We have two kids and are departing soon for a trip to Europe, we will be in the south of France for two weeks and in Holland for one week. In the south of France, we are staying in a house that is located in the Luberon. I drew a circle around the town we're staying in and basically researched the towns within a one hour driving radius. We are then flying via Ryan Air to Holland and staying in an apartment in Amsterdam. The house we're staying in in the south of France is a relatively simple place. My kids are older than yours, but we've made it a priority to pack books and simple arts activities they can do. I expect to buy a jigsaw puzzle. We are bringing a deck of cards, an IPod and a Nintendo DS. There is no TV or internet connection at the house. We've talked to the kids a lot about flexibility. The biggest hassle with the electronic games, is that yes they have the advantage of being small and light, but they need a variety of chargers and power adapters to work with the European electrical current. Radio Shack had the highest prices around, Best Buy was better, but believe it or not, I found electrical equipment in the men's section of Marshalls where they sell things like um, power golf ball washers and the like. I also have purchased and wrapped small items for the children to receive at various times through the trip. Little clay kits from JoAnne bought on sale, they like these, and they cost about $2 each. Calvin and Hobbes books collected from garage sales for about 25 cents each. I sleep mask and ear plugs set, two bucks on sale at KMart. I assemble these and wrap them before we leave -- unwrapping the 'gifts' makes it even more fun for the kids. Oh, crayons and paper are another must. I had my daughter down load a lot of young adult books on CD onto her eye-pod and got an ear phone splitter so two kids can listen to the books on tape on the same Ipod player. Ideally, they'll listen to these in the back of the car while my husband and I talk or listen to our own music up front. We enjoy having down time while we're away, and plan on doing only one 'big' touristy thing a day. When traveling with kids, I like to have a sort of big picture plan, with info about all the sights available in a specific region, but like to play it by ear on a day to day basis, being responsive to people's moods, energy levels, health, etc. I also know in advance that I want to show them certain things, as in categories of things, like in the south of France, it'll be something like one cathedral, one abbey, one art museum, etc. I have a child whose into nature so we've made sure to research natural habitats and will probably get him a book so he and his sister can identify bugs and birds while we're there. I've also taken out library books on the countries we're visiting and left them lying around the kitchen table and we've done some casual thumbing through the pages. I don't force it. I just try to get them thinking a little, and looking at pictures really does that. It's important to remind them that travel is fun but it's also work and some days may be challenging for them. Oh, one more thing, we bring addresses for their friends so they can write postcards. I also take pictures of their friends and keep them stored on the digital camera so they can scroll back and look at the pictures when they feel like they're missing the kids back home.

I dunno, Allison... I think the one with the chicken is very kitchen appropriate. I've seen "gothic" kitchens that had the pointy arches and cathedral details, and the ones that trend more '90's goth, than true Gothic, but they hold nothing to the one I'm imagining! Kind of indoor/outdoor with sliding glass walls and trestle tables in and out, grey stone walls, arrow slits, er, um, long, slender, high windows, rough hewn, smoke darkened open shelves, Massive walk-in cooler, cast iron cooking podium in, firepit with spit and woodfired beehives out, and hand forged strap hinges everywhere. And beasty gargoyles doing dining appropriate tasks, perched inside and out. I don't usually go for theme, but given the appropriate site and budget, I'd do that one!

A couple of candleholders w/candles (alternates with a single large candleholder) a stack of magazines and catalogs to go through, my tablet, space to put up my sock feet at night when I'm reading or catching something on TV. Sometimes fresh flowers. I change stuff around a lot. And when the stack of magazines and catalogs starts getting too high, it's time for things to go to the recycle bin.

Igmd - Dawn's is Claytonia perfoliata.. The one you are probably thinking of is Portulaca oleracea the succulent resembling the Moss Rose also known as purslane. Plants are known by various common names in different parts of the country, hence the need to have the correct botanical or Latin name for ID as that is universal.