I loved taking my kids on short-term adventures when they were little. First it was strollerblading around lakes and through the city. Strollerblading is the parent rollerblading while pushing a kiddo wearing a helmet sitting strapped into a five-point harness in a jogging stroller. It's the ideal set-up for those of us who grew up rollerskating around the block: you've got all the fun with the safety of a hand-break. It's like rollerblading with a walker, but you look super hip-without falling and breaking a hip. After age one, we acquired a gently-used, high-back toddler bike seat and headed out on two wheels. We'd roll down scenic paths, looking at cranes and critters. We ate wild berries and plums. My youngest enjoyed pulling out the elastic on my shorts and popping her toys in mommy's "pocket." After the initial investment of equipment and helmets, we had no-cost adventures that my kids and I remember fondly. But they won't let me stuff one of them in the stroller anymore. Maybe I can borrow your toddler sometime?

Big adventures are still in the realm of possibility too. I have a lot of friends who take their kids to big theme parks, pay enormous amounts of money to stand in DMV-like lines surrounded by sweaty, cranky people. When they come back, they look like they need a vacation from their vacation. Being a red-blooded American, I was tempted to give this a try. But then I thought, instead of going to see a theme park version of a country, why not go to the actual country? So that's what we've done, twice.

When my son was five, we spent two weeks in South Africa outside of Cape Town. We stayed in a B&B and explored the area with sights like Robben Island, the African penguins on Boulder's Beach, and a lot of dolphins near sandy shores. The Cape of Good Hope took our breath away. So did the great white sharks we were an arm's length away from while riding on a seriously sketchy pontoon boat equipped with a too-fast motor. We met interesting people and heard moving stories about life during apartheid. The most profound moment was on the drive to the airport on the way home ... Continue Reading .