On our third day, which was a Saturday, we finally spotted a Ferrari. There were so many Smart Cars and other mini cars in this town. One of the games that kept us entertained during our walks was, learning and guessing European car brands and models. We took metro to Pantheon. Pantheon was very impressive, of course, with all the details about … [Read more...]
Rome with Children: Day 2 – Villa Borghese, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain
On our second day, we decided to do more fun stuff for our children and less historical sightseeing. We had purchased multi-day Sightseeing bus ticket to also use it as a means to public transportation. In my opinion, we could have purchased single-day bus tickets for sightseeing and we could have used metro for the rest of our public … [Read more...]
Rome with Children: Day 1- St. Peter’s and Vatican Museums
First day after our arrival, we've started our sightseeing with Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. We knew strollers were not allowed in the museum. We couldn't do it our last day which was Sunday as well. So we want to do it and be over with it as early as possible. We purchased our tickets online, arrived at the Piazza via Taxi and were … [Read more...]
Rome with Children: Preparation, Flight and Hotel
Tickets: We flew to Rome with Alitalia. We purchased out tickets way in advance (November/December) of our trip in August. We paid pretty decent price compared to summer prices, about $750 per seat. The plane takes off in the afternoon from Chicago and arrives Rome early morning. So you get to sleep during the flight. Flight: Alitalia flies old … [Read more...]
Book Review: Books about Italy, Rome and Italian for children
I wanted to dedicate this week's Book Review post to all the books that I got for my children to prepare for our trip to Rome, before I get started on the travel posts. I would like to point out that we borrowed some of the books from the library prior to our trip and I purchased the books in the photo to take them along for our trip. Rome with … [Read more...]
Bristol Renaissance Faire – 2013
This is our second year at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. I love this event for myself and the children and made sure I spared a day for it. The weather was perfect. Here are some tips for beginners: Get your tickets at Walgreen's beforehand. They are not dated. You save $3 each. Bring a lot of extra cash for the rides. If it's your first … [Read more...]
Summer Learning / Reading Programs for Kids in Chicago
Some elementary students are already in summer break, and CPS students are ending the school year today. In order to keep my children reading and engaged during summer, I signed them up to Summer Learning Challenge with the Chicago Public Library. The program which was only "Reading program" last year has been expanded this year. Here are few … [Read more...]
Traveling with Children: Tulum, Mexico
This is the third and the last part of our vacation to Cancun, Mexico and our day trips to Chichen Itza and Tulum. Mayan City of Tulum is on the Carribbean Coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, south of Playa del Carmen. It is on the main road of "307", the same route that goes to some of the favorite theme parks such as Xel ha, Xcaret and Xplor. It took … [Read more...]
Traveling with children: Chichen Itza, Mexico
Chichen Itza is one of the biggest and well-preserved archeological sites from Mayan Civilization that is quite close to Cancun. Since the world didn't end on 12.21.12, we decided to visit the site during our vacation in Cancun. We had a rental car and it took us about 2 hours to drive from Cancun to Chichen Itza. The roads were very well paved … [Read more...]
This weekend in Chicago
A list of activities in and around Chicago that are on my radar for this weekend. The weather forecast looks very promising. Enjoy the great weather, outdoors. Saturday, May 18 - Maker Faire Chicago: We buy Make Magazine. The fair should be interesting. Location: CarL Shurz High School, 3601 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL Saturday-Sunday, May … [Read more...]
Traveling with children: Cancun, Mexico
Finally, I can upload photos from our "Spring Break" trip in Cancun, Mexico this past March. My husband really took his time to research the hotel with the best possible beach for the children. He learned, the beaches on the North side of the "7" shaped coast in Cancun, were more protected, therefore tend to be calmer and has less waves. My … [Read more...]
Chicago Park District Day Camp registrations ahead
I like my children to spend the limited summertime, in Chicago, outdoors as much as possible. I work full-time so I love Chicago Park District's play and day camps for my children. My son goes to camp at one of the Chicago Park Districts parks every summer, since he turned 4. My daughter started the camps last year when she turned 4 as well. We … [Read more...]
Why I love family vacation
After 7 days of teachers union strike, public schools started 2012-2013 school year today. The extended summer break came to an end. Before the summer break, among most of the parents around me and on the blogs that I read, the main consensus about vacation was “a vacation is not a vacation when it's with kids”. I seem to be the one of the few … [Read more...]
Bristol Renaissance Faire – 2012
We went to Bristol Renaissance Faire this year. I've been seeing the outdoor ads for the Faire on our way to Wisconsin and Outlet Mall at Pleasant Prairie. I got our tickets at Walgreen's, where they were cheaper than the Faire entrance. We dind't know what to expect. The Faire was spectacular. However, at the end we spent a lot of money. Be … [Read more...]
Family Travel: Niagara Falls, Canada
We just came from another quick trip to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Toronto, Canada. We loved the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. My son declared that he would like to live in Niagara Falls or Toronto, with the condition of moving all of his toys from Chicago. This trip was a good experience with our two children, where I tried few … [Read more...]
Chicago Kids and Kites Festival
Chicago Kids and Kites Festival is one of the biggest and the best kite festival in the Chicagoland area. Weather permitting, we try to go every year. This year the weather was a bit overcast but the wind was perfect. It looks very crowded but there is enough space for everyone. You can usually get really nice kites for decent prices at the … [Read more...]
Family Travel: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
We went to visit Milwaukee over the weekend. It is rather a short trip from Chicago. We usually drive to Wisconsin border to Gurnee Mills for shopping. After that, it's only another 30-minute drive. The weather was great and we all had great fun. Here is our itinerary for Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the weekend with 2 young kids. We started at … [Read more...]
Games and tips to make your next museum visit with kids the best one
During the winter, especially places with colder climates, museums are the top destinations for indoor entertainment. We, as an example, visited, at least, one museum every week during this past month. Children's museums aside, I find museums here in the US quite kid-friendly. Even for younger children, they offer many areas where kids can play, … [Read more...]
Last minute getaway
Two Fridays ago, a friend of mine called me to ask me why I haven't replied to her evite. Apparently, she used my e-mail address which I use only to register for memberships and receive ads. As I was going through my inbox, which I have not checked for a month or so, I saw this newsletter from a ski resort. We've gone there years ago. Since I was … [Read more...]
Preparing for long flights and trips with babies and young children
We finally have returned from our two-week overseas trip without any incident. We were so busy getting ready for the trip. Adding the exhaustion from the trip on top of that, we literally need one more week to relax but spiritually it was a very relaxing vacation. We had a more comfortable 12-hour flight than we expected with our son. This fear … [Read more...]