the little travelers * travel blog

Real mermaid sighting!

So, the girls were swimming at Hanalei Bay the other day when they came across a message in a bottle from a real mermaid.  The story is documented here:

It was truly a remarkable experience! Here's to a magical day for everyone!

gone fishing...

not really...  haven't been posting much and then the emails start filing in making sure I'm ok and all is well.  Yes, all is very well.  I just seem so busy lately with really important things like this...

and then family came into town and we had to go here...

and the kids aren't allowed to swim at our community pool without supervision, so I have to lay in the lounge chair and watch them while I'm here...

All making for very busy days that have little time for computers in them!  Hope you all are having a fantastic summer!

Crazy Fun

The latest rage in our house these days is aerial silks.  The setting couldn't be more idyllic and this is one gnarly workout!  A friend and I are taking it with the girls and the girls are picking it up rather quickly, while us two adults have a hard time walking or even lifting a glass of water the days following one of these classes.  Talk about 'a core workout!'  Holy moly this is a workout.  But oh, so much fun!

 

more updates from the garden

The sunflowers have dwarfed us all!

 

 

Our latest excitement is the coming up of the purple cabbage!  We often use it for making a version of Spring Rolls- see us in the kitchen here.

And we're thrilled to see the tomatoes coming up!  Mmmm...tomato salad with basil and olives, cucumbers and a bit of feta.  What could be better?

Mother's Day

I hope all you moms out there had a wonderful day last weekend! For me, it was a real turning point.  This was the first Mother's Day that we weren't around extended family.  A friend and her daughter and myself and the two girls headed to a nice hotel and treated ourselves to an outrageous brunch with quite possibly the best view on the planet.
It felt so good to treat ourselves.  We all left with a stomach ache of course, but were able to lay on the beach for hours as we recovered from the food comma we all put ourselves into.

When I woke up in the morning I found cards and handmade gifts of necklaces and bracelets laid onto my bed.  We're not really keeping track of days right now since there is absolutely no need to so the fact that the girls knew it was Mother's Day and made this effort all on their own, was truly the most meaningful to me yet.  No Dad to tell them to do it, or Grandma, or school to 'make' the gifts.  They had just been sneaking off all week into their room to work on the gifts...  It is a nice reminder once again of the age they are currently in.  Right in the middle between the neediness of younger childhood and the challenges of the teen.  I just love how they can both keep up now. 

We can all go boogie boarding together rather than one staying back because she is not get a strong swimmer.  They now race up a mountain while hiking faster than I do- something I thought would never happen when they were little and wanting to be carried.  Now I'm the slow one and boy is that music to my ears!  "Hurry up Mom!"  I say, "Oh, say it again!  Say it louder!  I can hardly believe my ears!!" 

 

It can be very nice to be around extended family on some holidays and it can also be incredibly freeing to just be around the little nucleus and have the entire day dictated by what feels best.  A very good day indeed. 

aloha

A little bit of drama, a little bit of driving and little bit of flying and now we've ended up here.  In Kauai.  On one-way tickets.  I know, it's a long story and a short story all at the same time.

 

Turns out I was probably not so suited to the desert.  Or having a job.  Or having the kids in school.  I mean, it was all fine- we'd get up in the dark, pack lunches, get dressed, sit on the freeway for a half an hour and then get to school.  I really loved teaching and my students and it was great being part of a community again.  But I have to say, I really love the beach.  Really, really love the beach.  It is my personal vow to myself to never live away from it again for as long as I live.  

 When I was in labor with above child I went to the beach.  Water broken, wearing a Depends pad, I walked in the sand and up the steep ramps to the beach.  When I lived in Jamaica I lived on the beach.  When I lived in Japan the beach was 10 minutes away.  The ocean soothes my soul and I'm committing myself to it forever.

So now the girls are unschoolers again and I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do in order to make it work for us here.  But we're here!  Irresponsible, probably.  Risky, definitely.  Sold all our worldly possessions and each brought one suitcase.  We are now here on the world's most remote island chain and figuring it out as we go.  

 There are a few things we brought with us:  Quilts that we love, our NASA designed, dust mite impermeable pillows, bathing suits, a handful of clothing, a camera, a video camera and a macbook.  What more do three girls need?  Let the adventures begin!  

ps-  I did get the Germany dvd off to the printers a few days ago- the day before we left the mainland.  So it'll be available in about a month.  hooray.  And if any of you feel moved to call some local libraries and request the dvds that are out if you haven't already, I sure would appreciate it!