Hi friends. I know it’s been quiet around here lately. I’d like to say that will get better, but with the kids out of school in a few days, all bets are off.
This is what we’ve been up to lately.
Tag: vacation
Christmas in the tropics
Hi friends. I haven’t done this in awhile so I just wanted to catch up on everything that has been happening. Brain dump commencing.
The Christmas season has been interesting so far. There are plenty of holiday decorations around. If you go to a mall, there is some sort of massive display and almost every store has a tree or wreaths or something.
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What to do on your Balkan Holiday: An Itinerary for Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Slovenia
So I think I’ve mentioned that in October we undertook our most ambitious trip to date, a two week road trip in the Balkans. We had a ton of fun.
Because I’ve gotten some questions about it, here is the nitty gritty on what we actually did. I’ll talk more later on the awesome places we stayed.
I’ll also talk more later on our opinions. The things we most enjoyed. The things we might skip.
I will say that this is a very relaxed itinerary. You could shave several days off of this schedule and still do everything plus some. We liked having the extra time; it made it feel like more of a vacation instead of just a trip.
Let’s get to it.
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Some thoughts on Food Freedom Forever
Melissa Hartwig’s new book Food Freedom Forever dropped this month. So you know I was all over that like . . . hmm. Like my kids licking the glass at the Lego store. Like my kids licking the glass at a bakery. Like my kids licking the glass at . . . you get the idea. (Similes FTW!) I guess I’m saying I approached the book release with a childlike enthusiasm.
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When you realize you don’t want a vacation from your life
I’ve been out of sorts lately. Our schedule is in flux. Henry has stopped school for the year (more on that decision here), but he’d be on summer break right now anyway.
We’ve been hitting the pool and any other water-related outing we can think of. I feel like I’m constantly in a wet bathing suit. I’m not complaining. It’s just different.
We’ve been trying to beat the heat. I consider it a success if gelato consumption is no more than once a day. And it hasn’t been every day. It just feels like it sometimes.
We are seeing friends, but a lot of people are on the road. Kids are out of school. It’s just different.
Turns out, I’m having some problems with it.
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ICYMI: Local Tourist Edition
I think there may be more link posts here. Or something where I just share. I want to include evergreen content, but I feel like if I don’t cover things in real time, then I forget a lot. You’ve been warned.
This past weekend we picked off two on our To Do in Rome List. On Saturday we toured the Savoia bunker at Villa Ada. It was pretty neat to see and to learn more about a park where I spend a lot of time. New #housegoals to have a Travertine spiral escape staircase in my bunker.
On Sunday we hit the Domus Aurea tour. This one was with the kids. That was . . . interesting. On the plus side, you can actually roll your stroller through the whole thing. (One staircase to exit.) On the other side, the tour was billed as being an hour and 15 minutes. It was definitely more like an hour and forty. We got hard hats. (With hair nets.) Yay! But the kids wanted those off after about two minutes. The guide was really hard to hear, and she kept insisting on talking while walking. No one could hear that. But she didn’t say anything when the kids ditched their hard hats or when we busted out lollipops. It was a very cool space to see–literally felt like AC in there–but maybe without the kids would be better. Oh, well.
This weekend we are heading to Abruzzo. I think Sulmona and Pescara are on the list. Would love any recommendations!
For future travel plans, I’m now gung ho about planning a Slovenia/Croatia road trip for this fall. I’m thinking drive there and ferry back. Possibly hitting this on the way because it just looks too cool.
Things have been fairly quiet around here. Rome is definitely clearing out. And hot. Henry’s last day of school was last Friday. We’re slowly getting used to our new schedule.
On the Blog:
I finished The Hunt for Red October. Diving into The Cardinal of the Kremlin. The Summer of Clancy continues.
You should go to Lake Garda. One of my favorite things in Italy yet.
It’s hot. We haven’t made it back to Ludoteche Amelie yet, but I’m sure it will happen soon. (Maybe with a side trip to the Make-Your-Own-Magnum store??)
On the Internets:
I’ve been drinking bulletproof coffee for a bit. Bulletproof intermittent fasting could be next?
We’ve all heard of Myers Briggs, but I finally got around to taking my Enneagram. What’s your number?
I’m still using PicMonkey for photo editing, but playing around with Be Funky these days. Anyone tried it? It seems to have different features, but I found it to be a lot slower than PicMonkey.
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Lake Garda (Lago di Garda): Where Parents can take a REAL Vacation
You’ve seen this, right? Is it a vacation or a trip? Hilarious. And true.
For the most part, I take a lot of trips. I’m OK with that. I’ve got a lot I’d like to see. In the little kid years, I figured I’d be looking at trips instead of relaxing vacations anyway.
But what if I told you about a magical place where you could have an actual vacation? A vacation where you could linger over your breakfast coffee admiring the beautiful view. A vacation where you kept forgetting what day it is because you felt fully disconnected. A vacation where you could finish a sentence talking to your spouse over a delicious dinner.
You’d say it was all too good to be true, right?
Well, harried friend, let me tell you about Lake Garda.
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ICYMI: SO HOT Edition
Yup. A link post on a Monday. It feels so wrong that it feels right.
In Rome news, it is officially summer. 90s erry day, but it somehow feels even worse. Muggy. Gross. The direct sun is merciless. It gives no quarter. We’ve been staying up late because summer and because it is actually kind of pleasant after 7:00 pm. Water is my happy place. Other than a recent bout of the flu, I’ve actually been enjoying summer a lot. I just haven’t been getting much done. Schedule is out of whack and the heat is just wiping me out. I know. #firstworldproblems
Gearing up for our road trip to Bologna, Modena, Ravenna, and Lake Garda. If anyone has any recommendations, would love to hear ’em!
On the Blog:
If you told me a year ago that I would have done this, I would have said you were absolutely crazy.
If you are in Rome or coming to Rome, check out these tickets to score in advance.
Now with two chuckleheads on the loose. Hoot.
I’ve been all about habits lately. (More on my latest love soon.) This is my take on how you can build on foundational habits. (This graphic made James giggle.)
My cousins are here. Guess what I asked them? (Seriously, no one is safe.)
And because this is occasionally still a travel-related blog, here is why you need a sense of humor to travel in Italy, here is about that time I met the President of Italy, and here is why I loved our trip to Marrakesh.
On the Internets:
You guys! Land Before Time is on Netflix! (My kids were not as into it as I thought. I was like, yes, DINOSAURS, but I think it was a little slower moving than what they are used to. And they seemed to get really focused on the Mom’s death so that was fun to explain over and over.) For the adults, Sixteen Candles is also added. This is a movie I definitely thought I’d seen, but realized I hadn’t actually. Let’s just say it’s a classic for a reason.
Would you try cricket powder protein bars? I haven’t done it yet, but I’m seriously considering. I’ve been looking for a good paleo on-the-go option and been coming up short. I really really wanted to like Epic Bars, but they just aren’t my thing. (Mac loves them though.) I’ve also tried some Beef Sticks from Grass Run Farms, but not my jam. Just too vinegary maybe? (Both kids love them.) I make Melissa Joulwan’s meat muffins and use things like boiled eggs, but it would be nice to have an already prepared emergency option.
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Just a few thoughts on Sicily
Sorry for the radio silence, folks. We just got back from a week and a half in Sicily. I have all sorts of content planned for you, like How to Take the Ferry in Italy, an Itinerary for Adventures in Sicily, and even Media to get you in a Sicilian State of Mind, in the coming weeks.
But for now I just wanted to share some general thoughts and observations. Overall, this was a pretty fun trip. I’ve realized I adore island vacations. A fixed set of points to explore and adventure in? I am THERE.
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ICYMI: Ferragosto edition
Here in Rome, we recently passed Ferragosto. This one day holiday has somehow expanded into most of the month, and the city has shut down. Day cares are closed. At least half the stores in my neighborhood are closed. Romans are getting out of dodge.
We too did some traveling. And now travel recovering. I don’t know that I’ll be completely absent this August, but things will probably (continue to) be pretty quiet this month. I’m aiming to enjoy time with family and friends and do more thinking on long-term projects.
Until then, please amuse yourself with some recent blog offerings you may have missed.
On the blog:
My Aunt (paraphrased): I liked your post. So you’re just figuring out what you’re doing, just like the rest of us, huh? Yup.
My new pan is here. It is glorious.
Need any thoughts on jumpstarting your back-to-school To Do List?
Henry still cracks us up. And is ridiculous. Mac is gettin’ big.
Umm, so we went back to the States, and I still didn’t drive. Ridiculous, I know.
So my running has fallen off with recent vacations. This is unfortunate because my half is coming up SOON and you know I can’t skip it after going through this.
We’ve talked clothes for Rome. Now see shoes. #teambirkenstocks
On the internets:
The one piece of clothing every billionaire is wearing at summer camp (Hat tip MDBH) Hmm, maybe I’m really just seeing lots of billionaires everywhere? #vestupson #vestlife
Kind of depressing and inspirational all at once. Time to get off the couch!
I must not helicopter, I must not helicopter . . .
Me: Do you have Grindr on your phone? I want to swipe people.
Sister: You mean Tinder. And no. Gross.
Looks like she has a point. I don’t even know what to do with raising kids in this, especially boys. Sigh.
Enjoy the rest of your summer. I miss you already!
Roman Reboot 