Creative Living, Old School play and Beating the Winter Blues are this week's links from around the web

How to lead a creative life

Little Hats, Big Hearts

Old School play is best for kids

Brooks Running Gift Guide

Beating the Winter Blues

Girl's Weekend in PDX

A weekend or so ago, I packed up the girls and headed to Portland. We were finally cashing in our present to Scott last Christmas - a weekend at home alone. All Scott ever asks for is some time in his home alone and all the girls and I ever want is an adventure! This present was ideal as we all got what we wanted. 

Thursday afternoon after school, the girls and I hit the road to Portland. I fully expected the trip to take approximately 4 hours with a break for food. Instead it took us 6.5 hours with a much needed break for dinner and the bathroom. Three of those long hours were spent just getting out of Seattle. It was pure traffic insanity. Luckily the girls were engrossed in their kindle fire tablets and were thrilled to watch hours and hours of Moana. 

When we finally arrived in Portland, we were thrilled to arrive at the Kimpton RiverPlace where one of the best rooms we've ever stayed in was waiting for us. The girls were enamored to find a hotel cart and loved having the valet wheel them about. They were also over the moon for the bunkbeds in our suite even if they did end up sleeping with me. The  Kimpton RiverPlace offers free tents and "campfires" for kids and I made sure our room had those amenities upon check-in. 

The next morning, we headed to Pine State Biscuit Co. for breakfast and then explored the Rose Gardens near Washington Park. The girls were so in love with our room they asked to go back to the room to rest after our morning explorations. 

I was able to convince them to leave the room for ice cream. I had one of Salt and Straw's special Thanksgiving flavors - Sweet Potato Casserole which was AMAZING! The kids had strawberry and chocolate. Their usual flavors. 

We also got the chance to meet up with Scott's cousin! The girls always love seeing him and I'm glad we were able to make it happen. 

Afterwards I found a playground for the girls and they ran around until I got cold and made them leave. We moved to a different hotel for the night and after a long exhaustive search for a kid friendly dinner, ended up eating in the hotel room. Maggie said that was the favorite part of the trip for her. Ha! 

The next morning we headed to Playdate PDX so the girls could run and run. They played for almost three hours and I was able to knit most of the time. It was a winning situation for all of us. We then hit up Blue Star Donuts and Ikea before heading home. It took us almost an hour to get out of the IKEA parking lot which made me question trying to save some sales tax. Luckily the rest of the drive home was easy-peasy. The girls were excited to head home to see their Dad and I was ready for a break! I do love that I've been able to take the girls on a solo trip at least once a year. It's a fun little tradition for us that I see growing as they grow. 

Projects & Printables for Holiday Breaks!

Last week, Molly was off school and I found myself utterly unprepared to have her home all day long. She's gone back to school today for three weeks but then has a long two week holiday from school. 

This time, I plan to be prepared with projects to keep her entertained. While on Pinterest (a Mom's best friend!), I checked out the Goldfish Pinterest Page packed full of fun games and printables. There are so many fun ones that we've actually started having fun with them over the Thanksgiving holiday!

We made snack time a learning experience with a Goldfish counting game. I set out these printables and a bag of Goldfish. Maggie is pretty serious about counting to 6 so this was a perfect game for her. I changed Molly's to be multiples of 5 since she is currently working on counting by 5's.

I also grabbed some Goldfish Colors and had the girls sort their fish by color with this fun printable. I'm kinda addicted to the Goldfish Colors which are baked with real cheese and no artificial flavors or preservatives. It's a snack I feel good giving the girls but let's be honest, I feel good eating them too. 

I was really excited to find this sight word game since Molly is working really hard on her sight words. We had a fun time calling out words and chomping on Goldfish Colors as we played. She's getting so good at her words and is starting to read a few easy books. My favorite thing is how she carries around a notebook and pen to practice writing words. It warms my heart. 

Head on over to the Goldfish Pinterest Page to find your own #GoldfishMoments!

Christmas Traditions: Advent Calendar Activities - The 2017 Edition!

For the past few years, I've created an Advent Calendar full of activities for the girls. This year is no exception and I'm really excited to celebrate the season with the girls. They are really getting into it now that they are older. This year, I wish for the girls to cry when they meet Santa, squeal with excitement at the Gingerbread Houses and end the season with delightful memories of the Advent Season. 

Saturday, November 25 - Decorate for Christmas 
Sunday, November 26 - Attend the Pacific Northwest Ballet Nutcracker 

Monday, November 27- Make a Paper Garland for the Tree 

Tuesday, November 28 - Visit Swansons Nursery to see the Reindeer 

Wednesday, November 29 - Write a letter to Santa Claus

Thursday, November 30 - Make Christmas Cards for the Teachers

Friday, December 1- Collect Gifts for a Giving Tree

Saturday, December 2- Visit Santa Claus at University Village 

Sunday, December 3 - Drive Candy Cane Lane to look at Christmas lights

Monday, December 4 - Play Gingerbread Factory with Homemade Play dough 

Tuesday, December 5 - Make Christmas Cards for Grandparents

Wednesday, December 6 - Make Christmas Treats for the neighbors

Thursday, December 7- Drink Hot Cocoa at a coffee shop 

Friday, December 8 - Walk Olympic Manor and check out the Christmas Lights

Saturday, December 9 - Do the Greenlake Pathway of Lights

Sunday, December 10 - Celebrate Grandpa Burgess on his birthday by visiting his niche

Monday, December 11 - Listen to a reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas

Tuesday, December 12 - Collect food to donate to the food bank

Wednesday, December 13 - Sing Christmas Carols

Thursday, December 14 - Visit Diagon Alley in Ballard

Friday, December 15 -  Make a Gingerbread House

Saturday, December 16 - Watch the Christmas Ships at Golden Gardens 

Sunday, December 17 - Go Ice Skating at Winterfest

Monday, December 18 - Visit Snowflake Lane in Bellevue

Tuesday, December 19 - Celebrate my birthday and take pictures of the Christmas Tree! 

Wednesday, December 20 - Do the WildLights at the Zoo!

Thursday, December 21 - Celebrate Maggie’s Birthday and Visit the Gingerbread Village 

Friday, December 22 - Watch a Christmas Movie and eat Popcorn

Saturday, December 23 - Buy Christmas Cookies for Santa at Larsen's Bakery
Sunday, December 24 - Christmas Eve Church Service

Week in Review 11.25.17

This was a week filled with celebrations and family gatherings. Molly turned 6. We hosted Thanksgiving and there was so much time spent with family. It was a fun week and I am really looking forward to a week of normalcy next week!

Exercise

I got in 5 workouts this week-  two boot camp classes, a barre3 class, one City Cycle class and a Slow Flow Yoga Class. Then I took 4 days off of working out and it was great! I'm searching for a new yoga class and I really liked the one I took. The only problem is it is late at night but that might be good since Scott can get home in time for me to get to the class. 

Food

Food was the name of the game this week. I spent most of Wednesday and Thursday cooking with the entire meal consumed in less than 20 minutes on Thursday. This actually felt like one of my easier Thanksgivings. I've been doing this for a few years and have my action plan down pat. It helps that I have it written down and just go step-by-step. Each year I make tweaks to the plan and adapt the menu just a bit. This year I added Paula Deen's Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese (I leave out the eggs and add an extra can of cheese soup) and it was delicious! 

Friday was also Molly's birthday and I've already made a chocolate cake for her actual birthday and vanilla cupcakes for her birthday party. Tomorrow I'll make more cupcakes for her school celebration. I'll admit to being a little baked out! I, however, am quite pleased with how Molly's cake turned out. I was inspired by a friend and blatantly copied her work. 

The Girls

Molly turned 6 this week and I honestly can not believe she is so old! Molly was home from school this week which made me realize that I need to plan better for her breaks. She drove me nuts. I drove her nuts and it didn't work very well. I'm planning ahead to Christmas break! I'm planning to have all my work turned in and just take the time off to enjoy with Molly and Maggie. 

I met a friend at The Dane and brought the girls along. I am in love with this coffee shop. We all got some food and after eating, the girls played with the toys while my friend and I talked for awhile. It was quite perfect. My only complaint is that I wish it was a little bit closer so I could walk. 

Other Goings On

We put up the Christmas tree on Friday. Molly really wanted to decorate for Christmas and I have to say this was the easiest year ever because I delegated. Scott and the girls set up the tree. I helped with the lights and then the girls put up the ornaments. I don't care that it is not perfect because it is full of love! 

Stories Published

• Seattle Refined: The best workout to get in shape for ski season (yes, there are special moves to do)
• Seattle Refined: It's time to start döstädning (aka Swedish Death Cleaning)

72 Months (6 years) with Molly Pop!

Dear Molly,

Today you are 6 years old and I want to know where the time has gone. They are serious when they say, "the days are long but the years are short." I could have sworn it was just a few months ago that you were a tiny baby who depended on me for everything. Now you confidently march down the street to see if the neighbors are home and beg for me to let you walk to school alone (not yet, lady!).  You've also lost so many teeth this year. You are seriously a bit of a Jack-o-Lantern.

I haven't written one of these letters in a very long time but I'm glad to be doing so now. You started kindergarten this year and are just thriving. You really do dislike the early start and getting you out of bed is such a struggle but once you are at school, your eyes light up and you are in heaven! You also started Girl Scouts and are a Daisy. You ask me almost every day if it is a Girl Scout day and even though Wednesdays are long with swimming, you love it. You are also in ballet again at Level 1 and really working hard. You say it tires you out. You also got a kitten this year. His name is Lewis and he is such a wild guy.

You are not quite reading yet but oh you are so close. We practice your sight words and you practice reading books with us. We fill in the words you don't know and you read the words you do know. You love counting to 100 as we walk places. You also learned to ride a two-wheel bike this summer and were so proud of your accomplishment. It's so awesome watching you grow and learn.

We've done a lot of traveling this year - we went to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons along with visiting San Jose, CA, the San Juan Islands, Long Beach, Spokane, Portland and going to Disneyland. You LOVED Disneyland and really want to go back. Your favorite thing to do is stay in hotels, play on the luggage carts and swim in the hotel pools.

Your birthday party is tomorrow and you were so clear on what you wanted - a Moana Pool Party at the local pool. You told me what to order and who to invite. I'm looking forward to the fun!

This year you'll grow more self-sufficient but I do love it when you ask for cuddle time with me. Hopefully you'll always ask and I'll always give them to you. It's so much fun being your Mom and watching you grow. Happy Birthday Molly-Pop!

xoxo,

Mom (and Dad and Maggie)

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your blessings be grand and your hearts full today. I'm busy cooking up a storm in the kitchen and running around cleaning for our guests. I'm grateful for another fabulous year with my family and for all the opportunities I've had. May you have a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

Week in Review 11.18.17

The girls and I started the week in Portland and had a grand time! I'll be sharing those adventures soon. It was another busy week with lots and lots of illness. I had a head cold and the girls got some stomach virus which was brutal. In between I was in major prep mode and today I'm in major cleaning mode. Lots to do! 

Exercise

I got in 4 workouts this week-  two boot camp classes and two barre3 classes. I feel like I was making up for not moving at all last week! It felt really good to get out there and move. I'm also thinking about my ClassPass and trying to decide if I want to keep that up or just buy barre3 passes. I feel like ClassPass helps me mix up my workouts which is a good thing. I need to make some decisions! Also paying for 5 classes a month means that I use them all where as a pass has a longer expiration period. 

Food

My Imperfect Produce order came and I laughed so hard when I opened it. I didn't realize that I had ordered so many oranges and apples! They were all great though. Use this referral link to try out Imperfect Produce - https://www.imperfectproduce.com/register.php?referral=221092 and get $10 off your first order. 

I've been in Thanksgiving Planning mode this week and made my monthly trip to Costco. I was able to snag a great turkey for a great price and stocked up on cranberries and other Thanksgiving necessities. I pre-ordered my groceries from Amazon Fresh and am ready to get cooking. 

I made Bon Appetit's Winter Squash Carbonara for lunch today and it was so good! I would have saved it for dinner but my family doesn't love squash in the same way I do. MORE FOR ME THEN! 

The Girls

It was a week of sick for the girls around here. Maggie was felled on Wednesday while the sickness came for Molly on Thursday night. Molly's teacher said 7 kids were out on Thursday. It is going around. Unfortunately while some parents can handle vomit, I can not which led to me standing on the side of the road throwing up while Molly threw up. It was a super classy scene! I hope people didn't think I was drunk or something! 

Scott volunteered at Molly's school on Monday and she was so excited. He said he really liked seeing what her day was like and was amazed at how packed full it was. She loved having her Dad with her at lunch and throughout her day. 

Other Goings On

I visited the flooring store to pick up materials for our basement remodel this week and really connected with the sales guy. I felt like he understood our plans for the basement and what our ultimate desires were. I also connected with the contractor and had a really good chat with him. I'm feeling good about this. I'm not feeling good about my progress on cleaning out the basement. The guest room area did receive some major clearing out this week so I guess there is progress. Just not at the rate I need there to be progress. 

I also painted the kitchen this past week. I realized Thanksgiving was coming and I needed the boxes of kitchen stuff back in their proper locations. I did most of the work on Sunday and then have spent the rest of the week trying to paint the back door but kids + sickness have gotten in my way. 

Stories Published

• Seattle Refined: The best places to see The Nutcracker in Seattle
• Seattle Refined: 8 great gifts for Seattle hostesses
• Seattle Refined: Award-winning food blogger (known for her chocolate chip cookies) sets up shop in Ballard
• Seattle's Child: The November issue came out and I wrote both the SHOP and the ROMP sections.