Sicily It Is!

Well, Matt and I finally decided where to go during his vacation next month. While we absolutely love living in Portugal, it's not as easy to get to other countries as it would be if we were stationed in, say, Germany.

For a while, we were stumped and focused on The Algarve or Porto. But, we live in Portugal! We have weekends to visit even as far away as Porto. I want to see Europe on Matt's vacations! I had been to Spain and France. And, while I'd love to go again, I want to hit countries I haven't been to. What about Matt you say? Well, he's not all that interested in art, architecture, or history of Europe. If hiking/climbing or fishing isn't involved, he's tagging along to help out with the kids and enjoy the food. Winter-hiking in the Alps may be a dream of his, however, not something you can do with two small children and a wife who doesn't like the cold. `

So, we choose Sicily because it is mild and sunny all winter long. Actually, the winter months are recommended as good travel months due to the lower cost of air fare, mild climate and absence of foreign travelers (making it easier to mingle with locals). We were able to get airline tickets for all of us for about $1,300 (flying out of a major hub from the US to Sicily would be close to $5,000 - so, living in Europe does have its perks). We're staying at the US Navy Lodge in Sicily for a very reasonable price (though the rooms aren't as large as I would like and I predict poor sleep the whole week).

We know we'll visit Mount Etna, markets and wineries. However, if anyone reading this post has traveled to Sicily and has any recommendations, whether it be restaurants, shopping, site-seeing, off-the-beaten path secrets, etc., let us know! We'd love any recommendations!

Dinner Without Dad?

I've been toying with the idea of feeding the girls and I dinner well before daddy gets home. Why? Well, he works late. Most often he's out the door by 5:30am and he's not home until 6:30-6:45pm. I think he would work later if it weren't for the girls. He does a great job of helping me put them to bed and cleaning up after dinner.

My dilemma is this: By 5:00, the girls are starving. After their nap, they have a sizable snack. Milk, fruit, yogurt, etc. I try to give them something that has protein to keep them full until dinner. Usually right as Matt walks through the door.

Lately, they just can't make it. The tears and begging for food has become more than I can handle. I haven't been making dinner early because, well, I don't know why, I guess because I want it fresh and hot for Matt.

So, I've been thinking of starting dinner around 4:00 and eating when it's cooked and cooled enough for the girls to eat it (probably by 5:00-5:30). Since it's very important for us to eat as a family whenever possible, I hate to eat without daddy. However, I think that when Matt comes home, we can all sit down and have a before bed "snack" with him while he eats his dinner. What do you think? Bad idea? Good idea? Thoughts?