Jenkinson's Promises, And Delivers, FUN!

Disclosure:  Please note that I was given free passes to this venue in exchange for blogging about it. While the passes were nice, they did not influence my opinion of the place.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

This whole summer has been an interesting contest of wills: I ask the kids (9 and 15) to get out of the house to do something fun like go to the town pool, a waterpark, Busch Gardens, etc., and they keep looking at their devices and say, “no.” I insist, my voice growing louder and louder, and they dig their heels in. I finally persuade them to pry their eyes from their screens, they go to the places we're going to FOR THEM, and have fun. Fortunately this contest did not happen today when I announced, 

“Let's go to Jenkinson's!” 

So we grabbed Junior's friend, Sam, and trekked down to Point Pleasant nice and early, despite the prediction of thunderstorms, so we'd make it back in time for Diva's gymnastics. Arriving that early also ensured that we'd see my VERY FAVORITE attraction first: Jenkinson's Aquarium!  "'Mommy, look at THIS,” exclaimed Diva as she moved from tank to tank. Her enthusiasm was contagious as she read about piranhas, various types of shark, and just how big some of the fish were. The boys enjoyed the boa constrictor and made fun of a lot of the animals, as teenage boys are wont to do. But I think even they were touched by the story of Lucy, the blind seal, as we watched her and a sea lion being fed. Lucy's disability doesn't hinder her from having a nice life at Jenkinson's and just seeing the bond between her and her trainers is sweet. Diva also had a blast at the Touch Tank, although I was somewhat skeeved by the horseshoe crab (who might have been skeeved by me!). I also loved the penguins and was mistaken when I saw grey, furry-looking one; I thought it was an adolescent. A docent quickly corrected me. The animal in question is their oldest penguin at 29 years old and she was being cuddled by her “boyfriend” who is 2. As I said, I LOVE this aquarium!

School was in session at Jenkinson's!

My daughter touching a starfish.  She petted the horseshoe crab - not I!

Our troop headed over to Castaway Cove for miniature golf, three floors of golfing fun.  Diva immediately got a hole-in-one while the boys scoffed at her “beginner's luck.” She ultimately did lose, and apparently there was a heated discussion about points, but I didn't care. I'd found a bench and a lovely breeze as I listened to Jimmy Buffet over the Cove's speakers. If the kids were bickering, I wasn't listening.

Cheeseburgers in a pail - love this idea from Jenkinson's!

By this time, everyone was hungry, so we headed over to Jenkinson's Pavillion Oceanside Dining where, because there were several restaurants to choose from, we were each able to score what we wanted: a hot dog for Sam, tacos for Junior and me, and a cheeseburger and fries for Diva which was served in pail with shovel. Note to Self: next time, order a kids meal so YOU get a pail and shovel!

After lunch, the boys wanted to go on the rides but I, conscious of the fact that “lunch” and “rides” never produce good results, insisted we hit the the Fun House. This place
is so cool, with mazes of mirrors. After I gracefully smacked into a mirrored wall, I learned to walk with my hands out. The kids, too, were having a good time until they hit the darkened “tunnels” section of the Fun House. Diva grabbed on to her brother when she got a little scared (a lovely mental picture I won't soon forget) and, upon leaving the attraction announced, “That Fun House was NOT fun,” before she begged me to go back in. My son poo-pooed the experience, but all the while there was a twinkle in his eye.

Sorry, Junior!  This clown is taller than you!

 

While they went on the dizzing, dazzling display of rides, I sat on the Boardwalk, taking in the ocean, doing some people-watching, and sipping a cool drink. Shopping was plentiful and the array of hermit crabs for sale, fascinating.  I was happy just browsing while my kids had a blast on the rides.  

Before we left, the boys played another round of miniature golf while Diva and I went to the Aquarium Gift Shop, in my opinion, the best shopping on the Boardwalk. I happily admired the jewelry while she chose a stuffed animal (a penguin) as a souvenir of the day. 

And what a day! Jenkinson's has become synonymous with “fun” and with good reason: there's something for everyone. We could easily have spent the rest of the day there. And we will: even after school is in session, many of the attractions are open. 

We'll be back!

~~~~~~~~~~

But YOU don't have to wait that long!  Enter HERE to win a VIP Voucher for up to 5 people so you can go to Jenkinson's!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note that the winner will be announced on this blog on August 30th.  Only one entry per family please.  If you win, please contact me so I can mail you the voucher in question.  Good luck!

11 GREAT Uses For Old Wire Coat Hangers – Don't Throw Them Out!

Thanks to hubby's copious amount of dry cleaning, we have a TON of wire coat hangers around the house. I mean, you could fill a closet with all the hangers we have!  Being a frugal crafter, I knew that there had to be something I could do with those old hangers. 

You can re-use those wire hangers!  Easy!

Here are 11 of of my favorite uses:

• Fish things out of small spaces, especially between car seats. If you've got kids like I do, you're always finding Goldfish crackers, pencils,popcorn, and other materials between the seats of your car. Use a cut coat hanger to get that stuff out (until your kids fill those spaces up again...).

• Hang pot holders from the door of your refrigerator. I have a TINY kitchen and need my potholders handy. I took a hanger and made a hook that slips over the handle of the fridge and holds my potholders. Now they're nice and close! 

Use hangers to hang potholders close by.

• Remove static cling. Run the long side of a wire hanger between your skirt and pantyhose, between your leggings and top, etc. Even running the hanger over the outside of your clothes will help.

• Unclog your drains by forming a hook on the hanger. Unscrew/unhook the drain plug and fish out the hair. You can also use a hanger to just get hair out of the tub. Yuck!

• Bend a hanger into a giant bubble wand. Then use one part dish detergent and one part water to make a great bubble solution.  This is actually a lot of fun in the winter as the bubbles stick to snow and ice.

• Stake plants by bending the straight part of the hanger into different shapes to hold the leaves and stems.   

• Make a mobile for inside or outside using brightly colored coat hangers. 

• Unclog a vacuum hose.

• Unclog the bottom of a gutter. We always get leaves stuck in the bottom of one of our gutters. I've taken a part of a hanger and fished the leaves out. 

• Roast marshmallows. It's fireplace season and my daughter loves roasting marshmallows. We use a cleaned hanger (with a potholder because the hanger will get hot) to hold those 'smellows. Yummy!

These pliers have wire cutters on them to cut hangers.

• Anchor inflatables. I always lose the hooks that anchor my Christmas inflatables outside.  Use a bent hanger to easily keep those inflatables from falling down.

If none of the above appeal to you, you can always return the hangers to your dry cleaner. They'll be happy to have them.

Do YOU have any uses for old wire hangers? Share! 

And, as always, thank you for reading my blog!

EASIEST Fish Tacos EVER!

My son is in love - with fish tacos!  He was in heaven with his first bite into the crispy, spicy dish and has savored them each time we've been in Southern California.  So, after playing with several recipes which proved to be too time-consuming and dissecting what, exactly, he loved about them (I'm not a fan), I came up with the winner below.  He ate 6 (yes, six) of them last night for dinner and just begged me for more when we walked through the door after school.

EASIEST FISH TACOS

You could use this seasoning mix for the fish tacos, but any taco seasoning mix works well.

Ingredients:  10 ounces of breaded frozen fish fillets (Mrs. Pauls, VanDeKamps, etc.), 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon of taco seasoning, 1 - 4.6 ounce package of taco shells and/or low-carb tortillas (my husband is on a low-carb diet), 2 cups of coleslaw from your deli, 1/2 cup of salsa

My family's FAVORITE salsa

Directions:  

1.  Sprinkle the fish with the chili powder and taco seasoning.  Bake as directed on the package.

2.  Take the fish out of the oven and cut it into bite-size pieces or strips.

3.  Spoon a teaspoon of coleslaw into each shell (if you're using a tortilla, halve the tortilla first and use each half), top with some fish, and a tablespoon or so of salsa. 

ENJOY! 

Variations:  You can add avocado, sour cream, cheese, sauteed red pepper strips, etc.  Make it your own. 

 

My son is getting all the benefits of fish with the cabbage from the slaw and tomatoes (which he won't touch otherwise) from the salsa.  This also makes a great "make it yourself" leftovers dish since once the fish is cooked, all he has to do is heat it up for about a minute before assembling the taco. 



Try it and tell me what you think of it!  And, as always, thanks for reading!