Author: Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout's mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
Sean's bar the oldest bar in Ireland in Althlone midway between the Cliffs of Moher and Dublin

All about Sean’s Bar, the oldest pub in Ireland and maybe even the world

December 28, 2022

Old time Irish pubs remind me of Starbucks in the Pacific Northwest, like where my dad has his Grande Americano every morning with a crew he’s somehow gathered over days that have become years and maybe even decades. I don’t know how we even started looking for the oldest pub in Ireland on our five […]

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Orla Kiely quote at the Epic Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin

If you have Irish heritage make sure you go to the Epic Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin if you visit

December 22, 2022

There are many things to do in Dublin and we found out that you can probably do almost all of them if you really want to even if you are only in Ireland for 5 days but you can also choose to do just to do a few and take your time and even go […]

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kids at blue lagoon in iceland have to wear bright orange inflatables

Schengen countries and why you need to know about them if you travel with your family from the USA

December 19, 2022

I love to dream about all the places we’re going to go and often spend my free time looking up flights on Expedia. But we have had a passport mishap before where we found out our kids’ passports had expired just days before we left on a trip so we’ve been very careful about how […]

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Ireland travel 5 days from Seattle to Dublin with teenagers

Is 5 days enough time for a family to visit Ireland with a direct flight from Seattle to Dublin?

December 18, 2022

Yes, travel is about bucket lists and places we dream about. But it’s also about budget too. So when we booked our Ireland trip from Seattle we were actually dreaming about going to Japan. We found that tickets for Japan were on the spendy side and we only had 5 days (with teenagers who have […]

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Lomi home composter unboxed

Unboxing and using our Lomi Home Composter for the very first time

December 14, 2022

I was gifted a Lomi Home Composter and this post contains affiliate links and as always the viewpoints in this post are my own. I also have a coupon code for a free skylight with purchase. Add Lomi and a Skylight to your cart. Apply code: emeraldcitylife at checkout. We are trying out the Lomi […]

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noir lux candle company seattle

My most favorite Seattle thing from 2022: Noir Lux Candle Company

December 12, 2022

Maybe we can people again. It has been so hard not to people in the past couple years. And thankfully this year it finally feels like we’re starting to be able to make plans to meet friends and family and there is so much hope. We’ve been able to have so many first-time-in-way-too-long reunions and […]

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Lomi home composter in delivery box from Kelowna to Seattle

My Lomi home composter Journey

December 7, 2022

This post contains affiliate links as I have partnered with the Lomi home composter to try this out and as always the opinions on this blog are my own. Have you heard of Lomi? Today my Lomi home composter arrived and I’m so excited to try it out. This machine comes from my home province […]

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holiday lights and snow at Snowflake Lane at the Bellevue Collection

Things to do in Seattle in December

December 5, 2022

This year, I don’t know if I’ll get my Christmas cards out on time. I say this every year but this year I really don’t know. So maybe they’ll be new year’s cards? It’s just a very busy time. There are so many events that happen this time of year and while we overachiever Seattleites […]

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best view of Seattle skyline taken from Argosy Cruises 2022 (Harbor Cruise)

Our Seattle favorite things of 2022 for all of your holiday lists

November 30, 2022

Who says that the holidays need to be hectic? I love December for celebrating and reflecting on all the joys of the year. This year I’m really thankful to have partnered with many local shops and activities that have become part of my family’s daily life in Seattle. And many of these places will be […]

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Organic Valley Milk (with bananas to make a banana magic cake)

Learning about Organic Valley Milk with Moms Meet

November 26, 2022

I received Organic Valley Milk to try for free from Moms Meet to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links. If the world have never shut down, maybe we might not have taken notice to all the intricate ways our lives are connected. […]

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Pike Place Market in November in Seattle

Things to do in November in Seattle

November 1, 2022

I love November because it starts off holiday season. We should all sip at least a million pumpkin cream cold brews to ward off any early snow in Seattle and so far we’ve been lucky but it is suddenly a bit more chilly isn’t it? And as for things to do in November in our […]

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Club level room at Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre hotel with a family from Seattle

Because I keep getting asked where to stay in Vancouver BC if you’re traveling from Seattle with a dog

October 31, 2022

How many of us added furry family members in the past couple years? Scout, our yorkie poo pup joined our family in May 2020 and our travel life has not been the same since. Thankfully, Vancouver BC where we we grew up is only a 3 hour road trip from Seattle and as of October […]

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park view room view at the Westin Anaheim hotel right across from Disneyland

Things you might want to know about the Westin Anaheim Hotel across from Disneyland if you book with Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts

October 17, 2022

It seems like bookings with Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts are popular at the Westin Anaheim Resort because that is the tone we felt when we checked in. And we were apparently way too early when we checked in but we just wanted to drop our bags and head to Disneyland. And sometimes we get […]

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Disneyland last minute at Star Wars ride

These are the things I learned from booking at trip to Disneyland last minute from Seattle with my teenage kids

October 10, 2022

One of my dearest friends I went to university with in Vancouver BC had a trip to Disneyland planned with her family this October and we had to cancel a big trip together in 2020 (it was supposed to be to Newfoundland) so we decided last-minute that it would be fun to tag along. She […]

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what the constitution means to me at Seattle Reperatory Theatre

A play you need to see in Seattle : “What the Constitution means to me” (and when it goes beyond our city you need to see it too!)

October 6, 2022

Have you ever watched as much news or followed as much politics as you have in the past 3 years? Sometimes I feel like all I hear is sadness and scary things and I just want to turn it off and make it stop. But it won’t stop even if we don’t pay attention and […]

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homemade advent calendar project

Best Advent Calendar 2024 Watchlist

October 4, 2022

Just like Halloween and Christmas start slowly sneaking into summer, annual advent calendars start popping up earlier and earlier every year too. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing for this year’s calendar yet but there are a few that have caught my eye. I’ll add the ones I see to the list below and […]

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direct flights from Seattle including Hawaii Airport for family travel

Finding all the places that have nonstop flights from Seattle at Seatac airport now that we travel with teenagers

October 3, 2022

The hardest part about travel now that we travel with teenagers is that we don’t have all the time and flexibility we used to have when they were younger because of school and sports. One of the main ways we choose the places we go to is by if they have nonstop flights from Seattle. […]

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seattle in October

Things to do in Seattle in October

September 28, 2022

Suddenly it’s October isn’t it? This year there are lots of things to do in Seattle in October and all we’re thinking about is Mariners baseball right now. But also I’m dreaming about pumpkin farms since we visited a few in Abbotsford BC and I’ve got a list of maybe 5 of them near seattle […]

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Chicago Cultural Center a place to visit if you've been on a Chicago Architectural Boat Tour

If you have already done a Chicago architectural boat tour and loved it what can you do on your next trip?

September 27, 2022

Chicago was one of our last trips for pre-2020 travel. I was in Chicago in December of 2019 for my very first time and had such a fantastic time in this city. This year I had just over 24 hours to explore Chicago as I tagged along my husband’s work trip and we were staying […]

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Conrad midtown Manhattan hotel

Staying a the Conrad Midtown Manhattan NYC (and yes we booked with Amex Fine Hotels again too)

September 20, 2022

At the beginning of the summer our teenage boys went on their first solo trip with their school. It was at the height of the June pandemic outbreaks where people who hadn’t got Covid for two years were all getting it and we were a bit worried that they might get Covid too but we […]

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