Mermaid City Kids | Norfolk, VA

Doodle books

We're fans of illustrator Taro Gomi's work (Bus Stops, Everybody Poops) but lately we've been getting super into his doodle books with their charming open-ended illustrations that are prompts for kids to tell stories through their own works of art.

Right now we're working our way through his Story Doodles book (the thick-paper pages are meant to double as place mats) but there are several more to choose from, including one of postcards for kids to design and a puzzle book. We can't wait to collect them all (and we think they'd be great birthday/holiday presents for little ones, too).

Happy Monday!

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, by Cath

beach

Grandview Nature Preserve

Would it surprise you to learn that one of the prettiest and remote beaches in the HRVA area is just a few minutes from Downtown Hampton? Grandview Nature Preserve starts out with a walk down a gravel path that begins in a neighborhood but by the time you reach the beach, a half mile away, you have left it all behind. The two-mile stretch of beach is pristine, covered with driftwood and shells and clean fresh sand. You hear the cheeps of birds and the grasses moving in the breeze but not much else. It's like a world into itself.

Grandview wasn't always so remote. Back in the 1800s, Grandview was a swinging social destination. There were parties and dances in the glow from the old lighthouse and dozens of painters set up their easels to paint it. You can walk to what remains of that old lighthouse from when it finally succumbed to erosion and disrepair in the '50s, a lonely pile of rocks standing a few yards offshore. It's kind of eerie to look at them -- if you stare long enough you can almost see the old light standing up from them again.

The nature preserve covers 475 acres of salt marsh and wetlands, and there is excellent canoeing through the inlets. Besides that, it's a good place to observe migratory birds and sea turtles (be sure to save this number in your phone before you go -- it's not out of the ordinary to see wildlife stranded and in need of help). In summer the swimming is great but the walk down to the beach may be too far for very little ones in the heat.

To read another local blogger's take on Grandview (and see her gorgeous pics), click here! Have you been to Grandview Nature Preserve? How did it compare to other area beaches, in your view?

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, by Cath

art

Name Snowflakes

Well, we didn't get a whole lot of snow this past weekend, but we made up for it by sledding a lot in the little bit we did get, drinking lots of hot chocolate and making some of the paper-type snowflakes to hang around our house. After a few dozen we decided to get creative and made some snowflakes out of our names!

It's pretty simple: cut a circle in your paper and then fold in half, in half again, and in half one more time. Write your name in bubble letters (make sure they touch each other in at least one place). Then cut them out (you can use an x-acto knife to get the fiddly little spots in As and Rs). An 8x11 piece of paper was big enough to do our names but if you're a Jonathan or a Cassandra you might want to invest in a larger size.

It's pretty simple: cut a circle in your paper and They ended up being so pretty and just like real snowflakes -- no two were alike.

They're kind of the perfect snow day activity because they keep kids absorbed for a long time and it will look like it snowed inside your house by the time you;re done with all those bits of paper. Convenient AND seasonal!

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, by Cath

grateful list

December grateful list

Arts

Watching The Martian
Watching Jessica Jones
Listening to Dan Zanes Christmas in Concord (mine and Anouk's fave Christmas album ever)
Visiting the Children's Museum of Richmond
Reading We That Are Left

Food

Korean BBQ at Asahi for my 34th! birthday
Mexican chicken chowder (from the Against All Grain cookbook)
"Postpartum" veggie and barley soup that was enjoyed by all (recipe here).
Vasilopita (traditional Greek new year cake) made by Angela - YUM

Places

A chilly Sunday in Cape Charles
Colonial Williamsburg on Christmas eve
East Beach on a 75-degree Christmas day (pics above)
New Years with friends at Cheatham Annex in Yorktown

Stuff

Adidas Superstars from J. (taking me back to 8th grade in the best way)
This J. Crew striped sweater - comfy & perfect for anytime/place
Nuxe huile prodigeuse - best all in one beauty product and it smells soooo good
My awesome selfie stick (thanks Mylinh!)

Etc.

Anouk and Gus starring as Mary and Baby Jesus in the school Christmas pageant
Caroling with friends
Our 4th ANNUAL playgroup Christmas (I can hardly believe it) -- and Anouk STILL not recognizing J. as Santa Claus
Anouk naming our Christmas tree ("Stephanie")
Celebrating Solstice with homemade lanterns and music
Playing Carcasonne (new obsession)
Baby Gus turning three months old (and learning how to roar like a dragon)
The ever-growing tableau of holiday lights in our yard, including a glowing abominable snowman, courtesy of awesome neighbors
Doing a massive Kon Mari of the house (more on that later)
Matt's tarot reading for the new year (apparently going to be a good one)

My resolutions in 2016 are to run in a race and to finally do something with my scraggly yard. What about you?

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, by Cath

colonial-era virginia

Adam Thoroughgood House

One of our best holiday memories from this past Christmas season was the Yule Log lighting at the Adam Thoroughgood House. We got roasted marshmallows, carols, crafts and all the history of colonial Williamsburg, right in the heart of Virginia Beach. So good.

The Thoroughgood House was built in the early 18th century, and belonged to the family of Adam Thoroughgood, who settled in the Lynnhaven area in the 1600s. Adam's story is one of those stories that could only have happened in America: he arrived in the Virginia colony as an indentured servant and by the time he died 17 years later was an influential landowner and member of the House of Burgesses. Interesting fact: the city of Norfolk is named after Thoroughgood's home in England. It was Thoroughgood who suggested the name of New Norfolk County (and also Lynnhaven, which comes from then name of his hometown, King's Lynn).

Thoroughgood House has become one of our favorite year round places to visit. In the spring and summer, the grounds and gardens are a beautiful place to explore or have a picnic. Thoroughgood House also puts on several awesome events throughout the year (their battle of Kings Grant that we visited in October was super fun). The house is beautiful to tour and the staff who portray the colonial-era Thoroughgood family is extremely knowledgeable and didn't break character even when Anouk tried to show them my iPhone (They were shocked and extremely interested by the camera -- er, mobile portrait device.)

All of that and admission is FREE. Hooray!

And now, marshmallows:

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, by Cath

board games

Suspend!

Every year we rent a house and spend New Years with friends -- lots of eating, some drinking, talking, and tons of board games. This year the board game that dominated was SO GOOD that I have to share it. My friend A. bought it as a gift to give to a preteen relative but we broke it out and now I don't think that it's going to make it to the recipient.

Suspend! is a balancing game and the point of it is to be the first one to place all of your metal rods on a precarious hanger, if you knock any off they become yours and you have to start all over again. It's addictive -- we played over and over -- and good for both kids and adults, everyone in the house could play. It's also one of those games that you can play without thinking too hard or breaking the conversation (or explaining rules for hours and hours -- I'm looking at you Carcasonne). Which makes it perfect for big group gatherings.

Who knew that Melissa and Doug would be the latest all-family favorite?

What's your family playing nowadays?

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, by Cath

beach

Fossil Beach at York River State Park

We started off the new year by looking back -- way back -- with a walk along Fossil Beach at York River State Park. The park itself is gorgeous and home to some of the only "real" hiking in the Hampton Roads area, and well worth a visit just for the scenery, but an added draw is the cliffs along the York River that are dotted with fossils that formed 5.3 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch of the Cenozoic era.

The visit starts off with a short hike (1.5 miles or so; less than half that when the Mattaponi trail isn't closed due to damage), though the steep steps down to the beach may require help for the littlest kids. We spent some time looking through the fossils that previous hunters had found and left near the stairs and saw some treasures -- ray dental plates, scalloped Chesapecten jeffersonius shells (state fossil of Virginia!), even a few shark teeth (it's rumored that you can find Megalodon teeth at Fossil Beach if you're lucky enough).

For the first few minutes of our visit it seemed like the beach was just any other beach, covered in the same old rocks and shells, with fish jumping and crabs scuttling. But with a closer look we started to see what we'd come for: fanlike imprints and tiny holes in the rock that were sponge borings and bryzoans, ancient barnacles and brachiopods and even a few hunks of bone and coral.

I recommend doing a little research before you go so that you know what you're looking for -- this is a good site. We stopped and looked things up as we went, thank you iphone, but I have a feeling there might have been a lot we missed without even knowing that we missed it. The tide was out when we visited (good timing because at high tide most of the beach is under water) and there was literally something to see on every rock or under every driftwood log. You can't keep the fossils you find in the park, but we did take lots of photos and next time we might try to bring along materials to make fossil rubbings.

I've lived in the HRVA area my whole life and never heard about the fossils at York River State Park. So exciting to discover them! What a way to start the new year, with a new find and new adventures. We're looking forward to more of them in 2016.

York River State Park will be hosting a fossil frenzy hike in February and another one in April. Details here. Mark your calendars!

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, by Cath

management

We'll be back in 2016!

As you might have noticed, I've been having a hard time keeping up with the blog lately (hint as to why pictured above) so we've decided to take the rest of 2015 off and try again in a few weeks. We'll see you back here next year. Have a wonderful holiday season, from the whole Watermelons Grow family to yours!

In the meantime, keep up with us on Instagram. And if you're looking for some of our favorite things to do around Hampton Roads during the holidays, don't forget to check out our Holiday Fun List.

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, by Cath

animals

Hampton Master Gardeners Display Garden

A few weeks ago, James's parents came to visit and we spent an afternoon at Bluebird Gap Farm, one of our favorite weekend spots. That October day the Hampton Master Gardener's display garden was in bloom with fall pretties and we spent some extra time exploring it. A lot of time, actually -- there was a lot to see.

The garden is bigger than it looks from a distance, divided into beds for flowering plants, veggies and fruits, bulbs, grasses, and evergreens. There's a scent garden and rain garden and spots to showcase things like bog plants and compost and xeriscaping (A. and I loved poking around the Bug House and I think we might end up making one for our own yard?). Oh, and there's also a little free library full of books on nature and gardening manuals. Don't forget that. (We brought home Manfish, which has started us on a journey of all things Jacques Cousteau).

Most people head to Bluebird Gap for the animals but the garden is worth a trip in itself. And if you're thinking of visiting, make sure to stop in for the Bluebird Gap fall festival this Saturday (Nov. 21). More info about that here.