Tag Archives: henry and marie

strawberry season

Untitled-6

Untitled-7

Untitled-6

 

Tis the season for strawberries, and if you live in the country, strawberry picking! We’ve taken the kids almost every year to our local orchard – this year we managed it just in time, right before the heat wave. The picking window is always brief, which is part of what makes it so special. Henry and Marie were giddy to have a fresh patch to pick, frolicking and filling their baskets (a handful ended up in their bellies first). There’s nothing better than biting into a fresh juicy berry in the field, warmed from the sun. While it’s still not “officially” summer, we welcomed it with smiles and berry-stained hands.

Continue reading →

our everyday – with burt’s bees baby

untitled-6

untitled-5

 

This is what our Sundays look like…cuddles, crafts, the occasional aggressive hug, and pajamas all day. Henry and Marie have been wearing Burt’s Bees Baby since they were nine months old (see the cuteness overload here). Our favorites are their basics, especially the pajamas – they’re 100% organic cotton and oh so cozy. I’ve already got my eye on their new holiday designs – we might even venture into family pj’s this year. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure the internet is ready!

 

Continue reading →

poconos perfection

Untitled-2

 

We’ve just returned from our summer vacation at what’s become a very special place for us. Pocono Pines is only two hours away from us in Philadelphia, and Lake Naomi beckoned us there for a third year in a row. Having practically grown up on a lake, it makes me giddy to have re-created a special family tradition in our own way. I have my friend Chanee Vijay to thank for introducing us to the community there, and for so generously sharing her home with us (which you can now rent). We’re always sad to leave, but this time we won’t have to wait a full year, as we’re planning to return in the winter for our first family ski adventure! It ought to be interesting, considering three of us have never skied before, gulp.

 

Untitled-2

Untitled-3

Untitled-2

 

The highlight for us this year was our family bike rides! With the kids not knowing how to ride just yet, we opted for a bike trailer to tow them, and they had so much fun. We rode to the beach every day, and pretty much used the bikes as our sole transportation…we were so proud of ourselves. Of course I had it easy – mr. fleurishing did the dirty work. With quite a few private beaches to choose from, we tried to visit a different one each day. We even went to the pool a few times, which is a feat for us – we’re not pool people. But having kids makes us pool people by default, and the smiles on their faces are worth it every time. Their smiles are always biggest however, at the lake. Hashtag proud mama.

 

Untitled-2

Continue reading →

nyc with kids

kidsatgugg

guggcard

 

We love living in Philadelphia, and feel so fortunate to live only two hours away from New York City. Most of the time we day trip there, and find ourselves at one of our favorite spots in Brooklyn. However this time, we focused on Central Park and it’s surroundings, with the help of ZigZag City Guides! Created for young explorers, the guides have been a favorite of ours ever since Henry and Marie’s first adventure in Paris. With the help of  “Zig” and “Zag”, kids learn about a city using colorful cards and a map, featuring local history, fun facts, and short activities. I’m excited to help support their latest Kickstarter campaign, which will help launch three new maps! We found so much inspiration in their NYC guide, and chose to start our day at the Guggenheim, where the kids marveled at the architecture and buzz of the city.

 

zigzag

Untitled-2

zoo

 

Henry loves to navigate, so we let him choose our first destination in the park – the zoo! They loved watching the monkeys (can you spot him?), and being monkeys. We missed the sea lion feeding, but watched a grizzly bear get playful, felt the humidity of a real rainforest in the Tropic Zone, and saw penguins and puffins galore! After exploring the main zoo, we went next door to the Tisch Children’s Zoo and fed goats, oinked at pigs, and met a Patagonian Cavy. Be sure to check out my Steller story for exclusive photos and video of our day! Up next – carousel rides and a picnic in the Sheep Meadow…

 

Continue reading →

a day in paris with kids

I’ve been saving this video for a while now–words cannot even express how much I/we treasure it. Last year, during our family trip, we had the good fortune of being in Paris at the same time as Jenner Brown. Having admired his work for years, I had reached out to him beforehand with my wish of capturing a day in Paris with Henry and Marie, and thankfully, he agreed to participate. I like to think that fate played a big part in everything aligning to make it a reality. Jenner joined us as we visited many kid-friendly places…we were a tad limited by the stamina of the kids at age two-and-a-half, otherwise we might have seen more that day. Regardless, we accomplished a lot and had so much fun while doing so. Sharing my love for Paris with my children has been one of my life’s greatest joys, and this video ensures those memories are treasured forever. I can’t think of a better way to commemorate our family trip (exactly one year ago).

a film by jenner brown