10 Things You May or May Not Be Interested In

1. Our internet has been very sketchy, which is why we've been keeping a low cyber profile. (Though, obviously, we are popping online from time to time.)
2. Our hot water in the shower has also been very sketchy. Fortunately, my brilliant husband figured out that if we run the cold water in the sink on full blast, we will create a fountain in the sink that splashes out on the floor, but we will also occasionally have hot water in the shower. Hot water is pretty much my only requirement in life, so I was overjoyed at this discovery and don't even mind mopping up the floor after each shower.
3. We throw a breaker in our apartment if we turn on any two kitchen appliances at the same time. This is just as convenient as it sounds.
4. We had several loads of ski laundry to do when we arrived, including all the coats proudly displaying our family “W” in duct tape, which was much stickier than we originally thought. After many attempts to get the sticky off, I came across a homemade version of Goo Gone, which, along with a good bit of elbow grease, helped more than anything. Here is the recipe, in case you ever find yourself in a similar sticky situation. (I used olive oil, because that's what I had and also added a couple of drops of lemon essential oil, for good measure.)
5. Speaking of recipes, I made these cookies (substituting almond butter for peanut butter), which my family went crazy for. They are a variation on the old stand-by, no-bake cookie I've loved since I was a kid. They are super easy to make, if you need to throw something together for an upcoming Christmas party.
6. It's been sunny and 65 here every day, which is a pretty good way to do December, if you ask me. We've spent time playing at the onsite playground and one of the beach playgrounds, sitting outside, going down to the beach, and barbecuing. 

   

   Playground Fun

   
   

   

   Caldes d'Estrac Beach

7. All of my children seem to be going through growth spurts at the moment, and they have insatiable appetites. Our main chef, Jeff, has spent hours in the kitchen and at the grill, preparing restaurant quantities of delicious food. I did mention to him if he would stop making the food taste so good, it might slow the ravenous crowd down a bit, but he continues to produce one mouth watering dish after another, which continue to be devoured in no time flat. 

   

   Trying to stay ahead of the demand

8. I have already sold 18 journals in the month of December. It's so exciting to think about all the kiddos who will soon be recording their travel memories in a book I put together!
9. We are having so much fun gathering supplies for our Christmas Saran Ball. It's going to be epic.
10. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mimi and Grandpa, who will be here within the week!

Germany

We left The Netherlands early yesterday morning and headed for Germany. Along the way, we saw some amazing scenery and had a couple of unique experiences. First of all, we stopped at a gas station for fuel and a pitstop and learned that not all public restrooms are free to use. We also learned that not all privacy standards are the same the world over, and my boys are still shaking their heads at the urinal being pretty much out in the open. Around lunch time, we discovered that it was a national holiday, since we couldn't find any place open to grab a bite to eat. About an hour after the kids were "starving to death," we found a truck stop with a cafeteria and were able to eat our fill of delicious and truly authentic German food. We finally stopped for the night at a lovely home, in the beautiful little village of Holm-Seppensen, Germany.

We were up early again this morning, moving toward Berlin. On the way, we stopped at the Nazi concentration camp Sachsenhausen. With lumps in our throats and tears in our eyes, we tried to comprehend the truly incomprehensible of a unbelievably horrific time and place. I have no words.

After a picnic lunch, we drove on through Berlin and past what is left of the Berlin Wall. We then continued on to our home for the next couple of nights in Luckenwalde, Germany. We had a chance to take the kids to a nearby park to stretch our legs after the long car ride. And, then, taking advantage of our first really good internet signal since we've been traveling, we did Skype and Facetime calls with our parents. Finally, we found a little hole-in-the wall restaurant/bar for dinner, that has been in business since 1898, and where not a word of English was spoken or written on the menus. We were the only restaurant patrons, and possibly the only ones to ever come from America. One of our goals for this trip is to immerse ourselves in the true local culture as much as possible, and this definitely seemed like a good place to start. We did our best with the German, but were mostly surprised by what we ordered--pleasantly so. Every bite was phenomenal. It was a grand adventure and a wonderful end to this day of emotional ups and downs.

The drive through Germany is gorgeous! I especially love the rapeseed fields.

last night's accommodation

little monkey boy 

glad to stretch their legs after being in the car all day

playing frisbee in the yard

a short hike through the woods at Holm-Seppensen

Sachsenhausen

guard house at Sachsenhausen, built solely for it's opulence and appearance of power 

Berlin Wall

Our home tonight in Luckenwalde

Lovely day at the park 

unique see-saw

blowing wishes

talking to the grandparents

Gaststatte Unger

Around the World in a Carry-On Bag: Electronics

Today, as I continue my packing series, I'm featuring electronics.This isn't a terribly exciting thing to write about, but this techy gear is certainly necessary for the kind of trip we're taking. Again, I'm only showcasing what I'm carrying in my bag, but each person's bag has its equivalents. The kids each have a device (iPad, Kindle or phone), which contains all of their school books, pleasure reading and video games. The older kids also all have a camera. If you're just getting in on the series, you can see the other contents of my bag here, here, here, here, here and here. 

MacBook Air + charger--I have been using the Air for many years now, and I just love how compact, lightweight and functional it is. This little device is such a part of my daily life, I couldn't think of leaving home without it.

Canon Powershot SX280 HS Camera + charger--I love my Canon Powershot, because it is compact enough to put in my pocket, but it takes some of the best pictures of any camera I've ever owned. And, with a 20x optical zoom, I don't have to worry too much about missing an awesome shot just because the subject is a long ways off.

OnePlus One Phone + charger--I have only had this phone a few months, but, so far, I am enjoying it very much. I will not be using it much as a phone when we're traveling, but it will function as my reader, my journal, my alarm clock, my entertainment and so much more.

Road Warrior Ultra Thin Universal Power Strip--A universal power adapter with three outlets seems like a pretty useful travel companion to me.

Anker 5 port USB Charger--With all our devices, we needed a compact way to be able to charge lots of things at once. This is the perfect solution.

First Favorites of the New Year

Form and function meet in this hard shell case with bonus keyboard cover.
Taking care of business is much more fun when everything is covered in a splash of color!

I have struggled with hormonal acne most of my adult life.
This is the first face wash I've used that really seems to keep it at bay.

Weston received this kit for Christmas,
and we have been having a blast conducting the edible experiments. 

I received the Fitbit Charge as a gift, and I absolutely love it!
It actually makes choosing a healthy lifestyle fun!

These three sites (booking.com, airbnb.com and vrbo.com) are our go-tos
for finding and booking places to stay overseas. We have gotten many good deals, on personality-filled
accommodations, for our exceptionally large (by European hotel standards) family. 

I have been looking for months for a comfortable pair of flats that would work with pants or a skirt.
These Merrell Mary Janes are the perfect solution.

This is my current coffee obsession. 

We have been Starfall fans since Ruth was little.
Now we are introducing Clay to it, to teach some basic reading and math skills.
It's not as flashy as some programs, but the kids (even the older ones) love it.

On our practice trip to Canada,
we decided we really needed some collapsable water bottles
to make getting through airports easier and less expensive.
These fit the bill perfectly, and now we have a family set.  

I love the flavor and the moisture of this doTerra lip balm,
 but I especially love the fact that passes the kiss test with my hubby!

7th, 3rd, 1st and Pre

We survived completed our first week of school and can officially say we have students in 7th, 3rd, and 1st grades and a preschooler! It was not an unflawed week, but I'd say it actually went remarkably well. You'll notice an abundance of electronic devices in the pictures, which hasn't ever been our normal MO, but we're practicing this year for the "roadschooling" to come during our upcoming round-the-world travels. We sent all of our textbooks to a company called 1 Dollar Scan and had them digitize everything and send us back the pdfs, which we then downloaded to all our devices. It's not a perfect schooling system, and it takes a little getting used to (especially if you are a lover of actual books), but so far, we are very pleased with the quality and convenience and feel it will serve us well while we are traveling. Don't worry, we are still trying to work in some real books and some hands-on stuff so we don't turn into complete screen zombies.

Here are the schedules for this year's students:

Ruth (7th grade)

• Math (Algebra I)
• Latin
• History
• Spelling/Vocabulary
• Literature/Writing
• Italian
• Logic
• Science
• Music (Voice)
• Ruth is also participating in Challenge B classes, which is the 8th grade level of CC. She will engage in weekly discussions with other students and a trained tutor, and they will cover topics in Math, Science, Logic, Latin, Literature/Writing, and Debate. She will get to put together a large science fair project and participate in a mock trial, among many other interesting and educational activities. 

Weston (3rd grade)

• Math (working in the 5th grade book)
• Grammar/Writing
• History
• Spelling
• Latin
• Science 
• Reading
• Weston will be in the 8-9 year old class at CC, where he will gaining knowledge in the areas of Math, English Grammar, Latin, History, Geography, Science and a chronological timeline of the world, as well as participating in weekly science experiments, presentations, and fine arts projects. 

Max (1st grade)

• Math (just about to start the second grade book)
• Reading 
• Writing
• Spanish
• History
• Science
• Max will be participating in a CC class for 6-7 year olds, which will cover the same topics I mentioned for Weston. 

Clay (preschool)

• Pre-reading skills
• Numbers
• Pre-writing skills
• Sitting in on any class with older siblings he can get away with and spending lots of time being read to by his teachers.

Spanish--first day of school

This boy LOVES to read!

electronics everywhere

ooey gooey science

proud of his blue non-Newtonian fluid

young scientist

Another Science Experience

Yesterday, we decided to load up the whole crew for the early morning trip to take Mimi and Grandpa to the airport, so we could visit the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Tampa. We were the first ones there and the last ones to leave! We had a blast learning about the human body, programing and playing with robots, seeing an IMAX show about dinosaurs, viewing the Florida night sky in the planetarium, testing our mettle on the ropes course and mixing healthy doses of fun and learning.

Now, that's a piggy bank!

news anchors

tornado

experiencing hurricane wind

the good people of Disasterville

high wire bike

brain child

learning about sleep 

assisting with a Tesla coil demo

trying out the bed of nails

Max's head on a platter

half Mom, half Ruth

Masters of the ropes course

taking the fun to new heights

little monkey

Max and Weston controlling the robotic arm, while Ruth looks on

Clay taking "Max" for a spin

programming lesson

Max and Max