London from Seattle for Thanksgiving to see the holiday lights

Yes, three nights can be a long enough in London from Seattle for Thanksgiving

February 3, 2024

We have entered the stage in our life where time or lack of it totally dictates our lives. With two busy teenagers at two different schools we only have a few holidays that actually match up and maybe this is you too. Recently we had the Thanksgiving weekend to work with and literally only that […]

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Domes Zeen Chania by Marriott on Crete family bungalow with teenagers

Marriott Domes Zeen Chania is a fantastic family hotel on Crete in Greece

February 1, 2024

As long as you can find the entrance, the Domes Zeen Chania on Crete in Greece is a fabulous place to stay. I think everyone we saw there was with a family, we even spotted a family wearing a Seattle shirt (and to my family’s horror, I asked, and they were not from Seattle, a […]

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Westin Whistler during winter holidays

Westin Whistler vs the Fairmont Whistler for a skiing vacation with kids

January 22, 2024

First of all, I need to clarify that I currently travel with teenagers. We are a family of four and our twin boys are 15. We also often travel with our Yorkie Poo (and our pup was welcome at both hotels but we did not bring him when we went to the Westin Whistler). We […]

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Seattle mariners stadium in the stadium district one of our cool Seattle neighborhoods

Seattle neighborhoods you need to know about if you come here for a visit

January 18, 2024

Before I moved to Seattle over 20 years ago now, I used to live in Vancouver Canada and we would often come to visit Seattle on shopping trips. Most of these adventures took us to downtown Seattle or Northgate or to eat at the Fisherman’s restaurant on the Waterfront. But I didn’t really get to […]

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family fun in pioneer square seattle

Family Fun especially on a Thursday in Pioneer Square Seattle

January 12, 2024

We’re always passing through Pioneer Square in Seattle, for school, for soccer games, for events at the stadiums so I really appreciated that the Pioneer Square Association invited my family to learn more about the area with a stop at Zeitgeist Coffee: a long-running coffee shop in the area, a Beneath the Streets tour and […]

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Klondike Gold Rush National Park in Seattle

Klondike Gold Rush National Park-a National Park in the heart of Seattle

January 5, 2024

There were maybe two other people in the Klondike Gold Rush National Park when we visited so we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. Unlike most National parks, this one in the center of our city is not a traditional outdoor park. This place is more like a visitor center and museum. And […]

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museum of flight

Connections and why you should enroll your kid in a Museum of Flight Summer Camp if you live in Washington state

December 19, 2023

You don’t always think that a summer camp might change your life, but in our family we absolutely know it can. My husband and I met years ago when we were camp counselors in college in Canada and it’s one of the reasons why we ended up where we are in Seattle today. But we […]

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Astra Lumina in Seattle

Astra Lumina in Seattle on a clear night after Christmas might be a very “worth it” thing to do

December 15, 2023

Is it worth it? I always get asked when I go to experiences in Seattle. Seattlelites are very wary about how they use their money and time. And I was a little curious too when I got the invite to Astra Lumina. It’s an immersive outdoor experience in Seattle’s Chinese Garden, a place I had […]

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shopping the holiday handmade craft market at Pike Place Market

Shopping the Handmade Craft Market at Pike Place Market

December 13, 2023

We haven’t yet been to the Christmas Market at Seattle Center and I’m not sure if we’ll get there this year-I’m mostly intrigued because of the Ukrainian Borsch at the European Foods stall. There are also pop-up markets all over the city and they’re exciting but also we only have so much time to see […]

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Eagle by Alexander Calder in the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park

Calder: In Motion at the Seattle Art Museum

November 13, 2023

I always love the story behind the art in our city and if you go to Calder: In Motion at the Seattle Art Museum this exhibition has a really beautiful connection. This exhibition is part of an ongoing gift from the Shirley family to the Seattle Art Museum and it has a goal of helping […]

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Ballard Blocks Community Donation Drive for Ballard Food Bank

November Ballard Blocks Donation Drive

November 3, 2023

I’m so glad that Ballard Blocks is hosting its community donation drive for the Ballard Food Bank again and I’m helping to promote this on my instagram this month so I thought I’d share here too in case you want to learn more. My son goes to school in Ballard and this is where we […]

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ceiling at Louix Louis at the St Regis in Toronto

The time we stayed at the St Regis in Toronto in summer on an Eastern Canada trip

October 27, 2023

I think I was feeling all the “my babies are in high school-they’re going to be gone forever” desperation feelings in summer when we booked our Toronto trip on what was supposed to be a weekend of visiting friends in Montreal. Somehow I let my 15 year old son take over the trip planning and […]

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day trip to Bainbridge Island from Seattle for a soccer game

A day trip to Bainbridge Island because of soccer

October 15, 2023

Maybe your kids will have a sports game at Ballard High School from Seattle one day too or maybe you just need an excuse to visit Bainbridge Island. It’s so incredibly close to Seattle-only a 30 minute ferry ride and it even has a bridge that attaches it to the mainland so you’re less likely […]

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Harry Potter Magic at Play in Bellevue Washington at the Bravern

Know before you go: Harry Potter Magic at Play at the Bravern

October 11, 2023

Here’s to another fantastic immersive experience by the Fever group. We’ve now been to their indoor Friends Experience as well as their outdoor Astra Lumina Experience and both have been innovative and fun. I thought Harry Potter Magic at Play in Bellevue (about half an hour east of Seattle) would be more for the 10 […]

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farms near Seattle like Suyematsu Farm on Baindbridge Island to visit in the Fall

All the farms near Seattle we want to visit in October

October 4, 2023

No to a fall bucket list this year-who needs that kind of stress? I just wanted a place to keep notes about some special farms near Seattle we might want to visit this fall. October is such a great season at farms in the Pacific Northwest as they are filled with pumpkins, corn and apples […]

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window of ground floor room at Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel at PDX

Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel might be good value if you have a soccer tournament at Delta Park

October 2, 2023

Even if you don’t have a soccer tournament, you might check out the Sheraton Portland Airport for a comfortable, safe-feeling place to stay in the Portland area. I have Marriott Platinum Bonvoy status with my Bonvoy Brilliant card and if you do to, this hotel has a lounge so that is currently included with Platinum […]

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u-pick flowers near Seattle bunch of dahlias

U-pick flowers near Seattle

September 29, 2023

I always knew we loved flowers in this city. Have you ever been to Pike Place Market? But I had no idea we could pick flowers IN our city. And actually I’m not sure if there are any places right in our city to pick flowers yet. But when I went to tour Skagit Valley […]

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Hellenika Cultured Creamery a new place for frozen yogurt in Pike Place Market

Hellenika Cultured Creamery-new frozen yogurt in Pike Place Market

September 26, 2023

My family lives fairly close to Pike Place Market so it’s not just a touristy spot for us, it’s part of our lives. We often go there to shop or pick up food. And there are always new places popping up in Pike Place Market so every time we go it feels like there is […]

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making candles at Lorraine's candles in Seabrook and other new things in Seabrook 2023

Lorraine’s Candles and Seabrook Arcade : two fabulous new ways to bond with family on a Seabrook trip

September 21, 2023

Every time we visit Seabrook there is something new to look forward to. The last time we visited Seabrook the bakery there was half the size than it is now and the lineup was probably less than half as long too. It’s become VERY popular and with good reason. And now there’s a new grocery […]

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Sezane Seattle at University Village

Sezane: a pop-up from Paris in Uvillage we want to keep in Seattle for as long as possible

September 18, 2023

*an update: Sezane is no longer at Uvillage when I went by in April, but hopefully it will show up somewhere in our city again soon.* The other day I had an invite to Sezane, a new store that has popped up in Uvillage which is also one my favorite places to shop in Seattle. […]

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