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. 
Cruising in luxury with the Mazda CX-9
You zoom zoom? We zoom zoomed this past month in a fancy-schmancy new Mazda CX-9 crossover SUV with seating for 7. After reading about and hearing from friends for so long how fun and engaging Mazdas are to drive, we had high expectations, and the CX-9 didn’t disappoint. It was quiet, big {but not too big}, and powerful enough that it was super fun to cruise in, whether it was around town or on long trips. 
Here’s what we learned from our week of zoom zooming in luxury:
Adorable baby fashion from Carter’s
This post is sponsored by Carter’s; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I think we can all agree that shopping for baby clothes is really fun. Really, what's cuter than miniature clothing? If you are you looking to create a versatile and well-rounded baby wardrobe for your little one, you’re in the right place. Check out our list of baby fashion, essentials, and accessories that can take you all the way through baby’s first year…and beyond! 
Essential #1 The Original Bodysuit by Carter’s
I was really sad when baby grew out of her first matching sisters outfit or her dress she wore in her 3 month pictures was a bit too short, but I just wasn’t prepared to be sad over growing out of a bodysuit. But, when you think of it, these baby essentials get the most use of anything in their little wardrobes. My baby girl wore The Original Bodysuit under absolutely everything for her entire first year and we had multiple packs in every size from newborn to 12mo. Even to this very day she wears an 12mo sleeveless bodysuit under many of her dresses because it’s just so easy and convenient. 
I will fully admit I kept one of these bodysuits in the smallest sizes, and that I put two bodysuits on the kids’ dolls because I just couldn’t bear to part with them all, but I did pass along as many as I could part with of the dozens we had. Sharing the goodness of one of my favorite baby must-haves makes me really happy, which is why I always visit Carter's and pick up a pack of The Original Bodysuits for new babies.
DIY miniature pot rack from champagne muselet for Lundby dollhouses
A muselet (French: myz.le) is a wire cage that fits over the cork of a bottle of champagne, sparkling wine, or beer to prevent the cork from emerging under the pressure of the carbonated contents.
We ended up with a muselet from a local hard cider a few months back, and after it was removed from the bottle, I set it in my windowsill while I debated what I could make it into. I've seen cute little chairs for fairy gardens made out of muselet and I considered making my own. But, then one day I decided my Lundby dollhouse needed a pot rack and went looking for supplies and found the muselet just waiting to become a lighted pot rack for the house.
Want to make your own miniature pot rack for your dollhouse? It's super easy, doesn't require many supplies, and the end result is really adorable! 
Meet our new robot baby, bObsweep
Have you ever looked around your house and thought "I wonder if a robot would be able to get around that"? No? Well, then you probably don't have a robot baby in the house like we do.
Meet Bob, AKA bObsweep PetHair, the newest member of the family. 
We've been robot-proofing over the last few days and I can now say that a robot would easily be able to navigate around our living areas without any problem at all. Before becoming a mom I honestly never thought I would have a robotic vacuum – I mean, really, how hard is it to run a vacuum by yourself? I'm all for outsourcing whatever I can, but do you really need that chore automated?
I'm here to tell you, yes, I definitely need that automated. You see, vacuuming has slowly been slipping down the list of chores since baby arrived. Sometimes it would be 2 weeks before I would look around at our wool rug and realize how bad it looked. Our awesome thick wool rug is super soft and cozy, but the bad part is that the wool fibers lift up in between vacuuming sessions, making it look like we have a short-haired dog in the house that sheds like crazy.
You can make a difference if you Lift Your Voice
When I think of my biggest wishes for my daughters, at the top of that list is that they always understand that their voices are powerful. Their voices unfortunately have the power to hurt others, but they can have the power to make someone feel loved and special. It’s up to them to use their voices for good. And, just like they can choose whether to use their voices to hurt or to help, their voices also have the ability to make a real difference in the world. 
Melody Ellison™, the newest BeForever™ doll from American Girl, is learning the power of her voice and has arrived just in time for my daughters to really learn from her unique story. Her story is full of life lessons that give us a glimpse back into our past as well as ways to empower our girls to make a difference in the future.
Darigold Farmalicious tour at Coldstream Farms in Deming, WA
It’s just after noon on a beautiful August day and I’m traipsing through countryside, photographing cows, taking in the beautiful scenery, enjoying the company of some of my favorite local bloggers, and feeling at one with nature in so many ways. Thanks to Darigold, I’m getting my first real introduction to farm life while learning about the innermost workings of a family-run dairy farm at Coldstream Farms in Deming, Washington, and honestly, it’s just a lot more nature than I’m used to. But, in some ways it oddly feels like home. 
Anyone who knows me is laughing really hard because no one has ever mistaken me for someone who was cut out for farming. Urban farming even sometimes seems like too much work for me, so when you add in the fact that I’m notoriously squeamish and I prefer to not get dirty, it is abundantly clear that farm life was really never in the cards for me. 
Back to School with AT&T deals
It’s back to school time, and your shopping lists probably look a little like mine do. First, the office supply store, then some clothing basics mix and match separates at the local mall, after that there is backpack shopping at the kids’ store with all three kids, then heading out for a special trip to the organizing store for some lunchbox accessories, and… I’m already glazing over just thinking about all my back to school errands. So, for my own sanity, I needed to add a fun stop for back to school.
For the fun stuff that will actually get them excited about back to school, look no further than AT&T. 
By now you know that the AT&T store carries everything you need to make the most of your mobile devices, and back to school time means everyone is going to be a whole lot more mobile with school schedules, sports, and extracurricular activities. Whether you are looking for a new smartphone so you can keep in touch, speakers for a dorm room, a tablet so they can do homework when they can’t be at a computer, or an activity tracker to keep up with all those extra steps they will be racking up on campus, AT&T has you covered. 
Ready to start the fun back to school shopping? Here are just a few great deals for back to school:
Britax Frontier ClickTight Harness to Booster Seat review
It’s a big time in our house! Baby girl has finally reached a really big milestone: she outgrew her infant seat and it’s now time to switch her to a rear facing convertible seat.
But, the problem is that we have three young children in car seats and we own a compact sedan. Knowing what a tight fit the infant car seat had been, I was dreading moving her to an even bigger seat because it was clear it just wasn’t going to work. We looked into numerous convertible seats to transition her to, but they were all just too big.
It began to look like we had two options: 1) buy a new car, or 2) switch my almost 6 year old to a booster seat. Obviously, neither option appealed to me. So, I began to research anything and everything to fit three across in our compact sedan.
When I found the Britax Frontier ClickTight, I realized that it just might be the best of all worlds – a 5 point harness that converts to a booster seat and is slim enough to fit in a compact car easily. With the dimensions of 19" W x 36" H x 21" D at its maximum and only 28” H at minimum, it’s one of the slimmer car seats we found anywhere, and by far the slimmest with the features we were looking for. Add in the fact that it converts and can be used by my son until he no longer needs a seat and it’s the clear choice.
As soon it arrived, the kids went crazy celebrating their “big switch”.
Sorry, baby girl. This is your brother’s seat. Your new-to-you Britax convertible seat will hopefully be just as exciting.