FAMILY TRAVELS

While you all head out to American Girl and do your princess-y tea party things

March 20, 2013

Don’t think I’m the least bit envious. See this and realize that this is what my life with two boys looks like: This is the bottom of the actual envelope that’s staring me down from my kitchen table right now. I’m a little scared to open it. Does open immediately mean right now or is […]

What happens when you double-book your hotel (Haleakala, Maui)

March 19, 2013

We had just had a lovely couple nights at a beautiful resort and I was brushing my teeth, looking over our next stay’s itinerary and getting ready to check out when I had that sinking feeling. “What day is it?” I asked the hubby. “Thursday.” Not Wednesday? “No. It’s Thursday.” Oh (insert multiple child-unfriendly terms […]

I want to feed a panda

March 16, 2013

Normally, these kinds of wishes are taboo. These are the ones you think,yes, great, now move along and think of something else to wish for, something more realistic. But you really can feed pandas at the Zoo Atlanta. Who wouldn’t want to feed a panda? How is this even possible? This picture is from their […]

Better than those quarter rides, an adventure at Crossroads mall

March 13, 2013

Quarter rides are great, especially if you go to a place like Crossroads Mall in Bellevue (yes, it’s the same mall where you’ll find the famous Wiggleworks and if you haven’t been to that mall in a while, it’s definitely worth re-visiting) where they’re interspersed through the mall so you can shop, do a ride, […]

Best kids’ bathrooms in Seattle

March 12, 2013

As much as I want to know about where to eat, where to sleep and what to do when we go on vacation, I totally also need to know where to take the kids when they need to go! We were in the midst of toilet-training when we first took the boys to Asia and […]

10 things I’m loving this Daylight Savings Monday

March 11, 2013

1. I used to loathe this day more than any other day in the world because there is nothing worse than waking up early-especially when you know that whatever time you’re waking up today would have given you one extra hour the day before. But now that I have guys that always wake up early, […]

Eating pupus with preschoolers in Maui

March 5, 2013

“Check out these pupus!” I told my husband. “They look pretty yummy and they’re so reasonable!” POOPOOS! The duo cheered. Oh dear. Not the kind of pupus I was talking about. But really, I should have cheered too. Happy hour is the way to go in Maui. And actually, in so many places we travel […]

Road to Hana with two active boys (Maui with kids)

February 27, 2013

For some reason the Road to Hana is like some holy Grail in Maui. Can you drive it with kids? Should you drive the road if you’re in Maui with kids? What are the best Road to Hana stops? Is it going to be a day of fun, or a day full of whining, screaming, […]

When your kid’s huggie wants to snorkel

February 26, 2013

Maybe it’s because the guys had so much fun on their snorkeling tour in Hawaii (We went with Four Winds and it was amazing!) but something inspired the Bean and he wanted me to fashion a snorkel for his baby giraffe. Thank goodness we eat a lot of noodles. I punched a hole in both […]

Before I ward off Winter Completely (Granville Island, BC)

February 23, 2013

One of my fondest memories as a kid was getting hot chocolate at Blue Parrot Coffee with my family at Granville Island in Vancouver. They put the best dollop of chocolate-y whip cream on top of their drinks and on a chilly day there is nothing more delightful than a warm drink in a warm […]

Most Romantic Resort with kids in Maui (Napili Kai Beach Resort, Maui)

February 22, 2013

Last summer I went to a Maui tourism event and I was intrigued by a resort called Napili Kai. They were really proud of the fact that they didn’t nickel and dime their guests with hidden costs like resort or parking fees. When you stayed with them, you were supposed to feel like family. Fast […]

Mama in the Picture

February 21, 2013

A little while ago, someone asked for a picture of me and the kids and I scrolled through my rolls and though I have TONS of my kids, I don’t have many of ME and my kids (and of the few I have there aren’t many that I love or want to share). And it […]

If you decide to ride the Sugarcane Train (Maui with kids)

February 20, 2013

*Apparently this Sugarcane train is now closed. Thank you Rick for letting me know and if anyone hears otherwise, please message me too! We weren’t sure if we were going to do this one. I couldn’t find a lot of information on it, and I wasn’t sure if it was a full length ride or […]

Kihei (Maui with kids)

February 15, 2013

I tend to book places when I get a good feeling about the place. Kihei had a pretty name, it was close to the airport (our flight arrived at 11pm) and I managed to find a condo on the beach for a reasonable rate. We like small hotels especially in Hawaii: the type that […]

Did somebody pinch me? (Maui with kids)

February 12, 2013

How is that we’re already back? Weren’t we just at the top of a crater minutes ago? Or exploring caves? Paddle-boarding in an ocean teeming with whales. And driving gorgeous but treacherous roads along an incredible coastline. We even got chased by a cow. (All the while chugging Dayquil on the beach and trying to […]

Magic Carpet Ride (Seymour Ski Lessons)

February 8, 2013

If you sign your kids up for lessons at Mount Seymour (maybe 30 minutes from Vancouver, BC), you’ll see 3 little words that all parents dream about in their sleep. Parent Free Zone. What does this mean? It’s simple. When you drop your kid off in their ski wear, you don’t even have to fight […]

Travel Tips Tuesday: pack a bunch of samples

February 5, 2013

You know how I love me a good makeup subscription service (Hello Birchbox!) or Sephora because I get a bunch of samples with every order. Well there’s definitely a good reason for this. Every trip we go on, I grab a handful, stick it in a big zippy bag and stuff it in my suitcase. […]

When your kids are braver than you are

January 31, 2013

See the blur? That’s my guys jumping off the diving board for the first time. They just pranced across the thing and fearlessly bounced of the end. I’d be proud except I’m terrified that they’ve learned a new and ridiculous skill: I know this because later when we were at the Pacific Place mall on […]

potato painting

January 26, 2013

Ever since I bought this lovely cookbook:The Silver Spoon for Children: Favorite Italian Recipes I’ve been meaning to make gnocchi with my guys, but I keep forgetting, so I have a ton of potatoes just lying around. So the other day, when a package I ordered from Fancy Flours (don’t they have the sweetest wrapping?) […]

Number two dog poo incident of 2013

I meant it as a joke when I said I’d tally the dog-poos of the year, but now we’re actually at three. But the third poo is probably from another animal at the farm, maybe goat or sheep and not technically dog poo that made its way under my shoe so I’m not sure it […]