This week finds us traversing Eastern Europe in our silver station wagon, keeping our eyes peeled for scenic potty stops, street food and playgrounds. On Monday we drove through southern Romania and crossed over the Danube River into Serbia. On the Michelin map, this route is highlighted in green, which signifies a scenic route. The… Read More The Danube River and Serbian playgrounds
This month we crossed the Danube River by ferry and spent a weekend in beautiful Sofia, Bulgaria. February is still technically winter, but most Europeans will attest that this winter has been extremely mild. February ushered in an early spring. When we visited Bulgaria, the snow was gone and the breeze was warm. But… Read More February in Eastern Europe
While living in Europe, we’re taking advantage of cheap (like, $40 roundtrip tickets, with half-price for kids! Thank you RyanAir) airlines to reconnect with friends and family scattered across the continent. The travel also reveals the third-culture kid (TCK) tendencies of my children. I don’t often write about TCKness, but I am a TCK and… Read More Traveling with TCKs
The holidays are in full gear, giving lots of learning opportunities in our crosscultural environment. Here are a few things I learned this month. 1. Around mid-November I was talking with a Romanian friend who had bought an appliance as an early Black Friday deal. Black Friday? Because it comes the day after Thanksgiving, when most… Read More Black Friday is Romanian, and other things I learned this month
We came to Romania with only the essentials in toys – Lego and Duplo, a few Barbies, favorite dress-up clothes and a favorite stuffed animal. I wondered how the children would entertain themselves in their new environment. Here’s what we’ve learned so far. 1. The girls, ages 6 and 4, spend inordinate amounts of time… Read More What I learned, and changed, about kid’s entertainment
Memories of my childhood include horrendously glorious adventures walking up castle stairs with no guardrail or peeking over the ledge of an inadequate barrier to a cavernous moat many feet below. I don’t remember my parents hollering “Stand back!” or “Don’t get so close!” Being the responsible parents they are, I’m sure they did. We… Read More Prejmer Fortified Church, Romania – survivor of the marauding centuries
At some point at the end of May we arrived in Romania by car. Exact dates and days of the week escape me. In late spring we stored our personal possessions, threw our furnished house on Airbnb and packed up our clothes and expectations into five totelockers, two suitcases and one duffel bag. Romania met… Read More First month in Romania – What I learned in June
As we tucked evergreen branches away from our faces, stepped over pools of mud, and climbed the steep embankment by the creek, I didn’t know what to expect. When the forest cleared slightly, it appeared we had stumbled upon a well-organized homeless camp, or, from the looks of the handcrafted objects hanging from the trees, a… Read More Children of the Forest – the Waldkindergarten
It was easy to get the girls, ages five and three, excited for a five-day trip to Portugal to visit friends and be with daddy on a work trip. “Hey kids, we’re going to visit Portugal!” Blank stares. “We’re going to eat lots of pastries and go to playgrounds!” Much cheering and excitement. Then it… Read More Five Highlights of Lisbon – a child’s perspective
My mother-in-law and I took my five and three-year-old to see Cinderella. After reading reviews and checking with friends who had seen it, I decided it was suitable. Honestly, the romance, charm, character development, theatrical costumes, sweeping soundtrack, superb acting (think Downton Abbey) and fitting simplicity of the story line will be grossly under-appreciated by… Read More Cinderella – an unexpected lesson
will travel with kids 