A Modern Mother

Family traditions: Making Gravenstein apple pie

When I was growing up, our family holidays were spent at the Russian River in Northern California. Back then it wasn’t trendy. We went there because a family friend owned a sprawling house made of logs on the riverbank, and our large family could stay economically. We’d play in the river, catch tadpoles and float on plastic blow-up rafts all day long.

In the evenings, we’d have a family style dinner:  Spaghetti Bolognese, garlic bread from the local store, and a big salad made with Romaine lettuce with sprinkled with olive oil and red wine vinegar. We’d also have apple pie.

Treebones Resort: Our favourite adult retreat in Big Bur

This was our second year back at the Treebones Resort in Big Sur. The resort is famous for its yurts and breathtaking panoramic views of the Big Sur coastline. It's a quiet retreat, and only allows children aged 6 and older.

Treebones is about 5 hours north of Los Angeles and 4 hours south of San Francisco. It’s at the southern end of Big Sur, on California’s famous Highway 1. Highway 1 through Big Sur is a designated American National Scenic Byway and a California Scenic Highway, so the drive itself is a destination.

Wine tasting and swimming at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery!

The Francis Ford Coppola Winery takes the whole California wine tasting experience to a whole new level. In addition to fabulous wine for adults, think swanky swimming pools to help keep the kids occupied.

Francis Coppola wanted to make sure that the whole family could enjoy the nice things in life. After watching children beg their parents to allow them to jump into the fountain at his Inglenook winery in Napa, three years ago he incorporated swimming pools into his Alexander Valley wine wonderland.

We recently visited and rented a Deauville-style “cabine” – where you can change, store your belonging and shower in privacy after swimming. It also includes swim passes, chaise lounge chairs, towels and 4 wine tastings. Tip: The cabines are very popular, so make sure you reserve one in advance.

Panning for gold in California's Gold Country

When our youngest heard we were going panning for gold in California's Gold Country north of Sacramento, she started planning how she would spend the fortune she would amass. After she bought herself a jacuzzi and art supply store, she told me she'd get me a new dress.

There's something about gold that makes people dream. When it was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848 in Coloma, it changed California forever. At the time, California was part of Mexico, with only a couple thousand inhabitants. When word of gold got out, more than 300,000 people rushed to the foothills to find it. Many of them stayed.

Exploring San Francisco's Exploratorium

The Exploratorium in San Francisco is not really a museum. It’s more of a sprawling thought-provoking experience. Think science meets art in pod-like stations (exhibits), where you meander from one to another to explore, create and tinker.  It’s a lot like surfing the Internet – find something that interests you and follow the thread. Also like the Internet, it has the potential to be a pleasantly huge time suck; there are a mind blowing 600 exhibits to discover!

Whitewater rafting with kids on the American River

Like skiing? Then you'd love whitewater rafting. We tried it for the first time on our California travels this summer.

Whitewater rafting is an extreme sport; it ranks right up there with snowboarding, surfing, and paragliding.  You essentially "surf" the whitewater rapids – and it can give you a major adrenaline rush. Rapids are classed by difficulty (1 = easy; 6 = not passable). The American River, near Sacramento, has nearly 200,000 visitors raft its rapids each season. It’s a short trip from San Francisco (2 and 1/4 hours) and on the way to Lake Tahoe, making it a perfect side trip or destination on it's own.

The Four Seasons San Francisco: Shopping and city lights!

"Welcome to the Four Seasons, Mrs Scott," the young woman at the front desk greeted us as we walked into the iconic San Francisco hotel.

Let the kids be guides! Monterey Bay Aquarium

We've been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium a few times. I usually plan the day to make the most of it. This time, I let the girls take charge. From when we ate, to what we saw and did. Here's how it turned out!

Ride the Ducks: A unique view of San Francisco

When we visit my parents in the Bay Area, we are always on the look out for new things to do to give our girls a unique view of America. So when we spotted the Ride the Ducks former WWII DUKW vehicle driving around the street of San Francisco, we had to try it.

Our tour began at Taylor and Jefferson in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf. We got there a little early to check out the rows of tourist shops and pick up some postcards to send back to our friends in the UK.

Is that it mummy? My 8-year-old daughter pointed at the large white metal boat/bus vehicle, with safari–like open windows and a big yellow duck printed on the side.

Going to Silicon Valley with kids? Visit The Tech

Wow. The Tech Museum of Innovation is a real Silicon Valley gem. I don’t usually rave about technology museums. They can be, erm, boring, conjuring up images of dusty mainframes, the first PC and maybe even an Apple II. Certainly kids would ask to leave as soon as you got there.

But we’re in Silicon Valley, the home of really cool geeky stuff, and The Tech is full of interactive hands-on exhibits utilising Silicon Valley’s most innovative technologies.