More Than Four Sides

Category: inside the US

  • Learning how to take a vacation

    It’s always been difficult – from not preparing adequately, developing unrealistic expectations, and then discovering that the person/people I’m traveling with has totally different goals/expectations from mine – the end result is usually tension, anxiety and disappointment. And, after years of such experiences with vacations, I was fully prepared for our road trip to Florida…

  • At the beach

    Last year, we vacationed for a week at Ocean City, MD. It was the first trip to the beach for our kids. S figured out the ocean quickly, as he figures out everything physical, negotiating the waves, and diving into the surf by the end of the first day. J, on the other hand, hated…

  • On the road

    We’re 45 minutes north of Savannah, GA, and both boys are asleep. We camped last night at Jones Lake State Park, in North Carolina. I failed to get the much-requested photo of camping-averse husband in our tent, so will have to be sure to get it on the way back. We got to the campsite…

  • Technology saves the morning!

    We’re on the road, and things were looking pretty grim, with S saying he was hungry already (at 10:45, after a big breakfast of waffles), and J unhappy with all our music choices, and clearly crabby. But, pop in a DVD (Finding Nemo), and all is peaceful…(for now, anyway)

  • Camping trip…preparations

    I’ve never been great at preparing for anything…I tend to leave things to the last possible minute, often finding it difficult to find inspiration for getting things done until the deadline is upon me!! But, knowing that I am responsible for the comfort and happiness of two boys and a husband (who hates to camp,…

  • Meeting new family…

    It’s been a month of connecting with family! And, so sweet! for thanksgiving, we travelled to my sister’s in Portland, OR – this was the first time the boys were on a plane since our epic journey from Addis Ababa…I was anxious about how they would do, but they were both champs, and loved the…

  • First Thanksgiving…

    There have been so many firsts this year, with the boys – we arrived at the very end of January, 2010, and our first Jewish holiday was Purim (a little bit overwhelming for two boys with limited/no English!), and have cycled through the year, with Passover, the 4th of July, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur,…

  • Where were you born?

    The original premise of this blog was to get myself and my readers thinking outside boundaries, both geographical and cultural. In addition, just a couple of weeks ago, my daughter took advantage of the fact that I have British citizenship, and she was sworn in as a subject of the United Kingdom. Her action prompted…

  • Trip to Chicago

    We landed in Chicago this morning, and we’ve been walking all day – what lovely weather, especially after just leaving the already sweltering DC clime.One thing I’ve learned so far – nothing beats visiting your spouse’s childhood home to clarify some of the “issues” that have mystified you for years!! No, I won’t share what…

  • Why World Citizen?

    When I was about 15 years old, my mother asked me to meet with an extraordinary woman with a remarkable name – Syrtilla Kabat. We talked for awhile about life (mine, hers, my mother’s, my father’s), and at the end of our discussion, she said “Janaki – your are a citizen of the world!” In…