Here’s the California wimp in me talking: One of the greatest things about playing outside in the snow is having somewhere warm and cozy to retreat. Renting someone’s home/cabin can feel like coming into a cozy home, but can also be a hassle to arrange. A successful lodging experience may be determined by thinking through details ahead of time: Is it centrally located? How much will the cleaning...

Since we don’t see snow where I live unless you drive there, I’ve been looking forward to a taking the kids on a this-is-what-winter-is-supposed-to-look-like weekend trip. For us, that means a two hour (on a good day) drive to Lake Tahoe. Last year my little one (then 2 yrs) wouldn’t set foot on snow. He was happy to stay on solid ground, i.e. the parking lot, or have us carry him around while...

With yet more rain in the forecast, all I can say is - if you can’t beat them,  join them. Today we donned our rain gear and headed for a nearby arboretum. The unpaved pathway gave us plenty of opportunities to stir up some mud and splash to our heart’s content.  And may I add here, there is something about a juicy puddle splash that makes my heart content. Share / Save / Send

If you are going to dream, dream big. While researching a topic I will talk more about later, I learned of a vacation spot that encompasses everything that I personally would love in a vacation: A) A beautiful spot in a corner of the world I have never visited (nor likely would have thought of), B) learning a skill I could take home, practice, and share, C) integration of a foreign culture into the daily routine,...

We recently took a trip to a local science museum called Explorit. You can read more about that trip here.  I always consider it a bonus when someone pulls out an exotic animal that can be pet, particularly at a science museum where I am not expecting it. I love the look of adoration this young girl has for this creature she has just met. It appears the feeling might be mutual. Awwwwww. Check out more travel...

Maybe I have been cooped up in the house too long, but lately I have been dreaming of wide open spaces. In a conversation with my father recently, he recounted that in his youth during the summer he and his sister used to ride their horses out to the local pool for swimming lessons. This was in the same neighborhood where I grew up, one that has been filled with streets and homes for as long as I can remember....

On the rare occasion that it’s raining in San Diego, what do you do with the kids? We headed to the New Children’s Museum.  The museum’s website posts that Mondays are a great time to visit. That may have been true on the Monday we arrived, had it not been raining AND a school holiday.  This was a popular place to go, which can say a lot for the activities at the museum. But I have to...

I am reviewing some photos of our day at the New Children’s Museum in San Diego.  Though the photo isn’t top quality, it brings to mind one of the most entertaining moments within the museum: lunch.  Naturally we got hungry around noon, and the not-so-large cafe was completely full. Just outside the dining area was a place designed for young kids to pull up a kid-sized chair or a … bowl...

As part of a university town, we are fortunate to have a fantastic Entomology Department. Housed in their quarters on campus is the Bohart Museum of Entomology, the second largest collection of insects on the west coast. (Our guide also mentioned that it’s probably the seventh nationwide.) Walking in is much like walking into a lab on campus (in fact it is a lab). Along the tables, however, are encased...

It is hard to pass by Harbor Blvd in San Diego and not be intrigued by the moored maritime vessels. How could one resist stepping onto one of these large vessels and pretending you are about to set sail for a distant country with nothing but a few clothes and a dream.  I have heard stories of how difficult crossing the ocean was a hundred years ago or more. To look directly at the amount of space these travelers and...