Muffin Tin Baked Eggs Muffin Tin Baked Eggs. Easy and fast breakfast recipe! Make these yummy and filling breakfast egg cups for the whole family in less than 30 minutes. If you are having brunch or...
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Here are 50+ Mother’s Day gift ideas you can make, bake, and say I Love You with!
Mother’s Day will be here in a jiffy and if you’re looking for the perfect gift, one that says you care enough to put a little time, effort, and a lotta love into, then these gift ideas will be right up your alley.
Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, grandmas, aunts, sisters, and friends!
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This past December marked my husband’s and my 12th wedding anniversary and we wanted to do something fun without blowing the bank on an extravagant vacation. We were looking for a cool city we hadn’t been to before that we could easily visit in a weekend—a quick trip that felt exciting and new. After browsing a few options, Seattle stood out, like the city on the Puget Sound was calling.
My main frame of reference for the city came from the Saturday afternoons I’d spent as a 12-year-old watching Sleepless in Seattle on my grandma’s sofa. The city and I deserved a real life encounter and I’ll admit, I found myself looking for Tom Hanks in every Starbucks we passed there. After three days, I’d fallen fast for this city with spiring high-rises juxtaposed against haunting waterfront and the spine of the Olympic mountains resting in the background. Seattle is nature in the front and urban in the back and it’s an amazing place to visit. When the fog rolls in off the water in the morning and vendors toss fresh fish from gloved hand to gloved hand at Pike Place Market, you realize just how special this city is.
From restaurants to art to unique attractions, Seattle, Washington is a bucket list city and here are just a few of the cool things you can see and do there.
1. Pike Place MarketThe iconic Pike Place Market is a labyrinth of shops and eateries that will take you on a scavenger hunt of the senses. You’ll go up stairs and down stairs, around twists and turns as you allow yourself to get lost in the bustle and vitality of this gritty, charming outdoor market. 
We entered Pike Place Market on intentional empty stomachs with the plan to try anything and everything in our path. (*Tip: bring plenty of cash!) That path led first to fresh sushi, laid out like artwork and rolled right in front of our eyes. Next we walked a few paces and passed a man churning out homemade donuts dipped in cinnamon and sugar and had to say yes.
As we walked along, weaving inside and outside, wandering upstairs and downstairs, we passed subway artists sketching bowls of fruit and turning people into caricatures. At one booth I had to stop and pick up fresh bars of lavender soap and dip my hand into a barrel of dried lavender granules. The smells in Pike Place Market are constantly surprising—one moment you walk by fresh floral bouquets and the next, crab and fresh fish laying on beds of ice, their scales still shining. 
Pike Place Market is also home of the infamous gum wall, the original Starbucks, and Pike Place Chowder (named America’s #1 chowder). 
I tasted the most incredible chocolate dipped cheesecake bite that I’ve had in my life at a little hole in the wall called The Confectional. It’s the cheesecake I now compare every other cheesecake to. 
You simply can’t go to Seattle without visiting the Space Needle. It’s like going to grandma’s house and not staying for the meatloaf. Built in 1962, the Space Needle was an architectural phenomenon and has lived to become the symbol of Seattle.
The Space Needle is 605 feet tall and admission inside gets you an unforgettable (and safely harrowing) glass elevator ride 520 feet to the top where you will get breathtaking views of the city.
Seattle Center is a 74-acre art and cultural center built originally for the 1962 World’s Fair. Today it houses the Space Needle, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor’s Center, Chuhily Garden and Glass (an exotically colored garden made of blown glass), restaurants, a skate park, and much, much more. 
It’s a great place to spend an afternoon.
One of the best ways to see a city, in my opinion, is to walk, bike, or moped it. Rather than catch an Uber, we walked the majority of the city that was in reasonable walking distance. And Seattle has so many cool things to see that you would quickly pass by on via car.
Get some exercise and visit Pioneer Square (Seattle’s original downtown where you can take cool underground tours of the city’s first buildings), Belltown district (4th and Blanchard) and the giant popsicle sculpture, and many of Seattle’s top attractions.
(P.S. We visited Seattle in December and the weather was fair and in the low 50s.)
You’ve heard fables about the troll under the bridge when you were a child, but Seattle actually does have a troll living under its Aurora bridge. The Fremont troll is a commanding stone sculpture with an eery, shiny hubcap for an eye. The hubcap comes from the Volkswagen Beetle the troll is crushing under his left hand. And yep, it’s an actual VW Beetle. 
The sculpture was built in 1990 and you are welcome to pose with the Fremont troll as long as you are respectful to him and his belongings.
One of my favorite things to do on vacation is eat, especially when there are so many unique eateries and local cuisines. My number one rule on vacation: never eat at a chain restaurant. We relied on Yelp and local recommendations to choose from the many eats and sweets in Seattle, and there are a ton!
Some of our favorites were right there in Pike Place Market. For authentic West Coast chowder, Pike Place Chowder tops the list on both Trip Advisor and Yelp. 
You can also check out favorites in Downtown Seattle, Belltown, and Chinatown-International District. To satisfy your sweet tooth, check out Seattle’s local donut destinations. 
If you’re looking for something free to do in Seattle, the Olympic Sculpture Park is an excellent option. It’s an extension of the Seattle Art Museum and is open to the public. This free park is only a mile from the waterfront and makes for a great stroll.
Seattle has two major professional teams with venues right in the heart of city.
Grab some peanuts and cracker jacks and catch a Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field or vie for insanely coveted Seattle Seahawks tickets at CenturyLink Field.
My husband and I took in a Jay-Z concert at Key Arena right in the heart of Seattle and central to Seattle’s exciting night life.
This one we did not get to, but it’s at the top of my list for next time. The quintessential Seattle trip always includes a ferry ride across the glassy Puget Sound. You can take a Washington State Ferry across the sound to nearby Bainbridge Island where trailheads and mountain picnics await.
When you’re atop the Space Needle, looking down on the Seattle city skyline, you’ll notice Seattle’s Great Wheel, a giant Ferris wheel that’s 175 feet tall with climate controlled and enclosed gondolas. It’s great for a romantic spin or a memorable ride with the kids.
Visiting Seattle was a breath of fresh ocean air from a city that’s on the cusp of nature and metropolis. And although we didn’t get to even half of the things there are to do, that’s just more the reason to go back.
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Summer reading for kids is important. Not only does it keep their mind active, but it’s important to keep their reading skills up through the whole summer. The summer slump for literary comprehension and speed is real! When my kids go back to school in the fall, their first reading test looks more like a tiny dip than a crash and burn. Because of their scores, teachers often ask me how my kids kept their reading going through the summer. Now I’m passing this tip onto you: let kids read for leisure. This means letting them read their favorite genre as well as books that are “easy”.
Here’s our 2018 summer reading list for kids! Plus some fun ideas for gamification, including free printables, below:
Do you ever see a child flip through a book? Many of them are looking for something specific: a map, the page length, how big the words are, or illustrations. For kids who are drawn to books with illustrations, here are some of our favorites >>
Within the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, consider The Long Haul because it takes place in the summer, or The Getaway because it’s the newest addition to the series.
For animal lovers, pick up one of the many Puppy Place books!
There are several great options for middle grade (aka: chapter books for kids 10+) with a smattering of pictures. The Afterlife Academy is a spooky, suspenseful story without getting gory or too scary. Another great option is Wild Robot. This book is not only a fun read, but it landed on some “battle of the books” lists as well. I’m hoping Peter Brown always has illustrations in his books, being the award-winning illustrator he is.
Also, when looking for summer reading for kids, don’t discount picture books. Check out the Caldecott honors and winners from this year and last year. That’s a great place to start. (Note: Caldecott is for illustration and will include YA books. Though unusual for Caldecott books to target 13+ year old kids, it does happen. So scan picture books for “teenage” content before handing it off to your child.)
Fantasy books are great for summer escapism. This middle grade book is my kids’ top recommendation for early elementary schoolers who need to rack up the word-count (aka: no pictures). Almost Super is perfect for children who like fantasy and humor, but might be intimidated by densely filled pages.
Bonus! If your kiddo likes fantasy, be sure to check out our long list of fantasy favorites for kids under 13 {here}.
More and more, we’re seeing a mash-up of graphic novel elements with blocks of text. If your child likes this style, point it out to your local librarian and find out what other books they have in this layout style (there’s more and more all the time!). You might be wondering if this type of story format is good for reluctant readers. YES! I cannot emphasize enough that this is a fantastic writing style for reluctant readers — all. year. long.
Here’s more information on the pictured books (above).
Frankie Pickle is a series of books where the main character gets lost in his imagination. Some of the books in the series address “being a good team player” or even math.
Big Nate is a humorous book featuring fictional children, often in school or social settings. This is printed in black and white.
Dragon Breath is a series of eleven books (so far). These books feature a lizard and a dragon, and include light, simple colors on many spreads.
Graphic novels are more popular than ever. They’ve come a long way since the early comic book days and now have oodles of options for all ages. Here are a few your kids might enjoy >>
Mermin (first in the series) is a story about friendship. Find out what happens to the mysterious Mermin when he emerges from the Ocean! This graphic novel has bright, full-color on all pages.
Chi’s Sweet Home is one of my niece’s favorite graphic novel series. Told with sparse text, simple graphics, and muted colors, these novels are perfect for the youngest readers. While the author/illustrator is a respected Japanese manga artist, she’s also sensitive to her young audience and creates appropriate content accordingly.
Dog Man (#3 in the series of 4) is the latest in this very popular series. This book features bold, jewel-tone colors on every spread.
Nnewts is a dark, adventure fantasy. In this graphic novel, the Nnewts are attacked by their long-time nemesis’, the Lizzarks. The story follows several characters [who mostly die], but the primary protagonist is a young Nnewt (who escapes!). Amulet is another dark, graphic novel fantasy, however these graphic novels differ in that Nnewts has imaginary creatures, while Amulet features human characters. I’ve selected two page spreads in the video below so you can see if it might be too scary for your kids. (My kids thought Amulet was too scary, but for some reason Nnewts didn’t frighten them.)
For a non-fiction book with top-notch graphics and interesting facts, here are our two recommendations:
The 50 States consists of a two-page spread on every state, including an artistic map, historical facts, famous people born in the state, and major cities.
If your kiddo loves facts about the earth, water, and how humans interact with both, the book Under Water, Under Earth, is a worthy investment. The level-of-awesome cannot be shared with the mere cover. So I’ll just say that all my kids fought over this book, wanting to explore all the fantastic graphics and facts on the over-sized pages. Did I mention how fabulous this book is?!
Among the many wonderful middle grade chapter books. Here are three we recommend >>
Dead End is a humorous, historical fiction novel based on one childhood summer of the Newbery Award winning author. When my dad visited, he read this to my kids a few nights and was cry-laughing!
We’re currently reading (and loving) Wizard for Hire. This middle grade is perfect for kids 9 – 14, or a family read-out-loud. As you would expect from Skye, this contemporary fantasy is highly imaginative.
Rithamatist is an upper middle grade (aka: all the way through high school) fantasy. Brandon Sanderson was contracted to write a completely different book, but came up with this book he liked better instead!
Bonus books for older teens: Check out this list of “teen must reads” list {here}. With a wide range of genres, you’re sure to find something your adolescent will love.
Did you know How Does She has a summer reading chart? It’s perfect for motivating your kids to read over the school break. Find instructions on how to use and download {here}. If you’re already on our newsletter, but you’re like me and have NO idea where your chart is, there’s instructions for you, too (scroll toward the bottom of the article).
And if you want the adorable s’mores printable created by my awesome illustrator friend, Keith Frawley, then click {here}.
Put together an awesome “welcome to summer” bin with books, games, art work, or other items. When your kids walk in the door after their last day of school, have your activity bin all ready to go. For tons of ideas for filling a “summer box” see this super popular article on “non digital” activities.
Do you have the perfect summer read to share? We’d love to hear from you! Type a favorite kid’s book in the comments below. Give us a snippet about the book or why you recommend it! Or if you have great way to motivate kids to get their reading minutes, share that, too. Sharing ideas is what we’re all about!
Nicolette shares her tips on keeping sane during the summer months. I also do a schedule. However, Nicolette has a different spin that I like by having a daily “fun activity” as a reward for doing the less-fun stuff each day. My kids are required to do reading minutes and school worksheets every day in the summer, but Nicolette’s kids practice piano and other things. So slot in whatever activity you want your kids to accomplish into the schedule and away you go!
One of our most popular articles shares over 30 non-digital activities for kids. Rotate these into your summer schedule to keep your kids entertained and off their electronic devices. Plus this article lists more books perfect for summer!
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UTV plowing deep snow How much snow can a UTV push? Let's see if it can plow 8" of heavy wet snow on long runs over a gravel drive...
