The Truth About Plastic-Free Toiletries
When we visited Grand Cayman, one of the most distressing moments was picking plastic trash in heaps and mounds off an otherwise gorgeous deserted beach. Likewise, when we were in the Dominican Republic on a mission trip, the trash rolling in with the ocean waves was depressing. Upon return from
Visiting Westmoreland State Park and George Washington’s Birthplace
Last summer, ready to take Shirley Jean to the beach (some moments I miss our beach life so much it makes me catch my breath), I booked a campsite for a holiday weekend at Westmoreland State Park on the Northern Neck in Virginia. As you likely know, a strange and
How to Replace Pop Up Camper Curtains
When we bought our pop up camper (who we have named “Shirley Jean”), we really wanted one that was ready to roll (pun!). While we don’t mind a project generally speaking, we don’t have the ability to pop it up in our yard or driveway for long stretches to work
Why Vacations with the Kids Matter
Authored by Ms. Family Trip, this post originally appeared on Restless Art. It was an exotic vacation we had splurged on, and one we desperately needed. My husband and I looked at each other across a large picnic table as the sun set, toes in the sandy beach underneath us,
What Happened Down in the Grand Canyon
I was at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, tear-soaked and dust-spattered, trying to get my brother, who was writhing in pain, up an eight mile wall of rock. I looked at the soaring sky, which seemed so far away, and couldn’t follow the chain of decisions I had made
Family Visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Last summer, as part of our “Tri-Park Trip” in our new-to-us Coleman pop up camper, we ended in the Great Smoky Mountains. Given our trip trajectory, we were on the Tennessee side, right near Gatlinburg, at the Sugarlands Visitor’s Center entrance. Intending to hike as much as our little feet
The Ultimate Guide to Yoga Practice
The ultimate guide to yoga practice: what to wear to yoga and hot yoga, the different types of yoga, how to pick a yoga class, and more.
A Visit to Whistler Ski Resort
This trip was taken pre-COVID. The Family Trip is not advocating extensive traveling and vacations at this time. Please use utmost discretion when traveling at this time. This post comes with a huge whiff of sadness, but also hope. Last year, right before COVID hit the world, my brother (the
The 10 Best Books I Read in 2020
It’s one of my favorite things to discuss: great books! This year I blew my reading goal out of the water. I was striving for 50 books, but according to my Good Reads profile, I read 58 books in 2020. A silver lining of quarantine and isolation, I suppose. My
Our Favorite Family Hikes in Charlottesville, VA
In preparation for First Day Hike (which is a tradition we highly recommend – last year we were on the Jack Albright Loop on New Years Day, the year before in Pocahontas State Park), I thought I’d pop on here and share some of our favorite family hikes around the
How to Set a Word for the Year
For a while now, setting a word for the year has been a popular exercise. The idea: by setting a word for a year we can live with intention, turned towards that word all 365 days, and thereby live fuller days in our hearts. Instead of working on fifty resolutions
How to Help During Coronavirus
There is so much going on in our personal lives, I know. But, unfortunately, COVID is still a menacing beast. It is getting worse, not better. People are dying. And while it is so hard to comprehend this, and while it is so hard to get out of our own
Ways to Celebrate Christmas as a Family
There are so many reasons to celebrate the holiday season. And we’ve learned some wondering ways to celebrate Christmas as a family. After the year 2020 has been so far, I have been more excited than ever to create magic and memories around the season with my family. I am
Family Friday Five: on Being READY, the holidays & more
Like most of you all, and as I shared on Instagram, I am READY for elections to be done, for the world to stop spinning in all of these big emotions. I am ready to have some sort of plan to beat COVID rather than feeling like we’re sitting in
Ways to Celebrate Halloween At Home
This year, we are not trick-or-treating. Due to COVID, a lot of our neighborhood is shutting their doors and turning off their porch lights. The idea of creating chutes and spiderwebs with little bags stuck to them simply seemed a bit overwhelming. It’s sad, of course, but like so much
A Visit to the White Mountains and Lincoln, New Hampshire
This article, at its heart, is about finding a good travel companion – and why you (yes, YOU) need one. While I adore Mr. Family Trip (we travel together very well) and my kids, sometimes you need to go on a trip without it being a family one. We all
What We Can Do to be Advocates
I put a political bumper sticker on my car for the first time. Ever. While this may seem trivial, I feel it was a mark of extreme bravery. At some point in life I absorbed the lesson that good women don’t make waves. Good women don’t offend. But today, as
Visiting Bald Head Island, NC (even in the winter)
Years ago, Mr. Family Trip and I began a love affair. With an island: Bald Head Island, North Carolina. This small island, considered part of the Wilmington, NC metropolitan area, is only approximately 4 sq miles of land mass. Yet all of those miles capture the imagination and a lot
Great Books on Parenting & Motherhood
I am an avid reader; I fervently believe books open our minds, hearts and make us better in all ways. And that applies to parenting as well! Starting 10 years ago, I began picking up books related to parenting and motherhood that forced me to delve deeper into what I
Family Whitewater Rafting Trip & Exploring the New River in West Virginia
First, some context about whitewater rafting in West Virginia: Over 150,000 visitors get in a raft and hit the white water in West Virginia every year. The New River in West Virginia is one of the world‘s oldest rivers (estimates are 65 million years old), runs about 360 miles long,
Family Visit to Chincoteague
This post has been holding me back from sharing details of our travels here lately. I want to bring joy, positivity and inspiration to the world. But Chincoteague Island happened. While our trip to the Assateague National Seashore was magical, there were parts of this leg of the trip that
Family Friday Five: Happy Things!
It’s Friday. And on this particular Friday I feel beat, torn down, by all the negative news and negative chatter and negative talk surrounding me. I feel like America is on the verge of a great reckoning and it makes me sad and anxious. Watching Hurricane Laura reminds me of
Hiking Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park
Living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia is wonderful. And, having lived at the beach for years prior to this (I guess we like to live in places that people come to vacation), we have landed in the place that makes my heart happy. I find our lives are
Family Visit to Assateague National Seashore
Two great forces collided earlier this summer: 1) we bought a used pop up camper and 2) I desperately wanted to go to the beach. I spent hours on my trusty handheld device researching places and ideas, especially in a COVID-world, that might work. I was looking for magic. When
Tips on Buying a Pop Up Camper (& why they are the best!)
Many families are diving into the recreational vehicle market with COVID-19 now a seemingly-permanent part of our landscape. Since hotels, flights and international trips seem, at this time, limited or off the table, families are jumping into RVs and the camping world. After all, what better way to have a
Tips for a Family Trip on the Virginia Creeper Trail
Sharing our road trip on Instagram a few weeks ago, I received the most questions on our family bike ride along the Virginia Creeper Trail. This was one of our favorite experiences, and I will give you the conclusion first: if you have a family that loves to be outside,
Family Friday Five: Back to School Humor and Hiking Tshirts
Like most parents, I am frustrated that COVID still lingers, scared and confused about the school year for my kids, and trying hard to make the best of all things. As parents, we are the ones who are the leaders when it comes not only to tangible decisions (such as
The Best Family Camping Games for the Campsite
As you may know, we bought a used pop up camper (more on that soon) and have hit the road on some great trips. We’ve been having a blast connecting to nature and spending time as a family unit. One of the things I love about camping is that the
COVID Life: Phase (whatever?) Updates
Have you ever run a long distance (by which I mean, like, two miles)? Have you experienced that moment when you just can’t possibly imagine going any further at all…lungs are on fire, legs angry, eyes stinging with tears from physical exhaustion…then, all of a sudden, there is a burst
Capturing the First of the Lasts
Lucy looks at me and I can tell she is sad. The yellow pull toy dog my sons had once loudly dragged across my floor sits silent. Her little plastic dog ears are cocked in a ready angle, left in mid-motion, forgotten by a forever distracted toddler who grew up
Family Friday Five: Great Reads and Calligraphy
It’s funny how the big emotions come in waves. Generally, we are doing well and feel grateful, but in our house we’ve each had our tears and moments of frustration, all coming at different times (thankfully) and seemingly out of the blue. Emotions kind of just catch up with us
Meet Molly of Still Being Molly: Navigating Life’s Obstacles with Grace
Life’s challenges are real right now. And I don’t care who you are or what your life looks like against someone else’s, all pain and anger and grief are allowed. Your feelings aren’t permissible or not based on your relative circumstances. We can oscillate between gratitude, and anger, and grief,
First Impressions
“I am so sorry, baby!” I screamed maniacally at the hospital room’s dingy ceiling. I was yelling at no one and everyone. My second son was arriving, born in chaos under harsh fluorescent lights to a mother who was painfully confused. My husband held my hand, overwhelmed and helpless, while
Goal Setting During a Pandemic: Powersheets Update for April
March, of course, took an unforeseen turn for the whole world. And, as an Enneagram 7 and someone who has built an identity on travel and family adventure, it took some time to get my head around what my new world looks like. I don’t want my life to stop,
Inspirational Places Online to “Fill Up”
It is so easy these days, as we move to living online, to be depleted by what we consume on the Internet. Too much news, too many scary headlines, too many comments on Facebook that don’t exhibit love and grace. But, given the way of the world right now, we
Friday Family Five: Non-Coronavirus Picks for You
Let’s take a break from COVID-19 and homeschooling resources and news, shall we? Let’s take a moment to just enjoy, sit with our coffee (or tea or wine) and let our minds escape. During this time it is so critical to tend to our own mental health, parents, and allow
Ways Kids Can Learn at Home (Our Afterschooling Resources)
As the coronavirus weaves its insidious way through the world and schools are closing, parents are seeking ways to keep the kids’ schooling going at home and, of course, to keep the kids entertained. This is sure to be a trying time for all. We’ve talked about some of the
Quilting for a Cause
I love sewing – playing with fabrics and textures, taking time to create something completely unique. I just don’t like KEEPING any of the stuff I make because, well, we have enough stuff around our house. What inspires me most is creating to give to others. So when I found
What’s Lurking Behind the Coronavirus Scare for Parents
There was a different post planned for today, but, like most parents in the U.S. right now, we’ve been watching the coronavirus with a mixture of anxiety (will they close schools? will I miss work?), fear (will we contract it?), scorn (it can’t really be this big of a deal),
Family Friday Five: Best Pizza Dough, Succulent Earrings, and more
Ah, another weekend with energetic young boys approaches and it looks like the sun will be shining and the temperature will be a rare perfect 60-degrees. We are in an extracurricular lull before baseball season starts up, and right now, all of our required activities are weeknights. So (well, in
Why We Travel (Thoughts on the Suburban Housewife Life)
A few years ago, I spent two straight days in the belly of a book: ONE YEAR OFF: Leaving It All Behind for A Round-the-World Journey with Our Children. The book is old, comparatively speaking, and tells the story of a family who took one year traveling the world. Mom, Dad, 8-year-old
Tips for a Family Trip to Grand Cayman (& the best secret you need to know)
I wanted a place where the water was blue, the kids would have an experience they’d never forget, we were going international, and that wasn’t too hard to get to. Sounds great but hard to figure out. Ultimately, based on some social media posts, some research, and a whole lot
Best Graphic Novels for Boys
Are graphic novels “legitimate reading?” That’s the question. As a mom who was an English major, successful freelance writer, and magazine editor, I love the power of books. And passing that love to my children has been important to me. Our oldest took to books from an early age and
How, and Why, to Start a Local Ministry or Charity
Way back in 2016, I was struggling with the world. Random shootings, not-so-random killings, mean-spirited hearts, a ridiculously ugly political season, poverty I can’t undo and pain we seem to ignore. (Alas, I am not sure anything is much different today.) But it felt a bit much and I felt
Family Friday Five: Heart on my Sleeve
Well, just when we thought life was going back to normal after the holidays – BAM – snow. Of course, as former beachdwellers, our kids were beyond thrilled about this. And, honestly, the excuse to not leave my house at all was pretty awesome. (I couldn’t recall the last day
Best Books I Read in 2019
Well, friends, I failed. I had set a goal for myself via my Goodreads profile to read 60 books in 2019. And after 4 years of successfully nailing my annual reading challenge, this year I reached too high. Like an Icarus to the sun…but a person to an Internet reading
Best Books the Kids Read in 2019
In the spirit of last year’s post where we shared the best books our kids read in 2018, we thought it would be fun (and useful) to share our 2019 family reads. Please note that these are not necessarily newly released books. In fact, you will definitely find many classics
Start the New Year Fresh
I love Christmas, very much. But as I have eased my way (and by easing I mean been thrown wildly and wide-eyed) into busy motherhood, I have come to appreciate the quiet days between Christmas and New Year’s Day even more. It is the time when family has left or
What to Know About Yoga Teacher Training
Please note that there may be some affiliate links included. Read more about those here. Well, 2019 is coming to a close, and it has been a wild year. I may share more about what happened, how we got here, and what my 2020 Powersheets and goal setting are unearthing…
Give Away Extra Halloween Candy: Operation Gratitude
Updated 10/2023: Operation Gratitude is no longer consistently participating in this program, but please try Treats for Troops. I have celebrated a rebirth through the years: a rebirth as someone who actually loves Halloween. I was a Scrooge (forgive the horrendous crossover of holiday folklore) about this holiday throughout my