will travel with kids

August 3, 2013

American Road Trip (Part V): The High Wire

I’m always so thrilled when children’s literature steps off the page and inserts itself into our reality. I don’t need to tell any parent the importance of reading to their children from the day the child is born. One of the benefits I’ve seen is it exposes children at the earliest possible age to environments…
July 29, 2013

American Road Trip (Part IV): Passionate handworking

We met people enjoying, relishing, yea, even thriving, doing work with their hands. There’s something pleasantly appealing about people who work slowly, steadily and are rewarded with a visually stunning piece of handiwork. We met several such artisans this summer as we crossed the country. Some had small craft shops, some were simple hobbyists and…
July 21, 2013

American Road Trip (Part III): the National Park Tour that wasn’t

When we found out we were moving crosscountry, we intended to stop and stay in at least six U.S. National Parks. Travelers come from across the the globe to visit and enjoy some of the greatest (in every sense of the word) national parks in the world. We do not take them, or our tax…
June 28, 2013

American Road Trip (Part II): Coffee in the shadow of the Little Bighorn Battlefield

On some days of this trip our goal is to cover miles, not stop at every point of interest. We do have to get to our final destination this summer. . . But we couldn’t pass up the National Historic Landmark at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Americans are taught about the historic events that took place among…
June 24, 2013

American Road Trip (Part I): Father’s Day Melee at Multnomah Falls

Cinnamon coated almonds could be one of the more mischievously decorated nuts. I call them spiced nuts, as cinnamon is one of my favorite spices; although my wife reminds me that the second ingredient in the cinnamon almonds carried by Trader Joe’s is sugar, arguably to encourage the cinnamon to remain affixed to the almond.…
June 23, 2013

Long overdue – The Great American Road Trip

For the first time in nearly a year and a half, I have not posted every week. I have good reason – I have been traveling, with kids. Two weeks ago we packed up the house and embarked upon the Great American Road Trip. We have covered 3,000 miles and seven states so far – California, Oregon,…
June 1, 2013

Oman – Inspiration for everyday life from a foreign land

Yesterday I returned from a week in Bahrain and Oman. Sometimes travel doesn’t reveal new insights or make a great impact on my worldview. Sometimes a trip simply contributes inspiration for small, everyday decisions. Instead of making my regular cup of coffee some morning, I might mix cardamon in the coffee grounds. Being surrounded by…
May 23, 2013

Unexpected bit of Hollywood legend at the San Diego zoo

Meet Winston, a large Galapagos tortoise with a small “2b” painted on his shell. Does his face look familiar? Though you may not have met him in person, the first time you saw his likeness was probably in 1982, or whenever you finally watched the Spielberg film classic E.T. According to the zoo volunteer who was…
May 16, 2013

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…
May 9, 2013

Transform your parenting perspective

Lately, my social media outlets have been blasting out links to parenting articles like parenting is the latest fad. You’re doing it all backwards, they say. You’re doing it all wrong. Parenting brings out people’s greatest fears and insecurities. It also teaches us more about ourselves then we care to know. So, that’s how short my…