Breaking Curfew with Illegal Fireworks and Other Beach Adventures: Part 3 of a Summer Vacation Diary

Breaking Curfew with Illegal Fireworks and Other Beach Adventures: Part 3 of a Summer Vacation Diary

July Fourth. Independence Day. Fireworks Day (as my kids typically call it). No matter what name you prefer, this is a day that I often feel conflicted about.

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I Completely Botched the Surf Report and Other Musings from the Beach: Part 2 of a Summer Vacation Diary

I Completely Botched the Surf Report and Other Musings from the Beach: Part 2 of a Summer Vacation Diary

The first day of July brought with it our first full beach day. It was a Saturday of a holiday week, so the beach was probably very crowded.

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I Went to Buc-ee’s and the Beaver Made Me Leave My Soul Behind so My Body Could Walk Free

I Went to Buc-ee’s and the Beaver Made Me Leave My Soul Behind so My Body Could Walk Free

Day 1 (pretty sure about this one) — June 29

Thursday was our first travel day. Our plan was to drive from central Florida to Savannah because we couldn’t get into the beach place until Friday, and we didn’t want to drive the full distance in one day because our kids hate the car.

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For Better or Worse Another Summer Slips and Slides Away

For Better or Worse Another Summer Slips and Slides Away

If you’re a parent who spends a lot of time online, it’s hard to escape the meme about making the most of the 18 summers you have with your children before they leave home.

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Vacationing with Kids Means Sickness Is Almost Inevitable

For now, he sleeps. His thin, lanky body tucked under the covers. His shaggy hair matted against the pillow. Three days of endless fun came crashing down with a stomach ache that arrived slowly at first and then swooped in ferociously.

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Can’t Miss Sights and Activities in London or Random Things We Did with Our Kids?

Can’t Miss Sights and Activities in London or Random Things We Did with Our Kids?

There is no shortage of lists of must-see sights in London on the internet. Different sources have different opinions on what you have to see, but I’m pretty certain all the lists have at least one item in common: The McDonald’s Across from King’s Cross and St. Pancras Train Stations. For that and more must-see destinations or random things we did with our kids in London, read on!

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Stepping Back in Time and Reflecting on Life’s Different Chapters

Stepping Back in Time and Reflecting on Life’s Different Chapters

I’ve been a parent for more than seven years and it has really messed with my sense of time and age. On one hand, my children change so rapidly from week to week and year to year that it’s impossible to go long without thinking about the passage of time. On the other hand, I feel almost ageless. Certainly not in a narcissistic or boastful way. Quite the opposite really. My body feels the years, but my sense of self sometimes feels stuck in the past.

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An England Adventure - Part I: Knott in a Rush

An England Adventure - Part I: Knott in a Rush

The line snaked around in front of us, chasing its tail slowly. It was like the queue for Disney ride but the reward for making it through was confusion about where to go next. We assured the kids it would move quickly but we were lying. It was slow. Slower than slow.

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Two Days and Nights in San Antonio

Two Days and Nights in San Antonio

I was walking towards the Alamo on a warm February night in San Antonio thinking about horses that pull carriages, as one does.

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Reconnecting with My Mountain Roots: Day 2

Reconnecting with My Mountain Roots: Day 2

Our second day in the mountains started with me picking sopping wet trash off the gravel driveway and placing it in a fresh trash bag. Apparently, we had a visitor during the night. The entire wooden container that housed two trash cans was turned over on its side. After I had cleaned up the trash, I went to flip the container up off its side, but it didn’t budge.

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Reconnecting with My Mountain Roots: Day 1

Reconnecting with My Mountain Roots: Day 1

The kids had a couple days off for fall break last week, and so, because we are rugged people, we made a dash to the mountains of North Carolina.

Having grown up and lived almost my whole life in Florida, you might not expect me to be a mountain man, but I most definitely am. In fact, many years ago when I went away to law school in Virginia for six weeks, I bought a pair of hiking boots, which still sit in my closet under a pile of pillows to this very day. It’s not so much that you live in the mountains, it’s that the mountains live inside you.

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Tell Us What You Did This Summer

Tell Us What You Did This Summer

If I had to stand up in front of the class and tell everyone what we did this summer—and thankfully I don’t have to do that—this is what I would say.

We did a little bit of everything and a little bit of nothing.

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Fulfilling Our Destiny: A Solo Road Trip with Children

Fulfilling Our Destiny: A Solo Road Trip with Children

I recently took my three kids (ages six, four, and two) on a road trip from Florida to North Carolina without my wife because I am a crazy person. A funny thing happened, though; it turned out okay. Maybe I’m not so crazy after all (nope, my wife has confirmed that I’m still crazy).

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So, Yeah, I’m Heading to New Orleans Next Week for the Dad 2.0 Summit

So, Yeah, I’m Heading to New Orleans Next Week for the Dad 2.0 Summit

I started the first iteration of this blog back in 2010 right before I moved to England for a year. The new and improved re-boot took hold about three years ago, which coincided with the birth of my second child. Perhaps becoming a father for the second time was the boost I needed to finally accept my position as a (mostly) stay-at-home parent or maybe I was just getting bored, but for whatever reason, I started writing again. And running. I did that, too. The piece that got me back in the game was one I wrote about parenting and running that I submitted to Huffington Post Parents on a whim.

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How to Travel With Young Children

How to Travel With Young Children

Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.

 

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Watching Airplanes

“Hurry, Daddy! Mommy’s plane is going to leave in five minutes!” my 3-year-old, Jacob, was just a bit excited about the unexpected variation in his typical morning routine. We had just dropped Mommy off at the terminal and were driving to the cell phone lot to watch her plane take off. Luckily, despite Jacob’s concerns, the airport gods were smiling on us and we made it just in the nick of time.

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Link-apalooza #7: Of Presidents, Bloggers, and Dads

t’s time for Lucky Number 7, people!

First, a couple quick notes about goings on in and around Explorations. The whole crew took yet another road trip to North Carolina this past weekend: Drove up Thursday, hung out Friday, attended three family events on Saturday, and drove back Sunday. I feel like it went pretty well. Probably will never do it again, but all in all, can’t complain. 

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