family travel
A trip to the Astotel Hotel 34B Paris as a family of two adults and two teenagers for American Thanksgiving
January 8, 2026Isn’t it wild how it seems like we blink and a year and a bit can fly by. In my guys’ 10th grade school year, I decided that Paris would be our Thanksgiving trip and we madly booked last minute flights from Seattle to Paris (non-stop flights only) and three nights hotel. Having only three […]
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Finding fall fun and farm experiences in Abbotsford BC
September 29, 2025Many of us think of Vancouver BC when we head up north from Seattle and if you’ve already been there and seen all the typical touristy sites, you might want to expand your horizons and consider exploring BC a little deeper next time you visit. I recently had the chance to explore Abbotsford with Tourism […]
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A restful stay at Osprey’s Nest at the Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort in Leavenworth
August 10, 2025When’s the last time you went to Leavenworth? Even growing up north of the border in Vancouver BC, we knew of this adorable Bavarian town in Eastern Washington and I visited a few times as a kid. The whole places has such fun character and its mountain backdrop is just stunning. I didn’t know of […]
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All about the new Museum of Illusions in Seattle
July 18, 2024A few weeks ago I was invited to work with the new Museum of Illusions with my Instagram and I ended up having such a great time I thought I’d share here too. The Museum of Illusions in Seattle is a franchise of a chain of museums that now has around 50 branches around the […]
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Seattle to Bahamas – a nonstop flight to Nassau I wish we had when my kids were small
February 23, 2024Sunny places in winter is what gets many of us Seattleites through the long dark season. And once you get into the school age zone, these trips often get squished into holiday breaks where you find everyone you know in the city on the same flight to Hawaii. That’s why my ears perked up at […]
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Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel might be good value if you have a soccer tournament
October 2, 2023Even 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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Lorraine’s Candles and Seabrook Arcade : two fabulous new ways to bond with family on a Seabrook trip
September 21, 2023Every 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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How “worth it” is using a Toronto CityPASS for a summer family trip?
August 23, 2023As usual, we were last-minute in looking up what to do in Toronto for our summer trip (all we had planned was the Hockey Hall of Fame) and discovered online that there is a Toronto CityPASS and instantly knew we didn’t really need to do any more research. We are big CityPASS fans and have […]
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A Nashville hot chicken tour with my twin teenagers for mid-winter break
May 31, 2023Timing and life doesn’t always give you what you want, and my husband had a work conference during our mid-winter break in Nashville. Nashville?!! My twin teenagers were not the most enthusiastic about this trip. Being from Seattle, February usually has us dreaming of somewhere warm like Hawaii. And mid-winter break can be a longer […]
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A 10 day family Greece trip Itinerary from Seattle with teenagers
May 22, 2023I wish I could take more credit for this itinerary but I planned very little of this 10 day Greece trip. I didn’t think I’d actually get to go because I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease at the end of last year and I’ve been undergoing treatments. So I didn’t want to plan […]
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Hidden Worlds: The Films of LAIKA World Premiere Exhibition at MOPOP in Seattle
March 17, 2023Even if you haven’t seen any LAIKA films you’ll probably want to stop by and see this new exhibition at Seattle’s MOPOP, especially if you are curious about how stop-motion movies are made. Hidden Worlds: The films of LAIKA is having its world premiere exhibition at the MOPOP and it will be there through summer […]
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Costa Coffee is at SeaTac Airport and you can get it 24/7 there too
March 11, 2023A few weeks ago I was invited to Seatac Airport where Costa Coffee has arrived in the N gate area. Seatac is the first airport in the USA for this UK-based Costa Coffee. And Costa Coffee represents one more new stop for travelers to get excited about at Seattle’s bustling airport. It feels like every […]
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It is “worth-it” to book a Disneyland VIP tour if you head to California this year
March 4, 2023Disney is 100 years old this year. My family is not obsessed with Disney by any means but I do feel Disneyland is a historically significant place to visit (how many places and movies have shaped society the way Disney does?) and it can be a lot of fun. Disneyland is also a place where […]
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Best Western Plus Santa Barbara: an Airbnb alternative for families with a pool
January 24, 2023Big checkmark for the Best Western Plus Santa Barbara because it has the pool that all families seem to need when we travel with kids. By teenager stage, the pool is no longer the biggest selling feature for a hotel on a holiday but it’s still something I look for and helps a place rank […]
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Three Irish chocolate shops with factories you can visit
January 10, 2023Our family has been interested in chocolate factories ever since the Theo Chocolate factory opened in our Seattle neighborhood ages ago and we learned about the bean-to-bar process. Since then our kids have been to Costa Rica to see chocolate, and visiting chocolate factories have been a big part of our family holidays. Most recently […]
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When you learn you should have listened to New York City CityPASS and booked things ahead of time but your trip still works out
August 23, 2022I love getting CityPASS when we travel because it’s often a great way to bundle a bunch of activities we know we are going to see and it makes sure we get a discounted price and often it helps with lines during busy seasons too. I was given two NYC CityPASSES on our recent trip […]
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Three Nights at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort and Club in Dana Point California
May 12, 2022This hotel, the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort is one of the reasons I love having an Amex Platinum card. We always check Amex hotel bookings online when we are planning our trips. If you book places labeled “Fine Hotels” with this card, they usually come with perks like late check-out, breakfast, and some kind […]
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Two stars and a wish for the Georgia Aquarium
May 29, 2013As with all our trips, we are always excited to see animal friends on our travels and at the Georgia Aquarium I had a mission: a co-worker had told my husband that you can actually swim with whale sharks on Isla Holbox and Isla Mujeres in Mexico and the hubby wanted me to take the […]
Read MoreBest kids’ bathrooms in Seattle
March 12, 2013As much as I want to know about where to eat, where to sleep and what to do when we go on vacation, I totally also need to know where to take the kids when they need to go! We were in the midst of toilet-training when we first took the boys to Asia and […]
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An unconventional breakfast (San Isidro, Costa Rica)
January 19, 2013Years ago, my pregnant self would never have imagined anyone would ever be able say to my kids “so you know how to collect eggs?” and have them answer “yes!” but something about having two boys who love adventure changed everything. Thanks to Farmer Jayne at Kelsey Creek Farm in Bellevue (two years ago we […]
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