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Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

3 Recommended Restaurants for Families in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Part 1

LOT369

Lot369 is a little pricey compared to other restaurants in Phnom Penh, but by looking at their menu, you can see why. Some of that money goes into paying a fair wage, plus they offer foods that are hard-to-find in other restaurants. When compared to restaurants in the U.S., it is still extremely affordable. Here are some of the options:

Here is a coconut milk, turmeric latte from Lot369, as they were out of cashew milk. It's great to see non-caffeinated warm drinks available.
 
We saw the lemongrass and ginger kombucha; but there were several other flavors.

Lot369 has vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options. They have an environmentally-sustainable mindset. They had re-usable coffee cups for sale if you wanted a drink to go, bamboo straws and recycled plates and cups. The furniture was made from pallets. We chose to eat in the upstairs room, because it was connected to......


The all-too-rare-in-Cambodia kid's playroom! It was amazing to sit and talk with Benjamin while the kids were enthralled with new-to-them toys for a good while. Going on dates in an international setting with kids can be tricky, so this was a great find! They have kids-eat-free day on Thursday, so we’ll have to try it again.
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 KILIK



At Kilik bakery and cafe, you can buy the drink of your choice, averaging at $2 and receive two pastries free. In addition, they bring a free cup of iced/hot Jasmin tea. This means we can order two drinks for adults and one or two (they are BIG) for the kids to share, and get enough pastries for everyone! With the tea thrown in, it's a great deal. Our favorite pastries include chocolate croissants, apple bread, banana bread, berry filled pastries and cupcakes. They have recently started offering sandwiches as well, so we can get out of there with lunch for under $10. (That's insane with a family of 6). Plus, the staff is friendly and competent, and there is comfortable seating. Kilik also has an air-conditioned meeting room closed off  from the main seating area if you need that kind of space.
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 CYCLO CAFE

 
The Cyclo cafe was an interesting place. They have several seating options, including an outside area up stairs.

It was almost part museum, part cafe. The boys enjoyed modeling the rickshaw. This is a really fancy rickshaw compared to the ones we see near the riverside that are often a beaten up red or green color, or like this one.

Cyclo cafe has many drinks around $2, and they are a good size, too. This was a framed Cambodian stringed instrument. it is similar to the one played here. In the bathroom, there were these sprouting seeds. They are similar to these avocado seed sprouts, but I couldn't tell if they were for sure. What's your best guess?




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So, if you are looking for a sustainable variety of food, great value, or a cultural experience, these places are a great place to take a break and recharge with family. We hope you try them and enjoy them as much as we have!

(This is not a sponsored post. We only share it because our first month in Cambodia, we pretty much lived off of peanut butter because we couldn't 1)find food, and 2)find our way back home from said food, and 3) it was frustrating to find affordable options that were good for a family of our size, hygienic and tasty.)

Friday, November 10, 2017

Goodbye Grambo



When we scheduled a visit for Zoe to see family, we were fortunate to be able to squeeze my cousin’s wedding in! It’s these sorts of things that we normally miss. Today I will miss my grandfather’s funeral.



This guy taught me how to fish, and took us for rides on his pontoon boat. Sometimes I even got to steer. He had a great batter recipe for fried fish. Grambo took me to the driving range, and man was whacking a golf ball as hard as I could, fun! Once I got to go on vacation with Grambo, my grandma and my cousin.



I’m not at all the only one who got to do things with him. Here he was teaching my brother to fish.



He was the guy looking out for people on that side of the family. When Parkinson’s slowly took away his physical abilities, he got better at listening. Many of his grandkids went to him for advice. He showed us that it didn’t matter what one could DO; being there and holding the space as a caring influence in the family was enough. Physically, life is about reductions, and that he was a good example of, but spiritual life grows exponentially to life’s reductions, and I think he showed that too. We’ll miss him.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

NOT Seen in Abu Dhabi...

Visiting the States for winter break has allowed us some memories that we wouldn't have had in Abu Dhabi... like: wearing mouse ear muffs in cold weather!

Finding snails to feed the chickens:

Playing with the snowman that her grandma put in the freezer when it snowed while we were out of town.
We are really enjoying all of the different-ness of the weather and environment and soaking up memories to take back with us.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Winter Break 2013: Distance Heightens Appreciation of Family

Ben's teaching position get's three breaks: summer, spring and winter. For the summer break, since we hadn't been in Abu Dhabi very long, we just took a short trip up to Spain and Portugal. We planned to spend winter in Abu Dhabi, enjoying the 70 degree temperatures and then visit the States in the summer.

If you know anything about plans, then you know that it is best to hold them loosely and be willing to adapt to new circumstances. A phone call from home about a serious family illness changed our plans and had us on a 29 hour traveling spree to the U.S. When it comes to priorities and plans, family is more important. It's nice to be able to make that decision at the last minute and manage to visit so far away. I recognize how much of a blessing that is this time- if it had happened at another time we might not have been able to come. Really, though the sickess is not the best reason to come, it provided an opportunity to show our family how much we love and value them. They are worth a trip home at the last minute if needed.

 While we are here we are soaking up the cold, rainy temperatures to bring back and remember in the desert. Otherwise annoying, drizzly drives are appreciated and filed away for searing, humid days and family is cherished. Homecooking and REAL hugs are savored. Would we appreciate family and drizzly days as much if we didn't live so far away? I wish I could say we would be as grateful, but it's invariable that human nature would have us taking things for granted in the way our tendency for survival drums down the high emotions with mundane normalcy... So perhaps living so far away is helping us to appreciate them more. Right now, we are thankful.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Birthdays with Family in the States

Something nice about being home for the baby's birth is that we also made it home in time for Talia's birthday! Birthday's just aren't the same without family... So this year is special for that reason, if not because it's her last birthday as an only child. :)


Talia requested chocolate cake with chocolate icing and strawberries. I made the cake and icing and put the strawberries, but my mom gets the credit for the creative edging. I thought it was delicious, the baby must have too (from the way he kicked afterwards) and, importantly, Talia loved it!

Something we had to be careful about were presents. We were clear up front that anything received would have to be able to fit into a suitcase for our next adventure once little man is born, or it might get left behind. That's just how it goes. Happily, Talia's still at the age where cutting the ribbon off of the package and ripping open the paper are totally what makes getting a present, not the actual gift... but our family was very thoughtful and her gifts are definitely stuff we can use and she'll enjoy!


Talia woke up this morning so excited because it was her birthday. It's funny to see how much she can understand and appreciate now. I'm glad we were able to share this one with family!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

7 days until departure...

Counting down until I (Ben) leave to drive to Guatemala on July 15.

Only the final exam for the last class on my master's degree left, then on to visit family in Mississippi and I will be on the road!