey, they don't call it "The sweetest place on earth" for nothing! But rather than paying the premiums for the chocolate right there at the factory (okay... they will be getting a free bar at the end of the tour ride, so they won't totally be denied the satisfaction of actually getting Hershey's chocolate from Chocolate World), I purchased a few packages of mini sized treats, regular sized Hershey bars, and some chocolate milk boxes before we left. They'll be packed in the cooler for dessert with our picnic lunch.

Using a $20 off coupon for the $166 admission, buying cheaper treats off premises, and packing a picnic lunch helps to keep an already expensive outing a little less expensive.

Post linked to: Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday

Go here for an update on our trip...

I'm Baaaaccck!!!

After last week of watching my sister's children and having teenagers to toddlers, trying to run to three different schools and juggle five different schedules and activities, driving to-and-from Maine in two and a half days, all is quieter in the cozy country; somewhat! We are at home hopping to end of schoolyear activities, birthday parties, BBQ's, and luncheons...this is always one of the busiest times of year!
Thanks for your patience...back to the blogging!

Easter at the Beach

Easter at the beach with my family...definitely one of the Finest Things in Life!!