Leanne, Author at Rave & Review

Treat yourself to a steak dinner at Applebee’s for under $10

At some point in the past few years, we just stopped going out to eat. Three kids, one income, and busy schedules have us running from event to event so it became hard to do relaxing dinners out. As a result, I became queen of the quick and easy weeknight dinner that could have us out of the house and on the go. So, really, eating out at all is a huge treat.

But, a steak dinner out? It must be my anniversabirthday. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar doesn’t think that a nice steak dinner at a restaurant should be a once-a-year event and are giving you a chance to enjoy a well-deserved steak at an awesome price – no special occasion required. From now until November 13th, customers can enjoy Applebee’s famed wood-fired USDA Choice Top Sirloin steak and two delectable sides, all for just $9.99.

Visit The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes in Seattle

Remember earlier this year when I was raving about the Seattle Rep production of Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem? Well, I'm back raving about Sherlock Holmes in Seattle, only this time the fun was across the Center, past the fountain, in the shadow of the Space Needle at the Pacific Science Center. The new Pacific Science Center’s The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes brings the legendary Sherlock Holmes to life, showing backstory of his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the history of those Sherlock was modeled after. You will be transported to the Victorian time of Sherlock Holmes to learn about the science, technology, and methodology of the time while solving a mystery created just for this exhibit.

Easy DIY picture frame monogram wreath

I've been looking at the door and thinking I needed a new wreath for a while now, but every time I would see one in stores I would do that thing where I would talk myself out of it, convincing myself that I would make one instead. I finally made it to the craft store last week and was kind of bummed at the wreath form selection. I didn't love the green or white styrofoam mold, the hay-looking wreath is not really my style, and the wire ones weren't right for the wreath I had in mind. So, I ended up leaving the store empty handed {you know, besides the bags of crafts supplies I bought for my 200 other projects I'm perpetually working on}.

Side yard hopscotch with DIY stepping stones

I've been debating for years about what I wanted to do with our skinny side yard. We need to leave it unobstructed because it's the main pathway to our backyard, but I hated that it would turn into a wet and muddy mess every time it rains. Doing stones of some sort that you could walk over, wheel barrow over, and also keep the side yard from getting swampy made a whole lot of sense, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. That was until I visited Swansons Nursery in Seattle and started talking to their team about what made sense for a marshy yard. We decided we needed to dig the side yard down, add a weed barrier, and then add sand and fill dirt along with some stepping stones. After that was complete, we could add some ground cover plants that would help with drainage and keep the side yard from turning into a mud pit.Inspiration really struck when I started filling up Swansons` boxes with plants and ground covers and realized that the box I was loading them in was the perfect stepping stone size.More specifically, they were perfect hopscotch size. If we made our own hopscotch stones and laid them in our skinny side yard, we could actually utilize the space better to make it a play space as well as a pathway. With a smaller, urban yard I'm always looking for ways of maximizing space, and making it dual purpose is always a win.

The summer I lost control

This summer, I completely lost control of the kiddo clutter. The kids were a never-ending mess that started from the moment they woke up and went until they were supposed to be asleep in bed. They would jump from activity to activity and they would raid Barbie bins, Calico Critter stashes, American Girl collections, and Lego boxes only to mix everything up in one big disaster that spread from room to room.

With one borderline hoarder of an 8 year old who decides random scraps of paper are "special", one 5 year old who has never met a toy he didn't want to pull apart just to see how it works, and a one year old with zero impulse control, the deck was stacked against me from day one. It was just too much for me to take, and I started fighting back.

So, this summer I boxed up tons of stuff, I donated massive amounts of toys, and I made more "pick up piles" than I can count just trying to contain the mess each day. But, nothing seemed to help because they would just find something else to play with and leave out, like when they raided my recycling bin, sewed toilet paper "quilts", and when they decided they were going to sell handmade crafts that took over my entire kitchen. Sadly, we missed many a playdate because my kids didn't clean up their messes in time for us to get out of the house on time.

The new Storks movie was worth the wait

We went to the movie theater with the kiddos this summer and I missed the previews while I was getting my little one set to sit still for 2 hours. Normally, I get excited about missing previews because who wants to sit for an extra 10-15 minutes watching commercials? But, this time my kids were uncharacteristically upset that I hadn’t seen a specific movie preview and insisted on acting it out and reliving it over and over again. That movie was STORKS, and it dominated their thoughts all summer, especially these last few weeks when they would see posters, banners, and commercials for the new movie. They would yell, “That’s it mama! That’s the movie we wanna see – the one with the baby!” If your kids haven’t been harassing you about the movie, here’s what you need to know:

How to throw an awesome science party for kids

I’ve never been great at birthday parties. Usually, I slap together an event with a loose theme and some character plates chosen by the kids and then order a few pizzas. I was prepared to do exactly that this summer when I was asked by my science-loving kiddo to throw a “science birthday party” with a very vague description of what that actually was. So, I got to searching “science birthday party” online. And, you know what I found? There are almost no science themed birthday plates or accessories that make sense for a young child. Luckily, my family loves a challenge, so they convinced me it would be a great idea to throw together a science themed party with absolutely no party store help. No “science” plates, no themed tablecloth, no activity kit to order. My goal was to throw such an amazing party that it would hopefully get me off the hook for throwing any of my kids a party for the next 5-10 years. I’ll let you know how that goes, but in the meantime I’m going to show you my take on a science party and share some printables I made up.

10+ tips for road trips with young kids

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.

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.

Marriott Hotels partners with TED to inspire new perspectives

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about curiosity. With an into-anything-and-everything toddler, an active little boy, and an 8 year old who thinks she has the whole world figured out, I unfortunately spend a huge amount of my time discouraging their natural curiosity. But, even while having serious discussions with them about why moving a 10+ lb. dollhouse up bunkbed ladders with jump ropes by yourself is a bad idea, suggesting that they not dig up my garden just to see what’s below, or even by answering their 300th question of the hour, I do love that they are so busy being curious about everything, and I hope that never changes. It’s this curiosity that will keep them wanting to “science” the things that they find in our backyard and beyond. It’s this curiosity that will keep them seeking answers to the questions that seem unanswerable and always asking “what if…?” It’s this curiosity that will encourage them to read so they can learn about worlds that are near, far, and make believe. And, it’s this curiosity that will fuel their love of travel and challenge them to visit as much of the world as they possibly can.

Since travel and curiosity go together hand-in-hand, it only makes sense that Marriott Hotels is exploring the theme of curiosity in their recent partnership with TED, the non-profit devoted to ideas worth spreading. If you love listening to and watching TED Talks as much as I do, you’re probably as excited as I am. This relationship will be a whole new way to experience TED – with creatively curated TED Talks, blogs, and original quotes available to hotel guests worldwide.