Matt, Becky, and Tim are watching Borat about ten feet away from me, which is proving to be something of a distraction in terms of writing a blog post (don’t worry about me missing anything–I’ve already seen it). It’s one of the few moments on this trip when I’ve wished for perhaps a bit more space.
In fact, traveling with the kids always makes me feel like we live in too big a house. When we are on the road, we always manage to get by in much smaller quarters with much less stuff. Cleaning is simple, there’s no yard work, and although the knives in the kitchen are inevitably so dull that I’m amazed I still have all my digits, I usually manage to put out some pretty good meals. All those catalogues and magazines that have us hoodwinked into thinking that a large and beautifully decorated abode is the secret to happiness were written by people who have never come happily home to this:
When we go home the children will have a big playroom full of toys and a backyard with a playset and they will be happy and grateful for these things, as am I. But there is also no pond where they can go “netting” for frogs as Teddy calls it, no gloriously muddy trail right up the road where we can find mushrooms and grasshoppers, and of course no maple creemees.
Don’t let Pottery Barn fool you. Your kids can sleep in a room utterly lacking monograms and be quite content. If you are feeling perhaps dissatisfied with the state of your possessions, I recommend packing your kids up and going someplace you really love. Even if the weather refuses to cooperate, I promise it will change your perspective.
OK, so Borat is running naked around a hotel and my relations are laughing pretty hard over there. I think beer might start coming out Matt’s nose soon. Perhaps I should join them no? I am on vacation after all.
I've taken with my children and those I want to take. Explore and you'll find family travel tips, information about vacation destinations, and lots of stories about our adventures! 
