When in Rome

The weekend trip to Rome started well enough. We woke early and rushed out to the early train (which we said we wouldn't do again if we could help it...) Early mornings aren't my thing, I just never seem to be prepared quite enough, but we made it on time. The train trip was about two hours, we ate sandwiches and scones we'd made and with only a few toys, the kids stayed pretty entertained.

It amazes me how entertained he can be zooming his car around.

Brooke catching up on Jolly Phonics, (workbooks that came along with the reading class she took in Prague)

So we arrived in Rome, excited and in good spirits. After a long walk through the train station... (Savannah was tired of walking before we even got out of the station), we stepped out of the metro terminal to look up at the enormous Colosseum.  We'd read about, discussed, watched some and videos about Roman times but I'm not sure the Colosseum at first sight impressed them as much as it it me. It is pretty well, colossal. 

We crossed the street and got in line. We didn't expect it to be very crowded, but even in off-season the wait to get in turned out to be long, maybe 45 minutes. You could pay $17 euros each I think and skip the line but we waited. 

We'd wanted to travel as light as possible and made the choice not to bring jackets, imagining that we'd be stuck carrying them around all weekend as the weather was supposed to be warm. But, at this early hour, in the shade waiting in line at the Colosseum it was not warm. It was chilly and the kids started to whine. We were the only people in line or anywhere in Rome so far that weren't wearing jackets and now we felt pretty uncool as everyone around us could hear the kids complaining they were cold. Definitely not feeling like parents of the year... So, to add further embarrassment, we started unpacking clothes from the backpack and layering them with pajamas and whatever extra clothes we could find. 

They were warmer, but still not loving waiting in line, so hey, why not add bribery to our parental repitoire? We started promising extra scoops of gelato if they would just be tough and patient so we could get in to see the iconic site of Rome. Well, we almost gave up, but finally entered the Colosseum.

 

Probably thinking, "if only we were able to get down there and climb around."

"Say, gelato!"

Jeff explains, "Here is where the people used to sit to watch the gladiators,
at the bottom they used to fill it up with water to have mock sea battles."

Expensive, pretty horrid tasting hotdog sandwiches outside,
but I think we were still feeling guilty for not bringing jackets....

Look, pigeons!

And, we kept the promise, double scoops of gelato, dangs it good/ If only they wouldn't always order strawberry so I can't share (allergic).

 We hopped in a taxi to get to the next sight, little legs were getting tired.But, amazing how they were revived after a massive gelato! We sat for quite awhile admiring the Pantheon and waiting for Savannah to finish her gelato (she is the slowest ice cream eater in the world) and chase Collin around the piazza.

 From there we walked a lot, just enjoying the back streets of Rome. Its actually quite a relaxed, clean, colorful, beautiful city. So different than I imagined it, we really like it.

Trevi Fountain, pretty beautiful 

Ooh, must.touch.water!

Vatican City (smallest state in the world)

Space to run, pigeons to chase

Playing with an Italian girl

St Peters Basilica

Religious procession, Savannah didn't like the smoke though...

 

Cool, a picture with gladiators.
Didn't know they were going to want 5 Euros for it! 

Carousel by the river:)

Look its an invisible man!

Overall it was a really great weekend, we'd love to spend more time there, I hope we get to go back:)

Slow Food

How interesting this concept or slow food is, and how little I knew about it! I am so excited to find the International Slow Food Organization that offers so much information including an educational handbook ( Slowfood Education Handbook ) for learning about slow food with kids. This seems to be the kind of food theory I can relate to.

"Slow Food believes that by understanding more about our food and where it comes from, we will learn to combine pleasure and responsibility in our daily choices, better appreciate the cultural and social importance of food and generally, make the world a better place." 

I just love this process, it allows each of us to think and internalize information about food without instituting a lot of rules about what we can eat and more importantly what we can't eat. When I think about starting certain diets that might be better for our health I get totally overwhelmed and unhappy at the thought of limiting our options. I love to enjoy food of different cultures and restricting our diet would really put a damper on the enjoyment of traveling and life. But, slow food is so different! It opens our consciousness about what is in the food we eat and where it came from, so we really think about each individual ingredient, and as a result we want to eat better for ourselves and our environment. Being in Italy really inspires this desire, you almost can't help but want to eat more fresh and healthy foods.

Here is the Education for Slow Food manifesto...

… is about pleasure, a light and convivial occasion to feel good and enjoy ourselves

… teaches the values of slowness and respect for our own and other people’s rhythms

… is learning by doing, because hands-on experience increases and strengthens educational outcomes

… values the diversity of cultures, knowledge, skills and opinions 

…  approaches topics in their complexity, favoring a multi-disciplinary approach

… means taking time to understand, internalize and elaborate one’s own vision

… is a personal journey that involves cognitive, experiential and emotional dimensions

… is nourished by its own context, giving value to memory, knowledge and local cultures

… facilitates exchange among local networks, reinforcing the sense of community

… stimulates curiosity and trains intuition and critical thinking

… promotes change generating new and more responsible thoughts and behaviors

This open eat in kitchen makes such a difference in our lives. The girls love to cook with me in here and it is definitely a dynamic environment providing lots of light and inspiration to our experiences. There is plenty of room for Collin to run around under our feet and everyone is happy. Brooke says emphatically, "Do not make any recipes without me!"

Brooke's own Tuscan salad creation. She is a food artist! And it was so delicious.
She says, "I was born to be a chef!"

Our picnic in the country near the house. This is my kind of winter and picnic food!
Brooke says, "I feel happy when I'm out in nature."

I'll admit, Savannah is less enthusiastic about slow food and the idea of eating more healthy foods. She in her 3 year old style rebellion says, "I will only eat food that is not good for me!" I am pretty sure she will come around as she gets older, so I'm trying not to push it, while of course trying to limit those foods that are really not so good for her.

The pleasure of fresh food in the sun, wouldn't trade it for the world. 

I like this ideology because it makes me feel there is purpose and importance in a slow life. With three kids under 6, a slow life is necessary for my sanity. Trying to get us out of the house before 10:00 puts stress on all of us. I know we could do things differently, but it feels more natural to let everyone wake up at their own pace, cook a hot breakfast, then devise a plan for the day and get out of the house when we are ready. I also like basing the plan for the day dependent on the weather and how everyone is feeling. The thought of having to stick to a strict schedule that doesn't allow for illness and weather, let alone special events and travel plans just doesn't feel right to me.

Spending a few months in the country without a lot we have or need to do, was really a refreshing change to life in the city. The kids love walking around the property. They can all explore at their own pace. We are slowly working toward a garden and learning about plants despite the fact that it is still winter. I'm trying to spend more time listening and observing nature with them and enjoying it from their fresh perspectives.

Brooke says, " this is how you do it"

We were talking about putting together a menu for our lunch party with our Italian friends. Brooke wanted to write the menu. Love not having to enforce reading and writing lessons, they are motivated to write when they want to.

Brooke is copying "A Wine Country Dinner" from my mom's cookbook. Educational and personal:)

Concocting a recipe for medicine - main ingredients: honey and jam...

Another of Brooke's own salad creations, she calls it the
"Salad from around the world"

Just a walk around the property opens so many ideas. The wheat fields that surround are full of seashells, an amazing look at how this land used to once be covered in ocean! 

Collin exploring the wheat fields

Ah, the contentment of sloshing in puddles...

I have to remind myself to have patience when it comes to all of these ideas that come out of the handbook. I will probably not ever get organized enough to do all of them, and when I do, certain little people don't make organized activities all that easy. And, I get a little discouraged when I get excited about gardening and other projects and realize we won't be here long enough to see our plants come to fruition. But, some of the ideas in the handbook take place over a three year period, we have time to continue this learning journey other places and other times. 

So, we just have to make the most of every day and opportunity. At the moment, there has been a lot of activity around our property as the owners are busy pruning the trees. The grandma lives in a small apartment attached to the house and her daughter and husband and 1 year old son come over often to work together to keep up with the work. Only Monica, the daughter speaks English, but we communicate more or less with them all. Brooke loves to help them and runs outside when she sees them start work. 

Savannah is most excited by the baby Enrico, who is only a few months younger than Collin, but to her he is "like a newborn baby!" 

We only have five more weeks here, but over the next few weeks there will be a lot more spring gardening activity that we can watch and help with. Maybe our own garden won't be as thorough a project as I would like, but we will still have learned a lot from our time living a slow food life here in the Italian country.