During Nights of Lights, businesses and organizations light up St. Augustine, with a particular focus on the waterfront buildings. Exploring this illuminated town in temperatures milder than our own will quickly put you in the holiday spirit. My top tip for experiencing the lights—ditch your car in favor of one of the many tours available. You’ll enjoy the experience much more if you are not dodging the heavy traffic and many pedestrians.

To experience the lights from the water, I booked a one-hour boat tour on Scenic Tours. Tickets were $20 each (plus $5 booking fee for a total of $45 for two adults), and included hot chocolate and cookies. The lights were beautiful and festive, but after about the third circle of the waterfront area, my 16-year-old and I would have gone ashore happily. Still, it was a pleasant night, and peaceful out on the water, and we had cookies. https://scenic-cruise.com

Next time, I would book a trolley tour rather than the boat. There also are tours by carriage, golf cart—you name it. Visit www.visitstaugustine.com to find them all.

What to do

Viewing the lights will not consume much of your time. Luckily, there is much to do in St. Augustine. We spent the first day exploring the area by Old Town Trolley (www.trolleytours.com ). This gave us a feel for the layout of the town, as well as a brief history of St. Augustine from the trolley drivers.  We also took a Ghosts & Gravestones tour with Old Town Trolley. Like St. Augustine, it’s fun and quirky. It’s not scary, so appropriate for all ages. Passengers disembark at a few stops along the way, including a graveyard and the Potter Wax Museum.

The area that centers on St. George’s Street is a bustling little city with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. While there are lots of the usual tourist traps selling t-shirts and souvenirs, there also are plenty of unique stores. Our favorite shopping, as well as a Luli’s Cupcake & Bakery (well worth a stop) was on San Marco Avenue. Shops, including vintage and thrift, line the route between the historic district and the location of the Oldest Store Museum Experience and the Old Jail Museum (which offer interesting tours with older kids, but would skip with little ones). My teenager spent the bulk of her time at Declaration & Co. at 63 San Marco Ave., partly because of its stock of Gilmore Girls items and clothes that she drooled over, but also because she won a $50 gift card in their Black Friday giveaway (www.shopdeclaration.com). We devoted the rest of our shopping budget to Second Read Books, a tiny second-hand book store at 51D Cordova Street.

For younger kids who dislike shopping, head over to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm (www.alligatorfarm.com). Other kid-friendly attractions include: Colonial Quarter (https://colonialquarter.com), The Fountain of Youth (www.fountainofyouthflorida.com), and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (www.nps.gov/casa).

No matter the ages of your kids, the campus of Flagler College worth a visit, especially when it is lit up at night.

Where to eat

There are many dining choices in St. Augustine. We visited The Columbia, the Florida-based Spanish restaurant chain at 98 St. George Street, for a delicious dinner with attentive service. (The Tampa location is Florida’s oldest restaurant, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world).  It was harder to find open spots for breakfast, but we did stumble across Schmagel’s Bagels at 69 Hypolita Street. Schmagel’s serves bagels (obviously) and breakfast sandwiches, as well as coffee and hot chocolate. Schmagel’s limited indoor seating was closed, but its large patio was very comfortable, and the food and service both were excellent. Dessert options, however, are wide and plentiful. We were in town for just two days, so we were able to sample only Luli’s (as mentioned above) and fantastic ice cream sandwiches at Peace Pie World at 8 Aviles Street (https://peacepieworld.com).

Where to stay

I stumbled across the Pirate Haus while searching for a hotel. It was cheap, but I was little leary—maybe it’s too cheap and too quirky. In the end, I decided we could deal with quirky for two nights. It turned out to be a wonderful decision. We couldn’t have landed in a better location. It’s smack in the middle of the historic district. Parking is very limited (we managed to snag one of the hotel’s three spots for $10 a night), but there are lots very close by for $10-$20 a day. A pancake breakfast for everyone is included in the room rate. We enjoyed coffee, tea, and our names written in pancake batter. The pancakes are massive and will fuel your kids all day.

It’s a family-oriented hotel (bachelor and bachelorette parties are banned), and kids will love the brightly decorated rooms and roof deck. I knew going in that it might be noisy, and it was, but it was not excessive. I normally travel with a noise machine, but forgot it on this trip, and had no trouble sleeping.

The beds and pillows were comfortable. We only were in the the room to sleep, but the location was so perfect that we would stop back during the day to use the bathroom or drop off jackets and shopping. There is no individual temperature control in the rooms. The hotel guide provides advice on adjusting the vents, or how to contact staff if you want a different temperature. The entrance to the hotel is a steep flight of stairs, so it would be a bad choice for someone with mobility issues, and I also wouldn’t want to haul a stroller up and down the stairs. The hotel guide states that they buy the cheapest possible soap and shampoo, and this is accurate, so just bring your own.

Pirate Haus is old and unique. If you go in wanting luxury and perfection, you will be disappointed. But if you want a bargain and have some fun, it’s the perfect spot.

Pirate Haus Inn.  32 Treasury Street, St. Augustine.

Another option:  Casa Monica Resort & Spa.  95 Cordova Street, St. Augustine.

Originally built in 1888, Casa Monica is nestled in the heart of St. Augustine’s Historic District and within walking distance to popular sites such as Flagler College, Lightner Museum, Castillo de San Marcos and St. George Street. 

Getting there

The drive from Naples “should” take about 5 hours. Our trip north took more than 7. My advice: no matter what Waze tells you, just stay on I4 and deal with the traffic around Orlando. The side roads are congested, too, and even more frustrating.

A final note: If Verizon is your cell provider, plan for lots of frustration in St. Augustine. Our phones would occasionally have reception, but more often not.

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Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, Michelle met her husband, Philip, after graduating from high school. They will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this year. After Philip finished his physical therapy degree, the couple moved to Naples from Edmonton, Alberta, in 1994. Since then, the Crombies moved to Washington state twice, but “Naples has always called us back and we call it home,” said Michelle.

 Michelle attended Edison Community College (now Florida SouthWestern State College) and became a physical therapist asssistant in 1996. She later received a bachelor of science in technology management from Devry University.

Tell us about your career. I currently work as a home health physical therapist assistant. I enjoy home health and being a part of helping people regain their independence and func-tion once home from hospital or rehab. Home health also allows me the flexibility I need to manage family and fun.

Tell us about your children. James is 21, currently in the FSW nursing program, and will graduate in December. He also works as a real estate agent. He plays men’s league hockey at Germain arena on weekends and enjoys league tennis here in Naples.

Josiah is 17. He has been away playing U18AAA travel ice hockey for Wenatchee Wolves in Washington state. He currently is homeschooled and will graduate this year. He is a Collier County lifeguard and hockey referee. 

Jared is 15 and is also homeschooled. He is a TESLA enthusiast. He currently plays rugby for the U19 Naples Bears Rugby Club and enjoying the sport in his second year.

Jaylee is 11. She loves just about anything, especially Buddy Break night. Born in the Philippines, Jaylee came to her forever home in 2009. She is a joyous completion to our family. Jaylee is the inspiration behind starting Buddy Break in Naples. She has recently been diagnosed with Kabuki syndrome and for the past seven years, her special needs have required close educational management. Parenting a child with special needs brings you into a whole new world of advocacy in the education and health fields. It was through our personal experience that we understood why parents of children with special needs truly need a break to renew themselves. 

How did you start Buddy Break in Naples? I’ve been involved in the Children’s Ministry at church for over 20 years, the entire lives of my children. When Jaylee came home to us, it opened a differ-ent world into special needs. For Jaylee, it is at a cognitive/intellectual learning level for the most part. Giving back and serving has always been a source of joy. At a Children’s Ministry event I attended, Nathaniel’s Hope (the parent organization of Buddy Break) had an educational booth. In speak-ing with co-founder Marie Kuck about the program, I instantly felt that Buddy Break needed to be started in Southwest Florida. While attending multiple doctor appoint-ments with Jaylee, I could see there was a need for respite care for families.

Buddy Break opened its doors to the community in October 2015, and is hosted for free at the Naples Seventh-day Adventist Church. Each month, families get a three-hour break of free respite. Buddy Break also takes in typical siblings. We have yet to turn away a family because we couldn’t handle their child’s special need. Each month volunteers have inquired to help out, and each month we have just enough volunteers. The program is 100% funded by donations from the community and sup-port of various volunteers. We have grown to the point that more churches need to open their doors in Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Estero, and Fort Myers.

 Do you volunteer with any other organizations? I am the director liaison for GR3 International, helping to coordinate volunteers for deployment when a disaster strikes. I’ve worked on deployments to Haiti, Nepal, Philippines, and a little bit state side. I always find joy in service when working with so many different people and simply helping others. 

How do you balance work, volunteering, and your family? With older children, life doesn’t require too much balancing anymore. Two children now drive, and they pitch in a lot to help with getting to various activities.

What does a typical weeknight look like for you? Our typical week varies because the older children work and the younger kids have piano or sports. Not sure what I would do without my iPhone calendar! The weekend is when we all con-nect together. We love watching movies and playing cards or board games.

 Your proudest personal accomplishment? Surviving raising four children and starting Buddy Break in Naples.What advice would you offer other parents? Be real to your kids. Talk about life and events and ask how they are doing and if they need help with anything. Be the parent because you are the one to show teering, and your family? With older children, life doesn’t require too much balancing anymore. Two children now drive, and they pitch in a lot to help with getting to various activities.

What advice would you offer other parents? Be real to your kids. Talk about life and events and ask how they are doing and if they need help with anything. Be the parent because you are the one to show them love, nurturing, kindness and respect for both themselves and others.

 What are your hopes and goals for the rest of 2018? Continue to support my kids in their academic and sports goals, and live to celebrate another 25 years with my husband. I hope to see Buddy Break grow in SW Florida as a whole. I’d love to see an annual special needs carnival-type event in a park with multiple vendors, games, special guests and great food … all put together by community organizers and business. 

Click here for more information about Buddy Break Naples.

The post MOMentum Moms: Michelle Crombie appeared first on SWFL Family.

Let’s talk about dry drowning. I’ve been encountering a lot of misunderstanding about dry drowning (which, by the way, is not an accepted medical term; drowning is drowning, with or without mortality). Delayed mortality from drowning has hallmark symptoms and parents need to know what those look like as well (and also when not to worry). In short, your child is not going to go swimming, swallow some water, have no issues in the water whatsoever, and then suddenly die without warning four days later from “dry drowning”. I know the stories you’ve been reading – they’re all over my newsfeed, too. I know how the thought of losing your child makes you have actual physical chest pain because it does that to me, too. I don’t have a pool at my house and that is intentional. I don’t want to take the risk that my kid could end up in it unsupervised. But I don’t want the kids of the world never going near the water again because their parents were frightened by a poorly researched Facebook article.

Remember that there is a lot of fake news and misinformation on the internet. Many authors do not care about delivering accurate, useful information. They care about the sensational headline.

My major issues with the stories I’ve been reading lately are these: first, their misuse of the word “swallowing” when they mean aspiration. Second, their lack of discussion about real symptoms of actual drowning that parents should be watching for. Far too many kids die from drowning every year and it would be wonderful if the press would talk to some medical experts and get better information about drowning prevention out there to parents. Most of the stories I’ve read, however, give parents the impression that kids who have drowning with morbidity (the accepted medical term, check out the links below) swallowed some water, were fine for a few days, and then suddenly died. It doesn’t really work like that. Drowning is more dramatic.

Here’s the deal, in brief: a human may experience inflammation in the lungs (pneumonitis) with massive fluid production and death after aspirating water. This is not the same thing as swallowing water and many people don’t understand the difference. Swallowed water goes into the esophagus and down through the digestive tract. Swallowing chlorinated pool water may make you throw up but it will not make you die of flash pulmonary edema. Aspiration is when the water goes into the trachea and down into the lungs. In this case, the patient in question will have an episode of distress after they come out (or are pulled out) of the water. You will see it and you will know they are not okay. They will take longer to recover than they would after choking on a little orange juice at the dinner table. They will cough and gasp and sputter. They may even require intervention like CPR. And I’m pretty sure everyone understands that a child who is down in the water, gets pulled out, and requires resuscitation needs immediate medical attention, even if they seem to recover. If your child has an episode like this and then later continues to have coughing, vomiting, wheezing, chest or belly pain, or seems abnormally tired, we have a problem. Get to the ER. If your child goes swimming and does not have an aspiration event and afterwards they are perfectly fine … they are perfectly fine. Go ahead and go to the beach this weekend, people.

The key to preventing drowning? Supervision. There needs to be a designated child watcher. Just because there are 10 adults present doesn’t mean one of them is paying attention to the kids. Have a plan. If it’s a party where you don’t really know anyone, this is not the time to make new friends. Watch your kids. If you’re watching them and they have an aspiration event, you will see it and you will get them the medical attention they need. If your child is participating in swimming activities when they are not with you, be the annoying parent. Ask questions about who will be supervising. Ask if anyone present has had lifeguard training. If you don’t like the answers you get, don’t send your kid. Hosting a pool party yourself this summer? Consider hiring a lifeguard.

Oh, and wear sunscreen.

Drowning is the number one cause of death in Florida for children ages 1-4, and this is a statistic we can all help to change. Here are 10 tips for keeping your family safe in and around water from Leigh Ann Newman, Neapolitan Family co-publisher.

1.    Adult supervision. And I don’t mean sitting by the pool with a book or your phone (although you should keep your phone handy in case of an emergency). Drownings are silent. You won’t hear a scream or a splash. A child can lose consciousness after being submerged for two minutes. After 4-6 minutes, permanent brain damage can occur.

2.    Swimming lessons. Children can learn to float as young as six months old, and kids at any age need to know how to keep themselves safe in the water. There are a variety of pro-grams and instructors out there. Ask your pediatrician and friends for recommendations. 

3.    Throw out the water wings. Water wings are toys – dangerous toys. If you are using a flotation device, make sure it is U.S. Coast Guard approved. However, never depend on flotation devices to take the place of adult supervision. Young children can, and do, take off puddle jumpers and life jackets.

4.    Physical barriers. A must for any backyard pool is a fence at least four feet high, with a self-latching and self-locking gate. Pool fences save lives. Period. But they are not fool-proof. Even self-latching gates don’t always close. Older siblings and even adults can forget to latch the pool fence, so check the fence and the gate regularly.

5.     Check the furniture on the lanai. Children have climbed over pool fences and drowned. If a table or chair is light enough for a toddler to pick up or push, don’t leave it on the lanai.

6.    Hire a lifeguard for parties. For $100-$200, you keep everyone safe and lessen your own stress. If that’s out of your price range, designate an adult (who can swim AND has not been drinking) as the pool watcher. Switch every 30 minutes.

7.    Learn CPR and first aid. Be prepared in case of an accident; minutes matter.

8.    Take the toys out of the pool. Many babies and toddlers fall into pools while reaching for a toy. Remove the temptation when you are done swimming for the day, and you’ll have the added benefit of your pool filter and chemicals working more efficiently.

9.    Talk to your kids. Start early. Go over the pool rules every day your kids are in the water. Your words will sink in and can prevent accidents.

10.     Get in the water with your kids! Once you get over getting your hair wet, you’ll discover what a blast you can have with your kids in the water, especially while they are young enough to still want Mom and Dad in the pool.

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