http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom A Wandering Mom\'s Travel Blog Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:19:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom/2009/02/19/paris-street-cafe/ http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom/2009/02/19/paris-street-cafe/#comments Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000 wandermom http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom/2009/02/19/paris-street-cafe/ BigB, Paris 2002 Picture the scene: an extended family group enjoying a day in Paris before taking the train to historic Poitiers. It's about lunchtime and the group has stopped to review lunch options in a narrow street lined with small cafes. And then WanderMom notices that her two-year-old has slipped out of view. Frantic, she alerts the rest of the group and everyone's attention is immediately focused on finding the child. Within seconds, WanderDad starts laughing, pointing into a nondescript cafe-tabac just a couple of doors from where the group had originally been standing. This little guy is a kid who just loves his eggs, and is very serious about his food. And he's a child, who even at two, was ready to take charge of his own destiny. While the adults were deliberating what and where to eat, he spied the customary wire rack of hard-boiled eggs on the counter of the cafe-tabac. Being used to high counter stools from home, he perched himself up on one and without a word of french was negotiating an egg from the proprietor when his Dad spotted him. Wander on over to DeliciousBaby for more Photo Friday fun. Related Posts Travel Makes Kids Say The Funniest Things Subscribe to this blog using RSS, email or follow me on Twitter. ]]> http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom/2009/02/19/paris-street-cafe/feed/ 12 http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom/2008/09/17/traveling-makes-kids-say-the-funniest-things/ http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom/2008/09/17/traveling-makes-kids-say-the-funniest-things/#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:33:04 +0000 wandermom http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom/2008/09/17/traveling-makes-kids-say-the-funniest-things/ Kayt Sukel wrote a fun piece on why we travel with kids last week. It made me think of the whacky things my boys have said and done during our many adventures. I laughed out loud as I remembered. Here's a selection of some of my favorites. As you've probably noticed from my recent posts, we spent some time in Italy this summer. The WanderDad and I try to help our kids observe local cultures and customs when we travel. Mostly, since they're kids, that starts with learning how to say "hello", "good-bye", "please" and "thank-you" in the local language and insisting that they do so while we're on the road. I've never even considered whether or not my children thought this was an imposition. So I was surprised when BigB pronounced that he was "so glad he didn't have to keep speaking Italian" to the front desk attendant in a very heartfelt way when we checked into our hotel in London on our way home this year. Chateau in Poitiers where we stayed in 2002 In 2005 we played in castles (in Ireland), attended a wedding at a pretty fancy castle (again in Ireland), stayed in a castle (in Poitiers, France) and visited more castles (in the Loire Valley). My travel-worn five-year-old protested. "Hand's up who's all done with chateaus" he demanded at the top of his voice. We bailed on visiting any more castles and just hung out instead. Parthenon, Greece But my favorite of all the strange kid sayings has to be BigB's reaction when he saw the Parthenon. It was hot and we had been walking around Athens for most of the day. The Plaka, the neighborhood around the Acropolis, is a fun place to explore, but you do have to walk uphill to get to the Acropolis itself. With much grumbling and moaning my children trudged up the hill. As we came through the gates, and the Parthenon came into view, they were obviously impressed. But not in the way I thought. "That looks just like Age of Empires." BigB exclaimed as he looked up at the Parthenon. What can I say? Subscribe to this blog using RSS, email or follow me on Twitter.]]> http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/wandermom/2008/09/17/traveling-makes-kids-say-the-funniest-things/feed/ 4