Touring England with Kids

There’s so much information on the web about traveling and traveling with kids, but I have a hard time finding sites that resonate with me and the way we travel. We are heading to England for a two week trip, and I’ve done a crap-ton of research, as evidenced by the next few posts I’ll be doing.

We are a family of four, and the girls are 5 and 9.  We fly into Manchester, and from there we overnight in:

– Sheffield
– Cambridge
- York
– Augill Castle
– Newcastle
– Edinburgh
– Manchester

While I was researching, I had Juliet, 9, read the Blood Curdling Box of Books – Horrible Histories Collection. Kora, 5, got to watch Secrets of Great British Castles. I mapped out all of the sites we want to go to – two sites per day. I hope the girls don’t hate me by the time we’re done!

Of note for now, a lot of the properties are National Trust or English Heritage, so I researched how to become members as Americans. Without membership, the entrance fees can be high, so it was important to us to become members.

For the National Trust, membership is through the Royal Oak Foundation. I purchased it about two weeks in advance and got the cards in plenty of time.

For English Heritage, we can get a 9 or 16 day visitor pass, and we can purchase that on site at an English Heritage property.

We are staying at a few hotels, Augill castle, and a couple of apartments. I’m particularly excited to stay at the Leopold Hotel in Sheffield – I believe they have a Nespresso machine in the rooms, and that makes all the difference for easing into a long trip. Of note for hotels in England, like in Europe, it is very difficult to find a single room for a family of four. Most places allow no more than three to a room, and there is an upcharge.

But the thing I’m most looking forward to is our stay in Augill Castle. A real castle! It looks beautiful and has great reviews. I’m sure I’ll be adding a great review myself when we’re done.

I’ll do my best to update as we go. Here’s to trying my hand at travel blogging!

We all have hangups… this is mine

It’s a little too easy to put my personal goals aside for family commitments and volunteer work, and I’ve been putting off my personal goals for too long.

My newest news is…after putting it off since December, I finally sent my first pitch for the parenting humor non-fiction piece I finished last year. This is only the first pitch, but I’ve broken the ice!

I had put hours of research into the query and the agent I wanted to pitch first, and I read and re-read and read and re-read the query letter itself, but I could never bring myself to write the Author Bio and send it off. This was my hangup. What do you write when you spend most of your time on parenting and politics and the thousands of pages of documentation you’ve written over the years don’t have your name on them?

This week, with a little push from a friend, I’m happy to say that I overcame my hangups. Now to get the next query ready to send and wait for the rejections to start rolling in… or to think positively about this being my year. Come to think of it, I’d rather do that. Wish me luck!

In explanation of my birthday wishes

Hi there,

Long time no talk, and here we are coming up on my big 40th birthday milestone. I thought about having a big birthday bash, where I’d invite everyone I know and love and get to see each of you for a few seconds before seeing someone else I just had to say hi to. But that wouldn’t give me the in-depth conversation I really want. I need to see you for more than a few minutes. You see, the thing I value most these days is time – your time, my time, using time in the best way possible.

So, I’ve set aside some times for coffees/lunches, and if you want to help me celebrate my birthday, you can specify the name of the place/location you want to meet. Here’s how it works. You go to my Doodle, you decide on the date/time that works for you, and you enter the name of the restaurant or coffee shop and the crossroads for that date/time. Then you meet me there! Easy! But, there’s one more thing…

I want it to be a surprise, so make sure you enter the name of the place, NOT your name. Also, I’ll post all my updates about the coffee/lunch on Facebook and Twitter. As long as you follow me on one of those, you’ll know that I saw your entry and am planning to go there that day. I can also add updates if I’m running late, which if you know me, NEVER happens.

Also, I’m as picky as I ever was. So here’s a list of places I’ll meet you – I like to stay as close to downtown as possible (with a few exceptions) :).

Coffee shops:

  • La Grande Orange
  • Lola
  • Lux
  • Public Market (also doubles as lunch)
  • Tea & Toast at Desoto Market
  • Royal Coffee Bar at Biltmore Fashion in the Union

Lunches:

  • Azteca Bakery on 7th Ave.
  • America’s Taco Shop on 7th St. or 16th St., you decide
  • Cherry Blossom Noodle Cafe
  • Daily Dose on Highland
  • Fez
  • Flower Child on Central
  • Forno on 3rd Ave. and Roosevelt
  • NYPD on 7th Ave. and McDowell
  • Public Market
  • Snooze at Town and Country
  • Switch

That’s enough to get us started. I’ll add more times/options if needed.

Lastly, presents/gifts/things. Please don’t get me any! I have gotten rid of dozens of boxes of dust collectors, clothes, shoes, toys, collectibles, gadgets, gizmos, doohickeys over the last two years. All I want for my birthday is to spend time with my friends and family. I don’t want gifts! Please, no gifts. If this goes against your upbringing, peonies are my favorite flowers, I do like potted plants/flowers, I still like Starbucks for tea, and I still read. But remember, I don’t want gifts. Unless you decide to buy me a cute new Kate Spade. I’d accept that :)

If you’ve read to this point, you’ve done your due diligence, and here’s your reward:

http://doodle.com/poll/4vbzmhipmpf36w35

Questions? Ask in the comments. I’ll make edits to this post if needed.

I’m very excited and looking forward to seeing anyone who wants to take the time out to see me–even if I haven’t seen you in 10 years, especially if I haven’t seen you in 10 years! This will be the best birthday of my life. Thank you for being a participant!

Krista