Paradise Valley Conservation Area

One of the places on my summer bucket list was the Paradise Valley Conversation Area. Paradise Valley is a  793 acre conservation area located fairly close to Woodinville, off the 522.  I'm not sure where I read about it, but it was some article about good hikes/walks with kids. My mom and I took the kids and the double stroller along the Mainline Trail, and had no problem navigating it. There were several small offshoots from the main trail that we didn't venture on because we weren't sure if we could take the stroller on it.

The mainline trail is open to mountain biking, foot traffic, as well as horses, so I imagine it might be busy on the weekend. My mom and I saw one other group of hikers, otherwise we didn't see anyone/anything else. It was a beautiful walk through dense old growth woods. There is a great spot called the clearing which is exactly what it sounds like.. a grassy clearing with some benches. We stopped and had a snack and enjoyed listening to the bird sounds all around us. We saw a couple bunnies, but no other wildlife.

We only walked about a mile down the mainline trail, but there is so much more to explore here. There are over 13 miles of trails! I always want to send my hubby back on his mountain bike.. seems like tons of possibilities!

I would definitely recommend this place for an easy way to feel in the middle of no where. My kids always love our nature adventures.

Edmonds... My favorite spot in the nw.. So far

if I had to tally up the number of times I've been to Edmonds since moving to the nw it would be in the hundreds. We have seen some seriously incredible places , but my heart always comes back to loving Edmonds the most.



There are endless things to do , but ill highlight a few of my favorites.

Beaches. There are lots of places to set up camp on the beach in edmonds. We circulate between three different spots. For the convenience and ease, we often hang out at brackett's landing , which is to the right of the ferry when looking at it. Brackett's is easy because you can park and get to the beach in literally feet. There is also a decent bathroom with flushing toilets. It's perfect for train watching and also a great spot for low tide beach combing. It's dangerously close to waterfront coffee shop, which we frequent on chilly days for a spot to warm up.

We also like marina beach if the kids are in the mood for a playground. Otherwise, I usually skip this spot because kids and port-a-potties doesn't mix, and it takes a bit of gear hauling to get down to the beach. It's also usually windier there too. One highlight of marina beach is walking to the bridge and watching the boats get lifted out of dry storage and into the water.

                                          

The third beach we like is directly to the left of the ferry. We love the actual beach here the most. It is almost always clear of sea weed, and it is always less crowded. There are bathrooms right inside the ferry dock. From here a fun quick adventure is to walk the pier and see what people have caught.

For additional Edmonds fun I would highly recommend the farmers market on Saturdays during the summer. We have been to several markets and this one is by far our favorite. Cold pressed cider, mini donuts, Deborah's pies, the garlic sauce place, and the flower stalls are our facorite stops. There is sometimes a vintage fire truck the kids can play on. We usually make our rounds in the morning, then head down to the beach afterward.

There are some fun shops on Main st. Most are more enjoyable without kids. The toy shop has lots of fun things, but is overpriced, so I usually get some ideas and make notes for later. I also enjoy browsing at the Papery and the kitchen store.

Another favorite Edmonds adventure is walking on to the ferry. Little kids are free, and adults only have to pay one way, so it's a super affordable day trip. If you find yourself in Kingston, I would highly recommend the crepe shop and Mora ice cream.

Ben and I love to go to Edmonds for date night. Our favorite restaurant hands down is Epulo. On the pricey side, but everything we have had there has been absolutely amazing. We also like Demetris and revelation yogurt. There is a gelato shop that is decent.. really cute atmosphere, but not the best gelato we have had. Our friends/neighbors also just opened a new bottle shop that would be a fun date night spot. It's in the old antique mall and they have a great open air patio. They allow you to bring food in, and they also have cream soda for non beer drinkers.

                              

A kid friendly eating spot is the outside area of Anthony's. They have a great kids menu, and there is a sandbox right in the eating area so your kids can eat before and after dinner while you take in the incredible views and have actual conversation!

We also like to go down on the boat docks below Anthony's and look for star fish and other sea life.

So there you have it.. some insider tips to my favorite place. You can't help but fall totally in love with this place.

                               

Camping with little ones

In June, Ben and I took the kids camping for the first time. We've done cabin/yurt camping since the kids were little, but this was the first time at in actual campground, inside a tent.. all together. I was really nervous for the sleeping part. Our kids don't share a room and Maddie is used to sleeping in the total dark. That ended up being the easiest part of the whole trip! I think the kids were so tired after all the activities, that when it came time to sleep, they both crashed regardless of who was in the room.

The part that I was not expecting was how much work it took to prep, cook, and clean up from the meals. I did a lot of work beforehand measuring ingredients, chopping things, etc. but it was still quite a bit of work. Ben thinks my meals were ambitious for camping, but I'm not sure what I would have done differently. We decided it's best for us to camp with friends at this point to keep our kids entertained and to split up the cooking!

I found a great blog off pinterest with detailed packing lists. I went off of her lists for the majority of the packing. I'm happy to report that there wasn't anything we missed (besides diaper cream) while on the road.

In addition to the lists on the other blog, I also packed a bunch of fun toys for the kids. Here's what I brought:

 glow sticks- we never actually made it to see the night sky, but the kids still like playing with these at dusk. 

Water guns/balloons- the campground we stayed at had a water spigot, so we did some cool off water fights. 

Scavenger hunt - I found a printable bingo chart off of pinterest. The kids loved exploring and collecting. 

Puffy paint for rocks - we didn't end up doing this, but for older kids, I would totally recommend this activity. When I was growing up, painting rocks was by far my favorite thing to do!

Balls- lots of places to play catch and toss

Sand toys- Our campground had a beach that was walkable, so sand shovels and buckets were a must!

Chalk - the camp road was not busy at all, so the kids would draw while we were trying to get dinner ready. 

Binoculars - I bought these off amazon and they are great! Fun for playing i-spy

                                            

For food these were are meals: 

Breakfast 

Cocoa 

Muffins http://allrecipes.com/recipe/to-die-for-blueberry-muffins/

bacon

Pancakes and sausage http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/classic-buttermilk-pancakes.aspx

Cereal/oatmeal

Bagels

Lunch

Chips, sandwiches /wraps, carrots , fruit 

Quesadillas

Mac & cheese  

Dinner

Tacos 

Hot dogs corn on cob 

Pizza (pizza was probably our most ambitious meal. We took the dutch oven and cooked it over the fire. It actually turned out!) 

Snacks

Popcorn

Energy balls http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/

Trail mix 

Applesauce cups

Freeze milk and water bottles to save room in the ice chest

Cheerios

Fruit leathers

Bars

Dried fruit

Campfire cones. We did this instead of smores. Colter doesn't like the mess of smores, so we gave him his uncooked and he LOVED it. http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2012/05/campfire-cones.html?m=1

So yes, camping was fun. .. especially for our 4 year old. I would totally take him again.. with friends  :) 

Richmond Beach Saltwater Park

Richmond Beach Saltwater Park is probably my favorite waterfront view. I love starting out at the top of the hill and taking in the vastness of the sound. As you make your way down the hill, there are several different small parking lots depending on what activities you want to partake in. There is a a beautiful flat grassy area at the top that would be great for a scenic picnic. Another parking lot near the top can be used to access the playground, which is right in the middle of the hill (you can also park in the bottom lot to access the playground as well).

On our trips to the beach, we usually park all the way at the bottom. There is a bridge that takes you over top the train tracks, which is thrilling for any age. Once across the bridge, the beach is just a short distance. I appreciate that this beach has a ramp, rather than a bunch of stairs like many other nearby beaches.

                      

There is a large covered picnic area, as well as bathrooms right on the beach. My kids like digging in the sandy area close to the picnic area. The actual beach is fairly rocky and a great spot for low tide exploration.

Visit Richmond Beach today! You'll be back again..

Boeing Creek Park

My sister is on a quest to visit every park in Shoreline, so this one was her recommendation and it was awesome. We parked right on 175th St and ate a picnic lunch among the tall pines. There is great space for the kids to roam while others finish eating.

There are several well marked trail options. If you're looking for a quick trip, try the pond loop trail.. only .27 miles. We took the pond loop trail to the hidden lake trail, which connected us to the boeing creek trail. Most of this trail was stroller friendly until we came to the drop down to the stone river crossing. If you had two people, you could possibly carry the stroller down, but I would highly recommend a baby carrier for this one. The stone creek crossing is a perfect stopping point. I would have loved to stay here longer and explore. We threw some rocks and enjoyed the cool water.

This trail/experience is very doable. I would feel comfortable taking my two kids by myself. Everything felt so quiet and clean.

Visit this place soon! There are so many more trails we didn't discover.. i'm sure many more gems!

Here's a trail map to get an idea of where we went. You can see the stone crossing on the map.

http://cosweb.ci.shoreline.wa.us/uploads/attachments/par/webparks/boeingcreektrailmap.pdf

My summer bucket list

**Post disclaimer: I don't want this post to create any pinterest type guilt.. that you should be doing more , etc.  I love planning and being out of the house and being active. My kids are at a really ideal age for being out and about, and they both love to do new things. However, I remember not that long ago when my "adventures" would simply consist of surviving the day. My bucket list might have included grocery store shopping or getting dressed. I remember the first year my sister and I started coming up with a list, her kids were 2 and 4, and they were able to go and do lots of things, while I had a baby and felt super tied to the house for naps. SO, if you have kids who have a hard time leaving, or maybe you like being at home, or maybe you have difficult age kids to get out, don't dismay.. i've been there!

One of my favorite things to do with my sister is make our summer bucket list. It's so fun to dream of sunny, warm days ahead ripe of adventure. We don't always accomplish everything on our list, but it's fun to be ambitious. Without further adieu, here is my list for summer 2015.

Water fight with Heavilands & Wornicks

Touch a truck event 5/31 @ Magnuson Park 

Bowling spin alley

Seafair Blue Angels Practice at Mt. Baker Beach

Magnolia Seafair Parade 8/1 10:30am

Karaoke in Cromwell Park (Tuesday nights in July)

Jetty Island

Woodlands park in Kirkland 

Picnic at Gasworks park to watch seaplanes, then molly moons for dessert

Eat on the pink door rooftop on a sunny day 

Explore paradise valley conservation area in woodinville 

Make homemade Popsicles

Host 2 summer fun days 

Eat on the patio of elemental wood fired pizza 

Bike the iron horse tunnel trail 

Walk around gold creek pond 

Visit Bellingham and go on the lake whatcom train ride 

Key arena fountain on a hot day 

Pick a summer science experiment http://fun-a-day.com/summer-science-experiments-for-kids/

Camp in the living room 

Pick an outdoor art project http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2014/04/15-outdoor-art-projects-kids.html

Zoo for new tiger exhibit

A farmer's market

Berry picking

Kids in Edmonds 4th of July parade

Greenlake wading pool and Zeek's pizza

Alki Beach

I had an early doctor appointment today so the kids and I were downtown by 8 in the morning. After the appointment, I decided to take the kids for an adventure to Alki Beach. Man I love that place.

We started the morning by trying out a new park, called Whale Tail Park. It is conveniently located a block from the beach, and has a very fitting beach theme. The playground had a boat, digging area with lots of different machines, two different swinging areas, a whale tail, and a play area that looks like a light house.

The kids had a blast playing "rescues", going back and forth between the boat and lighthouse to save the whale.

After playing for a long time, we walked over to the beach.  I love the nice fine sand on Alki. The kids and I dug tunnels, filled up buckets with water, admired all the ferry boats passing by, visited the statue of liberty, and collected sea shells.

After all the playing, we worked up quite the appetite. What better place to feast than Slices. I love their patio and the ease of quickly ordering a piece of pizza. There are so many other places to eat at in that area.. spuds, pegasus, blue moon burgers, etc.

We tried to visit the lighthouse, but discovered it is a private residence and only open during touring hours, which seems to be mostly on the weekends from 1-4.

If you're feeling super adventurous, try renting a surrey or cruiser from Wheel Fun Rental, right on the beach. We rented a surrey in the past, and it was an awesome family event. I didn't risk it without the peddling power of the hubby, but the kids were begging to come back and try it.

Kayu Kayu Ak Park.. aka the train park

If you ever find yourself down in Richmond Beach. a stop at the train park is a must! This tucked away, relatively empty park is one of our favorite parks in Seattle.

There are so many fun components.. a flat sidewalk loop for bike riding, a platform for train viewing, swings, a fun playground, picnic tables, and endless blackberries during the summer.

My sister has had almost all of my nieces birthday parties at this park. There isn't a covered pavilion, but she has borrowed a picnic tent, and every year we have had the entire park practically to ourselves.

My sister made this awesome video several years ago which really shows some of the amazing features. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEvl9Js4wVo

Richmond Beach Fire Safety Center

The Richmond Beach Fire Safety Center is one of my favorite local finds yet.  The safety center is located in a vintage firehouse and offers an educational field trip opportunity for 15 kids or less, ages 3-5. The field trip group can just be a group of friends . The educator, Melanie, is so warm and easy to work with.

There are two rooms at the safety center. The main space has a kids sized fire pole, many firefighter dress up suits, a diplo blocks tablue, coloring station, and much to the kids delight, a real fire truck that can be played in.

The second room is completely filled with toy fire engines.. There has to be at least 50 different trucks. There are also several play firehouses, phones to practice dialing 911, and several large studded animals. I have been with kids as young as two, and they all loved it. For kids around 4, they show an educational and catchy video on fire safety.

                                       

I can't recommend this resource enough. You can visit their website to contact melanie for your own field trip . Your kids will likely leave begging to come back . Like their Facebook page to keep informed about open play days as well! http://www.shorelinefire.com/news_events/safety_center.htm

Whidbey Island Adventure

Welcome to my new blog! I have loved taking my kids on adventures since they were itty bitty. There is something so exciting about exploring a new place. I hope that this blog encourages people to get out and explore

Whidbey Island is a perfect quick day trip from our house. After a 20 minute ferry ride from Mukilteo, you're transported to a whole different pace of life. You can't help but notice the fields of rolling green hills, tall trees, and overall slow pace. I've explored many different areas of the island and love everything the island offers.

Our first objective was to stop at a random bagel shop I had eaten at several years earlier. I've been dreaming about these bagels ever since, so I was quite disappointed when I learned they were not open on Sundays. If you find yourself on the island during the week, please do yourself a favor and stop at Kiichli's Bagel Bakery in Clinton. You will thank me later. 

Our next stop was the town of Langley, which is an area I had never been to. The main point of our stop was to visit the Laburnum arch at Bayview Farm & Garden. I saw a picture of the incredible arch on pinterest, and wanted to make a point to see it this year while it was in bloom. Bayview doesn't open until 9, so we made a quick stop at Seawall Park after driving through the super cute downtown (I would definitely like to check out some of the breakfast places someday!)  It happened to be low tide, so we saw all kinds of interesting things. My mom thought to flip over a rock, and much to our surprise TONS of little crabs scurried out from underneath. It was such a fun discovery.

Our next stop was the Bayview Farm and Garden Store. I have never experienced a nursery like this one. Every single plant was in perfect condition, and there was so much variety. I appreciated the features they had to keep kids interested. They had roosters, lots of fun chairs and benches to sit in, and a supersized chess board. The laburnum arch was an incredible feature. It typically blooms around mother's day, and lasts for a couple of weeks. 

I would highly recommend making a stop at the flower house cafe, located on the nursery grounds. My mom claims it was the best mocha she has ever had, and I can also vouch for the chai tea. 

After our stop at Bayview, we went to Fort Casey for a quick trip up the lighthouse (open seasonally), and into the bunkers. Fort Casey could easily be explored for a whole day. 

We ended our day of adventure at the Knead and Feed in Coupville. This is a MUST stop on any trip to Whidbey. They have a small bakery with amazing pie and cinnamon rolls on street level, but you can also walk down a set of stairs and enjoy the sit down restaurant, with fairly standard dine

r food. We got our food to go, and ate a sunny picnic at a table right outside the restaurant. The stairs from the restaurant continue all the way to the beach, where we enjoyed more low tide exploration, including watching a bald eagle having a tasty snack.  

After our tasty lunch, we walked down the long pier to the end and checked out the huge sea animal skeletons hanging from the ceiling. On a past trip, we got a hot drink from Local Grown, which is at th end of the pier, and really enjoyed it. 

That concludes are wonderful day trip to Whidbey. 

Other recommendations: 

Ebey's Landing. A great rocky beach, as well as a short hike up the bluff for outstanding views. http://www.nps.gov/ebla/planyourvisit/index.htm

Greenbank Farm. We only bought a pie from here, but it looked like a great place to explore. http://greenbankfarm.biz/