I just wrote a new post for my Traveling With Kids series over on the blog Classic Play! This time I give some tips to make flying with kids a bit more pleasurable. Over the years I’ve had my fair chair of in-flight inconveniences/disasters but I’ve compiled a list of essentials to pack that make everything run more smoothly. So if you’re travelling by plane with kids this Christmas make sure to read this first!
My newest Traveling With Kids column is on Classic Play! today. This time I write about our wonderful trip to Quebec City a few years ago. Quebec City offers so much to families with kids of any age. I’m pretty sure it’s the closest you’ll come to European (especially French) culture in North America. And it’s a great way to show off that middle school French to your kids. And, most importantly, don’t forget to try the poutine! Pop on over here to read all about it.
Time again for one of my Traveling With Kids columns on the wonderful blog Classic Play!. This time I write a bit about our house-swapping experiences. We’ve done three so far and they have all been very positive. It’s a great way to “live like a local” and save some serious cash. I talk about the pros and cons of swapping and the fact I’m still on the fence about what I really feel about it. I’ll be honest, it’s weird having strangers in your house and using your things. Take a look and let me know what you think about house-swapping and your experiences.
It’s that time again. If you pop over to the Classic Play! blog you can read all about our time in the Guilin/Yangshuo area in Southern China. It was full of beautiful cycle trips, downriver rafting, making tofu and autograph signing sessions. A seriously beautiful time with my family. Even despite the 45 degree heat. If you’re planning a trip to China with your family this area is a must!
Today over on Classic Play! you can read my newest Traveling With kids column. This time I write about our recent “Sleep in the Hay” experience in Switzerland. We stayed at a beautiful farm in the Swiss mountains above Lugano and the kids were in heaven the entire time. Breathtaking views, wonderful walking trails, lots of animals, farm fresh cheese and goats who shared our sleeping quarters. What more could a kid want? Check out my post here.
Time for another column in my Traveling with Kids series on Classic Play! This time I thought I’d discuss the fact that there is sometimes an unfortunate situation or a bump in the road during traveling with children. Travel disasters happen and we have to embrace them, solve them and move on. Sometimes this is easier said than done but if we remain calm it usually irons itself out so we can enjoy the rest of our travels. Pop on over here to read my post and I’d love it if you took some time to share any unfortunate situation that has happened to you while traveling with kids.
Did you know that goats snore? Well they do and I know this first hand. Last week-end my husband was away and the weather was gorgeous so my children and I booked to sleep in the hay in a barn in the mountains of Switzerland. With goats.
There is a great program in Switzerland called Schlaf Im Stroh (Sleep in the Hay) in which over 200 farms open their barns to tourists to sleep. It costs next to nothing and is an experience to say the least. And to make it all the more fun and convenient the farm where we stayed is only a little over an hour from our house (the kids mentioned that it’s so close that we could even do it EVERY week-end).
In the coming weeks I’ll be writing an in-depth description of our stay for my Traveling With Kids column on Classic Play! but in the meantime here are a few photos of our wonderful stay (the kids said it was their best trip EVER).
Where we co-slept with the snoring goats.
Our bed for the night.
On a evening stroll in the mountains.
Views from the farm.
Most delicious cheese made at the farm.
Check back for the link to my travel column soon to find out more about this amazing barn stay.
It’s that time again for a new installment of my Traveling With Kids column on the Classic Play! This adventure takes us to the Longji Rice Terraces in China. We stayed in the small town of Ping’An and really got to experience rural China first hand. It was an absolutely beautiful experience for the whole family. Pop on over to read about what we did and to see some photos.
My newest installment of Traveling With Kids is on Classic Play! today. This time we visit the Belgian seaside. People think we’re crazy to drive 1200km north to do a beach vacation but I have to admit that I absolutely love the Belgian coast. Yes it may be a lot colder and windier (often even rainy) than the beaches here in the south but it has so much to offer kids and families. If you like cycling, walking, kiting or eating pancakes then this is the place for you. Pop on over to Classic Play! and if you have time leave a comment to let me know what you think. 
The other day we woke up in Belgium to a rainy cloudy sky. We hadn’t really made plans for the day so we decided to drive to Lille, France to visit the Lam Modern Art Museum. After wrestling the kids out of their pajamas and into normal clothing (they wanted to stay home and read comics all day) we made it out the door.
Luckily the French border is mere minutes from where we were staying and we made it to the museum in less than half an hour. The kids were slowly getting over their dismay at being forced out of the house and by the time we saw the museum they were actually excited to visit it. They kept asking whether the “beetle-guy” (Jan Fabre) would be exhibiting seeing as it was a modern art museum. Unfortunately for them he wasn’t.
The Lam Musee d’Art Modern is a great museum to take kids. It has some really lovely permanent collections as well as temporary ones. The museum isn’t too big which means the kids can visit all the collections without getting too tired or “bored”.
The museum offers modern art collections as well as contemporary art collections. The kids loved all the cubist pieces and the way they evolved over time. I always find it amazing what kids notice in art and they way they communicate what they see. When they were looking at the Modigliani paintings they were commenting to each other on the ladies he painted and their long necks and noses, their blank eyes and sloped shoulders. They also really enjoyed the room with art brut. They loved reading the stories of the untrained artists and their life stories.
The museum offers (for a small fee) ipods for kids, teens and adults with guided tours of the museum. Our girls took the French version of the teen tour (after 4 years of French as a second language!).
After our successful trip to the museum the kids were motivated and excited to walk into town with a box of charcoal and some paper to do some sketching at the local convent.
They all found a little spot with a view and sketched away for the rest of the afternoon.
After the drawings were finished we headed to the local waffle shop (of course). All in all it was a perfect ending to our Belgian summer vacation.
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Jillian in Italy Interview by Classic Play!
Jillian In Italy interview on Pret A Voyager
Embroidery With Kids
Father's Day Origami Garland
Miniature Bulletin Boards
Surprise Activity Garland
Italian Crostata Recipe
Snail Mail Booklets
Doily Fairy Lights
Jan Fabre Exhibit With Kids
Japanese Handicrafts
Miniature Waffle Cookies
Jillian In Italy 