What Ana Does

 For our summer vacation this year, we used another concert to book the location. The Avett Brothers, our favorites, play Red Rocks Amphitheater each year and that's always been a goal destination. It's a big-deal venue and artists generally create some special shows for the occasion. Also, I've seen two shows at Red Rocks and Dave & the kids have never been, so it became a must do.  The tickets were purchased first, in the early winter, so the rest was up to me to book. And Aspen became a dream destination, as did seeing my sister and her girlfriend in Vail. Here's how it shook out.  Denver The first part of the trip was obviously all about the concerts. We stayed at the Spring Hill Suites in Lakewood , right near in the Colorado Mills shopping center. This was a dream location, because it was 10 minutes from Red Rocks, and near restaurants, shops and a movie theater (yes, we saw Superman and YES it was awesome).  We spent a day in Denver and eh, let's say you ...

First, I'll admit that it took me WAY TOO LONG to rename our weekend Golden Girls. So I'll be using that a lot to make amends.  Our sister-in-law had a great idea last year while languishing away through COVID quarantine -- we need to get the ladies together. My three sisters, Mom and her ... let's go away! We settled on Denver so we could see a Brandi Carlilie concert at Red Rocks. Got tickets last winter and pulled it all together little by little. We were not surprised when ALL the sisters confirmed they could go. We love being all together.  I found a brand-new hotel (I love a new hotel) that just opened in Golden, and that brought the whole thing together. Cities are great to explore, but smaller nearby towns are way more managable for a weekend. So we booked it and that was that.  Here are some details and recommendations from our trip:  We stayed at the Eddy Hotel in Golden. We all shared a large room for the weekend but spend most of our time in the lobby. L...

It was 10 days of exploring, shopping, swimming, and sitting poolside. And it's going to take me a few days to download and write-up everything we did. In the past, we've done "explore" vacations in European and American cities, and we've done sit-on-your-butt vacations in Mexico and the Bahamas. But this trip pleasantly combined all that, as we went island hopping from Oahu and busy downtown Waikiki Beach, to the Big Island and an isolated, kid-friendly resort, to Maui at a resort near small-town amenities. Here are a few picture highlights from the trip ... Luau Was Spectacular! Maui Beach The Maui Coastline Related links: Other vacation highlights

We spent five very nice days in Tenerife, and here's what I've got to say ... I am sick and tired of witnessing "the coldest/rainiest/snowiest winters on record" at each of the places we visit this year. The resort town in the south of Tenerife where we stayed had the coldest (low 50s) and rainiest week in a very, very long time. It hadn't rained here in about a year. And, yeah, for three days it rained and was chilly. Then we returned to Paris and there's a Siberian cold front coming through bringing some of the coldest weather Paris has ever experienced. And more snow. So, yeah, we seem to bring record-breaking weather wherever we go. The Views at the Resort Notice ... No One On the Beach But, on the bright side, we did get to see quiet a lot of the island and spend time together as a family. So the vacation wasn't a total waste. Not to mention I was finally able to introduce my little family to my extended family that lives on the islan...

Paris is awfully grey and wet in the winter. This is something that I guess is well-known, but to experience it is something different altogether. When the sun does peek out, it's something you mention to others. Such as, "Hey, did you see that sun yesterday?!" The girls are off from school for the next week (as does most of Paris) so we're off to Tenerife to see the sun. And some family. And a pool. And the ocean. And maybe tour up the volcano. A bientot! Related posts: My favorite places in Tenerife to visit

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...

Back to normal programming on Monday ...

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

It's been said over and over again but there's really nothing better than taking some time away from your life and kids and just getting away with your spouse. Sounds obvious, right? Working on the marriage is important, letting the kids fend for themselves with a different supervising adult (in our case it was my Mom) is a great experience and getting away from the day-to-day -- and especially WINTER -- is therapeutic. We just got back from a long weekend with life-long friends in Puerto Rico and it was delightful. The kids had a great weekend with Nana and we had some dedicated time to relax, reconnect and let loose. Drinks, laughter, swearing and doing next to nothing were the themes of the weekend. I'm back with a sunburn and a ton of tasks but feeling more clear-headed than before. Ready to get it all done.

The best part of being on vacation is no dishes to wash and put away. The worst part? Umm, can't come up with one. Sun burn? Daily Views Vacation means unhurried time with my family. Reading time. Swimming time. Time to eat. Sleeping in. No dogs to let out early. No school bus. No schedule. Putting Facebook on my phone because I have time to scroll through. Time to get dirty. Extra time to get clean. A different pace to the day that eases the knots of what's normal.  Related posts: Let's talk about traveling with kids 

Oh yes, I was in the sun and sand all week. We'd wake up and decide: pool or ocean? Nothing like a family vacation to paradise. My Toes Related posts: More vacation stories

If you have a family member who lives in a warm-weather destination -- or the means to travel to one -- always, always book a trip in February to said location. In January I booked a trip to visit my big sister in Florida for the end of February, knowing how much I loath that month. I packed up my girls (poorly -- where are all the shorts?), kissed the husband and dog goodbye and jumped a flight south. What a difference 2 hours on a plane and 4 days in the sun makes! We returned sunburned, refreshed and ready for the never-ending end of winter. And I got to spend a fun-filled weekend with my favorite big sister and my hilariously adorable nieces. Four kids under 7 and only two Moms? Nooooo problem. Nothing stopped us from venturing out to the beach, a pizza place and Legoland! Plus, an afternoon of just sister time getting pedis, antiquing and lunch. Perfection! So Funny That Leah Was the BIG Girl for the Weekend! Yeah, I Forgot Ample Sunscreen. We Burned. We're Over...

This evening I'm reviewing the pictures we took while on our Aruba vacation. We only ventured out with the camera a few times, being too concerned with it in hot, sandy, wet, humid weather, to keep it out with us all the time. Our strategy is, we pick three or four venues during the week, drag the camera bag down and take turns snapping artsy-fartsy photos of the girls. There are over 400 total pics! Overall, the pictures seem to prove that Aruba is indeed "One Happy Island," as their motto suggests. Sunset on the Beach Gathering Seashells (We Used My Shirt to Hold Them) Big Smile From the Pool Water Slide! Glad I brought the Googles Because this trip includes my in-laws, I'll set out to create a little photo book of everyone together to send to my mother-in-law as a memento. So, that's my next task. Wish me luck!

With a week spent away from home and work -- and all the hectic day-to-day minutia, I'm coming home with some BIG IDEAS! The kind of ideas normally called "Resolutions" -- for pete's sake. This isn't unusual. I come home with this renewed vigor to start fresh. My house looks different. I have a clearer view of what I want to accomplish. New priorities and a better sense of direction. I'm inspired. Ready to start. To be honest, this good feeling doesn't last very long. This new beginning feeling of awe is replaced, or stamped out, by the normal daily tasks and there's no point to fight against that tide. But before that clarity is all gone, I'm on a mission TODAY.

Growing up in suburban Minneapolis EVERYONE went on vacation to the Wisconsin Dells. At the time, it was mostly outdoor waterparks and lake activities -- perhaps more, I never knew because we never went. Sure, it would have been pricey for a large family to go ... But tell that to my 12-year-old self who just wanted to go on vacation to the same place all my friends went. (In hindsight, there were likely many families who never went either, but...) So, fast-forward to the present day and we're less than a three-hour drive from this family vacation mecca. In no uncertain terms I made it known that we would get to the Dells ... and soon. I would put to rest the years of adolescent longing. Of course, this wasn't a tough sell to Dave or the kids. Indoor waterparks? Um, yeah, sure. When are we going? Spring break proved the best week to go. And with Dave's out-of-control travel schedule, we needed some family time. We were there Thursday morning through Friday afternoon a...

It was around this time last year that I made an attempt to be a some-what Stay At Home mom -- all while unpacking and discovering a new town and state. I was also contracting for my old job, which turned into much more time than I originally planned. Needless to say, it was less fun than I thought it would be. Facepainting at the Children's Museum This week I'm home with the girls while they are off for winter break. We're all one year older and wiser, so I'm working on some better strategies from lessons learned. First, and most important, be a step ahead. Plan one big event each day that's tailored for them. I took them to the children's museum on Wednesday and to an ice skating lesson on Thursday. I anticipated hunger, had a plan, and cut activities short to make sure they got fed. We took breaks, rested and had strategic movie times - to keep small tempers at bay. I let them choose some things to do, but never gave up my hold of the master schedul...

"If you find yourself a tourist in the town you grew up in..." So I'm back in Minnetonka and I realize I can't remember the highway names and stores that were once there are no longer there. It's been 16 years since I was last a resident, so I guess the memory lapse is understandable. We had a great weekend. We rented a minivan for the 6-hour drive through Wisconsin. The Mall of America is not the cheesey destination of my youth, but an upscale family destination where we had an awesome time.  Then we went to Uncle Bob's to play in the pool, jump on the tramp and rides around Lake Minnetonka on a motor boat. Fantastic time. On the Car Ride Nic and Dave on the Boat Ready to Tube The Merry-Go-Round at the MOA