January 11, 2017

Snohomish County, Washington: Travel and Adventure Guide for Families

Due to it’s close proximity to our home in Seattle, we usually explore Snohomish County, Washington via weekend day trips. Less than an hour, depending on our specific destination, north of us, we can enjoy all the culture, recreation, shopping, and outdoor adventure the region has to offer, and still get home for naps or bedtime.

Last fall though, we got to do something a little different. We actually stayed the night! As I mentioned in my recent staycation post, planning a trip close to home has so many benefits. One of those benefits is that you get more time to enjoy the destination. We were able to pack so much fun and adventure into a short weekend in Snohomish County! Today I’m sharing our family friendly recommendations for things to do (indoors and out), places to eat and drink, and where to stay.

A note before we start: Snohomish County, Washington is quite a large area (over 2,000 square miles), so this is by no means an exhausted list of all the area has too offer! We’re just scratching the surface of this rich region.

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January 8, 2017

New Year’s Inspiration: Printable Guide to Planning an Adventurous Year

We’re one week into the New Year! Are you worried that you haven’t started making resolutions, goals, or intentions? Or maybe, you just need to add some spark into your plans this year? I have a printable guide to help.

A year full of travel and adventure sounds appealing. At the same time though, the task of making plans might just feel daunting and overwhelming. How do you get started?

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January 6, 2017

Nature-Based Projects: How to Make an Alphabet Twig Book

I mentioned in my New Year’s goal post that I wanted to complete more nature-based projects with Bergen in 2017. I’m happy to report that we dove right into that “resolution”, and he just finished his very own Alphabet Book!

Creating Alphabet Books can be fun for a wide range of ages and can easily be differentiated for varied ability levels. However, they are particularly valuable for kids at the very beginning stages of literacy. The inspiration to create one came from the book, Playful Learning by Mariah Bruehl. I actually purchased this book during my last year of teaching (before Bergen was born) back in 2011, and I’m just digging into it now with intention to work with Bergen as he prepares for Kindergarten.

There are so many ways to make books. We opted for the twig book since it went with our nature project theme. They are easier than I thought to make! Here’s a quick video illustrating our method:

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January 4, 2017

Staycations: 4 Reasons to Plan a Trip Close to Home featuring Snohomish County, WA

First things first. Let’s define staycation for our purposes. To some a staycation is when you stay at home, but enjoy leisure and recreational activities within your city, town, or region. That’s all well, and good, and it’s actually how we live our regular life! But today, I’m going with the staycation definition where you stay at a hotel or other accommodation within your immediate city, town or region. As a general rule, the travel must be within an hour’s drive.

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January 2, 2017

Hello 2017: Progressing Toward an Adventurous New Year

Happy New Year! Believe it or not, 2017 is here, ready and waiting for us to dive in. How are you feeling? I have such a huge feeling of excitement, hope, and anticipation. If I can stay focused, active, and intentional, I know 2017 will be an amazing year for our family. Sure there will be bumpy parts, there always are, but we’ll persevere and rely on the good to get us through. I’m looking forward to all that 2017 has to offer.

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December 20, 2016

2016 Gift Guide for the Travel and Outdoor Loving Mom

I’ve saved the best for last with this year’s gift guides! Today I’m sharing 8 gift ideas for the travel and outdoor loving mom in your life! In this gift guide for moms, you’ll find ideas to make travel and getting outdoors easier, items that will inspire, and items that will help mom plan an amazing year of adventure. Many can be purchased last minute, so if you are just getting around to buying gifts, you’re in luck!