Matching Girls Monday: farm life

Matching girls in Gymboree 2

Once again we were joined by our lovely neighbors for a matching girls day. My girls love matching their “cousins” and I love all the excitement they all have for matching each other. These girls have my heart, and I love that they all adore each other so much. We have a fall tradition where … Read more

Motherhood: a lesson on time and space

Cousins at the zoo 10

I always hoped that my girls would be close. I wished more than anything for a sister for my oldest, and I was so excited when my wish came true. But, in the back of my mind I worried that there was too much space between them. Too many years between them for them to … Read more

Less is more: life without a diaper bag

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MoreHuggiesMoreSavings #CollectiveBias I’m 9+ years in on this whole mom gig, and at this point I would definitely consider myself an experienced mom. In the past decade I’ve had three kids, I’ve babysat several dozen more kids … Read more

85+ thoughts every parent has while watching PAW Patrol

Maybe if I turn on a PAW Patrol I can get just a few more minutes of sleep/work/cleaning in before being attacked by little ones. Nope, they want me to watch it with them. Sigh. A little bit of me just died inside. Is this one of the episodes after they added Everest? Nope, just … Read more

Where we were: Country Village in Bothell, WA

Country Village puppy

Have you been to Country Village in Bothell, WA? I grew up going to Country Village with my mom and my aunts, and I have vivid memories of going to Harvest parties each fall and watching Santa ride in each winter. My favorite store there closed years ago when the owners retired, but there are … Read more

Where we were: a ferry adventure with kids

One thing I love most about living in Washington State is that we're literally surrounded by water. I love just sitting at the beach and listening to the waves crashing, I love running around and taking pictures while the kids play, and I love exploring all the islands around us. Edmonds BeachAnd, while I wish we had our own motor boat to make island hopping easy, I do love the inherent adventure in hopping on one of the Washington State Ferries and taking it somewhere for the day.

Ferry BoyIt's great because you can just walk on with your day's worth of stuff and let someone else take you where you want to go, let them figure out where to park, and they can provide bathrooms, snack options, and entertainment.

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Limitless fun with Antsy Pants Build And Play kits

If I was describing the perfect toy, it would be something that was a project. Something that took a while to set up, provided customizing opportunities so the kids can get creative, and it would have an ambiguous design that allowed for almost limitless play. All of this adds up to something that the kids … Read more

Matching Girls Monday: American Girls

It was a momentous occasion: the first American Girl matching shirts, ever. We bought these over a year ago a few months after Kit’s new “meet” outfit was released and then this shirt arrived in the Seattle store. Those who know me know that I would not be able to pass a shirt with a … Read more