- Awareness, Culture, Family Travel, Lifestyle, Parenting, Plan, Play, Relationships, Slideshow, Travel
Important Life Skills Kids (and Parents!) Learn While Traveling – Part 1
The initial motivations for my family’s around-the-world journey were that it would be an amazing chance to spend time together as a family and a great education for our kids. Yet, I could have never predicted all the invaluable life skills they would be learning along the way! Traveling has been, and continues to be, the best way to teach our children about life and about themselves – with new opportunities to learn everyday. Since there are so many benefits to traveling, I have had to separate them into several posts. Here are the first 4 groups of life skills kids learn while traveling and tips on how to embrace…
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The Langham Huntington Hotel is a Must-See Travel Destination
In January I attended the PBS Winter Press Tour and had the fortune to stay at the lovely Langham Huntington, Pasadena Hotel which is situated at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. I always enjoy going to the PBS events because it reminds me how much I love their programming, but this Winter Tour was extra special because of the accommodations courtesy of The Langham Huntington, Pasadena Hotel. Driving through the gorgeous older Pasadena neighborhoods you are taken back in time. These neighborhoods were most likely built in the 1940’s and I can only imagine all the hustle and bustle of Hollywood during that time. To provide a visual,…
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What’s Hot in Southern California :: Rancho Bernardo Inn
A few weeks back I had the chance to stay at the lovely Rancho Bernardo Resort Inn in San Diego for a night. I must say it is one of my favorite new places to stay! The resort is really laid-back yet has all the amenities you need – like a wonderful spa, amazing golf course, beautiful fountains throughout, outdoor fireplaces, and the food is quite good. After spending some time laying by the pool I came back to my room to find a plate filled with chocolate chip cookies and milk. Talk about great service. I felt so spoiled eating my cookie and drinking my milk but oh,…
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Travel :: Doing it Yourself Vs. Using a Tour Guide in Havana
Most of us don’t have the luxury of unlimited time to explore a city – to see the key sites and then spend a few leisurely weeks of wandering aimlessly and discovering the hidden places of a destination at our own pace. In most cities, the key sites are pretty darn obvious. You’ll definitely spot the Eiffel Tower when walking the streets of Paris, and while you actually have to look to find the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, it’s still pretty easy to find. In many cities you can spontaneously decide to take one of those “Hop On, Hop Off” bus tours that take you around the…
- Awareness, Crafts, Creativity, Culture, Decor, Dwell, Instagram Inspiration, Play, Slideshow, Travel
Instagram of the Day :: Japanese Paper Mache Mask
The past couple weeks we have been doing a major decluttering and redecorating. I plan to do a post about how we can “redo” our homes without buying anything! One of the changes we made was move this Japanese paper mache mask from a spot that it was relatively unappreciated to front and center on our kitchen wall. When I look at this mask, I remember sitting in a small Japanese restaurant in Hamamatsu City (known for their amazing eel) with a friend and mentioning how much I loved the small mask. She said something to the sushi chef and next thing I know, he is taking it off the…
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Melissa’s Musings :: Enjoying the Simple Things
These past few months have been some of the most challenging I have experienced in my life. No one can prepare you for losing a loved one and I think it is something that once you go through such deep sadness one is changed forever. I do feel less afraid of death as I feel my father’s presence around me. And knowing that he is just on the other side waiting for my family comforts me somehow. Some of the things I’ve learned along this journey include: Not everyone is comfortable talking about death. I found out pretty quickly that many of us are not comfortable talking about death or…
