Five Great Playgrounds in New York City

Play time at the Bleecker Playground

New York City is an amazing place and quite overwhelming unless you're from, well, New York City.  This summer we travelled to New York and spent nine days in the city.  We saw, and did, everything there was to do, but there are only so many lines and museums a five year old can stand.  It was during our wanderings that I discovered New York City's best children's attraction:  the playgrounds.

A Sticky Situation: Name Bubbles

About a month ago as I began preparing to send my young one back to school I reached for the masking tape and Sharpie to attach his name to everything that could possibly end up in the lost and found bucket at school, which includes just about everything other than body parts.  Realizing that (a) masking tape labels are not chic, (b) the tape starts to curl after about two trips to the dishwasher and (c) even permanent marker isn't really permanent, I looked for another option and found Name Bubbles.

Eight Must-Haves When Camping With Kids

Camping remains one of the most wholesome, fun and quality experiences you can still have with kids.  And, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.  This Labor Day, two of my friends and their families joined us for a three-day trip in the mountains of Arizona.  There was a fair amount of whining, but once we told told the dads to knock it off our weekend was virtually whine free (but certainly not wine free!).  As with most things in life, that didn't happen by accident.  It was the result of good planning, good packing and good humor.

Ski Season Travel Tip: Go Big or You Might Just Go Home

Skiers love big storms that bring in big snow.  That is, of course, unless you are at the airport trying to get to the slopes when said storm rolls in.  Then you curse the storm and the havoc it wreaks on your travel plans.

An Island Less Travelled: Lanai, Hawaii Part II

It's amazing that an island as tiny as Lanai can be home to two very different resorts.  In Part I of my blog on Lanai I reviewed the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manale Bay and discussed getting to, from and around the island.  Manale Bay has the distinction of being on the beach, but the Four Seasons Resort The Lodge at Koele transports you to another place and time entirely, nestled in the central highlands of Lanai.

The Four Seasons Resort Lanai The Lodge at Koele
My husband, son and I visited the Lodge several times during our stay at Manale Bay.  We played mini golf, walked the grounds and enjoyed meals at their restaurants.   We were only able to stay there one night, the fortunate consequence of our flight home being cancelled due to weather (and, in case you are thinking that a ferry may be more reliable think again, the ferry stopped running thanks to the weather as well).  That one night made an impression.  My husband and I agree that if we ever want to go off the grid, The Lodge at Koele will be the place to do it.