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)

Photo Friday: Why Carry-on Suitcases are a good idea with kids in tow

July 26, 2013

On our last trip, the cost of checking our family’s luggage round-trip was going to be almost as much as one of of our airplane tickets.  Since we weren’t going that far, we decided to try bringing carry-ons for the whole family and save a little bit of money.  We didn’t take public transportation this […]

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About Camping (Alice Lake, British Columbia, Canada)

July 24, 2013

It’s 3am and the sound of rain and someone else’s tent zipper opening wakes me up. I’m itchy from the day’s mosquito attack and I have to pee but the bathroom is a couple hundred feet away.  The guys next to me have been swallowed by their sleeping bags and I have to check if […]

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Heath ceramics

Happy Monday Things

July 23, 2013

I’ve been celebrating Mondays recently.  Not only do they give me a chance to settle down and unwind after a weekend they also give me a chance to shop after a weekend of buying withdrawl while hanging out with the family.  And that is probably the sweetest thing ever.  So I love happy Monday things […]

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How to Preserve your Little One’s Huggy

July 22, 2013

Does anyone else have a little guy who reads the safety manual on planes?  I am white-knuckled superstitious about airplane travel (yes, I’m a scaredy cat flier) and I can barely look at that pamphlet without getting shaky. Not my guys.  They ‘read’ it. They wonder about it. And they ask questions. “When a plane […]

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Five Years’ Eve

July 19, 2013

Oh little babies, How can you be this many so fast? One. Two. Three. Four. FIVE!!??? Just a handful. But oh, what a handful and I’m grasping onto each of your precious years. Wanting second helpings. Trying to hold on tighter While you need to run and skip away to grow.   With nearly five […]

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Larry gets lost in Sanfrancisco review

Books to Read with Kids before heading to San Francisco

July 17, 2013

Relatives from Vancouver started us on this tradition years ago when the kids were born. Long before my guys had ever been to Vancouver our shelves were lined with books like “Goodnight Vancouver” and “Timmy the West Coast Tug“; stories that highlighted places from the homeland so that when they one day traveled there, they’d […]

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basque cake at Fresh Flours bakery near Woodland Park Zoo

Basque cake and tea (Fresh Flours, Seattle)

At Fresh Flours I’m usually predictable.  I tend to get their pear pastry or anything with azuki beans. (This bakery has a very Parisian/Japanese flair)  And I tend to have two wild and crazy kids hanging off my legs begging for macarons and a hubby who wants a blueberry muffin.  (He thinks they’re the best […]

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A nice place to bike with kids for lunch (Maggie Bluffs, Seattle)

July 15, 2013

Since learning how to bike ride (thank you Pedalheads!) the guys have been wanting to ride everywhere so we’ve been looking for good places to bike with kids in Seattle.  And for me, this also means we need to find yummy places that can be biking destinations. The other day we parked on a little […]

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Mint in Atlanta

Photo Friday: Federal Reserve Atlanta

July 12, 2013

This was one of the coolest places we went to in Atlanta but it was so hard to write up because we couldn’t take any pictures inside to show you how cool it was.  We couldn’t even bring anything with us.  When I checked in with the guys, I had to turn off my phone […]

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Elephants, Jaguars and Little Giraffes (OH MY!)

The other day the boys and I got to do something I’ve been DYING to do at the Woodland Park Zoo for at ages.  We finally fed Bamboo the elephant!  (And you’ll never guess what she eats…..bamboo!!)   This feeding happens during what used to be the guys’ nap time so this is the first […]

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Excited for Metropolitan Market’s Annual Housewares Sale

July 10, 2013

We are lucky enough to have a Metroplitan Market in our neighborhood. My guys love their little carts. And the cheese samples.  They are in love with the cheese samples. Because of the friendly cheese lady and all the samples they’ve tried, they’ve learned that they definitely prefer Brie to Blue. (And they promptly add […]

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How to make the perfect picnic with kids at Warren G Magnusen Park

July 9, 2013

I always lament the fact that I fly by the seat of my pants and don’t take time to prep picnics.  I just find it’s hard to decide when you wake up in the morning what you want for lunch, let alone go somewhere where you’re going to actually enjoy it outdoors.  Luckily for us, […]

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10 or so photos I’m savoring this Monday

July 8, 2013

The past week flew by in a blur of happiness, holidays, friends and food.  We went camping at Alice Lake (such a family friendly place to camp!) with lovely friends I’ve known since we were kids (and all our kids too!) for Canada Day.  And I love all the sweet photos and memories I now […]

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Best Sign Ever At the Vancouver Aquarium and an idea

July 7, 2013

The other day a sign made my day.  Actually it was this row of “out of order” signs on all the penny squishing machines at the Vancouver Aquarium last week.  Out of order.  Out of order.  Out of order. My guys love these penny press machines and they are EVERYWHERE.  I have caved so often because […]

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If you’re as scared as I was about teaching my kids to bike

July 6, 2013

When I had twins, I knew a couple things were going to be pretty difficult: nursing, feeding, choosing who to catch when the two one day walked and ran in different directions, potty training when both had to go at the same time.  So thinking about teaching two kids to two-wheel at the same time […]

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If your kids love noodles…

July 5, 2013

you might want to try making them.  There are so many great cookbooks for kids and I found a great book that helps kids learn how to cook some of their favorite foods.  We tried making noodles the other day and it was so much fun! “A Silver Spoon for Children” is the perfect book […]

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We heart summer in the Northwest and my favorite photo apps

July 3, 2013

Oh, how lovely it is to live in Seattle in the summer!  We’ve definitely been enjoying our fantastic weather.  It’s definitely our favorite time of year and I can’t let it go without capturing a photo and savouring all the moments. We love the Pacific Northwest for:   (PS. I’ve been playing with a phone […]

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Spokes: Our New Favo(u)rite Activity when we visit Vancouver with kids

July 2, 2013

If I say the best new activity we found with kids in Vancouver is in Stanley Park you’ll probably think it’s the Aquarium. And we do love the Vancouver Aquarium and the fun you can have with their jellyfish exhibit right now.  But this is an activity we did a long time ago pre-kid that […]

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Canada Day Last minute

July 1, 2013

I always keep balloons on hand, just in case a little celebration sneaks up on you.  Like Canada Day.  (To our credit we camped in Canada until Canada Day Eve, but alas, we had to come home before the big day.  C’est dommage.) You break out the red and white balloons  (And break apart a […]

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The drop-off party era

As much as we love hanging out with our kids, the hubby and I love to hang out together too. And we’re oh so thankful for a lovely night out in Vancouver we had recently at a sweet restaurant called Boneta in Gastown.  Our meal (and apple tart dessert!) was lovely and it was so […]

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