Blogging

Welcome Seattle's Child Readers

Seattle's Child cover photo March 2014

I had the super fun experience of being interviewed for our local parenting magazine, Seattle's Child this month They even featured my family (well, those of us who weren't battling a cold) on the cover!

Here's the full text of the interview in case you haven't ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Sightseeing in Your Hometown

Chandelier at the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum in Seattle

I've been invited by Residence Inn to contribute to their Family Travel Talk Forum on Facebook this year. We're a few months in, and it has been fun to see the forum become a place where traveling parents share thoughts and information..

This month I'm writing about ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Finding Time for Yourself When You Travel With Kids

View from Seattle's Alki Beach at Sunset

I've been invited by Residence Inn to contribute to their Family Travel Talk Forum on Facebook this year. I'm joining several other blogging parents and I'm excited to see it shape up as a lively forum where we can share tips about traveling with kids.

My first ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Family Travel at Conde Nast Traveler

Inside Conde Nast Traveler's Family Travel Issue

This month, in order to celebrate their second annual family travel issue, the Conde Nast Traveler website is featuring advice from a handful of top family travel bloggers (including me) each Wednesday. The first post, about Packing for a family vacation is already up. It's a fun and useful ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Family Travel Bloggers List for 2012

Last year when I went to TBEX, I was surprised to find a room packed with other family travel bloggers. I came home, and got everyone's help in creating a list that we could use to find one another. Almost a year has gone by, and it's time ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Ribbon Cutting at Chilileka Basic School's New Library

Spoiler alert - the libraries are real, and by the end of this day we cut a red ribbon

Missing a little context? Jump to the bottom to learn more about why I'm in Zambia this week.

I may have helped organize the Passports with Purpose fundraiser, but it was the work of about two thousand people (between bloggers, donors and corporate sponsors) who really built this project ...

Read the rest of this entry »

A Tour Through the Slums in Lusaka, Zambia

Kids playing in Lusaka's Garden District

I don't believe that it's ever possible to wrap your head around another person's experience. Not even your neighbors or close friends. And life in another country with its own culture and traditions is even harder to comprehend. Things might look similar, human needs are the same ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Videos about Zambia

When my husband and I made our first trip to Africa in 2001 I poured over any images I could find that would help me wrap my head around what it would feel like to be there. There really wasn't much available, and the web was still very text ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to Zambia

View from the Airplane Window

There's something about the African landscape that is deeply settling. When I first visited the African continent 10 years ago, it felt like coming home. As we flew into Lusaka today, I felt those same feelings resurfacing - I've never been to Zambia before, but already it feels strangely ...

Read the rest of this entry »

What are Your Questions about Zambia

As I get ready for this trip to Zambia, it's been fun to answer questions from family and friends (and in the process, to realize how little I know about Zambia and more broadly about Africa). The kids are helping me create a list of questions to take with ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Visiting the Libraries You Built in Zambia

You made this happen!

Last December, when the Passports With Purpose Fundraiser surpassed our goal to raise $80,000 to build two libraries in Zambia, we had another goal that we were more quiet about... to visit in person, meet the kids, and bring back stories and pictures about how our libraries helped the ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Connecting With DeliciousBaby

Some of my boards on Pinterest

Like so many people, I discovered Pinterest over winter break, and I'm just loving it. It has been a fun place to get inspiration about recipes, activities for the kids, and of course, travel destinations and tips. If you're on Pinterest, you can find me at DeliciousBaby or ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Winner: Passports with Purpose Matching Gift

I want to thank everyone who donated to help build libraries in Zambia through Passports with Purpose! Today is the last day of our fundraiser, and I am very excited to announce that we've exceeded our goal! It's exciting to watch the donations roll in, and to know ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Passports with Purpose Matching Gift Giveaway

Taking a break from touring at a public library

A Giveaway
If you haven't had a chance yet to make your Passports with Purpose donation to build libraries in Zambia, now is the best time to do so! Our fundraiser ends on Friday. This week, I will be matching one lucky reader's donation (up to $200) by ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Favorite Passports with Purpose Prizes for Families

Lawns at Honua Kai Maui

Our annual Passports with Purpose fundraiser is now a week underway, and we've raised close to $20,000 towards our goal of building 2 libraries in Zambia! Now that we have a complete list of all the prizes we'll be giving away (there are 86 in all) I ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Win a Hawaiian Vacation and Help Build a Library in Zambia

Each year at this time, I help lead Passports with Purpose, the travel blogger's fundraiser. What makes our fundraiser fun and different, is that we raise money by giving away prizes to our donors!

Here's how it works - each $10 donation you make enters you to win one ...

Read the rest of this entry »

My Holiday Travel Survival Guide on ParentsConnect

In addition to my regular posts on DeliciousBaby this month, I'm also travel advice every weekday at Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect website. I will be sharing tons of tips on everything from keeping your suitcase organized to my all-time-favorite travel toys. I hope you'll check it out!

About DeliciousBaby ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Family Travel Bloggers List for 2011

When I started blogging about family travel just a few years ago, it felt like there were just a handful of us saying "it's ok, just get on that plane!" The family travel blog space has grown a ton in the few short years that I have been blogging ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver Insiders We Need Your Help!

We're building the first crowd-sourced iPhone guide to Vancouver, Canada and we hope you'll help! The guide will have all the features of our popular TripDoc app, but it will come pre-loaded with recommendations for things to do in the Vancouver area and will be available for free ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Win a Night at the Woodmark Hotel and Build a Village in India.

View of Lake Washington and the Olympic Mountains from the Woodmark

I have a long-standing love affair with the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland WA. Just across the bridge from Seattle, it's a lakefront getaway without all the hassle of a long drive, and my husband and I have take advantage of that (at our own expense) when we just need ...

Read the rest of this entry »

We're Building A Village in India: Passports With Purpose 2010

I've been pretty quiet about this year's Passports With Purpose effort, but the reality is that a lot has been going on behind the scenes.

You might remember last year's fundraiser, in a few short weeks we raised almost $30,000 to build a school in Cambodia ...

Read the rest of this entry »

TravelKiddy - Our Newest Sponsor

TravelKiddy Basic Kit for ages 3-6

I want to welcome my new sponsor, TravelKiddy. TravelKiddy makes very nicely designed activity kits that you can take with you on a trip. I generally like to pack my own busy bags, but I have to say that I'm really impressed at how much activity these kits pack ...

Read the rest of this entry »

TripDoc iPhone App Helps You Plan Your Travels

Many of you know that before I became a stay-at-home mom, I worked in the Computer Software industry for over 10 years. I worked on everything from Apple's first handheld computer (the Newton) to Internet Explorer and Windows. Despite spending my days covered in applesauce, I've never stopped ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Connecting With DeliciousBaby

I've been more active on my Facebook page lately, and It's been fun to post more quickly and interactively than I can here at DeliciousBaby. I realize that my readers might not be aware of all the different ways that we can connect, and the different resources available ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Mom's Night Out: Sip and Plan Your Summer Trip

The Great Room at the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland

I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who came to the Mom's Night Out event hosted by the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland. Everything came together so nicely, and we had a terrific night. I always enjoy getting together with my co-hosts Michelle Duffy, Anne Taylor and ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Mom's Night Out Update

Tickets for our Summer Travel Event at the Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club and Spa in Kirkland are selling fast, and I wanted to give a quick update on what's going to be happening at the event.

Trio Vintners, a local, family owned winery will be providing plenty of wine ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Mom's Night Out: Join Me for Wine and Travel Talk

D and I at Legoland in Carlsbad, CA

I am super excited to be co-hosting a mom's night out on June 3 at the lovely Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club and Spa in Kirkland. Before I get into the details, let me just say that this event is going to be fun. Really fun. There will be appetizers ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome New York Times Readers

I'm so thrilled that the Frugal Traveler wrote about Passports With Purpose, our fundraising effort to build a school for children in rural Cambodia today. The column will also run in Sunday's paper, so if you see a car struggling along under a load of newspapers this weekend ...

Read the rest of this entry »

My Best Giveaway Yet

Child Worker in a Fish Paste Factory in Batambang Cambodia

A Giveaway
If you haven't had a chance yet to make your donation to help build libraries in Zambia, now is the best time to do so! Our fundraiser ends on Friday. This week, I match one lucky reader's donation (up to a $200 contribution) by making a ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Help Build a School in Cambodia and Win Fabulous Prizes

Kids in Phnom Penh Cambodia

Today, as bloggers everywhere started posting about Passports With Purpose it finally hit me, we really ARE going to build a school in Cambodia this year. If you've been a regular reader, I don't have to tell you how much it means to do something so concrete for ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Please Join Us for Passports With Purpose

Kids outside their floating home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

If you have been reading DeliciousBaby since last year, you may remember Passports with Purpose, the travel blogger's fundraiser founded by Pam Mandel of Nerd's Eye View, Beth Whitman of Wanderlust and Lipstick, Michelle Duffy of WanderMom ...

Read the rest of this entry »

DeliciousBaby Named Most Popular Travel Blog

Imagine my surprise this week when Technorati unveiled their new topic based blog rankings. DeliciousBaby is listed as the #1 Travel Blog and the #28 most popular lifestyle blog. The rankings are designed to change quickly, so I'm sure I ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Travel Bloggers Rally Around Blog Action Day 2009

I've been astounded to see how many of the bloggers whose work I read regularly participated in Blog Action Day today. In reading through everyone's posts, I was struck by how many people said that the personal connection they made by seeing climate change first hand on their ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Blog Action Day: Climate Change in Madagascar

Hiking in the Transitional Forest in Southern Madagascar

Today is Blog Action Day, and over 7000 bloggers around the world are uniting to post on a single subject: Climate Change. I thought I would share a personal experience in the hope that it inspires you to help.

In 2001, long before our children were born, my husband and ...

Read the rest of this entry »

My Meeting With Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Questions on Child Safety in Cars

Debbie Dubrow and Alan Mulally

During Labor Day weekend I was invited to a local media brunch with Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motors as a part of the effort to launch the new Ford Taurus. If you want to see me looking serious and taking notes, click here

I sat alongside journalists who have ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Would You Like to be Interviewed About Family Travel?

I just spoke with a writer for a national magazine who is looking for first-person stories from family travelers. We thought it might be fun to publish her query here so that she can follow up with (and possibly quote) a few of my readers! Here is what she is ...

Read the rest of this entry »

What Would You Ask Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company

Sometimes having a blog is a little bit like Being John Malkovich. I never know what's coming my way, and occasionally I wonder whether I have momentarily stepped into someone else's life.

Case in point, this Monday, I will join Alan Mulally, the CEO of Ford, and a ...

Read the rest of this entry »

TBEX Behind The Scenes

I thought it would be fun to share a few behind the scenes pictures from the Travel Blog Exchange Conference.

We'd been planning the details of the conference for months, but things really started to heat up the week before I left for BlogHer. I flew in a day ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Travel Blog Exchange '09 Gift Bags

Travel Blog Exchange '09 Gift Bags

There's been a lot of buzz on Twitter about the TBEX gift bags, so I wanted to post a few pictures here, and to thank the very generous companies who contributed products and services.

Here's what it included:

  • A roomy High-Sierra backpack from Hertz
  • A free level one ...

Read the rest of this entry »

TBEX'09 Travel Blogger's Meetup Update and Sponsors

The TBEX travel blogger's meetup in Chicago is just over a month away, and I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone face to face. The meetup will be held at the beautiful Chicago Cultural Center, right in the heart of Chicago on Sunday July 26th from 9am to ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Reader Questions: Evaluating a Free Hotel Stay

Crib at the Four Seasons Aviara in Carlsbad

After my post about the Four Seasons Aviara in Carlsbad, CA last weekend, I got a great question from Hansen who wanted to know whether I felt my family had received markedly different treatment at the resort than other families.

Great review, I wish I had a little extra cash ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Recap of Presentation at Rick Steves Travel Center

This weekend, I taught a class at the Rick Steves Travel Center about traveling with kids! Several people have asked for copies of the slides, so I'm posting them here. Enjoy!

Related Links
Flying With Kids
Travel Gear for ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome CNN.com Readers

CNN.com's story today about Pushy Travel Bloggers Taking on the Travel Industry references my investigation of Advantage Rental Car's Unsafe Car Seats last year. I don't think I've ever been so happy to be called "pushy!"

Back when it was originally published, that article Unsafe ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Please Vote for a Blog Her Session on Investigative Reporting

Today, one of our two local newspapers is shutting down its print edition forever. Here in Seattle, we're lucky - we still have one newspaper left, but across the country the newspapers, magazines and tv news shows that have held businesses and politicians accountable for their actions through investigative reports ...

Read the rest of this entry »

TBEX'09 Travel Blogger's Meetup Speaker List

For the past several weeks, Kim Mance and I have been hard at work recruiting speakers for TBEX'09 on July 26th in Chicago. I have to admit, even though we selected, emailed and talked with each of the speakers, now that I see the final list all in one ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Traveling With Kids Class at Rick Steves Travel Center

Everest (6 months old) reading the Paris guidebook

If you missed my first class at the Rick Steves Travel Center, you're in luck. I have a second class scheduled on Saturday March 28th from 12pm to 1:30. Free registration is required, and you can register here

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hidden Dangers of PR Freebies

Mailbox full of freebies

When I started blogging, one thing that seemed particularly glamourous to me (besides the boatloads of money I was sure to make within months) was all the freebies. It's interesting to look back at those heady days now -- wow, has my perspective changed!

Like most parents of small children ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Passports With Purpose Recap

Just a quick note to say THANK YOU to everyone who helped make our Passports with Purpose fundraiser such a huge success. We raised $7420 for Heifer International, almost 50% more than our initial goal! This feat would have been impossible to accomplish without all the generous donations from sponsors ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Passports With Purpose - Last Chance to Donate

Just a quick note to say THANK YOU to everyone who has already contributed! I've been truly amazed at the amount of support we have been able to rally in such a short amount of time. We've already raised over $6200 for Heifer International (over 20% above our ...

Read the rest of this entry »

Disneyland Mom Bloggers Event

This post is about a trip paid for by Disney. Disney did not express any expectation that I would express a particular viewpoint in my posts. I do not accept pay-per-post or pay-per-positive reviews, and on the rare occasion that I do accept a free service from a sponsor I ...

Read the rest of this entry »