I’m gearing up for my first Calabrian Easter celebration with my new bambino. Yes, my husband and I have done the traditional American Easter Basket vs. Italian Chocolate Egg thing in the past and we’re planning on continuing our Easter traditions, plus one. The weather is warming up and if it holds, we’ll spend an...Read More
Five years ago today I embarked on an adventure that would change the course of my life. Dramatic any? Oh yea. But it is also true. Five years ago today-on April 18, 2006-I bid a tearful goodbye to my mom, dad, sister, nephew and a culmination of 30 years of life as I’d known it....Read More
As many of you know, I recently found myself jolted into motherhood … sour milk stains, dingy diapers, dodging a sprinkler system with every changing and more exhaustion than I ever thought possible. My bags have bags … my circles have circles … and yes, I’m loving it. Tuesday was eight weeks since our little...Read More
Although I’m still six or seven weeks away from being an official expat mamma, the stress, worries and insecurities have crept in and in addition to over-thinking diaper brands, bottle warmers and car seats, I’m perhaps even more concerned about our baby’s eventual bilingualism. Like many modern bi-cultural families, my husband and I want to...Read More
Earlier this year I wrote a post with five tips for surviving a long-distance relationship and interestingly enough, Google Analytics says a lot of people like it. Since this is my our anniversary week-yes, we are celebrating all week-I thought I’d revisit how we got here and offer some more tips for those of you...Read More
One of the best things about traveling in southern Italy is the lack of English you’ll hear on the streets, in restaurants, even at main attractions. But this can also be intimidating-especially for kids. Unless you already speak Italian, you’ll probably want to pick up a few basic phrases yourself, so get your kids involved...Read More
Yep … that’s right. As I announced in my newsletter this morning, Bella Vita Travel Services and Il Cedro Bed and Breakfast are adding one new member to our travel-loving family. We’re expanding our team … but that’s not all that’s getting bigger. Just a few days before I left for my summer trip to...Read More
For many kids, spending a month in southern Italy-without their parents-is a summer they’ll never forget. Well, it’s also a summer this auntie won’t forget soon. So far, we’ve talked about falling in love on the lungomare and about meeting a real-life beach bum in Pizzo but today, in our final installment of Auntie Adventures,...Read More
A couple of weeks ago I started off my Auntie Adventure tales with a story about how Cole, my nine year old nephew, stalked met some Calabrese women on the lungomare in Catanzaro. Unfortunately (for me) it didn’t stop there.Read More
I’ve been in southern Italy almost two weeks now and no, I’m still not in the swing of things. You see, this time when I returned from my summer trip to Texas, I wasn’t empty-handed. In fact, I now have not one, but two adolescent boys-my nine year-old nephew, Cole and a friend’s 14 year...Read More
