News & Reviews Archives - Page 25 of 32

Thankful for Corolle

Since November is the month to be thankful for all the great things in our lives, I thought I would play along. Naturally, I’m thankful every day for my amazing family and my two sweet and talented children, the roof over our heads and food on our table, but I’m going to share something else I’m thankful for that is not nearly as obvious.

What I’m thankful for is the kind of toys my children are drawn to. I see those kids who turn their noses up at “baby toys” and are constantly playing with toys that are far too old for them and I am thankful for kids who still love baby dolls, singing lullabies, and imaginative play.

They have their whole lives to be interested in video games, electronics, and makeup. I’d much rather they spend their time rocking their babies, making fake baby food, and taking them on long nature walks. This is why we’ve always avoided the large chain toys stores with their scantily clad fashion dolls and realistic-looking weapons and opted for neighborhood toy stores with a wall of Corolle dolls instead.

And, wouldn’t you know, they could play all day in those toy stores without ever getting bored, even though our own Corolle collection is nothing short of epic.

Clinton Kelly came to Seattle, and it was awesome.

You wouldn't know it by searching my closet, but I love the show What Not to Wear. I found the show during my early 20s as I was making the awkward transition between teen and adult, and I'm very glad I did. Clinton Kelly and his cohorts taught me all I know about fashion, and I find myself still heeding the advice of how important fit is when choosing clothing – style isn't everything.

So, when I heard that Clinton Kelly was going to be at the downtown Seattle Macy's and the event was going to be catered by Macy's Culinary Council Chef Tom Douglas, I knew I couldn't miss it. I planned a girls’ day shopping event with my step mom to celebrate since we were both big fans of the show and it only seemed natural that we go see him together.

But, even before the day of the event we were trading texts about what we should wear. Not knowing how the event was going to be run we weren’t sure what kind of attire was going to go over best. In the end, I decided to go with the safe route. My step mom went adventurous. In hindsight, I wish I would have put a little more thought into my outfit but I really didn’t want to land myself into a What Not to Wear situation.

As I said, I was a big fan of What Not to Wear, but up until last Saturday I didn’t think that I was a huge fan of Clinton Kelly himself. Sure, he was funny and he knew his stuff, but he also dispensed criticism for a living. Talk about a rough gig.

But, what I found out is that I adore Clinton Kelly. He’s one of the most entertaining and fun speakers I have ever seen {and that’s saying a lot}.

March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction in Seattle with AT&T

Last week, we had date night. We started the evening with Washington wines and microbrews paired with delicious bites from Seattle’s top chefs, and then we topped off the night with coffee and sweet potato cheesecake.

It was pretty much the perfect evening, and it was for a good cause.

Tyler with always amazing Thierry Rautureau {AKA The Chef In The Hat}

We were guests of AT&T at the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, where they were a gold level sponsor. The Signature Chefs Auction brings together prominent members of the community to raise paddles for stronger, healthier babies and proceeds from the event are directed to mission-based programs.

Roasted corn appetizer with manchego cheese and lime recipe

A few weeks ago, my cousin took me to one of her favorite Seattle restaurants, Señor Moose in Ballard, to try a corn dish that she adored. The description said roasted corn and epazote with cream, and I had a hard time imagining how that would taste, but I decided to trust her and take a chance. I’m glad that I did, because one bite of their famous Esquites appetizer, and I was sold.

I'm not normally one who likes creamy flavors mixed with citrus, but somehow in the Esquites, it just all blended together perfectly with the sweetness of the corn and the hint of spice. And, even though it's been weeks since I tasted it, I still dream about how delicious it was.

We’ve been playing around with creating a similar recipe here at home by looking up other fresh corn recipes now that our neighbors bring us ears of corn each week. We came up with our own version of the corn appetizer that uses manchego cheese instead of epazote and doesn’t have a cream base and wanted to share it so you can try it with all the fresh corn of the seaon. It’s not as amazing as what's at Señor Moose’s, but I must admit it’s pretty darn good.

Interested in trying it out? Let's get started:

Taking the time to Cherish Childhood

Best Friends Cherish Childhood
As you can see in the progression above, my children are growing up the best of friends. The kind of friends that every parent wishes their children to be, with very little fighting but gales and fits of laughter with just about every interaction. A friendship that makes me want to cry happy tears and hug them both so tight so as to never let them ever grow out of this stage… this closeness… this love of family.

But, with two kids spaced close together, I will admit that oftentimes I am so stuck on my to-do list that I am not very present in the moment. With a daughter like mine who thrives on the spontaneous, I try and make sure we slow down at least a few times a day to enjoy the little things. Because the little things are anything but little to her – to her, they are everything.

I have to keep reminding myself that we will never get these days back and my children won't get another childhood. I need to give them as much love and happiness as I can while I still have them here with me to take them through their own stress and hard times ahead. Here's just a couple of "rules" I created for myself to help me live in the moment and #cherishchildhood.

Ready or not, here comes the first day of Kindergarten

I vividly remember every year before the first day of school when I was young I would spend all night tossing and turning with butterflies in my stomach. Unlike most people, I didn’t dread school, in fact for me it was quite the opposite. I was so excited to see everyone and catch up after three months apart that I was simply too wound up to sleep.

Would all my friends be back this year? Would I like my teacher? Did I remember to grab a drink for my lunch? What kinds of stories would everyone have from vacation? Checking the clock a million times and begging myself to sleep, I finally would fall into a restless slumber, simply exhausted from all the scenarios running through my mind.

As my daughter is nearing starting elementary school, I find myself with butterflies all over again – but this time I have so much worry and doubt in addition to being excited. It’s not that I don’t think she will do well; she always has been a fast learner, an eager pupil, and has excelled in her years in pre-school. Mostly, it’s me.

Verde chicken enchiladas made simple with Kraft Recipe Makers

Are you looking for a simple weeknight dinner that's perfect for back to school? I love enchiladas because they are so easy to make, but Kraft went and made them even easier with the new chicken verde enchiladas Kraft Recipe Makers. Seriously, only a few ingredients are needed and you will feel like a hero … Read more

Chicago event introduces new expanded Bitty Baby line from American Girl

At American Girl, the message is about celebrating oneself and all the things that make us unique and special. In fact, they have a whole line of customizable 18” My American Girl dolls that are a perfect example of this. For the past few years they have been offering the award-winning My American Girl customizable doll experience where you can choose from different skin, eye, and hair colors and styles to best match your child’s unique features.

But, until this August, the Bitty Baby line was far less customizable. With only 7 options available to choose from up until now, the line was not all-encompassing by any means. There were many children, my daughter included, that didn’t have a Bitty Baby option for them.

My daughter has light hair, light skin and brown eyes, which I have realized doesn’t really exist in the doll world. Dolls with brown eyes have dark hair and oftentimes darker skin as well, and blonde haired dolls almost always have blue eyes.

Or, at least they did. On August 27th, the new Bitty Baby dolls will come in 11 options with all sorts of combinations of light and dark skin and eyes, which makes it far more likely that you will find that perfect doll as unique as your child. Like their My American Girl line, now you can pick skin tone, eye color, and hair color to customize your child’s Bitty Baby experience.

Disney’s Planes races into theaters on Friday

Are you super excited about Disney’s new movie, Planes? We were counting down the days to the Seattle press screening with the excitement that you only see at Christmastime. But, with a son that is fascinated with all types of transportation, a movie about planes is just about as cool as a film can get. … Read more

VTech InnoTab 3S available for presale now

Remember our review of the InnoTab 2S? My kids are crazy into their MePad {Daddy has an iPad, so my two year old decided the VTech InnoTab 2S was a “MePad”} and it was a lifesaver on our recent two day train trip home from Chicago as well as our Idaho vacation. So, of course … Read more