SHOPPING

yorkie poo puppy in front of Christmas tree at Grand Ridge Plaza in Issaquah during holiday shopping 2020

Shopping at Grand Ridge Plaza in the Issaquah Highlands this 2020 holiday Season and beyond

December 1, 2020

This is a post created in partnership with Grand Ridge Plaza in Issaquah Washington and Regency Centers to help shoppers discover the community resources that help them flourish and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Why my Seattle family shops at Issaquah Highlands Grand Ridge Plaza Although we live in Seattle, we spend a […]

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15 seconds of Stardom with the Seattle Star and other local gift Ideas for the holidays

15 seconds of Stardom in Seattle (a chance to play with the Seattle Star) and other fun local gifts for the holidays

November 24, 2020

This year it’s more important than ever to shop locally to help support the businesses and places in Seattle we love. So here’s my running list this year for Seattle gift ideas that have caught my eye. Many of them are things our family will be buying and giving to friends and family as well […]

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Holiday gift ideas especially if you live in Seattle with two almost-teenage boys and a dog

Holiday Gift ideas from a Seattle family with a pup and two nearly-teenage boys

November 3, 2020

Usually I’m more of an experience gift type person but since experiences are a little more tough to execute this year we’re on the lookout for more tangible holiday gift ideas. And I start my shopping early because it feels even better when I find a good deal on a holiday gift as well. We’re […]

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Dribble Up, the Nintendo Switch Ring, the Peloton App and other workouts you can do staying home in Seattle

Dribble Up, the Nintendo Switch Ring and other at home workouts we’re trying right now

April 15, 2020

Have you ever spent this long at home before? I can’t believe how many days it’s been since we’ve been on a trip. But I also can’t believe how many days it’s been since the kids and I have not had to leave home at all. With all this forced inactivity, one of the things […]

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new lg dryer review

Why any other dryer in the world might be better than the new LG dryer I bought

March 3, 2020

This is the running saga of a brand new LG dryer that I bought 4 months ago after coming home with all the laundry from a trip and having our former LG dryer die mid-load. We are no longer surprised at mishaps and disasters on trips with our family. We have forgotten to check our […]

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Visiting the Seattle Space Needle for the first time since its renovation and standing on the Loupe, the revolving glass floor

Visiting the Seattle Space Needle for the first time since its renovation

December 20, 2019

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Travel Mindset and the Seattle Space Needle; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. The Space Needle has always played a big role in our lives in this city.  In the days before Google Maps, I used it as a navigational beacon to find my way […]

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seattle families can take part in the Seattle Flu Study to help detect, monitor and control the flu

I Signed up for the Seattle Flu Study and So Can You

December 18, 2019

This is Sponsored post on behalf of the Seattle Flu Study and all thoughts are my own.I spent the first winter of my kids’ lives in a giant bubble of hand sanitizer.  With two preemie babies who had spent way too long in the hospital, there was no way I was going back.  I could […]

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How AmazonSmile helped us Deliver Smiles to Mary’s Place this Holiday Season while we carried out some holiday traditions in Seattle

How AmazonSmile helped us Deliver Smiles to Mary’s Place this Holiday Season

December 12, 2019

How we’re helping some of our favorite Seattle charitable organizations with AmazonSmile this holiday season while we create traditions with our family This post is sponsored by Amazon, however all thoughts and opinions are my own. I love December! No other month feels quite so magical-there are sparkly lights, yummy festive foods, fuzzy sweaters and, because we’re […]

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gift ideas for Seattle families including experience gifts and locally made things

A list of Christmas gift ideas for Seattle locals and experience gift ideas too

December 11, 2019

Just in case you are looking for gifts for friends in Seattle or maybe even in the Portland/Seattle/Vancouver corridor or Christmas gift ideas in general, maybe this list might help you brainstorm. We are a family of Seattle locals and I’ve been thinking about things that we’ve found useful lately and this might help you […]

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chocolate factories in Seattle and near Seattle that you can visit as well as chocolate stores that have samples and classes including Seattle Chocolates, Theo Chocolates, and Frans

Five chocolate factories near Seattle that you can actually visit and one place that’s not a chocolate factory that you should visit too

November 11, 2019

I recently visited the factory of one of my favorite chocolate shops in my hometown. The chocolate factory was pinned on my google maps forever so when I finally arrived and smelled the chocolatey aroma outside its glorious doors I almost had to pinch myself. And I really should have pinched myself because the minute […]

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Where Seattleites can find refillable soap in Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver BC Canada and other reuseable/refillable things

Refillable soap and other reusable/refillable things we Seattleites can get from places in the Pacific Northwest

October 21, 2019

Soap is one of my favorite luxuries. I don’t mind spending a little more on soap, bubble bath or face wash if it seems better for me, smells heavenly, is beautifully made, or if it promises to get rid of all my wrinkles. But lately, especially if I use a product a lot, I’m looking […]

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World Premiere of Minecraft: the Exhibition at the Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP at Seattle Center

The World Premiere of Minecraft: the Exhibition at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture at Seattle Center

October 18, 2019

First of all, how cool is it that Seattle has a Museum of Pop Culture? In all of our travels, I haven’t yet seen any other place quite like this anywhere in the world. The MoPOP celebrates creativity, connection and culture and it is one of my favorite places to hang out in Seattle with […]

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outdoor learning with Tinkergarten in Seattle

Tinkergarten in Seattle and learning how the little things we do with little kids add up to the big things in life.

October 16, 2019

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Tinkergarten and as always, all thoughts and opinions on this blog are my own. Shortly after my twins were born my husband and I made the decision that I would become a stay at home mom. My husband’s work hours were unpredictable, our childcare was unreliable and […]

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saving money on eating out in Seattle with kids with the Seattle's Child Kids Supper Club App

How Pacific Northwest families can save money with the Kids Supper Club from Seattle’s Child while dining out and hanging out in Seattle

October 11, 2019

This is a sponsored post for Seattle’s Child Kids Supper Club; however all thoughts and opinions in this post are my own. If your family is anything like my family in Seattle we end up eating out a lot! Our lives are busy with lessons, sports and travel and we are always on the go. […]

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staying at the Hotel Interurban near Southcenter Mall in Tukwila to Revisit the Seattle Southside and using the Do More Save More Passport

Seattle Southside revisited at the Hotel Interurban in Tukwila with the Do More Save More Passport

October 4, 2019

A few years ago my family was invited to stay at the Embassy Suites in Tukwila. We had a crazy soccer weekend with back to back games in a tournament. We live in Seattle but it’s still a drive to the Southside and I wouldn’t have thought to stay in a hotel but it ended […]

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Goonies house in Astoria Oregon

A list of 10 or so movies from the 80’s and 90’s I’m going to try watching with my kids thanks to real social media friends.

October 1, 2019

If you ever feel like nothing in life online seems real anymore, try and ask for some input on something you really need help with on social media. It feels like the 2019 equivalent to knocking on a neighbor’s door in the good old days to borrow a cup of sugar. It’s one way to […]

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the Howlin' Hurricane at the Waterpark using the Day Pass at Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound

To Day Pass or Spend the Night at Great Wolf Lodge?

September 26, 2019

Early this summer, Great Wolf Lodge debuted the idea of a “Day Pass” and I was invited to check it out. Since my guys have been bugging me about revisiting Great Wolf Lodge since we went last year, it was a fun opportunity to do a road trip with my cousin and her son for […]

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Boba Up self-serve bubble tea in Seattle in the U-district neighborhood

Boba Up: a self-serve bubble tea cafe in Seattle you might want to check out

August 20, 2019

I have to admit I didn’t want to try self-serve bubble tea when I first heard about Boba Up opening up in Seattle’s U-district.  I’m a bit of a germaphobe and the image of something like a zillion people descending en masse upon a boba buffet (like we used to at a certain self-serve frozen […]

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Nutty Squirrel ice cream is a seattle ice cream store I would pay double for as an influencer

A few places in Seattle where I would gladly pay double for my ice cream and why we should uplift our mompreneur friends

July 23, 2019

A few smug people in my life have told me recently about an influencer bashing article they read about some ice cream truck business that is fed up with people asking for free ice cream in exchange for “exposure” on social media. This business now has a sign posted saying that influencers have to pay […]

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