Are you rethinking New Years? In the United States, the anticipation surrounding New Year’s Eve more often than not outstrips the experience of the celebration itself. Never mind that celebrating it a traditional sense involves a serious breaking of routines, possible sensory overload, and a search for an elusive child care provider – on the most expensive evening of the… Read More
5 Holiday Food Traditions: Simple and Special
What are your holiday food traditions? Are warm baking spices a prerequisite to the season? Or do you need a standing rib roast to make it official? Here are five holiday food traditions that you may want to include in your home this season. Decorate a gingerbread house: Decorating for the holidays in our house can be challenging, so an… Read More
2 Cakes for Fall Celebrations
Does the fall weather – and produce – inspire you to bake? After a summer filled with “assembling” fresh fruits and vegetables into salads, slaws, and salsas, there is something satisfying about coming inside and turning on the oven. Here are two great cakes for fall celebrations. This fall, I’ve taken two recipes I’ve been making for awhile and tweaked… Read More
Your Thanksgiving Menu Planner: Make Your Meal Memorable
Do You Need a Thanksgiving Menu Planner? More than many other holidays, Thanksgiving tends to be a holiday steeped in tradition. If you don’t have your aunt’s stuffing and your cousin’s pumpkin pie, then you might as well skip the whole thing. But sometimes change can be good. Here is our approach to Thanksgiving – some of which never changes,… Read More
How to Celebrate Halloween without Candy: 4 Fun Ideas
Can you celebrate Halloween without candy? For many people, Halloween and candy are inseparable. But maybe you have food allergies or intolerances in your family? Maybe you are practicing healthier eating and want to share this with your friends and neighbor? Or maybe you just want a break from the sugar rush? If that’s the case then here are… Read More
The Best of Paris: 6 Sweet Treats that are Worth the Walk
In planning a trip to Paris, there are certain sweet treats that seem impossibly hyped – which at some point makes you wonder if those macarons or that ice cream can actually be that good. On a recent sibling trip to Paris, my thirteen-year-old and I put our sweet tooths to the test – and can verify that these sweet… Read More
Is the Paris Museum Pass Worth it? 4-Day Pass Review
As you plan a trip to Paris, you may be asking, “Is the Paris Museum Pass worth it?” The four-day pass for one adult (62 Euro at the time of our visit), gained skip the line access for both my 13-year-old son and I as we toured Paris. For reasons beyond our control, we were actually outside of Paris for… Read More
7 Surefire Tips to Maximize your Time in Paris
Maximize Your Time In Paris #1: Stay in a central location For us, this meant a hotel just off the Rue de Rivoli. The room was small – but we were barely in it – and the bathroom was generous by most European standards (especially the high-mounted rainfall shower). What mattered most to us was that les Jardins de Tuileries… Read More
The Best of Paris: 5 Places to eat out in Paris – without Dressing up
For many people, the best of Paris means eating out. Family travel in Europe is an entirely different beast. I was lucky enough to travel recently with my thirteen-year-old son on a “sibling trip.” Packing for a trip to Paris means you may put a bit more thought into what you’ll wear on vacation – not that you’ll instantaneously turn… Read More