We are headed to Turkey in a few months, and I've been looking for books to help set the stage for myself and for the kids. So far, I've been enjoying Istanbul by Orham Pamuk
Does anyone have other recommendations for fiction books set in Turkey or for books about Turkey?
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Posted on March 3, 2010 |
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I've always been a fan of funny signs, but lately I've been enjoying the handmade "follow me on twitter" signs that seem to be popping up in even the most polished businesses. I took a snapshot of this particularly cute (and sticker decorated) sign at Mrs Grossman's Sticker Factory on our recent trip to Sonoma County.
And hey, while we're talking social media, you can follow me as well!
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Posted on February 25, 2010 |
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We stayed at the Mar Vista Cottages in Mendocino County, CA at our own expense. I did not tell the owners that I write a travel blog. Whenever I accept a free product or service for review, I will always let you know.
We arrived at Mar Vista in almost total darkness, so waking up here was a chance to discover everything for the first time. D was, as always, the first to wake the next morning, and I hustled her out the door to explore the grounds while her brother and dad slept in. We cautiously explored the garden, lifting roofs built over the plant beds to keep them warm and smelling various herbs.
As Tom, one of the owners walked by, he mentioned the barrel of carrots near the donkey pen, and D's eyes lit up. Can you guess what we did next?
Then E joined us for a brief jaunt before we returned to the cottage for breakfast. D was thrilled to show him everything she had seen so far, from the garden, to the donkeys, to the family-sized swings with a view of the ocean.
Then we returned to the cottage, and I cooked up those farm fresh eggs. I had no idea how deep yellow fresh eggs can be - our pancakes looked as if they had food coloring in them! I wish I was a proper food writer so that I could describe how our simple scrambled eggs tasted - all I can say is that they were just much eggier than any eggs I've made before. It's like discovering French chocolates after eating supermarket candy all of your life.
Then we were back outside to explore. We somehow managed to arrive in time for absolutely perfect weather (the day before it had rained all day), and the kids were thrilled to spend the entire day exploring the grounds.
After lunch (PB&J back at the cottage) we ventured across the road to the beach. Anchor Bay is the type of stunning coastline I associate with this part of California, and of course there was absolutely nobody there besides us.
It was a steep walk down to the beach, and we made the kids double-triple swear that they would walk back up all those steep steps themselves (except Eilan who got a free ride). But once we were down the steps, it was absolutely worth the effort. I only wish that I had dressed the kids in their rain pants so that they could comfortably play in the wet sand. Even so, they love checking out the seaweed, writing in the sand and running away from the incoming waves.
Next it was time to gather eggs from the hens. I cannot believe that I don't have more pictures to show of this - quite possibly I was too busy enjoying the moment to snap any. Searching for the eggs (which were all conveniently located in hen roosts and not in the bushes that we enjoyed searching anyway) and feeding the hens was the highlight of our stay. For the kids, it was quite possibly the best part of the entire trip.
Finally, with the sun setting, it was time for dinner. The kids convinced me to bake up brownies and throw a birthday party for the teddy bear that had greeted us in our cottage, and then after dinner they went on a night walk with their dad while I settled the baby back down to sleep. I probably don't need to say it, but with all that time outdoors they drifted off pretty quickly tonight.
The next morning, we got up and headed off to our next stop. It's probably clear already, but we really enjoyed our time at Mar Vista, and what seemed like a bit of a risky venture turned out to be the hilight of our entire road trip. A mom never wants to see her children cry, but part of my heart felt a little warm when the kids broke in to tears as we said goodbye to Mar Vista and drove away.
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Posted on February 24, 2010 |
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We stayed at the Mar Vista Cottages in Mendocino County, CA at our own expense. I did not tell the owners that I write a travel blog. Whenever I accept a free product or service for review, I will always let you know.
When I first started to plan our Northern California getaway, I had hoped to find a farm-stay. I'm not a great gardener, and I love the idea of giving the kids a better sense of where our food comes from. Being outside on any vacation always makes the kids happy, and I knew they'd be thrilled and slightly amazed to find out first-hand that eggs really do come from hens and that squash and lettuce grow in dirt, not supermarket bins.
So much of our food comes from Northern California, that I reasoned someone must have a lovely bed and breakfast attached to a farm, but as I searched, I couldn't find exactly what I had envisioned. Some places were closed for the Winter, others didn't seem set up to accommodate a bustling family of 5, and others were simply too remote. We finally settled on the Mar Vista Cottages in Mendocino County, along the Northern California Coast.
The 75 year old Mar Vista Cottages were fishing cottages for more than a generation. The current owners, Renata and Tom, bought them 9 years ago and have lovingly restored them with simple but comfortable shaker-style furnishings. Along the way they added just enough of the trappings of farm life that it popped up in my searches. There are goats, donkeys, a rabbit, and enough hens to provide each guest with fresh eggs each day. The property seemed to provide the comforts of a professionally managed property along with enough farm life to satisfy my whim. This is the sort of retreat where you make your own breakfast and spend the day at your own pace without a lot of pre-scheduled activities or obligations.
Still, two incredibly comfortable nights at the Avia Napa, I started to have second thoughts. Would the cottages be clean? Would they be comfortable at night? Would they be too small? Would it rain all day? There's only so much that pictures and a couple of magazine reviews can tell you, and as our drive out to the coast wore on, we worried that what had been a quaint idea might turn out to be pure folly.
We shouldn't have worried. As we turned into Mar Vista's drive, deer were the first to greet us. The second to greet us was Renata, the owner, outfitted with flashlight to light the dark night driveway. She directed us to our cottage and then walked up to meet us and get us settled in. Fresh eggs awaited us in the kitchen, a fire burned in the stove (space heaters were also available to warm each of the two bedrooms), and cozy down comforters invited us to snuggle into bed for the night. There was no marble in the bathroom, no room service, no valet parking, but after four nights in hotel rooms, space and homeyness seemed like true luxuries. We settled in to bed for the night with croaking frogs and crickets providing the soundtrack for our slumbers.
Read our Review of Mar Vista During Daylight Hours Here
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Posted on February 23, 2010 |
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Here are some of the family travel resources that I enjoyed recently:
How To Travel Long Distances with Little Ones and Not Go Insane. There are some great tips here from a mom who has lots of long-haul flights under her belt.
Need a little inspiration? Here's a lovely story about taking a preschooler to Petra in Jordan
What to do when your seats aren't together
Here are some tips for helping your baby sleep when you travel
Headed to Washington DC? Here are some great tips for getting a tour of the White House
Giveaways
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Posted on February 21, 2010 |
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What could be cuter than toddler sized bowling shoes? A few years ago, when our planned visit to Golden Gate park was rained out, my husband seized the opportunity to take E on his first ever bowling outing at the Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center. Needless too say, it was a huge hit and a great way to salvage the day! We have tons of other pictures, but honestly - as cute as they are, this one is my favorite.
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Posted on February 19, 2010 |
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We paid our own way at each of the businesses described in the post. None of the businesses knew that I would be blogging about my experiences. Whenever I accept a free product or service for review, I will always let you know.
When most people think about the Napa Valley, they think about a very grown up vacation in the heart of California's Wine Country. Winery visits, gourmet meals, and spa visits are the usual agenda. This area is beautiful, and it seems like a shame to pass it up just because we have kids along, so our challenge was to find ways to enjoy Napa as a family.
We try to start each day with something that is sure to be fun for the kids. Letting them run off steam means that they're more likely to cooperate as we cajole them through our favorite activities. So after breakfast we walked to a local playground and let the kids run of some steam. We've been lucky to have sunny, warm weather in Napa - a huge contrast to what we would expect in Seattle during winter and being able to sit outside feels like a vacation in itself.
Once the kids had fully explored the play equipment, we were off to a winery for more grown-up centered fun. We chose Ceja Vineyards for its close-in location and good reputation as a family-run winery. As it turns out, the kids had a better time at the winery than we did. My husband felt like he was coming down with a cold, and decided not to taste, and because I'm still nursing, I had just a few sips of each glass. What we hadn't realized was that Ceja has a lovely Bocce Ball Court behind the wine tasting room. The kids had never seen one before, and they loved rolling the balls, changing the score counter, and running in the sun. We literally had to carry them away when we were done wine tasting.
The typical Wine Country vacation includes one amazing meal after another. By the end of a weekend, you feel like you have been dredged in butter! We knew we couldn't drag the kids through dinner at the French Laundry or one of the area's other famed restaurants, so I spent some extra effort to search out meals that we would all enjoy. We landed at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville (just north of Napa).
Bouchon Bakery is run by Thomas Keller and supplies bread to both Bouchon Bistro and the famed French Laundry. We ordered sandwiches (made on absolutely amazing bread) and sat in the sunshine at patio tables. We ate slowly, watched the birds, and were so much more relaxed than we would have been during a multi-course meal at Bouchon Bistro next door.
The day's only nod to the fact that it is the middle of winter was the cute snowman cupcake D selected. Yes, a $9 cupcake. I felt like I was in Manhattan, but it is oh-so-hard to imagine saying no to a 3 year old who has just seen the cutest cupcake in the entire universe. It almost seemed a shame to cut it open and eat the moist red-velvet cupcake inside. Believe me, though, D did not shed a tear as she gobbled up the rich, red cake.
I'm more of a traditionalist, though, so I chose the signature "Chocolate Bouchon." I still need to set aside time to try the recipe. It's a good thing that I'm not planning to have another child - I'd have to name him or her Bouchon. These were that good. I stocked up on a few other sweets to take with me - there's no reason I can't skip dessert at the restaurant tonight and enjoy Chocolate Bouchons instead!
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring, snacking and relaxing, which is exactly what I would have been doing if we didn't have kids along (although there probably would have been more alcohol without the kids).
The next morning, before heading out to the coast, we visited the Old Faithful Geyser. The kids were absolutely fascinated the first few times hot water spurted out of the ground, but really this was just another glorified reason to be outside in the sunshine.
E and D really lost themselves in the opportunity to play in the pebbles. Sometimes I forget how little it takes to keep preschoolers happy and entertained - why don't they have a rockpile at every airport!
And we rounded out the outing by feeding the goats.
Check back to find out how we fared with the next stop on our road trip - beach cottages in a small town along the cold Northern California Coast.
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Posted on February 17, 2010 |
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If you are watching the Olympics this week, you might be feeling inspired to visit the beautiful Whistler and Vancouver. With all the construction, and especially the highway improvements on the sea-to-sky highway that connects Vancouver and Whistler, there has never been a better time to visit. What's more, the poor economy and some very enthusiastic pre-Olympics building have conspired to bring you bargain hotel prices.
If you are thinking about making the trip, here are a few resources that will help you plan your journey:
Do you know of another great resource for family travel in Vancouver or Whistler, BC? If so, let me know in comments.
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Posted on February 13, 2010 |
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When I think of eating in Paris, here's what comes to mind: Crepes, Chocolate, Cassoulet and other french classics. Yet Paris is an international city, and with an abundance of excellent quality produce and meat, it shouldn't be a surprise that "foreign" food is delicious too.
Here's a place worth making a trip across town for. L'as du Fallafel, in the old Jewish neighborhood (the Marais) serves the best fallafel I've eaten outside of Israel. If you happen to arrive during a Jewish holiday, you might hear the sounds of praying, singing, or even dancing spilling out from one of the 2nd floor orthodox synagogues hidden away in this neighborhood.
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Posted on February 11, 2010 |
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We were guests of the Avia Napa on this trip. I received no other compensation beyond the room, and the hotel did not require that I express a particular point of view. We paid our own way at the Scientopia Discovery Center and The Little Gourmet and those businesses did not know that I would be blogging about my experiences.
It is always tricky to drag the kids out of a new hotel room - they want to fully explore every nook before heading out for a new adventure. Still, with nightime quickly approaching, we decided to head out and explore.
Our first stop was the Scientopia Discovery Center. Just outside of the downtown core, this small children's activity center is intended more for locals than tourists. It made a great place for the kids to unwind after the car ride.
Scientopia is part hands-on science museum, part playspace. There's a separate area for crawlers (to keep them out from underfoot of the big guys), but we spent our time in the area for preschoolers. We've certainly been to bigger and fancier children's museums, but this was the most lovingly designed kids playspace I've visited.
There were a wide variety of activities, from climbers to a grocery store, to a puppet theater and life-sized Lincoln Logs
But my favorite part were the hand-made hands on science experiments. Many of them were inspired by exhibits at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Each seemed to have been hand-made by the owner, and with exhibits like a Magnet Table, a Wind Tunnel and pulleys, there was lots for the kids to check out.
D & E moved back and forth between pretend play, active play, and science as I sat on a couch and watched, played with the baby, and sometimes joined in the fun.
The owner practically had to kick us out at closing time! Luckily we had spotted an intriguing looking restaurant on our walk over.
The Little Gourmet bills itself as "A kid's restaurant that is grown up friendly," and I think that's a pretty accurate way of describing it. The kids were thrilled when we walked in, not only was the atmosphere casual, but there were bookcases full of toys that they could bring to our table. They made careful selections before sitting down at the table and listening to the menu.
The menu itself was divided into kids and grownup entrees. Everything is freshly made (no craft Mac and Cheese here), and presentation of the kids dishes is fun-spirited. For example, E's standby of Soba noodles were rethought as "Snakes and Worms" with marinated Chicken "snakes" sitting on top of Soba Noodle "worms." A peanut butter dipping sauce masquerades as "mud" for the snakes to slither into.
Ever the realist, E wasn't buying into the fantasy, and he insisted that his soba noodles be served straight-up, with neither Snakes nor mud. D, though, after some initial hesitation, loved her salmon, presented on a fish plate with special fish-shaped chips.
My husband and I shared a very-grown up plate of Sauteed Salmon. It was fresh, tasty, and well prepared. Certainly it was more elegant than the food we would be served at most places we can take the kids to, and in most cities, I'd consider this to be a great meal. In a gourmands destination like Napa I expect that we'd have eaten even better if we did not have the kids in-tow. Overall, this restaurant did a great job of serving us an enjoyable grown-up meal and serving the kids something that was both healthy and fun for them.
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for bed. After the drive and all the day's activities we were all exhausted, and I fell asleep singing to the kids. No late-night blogging for me.
Check back to see what we do on our first full day in Napa!
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Posted on February 10, 2010 |
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