TRAVEL

What to do with all that leftover wrapping

December 18, 2012

Every year we buy a giant roll of wrapping paper from Costco for Christmas and every year we add another roll to the closet because we have so much leftover. This year, I decided we’d make Christmas crackers (like the ones you fill with treats and pop) and if you live in Seattle, you still […]

Sweetest Mini Donut Shop (The Outpost, Steveston BC)

December 14, 2012

The world can always use more happy, lovely places and The Outpost Mini Donut Company is one of the sweetest I’ve ever been. I never imagined that a donut store could be so adorable, but this is a MINI DONUT store and there are so many thoughtful touches in this store that make the already-yummy […]

Homemade Snowglobes

So everyone is making snowglobes apparently so I wanted to try and make them too. I had visions of making little ballerina ones like a scene out of the Nutcracker (we’re going to see it next week and I’m a little worried the guys might find the mice part scary so I’m playing up the […]

If your kids are scared of Santa

December 13, 2012

or maybe just obsessed with their Playmobil Advent Calendars, you might consider just going for a pose with a plastic Santa instead. (We found this one outside the Splash store in Steveston BC Canda, which by the way has a great play table and awesome toys if you need a place to stop in while […]

Something cuddly and something not so cuddly in Richmond BC

December 11, 2012

If you are into Once upon a Time apparently this building is a big deal for you and you might want to visit Steveston to go and see it. Steveston is a little water village part of Richmond BC where they do a lot of movie filming. For me, I heart this lovely place near […]

Snowstorm with packing peanuts

December 10, 2012

Friday morning I needed to pack for a trip up north and I got distracted by the UPS man and a big box of snow. It was so full that I could barely find the items I ordered inside the box with all the packing peanuts they had piled it with. Maybe I was hit […]

Five great stocking stuffers for 4-year olds who travel

December 6, 2012

One week into December and I’ve pretty much finished the bulk of my Christmas shopping. (This is not a brag, I’m just constantly shopping and if I didn’t have a focus, it would be dangerous.) So now I get to think about fun stocking stuffers-and just what are some fun finds for the small traveling […]

Coal, Kale Chips and some cute cards at Trader Joe’s

December 5, 2012

Oh, I love coal at Christmas time! Trader Joe’s has such cool-looking coal and this one seems like it might even taste good-I wonder who on my naughty list is going to get to try it? (Btw Is coal becoming obsolete? You’d think Santa would start threatening old cell phone batteries or giant unusable computer […]

Wildlights! (Woodland Park Zoo)

November 29, 2012

A clear, cold night in Seattle in the fall is magical all by itself, but visiting Wildlights on a night like this is absolute perfection. Bubbly snow falls softly in some places while in others you might just get pelted by a big furry flake. (It wasn’t just toddlers and wee ones throwing these around-I […]

Thanksgiving Events I’m thankful for in Seattle

November 26, 2012

After a weekend like this, is your pie plate half empty or half full? Over here, we’re thankful for a weekend of good food, loved ones, a little bit of shopping and total holiday spirit-we are oh so lucky in Seattle that we have such fun and festive things this time of year. I used […]

We Love our city! (Seattle with kids)

November 22, 2012

There are signs all over our city that Christmas is coming soon in Seattle. We took the bus downtown the other evening and watched a bucket truck setting up the Christmas tree in front of Westlake Center. The Macys’ star is all set to glow soon too. We popped in at Nordstroms’ to give a […]

Gearing up to ski

November 19, 2012

We’re gearing up for ski season. The boys have their new ski helmets (they’re on sale at REI this week!) and we’re all ready to get up to the mountain. This winter is the first time we’re actually going to embrace total snow and learn to ski: in the past we’ve just headed up to […]

All Soccer, All the time

November 16, 2012

You know you’re a good soccer mom when you’re in Spanish class and the teacher asks what number 11 is and your too-young-to-be-cheeky kid says: “ZAKUANI.” (who by the way DOES wear numero once if you don’t know your Sounders Roster.) Any sunny day we get, the guys want to be at the field playing […]

Fun Seattle cooking classes to try

November 6, 2012

There are many takes on being a SAHM (stay at home mom) and I’m kind of pretending it’s like a sabbatical from my old life so I can learn some life-skills I kind of ignored pre-kids. I remember telling my grandma long ago that I had made some good meals and she laughed and asked […]

Sharks out of Water

October 30, 2012

This year the guys are getting a lot of use out of their costumes and it’s not even Halloween yet. The sharks checked out a sneak peek of the Woodland Park Zoo’s Wildlights, something we totally want to do this winter! They also trick or treated the Seattle Waterfront. (This pic was taken right after […]

Easy glowing ghost craft

October 27, 2012

If you have these things it’s super easy to make this sweet little glowing ghost craft. My guys love making crafts and I’m always trying to figure out things to make with them. I used mini plastic cups and I’m sure paper might work too. My guys are so excited about Halloween this year and […]

Pumpkin baking

October 24, 2012

We have pumpkin overload in our house, but the boys adore everything pumpkin. They were very proud of these crafts they made at school and they can’t wait to finish decorating the house with all the other pumpkin and ghost things they’ve made in the past few weeks. They always love our favorite pumpkin loaf, […]

Always check your rental car BEFORE you get in

Why is the hubby outside the car in the pouring rain? He actually has the waterproof camera in hand and he’s thoroughly checking every inch of our rental car and snapping pictures of things that don’t look brand new. This is the routine we have EVERYTIME we rent. Yes, you have all those papers to […]

Pumpkin Bash at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle with kids

Pumpkin Bash: Woodland Park Zoo

October 23, 2012

You’d look like this too if you were a pumpkin in a jaguar enclosure. We love the Pumpkin Bash event at the Woodland Park Zoo every year and we stopped by last rainy weekend to see what’s in store this year. The guys loved the jack-o-lanterns everywhere. And we caught a couple animals enjoying […]

Portland Adventures with Grandma

October 21, 2012

Sometime in the last little while, the hubby went out of town for work and I was lucky enough that my mom came down to babysit ME. With grandma in tow, we decided to go on a little adventure with the guys and Portland became the destination. Thank goodness for GPS. (When I was in college, […]