The Lundby DIY doll’s house experience
You may remember my last two posts about the amazing Lundby doll house that my daughter received for Christmas, but what you don't know is how we've officially become obsessed with all things Lundby.
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!
The Joovy Scooterx2 made Disneyland the happiest place on Earth
When packing for Disneyland this month, there was one thing I was really stressed about. Not clothes or shoes or something else we could buy once we got there, what I was mostly worried about was how we would get around with kids. Planes, cars, buses, taxis, trams and more are great for traveling to Disneyland, but what would we do with three kiddos once we got to the park? 
Side note: No, we didn't steal a baby. We were watching a friend's son during the conference and needed something that would be versatile enough for our older two, but also could be used for the little guy when we had him alone without his stroller.
And, even with our two, we’re still very much in the naps stage {or, at the very least, rest and downtime} during the day. With a schedule that had us out from early morning until well after midnight, we knew that a stroller could easily make or break our trip. Whatever stroller we brought would need to be versatile enough to go all day long and comfortable enough for them to sleep in when necessary, but it would also have to be easy enough to push and maneuver for hubby’s and my sake.
We knew we would be pushing a Joovy double stroller, but then the question was whether we go with the super Qool new double {see what I did there?} or if we wanted a more traditional side-by-side. 
Pictured: Joovy Caboose Vary Light, Joovy Scooterx2 and Joovy Qool
Got seasonal allergies? Get Visine-A for allergy relief
Just when you start celebrating that the end of winter is finally here, you are reminded all over again that spring comes with its own downfalls. No, I’m not talking about rain, which Seattle has seen more than its share of. I’m talking about allergies that come along with blooming flowers, growing grass, and all the dust and dander the kids and pets bring indoors after an afternoon of playing outside.
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.
Spin into Spring with TwirlyGirl dresses and skirts {with coupon code}
My daughter will only wear dresses. Not shorts, not pants, not even skirts most days. All she wants is dresses. She’s clearly a little fashionista, but even with her eye for fashion, she won’t compromise with clothing that is uncomfortable and isn’t fun and girly. So, of course she fell in love with TwirlyGirl when she saw they carried cute dresses for girls like these, which just so happened to speak to her fashion side as well as her inner dancer. 
When I was growing up, my sister and I had a special spot in our closet where we kept dresses that were “spinny” {AKA cut so that they flare out when you spin}. Those dresses were the ones we returned to over and over again and I can still vividly remember the details in both dresses. Sadly, we only ever owned two of these dresses as spinny dresses are hard to come by. Apparently, boring and flat is the norm for clothing.
But, once I saw TwirlyGirl, I realized I was looking at what I would have designed back when I was a girl, you know, if I was any good at designing. Oh, what we would have given to have a dress from TwirlyGirl, a company designed to make cute dresses for girls that would put all of our spinny dresses to shame.
Seattle getaway: Tulips in Skagit Valley Washington
Every year we go see the tulips with the kids, and every year I am suprised by how much they still love it. We’ve gotten our route down perfectly to avoid traffic {and no, sorry, I’m not telling you our secret}, we pack just enough snacks and hand sanitizer, we wear big rubber boots for the inevitable mud, and we plan for fun stops on the way home.
Here’s a few pictures of our trip up to Tulip Town this past weekend: 
Where we were: Tips for Disneyland with young kids
This past week I got to do something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little girl. I got to go to Disneyland. 
Having never been to Disneyland before*, I knew I didn’t want to wait for the perfect Disneyland age with my own children and possibly miss the window of opportunity. I wanted to take my kids early and then try and get them back again once they were older and, presumably, more fun.
So, I began to save money. I socked away my year-end bonus, I hoarded birthday and Christmas money, and I started, literally, saving my pennies. The plan was that we could go as a family in July this year after BlogHer, and although it was going to be tricky timing-wise, crazy hot, and super crowded, we were going to get to Disneyland. Somehow, some way.
Budget-friendly grocery shopping with kids at Grocery Outlet
A few years ago I realized that saving money on groceries was going to be an integral part of our financial plan. Eating out, dropping $150/week on food, and impulse buys at the store were going to have to be a thing of the past. Either that, or I would need to shop at different stores than I had previously frequented.
I started noticing many friends sharing their couponing successes online and started clipping myself, but some weeks I simply did not have time to fully plan for each shopping trip. And, then I noticed that a friend of mine was posting shopping success stories without ever clipping a coupon.
Her secret? Our local Grocery Outlet store that she swears by for great deals and steals. What surprised me most wasn’t the low prices she paid, but the quality of the food she was buying. I’ve always known her as someone who was the picture of health – organic preferences, homemade whenever possible, and foods with as little ingredients as possible, so I was shocked to find out that she got nearly all her groceries there each week.
Cherishing the small moments with Gymboree
In some ways, parenting is exactly the way I thought it would be, but in some ways I can’t believe how different it is than I imagined. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the never-ending to-do lists and the days that fly by, and sometimes I look at my kids and wonder how on Earth I have a five year old and a three year old. Nothing could have prepared me for how quickly my babies would grow into full-fledged kids and how much I would reminisce about days gone by.