Disney: The Most Overwhelming Place on Earth

/
Disney: The Most Overwhelming Place on Earth

We have now taken our girls to Disney World twice - once in 2018 as youngins’ and once this past April 2022 as older, school aged kids.

It truly is magical to take your family to Disney. It’s also truly stressful. You will set alarms. You will wait on lines. You will push through crowds to get places. You will battle your cranky, overtired kids. You will probably also cry yourself. And yet there are many reasons why millions of guests come back year after year.

No matter what type of Disney guest you are, there is a lot to know before you head to Disney. I would NOT advise anyone, even the largest of procrastinators, to just “wing it” at Disney. There are many Disney oriented blogs and I am not one of those. But hopefully the below tips and personal favorites will help folks parse through the Black Hole that is Disney trip planning.

Read More

Ten Days in Colorful Colombia!

/
Ten Days in Colorful Colombia!

We spent 10 days in Colorful Colombia. Traveling to this country has been high on my list ever since our girls’ amazing former nanny shared stories of her home country's beauty with us. Colombia is also quite an easy foreign travel destination - it’s quite a short plane ride and there is little to no time difference (depending when you go).

During our trip, we hit Medellín - an urban city in the process of revitalization, Jardín - an absolutely charming coffee farming community and Cartagena - a Caribbean beach destination extremely popular with US tourists.

Read More

Restaurant L’Ostal in Darien is a Stone Cold Stunner

/
Restaurant L’Ostal in Darien is a Stone Cold Stunner

It has been a very long time since I’ve dedicated a full blog post to one restaurant. And the few times I’ve done it in the past have been reserved for my most favorite local spots. Well, a new favorite local spot emerged last year!

Restaurant L’Ostal quietly opened in Darien in early 2021 after COVID caused Chef Jared Sippel to shutter his Manhattan restaurant. New York’s loss was Connecticut’s gain. L’Ostal isn’t just the best restaurant to open recently in Fairfield County - it’s one of the absolute best restaurants to open in the general area in the entire decade that I’ve lived here.

Read More

A Cozy Winter Weekend at the Sagamore Resort

/
A Cozy Winter Weekend at the Sagamore Resort

The Sagamore Resort is a historic hotel sitting directly on Lake George in a tiny but cute town called Bolton Landing, NY.

It is widely known as a popular Northeast summer destination but since (i) we’d probably never make it here in summer (#TeamMaine) and (ii) we noticed this spot offered some INDOOR attractions, off we went to the Sagamore on a January long weekend road trip!

Read More

How To Do Christmastime in NYC Like a Pro (2021 Edition)

/
How To Do Christmastime in NYC Like a Pro (2021 Edition)

Christmastime in New York City!! It really IS “the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!” I absolutely love the holiday season and NYC really does the season well. Read on for my favorite ways to get festive in the city this winter!

Read More

Halloween is the BEST Holiday!

/
Halloween is the BEST Holiday!

Halloween, I love you! I love the spooky vibes. I love the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. I love watching my kids go nuts for fun sized candy bars. Halloween is SUCH a fun holiday and I love celebrating it ALL October long.

Here are a whole bunch of ways to have spooky, candy filled fun this Halloween Szn!

Read More

Counter Culture (Some Great Counter Service Spots)

/
Counter Culture (Some Great Counter Service Spots)

Sometimes you can’t or just don’t want to cook. And sometimes you can’t or just don’t want to spend the time and money on a long, drawn out sit down restaurant meal. In these moments, quick service spots are what you can and want to do.

We all rely on counter service spots to quickly pop into to grab ourselves or our kids or our friends or our co-workers a fast and tasty meal. We all have our favorites (my kids favorite is a place called McDonald’s). Here are a few of my favorite local fast casual spots to satisfy various cravings.

Read More

We Went to the Wild West (Wyoming!)

/
We Went to the Wild West (Wyoming!)

We just got back from our first ever family visit to the mountainous West!

While our kids are still not naturalists or cowgirls, this was such a wonderful way to expose them to the natural diversity of our country and to West culture. And as a lifetime Northeasterner, I was truly blown away by so much that we saw.

Read More

LEGOLAND New York is OPEN!

/
LEGOLAND New York is OPEN!

Back in November 2019, this fam took a chance on a Black Friday deal for an annual pass to LEGOLAND New York, poised to arrive in Goshen, NY for Summer 2020. Alas, LEGOLAND did not open in Summer 2020. But now it’s Summer 2021 and LEGOLAND is finally open!

So far we have visited LEGOLAND once during its preview days and once (for just a few hours) during regular admission. Here are my initial thoughts! PS Both days were so cloudy! It’s been a cloudy summer.

Read More

Get Your Summer Vibes On With These Meals

/
Get Your Summer Vibes On With These Meals

When the temperatures rise, this mama craves refreshing cocktails and lighter meals served in an outdoor oasis. Though many spots will offer these things, only a handful do it well - rubbery chicken with water views just doesn’t cut it. Luckily, I’ve rounded up a list of restaurants where you can celebrate summer AND eat and drink tasty things!

Read More