To tell the truth I don’t usually pay New Years much attention. My family’s Christmas is just so full on that I am over celebrated by the time New Years rolls in. As a result I am too exhausted for either partying or reflection. This New Years is different though because I just received in…
The Holiday Season has drawn me to my hometown of Melbourne and while most of it has been spent in the ‘burbs’ we are loving living it up in the city for a couple of nights. The Melbourne Docklands is considered a developmental white elephant by some Melbournians so we did not venture there…
I started writing about travel with children as a consequence of a journey I took when my first son was still a young baby. The profound, profound sleep deprivation I suffered as a result of my son’s jet lag led me to my lowest moments as a mother. Rather than giving up on travel the…
The Northern Hemisphere ski season is here and with it an increasing number of families are traveling to high altitude. Many parents are unaware that families visiting mainstream ski destinations such as the Canadian Rockies are at risk of altitude sickness. At high altitude the pressure of oxygen in the atmosphere is significantly less than…
As we prepare to embark on a journey south to spend Christmas with loved ones I will add one item to my packing list – a book that retells the Christmas story. It is too easy to disconnect from stories that we are familiar with and for this reason I am seeking to remember some…
I am into historic railroads at the moment. The reason is that my baby brother Ben stars in the AMC drama “Hell on Wheels” about the building of the first US Transcontinental Railroad. “Hell on Wheels” was the name given to the town that followed the building of the the railroad, and, if the show…
My favourite childhood book was The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Its fantasy setting and narrative that incorporates beautiful themes of forgiveness and redemption struck a chord. I must have read it fifteen times at least. I am currently introducing my sons to the world of Narnia, reading them the original C.S Lewis book…
I was perplexed. I was in New York city, a town not favorably renowned for friendliness yet people kept smiling at me. Not only that, they were saying hello. On the subway, and now, of all places, as I walked along Wall Street. If finally clicked. The reason that New Yorkers were delivering their friendliest…
A few other travel bloggers have been posting pictures of wintery Christmas trees. This is Christmas in the tropics. We took the boys to see the Cairns Christmas tree last night, and threw their swimmers into the bag for good measure. A double treat for little boys, Christmas lights and a night swim. This…
As Christmas approaches many of us will be hitting the road to spend time with loved ones. For those of us with small children a looming road trip can be a cause for significant anxiety. How to cope with little ones in a car for a whole day (or more)?! As always, put the safety…