SO happy to be in California right now. Shlepped the girls to Tahoe

for the weekend. Because MAMA has been dying to get to the Sierras (a huge pull for me to move back to CA). Previous weekends/trips "en famille" have not fared so well (read: SUCKED!) - including taking them "off the beaten track" in Morocco, to a fabulous luxury hotel in Sorrento that hubbie was shooting. Hotel room bigger than our entire apartment which turned out to be much needed since it RAINED FOR A WEEK - and Mama was solo entertaining two tykes - one of whom insisted on only eating hot dogs (in Southern Italy? Not so easy to find). So, trepidatiously, we embarked on this weekend, discount hotel room since very "off" season at ski resort. Turned out to be GORGEOUS foliage (=happy Mama) and even though no hiking (not with these two), we managed to put them on the back of bikes and take lovely ride through fall foliage (bribing them with chocolate along the route). A tantrum free (almost) weekend (empty hotel helps - no fear of waking paying guests). Feel we might be back in the game!