Just booked my next vacation

Tuscan Country Estate near Quaint Medieval Village

In the fertile plains of Tuscany, at the foot of the Pratomagno Mountains, lies a small village known as Il Borro. Perched atop a rocky spur, the town looks like something out of a Renaissance painting—it has cobbled roads, stone bridges, rustic stucco buildings, and blooming gardens. This luxurious Tuscan getaway from Great Value Vacations puts you in the heart of this storied landscape, within easy driving distance of some of Italy’s most iconic attractions, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the cities of Florence and Siena. The five idyllic seaside villages known collectively as Cinque Terre are also easily accessible by car.

The vacation includes a seven-night stay in a private, two-bedroom farmhouse at the elegant Il Borro Estate as well as roundtrip economy-class airfare to Florence and an intermediate-size car rental (with manual transmission) for the duration of your visit. Click here for more info on the trip.

Set on a palatial 1,700-acre swath of verdant Tuscan countryside, Il Borro Estate is owned by the Ferragamo family, which is renowned for its wine. The Ferragamos grow five varieties of grapes across 99 acres; you’ll have a chance to tour the winery and taste the fruits of their labor during your visit.

A scenic stroll brings you to your farmhouse, which has been restored using traditional materials and rural architectural methods. Inside, you'll find a welcome bottle of wine from Il Borro vineyard and two spacious bedrooms outfitted with elegant décor. Each farmhouse overlooks a swimming pool, and most are surrounded by gardens. Each morning, you can dig into a hearty Italian breakfast.

Outdoor pursuits on offer include horseback riding, hot air balloon rides, fishing, and open-air speed readings of Dante’s Inferno. At the estate's restaurant, Osteria del Borro, chefs prepare handcrafted dishes using ingredients grown on the surrounding estate wherever possible.

Doesn't this sound wonderful? I wish I was there right now.Now just to win the lottery so I can really book a vacation here.

10 Mistakes I Hope My Kids Make

Like all parents, I have many hopes and dreams for  my kids. Since they were mere embryos in my uterus, I have imagined their futures overflowing with love and happiness. Of course, I want them to have rich, fulfilling lives, where goals are achieved and triumphs are celebrated. However, I also want them to make mistakes and learn from their missteps. Most importantly, I want them to live without the regret that they never took a chance. As Sophia Loren once said, "Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life."

I compiled a list of the top ten blunders that I hope my children accomplish before they are too old to know better. Granted, I am writing this list when my kids are still young and innocent, at ages where sneaking an extra gummy vitamin is considered a time-out worthy rebellion. I trust completely that this list will dramatically change in the coming years.

But for now, I hope they:

1. Get a tattoo
Just one. Somewhere discreet, where they can easily cover it and conceal it from disapproving grandparents and fathers.

2. Piss off the in-crowd
At least once, I hope that they stand against the popular group. I want them to know how it feels to be on the outside, the minority in the dreary middle school subculture. May this give them the empathy to treat all, even the crazy people on the street, with respect and tolerance.

3. Color outside the lines
Although they already do this very well, I hope that they keep the ability. Who needs a perfectly decorated picture of Cinderella? I much prefer the ones with crazy purple hair, black glass slippers and scary looking mice. I hope that they continue to practice their artistic rebellions.

4. Break curfew
I trust that there will be a time in high school when all of her friends are going to a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and she is too afraid to ask permission so she just goes. The thrill of the experience will be well worth the two-week grounding period that will follow.

5. Date a bad boy (or girl)
I firmly believe that every teenager needs to do this once and only once. When the relationship ends (as it inevitably will), the experience may help them to weed the rest of the losers from the bunch.

6. Fully embrace the latest fad hairstyle (monster bangs, the shag, a mullet)
Everyone needs no less than one yearbook photo that makes them throw-up a bit in their mouths. However, experimentation is the passageway to finding your true self (or hairstyle).

7. Skip school
And have the wisdom to know when it is appropriate to do so. The day before a mid-term? No. The day after the mid-term? Yes.

8. Question authority figures
Not all the time, but once in a while, when it is well-deserved. And never me, of course.

9. Embarrass themselves
I vividly remember my bona fide version of the "arriving at school naked" anxiety dream. I accidentally tucked the back of my skirt into my underwear and strutted off to Social Studies. Yes, it was embarrassing, and I did spend the rest of the day hiding in the girls' bathroom, but I learned that I was stronger than I had known. Because I could live through the shame of flashing my bum to half the freshmen class, the rest of high school was tolerable.

10. Have sex before marriage
I pray that my children do not save their "special gift" for their wedding night. It has been my observation that chastity just leads to teenage weddings and massive disappointment on the big day.
Maybe in ten years this list will come back to bite me in the ass, but I'll always have the delete button and my highly-honed ability to deny everything.

Whoa, horsey!

 

Jack's 3!!

#57- Go to a birthday party

We went to Jack's house today to help celebrate his 3rd birthday. Can't believe he's 3 already! He's getting to be such a big boy. The kids were very happy because Auntie Helen had a cake buffet! 3 or 4 different kinds of cake for them to choose from. We all came home happy and full of sweets.

Ice cream samiches

#90 - Make homemade ice cream sandwiches

Here's one of our repeat list items from last year. I like it because it's cheap. The kids love it because it's yummy. Both years my intention is to bake cookies and use them to make the sandwiches. Needless to say these are store bought ones again. The boys opted for mini cookies over regular size ones. Their reason...because then they could have more ice cream sandwiches. They get their brains from me.

Connecticut or Bust

#98- Visit Connecticut

#42-Visit a museum

 

#42 - Visit a museum (repeat)  

#76 - Eat dinner outside

#31 - Visit a lighthouse in Connecticut

Jamestown, RI

#28- Visit 2 lighthouses in Rhode Island

#7 - Find a seashell on the beach

#84 - Photograph a tall ship

#21 - Swim in the ocean

#80 - Go to a new beach