There's something a little magical about seeing holiday decorations when you travel, isn't there? I just loved this Easter table in the lobby of the Balmoral Hotel in Scotland.
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If you travel over the holidays, it can be tricky to find activities on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. One trick we've learned is to look for zoos, ice rinks, movie theaters, ski slopes, and of course public parks.
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I spent most of this week helping my mom clean out her office. As a small reward, look what I found!
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Hope you are getting outside and enjoying the best of our summer weather!
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We've been working on doing more hiking with our kids this summer. It's not always easy, but the kids are starting to enjoy it, even when they're tired (or maybe they just enjoy the snacks I bring along).
What tips do you have for hiking with kids ...
Happy first day of summer! I hope you and your kids are savoring every moment!
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We're always sort of nervous when we take the kids to a historical or cultural museum. True, there have been some sticky moments, but more often they surprise us by finding something they're interested in, as they did in this picture taken at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center ...
There's something special about taking your own kids to do something that was magical for you as a child. For me, the opportunity to be up high, sailing through the sky on the Astro Orbiter, is a hazy childhood memory, so it has been fun to revisit this ride ...
There's no doubt that Disneyland can be magical for its youngest visitors, but the large scale can sometimes be overwhelming too. That's why we always try to seek out a few spots where the kids can feel like they're having an experience that's all their own ...
When we're staying at an upscale hotel, walking back from the pool to our room always feels to me like a minor bit of disorderly conduct. Not to the kids though, refreshed and recharged they can't wait to get back into their daytime clothes and see more of ...
I'm not quite sure how I found a free hand to take this shot, but here's another first for the baby book - Eilan's first in-air diaper change. Yes, it was as awkward as it looks, but we both survived.
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We visited the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh with the purpose of learning a bit about Scottish history before heading into the highlands, a hard sell with two kids in tow. What a warm welcome we got from this sculpture, made entirely of balloons which was made recently by ...
I find the process of hustling everyone through the airport and getting them into their seats stressful (really, it's the hardest part of every trip for me). Sometimes it helps for me to take a good look at what the kids are up to and realize that they are ...
The queen visits for three weeks in the summertime, and the other royals use it as they wish, but we were glad they weren't there this April because it gave us a chance to explore.
I would have never guessed it, but my kids have discovered history on the ...
They never make the list of top attractions in a city (and in fact, the model train museum in this picture is now defunct) but train museums and model train clubs can be great places to stop in for a visit during a busy travel day. There's something about ...
It's a common refrain of professional guidebook authors that there is "nothing for kids to do" in Rome. Don't tell that to Everest, he wore himself out each day (though not so much as to want a timely nap).
It's true that there are no playgrounds in ...
I'll never know whether my kids find the Great Court at the British Museum as uplifting as I do, but what I do know is that it was the perfect place to take them for a walk, or a snack whenever they got tired of visiting the fascinating collections ...
You never know what your kids will be into at the time of your trip, and with small kids, it's usually the details. On our trip to Istanbul, Everest had an obsession with rain gutters - on eaves and streets, and was fascinated to watch how the water flowed through ...
I never thought of myself as someone who would have their own business, let alone get my kids involved in it, so it's strange to find that DeliciousBaby has in some ways become our family business. Luckily the hours aren't too grueling, though I'll admit that the ...
The playground sandboxes that were ubiquitous in my childhood aren't as common here in Seattle, and in dreary weather they aren't much fun to play in. So, even though it makes me feel like a bad parent to acknowledge it, Eilan didn't have a recent memory of ...
Do you collect signs when you travel? I'm always on the lookout for something amusing or culturally relevant, so I just loved this sign at the Honolulu airport. In Hawaiian lore, Menehune are small people who built ancient Hawaiian temples, roads, canoes and houses.
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One of the best performances we saw last year was a live piece at the annual Children's Film Festival at the Northwest Film Forum in Seattle. Don't you just wish you where there so you could find out what was inside that package? This year's film festival ...
It's strange to see iconic items from your own lifetime in a history museum, but I'll admit that I was excited to see this Toe Truck, which used to be a local landmark, resurface at the new Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) in Seattle
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It's tempting to pull out an iphone while you're waiting for a meal to arrive, but I'm a big fan of finding ways to stay busy without one. Here's 3yo Eilan practicing his engineering skills with some creamer containers!
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With the new year, I'm always inspired to make a list of the places I most want to visit. Where are you dreaming of exploring this year?
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Could there be anything better than a huge playground in the middle of a snow covered village? I hope you're getting your fair share of snow and fun while the kids are on winter break!
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Wherever you are headed this holiday season, I hope your travels are twice as peaceful and involve half as much ink!
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This is a shot from our summer trip to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, WA this summer, but somehow it seems seasonally appropriate now. Do you ever visit the zoo in wintertime?
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It's snowing like crazy in the mountains this week, so I know our first family ski trip of the year is just around the corner! What about you, have you been skiing yet this year?
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We're pretty scrappy when it comes to travel toys, but sometimes I'm surprised at what we discover. On our Thanksgiving vacation, dixie cups were the thing of the moment with the kids building towers, castles and pyramids and then laughing hysterically as they knocked them all down.
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Is it just me, or do you collect pizza places when you travel too?
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I must have read 30 books as a kid that featured a pioneer mama washing her clothes with a washboard, but I'd never tried my hand at it until we visited the High Desert Museum in Oregon. This picture was taken about 2 minutes before Eilan removed his own ...
We live in the city, so a trip to a pumpkin patch to choose the bestest most roundest pumpkin is an annual adventure requiring (apparently) rain boots and your pinkest polkadot pj bottoms.
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Fall has really and truly arrived in Seattle, and my family took a short road trip to Suncadia Resort last weekend to enjoy the fall colors. The kids loved being out and about in the mountain air, and so did I!
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This time of year my email is filled with news about the latest travel-related gifts and travel toys, so it's helpful for me to remind myself that all the kids really need is a good stick, some water, and permission to get themselves dirty or wet.
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There's something about being on a road trip that makes me crave food I'd never consider at home. Sadly the burgers at Mrs Beesley's weren't quite as good as I had hoped, but I can still feel that sense of anticipation when I look at this ...
It's starting to feel like fall outside. We haven't quite given up our summer activities, but the weather is a bit cooler and I'm savoring every moment outdoors before the rain begins. This shot of Kayakers on Seattle's Lake Union captures that feeling for me perfectly ...
My kids are just loving the structure and camaraderie that comes with being back to school, but apparently I'm still pining away for summer and can't stop looking at the pictures. Could anything be more wonderful or summery than eating a big pink cupcake in your swimsuit?
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Have you ever noticed how some images bring back a moment in time, a feeling of being in that place, and even a memory of the smells and sounds? This image, as grainy as it is, does that for me. The kids and I spent last week in Sunriver, Oregon ...
At the end of every summer, the kids and I spend a week exploring bits and pieces of the Seattle area that we haven't seen before in an effort to capture those last rays of sunshine and freedom. I suppose it's still trendy to call that a "Staycation ...
Lest we forget what it means for the *entire* family to be together on an important occasion. . . including the kids.
Happy one year anniversary Sheila and Jason!
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I'm heading down to San Francisco today for my dad's memorial service (my parents lived in the Bay Area since 1978 and had moved up to Seattle for my father's cancer treatment just recently, so it makes sense to celebrate his life with his close friends and ...
I've been unwinding in the evenings by watching the Olympics, have you? All the London scenery brings back fond memories of our last trip to London. It was an unplanned trip, we were stranded by an ash cloud for 10 days, but instead of pining away for home we ...
It looks urban and otherworldly at the same time. Who can tell me where Everest is running in this picture?
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It's one of my favorite road trip hacks - the Pet Shop Pit Stop. They're open early, and close late. Almost every town has one, and the kids get a chance to stretch their legs and look at something interesting without pestering me to buy a thing.
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I'm a total food snob at home, but I'll admit - I love everything about road trip food!
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Last Wednesday was one of those epic days. It was the last day of school, with Darya's Pre-K graduation, a ton for me to do during the day, and a rush from the schoolyard to the airport to catch our evening flight to Orange County for the Cars Land ...
I must have 50 photos of my kids on or next to the big "piggy bank" that stands in front of Seattle's Pike Place Market. Here are a few of my favorites.
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This is a spot in Seattle's Northend that I just love. And it's a not-so-secret front for something other than space travel. Who can tell me what this really is?
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I can't resist posting just one more picture of Zambia's landscape - this time from above.
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