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)

Things to Read at 30000 feet while traveling to Japan

September 27, 2013

I am not a good flyer.  We travel a lot and I’m always reminding the hubby that the journey might be just as fun as the destination, but the only place I can’t do this is on an airplane.  And since having withstood about 70 days of hospital bedrest ( I wonder if NASA could […]

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When Sigi gives you a scarf you wear it

September 26, 2013

I signed my guys up for the Seattle Sounders’ Junior Alliance club back when they did the Sounders Camp and kind of forgot about it until a couple of boxes showed up at our door.  Inside each box was a scarf, a membership card and a ‘letter’ from Sigi Schmid, the Seattle Sounders’ head coach […]

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Singapore Shopping List (planning a family trip to Singapore)

September 21, 2013

If you read my previous post, you know we’re headed to Japan very soon. We’re also heading to Singapore and it’s great that Tokyo is an easy stop over on a 17 hour airplane trip from Seattle. We’re really lucky that the hubby has family there and we’re just going there to hang out with them. So […]

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Japan pre-reading (How I do my trip research for Japan Family Travel)

September 20, 2013

In what seems like just a handful of sleeps we’ll be heading off to Japan and hopefully by the time we leave, we’ll be totally prepared.  We’ve made it a habit now on trips to make sure we all read about where we’re going ahead of time.  Of course we get the basics like Lonely […]

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Making a little bit of peace with my kids while I make dinner

September 19, 2013

Sometimes making dinner in itself is totally harried but it becomes utterly frantic when two little guys decide it’s time for mom to play while the spaghetti tries to burn itself to the stove.  I came up with a little game called “draw your dinner” and make the guys guess what they are having for […]

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If I go to the spa

September 18, 2013

When the hubby wants to be the BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD on a weekend, he notices my ragged toes or my frazzled hair and tells me to book a morning appointment and he’ll take care of the guys.  After I pinch myself a few times to make sure I’m not dreaming (sometimes in an […]

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SFO with kids

The Exploratorium at the San Francisco Airport

September 15, 2013

Of course I doused my guys with Purell immediately after playing at this play structure, but the Exploratorium collaboration at the San Francisco Airport is the coolest airport installation I’ve seen. The Exploratorium was one of the highlights of our recent San Francisco trip and it was quite a surprise when we found some of the museum’s […]

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kids bowl free in the summer

When you go bowling with friends and it’s awesome

September 14, 2013

I’m beginning to think that West Seattle needs to get added more frequently to our “where should we go today” list.  We used to go there quite often when the boys were little but we haven’t been much lately.  And then we accidentally ended up there a little while ago and saw a baby seal! Our […]

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Back to School with Pillsbury Biscuits: Decorated Grilled Cheese

September 13, 2013

  We are totally settling into the school routine. The boys are only half-day and I love how we still get to make and eat lunch together. I know I’m really going to miss this time when they start going to school ALL day long, even though sometimes I want to tear my hair out […]

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An overdue visit to Grandma’s (Point Roberts, WA)

September 12, 2013

There is nothing like a big wave of guilt that washes over you when you realize you should have done something ages ago. “I don’t think I’ve been here in 10 years, Grandma” I say as I pull into the cabin driveway. “10 years??!!! Shame on you!” My sweet grandma slaps me in the arm […]

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Phone apps for photos

First Day of School Pics (phone apps for photos)

September 10, 2013

After the fiasco I had with the kids trying to take fake first day of school photos last week , I thought I might just snap a picture in front of their school and call it a day.  Then I found some awesome chalkboard printables on this sweet sight: Yellow Bliss Road that I thought […]

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it’s Monday, it’s Monday!

September 9, 2013

Okay Monday, let’s do this. It’s like the universe knows I need a little oomph.  I came across a journal a sweet friend bought me a little while ago and I’ve actually been writing in it.  (Did you hear that S?  I totally LOVE this journal.) And even my weekend beverage game me a little […]

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A grown-up party at the Children’s Museum

September 6, 2013

This year was my year to throw the hubby’s work party and I was a little worried that it would be tough to hold it at our house if it was rainy and I had my heart set on a food truck party. I decided to host it at the Seattle Children’s Museum because it’s […]

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Boom Boom Clap and Boom Noodle’s kids’ bentos (my kids’ fave Seattle camp)

September 4, 2013

The kids have strong opinions about which summer camps they liked and didn’t this year. One of their favorite camps in Seattle was put on by the Seattle sounders and a big reason they loved it was because of the free camp appreciation day.  I really think it was well-organized this year, so I appreciated it too. […]

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Because the guys are obsessed with Planes

September 3, 2013

So we are not just into airplanes now, but PLANES, as in made by Disney planes from the movie that we survived a few weeks ago.  I’m not sure if you remember what I was worried about, but the guys sometimes find things like this scary and I wanted to make sure it was a […]

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When you get the first day of school wrong

September 2, 2013

Yep.  That’s me.  Mom of the year.  I thought school started tomorrow, but it actually doesn’t start until next week.  Thank goodness I didn’t get the kids all ready and show up but now I’m totally scrambling to figure out what to do with them for ANOTHER WEEK OF SUMMER! We scored the last Planes […]

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What you shop for when there’s an emergency

August 31, 2013

Today things feel miraculously okay.  But this is what you write at 5 in the morning when you’re a panicked mother: My baby is in the hospital.  He’s been there for the past 5 hours for an injury I’m hoping is quite minor.  I’m waiting for the other one to get up so we can […]

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bob the builder themed party for kids with candy rocks and toys to decorate the cake

A Construction Party at the Seattle Children’s Museum

August 28, 2013

It is really easy to plan an After Hours Party at the Seattle Children’s Museum and if you don’t live in Seattle you might want to check out if you have something similar at your local kids’ museum.  It is a fairly inexpensive rental, you get the museum to yourself and you don’t have to […]

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Three of us on the beach in the rain

August 27, 2013

There’s a horrible saying that bad things come in threes and I would love that kind of horrible omen to just disappear.  I’ve been trying to will something magically wonderful to happen and yesterday’s lovely thing came to us on a beach in Seattle all on its own. We were on our way to meet […]

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Three food finds on a Monday in Seattle

August 26, 2013

Anyone else suffering a case of the lazy Mondays?  This morning I was a little exhausted-we had a big party for the hubby’s work yesterday so I just let the kids add to the weekends’ mess tornado in my living room and now I’m trying to pick myself out of it and I thought I’d […]

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