walking on travels

Ever wonder what phrases you should learn before a trip? Sure we all think of “hello,” “good-bye” and “thank you,” but what about other phrases. When you are traveling with kids it’s good to know a little more than the basics. You can tackle their questions head on and have the translation to find what [...]

My friend had a major mom scare last week. She handed her toddler son a pistachio nut. Within an hour he was vomiting and breaking out into red splotches. It was a terrifying experience for her and one that could have had tragic consequences. Thankfully he was OK after a dose of children’s allergy medicine [...]

I am going to learn Italian. Yes, I, the mother of a newborn and toddler, am going to teach myself a new language. I taught myself a little Italian back in 2007 when Mike and I traveled to Italy on our (very) belated honeymoon. I haven’t spoken a word of it since. Why now? Dek, [...]

Back in 2010 we took what for us was a pretty monumental trip. We headed to China with Dek when he was 14 months old. Insanity, I know. It gets better. I did it again 6 months later by myself when Dek was 20 months old, but that is a whole other series of posts [...]

Every once in a while my child receives a present that benefits the whole family. Our friend Gen bought an amazing book for Dek’s birthday. She knows how much we enjoy traveling and learning new languages, so she went on the hunt for the perfect gift. The Pet Dragon by Christoph Niemann was in a [...]

I am nervous every time I open my mouth to speak a language I am not fluent in. It’s scary. You are taking a risk. You know what though, you just got on a plane to go somewhere new. That’s a big risk too. Many people I have said “hello” to around the world are [...]

Nothing is a no-brainer for me. Sometimes I need it spelled out. After a few trips up and down an elevator I did start to figure out one thing. Green means open and black means close. The characters look very similar, so this was an easy way for me to remember. Of course Dek figured [...]