I’m not here today.

I’m over at Karen Sugarpant’s place, raiding the refrigerator and rifling through her medicine cabinet.

Go check it out!

Last week I took Swee’Pea and TheMonk to SeaWorld Day Camp. Specifically, we went to the Pre-school – Parent Participation Camp where parents and toddlers got to experience Aquatic life up close and personal.

When presented with the opportunity to attend this camp, I must admit, I was a little nervous at the prospect of escorting two kids through day camp at SeaWorld. But the closer I looked at the schedule (2 hours a day for three days), I realized that I could definitely handle it. And I’m glad I did because we all had a great time.

First, the camp is accredited by the American Camping Association (which, when picking a summer camp for your child, should definitely be a priority for you as it sets very high standards for safety and organization) and is limited to a small handful of kids. I think we had about 10 kids in our group along with a parent for each child (except me, I was the only one outnumbered). The camp attracts people from all over and the number of kids who were locals were outnumbered by the number of kids here in San Diego on vacation by a 2 to 1 margin. This took me a bit by surprise but then, it’s a great way for the little ones to get an up-close-and-personal look at SeaWorld.

The camp was divided into three parts each day. First we did a group exercise where the kids learned about what they would be seeing that day. For example, the first day we all put on our imaginary flippers and dorsal fins before we went to see the whales and dolphins. After our intro, we all stopped off at the bathrooms to empty all of the toddler bladders, then headed on to see the Killer Whales and then the dolphins. The highlight was being able to feed and touch the dolphins – which both Swee’Pea and TheMonk would agree was the coolest part of the entire camp. Unfortunately, because I had to hoist them up to feed the dolphins, I didn’t get a photo but it was great. Trust me. After seeing the whales and dolphins we returned for part three of the day: an arts and craft project. This particular day we got a special treat as we got to meet “Baby Shamu” and get a hug from the little guy before ending our day (but not before Swee’Pea announced to the group that “I Dont Want To!” see Baby Shamu. She eventually was helped up by another little boy who held her hand all the way up so she could see Baby Shamu. Her brother, it should be noted, did not help and there might even have been some eye rolling but I can’t be sure.).

Day 2 was the same setup with a morning group exercise and then we were off to see the Sting Rays (which we got to touch and feed – another awesome moment!) and sharks (which frightened poor little Swee’Pea in their awesome underwater exhibit – although she was the only one. All the other kids were absolutely enthralled.). We returned to make our own certified shark suits, complete with blue and pink dorsal fins, before calling a day.

Day 3 started with an introduction of arctic animals and we got to learn about the Walrus which a few of the toddlers got to dress up like so we could all learn about the different Walrus parts. We then headed off to see Polar Bears, Penguins, Walruses and Beluga Whales. The kids loved the penguins and we had a great time. To wrap up the day (and week!) we made Beluga Whales out of marshmallows, and then promptly ate them.

All in all, I was very impressed. I think they packed enough in to get your money’s worth ($95 per kid) but also kept it short enough that we didn’t ever reach meltdown for the little ones. I’d happily do it again next year.

But all this writing can’t do it justice. Check it out for yourself…

Hi. I had a massive head cold the past few days and haven’t had much energy to write. My next post will be about the awesome time Swee’Pea and TheMonk had as SeaWorld Day Camp last week, complete with photos.

Speaking of photos… We took Swee’Pea and TheMonk to get groomed today. Swee’Pea was starting to look a little “Nick Nolte” and TheMonk was beginning to look a little “Shaggy D.A.” So, we headed to our neighborhood kiddie salon and got them prettied up.

And while looking at the photos today I could not help but think, Damn, my kids are cuties getting old. See for yourself.