A Morning with Alpacas

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A Morning with Alpacas

Fact: Alpacas are not llamas.

They are similar indeed, but not the same. Differences between the two animals include the face, size, ears, hair, and even personality. But don’t go envisioning Emperor Kuzco when you head to Firwood Farms. Well, okay, to me they looked about the same, but I’m not a llama and alpaca expert.

A main difference between them is their hair actually. Alpacas have a much finer fiber than the llamas hence the loveliness of alpacas made clothes and accessories.

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A Sledding Day with Kids

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A Sledding Day with Kids

My son was convinced that it would snow on Christmas. He kept going on about it even after I explained many times that it was likely not going to snow since we didn’t live in an area where it snowed often. Luckily he was too preoccupied with gifts on Christmas to worry about it not snowing. But, the desire for snow still persisted.

With my younger son having just turned two, I figured this year could be the year we went out for a snow and sledding adventure. So we geared up to head to the mountains this winter.

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A Covid Restricted Birthday Party

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A Covid Restricted Birthday Party

While we aren’t in complete lockdown like we were in spring 2020, we are still very limited in what we can and cannot do for birthdays. My heart goes out to all the kids that had to cancel big birthday plans or skip a party because of the lockdown. As a parent, it is tough to see your kids disappointed and you also want to celebrate their birthdays and shower them with joy (eh hem, it was a big day for you when they were born, too!). We are all doing what we can to create fun and joy for our little ones.

My son has been talking about his birthday ever the day after his last birthday at Odyssey 1. The whole year he was saying his birthday would be after the coronavirus. Gosh, I wish that had been true! His birthday was on January 2nd, and we ended having to account for covid restrictions in our plans.

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2020 Christmas Bucket List

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2020 Christmas Bucket List

Yup, it’s the holiday season and while it’s not exactly the same as past years, there is still plenty to be jolly about and to do to bring in the holiday spirits. We’ve been busy as a family doing all the holiday things. If you’re looking for ideas, here’s my Christmas bucket list. We may not do everything, but it’s nice to have on hand when you’re wanting to do something holiday to-do!

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[Guest Post] Brr, It's Cold: Indoor Activities for House-Bound Kids

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[Guest Post] Brr, It's Cold: Indoor Activities for House-Bound Kids

Well, we’ve already seen some rainy days here this October, and we all know that this is just the beginning. Eeek, the rainy season is upon us and many of our normal energy release places are still closed. I know rain doesn’t mean outside is out-of-the-question, but there will be a lot more time spent indoors. To help with some indoor ideas, Carrie from The Spencers Adventures is here as a guest to share some ideas!

Here’s a bit about Carrie:

Carrie Spencer created The Spencers Adventures to share her family’s homesteading adventures. On the site, she shares tips on living self-sufficiently, fruit and vegetable gardening, parenting, conservation, and more. Their goal to live as self-sufficiently and environmentally-consciously as possible.

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Saving Halloween: Celebrate 2020 Style

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Saving Halloween: Celebrate 2020 Style

My son has been asking about Halloween for months. Kids just love Halloween. Dressing up, getting candy, play games…it’s a kid’s dream. Unfortunately, this year’s Halloween is going to look a bit different. Many of our traditions are going to be canceled or not recommended because of COVID-19 (here’s a ranking of activity safety and here’s an article about not canceling Halloween…just remember you do you and what you’re comfortable with). However, that’s not going to stop us from celebrating….we’ll just have to be creative and come up with some ideas.

Here’s a list of a few things to celebrate Halloween this year. I like to think of Halloween as celebrated throughout the month with the big celebration on the actual day of Halloween (like dressing up, games, etc).

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Review Time: National Geographic Crystal Growing Kit

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Review Time: National Geographic Crystal Growing Kit

My son, Caleb, is 4.5 years old and his latest interest has been in rocks and gems. He found this triangle-shaped rock at the beach and was so excited because he found a gem rock. Do you know what a gem rock is? I only just learned of these magical rocks. They give you three powers; the power of strength, the power of speed, and the power of knowledge. The most awesome thing about it, he really believes it.

Given this newfound power (and love) for rocks and gems, I started to search for ways to promote his rock and gem interest. I was browsing Amazon and came across the National Geographic Mega Crystal Growing Lab kit, and knew this would be a hit. I added it to Caleb’s Amazon “wishlist” until a good reason popped up to purchase it. The lucky kid didn’t have to wait long because the grandparents saw me add it and sent it at as “just because” gift. Aren’t grandparents great?

I thought I’d give you the rundown on this kit experience to help in case you’re wondering if you’d like to get it for your kid(s). I always love a good insider view of a toy or activity. So pretend I’m your mom-friend and we’re trying to chat over our kids playing in the background and let me share my experience.

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Park Love: Kandle Park

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Park Love: Kandle Park

Wow, it’s been a long time since I did a park review. I’m not sure why. Parks are our thing. It’s what we do…all the time. What should we do? Hmm, let me think…go to a park! Most of the parks we go to are Tacoma Metro Parks and they re-opened a few weeks ago. Yay! But with precautions, of course. If you check their website, it lists the following precautions: “Capacity is limited to 5 users at a time. Face coverings required unless able to maintain a distance of at least six feet from others outside your household.”

In our experience so far, the playgrounds have been pretty empty. I’ve also found they are less crowded the earlier you go. Mid-day is prime park time, so you might try to avoid going at that time if you can.

But let’s just talk about playgrounds and parks and not coronavirus stuff. Cool? So, Kandle Park is one of the larger parks near our house, and we enjoy our visits there. I shared it on my Instagram stories a few weeks ago, and some folks didn’t recognize it, which sparked me to write this post. Let’s talk about Kandle Park, shall we?

(Psst: and if you’re digging this park post, you might visit my Puget Park and Tot Lot posts.)

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Five Things to do in Tacoma Right Now

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Five Things to do in Tacoma Right Now

I think I say the same thing to my husband every night: Can you believe this is still happening? I’m so tired of it all! How are you holding up?

Yup, we’re still trudging through this whole COVID-19 thing. It’s weird to think back to the beginning of the year and how things have changed and we’ve adapted. I started out with a burst of energy and ideas. Every day we had morning learning time, we took walks sometimes twice a day around the neighborhood, maybe a bike ride, and endless with magnatile creations.

Now, it’s summer so we only do learning time a couple of times a week (Caleb can put up such a fuss sometimes!), we take walks but often at different places, and we’ve moved onto DUPLOS. It’s the same, but not the same. Ahh, the ebb and flow of life during COVID.

Lately, more things have opened up allowing us to do a few more things…with caution, of course. Mainly, we are sticking to outdoor activities.

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2020 Summer Bucket List

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2020 Summer Bucket List

Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about bucket lists. Are they like New Years Resolutions? We all know how resolutions go — you are all gun-ho on it for like two weeks and then peter out. However, I like to look at bucket lists as just some ideas on what to do when you’re standing in the kitchen thinking (or, freaking out because the kids are running wild in circles and it’s only 8 am), “what the heck should we do today?!?”

Now, there is one problem: I’m a completionist. The type of person who commits, for better or worse, to the “I AM GOING TO FINISH IT” motto. You give me a list, I’m going to check all those boxes. I have to be careful with these bucket lists. I already made a promise to myself that I will not freak out if not all the boxes are checked. Repeat. I will not freak out if I don’t check all the boxes. Good pep-talk.

Now to the summer bucket list. While summer officially started June 21st on the calendar, we all know summer officially starts the day after July 4th in the Pacific Northwest. The sun is out consistently and the rain stops. We actually have to turn on sprinklers to keep the grass green. So that’s why I waited on my list until this week. I also tried to make it “stay at home” and “socially distant” acceptable. And here’s the list:

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A Walk Downtown: Tacoma's Plywood Mural Art

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A Walk Downtown: Tacoma's Plywood Mural Art

How are you doing? Hanging in there? These are strange times, right?

All sorts of emotions here - feeling a bit trapped, tired, and optimistic about some return normalcy in the near future…and then back to being frustrated and pessimistic. Ha! One of my least favorite parts of all this is the ambiguity of it all - nobody seems to know how what and when.

However, we’re all in this together and I feel lucky we have a strong community here in Tacoma. One thing that was encouraging lately was all the murals in downtown Tacoma.

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My Ultimate TV Binge List

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My Ultimate TV Binge List

Guys, this is what we do at night after the boys are asleep: watch shows or movie. Usually it’s TV shows since having kids we can never finish a movie in one evening, and now we seem to enjoys shows/series more than movies. Do you do the same? Well, with the coronavirus and quarantine maybe you are watching more at home. And if you’re like us, you run into what we call “show holes.” So when you finish a series and you have to find something new to watch. It can be challenging to find something (especially if you really liked what you were watching and miss the characters and storyline and nothing seems to stand up to it). Anyway, I’m here for you. I’ve racked my brain to remember all the TV shows I’ve ever watched (as an adult) and made a list of my favorites. So get ready for this, there are a lot of them. I hope you find something enjoyable to watch. (Oh, and I tried to categories them as best I could, but some would really fall under a couple categories sometimes.)

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Learning at Home during the Coronavirus

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Learning at Home during the Coronavirus

What day is it? How many weeks have we been quarantined at home? When will school start again…if ever this year? This has been rough…are you with me?

Luckily, both my boys are still rather young, so school is more about socialization and learning is more through play, asking questions, doing experiments…basically happening all day. However, spending time on some age-appropriate topics each day helps the day move along is beneficial for my son as it provides some structure, focuses him, and exercises his mind and creativity on other ways. My focus right now is numbers, the alphabet, and learning to spell and write his name. I’ve been using a couple of resources to come up with fun ways for him to learn. First, I use groups on Facebook like 253 Parents Get Resourceful and Too Cool for School. Then there are two awesome Instagram accounts: Busy Toddler and Happy Tot Shelf.

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Simple Science Experiments for Young Kids

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Simple Science Experiments for Young Kids

My 4-year-old son is obsessed with experiments and our isolation indoors has only increased this obsession. His favorite experiments involve water. Generally, he wants to freeze little things (like the tiny animals and insect figurines) in his science test tubes and then melt it. Better yet, add color tablets we have to color his bath water to change the water’s color of his experiment. I guess there could be worse obsessions, but I’m constantly drying the floor, tables, chairs, etc. Water everywhere!

Honestly, I love that he’s so interested in experiments and I want to encourage it. I try to come up with simple experiments for us to do together. The experiments need to have rather immediate results because he’s four-years-old and needs instant gratification. And simple so that I don’t have to go to a special store to get supplies, and better yet, I already have them all at home. I’ve gathered a few good ones and thought I’d share so you have some fun ideas in your back-pocket during all the social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Coronavirus: Keeping Busy at Home

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Coronavirus: Keeping Busy at Home

I imagine you’re at home right now like me trying to figure out what the heck to do to keep your kids busy since school is closed (and everything else we do is closed like the zoo, YMCA, Children’s Museum, etc). UGH! I feel so much anxiety about what I’m going to do to keep my little guys entertained and learning. And social media is overwhelming me. In fact, I almost feel more anxious after going online - it’s like all this information is being tossed out into the world but I can’t seem to keep track of it all, and not to mention how to deceiver what will actually work for my kid’s age and temperament. On top of that, I’m thinking I need some sort of schedule since everyone is doing it. AHHH.

….. DEEP BREATHE ….

So I started a list since that makes me feel better usually. Below what I’ve gathered. Then as we were on a walk yesterday, I came up with a schedule. It needed to be pretty relaxed and flexible given weather and moods.

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It's Raining, It's Pouring: Indoor Activities in Tacoma

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It's Raining, It's Pouring: Indoor Activities in Tacoma

It’s raining, it’s pouring, there is no time for snoring, she bumped her head…well, let’s just stop there. We all know that raining days are the worst when you have kids. You get all couped up inside and everyone is stir crazy and it’s just a loooooonnnggg day. These days, I find my self racking my brain on what to do and/or where to go. I started a list on my notes app on my iPhone and usually start there. I thought I’d take it a step further and write a post.

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Getting Crafty with KiwiCo

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Getting Crafty with KiwiCo

Do you ever read a description of a product or service and still wonder what the heck it is? I hate that! Sometimes I feel companies get too much into trending or key words and forget to give just a straight forward description of what they provide. Ugh!

I wanted to share my experience with KiwiCo and went to their “About Us” to get their official description and I feel like it was all fluff and didn’t actually give much “about” the service….which, by the way, is AWESOME. In my own words, I’d say it is a subscription based craft box service that delivers age appropriate projects to your door. (Okay, end of rant now)

I first heard about KiwiCo from my friend/neighbor, but never really went any further than talking about it. Then I got an email that offered a free trial. With it being summer still, I really need things to entertain my 3-1/2 year old son and this seemed just the ticket, so I signed up (while during Wesley at 10pm one night, haha).

You select the age of your child when you sign-up for your crate, so what you get will fit your kid. We landed with the Koala crate which focus on play & learn. Perfect! Then, when our crate arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see three crafts for us. When my son came out of quiet time, I delivered the news: he got a box in the mail. He LOVES getting boxes and letters in the mail (although I think he knows that boxes are better, hehe). He’s even happy with the box is as simple as a new cup. Easy to please, love it.

Of course, as soon as the box was open, we had to start a craft immediately. The box theme was Rainbows. Ahh, cute! I should have looked in the box out before letting him know about the box because I was scrambling a bit to get a closer look at what we had to do. This mom is just living and learning.

Once I had the box back in my hands, and a moment to see everything, I realized they provide all the materials and some great instructions.

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Brick by Brick: RT's Guide to Legoland

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Brick by Brick: RT's Guide to Legoland

I had this plan to post at least once every month. And now I’m looking at the calendar and July has almost come and gone. I started this blog with just one toddler who napped and that gave me time to post. Now I have a toddler that doesn’t nap and an infant. Having two kids is a whole other ballpark, friends. I went to sit down to write this yesterday and popped right back up because I realized I had laundry. I think the time before I had to make dinner. Then before that, the baby woke early crying. So hang with me, I’m sure I’ll get to a time where I post more, but for now bear with me. I love writing and sharing but this phase in life is a busy one.

Speaking of busy, summer has been busy for us. We went down to Cali for almost two weeks during June for my sister’s wedding in Pasadena and then some time with my parents in San Diego area. Fun fact: I’m born and raised in North County San Diego. My home was in Encinitas and I loved living there. My parents have since moved to a neighboring town called San Marcos and we get to visit frequently, which is awesome. Yes yes, I know you might be wondering this very moment why I ever moved away. I agree it’s heavenly there, but that’s a story for another day. Right now I want to share how great a place San Diego is to visit with kids.

So yea, San Diego rocks for kids. There is just so much to do there - San Diego Zoo, Old Town, Sea World, Seaport Village, Safari Park (formerly, Wild Animal Park), Balboa Park, and….LEGOLAND. The only thing I will say, is that all these places are not necessary located close together. But no problem, who really can (and wants) to do everything everyday with kids. For instance, you could do Legoland and beaches and that would be a fabulous vacation. And that’s what we did. Spent time with the family, spent time at the beach, and then went to Legoland. Besides the scary stridor (croup) that landed us in an ambulance and ER for the night, it was an awesome trip.

Gosh, I might be boring you with all this jibber jabber. You probably just want me to get to the nitty gritty of Legoland. You saw the title, and just really want the deets. I get it. Let’s do it.

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My 2018 Holiday Bucket List

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My 2018 Holiday Bucket List

Can you believe it? Thanksgiving has past and December is here in just a few days. We’re already starting to get into the Christmas spirit. The music has definitely started and will continue until Christmas day! Even though I’m super pregnant right now and excepting a baby any day, I still want to do all things Christmas, so I decided to put together a Holiday Bucket list. Do you want to join me in making one? Then I thought this PDF from Rochester MN Moms Blog was a cute template to make the bucket list festive and printable.

Here’s my Holiday Bucket List…

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Visiting Kauai with a Toddler

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Visiting Kauai with a Toddler

Honestly, I had planned to write to you guys while I was on vacation. But then it just didn’t happen. Then we got home and all had to get our first colds of the season. Please forgive my absence. I’m here for you now and ready to share some fun things about Kauai.

We tend to think of Kauai as our place. Yup, just for us. I know that’s not true, but it’s been a perfect vacation destination for us over the years.

  • First Trip: My first time there was way back in 2006 and I went with my back-then-boyfriend-now-husband. We were with my boyfriend’s parents who happened to have a house there. It was also on this trip, that my boyfriend decided he wanted to marry me (by the by, the proposal didn’t happen until 2008 - sheesh, what took so long?).

  • Second Trip: We went for our honeymoon in 2011. It was perfection. (ah, no in-laws on this trip)

  • Third Trip: We took Caleb in 2017 and stayed with my in-laws (they had since sold the house, sad) who were renting a condo there for the month.

  • Fourth Trip: This was our latest trip, so 2018. Again, we stayed with my in-laws who are living there for a year. This time I was pregnant with baby boy #2.

As you can see, it’s a special place for the Brown family! Given, I’ve gone so much, I want to share some of our joyful places from the island with you. I’m going to keep it kid-centric since that’s what I’m all about on this blog. Talk to me if you want no kid recommendations.

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