TRAVEL

Dog friendly Oregon hotels on a trip with our pup and kids to the Coast for his first birthday

A roadtrip to Cannon Beach with kids and our pup because this is how we travel now and the dog friendly Oregon hotels we found

March 2, 2021

We haven’t been to the Oregon Coast in a few years. And that doesn’t mean we don’t love it, we just usually head up north to BC to see family and it’s about the same distance from Seattle to Vancouver as it is from Seattle to Portland or Seattle to Cannon Beach. But this year […]

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Thanksgiving 2020 ideas for staying at home in Seattle

The best trip for Thanksgiving 2020 for us will be spending a thankful week at home in Seattle this year

November 17, 2020

This time last year we were packing for an epic Christmas Market trip for my 40th birthday. I wanted to see crowded markets in Germany and London with twinkling lights and people holding Gluhwein, nibbling Raclette and drinking hot chocolate to keep warm. One of these days I’ll get to posting about these markets but […]

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Teaching kids about Food Waste with free lessons and Resources with the Food Matters Action Kit

Learning about food waste in our home and what we can do about it with the free Food Matters Action Kit

September 17, 2020

This is a sponsored post on behalf of CEC about shrinking food waste in our homes and using the Food Matters Action Kit however all thoughts and ideas expressed are my own. Lately, there have been so many things in life that feel like we have little or no control about, so I’ve decided to […]

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Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler with kids, a pup and grandma where we tried the free canoes and we did the Train Wreck hike nearby too

A visit to Nita Lake Lodge and the train wreck hike in Whistler BC with grandma, two kids and a dog

September 10, 2020

Before this year, I would not have thought that going home to visit my family just outside of Vancouver BC from Seattle was really travel. We can get there in 2.5 hours and some months we often visit a couple times for family and friends’ birthdays and events. But this year it suddenly became a […]

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Dungeness Bay Cottages in Sequim is a dog-friendly place for families to stay on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State

Dungeness Bay Cottages in Sequim, a dog-friendly place to stay on the Olympic Peninsula that is great for families too

July 17, 2020

If you aren’t camping it can be tough to find dog-friendly places to stay on the Olympic Peninsula that are good for families with kids too. There are an abundance of traditional motel-style rooms but it is harder to find a place that allows for a little more spread. We had a few days to […]

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may these gates never be closed at peace arch park

Beginning to travel again with a bit more thoughtfulness and responsibility from now on and a first trip to Peace Arch Park

May 27, 2020

***AS OF 8pm June 18th 2020 Peace Arch Park on the Canadian side will be closed until further notice*** We have always lived a life with our suitcases packed. My husband and I are the only people in our immediate families who don’t live in Vancouver BC, and we chose to live in Seattle WA […]

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Local Produce Delivery in Seattle CSA's and Pike Place Market

Local produce CSA’s and delivery ideas in Seattle that I hope stick around after life goes back to normal

April 23, 2020

We have never kept a lot of food in the house-the kids go to school near a grocery store, we travel a lot and I’m used to popping by Pike Place Market at least once a week for local produce. But because we’re eating a home a LOT more now (like everyday on repeat) and […]

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where to find face masks in Seattle when you don't have a sewing machine

Where to buy face masks in Seattle when you have no idea how to use a sewing machine

April 6, 2020

I wish I had mom’s sewing skills. She lives up in Vancouver Canada and she’s made face masks for our family but it’s hard to send things from Canada right now and I don’t want her going to the post office. But because I’m horrible with a sewing machine I’ve been looking for places to […]

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How to support Seattle businesses by staying at home in April 2020

How to support local Seattle businesses while staying at home because we are not traveling right now

April 2, 2020

Seattleites we are in a holding pattern. After almost a month of social distancing under our belts it looks like we’re stuck here for at least another month more. Thankfully the April weather forecast seems to hold more sunny days in our future than not. And as a city there are so many great things […]

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Weekend in Los Angeles with kids from Seattle for sunshine, palm trees and beach

If you have a weekend in Los Angeles with kids

February 13, 2020

Seattleites often dream about Los Angeles weekends in the the wintertime. We have a lot of grey days here and if they get too rainy or too dreary we miss palm trees and sunshine. Sometimes we forget we don’t have to go for a whole week to make a trip to LA “worth it.” You […]

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Staying at the Hyatt Regency Seattle in a club level room with kids

January 6, 2020

Sometimes we forget the value of a good staycation and I love when we get a chance to stay in a hotel in our own city. We needed to stay downtown for my husband’s holiday party and the Hyatt Regency Seattle seemed like a festive and fun place to stay with kids in December. This […]

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The Swedish Tending Machine at Sea-Tac Airport

The Swedish Tending Machine at Sea-Tac Airport

January 1, 2020

Learning about what Swedish is doing in the community to help our neighbors. This is a sponsored post on behalf of Swedish. My favorite part of December this year is how much I’ve learned about how the Seattle community helps each other out. It is a festive time of year in Seattle and many of […]

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Visiting the Seattle Space Needle for the first time since its renovation and standing on the Loupe, the revolving glass floor

Visiting the Seattle Space Needle for the first time since its renovation

December 20, 2019

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Travel Mindset and the Seattle Space Needle; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. The Space Needle has always played a big role in our lives in this city.  In the days before Google Maps, I used it as a navigational beacon to find my way […]

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seattle families can take part in the Seattle Flu Study to help detect, monitor and control the flu

I Signed up for the Seattle Flu Study and So Can You

December 18, 2019

This is Sponsored post on behalf of the Seattle Flu Study and all thoughts are my own.I spent the first winter of my kids’ lives in a giant bubble of hand sanitizer.  With two preemie babies who had spent way too long in the hospital, there was no way I was going back.  I could […]

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How AmazonSmile helped us Deliver Smiles to Mary’s Place this Holiday Season while we carried out some holiday traditions in Seattle

How AmazonSmile helped us Deliver Smiles to Mary’s Place this Holiday Season

December 12, 2019

How we’re helping some of our favorite Seattle charitable organizations with AmazonSmile this holiday season while we create traditions with our family This post is sponsored by Amazon, however all thoughts and opinions are my own. I love December! No other month feels quite so magical-there are sparkly lights, yummy festive foods, fuzzy sweaters and, because we’re […]

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gift ideas for Seattle families including experience gifts and locally made things

A list of Christmas gift ideas for Seattle locals and experience gift ideas too

December 11, 2019

Just in case you are looking for gifts for friends in Seattle or maybe even in the Portland/Seattle/Vancouver corridor or Christmas gift ideas in general, maybe this list might help you brainstorm. We are a family of Seattle locals and I’ve been thinking about things that we’ve found useful lately and this might help you […]

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flying Virgin Atlantic from Seattle to London on a direct flight with kids in basic economy and high tea in the sky on our return flight too

About high tea in the sky and being seated together as a family on Virgin Atlantic from London to Seattle

December 2, 2019

I did not have high hopes for our return trip from London to Seattle on Virgin Atlantic. I actually didn’t have high hopes for our trip there either, but it turned out to be the nicest flight I’ve ever flown on. I started to panic after hearing about more families seated apart on airplanes because […]

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chocolate factories in Seattle and near Seattle that you can visit as well as chocolate stores that have samples and classes including Seattle Chocolates, Theo Chocolates, and Frans

Five chocolate factories near Seattle that you can actually visit and one place that’s not a chocolate factory that you should visit too

November 11, 2019

I recently visited the factory of one of my favorite chocolate shops in my hometown. The chocolate factory was pinned on my google maps forever so when I finally arrived and smelled the chocolatey aroma outside its glorious doors I almost had to pinch myself. And I really should have pinched myself because the minute […]

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Murano Senior Living a luxury retirement Community in downtown Seattle with a gorgeous Dale Chihuly Art Sculpture in its lobby

Murano Senior Living-a place I might like to live one day and maybe so will you

November 5, 2019

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Murano Senior Living and as always all thoughts and opinions are always my own. I didn’t really know what to expect when I pulled up to park next to Murano Senior Living. This is an area of downtown Seattle I’m quite familiar with near the Frye Museum, […]

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World Premiere of Minecraft: the Exhibition at the Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP at Seattle Center

The World Premiere of Minecraft: the Exhibition at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture at Seattle Center

October 18, 2019

First of all, how cool is it that Seattle has a Museum of Pop Culture? In all of our travels, I haven’t yet seen any other place quite like this anywhere in the world. The MoPOP celebrates creativity, connection and culture and it is one of my favorite places to hang out in Seattle with […]

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