I used to daydream about the girls being introduced to Harry Potter and instantly falling in love the way I did. As they started growing up, I got antsy that it was never going to happen. Last year, though, Madeline finally started the books and hasn't looked back. I've lost count of how many times she's read all of the books--we had to make a rule that she has to read something new in between rounds of Harry Potter. As she's gotten more and more into this magical world, she's become aware of ... Read More
travel
Exploring the Cantillon Brewery in Brussels
When we decided to go to Brussels last December, one of the first things I did was ask for recommendations. We knew that we would be spending a good amount of time at the Christmas Market, but since I wasn't terribly familiar with the city I wanted some fun recommendations from people who were. I got so many fantastic ideas from friends that we had to narrow them down and save some for our next trip. One recommendation was Cantillon Brewery and after looking at their website, we knew we had to ... Read More
Impromptu Solo Travel Tips
I've been lucky in that sometimes Scott's work trips overlap with a time when we have kid coverage so that I can tag along. His work trips vary and for some he's pretty free to explore with me, but for others he's working solidly for the entire day. Timing lined up perfectly for me to go to San Francisco with him and we thought it was going to be one of the pretty free trips, but it turned out that he was working nonstop, including mandatory evening activities. This left me in a new to me city ... Read More
Chocolate Making in Brussels
Brussels is one of those cities that I could happily go back to at any time. I fell in love with it during our visit in December and I don't say that about every place we travel. We spent most of our time playing it by ear, but one thing we booked ahead was chocolate making. I mean, when you think of Belgium, the first thing you think of is chocolate, right? Chocolate making in Brussels is a special experience that you should try the next time you're in the city. This post contains ... Read More
Disneyland Paris in February
Scott and I have been really excited to take the girls to Disneyland Paris. Our new close proximity meant that we could go fairly easily and we intended to make the most of it. It's a short flight to Paris from Edinburgh (which means that travel to Disneyland Paris is much cheaper and quicker than it was to go to either of the parks in the States when we lived there) and then an easy bus or train ride to the parks. We have an annual pass, but we still need to plan around the girls' school ... Read More
A Day on the Dingle Peninsula
I don't know anyone who doesn't have Ireland on their wishlist for travel (and if it isn't, it should be!). I've had Ireland on my list for many (many!) years, so when it was announced that TBEX would be in Killarney, I knew I was going. As part of the conference ticket, we were given a choice of tours. There were so many fun sounding options and I ended up choosing to spend a day on the Dingle Peninsula. The Dingle Peninsula is the most northern of the peninsulas in County Kerry and is named ... Read More