by Stephen

Balian Beach and Pondok Pitaya: Bali Indonesia

After 1 week in Bali our family was craving an ideal location for surf and fun with the kids. We happened upon Balian Beach after changing plans to avoid the overpriced Gilis.

Here is What we Wanted

Great beginner/intermediate surfing right outside our door (check)
Surfboards to hire/rent (check)
A nice pool for the kids (check)
very close to the beach (check)
A spacious room (big check)

We found it all (and more) at Pondok Pitaya on Balian beach.

Although the surf was a bit bigger than I would have liked while were there, everything about Balian beach and Pondok Pitaya was perfect.

They had babysitting, yoga, message, wonderful surfing, surfing lessons, board rentals, good food, a great atmosphere and lots of vacationing families.

We stayed there for 5 days and 6 nights

Front porch

Balian Beach

Our “room”

Making Australian Friends

The afternoon wind could be strong, but the morning and early evenings were perfect. The surf favors a 5-6 food swell with a mid to high tide. It can go from perfect to quite big overnight and is a bit fickle. There are strong rips and a rocky bottom so it is not great for surfing with small children.

The cost of a driver to Balian Beach from the East Coast of Sanur was 400,000 Indonesian Rupiah… About $35 US.

Surfboard rentals are right next to the hotel and should be no more than 50,000. There were boards of all sizes in mediocre condition for rent.

You can get lessons from a great instructor for about $35 US.

The message and yoga options are large and varied, on-site they are more expensive than you will find in the bigger cities.

The accommodations are unique and very, I call them super bungalows.

You are right on the beach and you can see the surf from your bed.

Tide shifts are huge and there is a very strong rip so again be forewarned.

Prices on Bookings.com tend to be the best. Pondok Pitaya on Bookings.

You may also want to double check on Agoda to find the best price. Pondok Pitaya on Agoda

by Stephen

Tonight, everything seems just right!

Morning sun over the Balian Beach Rice Fields

I ran today for the first time in 10 days.

My God I thought, life is beautiful.

The sun rising warmly over the rice terraces, casting a golden yellow glow as sweet as honey upon the rusted cast iron fence and hand carved stone edifice of the Hindu Temple.

Into the Mangrove forest, along a deserted stone pathway, crossing cattle, coconut lined dirt roads, and palm trees… So many long, tall, fluffy palm tress.

Then up the hill, past a waterfall.

Hidden treasures I call them, and I pack them away into my “bag.”

I save them for a later time when a day is long or hard or life seems a little too monotonous.

Covers off, parting the lipstick red mosquito nets that drape my bamboo bed, my footsteps are silenced by the sound of waves beating the black sand beaches of Balian bay.

And the children sleep, lulled by the cool air, the ocean and the humm of the room fan perched besides their beds.

Today, we had a great day.

We bid farewell to small friends with Australian accents, little brown nosed dogs and a broomstick prince.

I took one last swim, returned the rental surfboard and greeted the warm toothless smile of the old, wrinkled Balinese women who took my $20 dollars for the 5 day board rental.

One final eggs on toast with homemade apple jam, fresh fruit and background music which reminded me I am indeed middle age.

This is living, this is what it means to breath I think, and now I type, sipping lightly sweetened, packaged Nescafe, my distorted reflection on the shiny silver tea pot and the warm Balinese air.

Tonight, everything seems just right!

In front of our cabin

by Stephen 4 comments

Helping Children (and Ourselves) Adjust to a new Family Travel Lifestyle

I am not a psychiatrist or an expert on parenting, if I was maybe I wouldn’t be writing this post.

Hell, if I was I probably wouldn’t have quit my job and bought tickets halfway around the world.

But, I have been traveling 6 weeks now with my wife and 2 small children taking on roadschooling, sharing often small rooms and small beds in confined places and traveling through some difficult to negotiate places.

I have been learning to manage a fledgling online business with spotty internet and very limited connections.

Almost every day I bookmark something that I will turn to as a highlight in my book of life. Everyday our learning and life experience grows exponentially.

My children have been asked to break out of every comfortable routine they have ever had, my wife and I have had to learn to work as a strong and unified team, we have all had to learn to work together.

Rooming together has had its ups and downs. It has led to some real memorable bedtime talks as a family that I will never forget, also it has led to children rolling off beds, legs on our heads, long periods of involuntary abstinence and difficult evenings when everybody is tired (most notably the two times after we had 23 hour flights!)

Many parenting books talk about giving children space to vent and cool off if they are overtired and are throwing a fit. This is not so hard when you are in the comfort of your home, in a hotel at 11pm when everyone is sleeping or in a long line after 2 hours of sitting in customs this can be very challenging.

I wrote both my parents the other day describing some of the difficulties we have experienced over the last two weeks:

Our six year olds resistance to homeschooling.
Some truly epic meltdowns when everyone is overtired, hungry or thirsty.
Homesickness

There were several times in the past 2 weeks that I was ready to throw in the proverbial towel and just book a flight home already. Family travel is great when everyone is happy, but when people are overtired, overheated and in search of a good meal things can go sour pretty fast.

My mom, a schoolteacher of 30 years, who raised my sister and I, is the epitome of zen in the face of a childhood meltdown.

She had this to say:

I really found this to be true in dealing with children. They don’t know what is wrong or have the skills to cope so they act out. Many adults have the same lack of skills!

She hit the nail on the head on this one!

Sometimes in the middle of a truly wonderful day one of our children will act out over what seems to be the tiniest things.

This has been amplified over the last 2 weeks.

It can present as rudeness, a lack of empathy, bickering, complaining etc. etc.

I believe it all has a common core, one that requires we as parents to react with love, empathy and a calm demeanor.

Beyond the culture, beyond the animals, beyond the unique smells, new foods and amazing people there is something else that can grow out of family travel.

A strong family:

One that treats each other and everyone around them with respect
A family that reacts with kindness and love in all situations
A family that has a desire to understand and identify with the struggles of others
A family that respects one another
That embraces lifelong learning

These things, which I thought were simple and obvious become more difficult when we are stressed.

Travel does create stress, which can lead to cracks in your armor. It has exposed many of my own, and I believe at the end of the year it will be this mission, this goal to become a stronger more loving and generous family that will be our greatest reward as well as our greatest challenge!

Supertubes

by Stephen

Jeffrey’s Bay South Africa with Kids

Breakdown of costs for 3 nights and 3 full days for a family of 4 in Jeffrey’s Bay

Accommodations – $198 for 3 nights in a 4 star B&B (we splurged)
Excursions – $0
Groceries – $49 (lasting 4 days)
Eating out – $60

Total cost: $307

We made Jeffrey’s Bay our last stop on the Garden Route and our 6’th stop on our South Africa family adventure traveling from Cape Town → Hermanus → Oudtshoorn → Wilderness → Plettenburg Bay → then here to Jeffrey’s Bay.

We went to “J-bay” as it is passionately called because I like to surf, and Jeffrey’s is considered by many to be one of, if no the best, surfing wave in the world.

The day we arrived the swell was 15-19 feet high and there were more people sitting in the observatory deck than there were in the water, which I counted to be exactly zero.

I figured these locals just didn’t have what it took to surf real waves until the next morning when there were well over 100 people in the water, what a difference a day makes!

Although I never did surf J-Bay (I opted for body boarding on the “kiddie beach” with 11 foot sell instead) it has been one of my favorite stops along our journey.

What to do with Kids in Jeffrey’s Bay

As I mentioned above, J-Bay is a surfing town, it fits every stereotype, down to our laid back hostel owner who when I asked what the swell was going to be like tomorrow looked at me with his big brown eyes and said, it is what it is, it may be smaller, it may be bigger, we just take each day as it comes and try not to predict the future.

Wow, I thought, that is a great way to live life!

We then talked about life in J-bay, how he had built this hostel with his own hands, briefly discussed the meaning of life, and then I promptly logged on to their WiFi and checked Surfline to check the next days swell.

What can I say, Zen habits take time man!

Surfing

If you are a good surfer J-bay is your spot. It is “heavy”, fast, a bit unpredictable and sublime to watch.

The main area for surfing is a region called Supertubes, Of course like all descent surf spots “supertubes” is divided once again. I called it small medium and large. The locals called it “boneyards’, supertubes, and the point. (please don’t hate me if I got this wrong)

Having surfed long enough I knew “boneyards” probably was named that way for a good reason. Asking why it was named that way I got a mix of answers, but my first walk at low tide was all I needed to see. A large, jagged, rocky reef made up of a myriad of mini canyons separated white sandy beach from velocity of J-bay’s wave.

The stories I heard about broken bones, lacerations, missing front teeth and sharks… ahh sounds great.

As a surfer I decided not surf J-bay, which may very well mean I am not a real “surfer”, but if the surf had been smaller I would have, I would have paddled out to the point, and to be honest I would have probably paid the 20 bucks for a lesson.

J-bay has a strong and unpredictable current so you should not go at it alone especially for your first time, the reef (in my opinion) is big enough that it could cause some serious bodily injury. The wave is spectacular, there is a reason it is called Supertubes and everybody who comes back from a surf session has a big smile on their faces. The laid back surfer culture is refreshing, people are not arrogant, but kind, even the bushy blond haired prototypical surfer dudes are readily approachable.

Beaches

Endless, white, sandy and scattered with jewels of the sea, the beaches at J-bay are surprisingly spectacular. As a runner this was a dream come true.

The “poky” reef

Supertubes

This beach was made for running.

Where to stay in Jeffrey’s Bay with Kids

Stay at: Cristal Cove

(A story from Wendy)

We found our place in Jeffrey s Bay, it’s called Crystal’s Cove and it has turned into such a wonderful spot!

For around $65 a night we had our own family apartment complete with two bedrooms, two baths, balcony with a view to the ocean, full kitchen, living room, TV, consistent WiFi, beer bottle candles, a friendly cat, a lively bar downstairs, a pool table, tennis courts a block away, a play ground a block away, great people to talk too and to round it off, Supertubes right outside our bedroom window.

Our room was surprisingly quiet, even though we were right above the bar.

On arrival a darling 6 year old with a sparkle in her eye greeted us with “My name is Aleah, come and see this cool dead lizard!”

Wow, I thought, it was like meeting our daughters long lost twin.

Turns out she was the owners granddaughter. The kids quickly befriended one another and ended up having 2 wonderful play dates during our stay, as did mom and dad!

Crystal Cove is a true family run business. The patriarch of the family is a kind and gentle man who will talk your ear off about the local surf and what it used to be like in the old days, his wife is a painter, their daughter, Cindy, was equally animated and kind, she spent the afternoon chatting with us as the children laughed and played.

We met a 14 yr old boy from the Maldives traveling with his Dad on a surf holiday.

He joined in with the kids’ fun acting as an older brother, chasing the kids around the hostel and having a grand old time.

I finally got to ask Cindy, a true local, some burning questions that I had about South African society. Everything from questions about the racial divide to why such bad coffee and internet, to what was up with all the parking attendants that crowd the South African streets.

My only regret is not eating dinner the first night with everyone. It smelled and looked so delicious.

One of the staff at Crystal Cove is a chef and will cook up a great meal every night for a minuscule price if there’s enough people.

Crystal Cove

Friendly Fun

Learning to Drum

Tea Time

Backyard Park

Where to Eat in J-Bay with Kids

The kids had Pb&J by candle light and I had yogurt with granola.

We opted for some really bad pizza at a very popular Portuguese restaurant in town earlier.

Mental note, don’t order pizza at a great Portuguese restaurant, order the Portuguese food, it looked fantastic!

by Stephen 1 comment

Addo and the Elephant Park – South Africa for Families

Addo is a magical place for kids and families.

We made this our third stop on our route from Cape Town → Hermanus → Oudtshoorn → Wilderness → Plettenberg Bay → Jeffrey’s Bay → and here at the Addo Elephant Park.

Breakdown of costs for 3 nights and 3 full days for a family of 4 in Addo

Accommodations – $184 for 3 nights at the amazing river cabins.
Excursions – $56
Groceries – $41 (lasting 4 days)
Eating out – $39

Total cost: $320

What to do in Addo with Kids:

Addo is all about the elephants!

Addo elephant park is truly an “out of this world” experience. It will go down in the record books as one of the most mesmerizing and delightful experiences of my life.

For our two small children, it was a bit “too much time in the car”. Either way, Addo and the elephant park is a must for anyone planning a trip to South Africa, especially for families.

Addo is a State run park and offers it’s own paid 2-hour drives on the game reserve in Land Rovers. But as we have found just like most state parks here in South Africa, for safety reasons, your children must be 6 or older to book a guided drive through the park itself. Because we were traveling with our 4-year-old son we chose to self-drive the park, so just remember this if you are traveling with younger children and wish to go on a guided tour.

*You do not need to book with a tour group to go to the elephant park. You simply drive to the entrance, pay the entrance fee and you are all set.

What is the best part of being 4 people crammed into a tiny car just a bit bigger than a male bull rhinoceros? When the elephants quietly sneak up behind the car, you can just imagine the looks on your kids’ faces!

A self-drive offers scheduled potty and food breaks and allows you to enjoy the park at your own pace, it is also free apart from the small admission fee. Because the locations of animal spottings are posted on the main board as you enter the park you don’t have to worry about missing much.

If you are traveling with younger children and would like to book an expedition through an agency I would recommend Schotia Safaris. They have several options available and they have a friendly staff!

Breathtaking

Elephant family

Buffalo spotting

Elephant play time

Watch out for elephants walking down the road

Mom and baby

Brother and sister

When I was a young warthog!

Schotia Safaris:

We were intending to go on an evening safari with our entire family with Schotia Safaris, but it rained for 2 days straight so we decided to wait till we got to St. Lucia and Hluhluwe & Umfolozi Game Reserve instead.

That being said I still think Schotia would have been an amazing adventure and a good deal for the family. I spoke with the owner who was very helpful, offers pickup from the Avoca river cabins and gives 1/2 price discounts for small children.

This may also be your only chance to see lions or leopards on safari, especially if you go on the evening tour.

Where to stay in Addo with Kids:

Avoca river cabins

The Avoca river cabins are about 15 minutes away from the Elephant Park. Hands down this is the very best place we have stayed in all of South Africa (and that is saying a lot!).

Free kayaks for use on the river
Amazing river front cabins with a heater during the winter months!
A beautiful pool with a slide
A full kitchen
Two playgrounds each equipped with a ground level trampoline, zipline, tire swing and a jungle gym.
Less than $65 US per night!

Let me say it one more time as well to make sure you get this down. There is a free and amazing kid size zipline! So cool.

Breakfast was 5 dollars for adults and free for children, and because the property is on an orange orchard you can help yourself to all the oranges you would like. Because of this we ate oranges and drank fresh squeezed orange juice for 3 days straight!

Our daughter on the free playground zipline

Squeezing fresh OJ picked from the free orchards

Trying to get work done poolside

A view from below

A view from above

Our 4 year old on the zipline

In front of our cabin

Jumping in the rain

Inside our room (not including the upstairs)

Playing with the local kittens

Where to eat in Addo with Kids

My wife and the kids enjoyed the food at a wonderful restaurant nearby. Although the roof blew off she 🙂 she said the food was inexpensive and excellent. When I get the name of it I will post it here!

NOTE: Addo the town and the elephant park is confusing, but it really isn’t once you get there. We thought the only way to enjoy the park may be to stay at one of the park’s cabins, but this is not at all the case. There are other bigger resort type areas as well such as highly regarded camp fig tree which are expensive and absolutely not necessary. There are several “self-catering B&B’s in the area which all are very close to the park. The park itself is simply a large fenced off nature reserve with lots of amazing animals. Addo the town and the small towns outside such as Kirkwood are not really tourist towns. In fact, if you are driving from the south and emerging from the Garden route you will find this to be the first time you are submerged in Xhosa culture. Where white skin becomes the minority and the towns definitely

by Stephen 2 comments

Wilderness and Knysna for Kids and Families

Wilderness - Exotic beaches, whales and friendly people.

View Google Map stay at Wilderness Beach House Backpackers

We made Wilderness our 4th stop on our 5 week tour of South Africa going from Cape Town → Hermanus → Oudtshoorn → Wilderness.

We had planned to stay in Victoria Bay or Mossel Bay but decided to make Wilderness our destination because of word of mouth recommendations and the fact that we found a great backpackers hostel en route that provided two rooms with a balcony overlooking the beach for $40 per night!

Waking up to Southern Right Whales, and the sound of crashing waves makes this a wonderful stop on any family South African itinerary.

Breakdown of costs for 3 nights and 3 full days for a family of 4 in Wilderness

Accommodations – $85 for 2 nights and 3 days
Excursions – $95
Groceries – $3 (lasting 4 days)
Eating out – $37

Total cost: $220

What to do in Wilderness and Knysna with Kids

Wilderness Beaches:

Wilderness is pure beauty, it is a great place to set your bags down, let the kids run on the beach and relax with your partner sipping the delightful instant coffee provided for free by your hostel.

Knysna and Emzini Township Tours

Some people recommend staying in Knysna, and this may be a reasonable option as well. We made it a day trip from our hostel in wilderness. Knysna is a tourist hub and there is a lot of shopping and small places to eat. There is also a ferry ride that we only read about. For us, it was all about the township tour with Emzini Tours.

We had wanted to visit a township for the experience and to gain a better understanding of South Africa and it’s political/socioeconomic structure. Ella, the creator of this tour will be your guide, she is energetic and passionate about her community and the chance to make positive social change. Her energy and enthusiasm is infectious.

Our kids loved the adventure which ended with tea, cookies and drumming along with a visit to a preschool in the township. Book ahead, the tour usually leaves at 10 am sharp and will likely be full during high season.

Buffalo Bay:

This is just 20 minutes down the road and is one of the most family friendly beaches we have found. And if you like surfing, there is a great outside break for mom and dad with a gentle inside break for the kiddos on soft sand.

If you arrive in the off-season you can rent surfboards at Buckingham Pelles. It is the white building right behind the little shopping center.

Teaching my 4 year old son to hang 10

View of Buffalo Bay surf break

Panoramic of Buffalo Bay

Stay:

Wilderness Beach House Backpackers – This place is so fun and friendly, the views are spectacular, it’s close to the beach and the owner of this lodge will make you feel right at home. It is cold in the winter and they don’t have heat, so be warned. You may want to ask for extra blankets.

by Stephen 1 comment

Plettenberg Bay South Africa

We made Plettenberg Bay our 5’th stop on our 5 week tour of South Africa adventure: Cape Town → Hermanus → Oudtshoorn → Wilderness → then here at Plettenberg Bay.

Plettenberg Bay is a perfect stop for families. It has nice family beaches, a quaint downtown, reasonably price accommodations (on the off season at least) and great activities for adults and kids alike.

Breakdown of costs for 3 nights and 3 full days for a family of 4 in Plettenberg Bay

Accommodations – $226 for 3 nights in a 4 star B&B (we splurged)
Excursions – $110
Groceries – $41 (lasting 4 days)
Eating out – $36

Total cost: $413

Things to do with families in Plettenberg Bay

All the guidebooks and the millions of pamphlets that populate the walls of every public enterprise around South Africa will lead you to three places:

Birds of Eden
Tenikwa
Monkeyland

Surprisingly, I enjoyed these place in this order, completely the opposite of what I thought heading into our journey.

Birds of Eden

Birds of Eden – This place was a delight,honestly amazing! Walking into the dome you will definitely feel like you are a tribute in the hunger games. That is where the parallels end, well except for the talking birds of course.

This can be done on the same day as Monkeyland, although we did this second and by the end our kids were tired and wanting to be carried. We had some great food and played with the adventurous birds during our mealtime.

Tenikwa

Tenikwa – I would say this was right on par with Monkeyland. The only reason I am ranking it third here is because this might be the only place in the world you can interact one on one with Cheetahs, Servile’s and African wildcats. Our kids loved it and so did we.

There are two options for small children. You cannot take kids under the age of 16 on the morning and evening cat walks (the cats will want to eat them) so you can do the 1 hour standard tour or you can do the 2 hour children focused learning tour. We opted for the 1 hour tour because in our experience this is about right at the point our 4 year old starts to lose focus. If you have kids 6 and up I would do the 2 hour tour. Make sure you book in advance.

Monkeyland

Monkeyland – Just one hour like Tenikwa but it will be a memorable one. Interact (but don’t touch) the monkeys. We loved the spider monkeys and all it was very educational. Neat being in the enclosure right along with the monkeys.

I would recommend doing this first then going over and checking out the Birds of Eden which is self guided and can be enjoyed att an easy going pace.

Where to Stay with Kids in Plettenberg Bay

Swallow’s Nest: We ended up at a B&B ran by a Dutch couple and their son. We talked them down to 700 rand a night for a really nice 2 bedroom cottage overlooking the entire bay. They had a good internet connection a small pool (that was too cold for the kids unfortunately) and the best part…. The most amazing breakfast I have ever had.

Honestly I would probably recommend the beach-side backpackers just because their location is a bit better and it is probably a bit more budget friendly for families but this breakfast was so good I may actually consider going back someday for that alone.

Eat:

We made breakfast our one big meal and prepared sandwiches and the like at home for the rest of the time. But there are tons of quaint small restaurants in town that can be enjoyed, there is a nice big grocery store in the center of town which we used to buy our food.

Oudtshoorn South Africa - Ostriches, Caves and the Wildlife Ranch!

by Stephen 3 comments

Oudtshoorn South Africa for Kids and Families

View Google map stay at Karoo Soul

Oudtshoorn is a great place for families.

It is better as a destination than a day trip from Cape Town.

We made this our third stop on our South Africa family adventure from Cape Town → Hermanus → and then here to Oudtshoorn.

We spent 3 nights here which we felt was the perfect amount of time to enjoy the area at a slow and easy pace with kids.

Breakdown of costs for 3 nights and 2 full days for a family of 4 in Oudtshoorn

Accommodations – Karu Soul $183 for 3 nights
Excursions – $61
Groceries – $40 (lasting 4 days)
Eating out – $35

Total: $319

Things to do with Kids in Oudtshoorn

There are 3 big things you have to do when you go to Oudtshoorn. I would recommend at least 2 days to make sure you can enjoy your time.

Cango Ostrich Farm

Cango Ostrich Farm – There are several Ostrich farms on the route but this one came highly recommended. It is a 1-hour tour and you have a lot of time to interact with the Ostriches. Your kids will love to ride or sit on the ostriches, you will have a chance to feed them and interact with them during the guided tour. Although it seems a bit touristy (because it is) the kids loved it and probably was the most memorable thing we did in Oudtshoorn.

Cango Caves

Cango Caves – Our children were surprisingly scared in the caves. I think it is because they have been listening to too much Harry Potter. Regardless I thought the caves were amazing. There are two tours, I recommend the heritage tour for children 12 and under. There is an adventure tour as well, but climbing into small narrow spaces in a dark cavern may be fighting for little children.

Cango Wildlife Ranch

Cango Wildlife Ranch – The Wildlife Ranch is basically a zoo, and if you are going to be going on Safari it probably won’t blow your mind. That being said it is a fun day for the kids, the tour is interesting and there is a wonderful kiddie play land with an easy going petting zoo which will provide hours of entertainment afterward.

Where to Stay with Kids in Oudtshoorn

Where we stayed: Karoo Soul – We stayed in the family “cottage” for US$60 per night. Nice and close to town, with a full kitchen and private bathroom. This was a bit more than we wanted to spend for 3 nights but definitely comfortable and the staff was super friendly. On the plus side, we received discounts to activities probably worth about $20 on the first day alone.

Family Lodgings

Hanging out in the Courtyard

The main house

Packing Up

Eating in Oudtshoorn

Buffelsdrift Restaurant – You can sleep here as well if you have the dough. Otherwise eat the dough in the form of amazing bread and a wonderful atmosphere.

Food here is wonderfully inexpensive, great wine and the pond fish will entertain the kiddos while the parents enjoy some time to catch up. I cannot recommend this enough!

by Stephen 2 comments

This is Living – Whatever That May Be

Why bother?

This is the thought that came to my mind yesterday.

We were on hour 14 of a very long day.

We were packing and emptying out our home to make way for 5 college boys.

We dropped off Cookie (our cat) and packed away our important belongings.

The amount of work kept seeming to escalate.

And when you have children, it is often multiplied by a factor of 2 or maybe 5.

I’m not ready

These are the words my 6-year-old said yesterday.

Then she broke down and stated crying.

This was a mix of being overtired, over hungry and the fact that 12 hours earlier, she had to say goodbye to her cat and beloved friend.

While we packed the house the kids played with our neighbors and their very close friends.

Our daughter was realizing this would be the last of that for a year as well.

We packed up their beds, their toys and their rooms.

These are all difficult concepts to understand when you are 4 and 6.

Taking the Time to Listen

My wife has been much better than me on this one, I hate to admit.

I tend to want the kids to “toughen up” or I want to solve the problem by highlighting all the upcoming adventures.

Ostriches, Kangaroos and Balinese beach shacks.

My wife demonstrates the correct response…. A hug.

Maybe it is because deep down I have so much insecurity about the upcoming trip.

Am I ready for a year-long adventure with my family?

It’s OK

It’s OK and normal to be afraid!

And I guess I need to hear this from time to time as well.

It’s OK to be scared of financial ruin, of sickness, of the daily travel routine, of the response of your kids, friends or family.

The stress of moving, leaving your job, your routine, going into the unknown and in our case, even underdeveloped parts of the world has been giving me an ulcer lately.

My sleep has sucked and despite being off work for the past week I have been feeling quite the opposite of relaxed.

But, it’s OK.

The Alternative

When I look at the alternative things become clear.

The alternative is a complex idea actually.

Because the alternative I guess could be anything.

We didn’t have to leave the country to leave our jobs, but we did have to leave our jobs to leave the country.

And once you have done that (left your secure job) things become easier.

You realize that security, as comfortable and anxiety relieving as it is, does not always mean we are growing and experiencing.

So for me the alternative was to exist, which isn’t living, or to experience, and trust.

Having faith

If you ask anyone I know they will tell you how lucky I am.

That I have such an amazing wife that tolerates me.

They say this not because I am a mean abusive husband, but because I am a bit of a dreamer.

After my daughter said “I’m not ready”, the next sentence was “why did dad have to have this dream”.

My loving wife tried to cover this by saying “it is not just dad’s dream honey”, but I know the truth.

It is all my fault

Yes, I have to take the blame on this one.

This trip is my fault.

And I am OK with that.

If I have to take the blame of whatever comes of this “family gap year” I am willing to accept it.

Am I ready? Hell no!

Am I excited! Hell Yeah!

And if you asked me this 6 months ago, before we had this adventure on the horizon I would have said no to the second question.

Excited and not ready translates into living and growing.

And even if none of this matters in the end (at least that is what the Buddhists say), for me and our family, I am so glad to say we are choosing a road slightly less traveled.

Taking the leap of faith and trusting God, Allah, the Universe, karmic “bundles”, or whatever has created this lovely world to be explored.

That this adventure will take us places we could never have imagined.

That this year of living will be like a lotus flower – opening up – spreading its petals – breathing life into something that was dying.

Sitting here at the table, finishing breakfast with the kids, writing this blog post, talking about our coffee mugs… This is living, whatever that may be.

by Wendy 3 comments

Packing for the Gap: 14 Warning Signs You Have too Much Junk!

Have ever felt that you just have too much “stuff”?

It’s t-minus 11 days and we are making the final purge as we empty our home for our one year around the world family adventure.

You can see what we packed by Clicking Here…

Clearing out our home to make way for 5 college students has been unbelievably frightening, rewarding and a bit exhausting.

My husband and I have moved many times over our 13 years of marriage.

Seattle → New Jersey → Central California → Santa Cruz where we have now been for 7 years.

This has been the longest time we have spent in one place and also enough time to accumulate a lot of extra “stuff”.

Here are 14 warning signs you have too much junk and why hitting the road may be one of the best things you will do for yourself and your family.

You finally find that highlighter pen and about 20 of its cousins.
You realize you haven’t flossed as much as you should because you find 20 packages of floss.
You find 20 mismatched socks for each person in the household.
You find the 20 boxes of crayons you bought when your daughter was one because they were on sale but you forgot about them and then continue to buy new ones over the next 6 years.
You find 20+ coloring books with one page colored in them but now your kids refuse to use them because “they’re old Mommy”.
You find literally 100 pens/pencils you swore you’d never bring into your house because you never used up the 100 pens from the last move.
You finally see the cobwebs in the corners and it suddenly grosses you out.
You realize how dusty your curtains and blinds are and wished you had broken down and actually hired that cleaning lady at least twice a year.
You look in your husbands den and really wonder what he does with all those computer parts and wires.
You finally find a hair band and 30 of its cousins and swear next time you’ll keep them in one place.
You find about five Costco sized mouth washes your husband insisted you buy because he was out. (This used to be the shaving cream, but we figured this one out the last time we moved.)
You find to random “thingamajigs” that you kept because you swore you’d find it’s mate, but you forgot what it was but you decide to pack it up “just in case” you figure it out one day.
You finally find the five combs/brushes you’ve misplaced over the years and wonder “should I really pack this up or just throw it away?” You’ll be happy to know I threw them away!
Your recycling bin is overflowing from all the paper, and empty boxes, and plastic “things” you kept for that rainy day project for the kids. (We’ve been in a drought for 2 years now!)

Bottom Line:

We should all at least pretend to move every 2-3 years just so we can clean the corners and purge unwanted stuff.

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