The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

Never Have I Ever…Part 17

Tried fresh sugar cane. (Jenny mentioned this recently and I immediately knew it would go on my next Never Have I Ever list.)

Gone skinny dipping.

Followed a vegetarian or vegan diet for an extended period…

A Special Guest Post by Belle: Experiencing Europe as a Teen (+ My Favourite Travel Destinations)

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone celebrating—or being celebrated—as a special woman. Here’s to mothers who birthed us and, equally, to the women who have stood in place of biological mothers to love and nurture…

Guest Post, Euro Adventure, MayBloPoMo, Travel
May, 10, 2026
20 Comments

Helsinki’s Open-Air Museum: Seurasaari

Finns love to be surrounded by nature. Most families own a remote cabin on a lake (there are close to 200,000 lakes in the country, so there’s plenty of room for everyone). So it…

Travel, Euro Adventure, Helsinki, MayBloPoMo
May, 09, 2026
16 Comments

Happy Things Friday: 8 May

I’m finally settling into life in Helsinki. It took a while.

Between the kids being sick and the cold weather, I wasn’t really jiving with Finland at first. But now, I love it here!

Let’s jump…

Happy Things Friday, Euro Adventure, MayBloPoMo
May, 08, 2026
18 Comments

Helsinki Catchall: Random Pictures + Things We’ve Done

Sometimes I have an overflow of pictures that don’t seem to “belong” anywhere. Hence this catchall post of our time spent so far in Helsinki. (I did something similar while in Vienna and, following…

Travel, Euro Adventure, Helsinki, MayBloPoMo
May, 07, 2026
22 Comments

Cool Bloggers Walking Club April 2026: Final Recap

And just like that, another walking club is in the rearview mirror. Now might be the best time to admit that I prefer the October edition—for purely selfish reasons; October is my favourite month—so…

Cool Bloggers Walking Club, Exercise, MayBloPoMo
May, 06, 2026
21 Comments

On My Shelf: Books Read April 2026

Normally, I’d be enthused about the number of books I read in April. But this time, I managed to get through so many books because I largely ignored reasonable bedtimes to carve out solo…