Parenting to Go Podcast

Six days in Puerto Rico was just what we needed for March break. With a great mix of beaches, adventure activities, and great food options, the Caribbean island offered our family a great escape from winter in Toronto.

Chris and Yashy recap their multi-generation trip to Portugal. They started the trip in Porto before renting a van and driving to Lisbon before ending the trip at the Martinhal Beach Resort and Hotel in Sagres.

On this week's episode, we step 7 years into the past to recount how Baby and Life began. Yashy relates her reasons for starting the blog and describes how the web site progressed over the years to eventually expand to the Baby and Life YouTube channel and the Parenting to Go Podcast.

This week on Parenting to Go, we recap our trip to Hotel Xcaret in Mexico. The all-inclusive resort includes access to The Xcaret Experiences, a network of nature themed adventure parks that are perfect for families with kids of all ages, and features a range of culinary experiences that you won't forget.

The Holidays are here! With the Toronto Christmas Market opening this week and the Santa Claus Parade set for Sunday, holiday activities in Toronto are underway. We outline a few of the many holiday activities happening in Toronto this season, including the Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Philips Square, the Aurora Winter Festival at Ontario Place, A Nutcracker Christmas at Casa Loma, and the CP holiday train.

Our family recently took separate trips for the first time. On this week’s podcast, Yashy outlines some of the great fall activities she found while exploring Ottawa with the kids. Meanwhile, Chris joined two friends for 40th birthday celebrations amidst the San Diego beer scene. Later in the show, Chris and Yashy discuss this year’s joint birthday blow-out.

Movies have had an enormous influence on my life. On this week’s podcast, Yashy and I each list our five favourite movies while growing up. As a child of the 80s, my list features a number adventure films and battles between good and evil, while Yashy’s list definitely has more of a musical flair.

Fall has arrived in Toronto, and the city is brimming with family activities. Starting with the popular Nuit Blanche arts festival (0:43), we provide some tips on exploring the city and finding the most exciting events taking place in October and November.

After attending a recent [Blue Jays game][1] in the Sportsnet Grill (0:55), we cover the Toronto live sports options from a family perspective. Included in the discussion are visits to Toronto's Scotiabank Arena to see the Raptors and Maple Leafs plus, plus some alternative options to for budget conscious families.

During the last week before the kids started school, we visited New England. After taking the train from Toronto to Montreal, we drove across the US Border en route to the Nordic Village Resort. Form there, we discovered some of the great craft breweries in Maine and Vermont, took a trip to Storyland and spent some time finding the best seafood places on the Coast of Maine.

On this week’s episode of Parenting to Go, Chris and Yashy discuss their adventures in Cape Breton. Travel and Leisure Magazine calls Cape Breton Island the Best Island in Canada, the third best in the world in fact. A photographer’s dream, a seafood lover’s delight, and hiker’s paradise, the island is a great vacation destination for the whole family.

Summertime is a time for road trips in Ontario. The Parenting to Go podcast is back after a three week hiatus, during which time Chris and Yashy took the kids on the road. After starting in Sudbury (1:25) during the first week of July, the Murphys subsequently visited Perth (15:30) and Ottawa (25:19), and they had a packed schedule visiting local attractions. Later in the show, they reflect on life as Travel Writers (33:45).

Chris and Yashy welcome Karen from WaunderlustingK.com to discuss Amsterdam. A former resident of the city, Karen outlines some of her favourite places to visit in and around town, including tips on what to eat, which museums to visit, and what hidden gems lie within its walls.

As their kids grow older, Chris and Yashy are starting to focus on getting their family more involved in the community. To help them along, Parenting to Go welcomes Adrienne Clarke from locallove.ca, a new website powered by the United Way that outlines ways in which individuals and families can get more involved with community initiatives and festivals.

Warm weather is here! Chris and Yashy list their favourite Ontario vacation spots. If you are planning a road trip this summer, this week’s podcast features some great tips for visiting the province’s best family destinations, including Blue Mountain (2:24) and its amazing Blue Mountain Resort, Stratford (7:55), home of the Stratford Theatre Festival, and of course, Justin Bieber, and Niagara-on-the-Lake(13:09), where there is a lot more to do that just drink wine.

After Yashy’s 5 day solo trip to Victoria, Chris and Yashy discuss how the kids’ attitudes have changed over the years when a parent is away. Chris relates his brief experience as a solo parent and describes how he managed to get through the week unscathed. Later in the show, Chris and Yashy discuss their approach to parenting on a number of topics, including conversations with the kids about Gay Pride month and intolerance.

This week, Chris and Yashy are joined Harmony Skillman from Momma to Go to discuss packing trips for family travel. Like the Murphys, Hillary is no stranger to travel and has become an expert at preparing for family trips. She outlines the necessities of family travel (9:26) and talks about ways to ensure that nothing is missed. Included in the discussion are the unusual items each family tends to bring along, the lessons learned from not travelling with a first aid kit, and each family’s preferred method of travel.

With just five days to spend in Barcelona, the Murphy family spent most of their time exploring the city on foot, walking almost 50 km throughout in the city. Chris and Yashy start the discussion reviewing their itinerary, including the places where they stopped to eat and the sights they encountered while exploring the downtown area.

Chris and Yashy share what they learned from their multigenerational trips with family.

Chris and Yashy recap their ten-day family trip through Berlin, a city filled with green spaces, museums, and attractions for families, and lots of great cheap food.

After taking the kids to the theatre to see Annie, Chris and Yashy discuss their personal experiences with the famous musical, including the childhood fights the movie version caused between Chris and his sisters. Afterwards, they discuss a number of the other kids theatre productions their family was seen over the years (8:06). Chris then relates his past experience working in theatre (14:24) before the topic shifts to the movie musicals the family have seen and plan on watching next (16:25). To close this weeks podcast, Chris and Yashy discuss family activities in Niagara-on-the-Lake, one of their favourite local destinations (22.12).

The perfect family week in Philadelphia

Chris and Yashy share the air travel tips they have learned while travelling with young children. The family started travelling with kids when they took their daughter to India at just 6 weeks old and have learned a lot over the past 6 years. The podcast covers tips for three ages ranges, starting with newborns (0:36) and kids between 1 and 2 (13:30). Lastly, they share more about their current situation, travelling with kids over 2 (20:23).

This week, Chris and Yashy are joined by Erica Ashmore from mamaash.ca to discuss raising kids in a condo. Like Chris and Yashy, Erica and her husband love living in the city and see condo life as a great way to save money while exposing their kids to all of the activities and adventures that city life has to offer. The three discuss the joys of not owning a car (6:55), their experiences with international cuisine (17:05) and the benefits of purging unnecessary household items (25:43). If you are thinking of living in a condo while raising kids, this podcast is for you.

Chris and Yashy offer tips for travelling to Croatia as they recount their family visit to the country in August 2018. Starting in Zagreb (6:24) before moving on to the beautiful seaside town of Skradin (14:29), they then experienced the ancient wonders of Zadar (18:32) and Pula (27:09), two cities that contain relics from Roman times as well as tons of family activities.

Spring has arrived in Toronto and so Chris and Yashy share their favourite springtime adventures in the city. While discussing some of the neighbourhoods they enjoy exploring, including Kensington Market, the Danforth, and the Harbourfront, the two share tips on where to eat and where to take the family to make the most out of Spring in Toronto.

On this week's episode of Parenting to Go, Chris and Yashy compare their top 10 days from the family's 148 day trip to Europe and Morocco. Included in their respective top 10 lists are some of the most memorable experiences the family had in the summer of 2017, which include driving through mountains of Morocco, tasting the amazing food of Northern Spain, and marvelling the hospitality of the Croatian people.

Chris and Yashy give a full rundown on their family trip to Dubai. They share tips on the taking kids to the Dubai Mall, great places to eat in the city, and even a seaside getaway in Fujairah. They then close the show with a discussion of Wizard World in Toronto (45:16), where they take the kids every year on March Break.

This week, Yashy and Chris relate their initial impressions of Dubai in 2018, a city that has changed drastically since the two last visited. Then, the two discuss how they find affordable travel accommodations when exploring the world (8:53), before closing out the podcast with a look at the age appropriateness of Black Panther and some of the lessons the movie will teach kids (25:45).

The first episode of Parenting to Go introduces its two hosts, Chris and Yashy Murphy, and the two outline the best ways to find flight deals.