I always look forward to sharing my end-of-the-year recap of all the books I’ve read this year. And I’m happy to say that I had a great year of reading, with lots of books ranking 4 or 5 stars, and plenty I’d recommend you add to your own lists. Let me know which ones you’ve read or plan to read! The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin 4 stars. The Stone Sky is the last …
Asbury Park & Ocean Grove, NJ Beach Vacation
Our family has been spending a week in Ocean Grove and Asbury Park, New Jersey, for almost a ten years now, and longer for my husband who grew up with trips to the Jersey Shore. I thought I’d share my recommendations on what to do in Monmouth County, NJ, for a fun family beach vacation. Ocean Grove Over the years we’ve done both traditional bed and breakfast stays as well as renting a house in …
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
One of our favorite family activities is taking a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. The BBG website lists what plants are in bloom, so you can check before your visit. Wander through the rose gardens, inhale the blooming lavender trees, get lost in a field of bluebells, or check out the bonsai and orchid collections in the stunning greenhouse. The garden also brings in some art installations throughout the season. We loved the Birdhouse …
Puerto Rico
This spring, we were excited to take a 7-day trip to Puerto Rico, our first time visiting the island. Our kids are now 4 years old and 1 and a half years old, and Puerto Rico proved to be a great place to visit with little kids. I also want to return when the kids are older because there are a lot of adventure-type activities we couldn’t yet do since our kids are small, like …
What I Read in 2022
I’m really excited to share my complete reading list from 2022 for two reasons. First, I read 27 books this year, and I’m pretty darn proud of that. My past few years have been quite frankly abysmal in terms of the amount I was able to read, so reading over two books per month is quite an accomplishment for this working mom of two. Secondly, it’s been a very, very long time since I was …
Legoland, New York
We’ve now visited Legoland, New York, twice with our kiddos, so I thought I’d put together a little guide to some of our favorite things to do at Legoland with kids under 4. I’ll be focusing on which rides and activities at Legoland NY are best for little kids. We also stayed the night at the Legoland Resort, so I’ll include my review of the hotel as well. The Best Rides at Legoland for Little …
My Favorite Books for 3-Year-Olds
The person with the fastest growing book collection in my house is definitely my 3-year-old. These are some of our favorite picture books, by which I mean they are as enjoyable for me to read as they are for him to hear. You can see some of my favorite books for 2-year-olds here, all of which we are still also reading. The FortThis is one of our newest additions and immediately became a favorite. A …
How I Read More Books in 2021
I shared at the end of last year how 2020 was not a good reading year for me. At the start of 2021, I was determined to get back into the habit of reading, and came up with a plan to do so. What’s important to know about me is that although I didn’t read much in 2020, that doesn’t mean I didn’t buy any books. I have an Amazon wishlist that I check pretty …
My Favorite Books for 2-Year-Olds
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 …