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)
fancy place to drink tea near seattle

What social media made me shop and forage for in Seattle on a Monday

June 2, 2015

It’s been a drizzly but hit-the-ground-running kind of Monday where I somehow found myself lost in the aisles of Costco. (Oh my goodness, is there any other place in the world like this that induces sane people to buy copious amounts of things they don’t need?!!  I need to stay away.)  Except they sell Tutta […]

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animal travel experiences that kids won't forget

We’ve been licked by a jaguar and now we love them even more (an inspiring visit to the Belize Zoo with kids)

May 28, 2015

We are so lucky these days to have the world at our fingertips when we plan for our travels.  We can buy tickets, research places and send emails across the world late at night without even leaving our homes and I am so thankful for the travel blogging community and how amazing and responsive people […]

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An easy hike If you wake up in Seattle and want to go on a small hiking adventure with kids or grandparents in tow

May 23, 2015

Hikes to me mean an excuse to eat trail mix and junky foods while walking through a forest.  Sometimes a little drive to get there also heightens the adventure.  The Snoqualmie Pass area is usually one of our first choices because of the cabin project and it’s only about an hour drive from Seattle and […]

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Moore coffee in seattle has the best latte art

Upping the bar even more for coffee art in Seattle (Moore Coffee, Seattle)

May 20, 2015

My kids are so jealous of a breakfast my husband and I had without them.   We figured out that one of my guys is really into coffee art on our past trip to Dallas and it’s made us seek out pretty coffees in Seattle too just to see how he reacts.  I’ve been dying to […]

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name tag from seattle bloggers

A little local love on a Monday (Seattle shopping)

May 18, 2015

Oh Monday.  How do you get here so fast and why is Friday SO. FAR. AWAY???!!! That’s why Monday is a day I usually shop and share my favorite new finds. So there is a fabulous new Golden Tote-like company called Emerald Cuff that was created by some fashionable moms in Seattle and if you’ve […]

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Belize Zoo with kids on a tour with Sharon Matola

A little Tease of our Trip to Belize (Belize with kids)

May 15, 2015

In the next few weeks you’ll be hearing a lot about our recent trip to Belize with kids.  It was a really eye-opening trip and I’m thankful for all the trip-planning help we had before we went.  And I can’t wait to tell you more. We stayed at the Belize Zoo’s Tropical Education Center and […]

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cruise ship in seattle

Imagining we’re cruising to Alaska for the first time (with Holland America in Seattle)

May 13, 2015

Every summer in Seattle we see the shiny white cruise ships sail into their berths at the pier and I always wonder what it might be like to get on one, cast off and drift away to Alaska.  Our family is curious to know if we’re cruisers: I am a free-spirit and the hubby likes […]

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and there is ample parking near this playground in Vancouver BC

When a bakery you love now has a park next door! (Beaucoup Bakery, Vancouver BC)

May 11, 2015

Oh my goodness.  I love Beaucoup http://www.beaucoupbakery.com/bakery but it is so close to my favorite place in the world-GRANVILLE ISLAND-we’d often pass it by because Granville Island is a lot more kid-friendly to sit and stop.  But not anymore. Hello perfect playground. (And it’s right across the street!!) The kids can alternate getting out their energy […]

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giraffes at the Dallas Zoo are fun to feed with kids

A place where you can take a zillion pictures of giraffes without needing a passport (Dallas zoo with kids)

One of my sons has had a giraffe huggie he has loved since birth and if it’s not his spirit animal I don’t know what is.  So the giraffes at the Dallas Zoo made him and us extremely happy.  They were so majestic and interactive and they seemed to have a lot of free space […]

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watching the fort with cows with kids

Because I heard cows roam freely in the roads in Fort Worth

May 7, 2015

When I told people I was going to Dallas, everyone told me about the cows in Fort Worth.  You need to see the cows!  THE COWS!!!!  Kind of like that. So of course I was intrigued. I looked it up and found out the cows everyone was talking about are in a herd that gets […]

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places to visit with kids in Dallas

A rainy day at The Perot Museum (Dallas with kids)

May 5, 2015

Before I even realized this building was the Perot museum I was quite taken by it. We ate at a delicious Moroccan restaurant nearby (you might want to eat there too!) the night before our visit and I found the shape so intriguing that I was really excited when I realized this was actually the […]

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wrong way in dallas for bluebonnets

Where not to find Bluebonnets in Dallas (Dallas with kids)

May 4, 2015

I wanted to do something “very Texas” in Texas and I noticed everyone posting pictures of bluebonnets when I was there.  So I asked around and apparently spring is bluebonnet season and you need to get your picture sitting in the bluebonnets and the best place to see them near us was the “Bluebonnet Trail” […]

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dallas arboretum

Coffee, Donuts and the most kid-friendly Garden Visit you can Imagine (visiting the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden with kids)

April 29, 2015

We were a little bleary-eyed the morning of our Dallas Arboretum visit but I was excited to see the gardens and glad we could bring coffee in.  We stopped in at a lovely coffee shop called Cultivar Coffee (they have a few shops but this one was the closest one to the Arboretum and we […]

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local farm box from seattle

A couple Seattle things you might buy for mom, some things for you and a few you might buy for your littles

April 28, 2015

I’ve seen a wave of things being advertised for mom for Mother’s Day in the last few days and a few gems have caught my eye, especially if you live in the Seattle area. I love shopping at Uvillage (along with probably every other mom in Seattle) and the coolest gift idea I’ve seen are […]

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A really secret menu item at Whataburger (Dallas TX with kids)

April 27, 2015

I had a few ideas of what I wanted to see in and around Dallas, Texas with our kids when we arrived there for a short trip a few weeks ago.  We would go to the Art Museum (it’s FREE!), the Dallas Zoo, the Perot Museum, the Arboretum and we would spend a day at […]

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Sticks and Swings at Stanley Park (Vancouver with Kids)

April 15, 2015

We hang out in Vancouver often since it is only about three hours north of Seattle and while it’s a city totally full of neat activities and food, some of our most glorious days have been made from simple and impromptu stops in the beautiful parks that are all over this city and its suburbs. […]

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electric hybrid vehicle plug

Even grown-ups want to drive Power Wheels (When Chevy loaned me a Volt for a week)

April 13, 2015

One spectacular Christmas, my guys received Power Wheel Cars and they drove around my parent’s house like two speed demons trying to beat each other to any and every destination they could dream of.  They both felt so powerful and free and they raced until their batteries were out of juice and needed to be […]

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places to take pictures in seattle

A place in Seattle you might have heard of but never been (Fisherman’s Terminal, Seattle)

We have a bunch of places where we like to take out food in Seattle when we just don’t feel like cooking.  And waiting for our take-out from Chinooks at Fisherman’s Terminal is one of our favorite things to do.  Apparently the boats from Deadliest Catch come here or used to come here-I’ve never watched […]

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star wars toys for kids

Because my kids are obsessed with Star Wars

April 9, 2015

My kids can’t help it in this city.  It’s like you have to breathe Star Wars just to live in Seattle and this has become even more apparent since my guys started school where they alternate playing zombies and Star Wars on the playground.  I think we live in the only city where I’ve ever […]

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Bottega Louie with kids

When a business treats your kids nicely, they are golden for life (Bottega Louie, Los Angeles)

April 7, 2015

This memory could have ended with that delightfully full feeling you get after you eat a good meal but it’s going to be in my heart for a while.  We were in Los Angeles for a wedding and I’d seen the lovely macarons from Bottega Louie in one of my social media feeds and filed […]

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