The first “family” trip without my Dad.

At the end of Bon Voyage, Pittsfield week came Howdy ho, Cape Cod week. (Listen, some of us know how to “summer,” amiright?) Even though my family is sporadically far-flung and the majority of us have established households, it felt really good to spend our vacation in the spot that my Dad adored (and made us promise to visit this August), spread his ashes in the part of the ocean he loved best, and be together for reasons neither funereal nor {Read More}

Return Of The Minivan: The Condiments Strike Back.

Apologies for the nonexistent Monday post. During the time that I’d usually be publishing the Monday a.m. blog, we were careening somewhere across New York. Or maybe it was Pennsylvania by that point. Definitely not Ohio, and years away from being Indiana or Illinois, end-of-journey-wise. Here’s what I’ve learned about trekking halfway across the country in a minivan with three kids, aged 5.5 and under: Don’t do it. Stop. Why are you still thinking about it? Don’t be a jerk. {Read More}

Eight Months Old. Lemme Tell You About My Childhood.

Dear Jasper, Tomorrow you’ll be a whopping eight months old. How the honkin’ what? Yesterday, we returned from our five week East Coast jaunt (of which you were a natural, no surprise there). We spent time in the Berkshires where you learned how to do clutch things like navigate a rotary (from the backseat) and consume copious amounts of (secondhand) ice cream. For the last week of the trip, we fetched your Dad from the airport and headed to Cape {Read More}

Uncle Fe! Cape Cod! More Excessive Eating!

You guys. Not only did I have a fantastic time with the fam in Cape Cod this past week (demolishing lobster rolls/ napping on the beach/ getting swept out to sea with my Mom/ playing high-stakes board games until midnight/ teaching my daughters how to properly pick up hermit crabs without accidentally ripping off their claws/ demolishing more lobster rolls) but I also got to hang out with THIS guy: That’s right, people, I saw Uncle Fe. (Here’s my recent post about {Read More}

Cape Cod, AKA What Blog Addiction?

Yeah. So. I know I said I’d seeya all in a week…but I just love these pix and think they’re the wundiest. (I’ve taken over 400 so far. So that’s saying something.) Taken moments before Susannah walked directly out into the ocean, wearing all of her clothes. Dad/Uncle Peej does storytime. (Who’s the wiggleworm on the far left?) Nora loves Baby Garrett. LOVES. So much. A lot. Cheer up, Zu. Try some, Zu. Sitting in a cove with one of my favorite {Read More}

Getting Outta Dodge And Packing Your Biggest Soccer Shorts.

So, here’s where my mind is this week: The teensy, tinesy, wonderfully beachtacular part of Cape Cod where I spent magical summers as a kiddo. Also as a highschooler- one with a penchant for swim team-style bathing suits, despite the fact that even my veryverybest swimming efforts make me look like a howler monkey with a leg cramp. I also spent these summers wearing bucket hats. And soccer shorts that even a fully grown man would deem too baggy. Why did {Read More}

Travel Tips.

Our [sandy] nomadic days have come to an end. We’ve eaten and road-tripped our way up the Eastern seaboard and here is a smattering of the things I’ve learned: -Outdoor showers (while totally amazing-feeling) never quite get one fully clean. -For that matter, no matter how many loads of laundry one does while staying at the beach, one will find a veritable desert of sand in her washing machine

Somewhere On The Eastern Shore…

Here are a few of the reasons why I’m not so awesomesauce on the posting/responding this week… (Please forgive. I’ll save you a drink.) The ratio of people/faces turned towards the camera is astounding. Squnch. Gleeful sandbarring. Totally could surf on her own. Think she digs it.