An Indoor Birthday Paradise: Ocean5

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An Indoor Birthday Paradise: Ocean5

I am here to talk about birthdays...again. It feels like my kids have back-to-back birthdays. Oh wait, they do! My younger son has an early December birthday (see post), and my older son has a birthday at the start of January. It's wild. It's hectic. We have a birthday, we have the holidays, we have another birthday. Once January rolls around, I am ready to be done. But I have to power through that last birthday. 

I need something easy but fun. And indoors because, hello, it's January. Oh, where or where can his birthday be? Oh (light bulb), Ocean5. 

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Checking it Out: Debbie Dolittle's Indoor Petting Zoo

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Checking it Out: Debbie Dolittle's Indoor Petting Zoo

I’ve been curious about Debbie Dolittle's Indoor Petting Zoo for a while. I was really hoping to find someone that had been there to see what it’s all about, but everyone I talk to is just like me: never been but curious. One recent Saturday afternoon we had nothing to do and I figured it was the perfect time to see what the place as all about.

Now, I can be that person to you - you know, the one I was looking for to tell me all about it. Yup, here I am ready to share all the details with you. Before I dive into this, I do want to say I have no insights or information about any of Debbie Dolittle’s animal practices. I saw some stuff online a while ago shaming it for poor animal treatment, but I really don’t know the whole story - what’s true, what’s not true, I don’t know. I’m just going to share what our experience was that afternoon with our kids.

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Coffee Crawl: Searching for the Best Pumpkin Latte in Tacoma

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Coffee Crawl: Searching for the Best Pumpkin Latte in Tacoma

It’s fall y’all, and you know what that means: Pumpkin everything time! This makes me so incredibly happy. I am a pumpkin fanatic. I get a bit crazy in the fall for all the foods and flavors. And this is silly, but I almost get anxious because I love it all so much and there is so much I want to eat and drink that I feel I have to keep baking and eating or else I won’t get to have it all. Serious problems.

Of all the fall flavors, though, pumpkin is my favorite. Wow, that’s a bold statement. I’m not sure I’m ready to make such a statement. I mean there is also apple. Apple is definitely a favorite. Oh, gosh. Well, for now, let’s say pumpkin because I’m about to talk to you all about pumpkin in our coffee. That’s right, the drink made famous by Starbucks, the pumpkin spice latte. Everyone is doing it now. It’s pumpkin and spice and it’s everything nice. Let’s drink it!

I took it upon myself to go around and try as many pumpkin spice lattes as I could. I’m looking for places that make their mix and not just using Torani syrup (not that there is anything wrong with that, but…). I’m looking for:

  • Flavor: What’s the pumpkin versus spice ratio? Is there a lot of pumpkin taste or more spice?

  • Texture: Sometimes with pumpkin it can feel heavy or grainy with too much actual pumpkin. Or many all those spices are grainy?

  • Toppings: Is there whipped cream or spices & sprinkled on top?

  • Sweetness Level: Is it sweet, or not sweet enough?

  • Coffee Presence: Is the coffee still there?

Mind you, I do tend to like things on the slightly sweet side when it comes to coffee. Not majority sweet like a white mocha, but a smooth subtle sweetness. Also, I must tell you if there are any good noshes to go with the latte. That is always a plus!

Let’s take a coffee tour together!

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Checking it Out: Brewers Row

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Checking it Out: Brewers Row

The motivation for my Red Elm and the Antique Sandwich Co. reviews was that they were known in my "mom circles" as places for kids. Brewer's Row, however, isn't widely talked about as a place for kids. However, my experience there with my son, Caleb, have been great. It's casual and fast which make for a fun place to grab a bite to eat if you have little ones. Let's taco (I mean talk) about it. 

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Checking it Out: Red Elm

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Checking it Out: Red Elm

I’m back with another "Checking it Out" post where I go to restaurants and tell you about my experience. In case you missed it, my first one, it was on the Antique Sandwich Company. This time we headed to Red Elm. I feel like this place did a good job marketing to families because most of my mom friends associate this place as a kid-friendly cafe. It opened in spring 2017, and we’ve been a couple of times. I would say our last visit when we went so I could write this post, was our best experience yet. Here are the deets. 

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Checking it Out: Antique Sandwich Co.

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Checking it Out: Antique Sandwich Co.

Welcome to my series, "Checking it Out." I'm checking out places, so you don't have to.

...Unless you want to. That's cool, too. 

For moms, finding a restaurant or shop that is accommodating to kids is like finding the Holy Grail of places. We are always searching for the place where both mom and kid can be happy. These rare, but beautiful places are perfect for meeting friends or just getting a change of pace from the house. With the winters here in the Pacific Northwest, we need awesome indoor activities because there are only so many puddles to jump in (and so much patience a mom has in getting completely drenched). Or, you can have my kid that doesn't like being cold, but doesn't like to wear a jacket either. Ugh!

I often find myself searching online for this Holy Grail of a place--always hoping a new place has opened or maybe the search this time will uncover something new. Or, if I hear "mom talk" about a potential place, I want to see if it'll truly be great before I actually go. Why? Because getting out of the house is a CHORE. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but you have to corral the kid from running around the house, put on socks and shoes, get them in the car seat, go back in the house to grab them a snack because you forgot, drive to the place often with a whining kid in the back, get out of the car, put socks and shoes back on (remind me, why did I put them on at home again?), and then get them inside. Given this, I like to do some research before I go. Sadly, though, you don't often find all the information you want. For instance, I want to see what food/drink options are available, what exactly is kid-friendly about this place, photos (hopefully of someone with a happy kid), cleanliness, and does it look like a fun place to chill for a bit.

Let me introduce you to, "Checking it Out." Yup, I'm going to do my best to give you the 4-1-1 all the hot kid spots (oh 4-1-1, did you ever used to use that number? Did I just age myself there?). The caveat: 99% of the time, I'm with my son, so the photos aren't perfection and my brain will be split between evaluating the place in the moment and keeping an eye on my son. 

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