Everest pushing his stroller in the Campo De' Fiori in Rome
It's a common refrain of professional guidebook authors that there is "nothing for kids to do" in Rome. Don't tell that to Everest, he wore himself out each day (though not so much as to want a timely nap).
It's true that there are no playgrounds in the city center, but who needs them when the Piazzas provide the perfect place to run, kick a ball, or splash in the water that flows freely from the public taps.
This is a favorite photo of mine. It was taken when Everest was just 6 months old, and just getting out of the house with one kid was a daunting task. We had decided to spend my husband's Paternity leave in Paris, hoping that the time away from home would help us bond as a family instead of being sucked into household tasks.
I bought the tickets shortly after Everest was born (and only waited that long because I couldn't buy an international ticket without a birthdate! It was a carefully considered trip, but in retrospect I remember us being completely terrified and deciding to go with it anyway.
I'm so glad we did it, because this trip gave us the bravery to do all future trips with our very young children, and the memories we have from those trips are just priceless.
LEGOLAND Florida has maintained its historic plantation feel
I want to thank everyone who entered my giveaway to win four park passes to LEGOLAND Florida. Thank you to everyone who contributed. If you didn't win, there's still time to buy LEGOLAND Florida park passes at a huge discount on Zulily.
The randomly selected winner was Michelle who says she would like to take her son to SeaWorld.
Michelle, please send me your mailing address to receive your prize!
Thank you to Zulily who generously sponsored this giveaway.
Last night I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Jenni Hogan on King 5 News (our local Seattle NBC affiliate) about Spring Travel, DeliciousBaby, and the TripDoc iPhone app!
Here's the video in case you haven't seen it and would like to.
About TripDoc
My husband and I developed the TripDoc iPhone app to help us make order out of travel recommendations from friends, magazines, and guidebooks. You give TripDoc a list of all the places you want to visit (your hotel, restaurants, activities, etc) and it plots them all on a single map so that you won't forget a thing. At your destination, you can use the TripDoc map to plan your days, see what's near you, and find your way around. Keep notes about what you like, and then send your recommendations to friends or family!
About DeliciousBaby
DeliciousBaby is about Traveling with Young Kids. We have lots of tips and helpful advice to make your family vacation easier and more enjoyable. If you are new to DeliciousBaby, you might want to check out some of these useful links and resources:
I'll never know whether my kids find the Great Court at the British Museum as uplifting as I do, but what I do know is that it was the perfect place to take them for a walk, or a snack whenever they got tired of visiting the fascinating collections that surround it like wheel spokes. There's a healthy bustle here, and a toddler moving at his quickest speed or making a few practice jumps fit in just perfectly.
Zulily, the Flash Sale site focused on Moms and Kids has a deal for up to 25% off on LEGOLAND Florida park passes and over 50% off rooms at the kid-focused Nickelodeon Suites Resort. To celebrate, they've given me FOUR park passes to give away!
Nickelodeon Suites Resort: From Thursday 3/14/13 – Thursday 3/21/13 Two Days in a Deluxe Themed Room costs just $249 at Zulily. The original price is $508, so that's over 50% off! Click here to purchase the Nickelodeon Suites package
Enter to Win LEGOLAND FLORIDA Park Passes
Thanks to the generosity of Zulily, I am giving away Four LEGOLAND Florida Water Park Combo tickets that can be used for either an Adult or Child. The total dolar value of this giveaway is $364.
How To Enter
One lucky reader can win. If you would like a chance to win, leave a comment telling me one thing you're looking forward to doing in Orlando. Please fill in the email field of the comment form (your email isn't shared with anyone, and I will not send you email unless you win).
Other Ways to Win
There are several additional ways you can get entries in this contest. Each takes only a few minutes!
For Five Entries: Signup for the DeliciousBaby mailing list to get family travel tips and access to special offers and giveaways. I promise never to share your email address or personal information. I get automatic notification when you sign up, so there's no need to come back here and let me know.
For Ten Entries: Add a kid-friendly attraction, restaurant or hotel in Orlando, Florida to our city guides. It takes only a few minutes, and it is a great way to share your favorite places with other parents. To make a recommendation, just Click Here. You may recommend as many places as you like, and you will get 5 entries for each one. You do not need to leave a comment here - I will be notified of your entries automatically.
For Five Entries: Recommend a kid-friendly attraction, restaurant or hotel in any city in our city guides. It takes only a few minutes, and it is a great way to share your favorite places with other parents. To make a recommendation, just Click Here. You may recommend as many places as you like, and you will get 5 entries for each one. You do not need to leave a comment here - I will be notified of your entries automatically.
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Winners All entries must be received by Monday March 18th 2013 at 11:59PM PST I will choose a winner randomly and announce the results here by Friday March 22, 2013.
P.S. If you like this giveaway, and want to share it with your friends, just click the "Like" button
Rules
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES.
A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited or restricted by law.
To enter, you must be a U.S. resident, age 18 or older. Employees, partners and vendors of DeliciousBaby and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. We will disqualify any entries that we believe are generated by scripts and other automated technology. When applicable, the winner may be required to execute and return within five business days an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release to be eligible for the prize or an alternate winner will be selected.
Only one comment per person per giveaway post (except as outlined above where the comment is related to an extra entry). Duplicate comments and Anonymous comments will be discarded. Please make sure that the email address in your comment form is valid (email addresses are never public). The comment will not be judged in any way and a winner is selected at random. Odds of winning a prize depend on the total number of eligible Entries received
Winners must claim their prize within three business days after the date of notification of such prize. A Sweepstakes winner's failure to respond to the prize notification and provide a shipping address within the specified three business days will be considered such Sweepstakes winner's forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected from the pool of eligible entries. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries.
All prizes will be awarded. No substitutions including for cash are permitted, except that DeliciousBaby reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any prize. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of their prize.
By submitting an Entry, each Participant (whether declared a Winner or not) agrees (and agrees to affirm such in writing) to (i) abide by and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of DeliciousBaby on all matters relating to this Sweepstakes which decisions are final and binding in all respects, (ii) waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Sweepstakes or these Official Rules, (iii) forever and irrevocably release, discharge, indemnify and hold harmless the Sweepstakes Entities, and each of their respective officers, directors, licensors, employees, representatives and agents (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any liability, claims, demands, and cause of action from personal injury, loss or damage, including death, or property damage, theft, or loss suffered or resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in this Sweepstakes or the use, misuse or acceptance or possession of the Prize or any portion thereof, or participation in any Sweepstakes-related activity; (iv) grant DeliciousBaby (where permitted by law) the right to use their name on a worldwide basis, in all forms of media, in perpetuity without review or further compensation and, (v) warrant and represent that the use of the materials submitted in this Sweepstakes will not violate the rights of any third parties. Entries must be in keeping with Sponsor's positive image, as determined by Sponsor and Administrator in their sole discretion. Any materials containing obscenity, crude language, or descriptions of a violent or sexual nature (as defined solely by Sponsor or Administrator) will not be accepted and the associated Entry will be disqualified. Receipt of any of the prize components of this Sweepstakes is conditioned upon compliance with any and all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules, and regulations. Noncompliance with any of the above will result in disqualification.
If for any reason the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other cause beyond the control of the DeliciousBaby which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Sweepstakes, DeliciousBaby reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes. In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Sweepstakes is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to, fraud, virus, or other technical problem, DeliciousBaby may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Sweepstakes to address the impairment and then resume the Sweepstakes in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) cancel the Sweepstakes and award the Prizes from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment.
When I first suggested to my kids that we visit Hawaii, they flat out refused. I couldn't have been more confused - isn't Hawaii every child's dream vacation? It turned out they were worried about the Volcanoes and it took quite a bit of convincing to get them to agree to the trip.
Once there, I thought it would be fun to learn a bit more about how Volcanoes work at The Bishop Museum.. It was fun to watch as a once-abstract subject came alive in their eyes.
A Mango in the Hand: A Story Told Through Proverbs by Antonio Sacre
I'm a big fan of using books to teach my kids about the world even when we're not traveling. The proverbs from another culture can sometimes be a telling peek into how people really think. In A Mango in the Hand, idioms and proverbs (told in both Spanish and English) take center stage in an adorable story about Francisco, a young Cuban boy who is entrusted with gathering mangos by himself for the first time.
A Mango in the Hand: A Story Told Through Proverbs by Antonio Sacre
The illustrations, characters and setting create a strong sense of place in this story, and some things about Francisco's life (for example, waking up to a cup of cafe con leche or living in the same neighborhood with his uncle, aunt and grandmother) might seem surprising to American children. Those differences create a great launching off place for a discussion about people living differently in different parts of the world.
But what entranced Eilan as I read this story to him was the silliness and sense of adventure. Poor Francisco tries again and again to get those mangos, with something going wrong each time. His father helps him learn from his mistakes (with the help of all those proverbs), and finally he is able to pick and bring home mangos for his saint's day feast.
A Mango in the Hand was given to me by the publisher to review. Because the total value of the books given to me for review exceeded $40 I have donated them to my childrens' school library. If you buy the book using the Amazon link at the end of the post, I earn a small commission, and that income helps me keep this site going.
You never know what your kids will be into at the time of your trip, and with small kids, it's usually the details. On our trip to Istanbul, Everest had an obsession with rain gutters - on eaves and streets, and was fascinated to watch how the water flowed through them to its destination. That turned out to be a good thing since we had some rain on our trip.
There's no guidebook that will tell you where to find the small details a four year old might be interested in, and that can create a wonderful sense of discovery as you go through your day. Here we are at Topkapi Palace, one of Istanbul's top sights. The kids thought it was fun to explore the grounds, but Everest was just overjoyed to discover this ornate gutter!
Everest and Darya help me test the Baby Bjorn Travel Cot
I never thought of myself as someone who would have their own business, let alone get my kids involved in it, so it's strange to find that DeliciousBaby has in some ways become our family business. Luckily the hours aren't too grueling, though I'll admit that the kids have fallen asleep on the job (read: airplane) many, many times)
All three kids think it's super fun to help me with product reviews, and it's fun for me to look back at some of the pictures. In this one, Everest and Darya had decided to put on PJs so that they could better test this travel cot. Nowadays, Everest is quick to pull out a notebook and "take notes" about what he likes when we visit a new place, and his thoughts really do roll into what I write. Now all he needs is a fancy camera to complete the travel blogger ensamble!
What is Photo Friday?
Post a travel photo on your site. It can be about any topic, as long as it is G-rated.
The focus of the post should be on your photo.
You don't need to be a professional photographer (I'm not), but do showcase your best work, and make it big enough to see well!
It's nice to include a few sentences about the photo, but it is not required.
Link back here so that your readers can see all the other great Photo Friday posts.
About Me I'm Debbie, mother of three delicious kids and I write about traveling with little kids. That's my daughter in the backpack and my son in Paris on Halloween.
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My husband and I developed the 
, idioms and proverbs (told in both Spanish and English) take center stage in an adorable story about Francisco, a young Cuban boy who is entrusted with gathering mangos by himself for the first time.
