FAMILY TRAVELS
Three Irish chocolate shops with factories you can visit
January 10, 2023Our family has been interested in chocolate factories ever since the Theo Chocolate factory opened in our Seattle neighborhood ages ago and we learned about the bean-to-bar process. Since then our kids have been to Costa Rica to see chocolate, and visiting chocolate factories have been a big part of our family holidays. Most recently […]
Things to do in Seattle in January
December 30, 2022I just found out we don’t have to jump right into January for Seattle Schools-the Monday falls right after New Year’s so we get until Tuesday to start the year. So will this be the theme of our 2023 year? Can we actually ease into something in our city for once? Will we slowly sip […]
All about Sean’s Bar, the oldest pub in Ireland and maybe even the world
December 28, 2022Old time Irish pubs remind me of Starbucks in the Pacific Northwest, like where my dad has his Grande Americano every morning with a crew he’s somehow gathered over days that have become years and maybe even decades. I don’t know how we even started looking for the oldest pub in Ireland on our five […]
If you have Irish heritage and have a chance to visit Dublin make sure you go to the Epic Irish Emigration Museum
December 22, 2022There are many things to do in Dublin and we found out that you can probably do them all if you really want to even if you are only in Ireland for 5 days but you can also choose just to do a few and take your time and even go to Butlers for hot […]
Schengen countries and why you need to know about them if you travel with your family from the USA
December 19, 2022I love to dream about all the places we’re going to go and often spend my free time looking up flights on Expedia. But we have had a passport mishap before where we found out our kids’ passports had expired just days before we left on a trip so we’ve been very careful about how […]
Is 5 days enough time for a family to visit Ireland with a direct flight from Seattle to Dublin?
December 18, 2022Yes, travel is about bucket lists and places we dream about. But it’s also about budget too. So when we booked our Ireland trip from Seattle we were actually dreaming about going to Japan. We found that tickets for Japan were on the spendy side and we only had 5 days (with teenagers who have […]
My Lomi home composter Journey
December 7, 2022This post contains affiliate links as I have partnered with the Lomi home composter to try this out and as always the opinions on this blog are my own. Have you heard of Lomi? Today my Lomi home composter arrived and I’m so excited to try it out. This machine comes from my home province […]
Finding all the places that have nonstop flights from Seattle at Seatac airport now that we travel with teenagers
October 3, 2022The hardest part about travel now that we travel with teenagers is that we don’t have all the time and flexibility we used to have when they were younger because of school and sports. One of the main ways we choose the places we go to is by if they have nonstop flights from Seattle. […]
Things to do in Seattle in October
September 28, 2022Suddenly it’s October isn’t it? I was just reminiscing about our October last year where we started the month with a last minute trip to Disneyland (October was a great time to go by the way-we pretty much did it all in one day)and escaped a bit of the smoke we had. This year there […]
If you have already done a Chicago architectural boat tour and loved it what can you do on your next trip?
September 27, 2022Chicago was one of our last trips for pre-2020 travel. I was in Chicago in December of 2019 for my very first time and had such a fantastic time in this city. This year I had just over 24 hours to explore Chicago as I tagged along my husband’s work trip and we were staying […]
Where we park in Seattle to go to the beach at Expedia Group (Scout’s Favorite Park)
September 13, 2022If you follow along on my instagram, we tend to visit the beach at Expedia group with Scout quite frequently. It used to be where we parked to go biking with the kids when they were small. It’s near where the cruise ships dock and it’s also where you’ll find the closest lupine patches growing […]
Why booking with Amex Fine Hotels at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Resort is more than “worth it” for families
September 12, 2022Whistler, BC has become a really popular destination for Seattle families-it’s about a 4-5 hour drive away and it’s easily combinable with a Vancouver trip for shorter travel days and a longer vacation too. Over the years it feels like we’ve stayed at nearly all the properties on the mountain and our favorites so far […]
Kenmore Air adds a new way to get to the San Juan Islands with a short flight Paine Field
July 21, 2022How incredible is it that we can fly? I often forget that small planes are also an option in our area when we are trying to get to local places. We’ve used Kenmore Air before for their seaplane to Vancouver Island. I just learned that they also have land planes too. And now there is […]
California Travel : All the places we’ve visited over the years and absolutely loved
July 11, 2022When the hubby first moved to California years ago before we were even married, I never imagined that I would one day live in the United States. But now over 20 years later, we’ve been here now nearly half my life and California is still one of the places we visit often and it’s a […]
If you are looking for lupines here is where to find lupines in Seattle so you don’t have to drive too far
June 16, 2022Remember this next year when you see all the lupine pictures from Van Lierop Park or Mount Rainier. There are lupines in Seattle and if you don’t have time to drive out of the city you don’t have to miss out. They seem to bloom between mid-may and early June. This year they are just […]
Why you need a Seattle Art Museum Patron Membership if you’re a Seattleite who loves to travel
June 14, 2022The Seattle Art Museum is one of my favorite places in the city. If I know I’m running errands downtown or at Pike Place Market, I love having a membership so I can pop in even just for a few minutes if that’s all the time I have. But there is another fabulous reason to […]
Tiger Sugar Seattle: a new boba spot downtown in the city just steps away from the Seattle Art Museum
June 13, 2022My kids are big fans of bubble tea and so am I. I grew up in Coquitlam BC, Canada, and this is a treat that’s been up north for a while but it’s taken a bit of time to get down here to Seattle so I get really excited when see a new bubble tea […]
The best salads in Seattle that you’ll want for lunch
April 5, 2022When the weather starts getting a little sunnier sometimes we crave fresh and more vegetable filled dishes as we get out and about. Here are a few of my favorite places to get the best salads in Seattle. I’ve tried to add the neighborhoods you’ll find these places in too. Evergreens all over Seattle There […]
A drive through Seattle Cinnamon Roll shop up in Woodinville that’s worth the trip
March 30, 2022If you are searching for a unique cinnamon bun shop near Seattle, you might find Seattle Cinnamon Roll. And it’s not actually in Seattle, it’s about 30-40 minutes north of the city. But before you give up and try looking for another place, make a plan to go to Woodinville to the Seattle Cinnamon Roll […]
Trying out the Too Good to Go app to help reduce food waste in Seattle
February 3, 2022I recently heard about the Too Good to Go app in Seattle. Too Good to Go is an app that connects consumers with businesses to buy ‘Surprise bags” of food not purchased during business hours that might otherwise go to waste. I love the idea of being able to try a business, try something new, […]