P.S. I hope it’s you — Tax time. Time to pay bills. Taking time to set up that automatic transfer to the savings account. Yes, managing money can take a lot of time. Even if it’s not the time you are physically sitting at a computer doing the actual work. It’s also the time and mental…

Something we should be talking about, but would rather not because it’s too embarrassing — As an expat living in Europe, I’ll tell you about a recurring conversation. Random stranger: So, how long have you lived here? Me: Almost five years. Random stranger: Oh, that long? So you must be fluent in the language? Me: No, I don’t really speak it. I can’t tell you…

Yet another reminder that you have to be realistic as a parent. — I had the worst restaurant experience the other day. Okay, maybe that’s a little too dramatic. The other day, I was frustrated. Here I was trying to enjoy my lunch at a restaurant and this little boy was just running around the restaurant. He was ignoring the great play kitchen…

Let's just say I was completely unprepared for this tradition — A few weeks ago, a new message pinged in the app for my child's school. One word stood out as I first glanced at the message: luizen. For those who don't speak Dutch, which is probably 99% of the readers, luizen is the word for lice. Yes, lice! Oh my…

The invitation we should all be writing to our parenting-partner-in-crime —

And I had no clue at the time… — My days are a lot different than they were a decade ago when I worked in investment banking. I’ve replaced cleaning up Excel spreadsheets with wiping clean sticky fingers. However, the funny thing is, if you zoom out, these two sections of my life look eerily similar. Replace the demanding…

How I slowed down and changed the way I traveled and lived — For most of my 20s, travel was about maximizing every moment. Weekend trips started after work at 5 pm and lasted until the wee hours of a Sunday night. I would rush out of work on a Friday. I’d arrive back home on a Sunday night, drop my bags in…

Was it a tourist site or a town or just one B&B that I will never forget? — Imagine walking through a narrow passageway of an ancient town. You look in front of you and then you look behind you. But there’s no one there. It’s empty except for the sound of your footsteps. Does this sound like a nightmare? Or a dream tourist location? Nine years ago…

The lowdown on snacks, toys, and avoiding catastrophe while flying alone with kids — For full disclosure, this is not my child and me in the photo above. Do you know how I can tell? They are smiling in the airport, the child is carrying her own suitcase, and they are wearing beige clothes. If the picture was of me, I would be wearing…