At Home

“What is the most important quality you want your kids to have?” We asked Our Whole Village’s awesome community this question and the answer was… KINDNESS. Closely followed by COMPASSION. And I couldn’t agree more. In the words of no other than the Dalai Lama, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If […]

September 20, 2015

Are You Raising Caring Kids?

My good friend, and the founder of Our Whole Village, Patricia Monahan, wrote a blog post for Our Whole Village last year titled “Parent Like A Traveler.” The post, with its focus on mindful parenting, inspired me and motivated me. But, if I’m being completely honest, I also felt a twinge of, “oh man, I […]

July 18, 2015

When Parenting Feels Like Groundhog Day

I don’t travel alone much since I’ve had kids. In fact, I’m afraid I don’t do much of ANYTHING on my own these days… When I had my first baby, my loss of independence was certainly the biggest adjustment for me. Not the sleepless nights. Not the countless diaper changes. Not the painful first weeks breastfeeding. Hormones […]

July 5, 2015

When Our Plans Don’t Involve the Kids

It’s that time of year and we all could use a little inspiration for our gift buying lists. There are plenty of good ideas beginning to circulate. We’ve pinned several and have come up with just a few more that our kids (and we) wouldn’t want to be without. 1. Colored Pencils & Pencil Roll […]

November 26, 2014

Holiday Gift Guide for Traveling Kids

Do you remember how much fun fall was when you were a kid? You got to jump in the leaves, go to the pumpkin patch, dress up for Halloween and bake fall-themed treats. Or, at least, that’s what I did and I loved it. Little did I know that it actually meant quite a bit […]

October 29, 2014

Fall Is Fun … for Kids!

Does your family take day trips? We do, but not regularly and not enough. We’re city people and really would rather be out and about on foot rather than driving off somewhere in the car. But, I think we’re missing the boat sometimes by not making more of an effort to head out for the […]

October 1, 2014

6 Reasons To Take More Day Trips

Kids are picky eaters; even the most voracious tend to have their limits. I know very few kids who will try absolutely anything put in front of them. Quite the opposite, the majority turn up their noses, cross their arms, wrinkle their faces in disgust and say something along the lines of, “I don’t like […]

June 17, 2014

Want to Get Your Kids to Try New foods? Take a Trip

This post is part of a blogging carnival promoted by Multicultural Kid Blogs and hosted by Kid World Citizen. This month’s theme is “flags”. As soon as I saw the word “flags” I was taken back to Tibet 12 years ago where, surrounded by thousands of colorful prayer flags, I had one of the most […]

June 10, 2014

Tibetan Prayer Flags: an inspiring craft for kids

We at Our Whole Village love to explore other cultures through food. What better excuse to sample Turkish baklava, German apple pancakes and English rhubarb tart (not to mention eat some batter and lick the spatula)? Cooking is a great way to encourage kids to learn about different countries and cultures and maybe try some […]

June 4, 2014

5 Websites with Kid-friendly International Recipes

I have to say at the outset that I am not a huge fan of television. I personally have way too many things on my to-do list and am just too fidgety to sit and watch much. I also don’t love that my daughter turns into a total zombie (a genetic defect inherited from her […]

May 27, 2014

7 Kids Shows that Educate and Encourage Global Thinking