Category: Children
-
A benefit of being taxed
The IRS is under fire this week, and rightly so. But every time people complain about paying taxes and dealing with the IRS, particularly during tax season, I am reminded of what a blessing it is to live in a country that can collect revenue from its citizens. It does so in a generally effective…
-
The luxury of safety
We piled into the minivan (or “mini”, as we affectionately call it, dreaming it’s actually a mini Cooper). I couldn’t tell my Burmese friend no. No, I can’t take you to the hospital because your daughter is too large for that infant carseat and I can’t install it properly. When I showed up at their…
-
Moving to a country in civil war – a letter to my small children
Today I have the very distinct honor of posting a journal entry my mom wrote in 1988 before our family of six moved to Mozambique, a country in the midst of a brutal civil war. Over the course of this last month my mom has shared some personal details from her journals about the challenges…
-
San Diego goat makes a tasty meal (yes, even you could make this at home)
{Warning: Graphic photos of raw goat meat contained in this article} We don’t try to recreate Grandma’s perfect holiday feast for our family festivities. We’re certainly not opposed to eating a traditional American feast, but we often just go with something we really like for a meal because we like it, not because it’s tradition. My youngest brother,…
-
Parenting by Fear OR Spargelzeit and baby’s first food – Trier, Germany
Trier, Germany is notable for its well-preserved Roman ruins. Indeed, some of the buildings I would not even call ruins and are still very intact. I remember the impressive architecture, but I also remember Trier as the place my daughter got her first taste of “real” food. No, watery rice cereal doesn’t count as “real”…
-
“Hips to Hawndles!” – Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire, England
Founded in 1132, Fountains Abbey is the largest monastic ruin in Great Britain. This, and its role in history, has earned it a place on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. So, of course, I had to see it when I was in the area. Nevermind I went with my 8-month-old and a friend who…
-
Traveling unwired and unfettered – Ohrid, Macedonia
Sitting at a café in San Diego, slowly, carefully touching my lips to the rich espresso macchiatto every few minutes, I had no book, magazine or screen to demand my attention. I just sat, sipped, watched and thought ‘this is okay’. Dare I say good? A few hours later as I ate a grilled chicken gruyère panini…
-
In praise of egg cups – Matthew Crawley eats his eggs in a cup
[Spoiler alert for Downton Abbey viewers who have not finished Season 3] Eggs have a bad reputation in today’s New World. Perhaps it’s the hype about cholesterol. Nevertheless, eggs are eaten in both decadent and lowly fashions throughout the world. While on road trips in Africa, a hardboiled egg bought of the street is one…
-
A statue’s view of San Diego – the best panorama
It’s all laid out before you, from left to right. The submarine base in Point Loma hundreds of feet below. The bay surrounded by San Diego villages and suburbs. From this height, one can see the mountains in the distant east and follow them south into Mexico. The Coronado Bridge in the foreground, which looks…
will travel with kids 