One of our favorite family activities is taking a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. The BBG website lists what plants are in bloom, so you can check before your visit. Wander through the rose gardens, inhale the blooming lavender trees, get lost in a field of bluebells, or check out the bonsai and orchid collections in the stunning greenhouse. The garden also brings in some art installations throughout the season. We loved the Birdhouse …
Puerto Rico
This spring, we were excited to take a 7-day trip to Puerto Rico, our first time visiting the island. Our kids are now 4 years old and 1 and a half years old, and Puerto Rico proved to be a great place to visit with little kids. I also want to return when the kids are older because there are a lot of adventure-type activities we couldn’t yet do since our kids are small, like …
What I Read in 2022
I’m really excited to share my complete reading list from 2022 for two reasons. First, I read 27 books this year, and I’m pretty darn proud of that. My past few years have been quite frankly abysmal in terms of the amount I was able to read, so reading over two books per month is quite an accomplishment for this working mom of two. Secondly, it’s been a very, very long time since I was …
Legoland, New York
We’ve now visited Legoland, New York, twice with our kiddos, so I thought I’d put together a little guide to some of our favorite things to do at Legoland with kids under 4. I’ll be focusing on which rides and activities at Legoland NY are best for little kids. We also stayed the night at the Legoland Resort, so I’ll include my review of the hotel as well. The Best Rides at Legoland for Little …
Bar Harbor, Maine with Kids
Bar Harbor is one of our favorite places in the world to visit, which is why we have taken an annual trip there for almost 10 years now. A few years back, I wrote a piece on my favorite things to do in Bar Harbor, but I thought it was worth writing an update now that we have a 3-year-old and a baby to share some of our favorite things to do in Bar Harbor …
My Favorite Books for 3-Year-Olds
The person with the fastest growing book collection in my house is definitely my 3-year-old. These are some of our favorite picture books, by which I mean they are as enjoyable for me to read as they are for him to hear. You can see some of my favorite books for 2-year-olds here, all of which we are still also reading. The FortThis is one of our newest additions and immediately became a favorite. A …
How I Read More Books in 2021
I shared at the end of last year how 2020 was not a good reading year for me. At the start of 2021, I was determined to get back into the habit of reading, and came up with a plan to do so. What’s important to know about me is that although I didn’t read much in 2020, that doesn’t mean I didn’t buy any books. I have an Amazon wishlist that I check pretty …
My Favorite Books for 2-Year-Olds
As I mentioned in a previous post, 2020 has not been a great reading year for me. But while I didn’t read very much for myself, I did read a ton to my toddler. I’ve rounded up our favorite finds of the year. My toddler likes us to read mostly picture books at this point. We still sometimes read board books, but his interest is more with picture books now, so you’ll see that reflected …
My Favorite Books of 2020
2020 was a hard reading year for me. I know that for some people the global pandemic and stay-at-home orders led to a boom in reading, but I experienced quite the opposite. When COVID-19 shutdowns began, I found myself totally disinterested in reading and much more interested in building a happy little world of animal friends in Animal Crossing. We each cope in our own way. That said, I did manage to read a few …
My Favorite Books of 2019
It’s been a good year for reading. Several of my favorite authors had new releases, and I happened on a pretty high quota of new voices I enjoyed. Here are my favorites, in the order that I read them. Early Riser by Jasper Fforde Oh Jasper, how I have missed you. I have been a lover of Mr. Fforde’s books for years. It doesn’t hurt that he seems to have chosen to write about …
Caitlin Kenney Smith 