What Ana Does

Our last stop on our RV trip was Colorado. I found a newer RV campground/glamping spot in Granby and it looked just like our speed.  But first, we stayed a night in Laramie, WY and spent a day in their downtown. It felt so good to walk around and explore a town, do a little shopping and we even ate out for the FIRST TIME in since the start of this crazy pandemic. And we had the BEST PIZZA ever.  We've been on a hunt for a new bike for Alice, since she's outgrown hers'. We had high hopes at this bike shop, but because of the pandemic, you can't buy a new bike anywhere ... even in a small town in Wyoming.  When booking the trip, I thought ahead. I imagined we'd be DONE sleeping in an RV and want a little comfort, so we booked a small cabin at this Colorado RV park, and the golf cart to drive around in.  It was a luxury to be in one place with a REAL bed and laundry and no where to drive for a few days.  And the kids enjoyed driving lessons in the golf cart!  ...

RV campgrounds vary widely, depending on the state and area. Some were gravel and some had grassy spots. Some had pools and activity rooms (which were closed) and some didn't.  We did our best to pick campgrounds that broke up the drive and had some amenities. Showers were always welcome. And laundry rooms soon became key. And we read reviews and filtered compliments and negatives through our lens -- do we care about certain complaints? Did we really need good shower pressure, as long as the bathrooms were clean?  We also quickly learned that this kind of vacation was a lot of work. Cooking the evening meal was an ordeal of planning, moving supplies out of the RV, cooking, then the long task of cleaning up. It was far from the relaxing vacation we'd have preferred.  In Sioux Falls, South Dakota we were lucky to get the pool (almost) to ourselves for a few hours. And could bike to the Sioux Falls falls for lunch and to explore the park. We're so glad we brought our bikes! ...

In the world of COVID-19 and isolation we made a family decision: We still want to go on a summer vacation.  We are desperate to get out of the house. We need a break from work -- both our jobs have been super busy. We love travel. We just need a vacation. BUT we had to be thoughtful and careful. No unnecessary risks or no additional chances of exposure to the virus. So .... No airplanes. No hotels. No reliance on restaurants. No crowded spaces. It didn't leave much.  I'll spare you the discussion and research and just tell you ... we rented an RV and traveled to Colorado by way of Mount Rushmore.  Main stops along the way were gas stations and grocery stores -- so no different than the public places we're going to now. We booked RV campgrounds and planned to enjoy the outdoors, away from indoor spaces and crowds.  And we didn't post a lot of photos on social media, just to respect the decision of those who are staying home and safe. And not let anyone think we don'...

I'm not saying I'm in any way responsible for Brandi Carlile's growing fame, but I will say I called it years ago. See, in my 20s and early 30s I worked for AOL Music (I know, I'm a dinosaur) and we worked with artists and record labels and it was fun -- but not the party I'm sure you're imagining right now. Occasionally, along with the BIG NAMES we needed to keep the website viable, the record labels would send over emerging artists they wanted us to meet and get behind. Sometimes we did and sometimes we didn't. I remember the day Brandi Carlile came into our conference room. The label guys would all meet then the emerging artist would trail behind and introduce themselves. They usually had a box of CDs for us. I remember about a half-dozen artists we met this way. Brandi stood against the wall of our conference room with twins Phil and Tim who play guitar and introduced herself. I remember being mesmerized by her voice and the shy way she held hers...

I've been thinking a lot about Paris recently. Maybe because a year ago, we were heading back to our Paris apartment after a month back in the states and getting the girls back into school and what a wonderful experience that all was. And for the most part, I'm completely re-assimilated back into my USA life and feeling pretty good about things. ... EXCEPT ... EXCEPT ... I still (STILL) prep myself to say "bonjour" every time I walk in a store. And sometimes my brain starts to translate whatever I'm there to find in case I need help.  It's been 6 months, so I'm not sure when that instinct will go away. We were all so lucky to have that experience for 14 months. It's hard not to miss something so special. Onward! Related post: Catch up on the whole Paris experience

I'm finally getting this post together with all the details from our Hawaii adventure. It's almost too much to put into one post, but I do love to document the places we stayed and ate so I can pass it on to the next adventurer. Let me preface by saying David booked the whole thing (he did a fab job) and he choose family-friendly resorts. In fact, I think his search keyword was "resorts with water slide" in Hawaii. Monday - Friday: Oahu After an 9-hour flight, we checked into the Hilton Waikiki Beach , which is on the island of Oahu , in the city of Honolulu and a block away from Waikiki Beach . Honolulu  has a bustling main street with shops, resorts and restaurants. This was great, because we had lots of choice for meals and could wander and shop -- but not the relaxing, tranquil vacation I was looking forward to. However, Waikiki Beach is known for great surf and watching surfers catch waves quickly turned into my favorite pass-time.  We would recommen...

All Seven Chowing Down "Did I just volunteer to babysit seven puppies?!?!?!" This is what I asked as we got back into our car after visiting puppies. See, we're in the market to adopt. And since I'm home full time for now, we're considering adopting a puppy. We've never had a baby puppy before and I thought it might be an enjoyable life experience to try ... just once. So we got word there was a new litter of small breed puppies and we all jumped in the car to meet them. As we're rolling around playing with these teeny six-week old puppies, the foster mama was saying she's on vacation next week and would be leaving all seven of them with a neighbor who, unfortunately, works full time. So the pups wouldn't be getting a lot of attention until they got back. The Set-Up, In the Family Room Maybe I had a little puppy fever, but I offered our house.  It's Spring Break and we have zero plans -- we just arrived from Paris and we h...

While we were in Milan last weekend, strolling around Sforza Castle, I remembered so well the last time I was walking around this ancient castle. Flashbacks! Nine years ago, when Alice was just 2-years-old and Leah was 4 we visited this castle and I was enthralled by the history, but Alice wasn't impressed and she ran around like a nut -- or a toddler. Whatever. I talked her in to standing still for just a few minutes so I could take a picture. So, last weekend, I asked Alice to take the same picture on the same spot (ok, one bench away) in the courtyard and it came out pretty cute.  Alice: Oct. 2010 --- VS --- March 2019 Here are the two original pictures: Alice, Being 2, and Just the Top of Leah's Head Alice at 10!  This is just another perk about traveling Europe with little kids; these are such special memories that I'll have forever. And even get to revisit them. Related posts: Traveling with kids

It was a quickly planned and quickly done weekend trip to Milan. It was our second trip there, as I mentioned here , so we had some familiarity with the city and what we wanted to do. Plus, it's Italy, so we mainly just wanted to eat and eat and eat. Saturday We arrived around 10am after a one hour (YES ONE HOUR!) flight from Paris. The airport is one hour from the city and taxies are about 100€, so the train was recommended to us. It's an hour-long ride, but no traffic and much cheaper. Bonus, our hotel was three blocks from Central Station, so it was perfect.  We checked into the Sheraton Four Points , I found a small suite at a pretty good rate, given we booked a few weeks from the trip. Breakfast included! I had already picked out a lunch place called SoulGreen , an easy walk from the hotel. We love plant-based, fresh restaurants (hello Flax & Kale in Barcelona!) and this one was very excellent, too! Specifically, the ginger-carrot-apple juice was just what I ne...

Want some hints on what to do while in Barcelona? Here are some details from our trip. You can read more about the trip here. We stayed at the Eric Vokel Gran Via SuitesGran Via . I like the apartment-style hotels if we're staying somewhere for more than a few days. There's extra room, in this case the girls got their own bedroom, and we can buy breakfast groceries so we're not starving (read: hangry) every morning. Thursday It was a quick trip from Paris (less than two hours). We checked into the hotel and they recommended some local restaurants and were to see a family-friendly Flamenco show.  We ate lunch at The Juice House , just a quick walk from the hotel.  Then walked over to the Place d'Espanya to pickup the Hop On Hop Off tour bus , so we could get fully-acquainted with the city. Well worth the money to drive around and see the big sights with the audioguide.  We did the full 'red line' circuit and ended back at the Place d' Espanya a...

We're a few weeks away from our long weekend in Barcelona and I'm so excited ... and yet I have so much more planning to do!  😬 One thing I learned from our adventure in Italy is I absolutely need a curated list of restaurants. We're not terribly picky, but we do prefer a particular type of place with a cool ambiance and fresh food. We want to try the local food (tapas in Spain) but the kids can be picky. And -- this is the big one -- we don't make good decisions when we're "hangry." It makes for some bad moments on these kinds of vacations. To whit, I spent several hours in a google/Pinterest/tripadvisor black hole and identified a bunch of restaurants that may fit our criteria. (I'll share the list once we return.) Then, I used my Google Maps account and flagged each restaurant I found with a green "I want to go there" pin. So when we're out and about, I can just pull up Google on my phone and locate the nearest green pin. ...

On Monday I dropped Leah off at the train station for her first week-long school field trip. This is the longest Leah's been away from me -- without an aunt following her around taking pictures and reporting back to me (which is what happened when she stayed at my sister's summer camp for a week). And while I was walking away from her, doing my best to keep my chin up, I had this nagging feeling that I'd forgotten something. Despite having packed her myself, using a long checklist of items provided by the school. I had forgotten her. In the middle of a huge Paris train station. Though, with her friends and teachers who will supervise the entire trip. It took me a minute to compose myself. It really did. This is her first real adventure away from us, as an independent person in the world. Independence is a trait I always wanted to encourage in my girls. But since I've been home with them, this trait has been tough to grow. When I'm always around, how inde...

I called the open time between when school got out and when we left for the States "Camp Paris 2018" ( see first post here ). I worried about keeping the kids busy and there are still a ton of sights in Paris on my list. So, off we went. And, I will add, we didn't wait in line anywhere. Maybe the first week of July is the best time to visit Paris? Who knows!? It wasn't all good news. The girls staged a mutiny after the first week, refusing to go to another monument or museum. Sigh. So, we spent more days than I care to admit to watching movies, crafting and hanging out around the (very warm) apartment. Such is summer, I guess. Here's a breakdown of the places we DID see ... Parc Zoologique de Paris (also known as Zoo de Vincenne)  Link:  https://www.parczoologiquedeparis.fr/ Price: 50€ for 1 adult, 2 kids Summary: Loved it! Even though it was 40 minutes on the metro from our apartment (on the opposite side of the city), the ride felt quick. Maybe beca...

In just a few weeks, the girls will be off of school. Then, we have about three weeks of open calendar until we head back to the States. That's three weeks! Because I'm a little bit of a homebody, the girls and I would gladly curl up on the sofa and binge Netflix or play dolls all day long. But we're in Paris! So, I decide to be proactive and schedule out those three weeks with outings and events ... and I'm calling it  Camp Paris 2018 ! YES, there will be time to chill and play with toys, but we're also checking out attractions around Paris that we haven't seen yet ... such as the zoo, aquarium, a bunch of museums and a chateau or two. I'll put the activities on a calendar, buy advance tickets, if I can, and off we go! Plus, most events take place inside, as in we don't have air conditioning in the apartment and I'm told July gets HOT. So that's a big bonus. Here's my current Version 1 of the Camp Paris 2018 itinerary. Who...

I was getting suspicious but once I started to really clean out my pantry yesterday, the signs were CLEAR. Mice have been getting into the food in my pantry. Cleaning Out In Progress! Yes! Mice! Hungry vermin! Gross Gross Gross Gross Gross! I refuse to go into details. It was a horror movie. After I freaked out a little and dry-heaved in the corner, I got my big girl panties on and cleaned the whole darn pantry out. Anything that wasn't sealed up, got tossed out. And everything remaining (with nuts and chocolate, especially) got put into containers. So this is why people use these beautiful, labeled containers in their super-tidy pantries. ( Like this .) Consider me totally on-board. I also set a few traps because I'm going to catch those bastards and make them pay!! Lastly, I started walking around my kitchen to try to discover where they are coming from and if it's something I can plug up. Like a vermin detective! Ugh. Not the way I wanted to spend my we...

You know when you're away on vacation and, sure, the first few days you're getting completely relaxed as you sit in a lounge chair and stare at a pool ... but after day three the mind wanders to house projects. Or is that just me? We went to Cancun, Mexico at an all-inclusive resort . Pluses: Menus with no prices and no checks to pay at the end of each meal; breakfast buffets; lots of drinks; many pools. Minuses: No beach; bad pedicure. We didn't leave the resort for any excursions or sight-seeing, so all my pictures feature the blue sky, a pool and whatever I was sitting under drinking a frosty beverage. My daily views: But I can't just sit there and NOT make a list, so after day three my mind wandered all over my house, inventorying all the tasks and to-dos I want to get done once the girls go back to school. Let me tell you, it was A LOT. And happy list-making was just about all I accomplished in the seven days we were away. And a super tan. R...

We took a family weekend trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and it was awesome. It's got a great little downtown; we ate, saw a movie and did some shopping. But the weekend highlight was renting a speed boat for three hours and cruising the lake. Oh Captain My Captain!  The Girls On the Lake Swimming! We had such a fun time on the boat we started to imagine what it would be like to own a boat and a lake house and spending every summer weekend out on the lake. Glorious daydream. Anyway, do you have a boat and lake house you're done with? I think we need one. Related Posts All Summer posts

This week, I'm a yoga teacher. Which is bananas because I've never taught yoga, nor am I certified to do so. But my sister is coaching soccer at a nearby summer camp and needed to occupy the kids for a few hours this week. And I've been taking yoga for 20+ years , soooo I'm "mostly" qualified. The cool thing is, teaching yoga has been on my goals list for years. But getting certified is pricey and a huge time commitment. And never being in front of a class before, it's hard to know if it's worth the effort. This was a good experience to help me decide if this is something to look into as my next possible career. But this week just reminds me of my current mantra: That's just who I am this week, folks. A summer camp yoga teacher. Who know, next week, I could be an art dealer! Related posts: My deep thoughts about yoga More on Staying Home

This was my third trip to London and it's a brilliant place to spend a week. Here are a few reasons I love London... - The Tube is incredibly efficient. I don't think we waited for more than two minutes for a train. If we just missed a train, there was always another one just behind it. New York, Paris, Chicago ... not even close to that good. And we bought tickets at a station with an agent who walked us through the Oyster card. Seriously, THE BEST experience. - Food and garden is a THING here. There are garden and home shows on primetime TV. Jamie Oliver is a national treasure with his own magazine and chain of restaurants that stress proper eating. Good whole food is everywhere. - All the national museums are free, big and easy to guide yourself through with a lot of signage. There's no "we have to stay longer to get our money's worth) stress, especially with the kids. - There are bunches of distinct neighborhoods that are endlessly charming to wal...

Ok, here's what you need to know about Tenerife: It's one of the tropical islands that make up the Spanish-held Canary Islands, located just east of Morocco. They're basically unknown to most Americans but Europeans regard the Canary Islands similar to Hawaii. It's a European vacation destination. And yes, it's where my father was born and so was I. We moved to Minnesota, where my Mom is from, when my older sister was 5 and I was 3. That's your summary. And instead of getting into a travelogue of the journey, which was a lot of visiting with family and eating A LOT of ham, I'll list out my top 5 places to visit if you're lucky enough to get to this paradise island. 1. Teide  Teide is the ancient volcano that formed Tenerife and the Canary Islands. In all my trips, I've never visited, so I was please to get a day trip there with my Mom. The park is enormous, once we entered, it took about 40 minutes by car to ascend the park and get to Teide --...