FAMILY TRAVELS

Sweetest Mini Donut Shop (The Outpost, Steveston BC)

December 14, 2012

The world can always use more happy, lovely places and The Outpost Mini Donut Company is one of the sweetest I’ve ever been.  I never imagined that a donut store could be so adorable, but this is a MINI DONUT store and there are so many thoughtful touches in this store that make the already-yummy […]

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big snowfall in snoqualmie pass 2016

Homemade Snowglobes

So everyone is making snowglobes apparently so I wanted to try and make them too.  I had visions of making little ballerina ones like a scene out of the Nutcracker (we’re going to see it next week and I’m a little worried the guys might find the mice part scary so I’m playing up the […]

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If your kids are scared of Santa

December 13, 2012

or maybe just obsessed with their Playmobil Advent Calendars, you might consider just going for a pose with a plastic Santa instead. (We found this one outside the Splash store in Steveston BC Canda, which by the way has a great play table and awesome toys if you need a place to stop in while […]

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Something cuddly and something not so cuddly in Richmond BC

December 11, 2012

If you are into Once upon a Time apparently this building is a big deal for you and you might want to visit Steveston to go and see it.  Steveston is a little water village part of Richmond BC where they do a lot of movie filming. For me, I heart this lovely place near […]

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Snowstorm with packing peanuts

December 10, 2012

Friday morning I needed to pack for a trip up north and I got distracted by the UPS man and a big box of snow. It was so full that I could barely find the items I ordered inside the box with all the packing peanuts they had piled it with. Maybe I was hit […]

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Photo Friday: Denver Art Museum

December 8, 2012

I’ve been meaning to talk about this one for ages because it’s one awesome place for kids that shouldn’t be overlooked.  I never really thought about art museums as being super-kid friendly but I really love the kid-focused spots at our Seattle Museum has and thought we’d check out the Denver Art Museum when we […]

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Five great stocking stuffers for 4-year olds who travel

December 6, 2012

One week into December and I’ve pretty much finished the bulk of my Christmas shopping.  (This is not a brag, I’m just constantly shopping and if I didn’t have a focus, it would be dangerous.)  So now I get to think about fun stocking stuffers-and just what are some fun finds for the small traveling […]

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Coal, Kale Chips and some cute cards at Trader Joe’s

December 5, 2012

Oh, I love coal at Christmas time! Trader Joe’s has such cool-looking coal and this one seems like it might even taste good-I wonder who on my naughty list is going to get to try it?  (Btw Is coal becoming obsolete?  You’d think Santa would start threatening old cell phone batteries or giant unusable computer […]

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Something to contemplate while you travel or maybe just sit in your car

December 4, 2012

The hubby always thinks I’m a little paranoid neurotic but strange things always happen to me.  Like today at Costco I was just sitting in the car while the kids napped and he ran in to pick up a few things when the car door opens and I’m like “wow you’re back…..whaa???!! The man getting […]

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Two simple star crafts you could probably make in the next 5 minutes

December 3, 2012

No grownup has any excuse for lousy snowflakes anymore.  And forget just regular snowflakes.  You can make star ones and they’re super easy. I just printed this out, folded and cut along the lines (okay, the cutting was a little difficult and some stars got sacrificed) and voila: instant epic snowflake! And unless you’re going […]

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Wildlights! (Woodland Park Zoo)

November 29, 2012

A clear, cold night in Seattle in the fall is magical all by itself, but visiting Wildlights on a night like this is absolute perfection. Bubbly snow falls softly in some places while in others you might just get pelted by a big furry flake.  (It wasn’t just toddlers and wee ones throwing these around-I […]

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Shopping for thanksgiving decorations

Thanksgiving Events I’m thankful for in Seattle

November 26, 2012

After a weekend like this, is your pie plate half empty or half full? Over here, we’re thankful for a weekend of good food, loved ones, a little bit of shopping and total holiday spirit-we are oh so lucky in Seattle that we have such fun and festive things this time of year.  I used […]

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We Love our city! (Seattle with kids)

November 22, 2012

There are signs all over our city that Christmas is coming soon in Seattle.  We took the bus downtown the other evening and watched a bucket truck setting up the Christmas tree in front of Westlake Center. The Macys’ star is all set to glow soon too. We popped in at Nordstroms’ to give a […]

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A little bit of peace practically anywhere you travel

November 20, 2012

No matter where you travel with kids, there always seems to be a Costco (Walmart, Target, Sam’s club, random grocery store) nearby. After a day of tantrums or in the case of kids not dealing with time-change a couple of samples and a ride around in a cart can make a new place seem familiar […]

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Gearing up to ski

November 19, 2012

We’re gearing up for ski season.  The boys have their new ski helmets (they’re on sale at REI this week!) and we’re all ready to get up to the mountain.  This winter is the first time we’re actually going to embrace total snow and learn to ski: in the past we’ve just headed up to […]

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All Soccer, All the time

November 16, 2012

You know you’re a good soccer mom when you’re in Spanish class and the teacher asks what number 11 is and your too-young-to-be-cheeky kid says: “ZAKUANI.” (who by the way DOES wear numero once if you don’t know your Sounders Roster.)  Any sunny day we get, the guys want to be at the field playing […]

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visiting the sloth sanctuary where you can see sloths with kids in costa rica

Sloth hugging and some of my favorite things in Costa Rica

November 9, 2012

The hubby and I finally sat down to look at the last half of our Costa Rica trip (from AUGUST!) and I fell in love all over again.  Looking back at this trip, I think it is still one of the trips I will remember for my lifetime and it’s one I’ll always think about […]

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Vegas with kids isn’t so bad

November 2, 2012

This is how the idea began to percolate.  Weather in Seattle in mid-September was nice but not swim-outside nice and we wanted to go somewhere like that but only for a few days and not fly really far.  We also didn’t want to spend a ton but wanted to stay in a nice hotel with […]

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Rain in Seattle on Halloween

Sharks out of Water

October 30, 2012

This year the guys are getting a lot of use out of their costumes and it’s not even Halloween yet.  The sharks checked out a sneak peek of the Woodland Park Zoo’s Wildlights, something we totally want to do this winter! They also trick or treated the Seattle Waterfront.  (This pic was taken right after […]

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Always check your rental car BEFORE you get in

October 24, 2012

Why is the hubby outside the car in the pouring rain? He actually has the waterproof camera in hand and he’s thoroughly checking every inch of our rental car and snapping pictures of things that don’t look brand new. This is the routine we have EVERYTIME we rent.  Yes, you have all those papers to […]

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