Spring breakups on a fake Monday after a weekend of cleaning

May 27, 2014

Just in case you thought it was all happy shopping here all the time, I have a confession.  Because we order more online than most in this house, (the boxes show up here daily…) we get a lot of purchase mistakes.  And because there’s been a string of them lately that have been costly in […]

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riding the cogwheel train and funicular in mount pilatus with kids was a switzerland treat

Because I wanted to ride a funicular (Switzerland with kids)

May 23, 2014

I think our travel formula has stayed the same since the hubby and I started traveling together back in college.  We always look for places based on the time we have, how much it’s going to cost (and what we can afford or want to pay) and some kind of weird or wonderful thing one […]

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Before you take your kid to see the Seattle Gumwall

May 21, 2014

Remember, knowledge is enlightenment. I took some friends and their 4-year-old daughter to the market last week after a lovely but busy morning at the zoo.  I gave the little one the market prep-talk because my guys always like to know what to expect in their adventures and it’s always hard to be the one […]

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Local love on a Monday

May 19, 2014

Happy Monday lovelies! I can hardly wait for the boys to go to school this morning because this book arrived in the mail this weekend and I haven’t had a chance to open it and read it yet.  I love star signs and the fact that these Astrologers are twins is something very cool to […]

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Where to bike with kids in Seattle

May 17, 2014

This is actually more of a question than a solution. We have two active boys who love to ride their bikes but it is so hilly in Seattle.  Our streets have a lot of traffic and the park near our house doesn’t have enough trails for them to ride.  So where does one bike with […]

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easter in Strasbourg France with kids

If you haven’t heard of Strasbourg France you might want to especially at Easter (Europe with kids)

May 16, 2014

When we planned our “Let’s go to Europe trip” we were just excited that Iceland Air would let us book with a stopover in Iceland on the way to Paris then fly out of Zurich.  We chose those places because they sounded neat and their timetables worked with ours.  So Strasbourg was no different.  I […]

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best ice cream in seattle mint gelato from bottega italiana

Ice Cream addiction 2014 (Bottega Italiana, Seattle)

May 15, 2014

Ice cream season has only just begun and this one is a clear best ice cream in Seattle EVER.  (According to me, of course.) I’m referring to the mint gelato from Bottega Italiana and it might not even count as ice cream because it’s technically gelato but it is the PERFECT treat for a sunny […]

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Because men are so much harder to shop for on a Monday

May 12, 2014

You know how when you go to any big box store the minute Halloween is over you are already too late to buy Christmas things because Valentine’s Day stuff has already thrown itself up all over it?  Well, that is how I feel about Father’s Day.  ALL the men in the family (especially my grandpa!) […]

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Yummy things I’ve eaten this week

May 9, 2014

Oh dear.  This was not a week I was supposed to be eating anything yummy.  I’ve been trying to get back to my exercise routine and I have a fancy dress to look nice in for the hubby’s work function that is coming up too soon.  But, this week I ate out with some girlfriends […]

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A love note to Airbnb from a family who used an Airbnb in Paris

May 6, 2014

When we visited Paris with our kids, I wanted to re-visit this coffee shop my bestie took me when I went without the kids about a year and a half ago. It had a merry-go-round in front and so many adorable shops and bakeries nearby. So, when I found a nearby apartment on Airbnb, a […]

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Paris with kids watching swans in the park

First snapshots from France (Paris with kids)

May 2, 2014

Sometimes pictures say so much more than words.  I’ll get to the details of how we got around in Paris and Strasbourg with the kids soon but I wanted to get these out of my camera:   And scrolling through my photostream I realized the difference in traveling to France with my kids versus the […]

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When the founder of an awesome clothing company comes to your house (Sodo Apparel, Seattle, WA)

May 1, 2014

I’m not exactly sure how this one happened, but I kind of just went with it and I think that’s the story of my life these days. (I’m trying to add a little more controlled Carpe Diem back into our lives now that the kids are getting older and we’re no longer in the double […]

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iceland family travel and how we drove around the country

Three days in Iceland (Iceland with kids)

April 30, 2014

I don’t know about you, but when I first thought about Iceland, it brought back haunting memories of my over-the-top Bjork phase in tenth grade where I totally thought she was the most amazing music artist EVER and I might have even thought about wearing a swan dress. But with kids, Iceland is the perfect […]

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A bunch of things I’m shopping for on a Monday after a vacation

April 28, 2014

We just got back from our whirlwind European trip so you can expect to see a lot of travel posts in the next little bit, but for today, this lovely morning when I’ve been awake since 3am with one energetic, jet-lagged little boy, I’m shopping while the sun rises.  And it’s perfect.  Isn’t this how […]

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Lining up at The Eiffel Tower and the Paris zoo but not at the Louvre! (Paris with kids)

April 24, 2014

Maybe the first thing you should check when you book a holiday is if things are actually going to be open in the place you’re visiting or if things will be super-crowded when you get there. But we didn’t and this wasn’t our first time making this kind of mistake. I was too excited about […]

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When Advertising Works (Iceland with kids)

April 22, 2014

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean I’d finished my magazine, the kids were sleeping and I needed a break from my book.  I didn’t really have time for a whole movie so the “Visit Iceland” videos on the airplane entertainment system became very appealing.  I watched one on South Iceland, the region we were visiting and […]

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A few first snapshots of our Iceland travels(Iceland with kids)

April 19, 2014

We’ve barely left Iceland, but it was such a phenomenally beautiful place, I just wanted to photodump some of my favorites before I give all the details in a few weeks.  Iceland with kids is an awesome trip and I would recommend it as a great trip for families-especially if you need a stopover from […]

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Lovely coffee shops and family hotels in Vancouver BC (Vancouver with kids)

April 15, 2014

Every time we head to Vancouver the list of places we love grows.  It feels like there are always new coffee shops popping up and because we have family and friends that live there we always get good recommendations-the only thing we ever lack is time.  And even though we have family in the area, […]

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10 or so things I’ll probably buy at the Container Store before Monday

April 12, 2014

Oh how The Container Store is brilliant.  If it weren’t for my husband I’d be a clutterer/hoarder/disaster/junk heap but every time I walk into that store something overcomes me and I feel like I could be an organizational genius and everything wants to come home with me. So a few days ago I was invited […]

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eating downtown seattle wtih kids during restaurant week

Eating with kids at Restaurant Week(s) Seattle and playing tourists in our OWN town.

April 11, 2014

I usually live for this two week stretch when it’s Restaurant Week(s) in Seattle. There are so many fancy Seattle restaurants to choose from and it is such a great deal for a night out with the hubby.  ($28 for a three-course dinner or $15 for a 3-course lunch.)  Often the price of just one […]

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