In the past 8 years, my children have visited 6 different countries, 3 continents, and countless towns and cities in the United States and abroad. We’ve traveled by train, plane, boat, and car, and at this point our kids can pretty objectively be referred to as seasoned travelers. Recently, we’ve been doing a lot of road tripping, and while it’s nice to not have to plan for airlines, train stations, and long waits before departures, trips in the car with young kids have their own set of challenges. Over the years I’ve learned that these challenges can be minimized by how I pack, prepare, and execute a road trip with baby, and we’ve gotten our system down to a science thanks to Huggies at Costco.
DIY
Fall fashion with prAna {plus 15% off discount code}
In my quest for cozy fall clothing that is just as fashionable as it is comfortable, I once again turned to one of my favorite brands, prAna. My goal when selecting fall pieces is that they are versatile enough to go from work to play and that they can go seamlessly into winter. In terms of diverse clothing lines, it really doesn't get any better than prAna.
If you aren’t already familiar with the brand, prAna clothing is different than the standard outdoorsy clothing in that most of their line would be as at home in the mountains as it would be while traveling, exploring a town near you, or simply hanging out on a cozy evening at home. As a Northwest native, I see more than my fair share of outdoorsy clothing each year, but rarely do I find a company like prAna that pulls together mountain retreat attire, travel comfort and sportswear without ever coming across as too casual for everyday wear. 
Instead of the standard washed out cotton clothing typically marketed to women in outdoor shops, their clothing is truly stylish as well as still being functional and comfortable. In fact, the prAna website and catalogue looks nothing like an outdoorsy catalogue at all, but rather just looks like a popular women’s clothing catalogue that just happens to showcase a wide range of products from a huge variety of styles, one of them being outdoor-friendly designs.
Alice in Wonderland inspired wall art on photo canvas
We love Alice in Wonderland around here. Like, really, really love it. In honor of the release of the new movie, Alice Through The Looking Glass, we're sharing one of our favorite Alice-inspired pieces.
A few years ago, I went down the rabbit hole of Etsy {no pun intended} looking for Alice art. In my search, I was reminded of one of my favorite lines of the Disney animated Alice In Wonderland film: "Do You Suppose She's A Wildflower?" 
I got the idea to put the quote on a picture I took of my baby {who clearly is a wildflower}, and print it on a canvas for her. I used basic clip art shapes to designate wildflowers, and used a fun Mad Hatter-style script to play up the theme.
Neposmart: the customizable and wireless camera system that grows with you
The sound of little feet running around the house can be quite comforting, but it’s pretty awful when those sounds are followed by a loud thump or crash. This is why as soon as our kids were mobile we started looking into cameras to use throughout the house to better keep an eye on the kids – day and night.
What started off as a baby monitor search has morphed into a search for a camera system that can be used well after the baby stage to keep our whole house secure. With break-ins becoming more and more commonplace, we wanted something that would allow us to watch our home, even when we were across the country.
Our search led us to the Neposmart IP camera system, which was the only system we found that had everything we were looking for and more. This is far more than just a wireless home security camera; the Neposmart is an intelligently designed system you can operate remotely via your smartphone to survey and interact with your home.
Mix and match fun with custom Modarri cars {& discount code}
We discovered Modarri cars last year, and we quickly became obsessed. Basically, they are everything my son loves.
Fixing things: check
Racing: check
Designing stuff: check
Things with wheels: check 
So, what are Modarri cars? They are build-it-yourself custom cars that you can mix and match and customize to your heart’s content.
Each car even comes complete with a special hex tool so you can break down each car into its multiple parts: a chassis, hood and windshield, seat pan, seat, fenders and frame, and wheels with front and rear suspension. And, each of those parts can be used with other Modarri car models so you can build and rebuild as often as you like to create whatever car strikes your fancy. 
Make any day magical with Pacific Play Tents
If I were designing the perfect childhood toy, it would have two major components. First, it would inspire imaginations to encourage make believe and storytelling. Second, it would be open-ended so it could be played with in numerous ways, which means it would be played with often and be a beloved toy for years.
Take the Painting Teepee from Pacific Play Tents for example. This clearly isn’t just a high quality teepee, it’s a childhood haven. As you can see, it's the kiddos fort. 
Not just a toy car: introducing the awesomely customizable Modarri cars
I never, ever thought I would utter the words “we’re a car family”. But, with a husband who hasn’t missed a car show since he was a tiny boy and a son who simply asks for “any cars I don’t have” for Christmas and birthdays, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Obviously, my daughter and I were the holdouts, content to let the boys play with their cars – some toys, some very real that take up my whole driveway – and smile.
But, then we found the world of Modarri cars, and I think we all got a little giddy at all the possibilities for this amazing new take on the toy car. 
Part build-it-yourself custom car model, part art to be displayed and enjoyed after building, and still 100% toy that can be played and raced with, the Modarri car line takes everything you thought about boring toy cars and flips it on its head. Although ours came assembled and ready for play, each Modarri model includes multiple different parts: a chassis, hood and windshield, seat pan, seat, fenders and frame, wheels with front and rear suspensions as well as a hex tool for building and rebuilding to your heart’s desire and traffic cones to contain the shenanigans.
5 simple ways to pretend it’s fall… wherever you live
Is it still shorts and flip flop season where you live? Trust me, I feel your pain! Even in the Pacific Northwest, which is known for its gorgeous and crisp falls, it is still feeling very summery despite a few sprinkles here and there. There’s no color in the trees, it’s definitely not sweater weather, and the last thing I want most days is a hot beverage.
But, you see, I adore fall. I long for autumn almost as soon as summer begins and visions of this kind of weather keep me happy even during the hottest days of the year. 
Laundry room re-do with Blinds.com
When we moved into our house almost 7 years ago, I was so excited to finally have a laundry room. It seemed like a pretty nice upgrade from our “laundry closet” of our rental house and an awesome improvement over our “laundry kitchen” at our past house.
But, then I didn’t quite know what to do with the room once I had it. It was an awkward, L-shaped space that came complete with an ugly Utilitub, a useless wire shelf, and no good place to put the washer and dryer. Thank goodness I found Blinds.com, because it gave me the inspiration I needed to finish the space and create a separate and functional room that is truly fun to enter.
DIY snowflake window cling craft for kids {inspired by the movie Frozen}
My kids are fully obsessed with the new Frozen movie from Disney. You may remember my post about the press pre screening we were invited to, but what you don't know is that we loved it so much that we actually went back to the theater that same week and watched it again. That's a lot of love.
Both of them are dying for the movie to come out and are broken hearted about the fact that it's going to be months until we can watch it whenever we want at home, so we've decided to bring some Frozen fun home while we wait. First up on the list was doing a craft I've been wanting to do for a while: snowflake window clings.
To make DIY Snowflake Window Clings you will need:
- Tulip Glitter or Puffy Paint
- Wax Paper
- Snowflake pattern from the Disney Frozen site