You may have noticed it’s been a while since I’ve updated this space. This is not due to writer’s block or blogger’s burnout. I’ve actually been too busy traveling to keep up with the regular dispatches – a lame excuse for a travel writer, I know. Our family spent the summer in Paris and I have only just finished the daunting task of unpacking and resettling back home after two very full months abroad.

I had every intention of posting frequently while I was away. I envisioned spending my days soaking up the city with the kids, then taking my laptop to some chic sidewalk cafe or Wifi-enabled park to reflect and record my insights while the girls amused themselves. I’d have plenty of time to write, I thought, whenever we had some idle time.

Turns out we didn’t have much idle time. This is not to say that we exhausted ourselves jamming in all the attractions and landmarks in an aggressive itinerary, but we managed to fill the hours from sunup to sundown with wonder and discovery. Any chill time we had lounging by the Seine on the Paris Plage, playing in our local Parc Monceau or enduring the escargot-paced service at a neighborhood bistro was an integral part of the experience and I didn’t want to miss it. I decided to immerse myself in “the now” and enjoy the gift of being in this iconic city with my family. I didn’t want to detach myself from present moment to reminisce about the day’s adventures while it was still happening.

But now I do. Brace yourselves for a plethora of Parisian postings.

As I sit and sweat in my home office in Barbados – about as far away in geography and culture to France as you can get – my head and my heart (and my palate!) are still in Paris. I’m now prepared to dig through my notes, memories and mountains of brochures, not to mention an obscene amount of photos, and share what I’ve learned about traveling in and around Paris with kids.