Ultimate fall festival survival guide {with 13 must-haves}

Fall Festival Survival Guide

Throughout the years, I’ve been to dozens and dozens of outdoor festivals and concerts. I’ve written in the past about all the amazing concerts Seattle has to offer. But, of all the seasons, fall festivals are my absolute favorite. Summer festivals are fun because everyone is out of school and you are pretty much guaranteed … Read more

American Girl for everyone

American Girl for everyoneMy oldest fell in love with American Girl when she was only 1 year old, so we’ve been American Girl crazy for years and years now. But, that love is even stronger now that we officially have a doll for everyone, thanks to the newest American Girl contemporary dolls. American Girl dollsLike most families, we start with the Bitty Baby line and then we ease in slowly to the American Girl Wellie Wisher, BeForever, Truly Me, and Contemporary lines. That transition is always a big deal when they go from baby to adolescent and with that comes doll books, movies, accessories, and more to immerse them further into the world of American Girl. 

But, until this month, there was nowhere for my son to go after he outgrew his Bitty Baby boy {which thankfully hasn’t happened yet}. I dreaded the day my son would be done with babies and his love of American Girl would slowly fade while his sisters continued to play. I don’t need to worry about that anymore, because his love has only deepened with the introduction of Tenney Grant and Logan Everett.

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10+ tips for car trips with kids

10 tips for car trips with kidsDo you have some long car trips coming up for the summer? Like most people, I will be spending quite a bit of time in my car over the next few weeks as we visit relatives, see the sights, and vacation with friends in the area, and I’m already planning ahead for the road trips with three young kiddos.

To me, road trips are a great way to bond and see the sights both near and far in ways you just can't on an airplane, and I love taking a good road trip {or three} each summer. But, because of limited space and cramped conditions, they can also be a delicate balance of having what you need with fun things to do, without packing your vehicle from top to bottom. The picture below shows a precarious suitcase tower that includes what 5 people need for a snowshoe, ski, sun, and swim trip and even with the bigger car, and all of this stuff really pushed the limits of what is manageable for a road trip.

 Outlander 2017 luggage

Here are a few tips for awesome car trips with kids:

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Celebrate the power of play with the Gymboree Hop ‘N’ Roll collection

Sponsored postI know play time for children is vital as it helps them learn about the world around them in ways I can’t teach them in a book, so I always make play time a priority. From unstructured playtime to working together to create a talent show, a fairy garden, or a circus, we fill our days with as much play as we possibly can. PLaying in Gymboree clothingSo, I was a little taken aback the other day when I told my kids I wanted them to wear play clothes if they were going to be out digging in our backyard and they both looked at me like I was crazy. “Do you mean dress up clothes?” my daughter asked. Clearly, they aren’t of my generation where we had two categories of clothing: play clothes and fancy. Gymboree playdateTo my kids, everything is play clothes, even if they really shouldn’t be. We’re talking fancy holiday dresses year-round at the beach and white button-up shirts and dresses while gardening. After looking through their closets it became really clear that they could both use some new “play clothes” for summer that would allow them to swing on monkey bars, skip rope, and do all the other things kids should be doing all day without worrying about restrictive clothing getting in the way.

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Philips Avent for peace of mind – from baby to toddler

Sponsored postby Sarah, editor and reviewerPhilips Avent right tools for your childIt's true that parenting changes your life in ways you never imagined. But, what I have found is that having the right tools for your child's specific needs can make the difference in whether or not you're a stress case or if you're a more laid back parent.

Take lack of sleep for example.

It's a well known peril of parenthood that one must learn to function with significantly less sleep than the pre-baby days. In the early stages, I was up every 1-3 hours with my hungry newborns. But when my youngest started sleeping through the night, we got rid of our faulty baby monitor {that would randomly lose connection and cause me immense stress} and started leaving our bedroom door open to hear her.

And that's when I became a night time worrier. What if I didn't hear her all the way down the hall? What if I slept through her crying when she awoke sick, scared, or in need of a diaper change? I found myself getting up in the wee hours of the morning to check on her.

As you can imagine, it had been a long time since I had experienced a full night's rest. But, this all changed when we started using the Philips AVENT DECT audio baby monitor Philips Avent DECT baby monitor

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Send them back to school on the right note with SOL REPUBLIC {DECK wireless speaker review}

Sponsored post Back to school with SOLAre you in the thick of back to school planning like I am? There are clothes to buy, glue sticks to stock up on, and there are goodbyes to plan for, because back to school is sneaking up on us quickly.

But, what if your baby isn’t quite a baby anymore and those days of construction paper and pencil cases are well behind you? For you, back to school shopping requires some creativity in order to send your child off to school on the right foot. 

Sure, you need the latest sneakers and some updated clothing, but what I think is more important than that is what your child will be listening to. Sending them back to school with a good pair of headphones, earbuds, or even a portable speaker can make those early mornings, bus stop waits, and late nights studying a whole lot more enjoyable if you have your music with you. SOL REPUBLIC DECK speaker at park

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Bumbershoot? {August 30 – September 1 2104 at Seattle Center}

Yes, Bumbershoot. Not the often mispronounced “Bumpershoot”, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t mean anything at all. We’re talking Bumbershoot, as in the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival that takes place at the end of every summer in Seattle. Bumbershoot logoThis weekend thousands of music and art lovers will descend upon the Seattle Center in the shadow of the Space Needle for concerts, comedy shows, and so much more. It’s this variety that truly sets Bumbershoot apart from other festivals, and that keeps us coming back year after year. 

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ROCK a mini Jambox from AT&T this Spring

Sponsored post basic disclosure
Unlike most households that keep the TV on during family time, our family bonds over music. And, our dance parties have been pretty epic t
hese past few months thanks to this little bad boy.

The Mini JamBox at AT&T

AT&T sent us the MINI JAMBOX from Jawbone for Valentine's Day and since then it has gotten a ton of use all throughout our house, and even on the road with us. At a mere 6.61in x 1.65in x 5.43in and just over 9oz, the aluminum body Mini Jambox is small enough to fit in your pocket, purse or briefcase, but powerful enough that it can create full and beautiful sound wherever you go.

With spring break vacations happening for many of you this week, I bet you'd love to have one of these little speakers to make anywhere a dance party, right?

Mini Jambox red

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