seattle

Where does chocolate come from? (Tirimbina Biological Reserve, Costa Rica with kids)

September 14, 2012

Ever since the Theo Chocolate Factory moved a twenty minute walk from our house in our old neighborhood, I’ve been dying to see where chocolate comes from. We went on many tours and each time the guide told us about cocoa pods and how they would just hang off trees and how the insides were […]

Nasturtium Capers

September 6, 2012

I had a bumper crop of nasturtiums this year. I don’t know why they grew in such abundance. We were away for two weeks and they still survived. I think that might be why I remember planting them when we were in kindergarten-they’re killproof. (Mark this down as a plant you might be able to […]

I heart Sounders FC for life

August 27, 2012

I put the boys in the Sounders Soccer Camp this summer not knowing what to expect from a camp put on by our Sounders FC. It is for ages 4-15 and with me knowing I’m probably destined to be a soccer mom, I figured I might as well put them in the camp that is […]

Birchbox vs Glossybox: a makeup subscription showdown

August 13, 2012

So this isn’t really a makeup showdown, it’s more like a what do I prefer, what can I afford, why do I really need a monthly beauty supply delivery anyway comparison. And the showdown merely happened because I saw Glossybox advertised and I thought my life wouldn’t be complete unless I tried it out. My […]

When the little guy is so much friendlier than the big guy (Yay Alpine Hut!)

August 7, 2012

A couple weeks ago the grandparents decided to get the guys their big boy bikes as an early birthday present. The guys were outgrowing their no-pedal balance bikes and this seemed like the natural step. But big boy bikes are so big! I imagined little 12inch ones, but those are typically for 2-year olds. Apparently […]

Herkimer Coffee (Seattle, WA)

August 6, 2012

Here’s another post that should be titled “thank you zoo camp.” Because how many times do we get to have a cup of coffee uninterrupted just the hubby and me? The boys are in zoo camp this week and they’re loving it so the hubby and I have a little kid-free time. Herkimer coffee is not […]

Some things aren’t meant to be bought on ebay

July 29, 2012

I saw these frog balloons in a Chasing Firefly’s catalog and decided we had to have them but the 14 dollar price tag for one balloon sans helium seemed a little spendy. And then I found them on ebay. Not just the frog, but a whole conglomerate of 10 balloons with a ‘buy now’ price […]

It’s open:) Hello Seattle CityTarget!

July 25, 2012

Yes, you know what I’m talking about. It’s red and white and shiny all over! And we had a bunch of errands to run this morning so we headed to my new money swallowing hole Seattle CityTarget to see how shopping in our city is going to be. The parking at CityTarget is free if […]

Deja vu with Playmobil

July 23, 2012

The boys got this lovely Playmobil Ice Cream Man for their birthday and it is too cute. (I love it when Playmobil men have mustaches-don’t you?) But as I was putting it together, I realized that I know I’ve seen the ice cream somewhere before. Oh yes, it totally came in our advent calendars on […]

Call me baby and other things you see in windows while you sightsee

July 20, 2012

When I travel, I wish I could just bundle up all the cute little shop windows I love and bring them back home. I feel like you get to know so much about a city when you see what the people who actually live in it advertise and buy. When I traveled to Paris a […]

Berry Picking and a recipe

Every month I get a ton of magazines and one of my favorites is Sunset Magazine, so when a friend asked me to go berry picking a couple weeks ago, I thought it would be the perfect way to try out this recipe for a buttery raspberry lemon cake from the July issue. The boys […]

Five toys that almost made it to the 4th birthday

July 19, 2012

Someone recently asked about good toys for a one year old. I’m all about value with toys, so here are five toys that have lasted nearly 3 years in our house: Vtech Sit-to Stand Alphabet Train: all boys seem to love trains and when they got this for their first birthday it was an instant […]

Hubby’s Favorite Sandwich Spot (Fremont, Wa)

July 18, 2012

It’s a good day when the hubby calls in a sandwich order and we find a perfect spot right out front of Paseo, a little Caribbean sandwich shop in Fremont, famous for roast pork sandwiches. If something ever happened to me, I know he could live off the Tofu Delight sandwich and survive happily for […]

On finding Melona

July 17, 2012

On a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, we discovered a treat with a very odd name. Yes, it’s made of melons, but it just seems like an unfortunate sounding title for such a delicious ice pop (a friend recently told me it sounds like a skin disease.) But it must be popular in […]

Fab Find: Tomy Constructables

July 10, 2012

I. Hate. Cleaning. I don’t really know why I bother at all. Messes in a house with kids just seem to happen the minute you make things spotless and then you have to clean them up again and it’s such a vicious cycle that I think would be so much better if you just stopped […]

Best 2 buck souvenir you can buy in Seattle

July 6, 2012

One thing my guys look for at every Seattle festival is the Center For Wooden Boats station. I think there was one at last year’s Folklife Festival and there was definitely one at the South Lake Union Block Party. (It’s happening in a few weeks on August 10th!) This year we built ours at the […]

100 hours in Paris

July 5, 2012

So maybe it wasn’t quite 100 hours in Paris, but I did spend nearly 100 hours kid-free on the whole journey from the time I left the airport to the time my sweet boys all picked me up. So what does a stay at home mom set free into the big big world with her […]

Solo Flight for a new mom

June 25, 2012

Years ago I had a little bet with my husband: not a real bet, but an “incentive bet” because as a new mom there was a lot of pressure in all directions to nurse or not nurse your babies and I wasn’t sure exactly what I really wanted to do. So I declared that if […]

Dear Dad,

June 17, 2012

I have a hunch that you’re definitely one person out there reading my daily gushings and rants, and I hope you’ve had a lovely day today. I’m thankful for all the wonderful memories I have growing up, but my fondest are of you reading to me. I think of them often-especially as I sit beside […]

Homemade Yogurt

June 7, 2012

Voila. Homemade Yogurt that did not kill anyone. The hubby was quite skeptical of my homemade yogurt and still hasn’t tried it so I’m refusing to buy store-bought until he caves. I even made the topping thanks to my lovely friend S’s rhubard compote recipe. (The citrus one is truly divine.) Yogurt is so easy […]