Woohoo! Summer is here!!! I know I say each season is my favorite, but Summer is my MOST favorite time of year! Beach time, pool time, bay time, barbecues, cookouts, parties, summer dresses, bathing suits, flip flops, evenings outside under the stars, amusement parks, carnivals, homemade lemonade, and for us Marylanders no summer is complete without a crab feast or two (or 10!) And you know we gotta have our OLD BAY!
My family is slightly obsessed with the Maryland born and bred OLD BAY seasoning! It’s famous for being a crab seasoning and synonymous with summertime, but my family uses it all year long and on everything! It’s delicious on eggs, popcorn, chicken, salads (traditional ones, pasta, chicken and potato), shrimp, grilled veggies, bagels and even donuts! Yes that’s right donuts… there’s just something about that salty-sweet goodness!!!
On top of all the things I listed above, I also love that some companies offer summer hours or flex time! The company I work for full-time just announced they are offering us Flex Friday’s and it just so happened that my first Flex Friday was also a day Kade’s school was closed. We decided to take advantage of the time and planned a special picnic for our little family three at Fort McHenry in Baltimore right on the Chesapeake Bay. We thought it would be the perfect place to watch the ships go by with plenty of room to run around.
We packed all of our favorite foods… made to order Italian sandwiches from Richardson Farms, potato salad, mac-n-cheese, strawberries, OLD BAY chips, and a few cookies for a sweet treat! (Funny story… a few summers ago OLD BAY in collaboration with Herr’s released OLD BAY chips and OLD BAY cheese curls. Of course we had to try them and I was in love!!!! The cheese curls are by far my favorite and I was SOOO worried it was just a seasonal thing that I bought 20 bags to get me through the year! Turns out they were, and still are, available year round… but who knew?? Obviously not me hoarding 20 bags of OLD BAY cheese curls in my pantry LOL! ) OLD BAY is actually running a contest all summer long that I may or may not be trying to win! They want to see how you OLD BAY. All you have to do is post and hashtag #OLDBAYOurWay and you’re automatically entered for fun OLD BAY gear and enough OLD BAY for a year!!!
We had a lovely afternoon picnicking on the bay and I can’t wait to plan more of these over the summer! Kade is growing up so fast… I want to make sure we continue to take the time for our family! It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, but remembering to put family first is the most important!!! If you have been thinking of something fun for your family or even taking a vacation, but schedules, work, practices all get in the way… just do it! They will all be waiting for you when you get back from your Family Funday!
SPECIAL THANKS TO: