2017 Archives - Rave & Review

Give the gift of history with Felicity from American Girl

It’s hard for me to picture Christmas time without American Girl. I vividly remember circling items in the American Girl catalog each year in my youth, then I remember shopping their online store with my nieces years later, and now I’m taking my own kids to the Seattle American Girl store for them to make … Read more

Experiencing the Seattle International Auto Show with kids

Hey, Seattle! The Seattle International Auto Show opens its doors tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 9. Like previous years, it will be packed with all the auto industry has to offer including electric and alternative fuel vehicles, ultra-high-end exotics, luxury rides, test drives and so much more. Thinking about taking the kids this year? I highly recommend it! And, going to … Read more

The new and improved 2017 Britax B-Ready

Product for this post was provided by Britax, but the love for this stroller is all ours. As always, all opinions are 100% our own. Post may contain affiliate links to help support our travels!

Love isn't a strong enough word for how much we adore the Britax B-Ready stroller. We got the original B-Ready back in 2011 when it first came out, and it was the best choice we could have made for our family. Having gone through several strollers already with our two small children, we were ready for a quality-built stroller and had considered several double strollers, but something told us to wait for the B-Ready. The wait for the B-Ready was worth it because truly nothing compares to the performance and versatility, its luxury details and its 12 different configurations. Even now, 6 years later, I love the B-Ready stroller more every year as it has grown with our family. With the added bottom seat it proved to be the perfect double stroller for us – first as a mom of two little ones and now as a mom of three who sometimes has to cart around bigger kids as well as the baby. Since we walk everywhere with our three kiddos, we have put hundreds and hundreds {and hundreds} of miles on our beloved B-Ready stroller throughout the years, over three countries and countless cities and towns.

Matching Girls Monday: Cherry Blossoms at University of Washington in Seattle

I'm sharing my favorite matching girls outfit of the week, taken at one of my favorite places. We visited the cherry blossoms at the University of Washington last week to take our annual pictures. It was pretty crowded {it always is}, but we were able to find a break in the crowds to snap some shots. Matching Girls Cherry Blossoms As a special bonus, my son and I are both joining in on the fun this week. My girls are wearing the Peek Feather Top with yellow sweaters from Hanna Andersson. My dress is from Target, my leggings/tights are from Yummie Tummie, and my boots are Born Shoes. My son is wearing an OshKosh flannel.

Introducing Logan Everett, the first ever 18″ boy doll from American Girl

He’s here! He’s here! I feel like we’ve been waiting forever for the release of the new American Girl doll, Logan Everett. The rumors have been swirling for months that a boy doll was in the works and I think I got roughly 50 messages asking if it was true. I’m happy to say that the rumors were true, and Logan Everett arrived this month at American Girl on Valentine’s Day. If you know my son, you know he’s one of the biggest fans of American Girl that there ever was. It started when my daughter got her first doll when she was 4 and he was only 2, and that love has grown exponentially throughout the years. He was crazy excited when he was given a boy Bitty Twin we scored second-hand, but I always wished there was an 18” boy I could buy for him. You should have seen his face when his sister and I surprised him with his own Logan Everett doll at the Seattle American Girl café last week. Not only was he over the moon excited, but so was his sister who has been dying for him to get his own doll for years and years. She had been plotting since before Christmas about how she could get him a doll if they came out with a boy and Logan was everything she had hoped for for her brother.

The Mitsubishi Outlander 2017 makes all of our dreams come true

A big thank you to Drive Shop USA for this test driving experience. All opinions are 100% ours.
Do you remember when I made the announcement that the Mitsubishi Outlander was the car for me? Back in 2016 I told you that if I were buying a new automobile, I would buy a Mitsubishi Outlander. It’s now a whole year later and it still rings true. In fact, I’m even more certain about it now than I was back then.

It started with the love of the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and then that love was eclipsed by the Mitsubishi Outlander. I admit I got sold on all the luxuries of the bigger CUV size, but also on the adaptability of the third row seating that is perfect for our on-the-go lifestyle.

10 things you need to stop saying now

In looking back at my 2016, I see a trend starting that I would like to stop immediately. I am realizing that I have a hard time giving bad news, saying no, or asking for things, and I tend to add qualifiers or say things I don’t mean in order to soften a blow or decline an offer.

So, I'm writing myself this post that contains a list of things I will stop saying in 2017 as a reference for myself. Starting now, I will start approaching each interaction with confidence and/or honesty and stop diminishing myself or making excuses.