Spring Break! (& Friday Links)

Today is the last day of school before the holiday week! You can feel the collective anticipation. We’re headed to New Mexico for a road trip—thank you all so much for your advice!—and are looking forward to a week of hiking and eating and sightseeing. I’m sure I’ll be posting some photos on Instagram, but things will be quiet around here while we’re gone.

When we come back, it will be time for Easter. Will you be dying eggs this week? We tried some new methods this year, but this looks especially cool.

Here are more things that have caught my attention of late… 

I can’t stop listening to this lovely playlist, from Elizabeth Antonia of The Littlest. It’s intended for kids, but I find it so calming.

“Holiday destinations for design lovers.” Hard to stop the scroll…

Blockshop’s guide to Jaipur. We can’t wait to return to India with the kids. Rajasthan was incredible.

Why aren’t we talking about parenting teenagers?

Decision fatigue is real. Every decision my kids make me make in a day.

I’ve almost worn these crisscross sandals into the ground. They’re no longer available, but I just spotted a look-a-like!

Aron’s loving a new podcast, Today, Explained: “Nice, in-depth reporting of timely topics in 20-minute segments.”

7 TED Talks for parents. Listening soon.

What are active shooter drills doing to kids?

This should be fun. I’m looking forward to the excerpts and reviews.

I’m so happy that the PBS app has so many episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. A new documentary will look at the show’s legacy.

This was fascinating to me: translating Homer’s epic poem… on Twitter.

Finally, I wish I’d ordered one of these before our trip! Can’t wait to fill one in with the kids.

P.S. Perfect (easy-to-peel) hard-cooked eggs, and 10 National Parks not to miss.

Planning for Spontaneity: Southern Italy

Pilar Guzmán once wrote, in her editor’s letter for Condé Nast Traveler, “Sometimes a truly memorable trip is the one when the unexpected happens, when you get lost in a good way. But spontaneity takes planning, gathering, and the collective wisdom of travelers you trust.”

This felt so spot-on for me—planning for spontaneity; it’s how I like to approach traveling. In fact, I referenced this a few years back in an effort to solicit your collective wisdom before our trip to Italy, and was overwhelmed with the generous advice! Now, we’ve booked ticket to Rome once more, only with the goal of visiting new-to-us parts of the country, and I’m hoping I might ask for your suggestions once again.

Here’s what we know so far…

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Travel Pants and Springtime Joggers

Happy first day of spring! As the temperatures rise, it’s rare that I’ll wear shorts. I’d much prefer to throw on a pair of casual pants—the sort modeled on joggers or track trousers, only in a lighter fabric.

A black pair of track trousers from Madewell has been my go-to for many years now: they’re cool enough to wear all day, keep bare legs from sticking to carseats (or to each other), and lend coverage for sightseeing at churches and temples. Aron knows them as my “travel pants” because they tend to come on every trip. The shop seems to carry some iteration of them every year—this year they come with a cuff instead of a split at the ankle. Still, I’m always on the lookout for similarly comfortable alternatives come springtime. I know a good find will get plenty of use.

Here are some options I’ve found so far… 

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