Too Much Sex Talk- Uncensored World Schooling

Discovery comes in all sorts of lovely shapes and sizes, don't it dear? Unplanned on our world curriculum has been marvelous lessons on, let's see...
-Alcoholism (Raging, cursing, perpetually drunk at hostel. 10 am whiskey shots, anyone?)
-Parenting (Flaming hot chili peppers in mouth of boy who cursed. They really got his attention.)
-Sexual Pleasure (See what the Moche People at Chan Chan, Peru have taught our kids!)

Well, the world doesn't censor what it will teach our children. And it is in losing control of that censorship, that we all have grown and discovered.

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Reading Aloud the Real Stuff- The Gammage Cup

This was a very, very special entry for me, something deep and personally significant from my youth has come full circle. As I read to my children, The Gammage Cup, a book that meant so much to me in my youth; I witnessed my soul growing deeper. How blessed, how unearthily lucky am I to have had this amazing time to veg and be and grow with my family?

And to be honest, though I adore my family to pieces, and though I would gladly overturn the world to do good to my children; this family world travel thing has done good to what I believe in the most important person of all: me. Now, here me out. I'm not (just) egotistical here, I'm serious.

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Home Is Wherever I'm With You

After two months after leaving the States and moving to Israel, my dear friends Efrat and Sarai came to visit us in Kiryat Shemona. Efrat leans down to then-three-and-a-half-year-old Dahnya and asks, "How do you like your new home?" No answer.

"Dahnya, can you understand the abstract concept of the word 'home'?" Silence. Dahnya looks deep in thought. She then looks up into Efrat's shining face, "No".

"Oh, oh, I'm Coming Hoooome. Home is Wherever I'm With You." And so, we seek a new home, a new resting ground to lay our heads down in, and feel like we (even for the moment) belong there. I guess that is how the true nomads feel, always resettling down in the next "home", but always knowing that "home" is just where they are, together, with each. And so it is with us, home is where we are, together. Here's a couple of videos that show that process for us...

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Paying The Tolls of My Soul

The deeper things in life surface when you live a carefree, obligation-free, life of exploration. We keep passing the toll road booths of Peru, keep getting out our small change, holding our budget spiral in our hands, with sweaty palms and bated breath, ready to mark down that expense.... and we don’t. Similarly, I keep learning, reading, growing, thinking I’ve reached some inner plateau of peace and tranquility… and I don’t.

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Poverty for Christmas

This December, over 2.1 billion Christians will celebrate the Christmas season.  Children around the world will wait with baited breath for brightly colored packages under the tree. A huge majority of the Westerm parents will spend more money than they can afford, buy more unnecessary garbage that will clutter their homes, and will kill more trees and natural resources on gift wrapping that will end up in the trash the day after. We won't.

 Why? We have a deeper agenda for Christmas 2011.

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My Biggest Travel Mistake

We all make mistakes, and I'm pretty much at peace with mine. OK, so when I enthusiastically whipped out my camera to take a picture of those armed soldiers who didn't smile back at me, and Kobi (with rich military experience) told me sharply, "They have silencers on their M16's. Put the F--- camera away now!" Ok, so that was a little mistake. And when we pushed our kids through 40 hours of hell travel to save $1000- we could revisit that. And that time we went to sleep at a total stranger's house when we arrived at 12:30 am to a scary town, and we kept whispering to each other in Hebrew, "If he doesn't murder us, it should be quite nice!"

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What Would You Put Your Family Through To Save $1000?- Part One

Looking back, we would never have done it this way. But, hey; we're all geniuses in hindsight, right?

As we enter of third continent in our world travels; our nomadic family experienced the longest, hardest journey to date. This journey, lasting two never-ending days and nights was from Panama City, Panama to Cartagena, Colombia. It entailed a taxi, a plane, two boats, a minibus, a bus, and one final taxi. Total en route time of 40 hours, in which 30 hours of it was in motion.

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These Small Hours

In Meet the Robinson's Rob Thomas sings "All life remains in these small hours", and I know it, I know it, now. Until we can catch up (never) and make a video of it, I 'd like to share a collection of videos dear to my heart. This, This, This is why we are a nomadic family traveling the globe. Not to discover foreign lands (an added bonus), not to raise trilingual children (looks good on a resume), not to create open-minded world citizens (though it's cool), and surely, not to live our one life to the fullest by making our dreams come true (ok, so I'm almost lying). But, why do this nomadic family thing? Watch the videos and find out! (and tell me what you think!)

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Dirty and Injured..

Back in the day when we homeschooled, a parenting school graduate of mine (and dear friend) took the kids for 10 hours a week to explore the world. Yael would take my three darlings out to nature trails, places of work, and anywhere that magnetized them, to learn from the serendipitous magic of whatever came up. My directions to her were always the same, "For me to consider this day with you a successful one, you are required to do two things: return my children to me dirty and injured"..

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Sick Chicks

As a nomadic family, it doesn't make sense to have any pets. Back home in Israel, we had a dog for 15 1/2 years (who was hit by a car the year before we left) and several adorable cats. We are animal people and so, it's been nice to have chicks in our lives on the road. It's nice until they get less fuzzy and Mommy has to beg the kids to take care of them. (That's another story). This blog reflects our lives with chicks, in pictures and in movies, and all the amazing lessons children get to learn having pets in their lives: responsibility, physical affection, and the cycle of life.

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If I Only Knew Then

As a Skype family therapist, my parenting clients stutter when I ask them "what will your chicks have under their wing when they fly from the nest? What tools will you have given them to lead meaningful, joyful, productive lives?" And when I ask myself those questions too, I stutter. I want to teach them so much, but there's always soooo much to do. "One day' I'll get around to that, too. And if I don't get around to it as I travel the world, when the hell will I?

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Peaceful Days

Part of peaceful days for a nomadic family is not being nomadic. When we settle down in a place for  while, we reap the rewards of routine and inner calmness. We've found the quiet spot in Alto Boquete, Panama in the little cabana the size of our living room back home. It is here that we have the time to look at clouds, dance around in rain ponchos, invest in our family's health, and cut coconuts reflectively. Just normal, every day great family material- be it in our own backyard, or half way across the world.

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Orange Misery

Orange is my son Orazi's favorite color. He has two orange shirts on the trip. He loves eating carrots and oranges. He loves picking oranges. Today, unfortunately, he is in orange misery.

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It's Gabi. Ugh!

It's Gabi. Ugh. It's been an unhealthy body week. I've had headaches and been dizzy a lot this week, and my plumbing is unwell.

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Saying Yes To Something Else

Last night, we had the most magical Sabbath Dinner to date on our journeys. Barbara and Mort opened their home by the river to us, and filled our stomachs and hearts with love. As we entered their home, every one of my senses were fired up and filled simultaneously.

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A Week Within

After the emotional and physical entrapments of last week, we took a week to go within. We barely spoke or saw anyone. We didn't go to the Tuesday night Gringo Party, didn’t go talk to the neighboring school about volunteering, didn’t go to the weekly Gingo morning market at Boquete Community Players, didn't follow up with the Boquete Rotary, we didn’t go online, didn’t go meet neighbors, didn’t follow up on classes and activities we wanted to pursue. We went inside, on a deep journey inside to cleanse and heal and balance our souls and our family relationships. 

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Kids Need Socialization

That’s right. And it’s one of the things I have felt guilty about, until tonight. I felt guilty because a- I guess parents always have to feel guilty about something and b- though I’m taking my kids on an open-ended world adventure, I feel I am taking them away from their social network of school friends and cousins. So, this nomadic way of life if great, but they miss having friends.

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Who?

Who are they supposed to turn to? Who is supposed to guide them, direct them, comfort them, lead them? Who? Their grandparents? Their friends at school? Their teachers? Who? Who in the world is supposed to take care of my children’s emotional needs when Kobi and I are falling apart? Well, we are… and we’re not there for them.They’re fighting and falling over each other. They’re lost and have no lighthouse to shine their way.

Being a nomadic family has its very poignant disadvantages.

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Jesus Talk

We’ve had a lot of ‘Jesus Talk’ since our day in San Ramon, Costa Rica.  And for a family of Jews, ‘Jesus Talk’ is pretty exciting.

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Ugly Gifts Too

We’ve spent a week travelling from central Costa Rica to Northern Panama. While in transit, we have had the joy of briefly meeting beautiful souls who have blessed us with their unique gifts. These gifts have come in all sorts of packages. Some of them I didn’t like. They hurt. But those, too, have left us with something precious we’re supposed to receive.

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