TRAVEL

If you decide to ride the Sugarcane Train (Maui with kids)

February 20, 2013

*Apparently this Sugarcane train is now closed. Thank you Rick for letting me know and if anyone hears otherwise, please message me too! We weren’t sure if we were going to do this one. I couldn’t find a lot of information on it, and I wasn’t sure if it was a full length ride or […]

Kihei (Maui with kids)

February 15, 2013

I tend to book places when I get a good feeling about the place. Kihei had a pretty name, it was close to the airport (our flight arrived at 11pm) and I managed to find a condo on the beach for a reasonable rate. We like small hotels especially in Hawaii: the type that […]

Did somebody pinch me? (Maui with kids)

February 12, 2013

How is that we’re already back? Weren’t we just at the top of a crater minutes ago? Or exploring caves? Paddle-boarding in an ocean teeming with whales. And driving gorgeous but treacherous roads along an incredible coastline. We even got chased by a cow. (All the while chugging Dayquil on the beach and trying to […]

Packing

February 9, 2013

I wish I was a gifted packer but alas I am not. I can pack quickly but it doesn’t look pretty. If it were up to me, I’d just transfer this pile directly to my suitcase. I believe it’s technically packing as long as everything ends up in the suitcase. Volia! Packing complete. But the […]

Magic Carpet Ride (Seymour Ski Lessons)

February 8, 2013

If you sign your kids up for lessons at Mount Seymour (maybe 30 minutes from Vancouver, BC), you’ll see 3 little words that all parents dream about in their sleep. Parent Free Zone. What does this mean? It’s simple. When you drop your kid off in their ski wear, you don’t even have to fight […]

Travel Tips Tuesday: pack a bunch of samples

February 5, 2013

You know how I love me a good makeup subscription service (Hello Birchbox!) or Sephora because I get a bunch of samples with every order. Well there’s definitely a good reason for this. Every trip we go on, I grab a handful, stick it in a big zippy bag and stuff it in my suitcase. […]

Winter-themed one year old party and a really cool idea

February 4, 2013

I’ve been meaning to post this one for so long. My friend Sandee is super-creative so when her little guy turned one she put together a fabulous party at her gorgeous home. I loved the red, white and turquoise color-theme which is perfect for December parties. I absolutely loved the cake table. The guys were […]

Maui Revisited

February 2, 2013

See these tired, shiny, almost-brand new parents? Our guys were 9 months old and we headed off to Maui for our first vacation as a family. A bunch of trips later and we’re heading back to the island pretty soon and I can’t wait. All I can remember from the last visit was a lovely […]

A birthday

February 1, 2013

Somewhere in another city my dad is celebrating a birthday. One of those big milestone ones with round happy numbers and hopefully no flamingos on the lawn. I’m not sure if you’re a flamingo guy, eh dad. But I do know that you’re a coffee guy and every time I go to a coffee shop, […]

When your kids are braver than you are

January 31, 2013

See the blur? That’s my guys jumping off the diving board for the first time. They just pranced across the thing and fearlessly bounced of the end. I’d be proud except I’m terrified that they’ve learned a new and ridiculous skill: I know this because later when we were at the Pacific Place mall on […]

Number two dog poo incident of 2013

January 26, 2013

I meant it as a joke when I said I’d tally the dog-poos of the year, but now we’re actually at three. But the third poo is probably from another animal at the farm, maybe goat or sheep and not technically dog poo that made its way under my shoe so I’m not sure it […]

holding sloth in Costa Rica wearing bug-proof shirt

Bug-Proof Clothing

January 22, 2013

I’m not sure why, but bug-proof clothing is one search I get a lot on this site, and as someone who puffs up into one giant mosquito welt if I get bitten, I thought I better share some of my real faves: I love this shirt. That might even be an understatement. If I hear […]

We’re 6C and we know it (A travel tip)

I wish I could say I only do this when we travel, but I learned this trick when the boys were babies and I got so scatterbrained that I would lose the “Silver bus” everywhere we went. Thank you to my handy smartphone (I swear this is the most mom-friendly invention of all time), I […]

First visit to the MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry, Seattle, WA)

January 16, 2013

I’ve told you before how much I love South Lake Union, but now I’m super-infatuated because the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) has opened. Do you know how amazing this place is? I loved their old location-it had the coolest boat and fishing exhibit and we finally visited their new digs for the first […]

Lovely Place to Pack a Lunch (Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle WA)

January 13, 2013

Okay, in a perfect world we might have been nibbling on something a bit different, but today it was the guys’ choice and Big M won. I always dream about the day I can discuss art over cappuccinos with my kids-today we talked about waves while eating nuggets at the Olympic Sculpture Park. I […]

Dessert Thali (Poppy, Seattle Wa)

January 9, 2013

(PS. I’m so sad to say that Poppy is now closed in 2019….) Maybe 2013 is the year for food in this household, because we’ve been eating around Seattle the last week and a bit like we’re on vacation and it’s been lovely. Perhaps our best meal happened when we popped into Poppy, (aka best […]

Delightful food finds in Vancouver BC

January 3, 2013

A long time ago, I’d return to the motherland on a quest to find ketchup chips, Smarties and Mackintosh Toffee: grocery store treats from my childhood that just can’t find their way south of the border. But now, with kids in tow my time for food sleuthing is short and I have to be a […]

How I amuse myself while the kids learn to ski

December 30, 2012

I don’t know what I imagined when I signed the guys up for ski lessons. I think a little bit of me thought they’d be whisked up the chair-lift and zooming down the mountains in no time and I really wanted them to learn to ski. But the reality is that it takes a little […]

Two super-easy yummy things

December 29, 2012

Do I dare tell you what my best timesaver is going to be the week the kids go back to school in the New Year? I love these Foodles I found on Amazonfresh but I can’t seem to find them anywhere else. Maybe we can create a demand? They would be so easy to make, […]

Punctuality

December 20, 2012

Once upon a time the boys woke up so early that there was never any chance of being late to anything. But some mornings now (like today!) we almost need an alarm clock to get to school on time. Thankfully we made it but I do want to teach my kids the value of time. […]