FAMILY TRAVELS

Honolulufest Parade and Something we made

April 6, 2012

Whenever we travel I like to check out what goes on in the city when we’re there. The last time we went to Oahu it coincided with the Honolulu Festival called “Honolulufest” and I was so excited to watch the parade. This float was spectacular-like a giant glowing lantern. And the boys remembered it when […]

Marshmallows make everything better

March 29, 2012

Ever since I saw this yummy marshmallow delight in a Williams-Sonoma catalog, I’ve been craving chocolate covered grahams and marshmallows in a bunny shape. And tonight was one of those nights when I needed to get what I want. Because somewhere in between the boys bopping each other and having an epic tantrum, someone used […]

In Flight Entertainment

March 23, 2012

Do your kids do this to when they fly? My guys spend a good portion of every flight studying the ‘safety manual’ and asking me questions about all the emergencies that can happen on an airplane. It’s like I’m in the most interactive type of horror movie possible where I have to imagine and address […]

Hukilau Cafe (Kaneohe, Oahu)

March 16, 2012

I totally wish this was a real cafe, but it’s just a set on a really gorgeous piece of property in Kaneohe, Oahu. Apparently it was used in 50 First Dates as the Hukilau Cafe (I love that movie!) but it’s also been used in a couple other movies/shows as well. (Sorry, the names all […]

Manoa DNA

March 13, 2012

My guys are in love with this Hawaiian band called Manoa DNA. They are a band made up of a dad and two sons and we saw them play last year at our hotel the Outrigger Reef in Waikiki, Oahu. The guys (especially Leelee) adore their ‘fast songs’ and the train songs that are on […]

You win some, you lose some. (Weather in Oahua in March)

March 11, 2012

Maybe we jinxed ourselves when we disregarded the weather forecast and left our rain-gear at home for the first time on a trip with our kids. We thought it doesn’t rain in Hawaii like it does in Seattle but then suddenly the headline below is what we ended up with-and it is not fun to […]

Nameless Noodle Store, Window-shopping and a Fancy toilet

March 9, 2012

There is a noodle store in Tokyo that was so yummy we went there twice. But we don’t know what it was called. All we know is along the way, Leelee climbed all over this chair in front of a store that sold clothes for nursing mothers. And a block or two later we went […]

Costa Rica Dreaming

March 2, 2012

Years ago, pre-duo, the hubby and I went to Costa Rica and I fell instantly in love with this beautiful country full of everything magical and wonderful you go on trips to see and now we’re Costa Rica dreaming again. How can we get back as soon as possible? How could we not love a […]

Goodbye February!

March 1, 2012

Another month has zipped by and I can’t believe February is gone. It even had a bonus day, and that managed to zip by too. How does this happen? I remember when it seemed like the days couldn’t go by fast enough…. But, watching a month go by helps celebrate some things. Like I’ve managed […]

Salvation.

February 28, 2012

If you know me, you know that I’m afraid of many things. Playgrounds. Heights. Elevators. Getting cash from inside of bank. (Um, yes. There might be a hold-up, you never know.) But blood is definitely at the top of the list. Even the thought of it gives me the shivers. Blech. Blood. So when I […]

Playdate in someone else’s Family Room (SAM Seattle)

February 24, 2012

There is one reason why we have a Seattle Art Museum membership for our family right now and I wish I could tell you it was because I wanted my kids to be cultured and appreciate art. But, it’s not. It’s because I love this room. I can put my feet up and relax while […]

Seattle Top Pot Morning

February 18, 2012

We were running errands all morning and I asked the boys where they wanted to go for a snack as a reward for tagging along. And they decided that they wanted doughnuts. (Or donuts?) But what they really wanted were “sprinkly” Top Pot doughnuts to be exact. (I guess I didn’t specify a healthy snack.) […]

Battle of Wills

February 13, 2012

Three must be the new thirteen. I didn’t think I’d have to answer tough questions this early, and they keep coming rapid-fire. “Mommy? How did I get in your belly? Did you eat me?” or “Mommy? Why is my poo brown? Why Mommy! Tell me why!” And then we have the days when we don’t […]

Crafty little things

Today I got a little overly-crafty. I thought we’d make a little tray of bento cucumber “Frogs in Love” for a playdate today as the Bean adores frogs. But it got to be a little much. I got as far as cutting out the frog shapes and cheese eyes and then realized I still needed […]

A curious garden and a trip to the fire station

February 11, 2012

It’s amazing how kids relate books and daily life. It’s been a little spring-like lately, so the boys have really enjoyed this book about a boy who nurses a garden back to life in the middle of a city where greenery has been long forgotten: And so when we went to the Northwest Flower and […]

Disneyland with a boy terrified of rides….

February 9, 2012

This is how I imagined my boys would look at Disneyland. But one boy is currently a little scared of indoor rides, loud noises, things that have scary parts, anything that might have a tunnel and the outside of the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room. So at one point we had a few tears and it […]

Waiting at the airport

January 31, 2012

This is what waiting at the airport looks like sometimes with kids in tow. We bring things like our trunki suitcases to keep our kids entertained but in reality when flights get delayed or there isn’t a lot of space to sit down in our waiting area, there isn’t much we can do. Sometimes we […]

Farm, Fuji Bakery and Feeling Domestic

January 30, 2012

A perfect morning for the boys and I, is a trip out to our farm. I guess it’s not really our farm, but we feel like it is. It’s only about a half an hour away from Seattle and we adore Farmer Jayne and the other staff who work there. We take a lot of […]

I heart beach (Newport Beach, California)

January 29, 2012

If there ever was a beach to make you yell “I heart beach” at the top of your lungs this is it. This is Newport Beach in California and it’s probably our favorite. When we think of all the beaches we travel to and love it’s always this one. And ona perfect day there isn’t […]

National Children’s Castle-Kodomo no Shiro (Tokyo Japan)

January 27, 2012

I read about the National Children’s Castle in this book about Kid’s Trips in Tokyo, (a little-bit outdated guide from 1996 but useful nonetheless) and it sounded very cool, kind of like the kids’ museums we have in Seattle. Don’t mistake it for the Tokyo Metropolitan Children’s Hall. That one is currently closed until at […]