best playgrounds in the northwest and seattle center for kids

A very pinterest-worthy and maybe the best playground in Seattle so far (Artists at Play, Seattle Center)

July 13, 2015

I always read these lists of best playgrounds in the world and there are never any west coast, North American playgrounds in them.  Maybe people think we get too much rain here? Or maybe we keep our parks a secret.  But lately we’ve had endless sunny skies and we’ve been outdoors all the time and […]

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What does Boulder Beach at Silverwood look like

Surviving the BIG coaster for the first time (Silverwood Theme Park, Idaho)

July 11, 2015

“You guys are headed to Silverwood today? Us too!” some big kids in the breakfast lineup at our hotel asked when they heard my husband and kids talking about our trip to Silverwood Theme Park.  You’re going to have the BEST time!!!”  And then they went on to tell us that they had visited when […]

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KOA camping in Astoria with a Toyota Four Runner and staying in a deluxe KOA camping cabin

Just the best parts of camping at the Astoria Koa (Oregon with kids)

July 6, 2015

I do not love camping.  I like fires, trees, hiking in the woods and camp food but I could definitely take or leave the sleeping in the tent part.  I like a little more than nylon or mesh between me and the great outdoors.  My family on the other hand loves anything outside and they […]

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Seattle family rides

Another Seattle family ride: Gasworks Park to University Village

July 2, 2015

Call us multi-taskers, but my kids have set me to the task of visiting 50 different parks this summer and they also want to bike ride so we decided to bike from Gas Works Park to some new-to-us park on the Burke-Gilman Trail a few miles past Uvillage. But it was hot.  I was grouchy.  […]

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family travel Coeur D'Alene

The Mudgy and Millie Trail (Coeur D’alene, Idaho with kids)

June 30, 2015

Can you believe how close Idaho is to Seattle?  I totally had no idea until I started hearing about Idaho in a family travel chat that some of my family travel blogging friends put on and then I figured out that some of the places they were talking about were only a 3-ish hour drive […]

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northwest parks to visit with kids

50 Northwest Parks in Summer

June 26, 2015

My guys want to visit 50 northwest parks this summer and I thought this was a really fun goal.  At first we pondered if we could go to the same park 50 times or if all the parks had to be in Seattle but we soon decided that we would only count different parks but […]

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If Mickey invites you to Portland, you can get there and back from Seattle in a day

June 24, 2015

Last month I received something truly fabulous in my inbox when I was invited to the Disney Social Media Moms on the Road in Portland.  I was totally honored to be considered for the event and of course I wanted to go and see what this magical conference would be all about. My hubby was […]

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cute coffee in Seattle from la reve in queen anne

To the two guys in my life I can always count on to read my posts

June 22, 2015

I watched an emotional video put out by a marketing company in my hometown-an old classmate of mine is actually in the video-and it made me tear up and realize how much I take the time I have with both of you for granted.  We do take a lot of people for granted in life, […]

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A spoonful of sugar in bucketlisting form helps the Last Day of School Eve not sting so much

June 16, 2015

We watched Mary Poppins at school today, my guys told me while we after-school snacked. So of course I took the opportunity to screech sing my rendition of “A Spoonful of Sugar” at the top of my lungs. Why are those kids taking medicine?  Are they sick?  Why doesn’t it taste good? And how does […]

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belize with kids

A perfect resort and some nearby adventures (Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge, Belize with kids)

Before kids, when the hubby and I traveled, where we stayed wasn’t totally important. We cared about location, price and cleanliness but everything else was a bonus and if something didn’t work out we could always figure out something that could make do. But now with kids, I pour hours into our itineraries-sometimes where we […]

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Alta Lake at Rainbow Park in Whistler in Summer

A run, a beach and stops along the way to Whistler with kids (Rainbow Park, Whistler, BC)

June 14, 2015

The North Face Whistler run is becoming a bit of a family tradition; this is the 2nd time we’ve headed up north to run the 10km and the kid’ run and hang out with friends and once again we had a wonderful time. This time we stayed at the Sundial hotel, and it was perfectly […]

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a book about endangered black rhinos for kids

Because the world needs more black rhinos and amazing human beings (Chizi’s tale, a review)

June 11, 2015

My kids don’t know Jack Jones, but I wish they did.  He’s a senior in high school in Connecticut and I think he must love animals as much as my guys do because he has written an amazing book about a black rhino and when I heard about his book “Chizi’s Tale” I knew we […]

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belize travel with kids

A remote Belize island without remotes is perfect for a family’s soul (South Water Caye with kids)

June 6, 2015

“Are you sure this is the place?” our driver asked as he pulled up to a somewhat dilapidated dock in Dangriga, Belize.  And the hubby looked at me and I looked at him and we both knew that we actually weren’t sure and we had two kids and a whole bunch of suitcases and three […]

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where to pick strawberries near Seattle

A U-pick strawberry patch that’s not too far from Seattle (Al Duris Strawberry Farm, Kent, WA)

June 5, 2015

(PS. the Duris Strawberry farm in Kent just opened for U-Pick for the 2022 season June 15.) I was not supposed to go strawberry picking.  I am picking out cabinets for our cabin and with all the end of school things I didn’t realize kindergarteners do, it was not high on my priority list.  But, […]

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fancy place to drink tea near seattle

What social media made me shop and forage for in Seattle on a Monday

June 2, 2015

It’s been a drizzly but hit-the-ground-running kind of Monday where I somehow found myself lost in the aisles of Costco. (Oh my goodness, is there any other place in the world like this that induces sane people to buy copious amounts of things they don’t need?!!  I need to stay away.)  Except they sell Tutta […]

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animal travel experiences that kids won't forget

We’ve been licked by a jaguar and now we love them even more (an inspiring visit to the Belize Zoo with kids)

May 28, 2015

We are so lucky these days to have the world at our fingertips when we plan for our travels.  We can buy tickets, research places and send emails across the world late at night without even leaving our homes and I am so thankful for the travel blogging community and how amazing and responsive people […]

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An easy hike If you wake up in Seattle and want to go on a small hiking adventure with kids or grandparents in tow

May 23, 2015

Hikes to me mean an excuse to eat trail mix and junky foods while walking through a forest.  Sometimes a little drive to get there also heightens the adventure.  The Snoqualmie Pass area is usually one of our first choices because of the cabin project and it’s only about an hour drive from Seattle and […]

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Moore coffee in seattle has the best latte art

Upping the bar even more for coffee art in Seattle (Moore Coffee, Seattle)

May 20, 2015

My kids are so jealous of a breakfast my husband and I had without them.   We figured out that one of my guys is really into coffee art on our past trip to Dallas and it’s made us seek out pretty coffees in Seattle too just to see how he reacts.  I’ve been dying to […]

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name tag from seattle bloggers

A little local love on a Monday (Seattle shopping)

May 18, 2015

Oh Monday.  How do you get here so fast and why is Friday SO. FAR. AWAY???!!! That’s why Monday is a day I usually shop and share my favorite new finds. So there is a fabulous new Golden Tote-like company called Emerald Cuff that was created by some fashionable moms in Seattle and if you’ve […]

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Belize Zoo with kids on a tour with Sharon Matola

A little Tease of our Trip to Belize (Belize with kids)

May 15, 2015

In the next few weeks you’ll be hearing a lot about our recent trip to Belize with kids.  It was a really eye-opening trip and I’m thankful for all the trip-planning help we had before we went.  And I can’t wait to tell you more. We stayed at the Belize Zoo’s Tropical Education Center and […]

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