Hawaii
Shops, eats and places to take kids in Hawaii.
A shave ice in Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore where you can even eat the bowl
June 4, 2024There are many things our family looks forward to when going to Hawaii and one thing is definitely the food. We’ve visited various Hawaiian islands over the years (especially Hawaii Island) and each island has specific treats we like to have in each place but shave ice is one thing we have on all our […]
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Hana Maui Resort: a peaceful hotel with a perfect pool at the end of the Road to Hana
July 29, 2023I know I just add to the echos of most travelers when I say that Maui holds a special place in our family’s heart. It was our first trip ever by airplane with our kids. And it was the first time I collaborated with a travel partner when we visited nearly 10 years ago. We […]
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Revisiting the Island of Hawaii at the Kamilo at Mauna Lani: A multigenerational trip
August 25, 2022If there is one thing that got our hearts through the past couple years, it’s been the hope of revisiting Hawaii Island (you might know it as “the Big Island”) with our family. We went with my parents and my sister and her family in 2019 and it was one of the most special places […]
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My best sandwich on Hawaii island and a handful of places you should add to your Big Island of Hawaii trip idea list
August 6, 2019In a world where nothing lasts forever, I know we can’t count on the places we love still being in the places we’ve visited when we come back to visit again. But I’ve visited the Big Island of Hawaii a handful of times over the span of 18 years and so much of this beautiful island […]
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Eight Tips for Seven Days in Kauai with kids in tow
April 11, 2018If traveling to Kauai with your family is on your radar then you need to start thinking about accommodations soon-especially if your holidays happen during President’s Day or Spring Break. Here are eight tips we have from booking a recent trip we took for seven days in Kauai with kids in tow: Sign up for […]
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Planning a trip with kids to Kauai in February from Seattle
March 9, 2018Years ago when we would travel with our family to one of the Hawaiian islands, it was just a matter of getting airfare, booking the hotel and off we would go. If we booked a hotel near the beach, we didn’t need to plan much because there was sure to be almost guaranteed sunshine and […]
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Enter all the contests and go on all the trips: parenting advice for my kids after winning our trip to Kauai
February 28, 2018Of course I’m going to tell my kids to study hard and do your best and try to be a good person wherever you can: they totally need a baseline. But more than telling them to go to college, or plan out now who they are going to be when they grow up, or even […]
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When a clothing brand reminds you to be mindful of packaging
February 25, 2018I was really excited to try a few pieces from PrAna’s spring 2018 line-a cute black sweater and capri yoga pants-on our recent trip to Kauai. Have you heard of this clothing brand? I love so much about it-PrAna is stylish, comfortable, great for travel and easy to wear and I’ve partnered with them before […]
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A few travel highlights from 2014 while I plan this year’s adventures
January 23, 2015The hardest part of starting a New Year is saying good bye to the old one, especially if it was a good one and while other people are performing cleanses of the body detox sort, I’m purging my phone of the14000 photos I’ve managed to store there in the past year because I don’t want […]
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Seattle Memberships you might consider if you like to travel with your family
March 5, 2014We have memberships to many of our local museums and I think we’ve even been zoo members for nearly 10 years now. (Yes, we were members even BEFORE having kids. I absolutely love our Woodland Park Zoo!) Seattle memberships are one of the ways we get to do so many things with our family in […]
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Photo Friday: I heart Haleiwa town
February 26, 2014Haleiwa town on the north shore of Oahu is such a fun place to visit with kids. There is good food, lovely beaches and the Turtle Bay Resort is about a 15 minute drive away and it’s such a gorgeous place to stay. The beach there is sandy and calm and we could just hang […]
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A train you want to visit just so you can eat pineapple and see hungry fish (Dole Pineapple Express , Oahu)
February 25, 2014This is a train we’ve done over and over again, just like we’ve heard a zillion versions of Ka’a Ahi Kahului (Hawaiian Train Song) since we first rode the Dole Pineapple Express. (PS. THAT song is about another ride-able Hawaiian train, the Sugar Cane Train on Maui, and our family’s favorite version of the song […]
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Bishop Museum and a yummy lunch nearby (Oahu with Kids)
February 23, 2014I didn’t realize there could be such a thing as too much sun, beach and pool, but on vacation my kids literally wake up as soon as the sun rises and they could spend the whole day in the sun and in the water until it gets dark. I thought a good way to make […]
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Lillikoi, Malasadas, Coco Puffs, Shave ice and Pie (Oahu with kids)
February 18, 2014Who am I kidding with that Lillikoi in the title? Our travels are usually full of food adventures of the bakery and dessert kind and while we did stop at a lovely roadside fruit stand near the Turtle Bay Resort (recommended by the Gypsy Guide app I bought that had a running commentary/tour of the […]
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Saved the best for Last (Paradise Bay Resort, Kailua, Oahu)
February 16, 2014We just got back from a trip with the kids to Oahu and it was such a welcome bit of paradise in all the cold we’ve had in the last little while. We usually don’t spend more than three nights in one place so we’ve stayed at three places over the course of this trip […]
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Happy Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2014I’m hoping wherever you are you are having a wonderful, warm and happy “love love love” day. (That’s what my boys still call this day in our house. The whole concept of Valentine’s Day is a little more difficult to explain. Hearts are easy) Today I’m totally thankful for friends and family and thankful I get […]
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Oahu Shopping late on a Monday (planning for a trip to Oahu with kids)
January 14, 2014I’m often asked about how I book my travel plans. It usually starts with some kind of interest our family has in a place combined with the kids’ and hubby’s vacation schedules. Sometimes, I get a place in my head because of some animal adventure I’ve heard about, or a farm tour I’m curious about […]
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Snorkeling with Kids on Maui
April 26, 2013I don’t know how I missed updating about this one. I was going through our photos from our Maui trip and I found this dolphin picture. This wasn’t even one of those things they advertised that we were going to see on this snorkel trip we booked when we went to Maui but on the […]
Read MoreLeodas Kitchen and Pie Shop (Lahaina, Maui)
March 11, 2013Maybe this should be called the day I wanted pie so badly I talked up the petroglyphs behind the pie store to get it. (Thank goodness for these petroglyphs!) We passed Leoda’s on the way to Lahaina from Kihei and I saw people lined up outside as we whizzed by to another destination so I […]
Read MoreEating pupus with preschoolers in Maui
March 5, 2013“Check out these pupus!” I told my husband. “They look pretty yummy and they’re so reasonable!” POOPOOS! The duo cheered. Oh dear. Not the kind of pupus I was talking about. But really, I should have cheered too. Happy hour is the way to go in Maui. And actually, in so many places we travel […]
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