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 …
Sognefjord in a Nutshell & Flam, Norway
When traveling to Norway, everyone asks if you’re going to see the fjords. So when planning our trip, I researched all different ways to visit them. Eventually, I settled on the Sognefjord in a Nutshell tour for a few reasons. 1) We could take it roundtrip from Bergen, which easily fit into our itinerary. 2) We could experience the fjord from the water via a ferry and Norway’s countryside via a scenic railway journey. The …
Bergen, Norway
After our stay in Copenhagen, we took a short flight to Bergen, Norway. Norway is such a huge and beautiful country and we absolutely need to go back and see more of it! I truly had such a hard time deciding what cities we should visit and could have planned a month-long trip. We rented this gorgeous Airbnb in Bergen. It was a family home, which showed in the attention to detail for kids. There …
Copenhagen, Denmark
Well folks, we did it! Our first international trip with baby! Or I guess now that he’s almost 14 months, I have to say big boy! *tears* For our first international vacation as a family of three, we headed to Copenhagen and then Norway. We took a red eye flight from New York to Amsterdam, had a short layover and then flew into Copenhagen. Little O did SO well on his first international flight. The …
Travel with Baby
Andrew and I have done a couple trips with baby O at this point, and we’ve already learned a few things about how traveling with a baby is different from our before-kids days. Before kids: Rent a car and drive everywhere. After kids: Fly when you can. We still do a good bit of driving, but we often fly when it will save time. Since we don’t own a car, flying can sometimes equal the …
Rockport, Massachusetts
After our stay in Boston, Andrew, baby O and I drove out to Rockport for a few days at the shore. Andrew used to visit Cape Ann as a kid, so coming back to this area was a nostalgic trip down memory lane for him. Where we stayed: We rented a home right in historic Bearskin Neck at the heart of Rockport. This two-bedroom cottage has views of the ocean from the second floor and …
Boston
For Memorial Day weekend, Andrew, baby O and I traveled to Boston for 4 nights followed by 4 nights in Rockport. (I’ll share more about Rockport in a separate post.) I went to Boston once with my family in high school when I was touring colleges, but it was a one-night stay, so I had never really experienced the city. I have to say, I really loved it! New England vibes, plenty of seafood, easily …
My Favorite Books of 2018
Hi, it’s May of 2019 and I’m just now sharing my favorite books from 2018…whoops! Look, I’ve been busy. I had a baby. That’s my excuse for everything now. But here are the books I loved last year. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Pachinko begins in a small fishing village in Korea in the early 1900s, where Sunja in seduced by a Japanese business man and finds herself pregnant. A traveling minister saves her family from …
Caitlin Kenney Smith 