adventures
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Silent Sunday
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Sweet Corn and Summer
What is summer without a parade? Well, it’s not the same. Since I’ve yet to find a proper parade here in the UK, when my brother reminded me on our first night back in Illinois that the Mendota Sweet Corn Festival was going on , I dragged the kids there. Never mind that it was hotter than blazes and we were all seriously jet lagged… …especially when there is cotton candy to provide a much-needed sugar boost!!! To me, a summer festival in rural Illinois means: John Deere caps and …fair food (definitely not Weight Watchers friendly, my friends – and no, I still haven’t tried a deep-fried Twinkie. Or…
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Colors of La Boqueria
I dragged a reluctant husband and one tired child (Boo) and one surprisingly bouncy child (Pea) down Las Ramblas in Barcelona yesterday because I wanted to see La Boqueria. It was completely worth the long, crowded walk ( although I’m ultimately pleased with our hotel choice in the less crowded L’Eixample neighborhood.) The market was energetic and colorful – I wanted to take in (and take home one of) everything! While I don’t think the Hubs much liked the crowds, I loved the colors and flavors of the market (and the kids loved the fresh juices). And this is my gratuitous photo post for myself.
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A Morning in Barcelona, or How I Nearly Missed The Big Picture
We started our day with a visit to what must be Barcelona’s most famous building, the Sagrada Familia. Work on this Roman Catholic church began in 1883 and is still ongoing – a point with which Boo was extraordinarily impressed (but any building surrounded by tower cranes is a sight to behold, at least in his eyes…) We all had audio guides, and the kidlings had a version just for them. Which sounds like a good idea… …until you are stopped 11 times with “Mommy, where is the ____?”. Which you cannot answer, as you have a completely different version and so the questions Pea was asking made no sense.…
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The Simplicity of Childhood
This afternoon, after checking in at our hotel and wandering out for a bite to eat, we went for a walk in the neighborhood. After a morning of travel with a lot of “behave…or else” threats hanging over their heads, the kidlings needed to blow off some steam. We found a lovely park with a playground across from the Sagrada Familia. Within mere minutes of arriving, Pea was squealing with delight on a teeter-totter which was also being ridden on by an equally squealing girl about her age. They were soon joined by the little girl’s big brother, who, having put his sibling in the center, proceeded to rock it…
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And Away We Go….
Earlier this week, I wrote a post about travel. I love to travel. I also love to plan trips. I’m very good at the planning bit. Typically, there are lists involved. Lots of them. I like lists. What I don’t like is packing. Once upon a time, in a time long before nappies, schedules and car seats, I could throw things into a bag and go. (My favorite kind of trip is still the last-minute kind, I will admit.) Somewhere along the line, however, (quite possibly after I had been vomited upon during a flight, where I remembered to bring a change of baby clothes, but not mommy clothes) I…
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I Miss That D*mm Car
I think we all have a story or two to tell about our first car. But which car: the one I drove when the State of Illinois granted me my first license? That car technically belonged to my mom. It was a little white Chevy Cavalier, in which my Dad had so thoughtfully installed a CB radio. (don’t ask me why; it was before mobile phones were popular and weighed less than 5 pounds, so maybe it was a safety thing.) Whatever. Along with the CB was a PA system with a speaker under the hood. Cruisin’ on Friday nights had a certain “Mr. microphone” element to it, I will…
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Project We: When In Vienna
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, correct? So I assume it follows that when in Vienna, do as the Viennese. Which, apparently, is drink coffee and eat cake. Lots of cake. Lots and LOTS of cake. And ice cream. And not just a simple scoop of ice cream, but masterpieces of sundaes. Or banana splits. And strudel. Oh. My. The strudel. I could eat this every single day. But then I’d be as big as a house. Yes, we had a lovely time in Vienna. We saw palaces. We walked and walked. And when we needed a break? Coffee. And Cake. And no, I didn’t Weight…
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She Sure Looks Yummy
Travelling to Vienna and being without a proper Wi-Fi connection for nearly a week (I say proper because, theoretically, the hotel had one – it simply did NOT like my Macbook), I somewhat lost my blogging mojo. I am ever-so-determined to get back on track, as I have lovely photos and fun stories to recount. Oh, behave – I’m not asking you to look at our vacation slideshow, now am I??? Anyhoo…. On our recent trip to Vienna, we treated the kids to a horse-and-carriage ride around the city. It was lovely – the kidlings were captivated, they were happy, and we all had fun. At the end of the…
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Wordless Wednesday: Her Newest Find (Momma Said No)