Annual Mother's Day Adventure

As a divorced/perpetually single mom and having lost my own mother 18 years ago, Mother's Day is not my favorite holiday.  Jewelry commercials portraying happy families where dad gushes over wonderful mom, Hallmark's row upon row of cards to mom's who have always been there or whose friendship the adult child values . . . these things make me really grumpy.

And since I realize a bad attitude when I see it in the mirror, the boys and I started our own Mother's Day tradition.  I know you'll be shocked when I tell you, we go on a day trip.

In past years, we went to the National Zoo.  Last year, we went to Calvert Cliffs for our first Park Quest.  This year, after a raucous breakfast with my Carr parents and their progeny (eight grandchildren under the age of ten), we went to Sandy Point State Park.

At $5/person, the entrance fee at Sandy Point is a little higher than other state parks we've visited, but kids in booster/car seats are free.  We paid our $5, collected a park map, and easily found a place to leave our car.

First priority for the boys is usually checking out the playground.  We played on two of several playgrounds and found a super slick slide (say that three times fast).

It was a windy, slightly chilly day--too cold for getting in the water of the Chesapeake Bay.  But we took off our shoes and socks and enjoyed wiggling our winter soft toes in the sand.

We dug and sifted for shells and rocks.  Gabe swears he found a dinosaur claw.

We sat on the warm sand in the sun and watched the waves.  Some of us liked to watch a little closer than others.

And then we took a walk through the marsh and woods to the east side of the park where the Sandy Point Shoal Light seemed closer to shore.

It was a beautiful Mother's Day.