clarendonmoms.com

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar began celebrating Mojito Mondays last month by offering pitchers and half pitchers of their house-made mojitos, no-jitos (non-alcoholic mojitos) and sangrias at half price. The mojito is a traditional Cuban highball consisting of white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water and mint. Cuba Libre’s version is made from a combination of freshly pressed sugar cane (called guarapo, which is pressed in-house), fresh lime juice, mint, Cuba Libre branded white rum and a splash of soda and is one of twelve handcrafted mojitos available at the restaurant. We ordered: the tuna ceviche (my favorite appetizer), crab guacamole, the abuela’s chicken croquetas, coconut crab fritters, Octopus a la papilla, levanta muerto seafood soup, the seafood paella and arroz con frijoles.

Daniel Lundquist, owner of Skën Spa invited me and a friend to receive a complimentary dermal infusion facial to experience the ultimate luxury for skin, an instant pick-me-up that has beautiful long-term benefits, too. Although, Leila and I get facials a few times a year as part of our self care routine, this was our first time trying the dermal infusion facial, a treatment that involves a basic milky cleanse and gentle massage prepping the skin for a special type of microdermabrasion blasting the face with micro crystals to remove dead skin and grime on the surface while vacuuming it all up. I enjoy getting facials to achieve glowing skin that isn’t red or irritated after I leave the spa. The dermal infusion facial definitely brightened my complexion, took care of some small blackheads, cleared the hard-to-get pores around my nose, and, perhaps most notably, plumped up my lips.

So when Hutchinson Resort & Spa invited me to visit Hutchinson Island and Jensen Beach for a few days on a press trip with a small group of other bloggers I had never met before, I packed my bags and hit the friendly skies. Drift Kitchen + Bar is Hutchinson Shore Resort’s signature oceanfront restaurant, offers fresh seafood and Italian specialties in a gorgeously designed, contemporary space overlooking the beach with beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to a tantalizing menu of treatments at their soothing spa, Hutchinson Shores Resort & Spa provides guests with an all-encompassing wellness experience, including a full fitness studio complete with a Peloton Bike ®. Jensen Beach is home to a variety of attractions, museums and outdoor activities including: Sailfishing in the Sailfish Capitol, golf, paddle boarding, bicycle rentals, scuba diving, surfing, kayaking, snorkeling, manatee and dolphin boat tours, art galleries, museums, The House of Refuge, Florida Oceanographic Society , Elliott Museum and Palm Beach Gardens Mall.

My good friend Sarah Grojean of the wildly popular blog, Capital Moms invited me and fellow parenting blogger Patty of Fairfax Family Fun to an amazing Sunday brunch at Baker’s Crust in Ashburn, Virginia. We happily spent a few hours at Baker’s Crust sipping iced tea, noshing on several dishes including The Swanky—one of their signature dishes—buttermilk fried chicken, applewood smoked bacon, arugula and lemon oil on a house-made sweet potato biscuit topped with two poached eggs, hollandaise, paprika, and served with hash browns. Another dish that came highly recommended was the Frisco Turkey Cobb Salad with turkey breast, applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, gorgonzola, avocado, mixed greens, herb buttermilk dressing. Our waiter’s personal favorite, the Asiago Chicken, grilled chicken with mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon, oven- roasted tomatoes, asparagus, asiago cream sauce, orzo pasta tasted like a little slice of heaven.