5 Things to Do in Norfolk, England with Kids

Of all the things I imagined doing while living in England, spending time on the beach (or even the coast, for that matter) didn't really cross my mind. But it should have. The UK has some of the most amazing coastal areas I've ever been to. Sunny and 85 degrees? Usually not. But if you can brave the elements, it's totally worth exploring.

The Norfolk area is only a couple of hours from our house, so we've been able to visit on occasional day trips throughout the past two years. When my sister's family came to visit, we decided it would be a great spot to base ourselves for a few days in order to take in even more of the family-friendly attractions in Norfolk.

Here are our favorite things to do in Norfolk:

Looking up in complete amazement at BeWilderwood.

A Reason to Return to the Algarve: Ponta da Piedade

As we embarked on our move to England, our list of places to see in Europe while we lived here was long. We quickly came to the realization that we wouldn't get to see it all, especially if we wanted to travel at a pace that allows us to actually enjoy the experience. So there was an unspoken rule that we wouldn't go somewhere more than once while we were here.

Rules are meant to be broken though, right?

Of all the trips we've taken in the last couple of years, I came home from Portugal last December overwhelmed by how much I loved it there, and yet somewhat unfulfilled, knowing we hadn't seen as much as I wanted. The cover of my Frommer's guidebook called out to me... that majestic site, Ponta da Piedade, was only 30 minutes from our resort in the Algarve but we never saw it.

Family Memories in Biarritz

There's a line in our family's favorite children's book, The Gruffalo, that keeps coming to mind whenever I think of our time in Biarritz in May.

"You lead the way, and I'll follow after."

My kids are oblivious about the nuances of travel. As long as their bellies are full and they can run around a bit, they're relatively content. That's true whether they're at a highway service station on a road trip or a gorgeous, five star resort on the beach. Makes no difference to them. Whereas we adults sometimes get so caught up in whether or not our hotel lives up to its TripAdvisor reviews or if the service at the restaurant was too slow.

Our only full day exploring Biarritz was a great example. Here we were, in one of the poshest cities in Europe. Passing by stores with names like Herve Leger and Hermes (thanks to excessive watching of the Rachel Zoe Project when Little Arrow was a newborn, I at least recognize these names!) People sitting in cafes, wearing sunglasses worth more than my entire wardrobe, sipping fancy drinks. Surfers, with their six-pack abs, clutching their boards ready for a day hanging ten. My kids didn't pick up on any of this. They simply knew this place had a beach, and therefore it MUST be amazing.

So they happily pranced out to the Virgin Rock in their dusty, hand-me-down crocs, as if they were running to catch that perfect wave.

Moments in France: Beach Bumming in Biarritz

This post continues my series of snapshots of my favorite moments from our recent trip to the Aquitaine region of southwest France. (See my first post from Bordeaux here.)

All day long we dangled the promise of a late afternoon trip to the beach in Biarritz over Big Arrow's head. We spent a busy morning sightseeing around the city, which involved a lot of walking on his part. (Not his favorite activity.) He had fun at the various stops we made, but must have asked us at least a dozen times when he could finally go to the beach. If you have young children, you know these were not polite questions, but more the slow burn of the dreaded whiney voice.

So after naps, off we went. And barely had our feet hit the sand when he dropped to the ground and said, "Mom, let's sunbathe."

Cornwall's Coastal Beauty

I initially looked into a stay at Bosinver Farm Cottages (full review at Ciao Bambino here) because I saw photos from another travel blogger who stayed there, and it looked like great fun for kids. To be honest, I knew nothing about Cornwall, the southwestern most part of England.

Once we were booked to visit the area, I naturally started reading up on it, and more importantly, started seeing pictures of the area. I was simply stunned... I had never realized that some of England's coastal areas were so spectacular. While I'm learning all about the beauty of rural England just by looking out my window each day, it's relatively flat around the East Midlands where we live, and we're about a 90 minute drive from the coast (in the Norfolk area... also relatively flat). So I was really excited to see a more unique English landscape for myself, and introduce this part of the country to my parents during their visit.

And it definitely lived up to the hype (and made the 5+ hour drive worth it!). Our first taste was a trip to the beach closest to Bosinver (about a 10 minute drive away), called Carylon Bay.

Renewing our Traveling Spirit at Martinhal's Beach

A year ago, when we were planning this move to England, I had visions that our travels would be endless sightseeing excursions. Castles. Cathedrals. Cobblestone streets. If it was on a must-see list, we were going to check it off. We've done a lot of that already and we have many more plans for the future. No way am I spending three years in Europe without seeing these historical landmarks I've always dreamed about.

Following this logic, a year ago I also figured that visiting the beaches of Europe might be a waste of our time. We could always do beach trips when we move back to America. Sand is sand, waves are waves, whether they've got a Florida zip code or a Portugal post code.

So on our last afternoon in southwest Portugal, my husband and I had the decision of spending an hour or two on the beach at our resort, or touring Sagres, a coastal town rich in history as the epicenter of the Age of Discovery.

We chose this.

Martinhal Resort in Sagres: My Stress Reliever

I've been thinking about stress lately. How much is too much, where it comes from, how I react to it, and what can be done about it. Probably because I've been dealing with it lately, mostly related to driving. In the last 4 weeks, these things have happened:

• Rented a car in Lisbon, only to have it break down on the highway an hour away from anything. Now I know what being stranded on a Portuguese highway with two little kids feels like. For the record, my children handled that scenario way better than I did.
• Got a cab back to Lisbon, only to pick up a new rental car and scrape it against a guardrail coming out of the airport parking garage.
• Back in the UK, I got a speeding ticket for going 36 in a 30 (caught by a speed camera). Then I learned that if I get just one more speeding ticket in the next two years, I'll have my license revoked. Instead, I have the pleasure of taking a 4-hour speeding awareness class on a Saturday afternoon to get it cleared from my record.
• Studied my tail off for two weeks and passed my written theory test, the first step in a two-step process toward getting my UK driver's license.
• Had my first driving lesson to prepare for part 2, the actual driving test. When's the last time you kept your hands at ten and two and performed a perfectly executed parallel park?

White knuckles wrapped around the steering wheel? Yeah, that's been me lately. I swear I'm not a bad driver, just prone to bad luck apparently.

But something else happened during the past month that found me more relaxed than I think I've ever been since becoming a mom. We spent a blissful 36 hours at Martinhal Resort in Sagres, Portugal. (It should have been 48 hours... damn you rental car!) It was the highlight of what was already a pretty magical week in Portugal.

A Week in Portugal with Kids

Sunset over the waterfront in the Belem area of Lisbon.

I've had an interest in visiting Portugal for nearly 10 years. When my husband and I were planning a month-long trip to Spain before we had kids, I had hoped we'd be able to include Portugal in our itinerary and I even bought a Lisbon guidebook. In the end, a detour to Portugal never materialized.

But I kept that guidebook. When we moved to a new house 10 months after Big Arrow was born, I shook my head as I unpacked it from its box (this being the third time I had packed and unpacked it). Why hold on to this, I thought. I've got a baby now... no way we'll get to Portugal in the next decade, at least.

You just never know what twists and turns life has for you.

So when I stuffed that old guidebook in my carry-on the night before we departed, I was thankful my dream of visiting had finally come true. Yet I couldn't help but wonder... would this place live up to the "dreamy destination just out of reach" hype I had given it in my mind?

Camping on the North Yorkshire Coast

We spent a memorable weekend camping along the North Yorkshire coast a few weeks ago, in a large caravan park nestled along the cliffs between Scarborough and Filey. While our campsite left a little something to be desired (think no trees and directly adjacent to the playground), the view just about a hundred yards away was pretty spectacular.

Savoring our First British Summer

I'm having one of those weeks... Little Arrow has been grouchy and is barely napping. I picked Big Arrow up from his summer day camp yesterday, only to find him sitting on a bench with a raging fever. Naturally, as tends to be the case in our family, my husband is away on his first business trip since we moved here. So I get to juggle all this by myself for the next few days.

So I sat down tonight, after bedtime duties dragged on for over an hour, and just wanted to see something that would make me smile. And make me thankful for this experience. Cue the family photos on the beach montage.

Then and Now: 2013 edition

I love the way photos help us mark the passage of time, particularly when it comes to the growth of young kids. One of the things I hope to do now and then on this blog is show, in a visual way, how our adventures change as the Arrows grow older. I've done this before, but now that Little Arrow is in the mix, it's even more fun to look back.

In 2011, my husband captured this moment during our trek to the pumpkin patch at Nienabers Farm Market.

Fast forward a year during our return to Nienabers, sit on the same bench, and replace that big pregnant belly with an 11-month old. (We also got a new camera... huge difference!)

At the 2011 Indiana State Fair, Big Arrow couldn't get enough of Little Hands on the Farm, especially feeding the pig.

He was still pretty enamored with the pig in 2012 (and was also willing to wear the hat and apron they provide).

All while Little Arrow observed intently, quietly plotting his pig-feeding tactics for the 2013 fair.

During our 2011 trip to St. Petersburg, Florida, I relaxed on a beach chair at Fort De Soto Park and watched these two play in the water.

In 2012, I still watched these two play at Fort DeSoto.

I just did it from a beach blanket while nursing Little Arrow.

I can only imagine what 2013 will have in store for us and how quickly our lives and travels will change. Thankfully, I'll always have pictures to help me remember (particularly because the sleep deprivation and constant toddler chasing means I hardly recall what I ate for breakfast...)

Thanks for joining me on a little walk down memory lane!

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Passports with Purpose: Win an Ergobaby Carrier

Like many travel bloggers around the world, I'm honored to once again be participating in Passports with Purpose. If you're unfamiliar with this annual event, it's a virtual fundraiser among travel bloggers and their readers. Bloggers procure prizes and our readers donate in order to win. Simple enough. This year, we're raising money to build two wells in Haiti. We're aiming for $100,000. You'll help us, won't you?

This year, I'm excited to be contributing a prize for the first time. And I could not be more in love with what I'll be giving away.

If I had to name one product that makes traveling with a baby or young toddler easier, more comfortable and more convenient, it would definitely be my Ergobaby carrier. I never take it out of my car so that I'm always ready for impromptu adventures, it joins us on every trip we take, and Little Arrow (who turns 1 this week!) has called it home for quite a bit of his life on the road thus far.

I'm basically a walking billboard for this thing. In fact, I'll be sharing a picture of my family using the Ergo each and every day of the Passports with Purpose fundraiser on my Facebook page. It's just so versatile.

Use it hiking, like our trip to Clifty Falls State Park.

Or use it on the beach, which I did in Florida last winter.

It's essential for navigating big cities, and makes taking public transportation, like the light rail in Minneapolis, a breeze.

I didn't have an Ergo when I traveled with Big Arrow (now 3 1/2) when he was a baby. So I can tell you from firsthand experience just how comfortable this product is compared to other baby carriers. I'm somewhat petite, and yet I've managed to bring two pretty big baby boys into this world. I've literally worn Little Arrow in the Ergo for hours at a time, and I'm not the least bit sore or uncomfortable. It's really amazing.

More reasons to love the Ergo:

• The Ergobaby carrier, along with the Ergobaby travel pack, make traveling and exploring with a baby or young toddler practically hands-free. And trust me, you need your hands for the hundreds of other tasks of parenting... taking pictures, wiping noses, fetching snacks, finding pacifiers...
• It's machine washable. You really don't appreciate that feature until you need it.
• You can take it through airport security. Who wants to wake a sleeping baby when flying? Because there's no metal components to this carrier, you'll walk right through without disturbing baby, other than a quick hand check.
• The sun shade. Little Arrow spent hours on the beach or by the lake this summer. Mostly, he spent this time snoozing away in the Ergo, protected by the innovative sun shade.

So how do you win one? Easy. Head over to Passports with Purpose. There you'll see a listing of all the prizes that are being given away, including my prize (details below). For each $10 donation you make to this important cause, you'll receive one entry toward the prize of your choice.

The Details:

• A black Ergobaby Performance Carrier (like the one shown here)
• A black Ergobaby Travel Pack (like the one shown here)
• I don't have one of these nifty travel packs, but I sure wish I did! It's essentially a diaper bag that connects right to your Ergobaby carrier.
• Dollar value of approximately $220.
• Prize can be shipped anywhere within the United States.

The Cause: This year, the team that organizes Passports with Purpose selected water.org as the organization that will receive all the money raised. It's hard to imagine a more basic need (fresh water) in a more deserving place (Haiti). You don't need me to convince you why this is a cause worth supporting, but let me just say this:

Did you flush a toilet today? Or pour your kids a sippy cup full of clean water? Or take a shower? Did you stop to give thanks for these things?

Then do so by helping to ensure your fellow man can do the same.

Not interested in an Ergo but still want to contribute? There are FABULOUS prizes available. Please check them out and donate generously.

And before I end this, big kudos to the generous sponsors that elevate this fundraiser to astounding levels and make our $100,000 goal within reach. They are:

• Platinum: Expedia
• Gold: TripIt
• Silver: tbex
• Bronze: HomeAway. TravellersPoint, HostelBookers, Go with Oh

Disclosure: I received the Ergobaby carrier that I'm giving away by having a blog post I wrote selected for inclusion on the Ergobaby website. I chose to donate this prize to this campaign. All opinions about the carrier are entirely my own, and I received the one I use as a gift from family.

Curious Kids' Museum in St. Joseph, Michigan

When I was in southwestern Michigan this summer, my travel companions included four kids ages 4 and under (this included Big Arrow, 3 years old, and Little Arrow, at the time 7 months old, plus my nephew, 4 1/2, and my niece, 2 1/2). We mostly filled our days with the ultimate kid-pleasing activity: playing at the beach.

But we reached a point where we all needed a bit of a break from the sun, sand and surf, so we spent a morning at the Curious Kids' Museum in nearby St. Joseph, Michigan. Because if it's one thing we had in abundance, it was curious kids.

I've been to many children's museums since becoming a mom (including the world's largest in Indianapolis). Curious Kids' is a great one because it has a wide variety of activities, from a realistic vet clinic:

to an Australian Outback camp:

to a local news studio. (Big Arrow did an awesome rundown of the weather that day.)

There seemed to be at least 20 or so different exhibit areas, each very different from the next. Great for a group of kids who are equally as diverse in their interests and personalities. I loved that the focus in most of the spaces was on imaginative and make believe play.


We also saw kids of every age happy, including babies. They have a great "Toddle Farm" for kids 4 and younger. Since it often feels as though we just drag Little Arrow along on adventures that are designed for Big Arrow, I loved getting to watch him do some exploring of his own.

If you're spending some time hitting the beaches of Lake Michigan next summer, or if you're visiting this area in the off-season, put the Curious Kids Museum on your rainy day list.

If You Visit:
Curious Kids' Museum
415 Lake Boulevard, St. Joseph, Michigan
Hours and admission prices vary depending on time of year.

Insider Tip: If you're bringing more than one kid to the museum, have a little chat before going in about everyone staying together and on the same floor. Or bring another adult along. My only complaint about this museum is that each exhibit is in an entirely separate room, making it difficult to supervise multiple kids if they don't play together.

You might also be interested in my tips for visiting a children's museum.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Hitting the Beach in Michigan

I think there's something really therapeutic about watching kids play on the beach. Like your doctor should prescribe it in the winter months to cure the blues. (Perhaps insurance would cover an airplane ticket to someplace warm?)

If you're a Midwesterner, then you know the southwest part of Michigan, along Lake Michigan, is a really popular summer destination because we can get our fill of sand, surf and sun without driving very far. Views like this less than 4 hours from home? Just tell me where to sign up for an annual membership.

I took these photos in tiny Union Pier, Michigan, just north of New Buffalo. But there are wonderful beaches all along this stretch of "coast."

Michigan Love Around the Blogosphere

I'm not the only fan of Michigan out there. Here are a few other posts about "the Mitten" from some fellow family travel bloggers.

• 5 Favorite Places for Kids on the Sunset Coast, Michigan from Wandering Educators
• Discovering Children's Museums in Michigan from Road Trips for Families (I have one to add to her list, we spent a great morning at the Curious Kids' Museum in St. Joseph that I'll be writing more about later.)
• Mackinac Island on a Mission from Road Trips for Families
• 5 Favorite Food Joints in Detroit from My Kids Eat Squid

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby and Friday Daydreaming at R We There Yet Mom.