Rain or shine Trick-or-Treat fun at Northgate Mall in Seattle
Did you get as depressed as I did when you realized that Seattle was going to be hit by stormy weather just in time for Halloween? While many holiday celebrations take place indoors, Halloween is one of the few nights that can be quickly ruined by inclement weather. I don't know about you, but I don't want to take three kids out in the cold and the rain to get candy. This little garden gnome was hoping for sunshine on her first Halloween, but it was not to be. 
Thank goodness Northgate Mall is here to save the day with their Boo Bash today from 3-5 pm. Instead of clomping around the neighborhood wearing parkas instead of costumes, we’re excited to spend Halloween afternoon in the warm comfort of the mall while we celebrate and shop. 
Seattle: Have dinner with Chef Tom Douglas on November 5th
Someone once heard I was from Seattle and exclaimed, "Seattle, WA the land of Tom Douglas? You're so lucky!" This makes me so happy for a variety of reasons.
First, I love that Seattle is becoming well known for having great food. Tom Douglas is often described as the chef who put Seattle on the culinary map, and his numerous restaurants around the Seattle area are some of my favorites. Second, as anyone who has ever met Tom or heard him on the local radio shows will tell you, he's a great guy. 
Connected cars of the future with AT&T – and a Wi-Fi device for the rest of us
By Tyler, editor and reviewer
I’m going to date myself here, but I remember when the coolest new thing in car technology was automatic windows. Now cars are just a series of connected computers that have built in screens and navigation, satellite radios, safety features to protect you from dangers you can’t even see, and cameras everywhere. It makes logical sense that the next step would be making these integrated computers connected so you could have Wi-Fi on the road, and that’s definitely the way things are headed.
Last week we checked out the latest and greatest in car tech as AT&T’s guest to the Seattle Auto show and what stands out the most is the connected car of the future. We got to take a spin in the 2016 Volvo XC90 and got to experience the awesomeness of a connected car firsthand. I’ve always been a Volvo fan, and this new model definitely did not disappoint. 
With a modern stylish exterior, gorgeous interior, comfortable seats and excellent visibilty, I was immediately impressed. Then after driving it and being surprised with the power delivery from the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder that runs on regular unleaded, and seeing how well all the connected features work, I decided I absolutely need to see about getting some extra time behind the wheel. 
Dress up with official NFL kid’s costume sets from Franklin Sports
Are you sick of the Halloween costumes made to last one night before they get abandoned? In my house, we won't even consider a costume unless we are sure the kids will use it for dress up even well after the pumpkins have been tossed. This means no cheapie costumes that will rip and fall apart after one use, we need stuff that is kid tough and made to be played in. 
So, this year we're going with something we know the kids will wear every Friday and Sunday during football season as we cheer on the Seahawks, the Franklin Sports official NFL deluxe helmet with uniform. Definitely not a one night use item, these make for a fun-filled Halloween and a festive football season.
Designed for game day as well as costume parties, we've already gotten good use out of our set and we've only had it a few days. Clearly, this is one costume that is definitely not going to be buried in the dress up bin or tossed after one night. 
The set comes with a play helmet that looks just like the real thing, a team jersey, pants and iron-on number kit so you can customize with your favorite player's number. And, whether the kids wear it all together as it was intended or they mix and match so they can wear the jersey to school for Blue Friday, or the helmet with whatever Seahawks clothing they have in their closets, you can bet it's going to be a hit.
Seattle: Teatro ZinZanni’s new family show Lighter Than Air rocks
Have you passed by the Teatro ZinZanni historical spiegeltent on Mercer Street in Seattle and wondered what on earth went on beyond those brightly colored walls? 
Now is the perfect chance to check it out with the whole family with Teatro ZinZanni’s new family show, Lighter Than Air. Featuring Seattle’s own kiddie rock band, Recess Monkey, this new show has something for everyone. 
As soon as you enter the lobby, you know you are in for a treat. The lush lobby of Teatro ZinZanni is full of color and excitement, just begging kids to dress up, relax, play pretend, and even grab a snack from the old fashioned snack bar before the show. 
And, then you step inside the gorgeous theater – a lofted tent filled with booths, chairs, and for this show, a “mosh pit” where kids can enjoy the show while they dance.
Let girls build with Roominate Studio DIY designing kits
Have you taken a stroll down the pink side of the toys stores lately? Slowly but surely, the days when all girls have to play with is dolls and princesses are coming to an end. Recently, there has been a huge shift in girls’ toys, and the result is really awesome.
As the revolution takes place in toy stores everywhere, we are now seeing products specifically marketed towards girls offer so much more substance than ever before. Thanks in part to companies like Roominate, girls are now hearing a message that they should have been hearing all along: girls can build and design, too. 
The story behind Roominate begins with two women, Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen, who met and became friends in the master’s engineering program at Stanford. When they got to talking about why they had pursued engineering, they both said they were inspired by the toys they played with during childhood. While looking at current toy offerings for girls and boys, they saw huge gaps in toys marketed towards the different genders.
Together they set about to change it by creating a product that was not just pink and pretty, but also had a basis in STEM subjects {Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math}. And, with that, the idea behind Roominate was born. 
H2O at Home for a chemical-free whole house clean
Looking to go chemical-free with your household cleaners? Look no further than H2O at Home for a chemical-free whole house clean
5 minutes until dinner with the Black + Decker 5 Minute Pizza Oven & Snack Maker
Like most kids, my kids would eat pizza every day if I let them. Since the term “pizza” is so incredibly ambiguous, I typically make them a “pizza” variation of sorts every few weeks. Sometimes we make our own dough for crust, sometimes we use wheat pitas, English muffins, or pre-made crusts, and occasionally we get a frozen pizza as a treat. And, as varied as the crusts are, the toppings are even more so and they can change depending on our moods or what we have to get rid of in the fridge. Basically, as long as you call it pizza, it will get eaten.
For us, a pizza oven actually makes a lot of sense because it allows us to take pizza to a whole new level. As soon as I saw the Black+Decker 5 Minute Pizza Oven & Snack Maker, I was already sold. I could take something that was already easy to make and make it even easier. 5 minutes to bake a fresh or frozen 12" pizza easy. That’s about the length of time I typically spend looking for matching shoes each morning. So, to make dinner in 5 minutes? Amazing, I tell you.
Think Portrait Innovations for family pictures this fall
Did you read my post last month about our awesome photo sitting at Portrait Innovations and have been meaning to make an appointment? Do it now, seriously. Trust me when I say that the holidays will sneak up on you and before you know it you will be ordering holiday cards wondering why you don't have one single picture of your family with everyone smiling {nicely} at the camera with their eyes open. I know this because that was me last year, and the year before, and the year before…
But not this year, because I thought ahead and scheduled a fall sitting at Portrait Innovations that gave me lots of pictures to choose from when it comes time to order holiday gifts, prints to frame, and finally, holiday cards. 
The family photo shoot was easy, it was professional, but most of all it was actually fun. Yeah, I said fun. With three kids under 7 you rarely hear the words "fun" and "photo shoot" in the same sentence, but it was surprisingly enjoyable and the pictures really speak for themselves about what kind of shoot it was.
One whole hand big – happy 5th birthday to my sweet boy!
5 years. FIVE YEARS. How on earth is my baby boy FIVE? I remember announcing his birth on this site like it was last week, and I remember thinking that the baby stage would last forever. Two in diapers will do that to you. 
But, now I know better. I know that even the most stubborn kids are potty trained eventually, and the diaper stage is over quicker than you know it. Even the "I do it myself" stage doesn't last forever and soon you find yourself needing to use Google for all their questions because even you don't know all the answers to the things they think up. 
And, just like that, five years goes by in a blur. Even though I'm very much back in the baby stage with my youngest, I know better now than to wish time would pass quickly. 