Nicole
Lusiani Eliott

My family and I just got back from almost a month away from home. I’m an unabashed homebody so it’s fair to say this was the trip of a lifetime for me. A friend encouraged me to consider this differently, as to not imply it will be the only one. Still jet-lagged and struggling to… Keep Reading

After getting barfed on yesterday, not to mention the complete washout we experienced on the bus, I thought today would look up. Apparently, not so much. Rome in July is hot–wicked hot. Now when I say hot, I’m not sure you understand just how hot. Today was 93 degrees. If that’s not enough to convince… Keep Reading

We didn’t sleep well last night, which actually lead to a bit of sweetness between my eldest boy and me. Tom was playing musical beds following Craig around last night and at some point my bed ended up empty when Jackson wandered in not being able so sleep himself. It seems to be the 230am… Keep Reading

We actually made it to the Mediterranean?! Let me return to the beginning of the day. When I get excited, sometimes I get ahead of myself. Today we decided to hit the tourist spots early, both for the sake of avoiding the heat and the crowds. While neither was possible, we certainly were in better… Keep Reading

(Author’s Note: I’ve since rediscovered where I got the idea for “Mind the Gap.” It’s from Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly, Chapter 5. If you don’t yet have that book, I highly recommend it!) Paris and Rome are very different places. Both cool in their own way, both fashionable in their own way, both beautiful in… Keep Reading

Today we went to the beautiful d’Orsay Musee. On this, our last day of our European adventure, 23 days of foreign country madness with all of its high highs and low lows, we finally figured out the best way to start the day. Get there before it opens. And we learned that on accident, frankly, because… Keep Reading

I write often in Facebook posts and blog stories about my younger son. He’s a sweet and affection boy who is prone to dramatics; accordingly, there’s a funny story waiting to be written almost each and every day. My older son, though, is different. Maybe because he’s older. Maybe because as he enters his tween… Keep Reading

It’s a funny thing that happens when your first child turns 18. He’s not much different than he was when he was 17 and 364 days, but the flip of the page to 18 and zero days is definitely something new. It’s a marker, arbitrary as it may be, that says, “It’s time.”  It’s time… Keep Reading

 As far as failures go, I just don’t do them. Not that I don’t ever fail, but I generally bail out before I do. I’m one of those people who would rather not try than to try and not succeed—pretty much a failure in and of itself, but at least one I don’t have to… Keep Reading