Blogging
A Valentine’s Gift List because I met Jojo Moyes
February 8, 2018”Be kind” Jojo Moyes says when someone asks her what the one thing the breadth of ALL her work tells us at an author reading the other night at Third Place Books in Bothell. “Kindness is an underrated virtue. Be strong, be courageous and if you’re strong within, the world will be a better place.” […]
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Deciding where to California adventure on a trip to Mom 2.0
February 7, 2018I’m headed to Mom 2.0 in May and a dear friend of mine has promised to meet me in California after the conference in Pasadena so we can have an adventure like we used to in college pre-kids. For us from the Pacific Northwest, California means shopping, palm trees, beaches and yummy food. So now […]
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A driving solo adventure in Orange County I want to repeat with family and friends
February 2, 2018In my dreams I’m a fearless traveler, stylish carry on in hand, passport in the other and I’m ready to take on any adventure life whispers to my heart. In reality though, I’ve got a bag-load of responsibilities, schedules to coordinate and I’m still a little choosy about which way the wind blows me; sometimes […]
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Learning how to be an auction winner with Goodwill and what kind of used snowshoes you should buy if you’re in Seattle
January 30, 2018This is a sponsored post for Goodwill and as always the opinions in this piece are mine. I visited with Goodwill in Tacoma to learn about their mission and learn about their online auction site: www.shopgoodwill.com Let me preface this tale with a little bit of back history. As a mom of energetic twin boys […]
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Low tech and high tech toys that are faves in my house right now
January 22, 2018The holidays are over, the decorations are packed away and we’re about a month into all the fun toys that have arrived at our house. (I can’t take credit for the decorations being down…that’s definitely the hubby’s doing. I would have them up all year round but not because I’m festive….) And of course […]
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Tanaka Farms in Irvine California is a great place to take kids to learn where food comes from
January 8, 2018Do you love knowing where your food comes from? I recently did a poll on my Instagram Stories and I was so excited to see that an overwhelming majority of people care about the story of their food. I feel the same way. I love hanging out on factory tours and finding locally made things. I […]
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More than cards at Minted for your holiday shopping
November 28, 2017I’ve partnered with Minted to check out their holiday shopping ideas in exchange for credit on their site and as always the ideas and thoughts in this post are my own. Have you checked out Minted lately? I was in Target recently and noticed a new wall display with gorgeous cards by Minted artists. I’ve […]
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A tech filled lunch that helped me with my holiday shopping and might help you too!
November 14, 2017I was a guest at a Techlicious and Consumer Technology Association event In Seattle to lunch and learn about tech gift ideas for the holidays and as always the ideas and opinions in this blog are my own. I’m not always the earliest adopter of tech. Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed and feel like […]
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Heading to the mountains with our new portable speaker
November 3, 2017This post is sponsored by Verizon however the thoughts and opinions in this post are mine. I’m watching snow flakes float out my window on the EARLIEST snowfall I’ve ever seen in Seattle in years-are you as excited as I am to start the weekend already? And even though we’re only getting a dusting here, […]
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Why I need a whole new bedroom now thanks to my mattress
November 1, 2017I am going to have to overhaul my bedroom. This all started with an invite I received in my email from Tuft and Needle for the opening of its brand new Seattle store. This online mattress company from Phoenix was coming to Seattle and wanted influencers to check out their new brick and mortar store in […]
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Hot cocoa and snowy northwest weekends for the win!
October 16, 2017I used to dread the period between October and February a little in the Pacific Northwest. The days get shorter and we go for weeks on end with chilly, wet, dreary weather. During stretches like this it’s easy to wonder if we’ll ever see sun-filled days again. But then a few years ago we went […]
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A tiny home community where you can stay overnight in Leavenworth
October 11, 2017One of my favorite parts of travel is that you get to stay somewhere that is NOT your home and through our travels we have stayed in many different types of accomodations. Before we had kids, we used to camp a lot. If I had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, […]
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Fun things for Hello Kitty Fans in Seattle and beyond
September 26, 2017Mark your calendars Seattle friends, there is a Hello Kitty Food Truck heading our way in a few weeks! On October 7 the truck will be at Westfield Southcenter and I so would love to be there! Has anyone been before? I have seen the lovely goodies from the truck but I’m never in town […]
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STEM toys for back to school and a cool place in Seattle to learn all about tech
September 11, 2017When you have family who is in the know, you get to try a whole bunch of neat toys. We recently received this Star Wars Sphero toy and it’s like having our own miniature moving R2D2 in our house. We were already very familiar with Sphero because the boys used it at school and I […]
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How talking to strangers might be more helpful than you think (Great Ocean Road, Australia)
August 23, 2017“You aren’t going to see any koalas in the wild,” my friends who had been there told me when I said this was my number one reason for visiting Australia. They’re all in sanctuaries and zoos where you can see them, hold them and meet them. But you won’t see koalas in the wild and […]
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A history trip; a restored hotel, a haunted theatre and a famous canal in Syracuse
August 9, 2017A little while ago, I was hosted on a media trip to New York State for a piece I was writing for Trekaroo: a tour of historic women’s rights sites in Upstate New York that people can visit with their children. I learned a ton of interesting history that I didn’t know about before (and […]
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Shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale with Groupon
July 26, 2017This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Groupon Does anyone else think about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale with glee every July in the Pacific Northwest? I almost missed it this year because I’ve been so busy catching up from our time in Australia that I forgot to put the early access date on […]
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Free Things families need to know about in Bellevue, Washington
July 20, 2017We all have heard that the best things in life are free, so I’ll tell you about a few free things in Bellevue Washington and you can see for yourself. Bellevue is such a beautiful place to visit if you’re in the Seattle area-there is good shopping, beautiful parks and lots to do for families. […]
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On Bookmarking the Hyatt Regency Bellevue for Christmas or just a weekend staycation from Seattle
July 7, 2017My kids and I were guests of Visit Bellevue Washington during our stay at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, but the thoughts and opinions expressed below are my own. A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to spend a “mom and me”night in Bellevue Washington with my two 8-year old guys. Because of my husband’s work […]
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Our Summer Bucket List and How We Chill
June 30, 2017I created this sponsored post in collaboration with Auntie Anne’s however all thoughts and opinions in this post are my own. The mailman told me today that summer is definitely on its way in Seattle and I totally believe him because there is actually sun popping through the clouds and I think the boys […]
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