Sometimes the best family vacations happen two hours from home. Revolutionary concept, I know. When you’re wrangling 10 family members across three generations—kids bouncing off walls, grandparents pretending they’re not tired, and everyone else somewhere in between caffeinated and completely over it—the last thing you need is to add a cross-country flight into the mix. Read more

Look, I’ll be honest. Natural Bridge, Virginia wasn’t exactly on my bucket list. It was supposed to be one of those strategic overnight stops—you know, the kind where you crash at a decent hotel, grab continental breakfast, and hit the road before your coffee gets cold. We were on our way to New England for Read more

*Part 2 of the “Oops We’re Leaving the Country” Series* Remember how we booked the Dominican Republic with twelve hours’ notice? Well, here’s what happened when we actually showed up to TRS Turquesa Hotel, and spoiler alert: sometimes spontaneous decisions work out better than you’d expect. First Impressions: They Had Me at “Butler” Let’s start Read more

Part 1 of the “Oops We’re Leaving the Country” Series Let me start with a confession that will shock absolutely no one who knows me: I forgot our wedding anniversary. Again. I used to be better at this whole “remembering important dates” thing, I swear. But somewhere between raising five kids, juggling life, and general Read more

The Galápagos trip that happened exactly one month before the world ended My husband wanted to smuggle a penguin. I’m not kidding. We were so close to Galápagos penguins on our boat tour that he could’ve literally reached out and grabbed one. Obviously we didn’t (hello, federal crime), but the fact that he was genuinely Read more