Tyler has had his eye on the Land Rover Defender for a while now. It started out light -- when we passed one in Scotland, or saw one in a film he’d say “Defender” and I would silent-nod in return. The interest grew though, and whilst I can’t pinpoint when it took a turn, slowly … Continue reading The Defender.

When we originally booked this maternity leave trip (be assured, this is a trip and not a vacation) we knew we wanted to be back in Italy. There’s something about this place that just feels comfortable — you can’t get a bad meal, the cappuccinos runneth over, and they are truly a family-focussed culture making … Continue reading The Evolution of Our Trip.

When we were with Henry in Rome two years ago during his infancy, we couldn’t get over how much Romans love babies. People (mostly men of all ages) would stop a business call, step out of their intended path or even throw a machine gun over their shoulder and step out of guarding duty, just … Continue reading The Pope and Tom: A Second Blessing.

Twisting through the rolling countryside of Tuscany we're all enjoying a rare moment of silence staring out the window when the car.gets.loud.  Look, the Defender isn't a quiet ride by any stretch of the imagination.  In fact, I remember turning the engine over the first morning in London and wondering who was going to address … Continue reading Our First Car Problem.

I myself am a fairly minimalist person -- I pack light, I don't shop out of boredom, I don't have doubles of house hold items...you get the point.  Kids are a game changer though, and we find even a trip to the park requires packing for.  We've gone so far as keeping a checklist next … Continue reading Toddler Tuesday: All The Stuff.

The first time I went to the grocery store with both boys after Tom was born, I was pretty pleased with myself.  Feeling like a million bucks (and with the adrenaline of summiting Everest having strapped two kids into the car on my own) I got the shopping cart, plopped Henry into the toddler seat, … Continue reading Get it, Tesco!

Henry is a water guzzler. He prefers his drink to be room temperature with a slice of lemon (don’t we all), but will take any water he can get his hands on. Today, he doesn’t drink any at all. He says he is thirsty but he just won’t drink anything. We can’t figure out why. … Continue reading Toddler Tuesdays: The Water Bottle.

One rainy afternoon you’re walking around Italy as the sole tourist, so out of place that you can almost be mistaken for a local, and the next day it’s 22 degrees, sunny, and there are droves of lanyard-wearing foreigners bumbling though town. It’s almost as if Mother Nature herself knows, as overnight the wisteria is … Continue reading It’s Cruise Season, Folks!

We try to keep Henry's meals and snacks varied, but one thing we can count on him to put back on the regular is avocado toast.  The topping combination he prefers is mashed avocado, shaved parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.  To be clear, the avocado wasn't quite ripe … Continue reading Toddler Tuesday: The Avocado Toast.