Quest for Legos - Part 1

A year ago Caleb asked us if we could go to England. Why we asked (a little excited that our three-year old already had the travel bug)? He told us that his friend Louis went to Legoland in England and he would like to go to Legoland in England too. Although we would have enjoyed a trip to England, there is a Legoland just north of San Diego in Carlsbad and it is much easier to get to.

From Caleb's request it did take us a year to plan the trip to Legoland (and by plan, I mean secure a kennel for our dog ... we actually booked our hotels the morning we left). During that time we saw favor for Thomas trains start to wain (although they still get played with) and  a passion for Lego start to rise-- particularly our youngest Caleb. Xander my five and half year old, decided he liked Legos on Christmas day ... before then there wasn't much interest.

On Sunday morning we packed and left the house at noon for points South. We needed a late start after all of the activities on Christmas day,  so we only drove to Carpinteria, south of Santa Barbara. The next morning we booked it to Carlsbad to enjoy our first day at Legoland.

Interestingly, Jonathan and I thought that the Holidays would be a slower time at amusement parks like Legoland -- the water park wasn't even opened. However, Legoland was packed, and we found out that Disneyland had to stop admitting visitors two days in a row (Monday and Tuesday this week) due to overcrowding. We figured the statewide rainy spell limited the number of days people could go to theme parks. It was rainy on Sunday, and again on Wednesday ... and Thursday and Friday we had a huge temperature drop with rain expected for Saturday. Our first trip to Legoland was really crowded ... Still the boys had a wonderful time. Next blog I'll right about our two days there.

Taking Small Kids to the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker

I had always wanted to go to the Nutcracker. It wasn't even that I loved the televised Nutcracker performances -- I actually found them extremely boring, but I thought that live ballet would be different (and I was right). During our seven years in San Francisco we would see the giant nutcrackers outside of the ballet and I'd imagine someday taking my kids. But how old is old enough?

This year we decided to try it out and take the boys to the San Francisco Ballet's matinee performance of the Nutcracker. Xander is 5 and a half, and Caleb is 4. I guessed that Xander would be a dream at the performance, and Caleb was probably a little on the young side.  I was sort of wrong.

Caleb loved the ballet. He watched everything intently and clapped at the conclusion of each performance. Xander loved the first act, but got a little antsy toward the end of the second act when it dragged a little. However, he did get the storyline, and his favorite character was the magician and toymaker Drosselmeyer.

At the matinee, about 25 percent of the attendees were children under the age of eight. And little girls out numbered boys five to one. When I was getting the boys ready in the morning I realized that they don't have any dress-up clothes. And we were decidedly under dressed compared to the hundreds of little girls in velvet and silk Holiday dresses. But we weren't alone in our casual faux pas.

Thinking back on what I disliked about the televised performances ... the colors seemed dingy, and the storyline was hard to follow. The San Francisco Ballet performance was vibrant and beautiful, and they integrated actors into the earlier scenes to help establish a storyline. Drosselmeyer appeared from the start of the overture and through the entire performance to lead the audience and Clara in the adventure.

The arrangement and orchestra were excellent ... and on TV, even with surround sound, you don't get the same effect of a live orchestra.

Overall the experience was wonderful. Although the ballet didn't have the giant nutcrackers out front this year. Special props to the San Francisco Ballet website which was easy to navigate.  We were able to select our tickets in the front row of the Balcony Circle for December 23 visually and that made a huge difference.

I see this as becoming an annual tradition. Now I need to find a nutcracker for Xander.

Holly Jolly National Capital Trolley Museum Visit

After Thanksgiving we took the boys to the National Capital Trolley Car Museum in Colesville, MD. To be honest my expectations weren't too high for this place. The SF Railway Museum and Gift Shop is really just a gift shop... but across the street from the start of the line for an amazing collection of refurbished and working trolley cars.

The National Capital Trolley Car Museum is in a field. It includes two attached brick barns. The main part of the museum houses a small model train collection and a gift shop. Incredibly disappointing if that was it (although my four-year old Caleb can watch model trains all day). But it is not!

With admission you get tickets to ride a working trolley car. It routes its way through the wooded area near the museum. Considering how much my boys love riding trains, streetcars and the like ... they loved it. We visited when it was having its Holly Trolleyfest. This meant that the boys could sit on Santa's lap, and Mrs Claus rode with us on the trolley ride.

After the trolley ride, there is a docent tour of one of the two barns. Worth waiting for, you get to see trolley cars in various stages of dilapidation. The second barn we were told isn't safe to visit (that is where the actual cars are refurbished). But that would have been fun, even if we were only able to peak our heads in.

The National Capital Trolley Car Museum had a major fire in 2003, which destroyed four cars, and is still re-cooperating. Eventually its collection will include more refurbished cars then the two that you can ride. But for now if you live in the Washington, DC area it is a worthwhile visit, if anything to support the maintenance and restoration of trolleys ... and if you have two little boys like us, to spend a pleasant afternoon.

Before going check the website to make sure the museum is open -- it has odd hours especially during the winter months.

Planes and Rockets at Udvar-Hazy

We've tried to get the boys interested in airplanes and rockets, but their obsession has been trains... until our visit to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum - Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport.

The location is a modern open and airy hanger, with plenty of running room for the most active youngster. The highlight of the immense collection is definitely the space shuttle Enterprise. It is huge, a giant mega airplane that dwarfs even the Concord (which is also part of the exhibits). 

The rest of the collection which includes rockets, satellites, airplanes and their parts is also pretty awesome.  The boys enjoyed the entire trip and never got bored or disinterested ... even with smaller exhibits like the R2D2 mailbox (at least for my 4-year old Star Wars obsessed son).

Not to be missed we took the boys to the observation deck. The boys liked the watching the airplanes land in Dulles ... but this gets old pretty quickly and getting back down is quite an ordeal. You wait in line for the elevator which takes you to another floor, and then you wait in line for the elevator to get back to the main part of the museum. Now that we've done the observation deck once, on subsequent visits will skip this part.

Since this is part of the Smithsonian, entrance is free, however parking was $15. Compare the cost of this outing to the cost of most aquariums for a family of four -- $50 -- and Udvar-Hazy is quite the deal for a fun filled afternoon.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

If I had a bucket list, this would be a bucket list item.

I've watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since I was little. And although it has gotten cheesier in recent years filled with Disney's latest tween sensations I still eagerly turn on the television every Thanksgiving morning to watch. We are on the West Coast, so we get a rebroadcast at 9 am -- which we stop watching when football starts at 10 am ... Note to NBC most of us would happily wake up early for a live version of the parade (most folks are up anyway preparing the Turkey Day dinner).

This year we decided to visit family on the East Coast for Thanksgiving. When we learned that everyone was going to have Thanksgiving dinner in New Jersey ... it was a no brainer, we were going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We drove to the ferry in Weehawken, NJ early Wednesday morning from Maryland.

The ferry is an amazing and easy way to arrive in New York. We took the free shuttle which let us off in front of Radio City Music Hall, just a few blocks from our hotel, the New York Hilton. We were able to get a very good rate at the very last minute, breakfast included.

Spiderman being blown-up

We checked our bags, and then headed to Bagel and Bean for a bagel lunch, and to ride the carousel in Central Park ... all to put us in the vicinity of Columbus Square where they blow up the balloons (starting at 3 pm). Once we arrived at the balloons staging area it was a bit confusing... the crowd was routed around to the entrance on 79th (you basically circled around the Natural History Museum). It was so much fun, and got the boys excited for the parade. We saw Buzz Lightyear, Shrek, Spiderman and Kermit being blown-up. Macy's handed out balloons to the kids as well.

Angelo's Pizza

Afterward we headed back to our hotel, then off to dinner at a nearby pizza place (Angelo's, very tasty and family friendly) ... then to bed.

Caleb up front

The next morning we were up at 6:30 am (our hotel was just a block from the parade route). We had breakfast at 7:15 am and then headed to the street around 7:45 am. There was already a sizable crowd. The folks up front had been there since 4:30 am. We figured that the boys being 4 and 5 would be able to sneak up front when the parade started (we were right).

Jonathan and I were about 3 to 4 rows back from the front. From our vantage point we could see everything. Our favorite balloons were Shrek, Kermit the frog and Spiderman. The boy's favorites were Shrek and Spiderman (they don't have the same affinity to Kermit as we do ... even though we have tried). Did I mention that the balloons were the best part?

The parade was perfectly timed, and at no point were the boys bored or were the balloons held up due to television breaks (this was a big deal with the San Jose Holiday Parade).

We left shortly after Spiderman (Horten the elephant was the last balloon that we saw), and headed to the hotel to check out. We then caught a cab to the New York Waterway to pickup the ferry, and were in New Jersey shortly after noon.

Overall an awesome experience ... something the boys will remember, and I'm certain we will do it again!

A Judgemental Relapse - Thanksgiving Travel with Kids

It was 2:30 am and there we were at the end of shuttle line 400 people deep. We started the day at 7 am ET, rushing to BWI to catch our flight home ... that flight had mechanical problems and we were transferred to a 4 pm flight out of Dulles. That flight was delayed and we missed our connection in Chicago. We left Chicago at 10 pm...

Finally we landed at 2:00 am with dozens of other flights all waiting for the fog to clear enough to be able to land at SFO. Every 20 minutes a new van would show up and take 4 people. At that rate we would be late for work on Monday. We finally rented a car, and got home around 6 am. I had to be at work at 8 am -- it was a very long Monday.

On that fateful day more than a decade ago we swore we would never, ever travel during Thanksgiving week. Especially someday when we had kids.

A moment of insanity? This year we are going to the East coast for Thanksgiving. We've stayed away long enough. We are taking the boys and have some big plans. Visits with friends and family in DC. A trip to New Jersey by way of New York for Thanksgiving with family. We are taking the boys to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (we'll see how this goes), and the whole trip will culminate at the Redskins game on Sunday.

We think we're clever planning to travel home Monday morning ... but we'll see how it goes. Time heals all wounds, and hopefully we won't be reliving our last Thanksgiving travel adventure.

The Holiday Frenzy Seems Early this Year

Somehow the usual Happy Fall skip hit a frenetic Holiday grind which I don't see slowing down until February.  We didn't make it to a pumpkin patch this year, instead relying on Safeway pumpkins and two pumpkins that came home from Kindergarten. We did do our annual pumpkin pancake breakfast in Woodside, but opted not to venture further into Half Moon Bay (where we would have hit the pumpkin patch circuit) because it was the weekend of the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin festival. We went last year, and it just isn't worth the headache of the crowds.

By the time Halloween rolled around last Sunday we couldn't believe it had crept up so quickly. We carved the pumpkins and bought candy Halloween day. The boys still had oodles of fun.

We did make other choices that consumed our time...Xander plays soccer every Saturday through Thanksgiving week. Caleb is still in pre-hockey at Sharks Ice - so Saturday before 12 pm is booked. ...Jonathan and I got to go to the World Series and cheer on our San Francisco Giants, we spent a Sunday evening in San Francisco to celebrate our anniversary, and we went to the Gorillaz concert in Oakland... We also planned our East Coast Thanksgiving trip to DC and New York -- which will include the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

It turns out that the school age years are harder than I thought it would be. The weekly Kindergarten homework eats up time. It is good time, one-on-one with Xander, but it still takes away from other fun activities. Xander is starting to read, color in the lines, write and do basic math. Then there is the obligatory school activities, like back to school night, PTA meetings and the Harvest Festival, which we really should and do work into our already overbooked schedule.

Then there were things beyond our control like both boys getting sick (three weeks apart) and late nights with a feverish boy, but thus is life. 

So now, I'm looking at the next two weeks before our trip to the East Coast and wondering how we're going to get it all done, but still keep it fun.  We have our three-month eye appointment for Xander,  his parent-teacher conference, and school is closed this Thursday and Friday (Thursday our preschool daycare has agreed to take Xander, and Friday he will be in school aftercare - they are going to the Children's Discovery Museum).  Jonathan and I also both have big projects for work due ... so we'll have to balance, balance, balance. And I haven't started Holiday shopping yet. Yikes!

Training it Up at Travel Town

As part of our mini-vacation in Southern California, our friend Michael and his son Matthew took us to the Travel Town Train Museum in Los Angeles. Considering our boys obsession with trains this was a good bet for a Sunday morning.

The Travel Town Museum is smaller then the California Train Museum in Sacramento, but still has a satisfactory amount of old trains to explore. The museum has fifty or so locomotives and train cars, and is mostly outdoors.

The boys liked exploring the trains they were allowed to climb aboard. And, of course, Caleb gravitated toward the train table located in the roundhouse (not a classic round house, but a large building holding several trains).

The only comment I would have about the carpeted train table area is that they should have considered their audience more when planning it. There were too many off limits/do not signs ... Seriously, a train table will encourage preschoolers ... everything in the small carpeted area should be hands on.

There was also two model train rooms behind glass for the kids to view. This was also a favorite of Caleb.

Travel Town also has a miniature railroad with a cute diesel engine -- not as cool as a steam engine ala Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad -- but definitely fun.

First Trip to the Happiest Place on Earth

Xander had last week off. It was a work furlough for San Jose Unified Schools as part of statewide budget cuts. While we couldn't take the whole week off for a family vacation, we were able to squeeze out a day, and do a three day weekend in Southern California.  As part of this break from the kindergarten grind we planned a visit to Disneyland.

On Thursday evening we flew from San Jose to Burbank. We would have flown into John Wayne (closer to Disneyland), but the decision to go to Disneyland was at the last minute and it was too late to change flights. As it was, our flight arrived after 9 pm and we were checked into our hotel by 10:15 pm... 

We've considered a Disneyland trip before, but always assumed the boys were too young. Even before this trip I wasn't sure that the boys, now four and five, were ready for the trip ... and considering the cost of a ticket it could be a considerable waste if your child whined, was scared of Mickey Mouse and Goofy and/or melted down the entire day.

We talked to other parents of kids in the same age group who recommended a Disney trip. Emboldened we decided to go for it. We were pleasantly surprised to see that there was plenty for small children, and by taking advice from experienced Disneylanders we started the day on the right foot.

We arrived at Disneyland shortly after it opened at 8:15 am. We booked it to the Peter Pan ride. The boys liked it (although they thought it was too dark). Afterward we made a beeline for the Finding Nemo Submarine. Caleb wasn't sure about being under water ... but when all was said and done he had a great time.

The boys had done so well on the first two rides we decided to try Pirates of the Caribbean. I have very fond memories of riding it when I was 16. They liked that ride so much that we moved onto the Haunted Mansion. We were a little bit concerned about the Haunted Mansion, but figured there would be opportunities to exit if it was too scary. With a Nightmare before Christmas theme, and a large group of preschoolers and kindergartners along for the ride, it was just plain fun. The boys loved it.

Having gotten the planned rides done with (and it was only 11 am) we road the Disneyland train, and had a leisurely lunch. After lunch we headed to Fantasyland and to Toontown to do the more stroller-set focused activities. In Fantasyland we watched a Mary Poppins (one of the boys favorite movies) routine. And in Toontown we met Pluto and Mickey Mouse. The boys also road their first roller coaster and enjoyed it.

Next we headed to the Jedi Academy across from the Finding Nemo ride. Caleb is really into Star Wars (he is going to be Darth Vader this Halloween) and we thought it would be a fun mid-afternoon activity. Just our luck, Xander was picked to participate in the academy and Caleb wasn't. We think it was probably because Caleb looked too young. As it was the Jedi robes were baggy on Xander.

Then two storm troopers showed up, followed by Darth Vader and Darth Maul. At this point Xander was done, he wanted none of fighting Star Wars characters even if it was done in a very cute way. He came back to us in tears ... meanwhile Caleb had his hand up high and was still saying "Pick me!"

It was the end of the day, we had some time to kill before the Main Street parade (our plan for ending the day). We decided to find out if the boys were ready for a real roller coaster. We know Space Mountain is very fast and potentially scary, so we opted for the more low key Thunder Mountain Railroad. The concept is a runaway train ... what better ride for two boys obsessed with Thomas.

After riding the innocent looking roller coaster we now know that Xander is ready for Space Mountain - he loved it - and Caleb is not.  Space Mountain had a long line, so we will ride it sometime in the morning on our next visit.

We ended the day at the Main Street parade. By this time we were at the park for nine hours and the boys were tired ... We got no arguments when we left the park after the parade. We did try for one last minute family photo in front of the giant Mickey Mouse pumpkin (not a keeper).

Overall... Disneyland was fun, and we'll definitely be back. We may approach trip two differently, but with sound advice from our Disneyland experienced friends our first trip was a success.

Binky Free and Under Control - A Travel Story

The other day and Xander and I were looking at old photos. He saw a picture of himself with his binky and smiled, cocked his head and said lovingly ... "Binky!" How can my five year old still look back at his binky (a.k.a pacifier) abandoned two years ago with so many fond memories and joy?

Whenever one of my girlfriends have their first babies I caution them from starting the binky habit. It is a terribly difficult habit to kick, and the binky will be front and center in all of their baby pictures going forward. At first the grandparents will think its cute ... but even they will start to make comments somewhere around the second birthday. "Can't he take that thing out of his mouth!"

Not everyone will have the luck of planning a 23 day trip around the third birthday, but if you do this is how to kick the binky habit forever.

Three is a magic number in binky habit breaking. The first step in using travel is to pack the entire collection of binkies with you (when you return home there can be no binkies left in the house). The second step is that slowly you will inevitably lose each binky in the collection. The third step is to keep your three-year old convinced that this is a finite collection, and when all binkies are lost they cannot be replaced.

You must hold steadfast. Strategically extracting binkies from naptime and in the middle of the night are part of the master plan. The great thing about binkies and three year old's is that they do suffer a serious amount of attrition. Also the manufacturers do assist you in not making binkies for the preschooler ... make sure your three year old knows this too.

Where is our last binky? Sitting on top of a refrigerator in Moscow. My aunt snuck that one away, pocketed it, and cleverly left it behind.

May your preschool years be binky free and under control.

Fall Swimming

Call us crazy, but we joined a tennis club with a pool on Labor Day weekend. We had every intention to join in August -- once our summer travel had ended ... but we waited, not inspired by the especially cold summer.

The benefits of joining a pool on Labor Day weekend is that they were offering a killer deal, and waved the exorbitant initiation fee. The other benefit was a bit of a gamble, but we figured cold summer, hot Fall and we were right.

This weekend as the temperature peaked in the 90s we enjoyed hanging out at the kiddy pool. The boys loved swimming in one to four feet water. They actually are improving -- better than they did in a year's worth of swim lessons.

Our summer should end somewhere around Halloween. So until that time we'll be Fall Swimming.

When Company Comes a Calling

It is amazing to see how much my boys have grown. This weekend we walked through the California Avenue Farmers Market in Palo Alto, and my boys were downright delightful. A year ago, and it might have been a different story. We may not have tried it at all, then again we are pretty brave ... we love to travel with our kids.

Now that I have a kindergartner and a four year old everything is getting easier and more fun. Last month the East Coast grandparents visited, and everyone, adult and child alike had a good time. Of course some things don't change. We planned ahead. We had a plan A and plan B in terms of activities. We knew where we were going to eat. We mixed kid fun and adult fun. We hired a babysitter. We leveraged old stand-byes that the boys enjoyed... And we had three days with a limited number of meltdowns and kid craziness.

We started off the visit by hiring a babysitter and going out for an adult dinner at one of our favorite restaurants Evvia.  The next day was Friday, Jonathan took the day off, sprung the boys from daycare, and he and his parents took them to Monterey. They combined kid fun -- a visit to Dennis the Menace park -- with adult fun-- a walk down Cannery Row.

On Saturday they got to enjoy ice skating lessons. Xander who only likes to stay on the ice for the 30-minute lesson, skated for most of the free skate to show off his moves to his grandparents. That afternoon we went to Vasona Park and the boys road the train and played. We all went to Steamer's Grill House for dinner and the boys were well behaved. It helped that the restaurant is noisy.

On Sunday I wanted to take the ferry to Angel Island, but alas it was foggy and cold in San Francisco ... so we opted to go to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. We finished up the day with an early dinner reservation at the Slanted Door, and then dropped the grandparents off at their San Francisco hotel.

What we've learned from these visits, is not to overachieve in the activities department. We kept it simple and everyone had fun.

Overscheduling your Kindergartner

Today I looked into extracurricular activities for Xander. He is already in the afterschool program, and now I have the option to sign him up for some extracurriculars. I have plenty of choices, but how much is too much? There is art, which I think he would really love, soccer (he's already doing our local PAL league anyway and this would give him another opportunity to practice) and dance. The challenge with dance is that it is on Friday, the same day as his PAL league soccer practice... and he is already dead tired from a week at school...

At the same time he has told us he doesn't love the afterschool program. And honestly I'm not sure how I feel about it either. When I pick him up I see all of the kindergartners playing video games or watching movies. I know it is the end of the day, and that the program does other activities other than putting the kindergartners in front of the TV ... but this is the impression I get at 5:30 pm.  We come from a daycare without a TV, so it does bothers me that this happens in an afterschool program.

Jonathan and I are just starting to comprehend the concept of over-scheduling. We did overcommit this summer. We had the boys signed up for skating on Saturday and swimming on Sunday-- and we lost our weekends. We learned our lesson, and going forward we know the most we can support is one weekend activity... but how much can he handle during the week?

We're just in kindergarten and I'm already debating how much I want to sign him up for. Imagine what life will be like when he is more self directed -- telling us what he wants to participate in. I definitely don't want to overschedule him, at the same time I don't want him to miss out.

Chico, Calif. Partying College Students and Kid Friendly Locale

When I think of Chico, I think of Chico State and I always think of it as a top 10 party school. The school itself has a lot to offer, don't get me wrong, but its partying reputation precedes it. My own alma mater also suffers from a similar reputation.

Located in the foothills of the Sierras, I never thought that I would say great kid friendly city and Chico in the same breadth ... but in last month's visit we discovered two more kid friendly restaurants and the boys had a blast.

We went to the small town of Oroville, Calif. near Chico to surprise my friend Stephanie on her birthday.  We were really there to see Stephanie, and not to tourist around. However, if we go back, and we're pretty sure we will, there is a wonderful lake and plenty of outdoorsy activities for the boys.

Eating wise, we went to a brunch restaurant that makes our top 10 best kid friendly restaurants. Cafe Coda located on Humbolt Ave in Chico does a kid menu like very few other restaurants. Warning they don't post it online ... but it is themed after monsters, dinosaurs and trains. Caleb and Xander loved their meal. And like our favorite kid friendly restaurants, the adult fare was amazing, and the kids fare didn't pander with chicken nuggets and fries.

We also took the boys to the Sierra Nevada Taproom and Restaurant, which despite being a brewery, had a great menu, and fantastic kid friendly service. We'll have to go back to enjoy more of what the region has to offer... but for a short two day trip it was great.

Enter the School Age Years

Today we dropped Xander off at kindergarten. There were no tears. The teacher came out at 8:40 am and all the kids filed in without their parents. Xander waved happily and joined his new friends. I was surprisingly tear free too. It could be because I've been anticipating this date since we registered in April, since we went to the first school visit ... I worried about everything, from uniforms to after school care and strabismus... The day itself seemed fine.

Then at about lunch I started feeling anxious. How was Xander's day going? Was he fitting in? Was he meeting new friends? Did he like his teacher?

I left work early to pick-up Xander and get his glasses from the eye doctor (to treat the strabismus ...)

He said he had fun at school, but was so tired. He is a big napper, and today was his first nap free day. He lost his back pack, and only had his lunch bag. He didn't eat all of his lunch. He told me that he got a bloody nose after another boy hit him. He had dried blood on his white shirt ... it seemed like a very stressful day to me. But this is a right of passage, and for the first time I don't have the full report from his preschool teacher. I have limited information -- other than what my five-year old shares, and I just have to deal with it.

The school age years will offer us plenty of opportunities for new adventures. Budget cuts means that my little Xander will be off for a week in October, two weeks in December, one week in February and one week in April ... school ends on June 5. We are already starting to plan our 2011 trips ...

Today I started the process of letting go a little. I'm told that the first month of kindergarten is the hardest. He is a sweet, happy kid and he'll find his way. Trusting that strangers will be as kind to my child as he is to everyone he meets. But I can only escort him to the door.

Heading Up Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Near the end of our trip to Michigan we packed in the van and headed to the Upper Peninsula to Soo Junction to ride the Tooneyville Trolley. The train runs through a marsh and ends at the Tahquamenon river.

The Upper Peninsula begins a journey that we would like to take the boys on ... maybe even next year if we don't go to Europe. We'd like to circumnavigate Lake Superior, and roadtrip into Montreal. Jonathan wants the boys to experience a culture where English isn't the predominate language.

We still haven't finalized plans for 2011, but our Michigan trip in July made us want to explore more.

We left first thing in the morning to make the 12:30 pm train. We didn't plan for a radical temperature drop, but that is what we got. When we arrived at the Tooneyville Trolley store we not only got our tickets, but we bought blankets and sweatshirts for the boys.

The train itself was a whole lot of nothing. In fact at first we thought the little green engine would shunt the real engine into place, but that was not the case. There are two trips to select from, one that leaves at 10:30 am and returns at 5 pm and includes a riverboat ride to Tahquamenon Falls. The falls have definitely been recommended, but at $45 for adults, $29 for kids age 9 to 15, and $20 for kids age 4 to 8 that was a very expensive way to see it (kids 3 and under are free). It would also mean getting up and ready early and we were not prepared to do that.  We opted for the second ride where prices were more reasonable -- $15 for adults, $9 for kids 9 to 15,  and $7 for kids age 4 to 8 -- the ride was a one hour and forty five minute ride back and forth from the marsh to the river.

In the marsh we saw cranes and bears. The train operator actually feeds the bears (far from civilization I was assured), so that the mother and cubs know to make an appearance. I'm still not sure how I feel about that.

The boys loved it, although their favorite part was the train table at the store. Go figure. They slept on parts of the train ride. But Xander did get to sit in the engine, Caleb wasn't interested.

After the train ride we stopped at a small friendly family restaurant on the way back for fish, we picked up smoked fish to go. Which was wonderful. The kids fish and chips was excellent as well. 

We also did a last stop by the Point Iroquois light house, before crossing the Mackinac Bridge and heading back to Cheboygan. We packed a lot into the day, but still made it back by 6 pm.

The Joys of Lake Living

I romantically think back to the movie "On Golden Pond" as how I want to grow old. Yes it had the now over done Disney plot ... angry teen sent to live with relatives for a summer to help "turn him around."

However, the idea of a summer by a lake or a pond seems very romantic. Growing up my most memorable summers were the ones where we camped along a lake in both Upstate New York and Mendocino, Calif.  I wanted my boys to experience the joys of lake living during the summer. We are so lucky that my Aunt and Uncle live on a clay bottom lake near Cheboygan, Mich.

My Aunt and Uncle have a pontoon boat, and the boys like riding on it across the lake, looking at fishes and trying to find loons. We also tried our hands at fishing, but honestly the boys are probably a little too young. They were more excited about swinging the fishing line then waiting patiently for a fish.

I've been taking the boys to swim lessons for awhile, but until we got to Michigan it hadn't occurred to me that the boys have never had the chance to play in water... And play they did. My Aunt had inner tubs, floaties and blow-up gators for the boys to use in the water. Xander took to the water right away, and spent a couple of hours  almost everyday in the lake. Caleb on the other hand was a bit reticent about the whole water thing. He liked riding in my lap or Jonathan's lap on the inner tube ... but even more so playing catch (him comfortably on the deck or the boat, his partner in the water).

We'll probably go back for a visit in 2012 when Xander is 7 and Caleb is 5. It will be fun to see how the lake experience changes for them, as their able to do more things. Maybe one of them will even catch a fish.

Airline Travel Rant: Families with small children please step aside

On our recent trip to Michigan we had a rather annoying experience ... our airline of choice did compensate us a grand total of $750 for canceled flights and lost luggage, but I have to wonder what happened to "if you are traveling with small children or need extra time ..." policy.

On Sunday night before our red-eye,  we found out that our flight was canceled. Jonathan found out via text message, one of the super awesome conveniences of modern flying. He called the airline, and they couldn't get us out on Sunday. We were rebooked on the 10 am the next day. This was a huge bummer. It cut our trip short by one whole day. Jonathan was able to get us $150 vouchers for each ticket. Considering we used miles to travel, we ended up ahead in the future travel category.

The next day we headed to the e-ticket line at the airport to check in and check our luggage. We waited about 20 minutes to get to the front of the long line. The system couldn't find our tickets, and we were sent to the back of the full service line (equally as long). Forty minutes later we finally were checked in. A long wait with two wrestling preschoolers was quite unpleasant.

Checked in we breezed through security, and made it to our gate. We were in boarding area 2, so we waited for our area to be called. The boys are old enough now, that they can board a plane with the rest of the flying population. When it was our turn to board I noticed a woman waiting her turn upfront (she was held back by the attendant because she was in seating area 4). She was traveling with six children. Two teenage girls (she'd hired to help her) and four kids under six (two were infants).

I asked her why she hadn't boarded yet? And the attendant interrupted to tell me that it wasn't her turn, but if I'm going to just stand there, she might as well go. Well going forward if I see something like that happening again, I think I will just stand there. She was able to go in front of us.

When we got on the plane she was seated in the last row with us. She had her three year old in the seat across the aisle from her, but her five year old, and both of her teen helpers were in single seats, which meant that she had a five year old traveling alone in the front of the plane. It took awhile to work things out so that they could be seated together. I thought this usually happens before boarding ... and as a single passenger I've been moved to accommodate a family before. I empathized with her, it is difficult enough travel with small children, without having to worry about your five year old sitting alone.

Okay ... so family friendly travel was scoreless.

We had oodles of delays that were not the airlines fault to add insult to injury, and the boys' luggage didn't make it to Traverse City. We did get another $150 voucher, and the luggage was delivered at 8 pm the next day ...

The return home was mostly uneventful. Although, this could just be an issue with Traverse City, but to check in it took over an hour, because all three attendants took the Premier line first. We had already printed our boarding passes, and paid for our checked in luggage (so all we were doing was dropping-off luggage), but they had no way to accommodate us.

Our airline's (in which we've accumulated hundreds of thousands of frequent flier miles) business model is predicated on status, and when you no longer have status, the experience is pretty atrocious. We probably would've had better experiences on family friendly discount airline, but traveling in the height of summer can be expensive. We expect that.

But come on. Anyone traveling with infants should be seated first ... and if you have children under 10 the airline should go out of its way to seat the family together. It is just basic service.

Holiday in Michigan... You're kidding?

Where were all the tourists? We came back from our six day adventure in Michigan, and we had a blast. It is beautiful country, woodsy with plenty of lakes big and small, fishing, berry picking, camping and nature walks. During the summer the temperature peaks in the 80s, and often lingers in the mid seventies.

When I told folks at work that we were going to Michigan on vacation they seemed surprised. We even got questioned about it innocently in the shuttle to the airport. "Why are you going to Michigan?" like we said that we were taking the kids to Baghdad. We staid off some questions by telling people that we were going to see family. And we were at an advantage because my Aunt and Uncle live in a cabin on a lake near Cheboygan, Mich., but I had to wonder where were all the tourists?

The flights to rural Michigan were crowded enough, but most of the passengers were local, and complained about the limited number of flights (one man mentioned he had six flights canceled in the last three months) ... But it is hard for businesses that cater to tourists to make a go. We saw a lot of hotels with empty parking lots, restaurants that changed ownership numerous times, or were vacant, lakefront property for sale and a general sense that tourists don't visit Michigan.

I did find out that a colleague of mine from the Pacific Northwest was vacationing with his family in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the same time. And United Airlines Hemispheres magazine even profiled the drive we took (we only took it partially, the full drive circumnavigates Lake Superior) as one of the top 10 most beautiful drives in the world.  

So here are my two cents, for what it is worth. Michigan is spectacular, and it was the perfect outdoor summer vacation for a family. The boys loved it, I can even see us vacationing here every other year. Next time we may just circumnavigate Lake Superior.

Cheboygan Michigan Bound

I can't believe we'll be traveling to Cheboygan to visit my Aunt and Uncle on Sunday. We've been so busy that I haven't started the war room or packing for the trip. Although I did buy the boys some new toys that they'll find out about either at the airport or when we arrive in Traverse City.

The plan is to take the red-eye to Chicago O'Hare and then onto Traverse City on the first morning flight. Again we have the booster seat dilemma -- the rental car company is charging an arm and a leg to rent booster seats for the boys. I suspect that it is the cheap $25 seats that they want to charge us $50 per child for a week. We're debating whether we'll just bring them ... of course that means buying booster seats and hauling them cross country.

On both the airplane trip and the road trip to Cheboygan I'm hoping the boys will sleep, so they'll be bright eyed and cheerful, and not a crazy tired preschool mess. My Aunt and Uncle will understand (hopefully), but I want the whole adventure to begin on the right foot -- not with a total melt down by one of my kids.

A friend of Jonathan also warned us about mosquitoes and chiggers, so we'll be off to shop for bug repellent suitable for our 3 year old. When Caleb gets a mosquito bite it isn't just an itchy patch it is an ugly welt that scabs over ... so we'd like to avoid that. 

The drive from Traverse City to Cheboygan is supposed to be beautiful. My Aunt and Uncle have a bunch planned for them. Fishing trips, boat rides, swimming, and a train ride ... But we are most looking forward to relaxing and spending quality time with the boys, and my Aunt and Uncle...

Now off to pack!

Of parades, barbecues. bouncy houses and block parties

For the fourth of July weekend this year we stayed at home. On Saturday we threw a long awaited for birthday party for Xander our five year old, and on Sunday we participated in our neighborhood kid parade and block party.

For Xander's birthday we decided to have a low-key party with just six kids. This is after the over-the-top blow-out fourth birthday party we threw for him last year, which was a lot of work, but at minimal success. For Xander's birthday party we rented a bouncy house. The bouncy house plus some water play kept the kids entertained, and gave the adults an opportunity to enjoy the barbecue.

Today we went to our neighborhood fourth of July celebration. We'd skipped last year due to our East Coast trip. The block party has definitely gotten better. The parade through the neighborhood was fun. Xander and Caleb road their bicycles and wore red, white and blue. There were tons of kids this year, most between the ages of 3 and 6. Afterward there was a neighborhood potluck, and then games for the kids. Xander and Caleb had a blast.

We concluded the day with another barbecue, and sought out fireworks at a the Tamien train station where we could see the fireworks from San Jose Municipal Stadium, as well as the illegal fireworks. All and all it was a wonderful two days, now we just need to figure out what we want to do tomorrow. Mellow day, or a trip to Angel Island.

Eating on the Cheap with Kids

Jonathan and I have recently discovered the joys of the family friendly restaurant. We have been drawn in by the kids eat free restaurant promotion, and been won over by the low pressure environment and friendly service. For the first time in our adult life we find that every Tuesday we are frequenting chain restaurants, or a close approximation to the chain restaurant. We are becoming connoisseurs of the kids menu. Below are places we frequent with the boys, some better than others

The Mom & Pop Operations

• Georgio's - Our favorite restaurant for spaghetti, chicken parmesan and occasionally a yummy pizza. The restaurant has a lovely New Jersey Italian restaurant feel, and it is great for kids. Other related restaurants are Frankie, Johnny and Luigi's in Campbell and Mountain View.
• Max's Opera Cafe - We came for the dessert, and stayed for the Matzo Ball soup. Max's is a staple for us. At least once a year we do a big family gathering there before my Aunt and Uncle fly back to Michigan. The portions are huge, and the menu has something for everyone. We always have a good experience at Max's, even when we have to take a restless preschooler for a walk and talk.
• Pancho Villa - This continues to be our favorite taqueria in the Bay Area. Every year it makes the best Mission Burrito list as well. It is a typical cafeteria style taqueria. It has locations in San Francisco and San Mateo, and the food is the best. My boys love beans, rice and chicken ...
• St. John's Bar & Grill in Sunnyvale - We've been semi-regulars of St. John's since we moved back to the Silicon Valley three years ago. Even during our 7 years in San Francisco we would make special trips to St. Johns. This was the first restaurant that I felt comfortable taking the boys. It is a large noisy, sports bar with excellent burgers, chicken sandwiches, and of course a kids menu. Open six days a week, St. John's runs a special every night. For the kids, the chicken tenders are the best ... seriously.
• Willow Street Wood Fired Pizza - It doesn't hurt that we can walk to the original location in Willow Glen. Kid's eat free on Tuesday nights, but our boys don't like the kids menu. Their favorite is the fusilli pasta with chicken, sun dried tomatoes and artichokes. The pizzas are also wonderful. We love this place so much that every two months or so we burn ourselves out, and can't eat Willow Street for a couple of months.

The Chains

• Chevy's Fresh Mex - As chain Mexican goes, Chevy's isn't too bad. Some locations are better than others, but I've never had a bad meal. The boys love rice and beans, so Chevy's is always a good bet.
• Chili's Grill & Bar - Like Chevy's I never had a bad meal here, but I tend to forget about it. We took the boys here a few weeks ago, and it wasn't too bad. The kids menu looked like every chain restaurant, with the usual suspects (macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders, corn dogs, etc.). The chicken nuggets were the worst. Xander ended up eating my grilled chicken, rice and beans (is there a theme). Next time we go here, we'll skip the kids menu, and order an entree for the boys to split. 
• The Elephant Bar - We tried this restaurant for the first time the other night after we took the boys to see Toy Story 3. The food was really good ...  The Asian theme was a breath of fresh air compared to our burgers and Mexican rut, so this will make its way into our circulation. The restaurant was crowded, but they managed to seat us in 20 minutes. Xander's chicken nuggets were tempuraed, and he liked them. The Mac and Cheese was the best so far. By the way we bypassed the kids menu, and had the boys split the chicken tenders and Mac and Cheese on the regular menu (on the kids menu it was Kraft).
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers - On Tuesday night this week we took the boys to Red Robin for the first time. While our local Red Robin does not have a kids eat free promotion, it does do several things that cater to children. They have someone walking around in a Red Robin costume, and they give out balloons. The food was pretty good for a chain. Xander ordered chicken tenders and fruit, and Caleb ordered macaroni and cheese. The mac and cheese was better than most of the chains ... the chicken tenders were average.
• Sonoma Chicken Coop - Our chain odyssey started with the Sonoma Chicken Coop in Campbell. A great location and vibe, with incredibly mediocre food. If the food wasn't so awful, I would never have gotten up my nerve to start exploring these other restaurants.

I'm not 4 I'm 5

Today was Xander's fifth birthday. In two months he will be starting kindergarten. The beautiful green eyed boy that I called "baby boy" is growing up. He knows how to behave in restaurants, he holds your hand when crossing the street, he can walk into a store filled with breakables and not touch, he is  kind, thoughtful and sensitive.

We went back to Oak Meadow and Vasona parks for the first time since December. We road the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad, and played in the playground with the firetruck, airplane and train, as well as the blue playground. It was amazing to watch how much more sure of himself he was on the playground. He is starting to do the monkey bars, he could climb the ladders I thought were reserved for much older kids ... well now I guess he is.

He got a scooter for his birthday. He let me put on all of the padding, and agreed that he would need to wear his hockey helmet, to make sure that he didn't break anything. Considering how many times he fell it was a good thing... but he tackled the task of learning to use the two wheel scooter with confidence.  But he was tired ...

So, we were soon home where he got two of the trains he asked for and had me write on a birthday list that he kept under his pillow for the last month. He was so happy to get patchwork Hiro and Birthday Thomas. He had me check them off his list.

Then we went to St. John's in Sunnyvale where they have great chicken tenders. He feasted, polite, sweet and so grown-up.

In the middle of August I will no longer be able to say my preschoolers. My little Xander will be a kindergartner.

Flashback: Salzburg is for Kids

Jonathan first visited Salzburg by himself and he wanted to take me back someday. Salzburg is Sound of Music country and it was the first city that came to his mind when we were brainstorming where we would take three-year old Xander.

Salzburg is laid back and charming, with the lovely Salsach river that runs through the center. The Kapuzinerberg mountain with the Capuchin Monastery and Monchsberg mountain are walking distance from the AltStadt (old town), with its lovely Baroque architecture.

Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart, and although Mozart is a bit overdone here, it is still possible to have fun without being overwhelmed by the kitch.

We stayed in the AltStadt and spent most of our visit outdoors. We ate at outdoor cafes on the Salsach. We took the stroller and followed the small road that tangled its way through the mountain to the Capuchin Monastery.  And we discovered some amazing parks with fabulous play structures or cool locations.

We visited Salzburg shortly after our court date in Stavropol, Russia. All three of us were travel weary, and Salzburg was the perfect place to recharge our batteries and prepare for the rest of our adventure.

Flashback: Outdoor Eating with Small Kids

It is finally starting to warm up and feel like summer here -- which means we are eating more meals outside. When traveling with children the more you can find outdoor restaurants, the more you have happy well behaved children. (Of course we did have the mallet incident in Annapolis, but that is another story).

The benefits of eating outdoors:
1. Noise - in a quiet stuffy restaurant a child can create quite a scene just asking for more bread. My boys are now 3 and almost 5 and they still have not mastered the quiet whisper. We've been shushed in indoor restaurants, but the great outdoors just doesn't have the acoustics.
2. Less worry about mess - my boys are generally pretty good, unless they are handed a cup with a cap and straw. Then they are downright messy neanderthals. Outside I worry less about a spill then inside a restaurant.
3. Distraction - Outside with flowers, birds, people walking by on the street, there is much more to see and to keep short attention spanned children occupied.
4. More low key - Even in fancy restaurants, outdoor seating is much more low key. It is better than cramped back area of the many restaurants where families with children are relegated to. And often you cannot beat the views, especially in towns on the water.

One of the reasons we love to travel in Central Europe during the summer with little ones, and one reason we selected Austria for our 2008 trip was outdoor eating. I wrote about the food market at Rathaus Platz. We never quite made it to the Opera broadcast on the big screen, but we did enjoy eating dinner there.

In California, near Santa Barbara there is The Beach Grill at Padaro. Even locally, one of our favorite haunts in San Jose, the Garage has outdoor seating, and now that it is warming up, this will be a perfect place to take the boys and eat outdoors.