Holidays Archives - Page 22 of 40

Travel must-have for kids: The LeapPad3 learning tablet

My kids are pretty awesome travelers for the most part. They can handle short flights like pros and are the best road trip buddies on long car rides. But, as it turns out, they are pretty awful redeye international travelers. Go figure.

When I look back now, I can’t help but ask myself what I was thinking taking two small kids on packed overnight flights that included 4 airports, long layovers, no meals, and a trip through customs. Oh, and did I mention I am very pregnant and have a hard time getting comfortable in even the plushest digs?

Seriously. What on earth was I thinking?! Having taken dozens of flights with them before, some of them international and some of them redeye in which they handled themselves perfectly, I was clearly going into things far too cocky considering the itinerary and their ages.

Thank goodness our friends over at LeapFrog realized that even good travelers could use something to pass 14+ hours of travel and they sent us their newest tablets, the LeapPad3 to use on our way to #BeachesMoms Social Media on the Sand conference. I spent the night before our big trip loading up on learning software, TV shows, and music to put on the tablets in addition to our collection of software cartridges from our original LeapPad, and I’m so glad I did. This awesome show? This was my view during one of our shorter flights. Would you believe that she is rocking out to the old classic "Do you Know the Muffin Man"? Someone download this girl the Frozen sing-a-long, stat.

All the reasons I love the Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System

Fall is by far my favorite season. It’s still hot enough here in the Pacific Northwest to wear skirts and sandals some days, but then it’s boots and sweaters the next, all under the gorgeous backdrop of changing leaves and fall colors. Just look at my happy harvester, collecting vegetables for the week. The one thing that isn’t awesome? Meal planning. With unpredictable weather and high temperatures nearly every afternoon, it makes it hard to plan what kind of meals to make that won’t leave the house sweltering at the end of the day.

When a friend suggested I try slow cooking instead of heating up the oven and making our house unbearably hot, I couldn’t believe how brilliant she was. It turns out I can still have the hearty meals I’ve been pinning, but without making us all miserable by simply using an appliance I typically reserve for winter meals.

Hello, Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System!

10 tips to keep your kids safe this Halloween

Did you know that Halloween night is one of the most dangerous nights of the year? In fact, kids are twice as likely to be hit by a car on Halloween over any other day of the year. With little kids in costume sharing the road with vehicles of all types and lights turned down low, it's really a recipe for disaster. While those are certainly sobering statistics, that doesn't mean you can't keep your kids as safe as possible this Halloween by planning ahead and helping teach your child basic safety rules before they head out hunting candy.

Our love of GoldieBlox begins!

Anyone who knows my kids knows all about their deep desire to understand how things work. They are rarely content with a simple explanation of the facts and instead require an in-depth analysis of everything that perplexes them. It is likely this knowledge that led many close friends and family members to reach out via phone calls, my inbox, and various messaging systems with a suggestion of a brand they knew my kiddos would flip for: GoldieBlox One click to the GoldieBlox homepage and I was instantly smitten. This wasn’t just a toy my kids would love, this was a toy that I would have designed for them if only I knew how. It includes all of their absolute favorite things: building things, imaginative play, and figuring out how things work in a really fun way that the whole family can get involved in.

For those of you who have been emailing over the past year begging me to get the GoldieBlox toys for my kids, I say thank you. You will be very happy to know it was literally love upon first #unbloxing and even though they have only been playing with their own GoldieBlox toys for the past few weeks, they are just as enthralled with them as you probably guessed.

If you want to see how excited we are about GoldieBlox, you should go ahead and watch this video:

For those of you who haven’t heard about GoldieBlox or seen their adorable Super Bowl commercial, you are probably wondering what makes this building toy different, and the short answer is: a lot.

Where we were: the new See’s Candies in Woodinville, WA

This past week we took a break from our crazy busy summer schedules to hang out with some of our local blogging friends at the opening of See's Candies in Woodnville. While they had me at "candy", I was also excited to see behind the scenes, sample some treats, and let the little ones learn how to pack chocolate boxes like a pro.
See's Candies stores feature a candy counter where you can try a sample and create your very own custom mixed box of chocolates and candies. Along with the delicious candies that they are famous for like boxed chocolates, truffles, nuts and chews, lollypops, and sugar free candy, they also have seasonal favorites and new recipes to try.

We've been fans of See's Candies for as long as I remember, introduced to the brand at a very young age by an aunt who couldn't visit Washington without leaving with a sampler or two, but it's only been recently that the kids have fallen in love with the brand. It *may* have something to do with the fact that their Kidgit's Club membership gets them free lollypops.

Mother’s Day: A day for mom to Indulge at Northgate Mall in Seattle

We go to a lot of events at Northgate Mall in Seattle, our local Simon Mall. We’ve been to story time, to Girls Night Out events, to an event with live bunnies and goats for the kids to hold, to holiday events, and even to Seahawks events, but the one event I look forward to all year long is the Mother’s Day event.

If you’ve never been to a Northgate event, then you’re probably picturing a few tables running down the middle of the mall selling you siding and giving you pamphlets about having parties in your home. I know that’s what I was picturing the first few times I saw a note on Facebook about one of Northgate’s parties. But, since we had a mall trip planned anyway, I figured I would swing by the event at some point while we were there to check it out. And, I’m oh so glad we did. Since that day, we’ve gotten our faces painted, got free henna tattoos, colored our hair pink and green and blue {but not all at the same time} and we’ve been introduced to so many companies and services in the Northgate Mall and surrounding areas.

I’ve now learned something very important: When Northgate throws a party, you should show up.

Our new Easter tradition: HoneyBaked Ham

I love Easter. I love all the spring colors, I love pulling out my mismatched “fancy” dishes, and I love having family and friends over to celebrate with tea and snacks and then a full dinner.

But, there’s one Easter tradition I just can’t get behind. You see, I just do not like ham. I do not like it, Sam I am. I do not like it here or there, I do not like it anywhere.

Knowing this, you wouldn’t think I would be excited to write about a company like HoneyBaked Ham, but you’d be wrong. I will admit that when I was presented with a menu, the first thing I searched for was ham alternatives. Once I saw they had turkey {both smoked and roasted}, as well as a ton of sides, entrees, and desserts, I was in.

Find the perfect Mother’s Day present at ReCollected Pieces

What does every mom want for Mother’s Day? The answer is something personal and from the heart.

This is easy if you happen to have crafty kids or love macaroni necklaces, but what about for the rest of us? We can turn to Re:Collected Pieces, a Portland-based company that makes custom jewelry and more that any mother would love.

We’re not talking silver jewelry with personalized messages like anyone with a hand stamping set can make – what Tabitha at Re:Collected Pieces does is even more personal than that. Photo pendants, repurposed items, and artwork all become statement pieces to be adored and each custom work can be personalized in many levels. After checking out the ReCollected Pieces Etsy shop, I was smitten and knew I just had to have a custom piece. Starting the process was easy, I merely sent over pictures {one of my littles and one of hubby and I} to Tabitha with the instructions that she should have fun with them and show all that she can do.

You might wonder why I didn’t give specifics on what shapes I would like, sizes I would prefer, and baubles to add, but after looking at the Re:Collected Etsy shop, I knew it wasn’t necessary. There wasn’t a pendant or design I wouldn’t love to wear in the collection, and I trusted that Tabitha would make me something awesome.

And, I was blown away by what she sent back. Just look at how amazing these pendants look.

Whole Foods has Valentine’s Day covered

Like always, Valentine's Day has snuck up on me and here it is just a few days away. But, this year, I'm not worried at all because I've got Whole Foods to help me get everything in one quick and easy trip. With everything from fresh flowers and gourmet chocolate to aisles and aisles of gourmet foods begging to be cooked up for a special Valentine, Whole Foods really does have you covered.

Girl of The Year 2014 Isabelle arrives at the Seattle American Girl store

Like a small child counting down the days until Christmas, we were counting down the days until January 1st. Not because we’re huge into New Years’ celebrations, but because American Girl announced their Girl of the Year {GOTY}.

We look for any reason to party around here, especially when the party is for a doll as elegant as this one:

Meet Isabelle, the Girl of the Year for 2014. Isabelle Palmer loves ballet and everything fashion. Her story involves a new school, struggling to stand out in the shadow of her older sister, and figuring out how she can use her unique talents to shine. Since my daughter would like nothing more than to be a dancer, Isabelle's story really struck her and she's now smitten with this beautiful GOTY doll.