No one's sitting on a strange man's lap this year. Went to Molbak's to visit (cardboard) Santa, and to write this story for The Seattle Times about alternative Santas.
Santa, 2020-style
Category Archives: parenting stories
WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo
Two VERY lucky boys got a sneak peak of WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo with me. It's a brand-new show with these amazing supersized lanterns. I didn't think holiday cheer would happen this year, but here you go, masked and outdoor fun! Here's my review on ParentMap.
Leavenworth, in Covid
Our overnight trip since 2019! Leavenworth did not disappoint. Cheesy but fun. Here's the link to my story on ParentMap.
Halloween: Not cancelled!
Halloween outside, with masks on, spread out — I don't see what the issue is. Plus it's on a Saturday this year AND there's a full moon! No reason to deny kids this little bit of happiness if we take some common sense precautions.
Ideas for making Halloween socially distant and awesome here.
Ponies and dahlias and ice cream!
Now that's a winning combination for happy kids. We were so bummed to miss out on the Tulip Festival this year, but did you know that Roozegaarde is open year-round? Their display garden is full of gorgeous dahlias right now, and there's no admission and no crowds. Super fun day in Mount Vernon. I wrote about it here for ParentMap.
Prep your house for at-home learning
Remote learning x2 starts tomorrow! I asked some experts — an occupational therapist, a designer and a classroom teacher — how to set up the best home learning space. (❤️ Ms. Kerry and Ms. Hansen!) Hint: it's not about a particular desk or chair, it's about how it fits you. My story is in The Seattle Times here.
I rearranged our tiny living room and wedged in two desks. This is my view from the kitchen; I need them where I can see them.
I set up another space in the boys' room, in case one person needs to go a quiet place.
Mini golf
Mini golf, it turns out, is a surprisingly COVID-friendly activity. It's outdoors, there's built-in social distancing — and it cost all of $13 for our family. My story is on ParentMap here.
Kindergarten readiness, 2020 style
Kindergarten tips I wrote for Seattle's Child back in January (I mean, "small children need screentime?") ...
versus kindergarten tips I wrote in August.
😫🤦♀️
Travel destinations to book now
Desperate for a change of scenery? Yeah, me too. I scrapped our East Coast trip this summer, and I'm researching vacations within driving distance instead. Here's a couple good ones for families in Washington in my ParentMap story here.
Science experiments for dinner
Dinner science story in The Seattle Times here!
Shaking cream into butter.
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Shaking milk in a bag with salted ice to make ice cream.
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Shaking cream into butter.
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Shaking milk in a bag with salted ice to make ice cream.
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