Where we were: Greenlake, WA

Greenlake ParkI love Greenlake in Seattle, WA. The area around the lake, the lake itself, and the walking path that surrounds it all have had my heart since I was little.Headshot Growing up, my family used to visit Greenlake almost as often as we visited parks within walking distance of our house, and it will always remind me of playing in the wading pools {which have since been removed, probably as a result of the thousands of stubbed toes I gave myself growing up}, playing on the playground, and renting paddle boats {happily, these are still there} during long summer days. Me and my boy

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Start a love of biking early with the smarTrike 4-in-1 trike

Sponsored postOur family is huge into biking and the kids spend all spring, summer, and fall pedaling all over the neighborhood and beyond. But, with a new reviewer that is going to be too young to join in all the biking fun, I wasn't sure what her and I were going to do while the big kids played. Sure, I could push her in the stroller alongside them, but that's a pretty sad consolation to biking with the big kids.

Introducing the smarTrike® Boutique Touch Steering® 4-in-1 trike that can get her out biking even before she can reach the pedals. Besides starting a love of biking earlier than ever, it also has all sorts of little details that make toddlers and parents happy. It might be so cool that even the big kids love it. SmarTrike in stroller modeBeing 4-in-1 allows us to start baby girl on the smarTrike at 10 months and then as she grows we can configure it to fit our needs. Just check out all the ways you can use the smarTrike to grow with your child, or make it useful for families with multiple young kids.  Smartrike 4-in-1

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Resolve to take better care of yourself

What's your New Year's resolution? Whether it's eating less, exercising more, sleeping better, or simply taking better care of yourself, AT&T and Fitbit have you covered. By now you hopefully know that AT&T stores offer a huge variety of wearable technologies for consumers interested in health and fitness, but I bet you're wondering how an activity tracker can handle your entire resolution list and more. 

The answer is that activity trackers have come a long way, baby. With an entire system dedicated to helping you figure out how much you are consuming, how much energy you're burning, and a way to track weight, sleep, and more, the Fitbit system works with the AT&T technology you're already carrying with you to help you stay within your fitness goals and make 2015 the year you take better care of you. Accessories-4079d-964x750

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Awesome Christmas present ideas from Daisy

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ItsADaisy #CollectiveBias Daisy PowerLine 880 and accessoriesIn our family, Christmas is about time spent together. Sure, we also do presents, but it's not as much about the morning of opening gifts as it is about all the fun we experience as a family each holiday season. This year, as part of our Christmas fun we have included the Daisy BB gun that every kid grew up wishing for under the tree. Besides having awesome Christmas present ideas for teenagers, gifting a Daisy just like dad and papa have is great for bonding well after the presents are open.

The teenage years might be more difficult in terms of bonding opportunities, but throughout the years we've found Daisy BB guns to be an amazing way to reconnect as a family. From target shooting with dad, skills courses with papa, and safety lessons with mom to days spent setting up BB gun ranges and target shooting practice with cousins, Daisy has given us numerous ways to connect and have fun as a family. Selfie with Daisy BB gun

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First Ascent Girls’ Downlight Hoodie from Eddie Bauer

Sponsored postEvery parent knows the dilemma of the cheap kid’s coat. At first it seems like a great idea as it costs very little and you reason with yourself that they will only wear it for a short time, so why not? Then you find yourself needing to replace it halfway through the season due to normal wear and tear or you end up going somewhere truly frigid and you realize quickly that the cheapy coat isn’t really cut out for freezing temperatures.

Parents, put your money away at the discount store and instead go for a good quality coat. You won’t regret buying a coat that truly lasts, never goes out of style, and keeps your kiddo comfortable in mild to extreme temperatures. Trust me, your kid will thank you for it. It may not have the newest Disney character on it or have glitter and hearts, but once your kid gets used to the comfort of a good coat, none of that will matter. Eddie Bauer First Ascent Hoodie

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Beat holiday weight gain with the Jawbone UP24 from AT&T

It’s only the first week of November and I already feel like hibernating for the remaining winter months. It's getting rainy and cold here in Seattle and my living room is feeling awfully cozy with the fire going, so it's easy to just close my eyes and curl up on the couch. But, the one thing that's keeping me going and staying active? It's my Jawbone UP24 from AT&T that helps keep me in line if I'm not meeting my step goal or I'm going over my calorie goal.     6a0105362badb1970b01a73ddc8c1c970d-800wiDid you know that AT&T carries a bunch of tech-savvy solutions for fighting off this season of eating more and exercising less? More than just phones these days, AT&T stores offer a variety of wearable technologies for consumers interested in health and fitness, such as the UP24 from Jawbone I was raving about earlier this year. With activity/sleep trackers, smart watches, pulse monitors, arm bands, scales and much more, AT&T has everything you need to stay within your fitness goals and beat this holiday weight gain. You can see their whole line by clicking here

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AT&T helps you get fit with the Jawbone UP24 activity tracker

Earlier this month we attended an event hosted by AT&T at David Barton Gym in Bellevue, WA. Along with Seattle area tech, parenting and lifestyle bloggers and reporters, we got to test the newest wearable technology from Jawbone during a workout with one of the gym’s fitness trainers.

As excited as we were for the event, I must admit we spent a crazy amount of time right here in the entrance to the gym with its gorgeous wood detailing. David Barton Gym

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Stay cool this summer with Nerf’s newest Soakers

Sponsored post basic disclosureOh summer, how I love you. Hanging out all day and never having to put on socks, making sun tea and eating fresh fruit, and keeping cool anyway you can.

This is our newest way to keep cool, sent to us by our friends at Nerf. Nerf SoakersHeads up: if you come over, you might want to be prepared to get wet. Either that, or bring cake. We don’t shoot anyone carrying dessert.

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50+ fun activities to do on a trampoline for kids and adults

Looking for fun on your trampoline? Look no further! This is the ultimate list of insanely fun activities and ideas you can do on your trampoline for kids and adult. From workouts and collaborative games to learning activities and creative play – there’s something for everyone!

Do you have your wagon ready for Halloween?

When you think Halloween, do you think wagons? We sure do! Wagons are the ride of choice here in Washington, and even better if that wagon has a canopy with our usual 90% chance of rain just in time for Trick or Treating. My kids will be riding in their spooky chariot, AKA Step2 All … Read more