FAMILY TRAVELS

They’ve (sort-of)seen London, They’ve (sort-of) seen France (Family Travel Europe Research)

March 24, 2014

Long ago when I was pregnant with my guys, we visited London and France to see my two besties who were living overseas. I can’t believe how much life has changed since then! Then last year, I went back to see S who was still there for a quick 3 night trip, my first away […]

One really awesome thing: Mini Metropolitan Market at the Children’s Museum (Seattle, WA)

March 19, 2014

I would have loved this as a kid and I bet you would have too. At the Seattle Children’s Museum they have an area where the kids can scan items on a real cash register like they have in real stores. We played blow-out sale at Mini Metropolitan Market this morning with our shopping carts […]

Proud Mama moment at the Seattle Thunderbirds Game

March 11, 2014

I can barely keep this one in, I am SO excited. Ever since the hubby and I started going to the Tbirds WAY back when they were at Key Arena and long before we had kids, I remember seeing these cute mini hockey players skating at intermission. They were so fun to watch and I […]

Seattle Memberships you might consider if you like to travel with your family

March 5, 2014

We have memberships to many of our local museums and I think we’ve even been zoo members for nearly 10 years now. (Yes, we were members even BEFORE having kids. I absolutely love our Woodland Park Zoo!) Seattle memberships are one of the ways we get to do so many things with our family in […]

Pedicures and Shopping on a Stormy Monday

March 3, 2014

It is very luxe to spend a Monday out of the cold and I can’t imagine a better place to do it than a lovely place where my toes come out all shimmery and divine. My go-to nail parlor is always Julep-I’ve been going here for years for pedicures. I love their colors and their […]

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

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’ […]