DAILY LIFE

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 […]

Read More
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 […]

Read More
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 […]

Read More
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 […]

Read More

Savoring the last days of cherry blossoms in Seattle

April 3, 2015

All it will take is another big storm like the crazy thunder and hailstorm we had here the other night and we probably won’t be seeing these beauties again until next spring and I can already tell by my instagram feed that many of you have now moved on to tulips so I guess the […]

Read More
paradise cove beach in malibu

A place to eat on a lovely beach in California (Paradise Cove Beach Cafe, Malibu)

April 2, 2015

Years ago when we went to California with the kids for the first time, we fell in love with Crystal Cove where we ate at the Beachcomber restaurant, saw some dolphins swimming and played in the sand.  I forgot to get reservations for that restaurant on our last visit to California and found it was […]

Read More

When vaccines are hard to swallow on a Monday (planning for trips with kids)

March 30, 2015

Monday is hard to stomach sometimes and today I need my kids to swallow the vaccines we are taking to go on an upcoming trip and I didn’t realize how hard it is to get a child to take medication.  I totally forgot we might need to get vaccines to go to Belize and I […]

Read More
table upstairs in Delaurentis

My current favorite lunch spot in Pike Place Market (Seattle, WA)

March 26, 2015

I’ve been volunteering at the Pike Place Market in Seattle for a little while now and I’m still surprised that every time I visit I find some place that’s new to me.  There are so many neat little shops and vendors and they are all so unique-the other day I found myself in a corridor […]

Read More
bow and drape customize shirt

My first night as Auntie Tee

March 23, 2015

According to my kids, I can’t be Auntie Terumi.  They think it sounds weird. You are Auntie Tee now, they told me as I tucked them in tonight. Auntie T? No, that doesn’t make the right sound.  How do you spell tea like the tea you drink? T-E-A? Well you are T-E-E.  Auntie T-E-E.  Auntie […]

Read More
home building with kids

On finding my pinterest dream light in real life (building a cabin in the woods)

March 15, 2015

Can I do a happy dance here? Ages ago I found this light in a pinterest post by Design Milk and I wanted so badly to find it in real life.  I think it would be the perfect light over the long table I want for family dinners at the cabin and when I find […]

Read More
Steveston Cookie Company

Next time we’re in California we’ll definitely show our #Disneyside

March 12, 2015

I was pretty excited to be chosen to host a Disneyside Party this year and I was sent a box of free products in order to host.  When I applied, I knew we were going to California for a wedding and the kids hadn’t been to Disneyland since they were little and I was excited […]

Read More
fun things to do in seattle on the weekend

A place that makes my family feel strong (Seattle Bouldering Project)

March 3, 2015

Raaaaawwr!!!!  Can you believe how strong you feel when you are bouldering? Long before the kids were born the hubby and I got into rock climbing but that all stopped once the kids were born.  But recently they’ve been going bouldering and I was excited when they asked me to take them for my first […]

Read More
freshtracks with kids in whistler

Best breakfast with a 6 year old and other things to do in Whistler with kids in tow

February 24, 2015

Before you go and think I’m going to tell you to get to Purebread for breakfast with your kids in Whistler, I’m not. I do love this bakery, but it’s more of a place I go to for a pastry and coffee and not at breakfast especially because I have a weakness for something they […]

Read More
winter cabin near seattle

We have windows! (Cabin building in the Woods, Snoqualmie Pass)

February 21, 2015

While we’ve been a little sad about the lack of the snow in the mountains, it hasn’t been horrible for building and hiking and biking with kids in these wintery months has been so fun because it’s so gorgeous and mild.  If you’ve been following our cabin building progress, we’ve learned that building in the […]

Read More

Counting to 100 is important

February 19, 2015

Fancy that 100 days in school falls immediately after a school vacation and I felt like we did the equivalent of a kindergarten all-nighter because of course we left all our homework until the last minute.  (I feel like I’m passing on an important life-skill here. Carpe Diem, right?) Apparently 100 days of school calls […]

Read More
I love spring sign at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle 2024

Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle 2025

February 13, 2015

I happen to be the type of person who could probably kill plants just by looking at them, but every year I like to visit the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival and pretend that I could possibly be a garden whisperer and this keeps me totally happy all spring.  This Northwest Flower and Garden festival […]

Read More

How technology and kindergarteners prove they think all on their own and what we’re sending out for Valentines

February 11, 2015

I never thought Siri had a total problem with me until the other day.  The kids and I were in a rush and I was trying to have her text my husband because we were supposed to be at a preview for the Pompeii exhibit at the Pacific Science Center and I didn’t want to […]

Read More
biking in seattle with kids

When spring comes in February in Seattle

February 9, 2015

If it ever snows here again I swear I’ll fully embrace my Seattle winter uniform (down parka, fleece lined jeans, Ugg boots, lip balm) and try my best not to complain about the cold because it’s almost tropical this year and without our usual blast of freezing weather in February it just feels like something […]

Read More
taking the kids to belize itinerary ideas

Family Travel planning: Starting to Belize we are going

February 3, 2015

I’m sorry if you cringe at this horrible title pun but it makes me smile and I’ll probably still be giggling about it long after I press the publish button so I totally can’t help myself.  We are planning a trip to Belize in the spring and it’s past the point where we can still […]

Read More
there is a nearby park if you need to run the kids after you eat ice cream

Edaleen Dairy: A stop for ice cream between Vancouver and Seattle

January 29, 2015

Just like many people like to stop for ‘gas’ at Costco when really they want to check out the handbags or the makeup, the Edaleen Dairy is a great stop for ‘milk’ before you head into Canada. And by milk I mean soft serve ice cream made from milk because this place has the best […]

Read More