Cookbook Cleanse for the New Year

January 8, 2014

I went on a bit of a buying frenzy last year with my cookbooks when the kids started school.  I was excited to make home-made dinners and I guess I thought HAVING a ton of books would make me cook more but then it made me realize that I needed more cooking tools: more pans, […]

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New Year, new Monday wants

January 6, 2014

It’s the first Monday of the New Year and I woke up to this beautiful sunrise and the kids and I spent the morning coloring Vancouver Canucks coloring sheets and talking about the Seahawks.  Ugh.  I totally have sports fans in this house. And since it’s so early in the year, the only things I’ve […]

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Sketches of Seattle and a good place to stop if you’re trying to figure out what to see (Mohai, Seattle)

January 5, 2014

The other night the hubby and I went for date night at the Mohai‘s Member Night featuring the Drawn to Seattle Seattle Sketcher Exhibit.  (We pretty much ran out of the house screaming DATE-NIGHT!!!!!!! the minute my parents arrived but here we look rather civilized, I thought.) I’ve seen Gabriel Campanario’s work before in the […]

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Family-friendly Christmas Activities in Vancouver

January 4, 2014

I’m going through my photo roll and it feels like I’ve blinked and weeks have magically flown by. We’ve spent a lot of time in Vancouver, BC in the past few months and though we didn’t really plan on doing too many festive things this year, we definitely have some fun Christmas activities in Vancouver […]

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cafe medina waffles

Five Delightful Vancouver Eats with Kids in Tow

January 2, 2014

Whenever we head to Vancouver, we have some regular stops but we’re always trying to expand our food repertoire.  We spent a good week up in Vancouver for Christmas Break and while we had a lot of family events to eat at, we had some fun eating around Vancouver too.  The first place is a […]

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Last Monday of the Year: shopping cliffhangers

December 30, 2013

In the new year I’m totally going to have to make some shopping choices because I can’t buy EVERYTHING (even though I want to) and I would like to cut down on some clutter in my life and there is definitely an abundance of STUFF in this world and I don’t want to buy unnecessarily. […]

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Ice skating party or why I heart experience gifts (Minoru Arenas, Richmond, BC)

December 29, 2013

I think I gave myself the best present this Christmas. A skating party with people I love. And in the blur of all the Christmas shopping and merriment it was nice to just step into a winter wonderland and whirl around a rink with friends and family.  I barely saw my kids because they wouldn’t […]

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Perfect present for parents of Lego-lovers and a fun night in Bellevue (Snowflake Lane)

December 18, 2013

In Bellevue last night we braved the crowds to see Snowflake Lane.  I thought it might not be busy because it was a weeknight and school isn’t out yet, but it was still pretty packed.  It has changed a lot, even since last year. In the past few years the best spots to watch with […]

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learn how to arm knit

A truly hand-made gift for Christmas

December 17, 2013

This gift is actually not totally hand-made, but arm-made and I need to send a million thank yous to whoever pinned “arm-knitting” in my pinterest feed.  Of course something so unusual-sounding peaked my interest and the scarf Simply Maggie created looked very cool. Her youtube video for the 30-minute infinity scarf also made making a […]

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Some of our Favorite Holiday things in Seattle

December 15, 2013

This festive season we’re trying to fit in as many fun Christmas activities in Seattle as we can.  We began our holiday countdown with the Macy’s parade. I remember trying to wheel these guys around when they were just a few months old so that they could ‘see’ the parade.  This time they stood for […]

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An inspiring visit at the Gates Foundation Visitor Center (Seattle, WA)

December 12, 2013

I had been meaning to go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor’s Center forever, but I kept putting it off.  I think it was a little too intimidating, like I was preparing for a visit to Mr. Gates’ house or something.  What would I wear?  What would we do? What if we were […]

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Chilly Monday Shopping Wishes

December 9, 2013

We have been on snowflake watch all morning and though we’ve seen a bunch of puffy clouds hanging in the chilly air we haven’t even had one teeny flake yet.  I’ve been putting off today’s run because I’m so freezing cold.  Hopefully some new running attire might help.  I love my Athleta pants I bought […]

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Festive Candy Cookies

Every time my sister comes to visit it’s a weekend of love, yummy food and adventure.  This weekend we had some glorious chilly weather, and my baby dog nephew made us get out and explore.  I love how much fun my boys and I have with my sister and this dog.         […]

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Santa then and Santa now

December 5, 2013

When the kids were about one year old we were in Phoenix in December and noticed there was no line at the Santa at the mall so we hurriedly bought some Christmas sweaters and excitedly waited for our visit.  Unfortunately the boys were not as thrilled as we were and this was our souvenir: Now […]

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Just a little Monday shopping

December 2, 2013

Yeah. Just shopping a little today.  You know.  Cyber-Monday. Take it or leave it, right? I might buy a little. Or maybe I’ve bought a lot. But I have been shopping and I’m trying not to let all these sales excite me too much.  I’m a little wary that the fitbit my hubby bought me […]

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Happy Day-AFTER Thanksgiving at Carkeek Park

November 29, 2013

I can’t tell you how many years Black Friday has been the big deal for me.  A day where you wake up early and SHOP all day???  Now that is my kind of holiday.  And of course, I’m still shopping all my favorites (Some awesome deals are happening at Anthropologie, Gingiber’s etsy site, Snapbox -where […]

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A great almost-kid-cafe and an experience gift idea (Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA)

November 26, 2013

I am always amazed at how few kids we see at our local art museum, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM)_.  Kids under 12 are always free with a grown-up and there is a neat little place to play on the 3rd floor.  (I wish they had pictures of the art screened on the tv in […]

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Pre-Black Friday CyberMonday and an elevator preparedness checklist

November 25, 2013

Before you go and start panicking that you set your alarm too late, don’t worry yet, because it’s still not Thanksgiving.  I keep getting all these pre-Black Friday sales in my inbox and I have to constantly check today’s actual date to make sure we haven’t missed Thanksgiving this year by accident because of all […]

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My nemesis the Fitbit and why you shouldn’t give your credit card info over the phone

November 22, 2013

So the hubby got me a Fitbit for my birthday. “This is going to help you have many more birthdays” he said. “Blech.”  I said.  I was unimpressed.  And I was right. The 10,000 step counter thing is driving me crazy.  For some reason, this thing is totally addictive and I keep having to top my […]

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family holiday activiites in vancouver at the capilano suspension bridge

A cliff-hanger of a birthday in Vancouver (Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver, BC)

November 20, 2013

Maybe the story shouldn’t start with the cliffhanger.  But, I was oh so proud.  This is what everyone with a fear of heights should do to celebrate just being alive. We weren’t supposed to be up in Vancouver for my birthday, but one thing led to another and here I was in my hometown.  We […]

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