FAMILY TRAVELS

Getting ready for September

August 21, 2012

The guys are finally old enough for small chores around the house, so one thing that I get them to do is help with making lunch to get ready for preschool. The other day I had them make the peanut butter/banana sandwiches we were going to take for a picnic and something about the smell […]

Trainforest (Monteverde, Costa Rica)

August 19, 2012

I don’t know why I showed the kids this video on youtube but I did and then going on the Monteverde Rain Forest train became a must do on the duo’s Costa Rica adventure list. I couldn’t find much information on what this tour would be like and after taking the guys on trains all […]

Denver Museum of Nature and Science (Denver, CO)

August 17, 2012

One of the greatest things about having memberships at local museums is that not only do they help support museums in your hometown, they often have reciprocal membership to other museums (free entry!) when you travel. We only had an hour to spend at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science but we probably wouldn’t […]

Toucan Rescue Ranch (San Isidro, Costa Rica)

August 15, 2012

Where do I begin to tell you about the most amazing, magical and enlightening place I’ve ever traveled to? The Toucan Rescue Ranch in San Isidro, Costa Rica is a place I want to go back to every year to watch as it grows. Leslie and Jorge, the owners of the ranch, are doing an […]

how to travel safely in costa rica with young kids

Global Kids Adventures: traveling to Costa Rica with kids

August 13, 2012

I convinced the hubby we were going to take the fam to vista Cost Rica but the question was how we were going to travel. We don’t like to sit still and the last time we went we went on a tour but wanted to adventure on our own. Our solution was to book half […]

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

Sloth Sanctuary (Cahuita, Costa Rica)

Trip planning is a joint decision in this household and one my husband and I make together. When I first started my “I want to visit Costa Rica” trip campaign to the hubby I reminded him of how wonderful a time we had when we went pre-kids and I told him that it would be […]

Summer no Bucket List 2012

July 31, 2012

On the cloudy days pre-summer, I thought we were going to make a bucket list so we could make the most out of this summer, but somehow unexpectedly it crept on us full-force. How is it halfway done already? So no bucket list. Just buckets and buckets of awesome summer fun. The guys really know […]

Some things aren’t meant to be bought on ebay

July 29, 2012

I saw these frog balloons in a Chasing Firefly’s catalog and decided we had to have them but the 14 dollar price tag for one balloon sans helium seemed a little spendy. And then I found them on ebay. Not just the frog, but a whole conglomerate of 10 balloons with a ‘buy now’ price […]

Steveston Eco Tours and Valdes (Steveston, British Columbia)

July 27, 2012

This heavenly bit of wonderful can be a day-trip from Steveston, BC and it’s so serene and peaceful it can feel like days. Valdes Island is a very special place to our family because it’s where my brother-in-law “Roo” spent his childhood. We went with Captain Bruce from Steveston EcoTours to Valdes Island in the […]

It’s open:) Hello Seattle CityTarget!

July 25, 2012

Yes, you know what I’m talking about. It’s red and white and shiny all over! And we had a bunch of errands to run this morning so we headed to my new money swallowing hole Seattle CityTarget to see how shopping in our city is going to be. The parking at CityTarget is free if […]

A little bit of Hawaii in Seattle

Maybe if your kids are in Zoo Camp you have a few minutes for yourself. I took a moment to pretend I was alone in Hawaii in Seattle at nearby Fresh Flours. You can actually find me at Fresh Flours often, it’s such a delicious bakery. Hello Pineapple Coconut Danish delight (washed down with an […]

Berry Picking and a recipe

July 20, 2012

Every month I get a ton of magazines and one of my favorites is Sunset Magazine, so when a friend asked me to go berry picking a couple weeks ago, I thought it would be the perfect way to try out this recipe for a buttery raspberry lemon cake from the July issue. The boys […]

On finding Melona

July 17, 2012

On a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, we discovered a treat with a very odd name. Yes, it’s made of melons, but it just seems like an unfortunate sounding title for such a delicious ice pop (a friend recently told me it sounds like a skin disease.) But it must be popular in […]

Harbour Green Park (Vancouver, BC, Canada)

July 13, 2012

I love the Coal Harbour area of Vancouver, and on a recent trip, I bookmarked what I imagine would be THE BEST SPRAYPARK ever. It’s in the heart of the city, along a scenic seawall, and it has a yummy-looking restaurant nearby. What more could you want? I would love love love to go back […]

Fab Find: Tomy Constructables

July 10, 2012

I. Hate. Cleaning. I don’t really know why I bother at all. Messes in a house with kids just seem to happen the minute you make things spotless and then you have to clean them up again and it’s such a vicious cycle that I think would be so much better if you just stopped […]

Best 2 buck souvenir you can buy in Seattle

July 6, 2012

One thing my guys look for at every Seattle festival is the Center For Wooden Boats station. I think there was one at last year’s Folklife Festival and there was definitely one at the South Lake Union Block Party. (It’s happening in a few weeks on August 10th!) This year we built ours at the […]

100 hours in Paris

July 5, 2012

So maybe it wasn’t quite 100 hours in Paris, but I did spend nearly 100 hours kid-free on the whole journey from the time I left the airport to the time my sweet boys all picked me up. So what does a stay at home mom set free into the big big world with her […]

Chocoron (Aoki Bakery, Paris)

June 29, 2012

The boys are totally addicted to everything macaron, so I couldn’t help but squeal with glee when I found this lovely confection among the millions of macarons enticing shoppers in Paris. A chocoron. (English Translation: a heavenly macaron enrobed with chocolate). Oh and it was delightful. I wonder when we’ll start seeing these stateside. You […]

One of those hobbies I don’t really talk about

June 21, 2012

Normally, I wouldn’t really tell anyone about this hobby. It’s not glamorous, like, say rock-climbing or scuba-diving in your spare time. But, it was too precious watching my guys find their first ‘geocache’ that I had to share. Yes, we geocache (sometimes and not always on purpose, and this was our first time since the […]

A long time ago in Vancouver with baby twins

June 13, 2012

I’m feeling a little nostalgic because my guys are headed full-speed for their 4th birthday and it’s just making me wish that time would slow down just a little. I found some pics from a Vancouver trip we took when they were still teeny tiny and small and I can’t believe that time is so […]