FAMILY TRAVELS

Trying out Papa Murphy’s Pan Pizza (a sponsored post)

March 3, 2014

I know I talk a lot about the foods we eat out on this blog, but I don’t always talk about what we eat in. I do like to cook and try new recipes. Sometimes they turn out amazing and sometimes they turn out horribly. And sometimes, I don’t have time to make a full […]

Photo Friday: I heart Haleiwa town

February 26, 2014

Haleiwa town on the north shore of Oahu is such a fun place to visit with kids. There is good food, lovely beaches and the Turtle Bay Resort is about a 15 minute drive away and it’s such a gorgeous place to stay. The beach there is sandy and calm and we could just hang […]

A train you want to visit just so you can eat pineapple and see hungry fish (Dole Pineapple Express , Oahu)

February 25, 2014

This is a train we’ve done over and over again, just like we’ve heard a zillion versions of Ka’a Ahi Kahului (Hawaiian Train Song) since we first rode the Dole Pineapple Express. (PS. THAT song is about another ride-able Hawaiian train, the Sugar Cane Train on Maui, and our family’s favorite version of the song […]

Bishop Museum and a yummy lunch nearby (Oahu with Kids)

February 23, 2014

I didn’t realize there could be such a thing as too much sun, beach and pool, but on vacation my kids literally wake up as soon as the sun rises and they could spend the whole day in the sun and in the water until it gets dark. I thought a good way to make […]

High Tea with kids (Urban Tea Merchant, Vancouver, BC)

February 22, 2014

There are so many lovely bakeries and restaurants in Vancouver, but for her birthday, I wanted to take my mom for high tea and I had the kids in tow. I was surprised at how many places offer a high tea with kids: the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel has an intriguing sounding Bubble Gum tea, and […]

Lillikoi, Malasadas, Coco Puffs, Shave ice and Pie (Oahu with kids)

February 18, 2014

Who am I kidding with that Lillikoi in the title? Our travels are usually full of food adventures of the bakery and dessert kind and while we did stop at a lovely roadside fruit stand near the Turtle Bay Resort (recommended by the Gypsy Guide app I bought that had a running commentary/tour of the […]

Saved the best for Last (Paradise Bay Resort, Kailua, Oahu)

February 16, 2014

We just got back from a trip with the kids to Oahu and it was such a welcome bit of paradise in all the cold we’ve had in the last little while. We usually don’t spend more than three nights in one place so we’ve stayed at three places over the course of this trip […]

Exploring Imagine Children’s Museum on a chilly afternoon (Everett, WA)

February 12, 2014

All a kid needs is sunshine, water and air or something like that right? I love that the Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett has all of these things. We went the other afternoon using half-price reciprocal benefits from the Kidsquest Museum in Bellevue (Another great kids’ museum! the reciprocal benefits come with the family deluxe membership […]

Wing Luke Museum and a pasta lunch (Seattle, WA)

February 11, 2014

Thanks to our lovely Mohai membership we’ve been visiting a bunch of local museums lately that we’ve never stopped into before. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, but with kids sometimes we only have a short time to visit a place and it gets expensive doing that when you pay full-price. This time the […]

Olive-it all at Stoneburner and our favorite Ballard bakery (Seattle, WA)

January 31, 2014

Maybe you’re groaning at the title, but I couldn’t help myself. The hubby and I snuck out for a lunchdate and ended up at Stoneburner in Ballard for the first time and we tried this amazing olive appetizer that was cheesy, oozy and delicious. And we loved them. All of them. Stonburner is such a […]

stanely cup model at bc sports hall of fame

Getting Olympic Ready at the BC Sports Hall Of Fame (Vancouver, BC)

January 23, 2014

Oh do you remember these guys? We had so much fun with the kids during their first Winter Olympics and we were so lucky it happened in Vancouver! I remember taking them to the Richmond Oval and parading them around with someone’s torch and just taking in all the excitement of the Olympic Spirit. It […]

24 hours of snow at the Suncadia Resort in Washington State

January 17, 2014

We are so snow starved in Seattle right now. Ever since that icy cold week a few months back where we were teased with just a little hint of snow in our yard (and yes, I let the kids go out even though it was SUPER early!) we haven’t got ANYTHING. So when I heard […]

Oahu Shopping late on a Monday (planning for a trip to Oahu with kids)

January 14, 2014

I’m often asked about how I book my travel plans. It usually starts with some kind of interest our family has in a place combined with the kids’ and hubby’s vacation schedules. Sometimes, I get a place in my head because of some animal adventure I’ve heard about, or a farm tour I’m curious about […]

Trying to get a shot of the Seattle Great Wheel with kids in tow

January 13, 2014

I’m trying to steel up my courage to ride the Great Wheel sometime this new year. I had it on my summer bucket list but managed to avoid it along with Great Wolf Lodge which I hope we never have to go to. And then I developed an irrational fear of elevators that I desperately […]

Something fun in front of Seattle REI

January 12, 2014

So dare I say REI is growing on me? This is the hubby’s favorite store in all of Seattle. It’s probably the only catalog he hasn’t used paper karma (an amazing app that gets rid of junk mail!!) on and if he could go daily, he probably would. And ever since they had a members’ […]

Snowshoeing in Whistler for the first time with kids (Callaghan Valley, British Columbia)

January 10, 2014

All Christmas the hubby and I talked about how we were so excited to go to Whistler for the first time with kids and how we hadn’t been in 6 years, but as we were walked through the village we both got some weird deja vu feelings and then realized we’ve actually been here before. […]

Sketches of Seattle and a good place to stop if you’re trying to figure out what to see (Mohai, Seattle)

January 5, 2014

The other night the hubby and I went for date night at the Mohai‘s Member Night featuring the Drawn to Seattle Seattle Sketcher Exhibit. (We pretty much ran out of the house screaming DATE-NIGHT!!!!!!! the minute my parents arrived but here we look rather civilized, I thought.) I’ve seen Gabriel Campanario’s work before in the […]

Family-friendly Christmas Activities in Vancouver

January 4, 2014

I’m going through my photo roll and it feels like I’ve blinked and weeks have magically flown by. We’ve spent a lot of time in Vancouver, BC in the past few months and though we didn’t really plan on doing too many festive things this year, we definitely have some fun Christmas activities in Vancouver […]

Five Delightful Vancouver Eats with Kids in Tow

January 2, 2014

Whenever we head to Vancouver, we have some regular stops but we’re always trying to expand our food repertoire. We spent a good week up in Vancouver for Christmas Break and while we had a lot of family events to eat at, we had some fun eating around Vancouver too. The first place is a […]

Perfect present for parents of Lego-lovers and a fun night in Bellevue (Snowflake Lane)

December 18, 2013

In Bellevue last night we braved the crowds to see Snowflake Lane. I thought it might not be busy because it was a weeknight and school isn’t out yet, but it was still pretty packed. It has changed a lot, even since last year. In the past few years the best spots to watch with […]