seattle

Berry Picking and a recipe

July 20, 2012

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 […]

Baby Airplanes and biking with kids

June 4, 2012

Guess what we found on a recent bike ride? Baby airplanes riding on a train! There were at least three of them. The boys were thrilled and so was I. Only in Seattle is a sight like this not a total suprise, it’s amazing that we have Boeing practically IN our backyard. And this is […]

seattle family adventures with baby twins

What to unexpect when you’re expecting twins

June 1, 2012

I’m dying to see that movie what to expect when you’re expecting, because I remember reading that book and feeling so overwhelmed-even before we knew we were having twins. Since the day we announced we were pregnant with the duo, the number one question we get asked is “Were you expecting twins?” Maybe it’s conversation. […]

Wordless Wednesday: Water Table

May 30, 2012

I head to Kidsquest at Factoria Mall when I don’t want the guys to play with the water table at home. They can play for hours on this part they call “Ballard Locks.” It’s pretty much an indoor water play area where the kids put on aprons and pretend they’re trying to stay dry while […]

10 thoughts running through my head when I run

I’ve been running just over two months now, and it’s been long enough to make it almost a habit. I’m up to 5 minutes running 2 minutes walking for about 45 minutes about 3+ times a week so that’s about an hour and a half where I just zone out, feel strong, run my route […]

A couple days in Lake Chelan

May 29, 2012

How have we never been to Lake Chelan before? It’s within 3 hours of Seattle and totally fabulous! The hubby had a conference there so we tagged along. I was a little nervous because I knew I was going to be alone with the kids for a day and a half while he was working, […]

A winning travel craft kit

May 21, 2012

I’m not sure who first told me about this, (I think I might have seen it in a tweet from “Apartment_mama” in Vancouver ages ago), but it sounded so cool that when I saw the Alex Toys’ My Collage Farm on sale at Barnes and Noble for under 10 dollars I totally bought it. It […]

Mod Pizza and men hard at work

May 20, 2012

My guys’ third occupational choice after pilot and UPS driver would probably be construction worker tied with garbage man. They love the construction exhibit at the Children’s Museum. They could spend hours there clocking in, collecting supplies, getting their outfits on and screwing things together. Before having boys I didn’t really have the same appreciation […]

10 randoms

May 18, 2012

The past week has flown by in a blur and possibly hundreds of pictures on my phone. Here are 10 of my favorites: Leelee on the top of the slide at Mom and Me at Woodland Park Zoo. The Bean with his first ever face-painting on his wrist from another zoo event. Flowers my […]

Raising Readers, books for 3 year olds

Like most kids, my guys learn a lot from books. And I love that what they read helps them learn about real life. But I’m not always sure if we’re on the same page about the message the stories are trying to teach us. For instance we recently read the Lorax. (You know me and […]

Blowhole, penguin love and a teeny request

May 15, 2012

No trip to our zoo would be complete without a trip to the penguins. I can’t believe how active they’ve been lately, chasing the boys around and popping by the windows to say ‘hello’. Despite their incredible cuteness, the boys sometimes overlook the penguins altogether in favor of this silly blowhole. The other day there […]