Last spring, my husband and I visited Southern California for the first time. Here’s a roundup of where we stayed and what we did during our trip to Ojai!

Ever since we moved, it feels like life has been moving at warp speed! Between the holidays and the girls’ birthdays, we’ve been so busy and our family was ready for a change of scenery. We had the best weekend in Lancaster County, PA! Located only 2.5 hours from the NYC, Lancaster truly has something for everyone to enjoy!

Last weekend, my family kicked off spring and the start of May at Mohonk Mountain House for their annual Tulip Festival. Although this was our second time visiting, it was our first time being there during the spring. You can read about our last visit in the winter of 2021 here. Founded over 150 years ago, this Victorian castle resort is nestled in the Hudson Valley, only 90 miles north of New York City. The scenic ride from our home in Brooklyn, NY was about 2 hours. Surrounded by 40,000 acres of forest, this National Historic Landmark resort offers farm-to-table cuisine and an award-winning spa.

Like many children in the northeast, my daughters had the week off from school for mid-winter break. The last few years, we have traveled somewhere warm to escape the cold, but this year we decided to stay closer to home. We were so excited to go to Mohonk Mountain House, an iconic resort in the Hudson Valley, to experience the magic of upstate New York in the winter! This was only our second time staying at a hotel in the past year and safety is very important to us. Mohonk took many special measures and put new operating procedures in place in order to ensure the health and safety of guests and staff, which gave me so much peace of mind. This trip was the perfect getaway that we all needed! Keep reading to hear more about our experience!

We had the pleasure of spending the first weekend in October at Woodloch Resort in the Pocono Mountains. We were so grateful to get away in nature for a few days as a family! This was our first time staying at a hotel since February and safety is very important to us. Woodloch took many special measures and put new operating procedures in place in order to ensure the health and safety of guests and staff, which gave me so much peace of mind. With everything going on in the world these past few months, I sometimes wish I could just escape it all. This trip was the perfect getaway that we didn’t know we needed! Keep reading to hear more about our experience!

We recently spent a week at the beach in Fire Island and it was my family’s third time out there this summer. We usually go out during Memorial Day weekend, but this year, we waited until July 4th weekend for our first trip to the island. If you had asked me a few months ago, I wasn’t even sure if we’d go out at all this year due to Covid-19. But thankfully, the cases in NY have been improving so much and people are taking safety precautions very seriously on the island. When I think back to last year, Noa was just starting to sit up on her own and wasn’t even walking or talking yet and Adina was still a little toddler, who had just gotten potty trained. Now the girls are so independent and play together so much more! I can't wait to continue this tradition for years to come!

I can’t believe it’s already been a month since we got back from our trip to Mexico! You may have seen a few sneak peeks from our travels on Instagram (you can check them out on the “Mexico highlight” on my profile) but I can’t wait to recap (or should I say relive) our time there now that we’re back in Brooklyn. I also got a bunch of questions about traveling with a toddler and an infant, so I am working on a blog post with some tips and tricks for vacationing with young kids. But let’s get to the fun stuff and transport ourselves back to Mexico!

When we were thinking about where he wanted to go on our babymoon, we kept a few factors in mind. Michael and I are pretty adventurous travelers, but we didn’t want to risk any unknowns when it came to food and safety so we were somewhat constrained in where we could go. We did not want to be gone for too long or have to get any vaccinations and we wanted to make sure there were quality medical facilities nearby (just in case!) Since I was already in my third trimester, we decided to limit our search to destinations that were within driving distance, rather than flying anywhere. We needed a place with great weather, a combination of exploring and relaxing, and not too far away. Canada fit the bill! Keep reading to hear all about our magical trip to Montreal and Quebec City, full of pictures and travel recommendations!

When we were thinking about where he wanted to go on vacation, we kept a few factors in mind. Our biggest priority was traveling to a place where we could escape the fast-pace of city life in a beautiful, natural setting and to a combination of adventure and relaxation. Since this was our first vacation away from Adina, we did not want to travel too far away or be away for too long. Arizona fit the bill! We packed in so much in the few days that we were there and had the best time. Keep reading to see pictures and highlights from the trip and to read my mini Arizona travel guide!

I love summer weekends - they feel like a mini vacation every week! This summer we’ve spent lots of time at the beach and traveling for birthday celebrations and weddings. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to the beach and getting away from the hustle and bustle of the week. But there is something really nice about staying home and “playing tourist” in your own city. Last weekend was the first one we spent at home in almost a month and we made the most of our Sunday Fun-day and explored one of my favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods - Dumbo.

We spent the holiday weekend at the beach in Fire Island. My parents have been going to Fire Island every year since they were in their twenties. I have so many amazing memories there from my childhood, as a teen, and a young adult. It feels like a true escape from the daily grind and hustle and bustle of city life. Just a short 30-minute ferry ride from the mainland, there are no cars on the island and the tallest building can't be taller than the tallest tree. Everyone walks or bikes everywhere and you’ll see adults and children alike, heading to the beach with red wagons in tow. Though the water was a bit choppy on the ferry ride over to the island, the crisp breeze felt so nice and I was immediately transported into “vacation mode.”

I have to admit, when my mother-in-law Yana invited me to join her on a girls’ trip with my sister-in-law Rachel to Grand Cayman Island last month, it wasn’t an immediate “yes!” Before having Adina, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought - after all, my life motto is #YOLO. But as a new mom, I started running through the list of reasons it would be easier not to go… How would Adina sleep while we’re away? What would the flight be like with a six month old? Feeding her would be harder since we started solid foods. It would be the longest time we were ever away from Michael. And the list went on… 

When we found out that we had two weddings back to back in Boston right around Memorial Day, we were nervous about how we would do the 4.5 hour drive from New York to Boston two weeks in a row with a seven-month-old. After talking it through, we decided to make a trip out of it and stay for the week!