What we have been up to this week: Cleaned up and cleared out of Virginia! Yorktown, Historic Jamestown, our first Airstream Caravan, and catching up with college friends.
My brother told me that we are “living our dream”. I had to sit a minute and contemplate exactly WHEN this became our dream. I promise we haven’t always had wanderlust. We bought a practical 2800 sq foot house in Lehi after college graduation. We loved putting in the yard, fixing up the storage room, getting to know the neighbors. The kids had dance class, soccer, gymnastics, pre-school then kindergarten and first grade. The goal was to make enough money to do the things we love – my photography business, Sam’s side projects, cycling, backpacking, camping with our family. We were normal. We had normal people dreams.
Then our dreams starting shifting. Perhaps it started last year on our 5 week adventure to Northern California. The time away seemed forever and we were both nervous. He had a 240 mile hike, I had to entertain the kids for two weeks, there was camping with the family, and living in small spaces. But surprisingly – we flourished. We blossomed as a family. We’d never been closer or happier. The kids loved it – I loved it. Our days were filled with finding new locations to explore, new playgrounds, new splash pads, new libraries. We’d go to Target hunting for clearance deals on play-doh and craft materials. Living outside our comfort zone was exciting. Listening to my kids sleep at night was intoxicating. I wanted them close. We were both more patient, more in tune to each other, more in tune to what our children needed. I was a better mother. He was a better father. Everything was exactly the opposite of what we expected.
And so, our dreams changed. Suddenly our house was too large with too many distractions. Our kids slept down the hallway and I couldn’t hear them at night. There was “stuff” everywhere. Meaningless emptiness that filled the corners of the place where we lived. We wanted something else. Something simpler. Something that removed the distractions, the everyday routine of sameness that filled us up and left little satisfaction.
Our dreams were refined and focused as we traveled from Utah to Virginia to house swap with a family. The house swap itself started out as the Grand Adventure. The National Mall, The Pentagon, The White House. These were words and phrases barely used in our west coast vocabulary but tossed around without a second thought by those living on the fringes of our nation’s capitol. How exciting to be where it all started. What history!
And then came Kickapoo. A seemingly insignificant, random state park between Nauvoo, Illinois and Dayton, Ohio that captivated us with its beauty, simplicity, and peace. So, we stayed. And worked. And rode. And played. And realized that this, this wandering, wasn’t broken and didn’t need fixing.
We love Virginia. The family we are/were exchanging with is amazing, we couldn’t have asked for a better house swapping experience. We just came to realize in a home exchange, you are still living in a house. Its not yours, but there’s still too much “stuff”. Too many distractions, too much space between you and what is really important. So we set about finding another way. A way to fulfill our refined dream of simplicity and closeness as a family.
And we did. We now own and live full time in a 2008 Airstream International Signature Series 27FB with a truck to pull it. It is a little piece of heaven on Earth. Is it small? Yes. Is it hard to be with your family ALL the time and not drive each other crazy? Sometimes. Are there hobbies, friends, sports, and luxuries that we had to give up in order to do this? Most definitely. Is it worth it? Every. Single. Moment.
When we visited: October 2013
Ages of Children: 8, 6, 3
First off, the mansion tour. This doesn’t count on my list, because I think its obviously the main reason you want to go. But just for fun, I’ll give you a quick run down of how our experience went.
Mansion Tour
Buy tickets at the visitor center and then take the shuttle bus up to the mansion. It is recommended to get on the shuttle at least 20 minutes earlier than your scheduled tour time in order to not be late. The shuttles ran continuously and often, and at most we waited 5 minutes to board.
Once on the mountain top, there are plenty of staff to direct you to the proper waiting location. You can definitely go up early and explore before your tour, but we timed things pretty close and saved everything else for after.
I loved the tour. Andrew (6) had a stomach ache and ended up in the back of most of the rooms lying quietly on the floor. I wasn’t sure he was listening, but it surprised me how much he actually learned. Our tour guide was nice, efficient, very open to questions, and even interacted the children on the tour asking them age appropriate questions to keep them engaged.
I loved that we had a group of 20 or so and a dedicated guide that moved with us from room to room. I felt we moved quickly enough and there were enough interesting objects and anecdotes about each room to keep my kids listening. One thing I noticed as we passed other groups inside the mansion was that not all tour guides gave the same information. Definitely motivation to go back as I feel like I could learn something new depending on the guide.
Rachel (8) was attentive and interested and loved the wine elevator and the spinning serving door. We mostly just had to corral Cara (3). You only get to see the main floor (which I thought was plenty) but my kids were disappointed they didn’t get to go upstairs. Monticello does offer Behind the Scenes Tours if that is something you are really wanting to see.
There are no photographs permitted inside the house as many of the pieces (art or otherwise) displayed are on a loan and they do not have the rights to let people photograph them. Definitely don’t forget your camera though because the grounds and area around the mansion are stunning.
The Cellar
Underneath the mansion is the cellar area. This is where my kids really got a feel for how busy, interconnected, and complex running an estate really was. Plus, we were underground in a tunnel. What kid doesn’t love that? They have restored the wine cellar, kitchen, smokehouse, and slave quarters.
There’s a small crossroads section where kids can see “Saturday” from the clock in the entryway, as well as try using old fashion keys, iron, and other hands on activities. They really loved this area so definitely don’t miss it. We probably spent 20 minutes or so exploring the area underneath the mansion. In every room there are signs detailing what the room was used for and generally which slaves or servants used those rooms.
Griffin Discovery Room
My kid’s favorite part was the hands on Griffin Discovery Room located below the Cafe in the main visitor area. It really gave my children a way to connect with Thomas Jefferson on their level. They have reproductions of Jefferson’s in-the-wall bed, his polygraph machine, slave quarters, and even a cipher wheel so they can decode a secret message!
You can also use one of their limited capability computers to architecturally design your own house and then email it to friends and family. We easily spent an hour here, and I had to drag the kids out. I definitely recommend visiting here AFTER your house tour, so your kids will connect what they saw in the house with what they can touch and feel here.
Slavery at Monticello Tour
Okay, so Cara took a nap on grandma, and Rachel & Andrew weren’t particularly riveted, but this was by far MY favorite part. Normally the slave tour guide will walk you down Mulberry Row while narrating and discussing the various slaves, their jobs, and their stories. It was pouring rain, so thankfully we stayed under the roofed porch outside the mountain top gift shop. The only thing that would have made it better were more benches.
Our guide was funny, interesting, engaging, and a joy to listen to. Luckily we did this last and the kids were tired as they had a full day of running around and playing and were okay to just sit for 45 minutes.
Definitely a win and highly recommended.
Tips & Tricks:
– Parking is free. Hallelujah. Its also not that far of a walk to and from the Visitor Center (the Mountain Top, however, is by shuttle bus), so if you forgot something, or need to leave jackets in the car they can easily be retrieved.
– Pack a lunch. If you need ideas, see some of our favorites here. Definitely saves on cost and there are convenient outdoor (yet under a patio roof) tables to sit at. We did, however, spring for some $1 hot chocolates at the cafe. Mmmm…. SO worth it.
– Visit the museum shop. As a rule, we don’t generally buy souvenirs (no place to really put them) but my kids like to look anyway. They found plastic enlargements of the nickel and immediately recognized Monticello on the back. Homeschool for the win.
– Don’t be afraid to take the shuttle twice. We did it. Mansion tour, back down for lunch and the Griffin Room, then back up for the Slavery Tour. It all depends on your timing, but my kids loved riding the shuttle anyway, so why not?
– You can stop and get off the shuttle to see Jefferson’s Grave. Or you can just view it through the bus window like we did. Have I mentioned it was pouring rain?
– That leads to, don’t be afraid of the weather! The gift shop sells umbrellas (we forgot ours) and there is quite a lot to do indoors! I think we probably would’ve spent more time out exploring the grounds (and taking photos – lets be honest) but we stayed pretty snug under our umbrellas and didn’t let it get to us too much.
-The Monticello website is amazing. Truly they have done a great job with providing information for visitors to really get to know Jefferson. They have an entire section dedicated to Visiting with Kids (I love it when companies and organizations do that!) with suggestions like, “Look for themes in the house” and “Look for plants with unusual shapes, scents or behavior”. They also have a .pdf Guide for Young Learners you can download or print and go over with your kids prior to your visit. I find that educating my kids on WHY we are going and WHAT is important usually helps them engage while they are visiting.
That’s it! Did I miss anything? Have you been to Monticello? What was your favorite part?
The Event
I normally am obsessed with Halloween. Seriously. I love everything about it. Not the creepy part, but the fun, costume parade, trick-or-treat, decorate, dress up part as evidenced by the last 3 years of Halloween documented on my blog here, here, and here (Wow, check out how LITTLE my kids were in 2010).
This year has been totally different. I told the kids they could be whatever we could find costumes for in the attic (in a house that isn’t ours) or that we could easily make or borrow. I have 2 Halloween decorations on my front porch, and really, I just haven’t been excited. I think its the stress. Of being far away from home, our normal traditions, our family and friends. We are homeschooling and it hit me Monday that meant any “class” Halloween party would be all me. Add to that Sam leaving tomorrow for a business conference for 4 days, and then the fact that we are leaving Virginia for good in less than 2 weeks. I’m just….overwhelmed. Unfortunately, Halloween was the first to feel my lack of motivation to do anything extraordinary.
Sounds depressing, right? But then somehow we managed to get out the door in the afternoon and follow through on our plans. It made all the difference. Way back in September we attended a few children’s events at National Harbor in Maryland. They were great little activities and the coordinator tipped me off about a Halloween event they were planning called “Chillin’ with my Peeps” co-sponsored by the National Harbor Carousel and the Peeps Store. It was awesome. We paid $3 per kid for unlimited carousel rides, received the ultimate collection of treats at the Peeps store and got to walk around in the perfectly temperate, October, East Coast evening trick-or-treating the other businesses located at National Harbor. Total win. As we were treating, we even decided that one of the restaurants smelled SO good that we absolutely had to go back for dinner. So we did.
I’ll be honest, we almost didn’t go. Its always getting out the door that is difficult, but once you do things tend to be magical and tonight was no exception. Our kids officially proclaimed this as the “best Halloween ever”.
The Costumes
Andrew got to choose between The Hulk and Batman. I secretly am glad Batman won especially after Andrew’s previous year of being Spiderman. There’s just something classical about being a super hero. He got pretty excited about swinging his cape around for me too. Totally my inner photographer’s dream.
(Can I just say that when, and if, we finally settle down I want property with TREES? Lots of them. Lots of un-landscaped trees and bushes. This is seriously our side yard here in Virginia – probably 5 feet from the driveway. I love it. The light is beautiful, the trees are turning and I had to just walk outside to get the perfect backdrop. I’m hooked.)
After an activity with other girls from our church where they raced to wrap each other in toilet paper, Rachel decided she wanted to be a mummy. I didn’t argue, figuring it would be easy enough. She’s such a good sport. I started wrapping her up and I saw her eyes go wide as she quickly rethought her decision. Too late, kid. Too late. Of course, Mummies all wear purple tennis shoes. Didn’t you know that? 🙂
If you ever decide to do this – buy more than 3 yards of fabric. We went through it pretty quick and I felt we could have used at least double that! Super easy though – white long sleeved shirt, white leggings underneath and wrap away with torn fabric strips! We used safety pins tonight (as opposed to the church party last night where she came unraveled pretty quickly) and Rachel even told me they made her costume look MORE authentic. Only she didn’t use the word “authentic”. I’m not THAT good of a homeschooling mom.
I’m pretty sure Cara could be anything she wanted and she would still looking freaking adorable. I love this girl. Pumpkin costume was WAY to small (not my attic, remember?) but I found some glow-in-the-dark pumpkin pajamas at Target that we put underneath and it turned out fabulous! She was in heaven.
And that’s that. Total win on surviving a major holiday away from family and friends. Any guesses on where we will be next year?
Want to see something gorgeous?? I thought so.
The Blue Ridge Parkway extends from Shenandoah Valley and Skyline Drive all the way to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. While my parents were visiting from Utah, we took an evening and drove a section of it on our way to Monticello. It was cold, foggy, and raining and absolutely peaceful and serene. We didn’t catch the height of the Fall Leaf Season (we were a few weeks too early) but the rolling vistas of tree covered hills were still quite amazing. We drove from Lexington up into the Blue Ridge Mountains, along the parkway, and exited through the north end.
This small section took us about 2 hours (starting in Lexington and ending at the freeway to the north). It was the perfect distance for our littles. Cara actually fell asleep as we started around 3pm and she hadn’t had a nap that day. Andrew rode with Grandma and Grandpa, and we had Rachel with us. Listening to music, talking, and occasionally getting out to take photos made the time fly.
With small kids I definitely don’t recommend trying to drive the entire 469 miles in one stretch. Luckily for you there are restaurants, hotels, lodges, and even places to camp along the ridge. We definitely plan to drive the entire route at some point in our wanderings with the Airstream, so stay tuned for that. 😉
See the full photo gallery here.
Bonus: I recently found out there is a Jr. Ranger Program for the Blue Ridge Parkway. We will definitely be doing this in the future.