Summer Reading

School is out for MiniMe but my nagging her to read a few books this summer has just begun. She picked out a book this weekend, which led to an interesting exchange.

"Mom, I found a book I want to read. It's called Survival of the Fittest and it's about a bunch of girls who are competing in the Miss Teen pageant who have to survive when their plane crashes on an island."

Me: Hmm, I guess that's the prissy version of Lord of the Flies.

"What? I don't know that one."

This got me thinking about the books on the reading list for young adults these days compared to the reading list I had in middle/high school.

So, Lord of the Flies. Should it be on reading lists for contemporary youth? Is it still relevant or are there more modern books that would be just as relevant and maybe more interesting to our young adults.

I loved some of the books I was assigned to read: The Great Gatsby, The Crucible, Brave New World.

What if students were assigned to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak instead of The Crucible? The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger instead of The Great Gatsby. How about The Road by Cormac McCarthy instead of Brave New World.

What books were you assigned to read as a young adult?

Florida Accommodations Getting More Economical for Families

All indications are that even with the economy still stuck in the dumps, people are planning a vacation this summer. Only families are looking for affordable options, which means a lot more are choosing "staycations" (don't know who came up with this term but I love it!).

This weekend, the folks at Caribe Cove and Bahama Bay Resort in Davenport hosted a group of travel bloggers, and your own Florida Native Mom got a coveted invite. The tourism industry, like many others, is starting to recognize the power of social media in promoting their accommodations (which is great news for all of us who have been toiling away in the shadows of the blogosphere for years).

Now I would not write about my experience if it wasn't a positive one, even if I received a complimentary stay. So here's why I'm sharing this with you. Both resorts are a great choice for families or groups of friends traveling together looking for a place to stay for several nights (not just a weekend). That's because their 2 and 3 bedroom suites range from $92 to $121 per night. A suite with 2 or 3 full size bedrooms, a full-size kitchen, 2  baths and plenty of room at 1,400 to 1,600 square feet. Split that nightly rate between 2 groups and you can't get a better price anywhere.

I was surprised at how big the suites were. And very nice, clean. We went to Disney's Hollywood Studios for Star Wars Weekend while we were there and I timed the drive because I kinda felt like we were in the middle of nowhere in Davenport. Only 15 minutes to the Disney gate.

It's also only 20 minutes away from the outlet malls - great for a girlfriends weekend!

Now I know what you may be thinking - and NO we did not have to take a timeshare tour. This is not a timeshare. My only suggestion is to call ahead and confirm your reservation.

Summer Visitors?

If you’re like our big extended family, we often have visitors during the summer who take advantage of the fact we live in Florida to spend a week at the beach. A few years ago, I started making arrangements for our visiting families to stay at one of the local hotels on the beach since there is often “no room at the Florida Native Mom” inn for extended periods.

The first year we suggested our families stay in one of the many family-friendly resorts in Daytona Beach was a little rough. I had to assure them that I loved each and every one of them and thought it would be a “great idea” for them to actually spend their summer break on the beach instead of at my home in the mainland suburb. Now I couldn’t lure them back to my house if I tried.

My brother and sister-in-law enjoy staying at one of the beachside hotels because so many offer kid-suites, rooms with efficiency kitchens, water-park-like pool decks and most of all, they’re economical. They have two young boys and spend the morning on the beach then visit us to swim with our kids in the pool and have a cookout in the afternoons. Everyone is happy!

I encourage you to follow my lead on this. While you may feel a little bad about sending your relatives to stay at a local resort instead of sleeping on your couch for a week, consider these facts from my area in Daytona Beach:

Last year we had 7 million visitors to the Daytona Beach area that spent an estimated $3 billion in our restaurants, grocery stores, retail stores and gas stations. The tourism industry is one of the biggest and most important industries to our local economy.

By setting your relatives up in local accommodations, you’re pumping up our economy and potentially salvaging family relationships!

Moon Pies!!

Florida has been in the news a lot lately because of all the attention being paid to the last few shuttle launches. All this great NASA stuff got me thinking. About Moon Pies.

Did you know that Moon Pies now come in a variety of flavors? The newest flavor is chocolate mint. It's like a Southern version of the Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie.

I'm a longtime fan of Moon Pies (I mean who isn't a fan of the original Moon Pie?!?) I'm glad to see that a special treat from my childhood is still around, along with Tang, Juicy Fruit chewing gum and that honey that comes in a plastic bear. (Honey served in a plastic bear is always better than other packaged honeys).

Anyone else like to have a Moon Pie for breakfast or is it just me? At one time I worked in the NASCAR industry. One early morning at a track I went in search of breakfast. The press rooms were always full of free food since many of the sponsors freely distributed "samples" to the media. Cheerios. Skittles. BC Powder. So on that morning, I culled together my breakfast from the "freebies" in the media center.

A Banana flavored Moon Pie, a Slim Jim and a Pepsi. A complete Southern Racin' style breakfast.

Wanted: Mom Material

I write a monthly column that runs in a local parenting magazine. (Shhhh, don't laugh, I've got them convinced I'm a good mom). My May column is due next week and I decided to write about my mom. In particular about her personality and character. And she's a character all right.

I called my sister to get her input. She shared a story I'd never heard about Mom (see what I missed by going off to college?!?). My mom is a beautician. She has her own salon. This never benefited me because I have very little hair. In fact when I was growing up, my dad used to tell me "You have fine hair. The kind you find on rat's ass." But I digress.

My sister has a lot of hair (that's her in the photo). Thick, wavy, brunette. She was the very definition of "Big Hair" in the 80s. Sissy was also a basketball player. Her senior year, her team made it to the state playoffs. The local news got a hold of the story of this girls' basketball team whose starting line-up had been playing together since 8th grade. They were also all high achieving National Honor Society members. The media wanted an interview.

My sister finds out at school that day she and her teammates are going to be interviewed for broadcast TV news. She immediately calls my mom in tears.

"Mom, the TV news is coming to interview us after school and I've just finished PE and my hair is a mess! I can't be on TV like this!"

So what does mom do? Of course she runs down to the school, checks my sister out and takes her home to style her hair. Once the hot rollers are out and the hairspray is in place, Mom takes her back to school in time for her interview.

Cause that's just the kind of mom she is.

The View from My Office

Just one more reason to love life in Florida. It may have been rain and thunder all day yesterday, but today is beautiful. Temps in the 70s, sunshine, blue sky. Taking advantage and spending my day working (writing, grading papers) on my back porch.

TGIF - Thank God I'm in Florida!

Following Snakes . . .On Twitter

I just started following the missing Bronx Zoo cobra on Twitter ( @BronxZoosCobra ). This "snake" has more than 140,000 followers and has only been on Twitter since Monday. Which got me thinking. Perhaps to promote tourism in the Sunshine State, we could convince Disney's Animal Kingdom to "lose" a monkey, who could then start Tweeting his adventures. This would be much more believable than a snake Tweeting as far as I'm concerned. A monkey has "fingers" which would allow him to Tweet easily from his iPhone. A snake only has his tongue and tail.

Should we start a quiet campaign to get Animal Kingdom on board with this?

Florida Roadside Retail

Traveling the back roads through small towns in Florida provides shop-a-holics with a whole new category of retail to enjoy. I call it Roadside Retail.

Whether I'm traveling on long trips or short trips, I find it greatly amusing to keep track of all the different "items" you'll find advertised for sale along the roadway. You might expect to see signs offering the traditional boiled p-nuts, fruit and produce, but here are some of the other great deals I've personally cataloged in recent years.

Goats, piglets, pot belly pigs, and emu.
Eggs
Jerky - including alligator jerky
Hammocks, hand carved wood furniture and porch swings
Farm equipment, boats, RVs, cars and motorcycles
Worms and other bait for fishing
Silk floral arrangements
Firewood and mulch
Sculpture made from driftwood
Hot sauce and homemade relish
Fried fish and bbq
Pre-made Easter baskets
A variety of large stuffed animals
Go-karts
Above ground pools
Handmade turquoise jewelry

Surely you've purchased a few unique items in your Florida travels from independent entrepreneurs. What did you buy?

I'll get you my pretty!!!

Dear Scout the Stinky Corgi:

You thought you were very clever when you managed to scrub off your cone outside someplace where I cannot find it no matter how far and wide I search. See, the problem is, you need to wear that cone to let the sore on your back heal. My intentions are pure I assure you. I'm sorry to say your "hide the cone" plan did not work. I have found a replacement for it. A pink tutu.

And you thought the cone was embarrassing. Bet you wish you had it back now.

Sunday at Marineland

I spent a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Marineland. Did you know that Marineland (now called Marineland Dolphin Adventure) is the oldest marine attraction in the U.S.? In addition, one of the park's residents - Nellie - is the oldest dolphin in the world born in human care. She celebrated her 58th birthday in February.

I spent about 2 hours at the park and really enjoyed talking to the volunteers. There were 3 volunteers "on deck" while I was there. Two retirees and a college student. Their job was to answer questions about the dolphins and work with the visitors who were there for one of the "dolphin experiences," including a swim with the dolphins program and a touch and feed program. These folks loved their "job" and they agreed with me that Marineland is one of Florida's best kept secrets. And that's a shame.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Marineland since I visited so many times as a kid. It was the only "theme park" for miles back then, and even if it hadn't been, it would have been my favorite. This Florida girl was raised right - brought up to love and appreciate the dolphin (and seaturtle, too).

What makes Marineland a good alternative to the big Sea World park, in my opinion, is that it is an intimate, quiet park right on the ocean. You can stand on the deck under the shade of an umbrella and watch the dolphins swim, then turn around and watch the waves wash onto the beach. You can't do that at Seaworld. And if you want a chance to see (and touch) a dolphin up close, this is the place. Their classes are very small - no more than 12 people - and you get a lot of one-on-one time with the trainers and the 12 dolphins in residence. Plus, when it comes to education, conservation and research, Marineland leads the way. They've been the home of the University of Florida Whitney Lab for Marine Bioscience since the mid 1970s and were recently purchased by the Georgia Aquarium, which should ensure their viability for decades.

I'm hoping you will help me share this secret. Marineland, located on AIA between St. Augustine and Flagler Beach, is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. You can register for several of the different dolphin encounter programs, however, you can also just visit and see the dolphins and enjoy the afternoon (like I did) for only $8.50 adults and $4 children.

Visit them online at Marineland.net.