My oldest daughter is 10-years-old and she is by far my pickiest eater! She eats the same thing for lunch every day (a salami or ham sandwich – without cheese or condiments – yogurt, baby carrots and an apple) and dinner is a challenge every night. She has an insatiable sweet tooth and is tentative…
I love to have something special and unique to remember our trips and vacations when we get home. Of course, travel – even on a budget – is expensive. My husband Brad and I make sure to budget for trips – sometimes years in advance, but, we often forget to budget for souvenirs or gifts to…
Several years ago, as a high school English teacher, I taught a class of 10th grade honors students. At that time, the focus for 10th grade was World Literature. In addition to following our set curriculum, I required my students choose a book from around the world every quarter which – after reading – they…
A couple years ago, my dear friend Jen and her family took a trip – from Anchorage, Alaska where they currently live – to the Southeast to visit friends and family in Tennessee and Mississippi. After spending several days with us here in Nashville, they drove to Memphis and boarded a train to New Orleans….
I love to visit art museums and I’ve learned to love taking my kids too. Sometimes this can be a little tricky, but through experience and research, I’ve found several ways to help make visits to museums with kids fun, educational and as stress-free as possible. In fact, during the summer of 2014 when we…
Our family of 5 went on a spontaneous road trip from Nashville to Memphis over the holiday break and it turned out to be one of our favorite road trips ever. It was a quick trip, but jam packed full of some famous Memphis sights. So queue up “Graceland” by Paul Simon and read on…
What do you think? Six more weeks of winter or is spring right around the corner? Groundhog Day is a popular tradition celebrated in the U.S. and Canada on February 2. I recently learned that it originates from the Pennsylvania Dutch and the German community in Pennsylvania around the superstition that if a groundhog emerges…
In the summer of 2014, my husband Brad and I took our three girls (then ages 2, 5 & 7) to Paris (and Morocco). Brad and I had traveled to Paris several times (in fact, we got engaged in the romantic city of lights & love many, many years ago) but this was the first time…
For my inaugural Travel Tales interview, well, I interviewed my mom, of course! My mom (known as Bamma to my kids) is a pretty amazing grandmother and she and my dad certainly instilled a sense of travel and wonder in me at a very young age. These days, she does this magical thing with all…
Welcome to The Wandering Rumpus – a resource for families who love to wander. Whether it’s around the globe or around your backyard, we aim to provide stories, tips, best practices, camaraderie and lots of laughter around traveling with kids. In a nutshell, I’m a writer and mom of 3 girls living in Nashville who loves…










