Mummy Milli

While we have been able to travel with our, now, toddler we sure have been feeling the itch to go further and explore more internationally.

With another baby due very soon that is not an option for us right now. We have big plans in the not too distant future and while we talk about them often and fantasise, too much of fantasy like that is not healthy. However, we are finding ways to get those feelings we love, from travel, while spending more time at our home base.

Living like a tourist in your own city or state, is no new idea but sometimes when we get in a rut of housework and just making sure everyone is alive with their basic needs met, it can be easy to forget. So use this as your reminder to get out more. Whether that’s to a hike, a meal out, a weekend away locally or a place that reminds you of your travels.

Microadventures

The original idea of Microadventures was started by Alastair Humphreys as a way of not just describing these local and short adventures but as inspiring more people to get out and see what’s around them. The things people often miss in search of something far away or vastly different.

One of the places we go to be reminded of travel is the Newman Nursery ruins, especially on a sunny summers day they remind me of ancient Roman ruins. The crumbling stone feels like it could be much older than its 100 years and having a 20 minute walk in, through the bush, makes you feel like you could be almost anywhere in the world. It is also an experience for Monkey who gets to climb all over them, jump off them and clamber through them.

See a show

Another activity we did recently, which was a direct result of Monkey showing interest in musical instruments, was to go to a live band. The Wheatsheaf is a great place in Adelaide for families that offer live shows, sometimes paid but the 4pm session we went to was free. There were actually quite a few children there and all of them seemed very taken and engaged watching the musicians. This experience reminded me of the year Hubby and I spent in Berlin. We would often go to bars and there would be live music playing, while this is not unique to Berlin this experience brought me back there.

Memories are funny like that and the fact that you can spark them from a fairly common event. Where could you go that reminds you of some faraway land?

Travel through food

We are either very lucky that Monkey eats most foods, or it’s that we have exposed him to them from a young age. We have regularly gone to restaurants that feature food from around the world, from Sushi and Ramen to Lebanese, Thai, Vietnamese and a whole range of European foods, just to name a few. These are foods we have wanted to eat and although it sure was an experience going out to some of these places, when Monkey was little, we keep going as we need to practice our patience and Monkey needs to practice how to be out in public spaces.

We have also had the added challenge of Monkey being gluten intolerant, we kept giving him small bits to help the chances that he would grow out of it. We seem to be well on our way to that which has made eating out easier as now he can try a lot more food. Since he has been able to eat most things and he is used to us sitting at the table until we are finished he often follows suit. With some toys and books to help us along, eating out has become quite pleasurable. I know it can be hard to get out with little ones but keep trying, it is well worth the initial effort.

We also try to cook a lot of different foods at home, although as we are time poor, this often includes a packet spice or maybe a sauce for Indian food. When the children get older and I have more time we can go back to making most of our foods from scratch. While I would love to be doing that now, we are not in the season of life for that to be possible and I am trying to give in too less Mum guilt over not being able to make everything happen. I hope you are being gentle with yourself as well.

Overnight trip away

When we have the time we also head a bit further out for a night away. Recently we went as a family to the Fleurieu Peninsula, where there are so many gorgeous white sand beaches that go on for miles. However our favourite is actually the rocky beach at Second Valley. Where cliff jumping is an exciting past time into some of the most crystal clear water we have here. When we are there I feel so far away from home because it is so different from the other beaches that are the norm here. This place brings back strong memories of those rocky or concrete beaches along the Mediterranean.

When we really want to heighten the experience we bring picnic foods and sit and watch the waves roll in. Picnic foods or sandwiches with simple ingredients were a mainstay while we were traveling the Mediterranean coast and doubling down on the experience can bring those memories even more to the forefront, along with sharing a part of our life history with Monkey. As a side note, at this beach you do not need to contend with sand which is such a small pleasure as a parent when you put your child back in the car.

Camp/ Car camp

Camping is another way we travel while close to home. This has been a relatively cheap way to travel further, such as our recent three week road trip to Melbourne but also to head off for overnight trips only an hour or so away.

In Cassie the Camper we have space for Monkey’s car seat to always be set up, a double bed, a kitchen with a small stand up fridge, a second battery, water tank and lots of storage in handy pull out drawers. All of this meant that getting out the door for only a night or two has been relatively easy for us, even with a small child. I have also listed some tips on road tripping with a toddler in a recent post. Unfortunately we will have to adjust the entire car now that our second child is on the way.

Plan your life to make travel easier

When I was pregnant with Monkey we knew that I would initially take a year off and then I would head back to work part time. Knowing that I was going to go part time we consciously chose my days off to facilitate for these weekend trips.

I work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so that I can pack and be ready to go when Hubby finishes work on a Friday. While we both unpack the car when we arrive home on Sunday the ancillary clean-up, eg washing all the clothes, can happen on the Monday.

How have you been “travelling” while at home? Have you been having micro adventures and weren’t aware of the term? Let me know in the comments as I would always love more ideas!