seattle with kids

where to watch bears swim

The best way to see a bear up close (Woodland Park Zoo)

September 24, 2015

My sister who is an animal lover recently watched a horrific grizzly hunt that somehow made its way into her Facebook feed and it totally disturbed her so much even days after she saw it that she told me not to watch it-EVER.  She described it as the story of a beautiful trapped bear who […]

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starwars books for 7 year olds

Two great shout-outs for Seattle Public Library at the #IFBC

September 21, 2015

Are you as scared as I am that our kids won’t have libraries one day?  Every time I buy books on Amazon, I make sure I use the “smile” site at www.smile.amazon.com instead of just regular Amazon.com so the company can give a percentage of my purchase back to non-profits and I choose Seattle Public […]

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Lacing up the running shoes and getting ready for the Woodinville Half Marathon

September 12, 2015

When I was contacted a few weeks about a new run in Woodinville put on by Destination Races Wine Country Half Marathons, I was excited to try it but was a little worried because I am in no shape to run a half and I didn’t think I would have enough time to train.  My […]

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seattle bike with kids on Bainbridge Island and taking the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and a stop at Mora Ice Creamery

When you bike with kids from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and everyone survives

August 26, 2015

Remember the beginning of summer when it seemed like we had forever just to do whatever we wanted to do?  It seems so far away now that school is on the horizon in Seattle and the sky gets just a little darker earlier and eating ice cream cones in the evening means putting on a […]

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doggy daycare in Seattle

A place we like to eat at when we visit the puppies (Market Hall, Seattle, WA)

August 19, 2015

It seems that a good city can never have too many markets or dogs and thankfully in Seattle both are abundant.  If we happen to be downtown Seattle and somehow make our way to our favorite window full of puppies we can stand there for hours and we tend to get hungry. I thought about […]

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cool playgrounds for kids in Washington

Hands on Children’s Museum and a Giant Sand Festival (Olympia, Washington)

August 7, 2015

A couple months ago someone from the Hands on Children’s Museum contacted me about their upcoming Sand Festival and I mentioned that not only did I not know about the festival, we had not visited the Hands On Children’s Museum yet. You must visit, they said. And so we did. Oh my goodness.  How have […]

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family road trips by electric car

A family weekend Tesla Trip to Coeur d’Alene and stops along the way (roadtrips from Seattle)

July 29, 2015

It’s a great time for electric cars in Seattle right now-everyday it seems like we see more and more on the road and I even noticed a bus advertising AAA emergency roadside charging service for electric vehicles and they have a lot of resources on their website too. This type of thing makes road trips […]

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eating out with kids in seattle

Not just another pretty landmark (Space Needle, Seattle)

July 24, 2015

It’s starting to become a tradition that every year on their birthday my guys decide that the SkyCity restaurant at the Space Needle is where they want their birthday feast.  Of course they love this place because I’m terrified of it. (Ahh…karma.)  Yes, it’s a fabulous beacon that helps me easily find Seattle Center and […]

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ice cream with marshmallows in Seattle from Full Tilt Pinball

Ice Cream Day should happen here EVERYDAY (Full Tilt Ice Cream, Seattle)

July 20, 2015

If I say “do you love pinball?” and you say “yes it’s magical” with that glow in your eyes that only pinball lovers like me get, than I have found you the unicorn of places to play pinball, and it exists in at Seattle’s Full Tilt Ice Cream and you will have to go there […]

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short hikes near Seattle with kids

A family friendly hike that’s a no-brainer if you have a 4×4 but still doable if you don’t (Mirror Lake, Snoqualmie Pass, WA)

July 16, 2015

A few weeks ago when we had the use of a decked-out Toyota 4-Runner the hubby reminisced about camping and hiking trips from bygone days when we used to borrow his aunt’s 4-runner and explore.  He found a hike in Snoqualmie Pass where we’ve been hanging out a lot lately and it seemed pretty kid-friendly […]

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best playgrounds in the northwest and seattle center for kids

A very pinterest-worthy and maybe the best playground in Seattle so far (Artists at Play, Seattle Center)

July 13, 2015

I always read these lists of best playgrounds in the world and there are never any west coast, North American playgrounds in them.  Maybe people think we get too much rain here? Or maybe we keep our parks a secret.  But lately we’ve had endless sunny skies and we’ve been outdoors all the time and […]

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northwest parks to visit with kids

50 Northwest Parks in Summer

June 26, 2015

My guys want to visit 50 northwest parks this summer and I thought this was a really fun goal.  At first we pondered if we could go to the same park 50 times or if all the parks had to be in Seattle but we soon decided that we would only count different parks but […]

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cute coffee in Seattle from la reve in queen anne

To the two guys in my life I can always count on to read my posts

June 22, 2015

I watched an emotional video put out by a marketing company in my hometown-an old classmate of mine is actually in the video-and it made me tear up and realize how much I take the time I have with both of you for granted.  We do take a lot of people for granted in life, […]

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A spoonful of sugar in bucketlisting form helps the Last Day of School Eve not sting so much

June 16, 2015

We watched Mary Poppins at school today, my guys told me while we after-school snacked. So of course I took the opportunity to screech sing my rendition of “A Spoonful of Sugar” at the top of my lungs. Why are those kids taking medicine?  Are they sick?  Why doesn’t it taste good? And how does […]

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where to pick strawberries near Seattle

A U-pick strawberry patch that’s not too far from Seattle (Al Duris Strawberry Farm, Kent, WA)

June 5, 2015

(PS. the Duris Strawberry farm in Kent just opened for U-Pick for the 2022 season June 15.) I was not supposed to go strawberry picking.  I am picking out cabinets for our cabin and with all the end of school things I didn’t realize kindergarteners do, it was not high on my priority list.  But, […]

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An easy hike If you wake up in Seattle and want to go on a small hiking adventure with kids or grandparents in tow

May 23, 2015

Hikes to me mean an excuse to eat trail mix and junky foods while walking through a forest.  Sometimes a little drive to get there also heightens the adventure.  The Snoqualmie Pass area is usually one of our first choices because of the cabin project and it’s only about an hour drive from Seattle and […]

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cruise ship in seattle

Imagining we’re cruising to Alaska for the first time (with Holland America in Seattle)

May 13, 2015

Every summer in Seattle we see the shiny white cruise ships sail into their berths at the pier and I always wonder what it might be like to get on one, cast off and drift away to Alaska.  Our family is curious to know if we’re cruisers: I am a free-spirit and the hubby likes […]

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places to take pictures in seattle

A place in Seattle you might have heard of but never been (Fisherman’s Terminal, Seattle)

April 13, 2015

We have a bunch of places where we like to take out food in Seattle when we just don’t feel like cooking.  And waiting for our take-out from Chinooks at Fisherman’s Terminal is one of our favorite things to do.  Apparently the boats from Deadliest Catch come here or used to come here-I’ve never watched […]

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Savoring the last days of cherry blossoms in Seattle

April 3, 2015

All it will take is another big storm like the crazy thunder and hailstorm we had here the other night and we probably won’t be seeing these beauties again until next spring and I can already tell by my instagram feed that many of you have now moved on to tulips so I guess the […]

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le panier seattle and their cute packaging for macaron day

In case you miss Macaron Day in Seattle, here’s where we find our favorites

March 19, 2015

My little guys are big fans of macarons and every time we walk into a bakery that sells them, it feels like it could be Macaron Day, but I didn’t realize that Macaron Day is actually a thing until I was buying some pastries at Le Panier this morning and saw their gorgeous new stickers […]

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