The Grass is Always Greener

Kid's Clothing

It's tricky to find children's clothing which is stylish yet affordable.  That's obvious, right?  I still struggle with it all of the time.  These kids keep growing up (and out of their clothes every few months).  So while I would love to deck them out in Janie & Jack or Mini Boden or such, we simply can't afford to.  (Though I do splurge once a year on a holiday dress for Sylvia and sweater for Hayden at Janie & Jack, because they always photograph so well and are very well made.)  On the flip side, there are some affordable and well-made clothes for kids that are just absolutely without imagination.  So where to shop?

Most of my kids' clothes come from Old Navy, The Gap and Target.  I buy a few staple pieces from The Gap, though I often wait until they go on sale.  I LOVE their cardigan sweaters for both boys and girls, as well as their cotton button-up shirts.  But I save some cash by buying their jeans and most of their shirts and sweaters at Old Navy, Target and occasionally Fred Meyer or Sears (for Lee or Levi's).  The girls' selections are better than the boys at Old Navy (I'm just not into Old Navy logos or skulls all over everything), and I'm often surprised how much I like what they have to offer.  Sears is great for a few Land's End items (classic styles, though not terribly creative).  The best part about shopping at Sears for kid's clothing is that if the item wears out (think holes in the knees of their jeans), you can exchange them for a new pair).  

        
 

Old-school t-shirts from Old Navy / Madras Shirt from The Gap

I used to be a fan of Gymboree but their style has become too precious in my opinion.  I'm more attracted to their sister brand, Crazy 8 (maybe because items are about a third to a half of the price of Gymboree's).  

Which brings us to Target (one of my favorite places to shop).  Their selection may not be large, but what they have is pretty cool and the prices are quite reasonable.  I like their lines Genuine Kids from Osh Kosh, Paul Frank for Target, and some of the Cherokee items.  There are some great pants and sweatshirts for boys by Shaun White (pro snowboarder), and their DwellStudio line for newborns cannot be missed!  The latest, a temporary line for girls by Liberty of London will keep flying off the shelves as well.  I was fortunate enough to pick up a to-die-for romper and summer dress for Sylvia yesterday (both pieces just $14.99 each).  If you can't make it into a store, shop online.  

      

Liberty of London line for Target

I have to sprinkle into their wardrobes a few pieces from Tea Collection, and some small labels.  Local independent children's stores are great for these, though their numbers are unfortunately shrinking.  (West Seattle's Mill Creek Town Center's Lil Lads-n-Lasses just closed their doors last weekend.)  Try Bella & Max in Bothell's Country Village if you're on the Eastside, and schedule your child's haircut while you're there.  There are also some great independent websites (try Oliebollen), and a great source for children's clothing and toys at big discounts is the new Zulily (a free sign-up gets you on their email list and notified of their "events").  

Go Play Outside! Our Favorite Places to Celebrate Autumn in the Puget Sound.

 

The Arboretum, October 11, 2009

Autumn is truly my favorite time of year!  I love that the weather has cooled from summer temperatures but has not reached the icy temperatures of winter.  I love the colors of Autumn - Washington State is absolutely gorgeous this time of year, and families need to get out as much as possible to enjoy it!  I love the activities of the season as well - farm and pumpkin patch visits, Halloween parties and dressing the kids up in their costumes of choice (always interesting to see what they want to "be" each year), annual photo shoots for holiday cards, the annual Thanksgiving feast, and the early Christmas shopping, letters to Santa, etc.  On a personal note, we celebrate many birthdays in October and November (for my niece, sister-in-law, daughter and even myself!), love using the fireplace again, do a lot of baking and make a lot of soups and chili, and love long Autumn drives.

Here is a list of some of our favorite places to celebrate Autumn, sorted by activity.  I hope you get out and enjoy them too!

1. Take a long walk and let the kids jump into a big pile of leaves.  Best places to do this:  The Arboretum (Seattle), the University of Washington Campus (Seattle), Discovery Park (Seattle), Bothell Landing, St. Edward's Park in Kenmore, and the Kubota Garden in Renton
2. Visit a farm - pick pumpkins, drink fresh apple cider, roll around in the hay, and wind your way through a corn maze.  Best places to do this:  Snohomish County takes the prize on this one!  We've got most of the best ones up here - Stocker Farm (Snohomish), Craven Farm (Snohomish), Biringer Farm (Everett), Carleton Farm (Everett), and Foster's Farm (Arlington).  Of course, Remlinger Farms in Carnation is magnificent as well.
3. Take a drive.  Best places to do this:  Chuckanut Drive (this drive is so fantastic, there's an entire website about it), Mt. Baker Highway, Highway 2 from Monroe to Leavenworth (of course, you'll have to spend some time in Leavenworth when you get there).
4. Learn to make the perfect soup or chili, apple pie, turkey, etc. without spending a fortune.  Williams Sonoma Technique Classes (Free, but sign up required);  PCC Natural Markets (various locations), Whole Foods Market (Salud Cooking Classes in Bellevue, Redmond and Seattle) and Sur La Table in Kirkland (most expensive of the bunch).

I hope this short list gets you started.  I plan to add more soon, but I'm off to enjoy some of it for myself!

Who you gonna call?

I think this is brilliant!  Have you ever needed to contact the police, fire department or your city's utility companies for something other than an emergency (say for cars speeding down your street, neighbor/animal complaints, power outages, etc.?), and for the life of you, you can't seem to find the right phone number to call?  Believe me, I have done countless searches online just to give up, or if I do reach a real live person in a real live county office, they tell me that I have no option other than to call 911.  

Now King County has come up with a site that will quickly tell you what phone number to call based on your needs and zip code!  It's called LinksByZip, and you can access it here.  Now, can someone please tell me what numbers to call up here in Snohomish County, please?!

Cute as a Button Consignment Sale: September 25 & 26 - Don't Miss It!

Here it comes - the Cadillac of consignment sales - rolling into Woodinville next Friday and Saturday!  I posted a few weeks ago about the sale, from the standpoint of consigning.  But for all of you in need of anything for the kids - nursery items, clothing, shoes, toys, etc. - you can't miss the chance to shop the sale.

Here are the vital details from Cute as a Button's website:

• Shopping hours will be Friday, September 25th from 9am - 6pm and Saturday, September 26th from 9am - 3pm. 
• Since we don't have shopping carts, you may want to bring a reusable shopping bag, tote or laundry basket for carrying around all of your fabulous finds!
• On Saturday, September 26th we will have a half price sale starting at noon through the close of the sale at 3pm. Any tags that say, "Discount:Yes" will be half price during this time.
• We accept cash, credit and debit to make it easier for you. We are unable to accept personal checks. 
• We will be tagging all strollers, diaper bags, etc. for security reasons.
• Also, all sales are final.

The Cute as a Button consignment sale will be held at the Carol Edwards Center in downtown Woodinville. 

Carol Edwards Center
17401 133rd Avenue NE
Woodinville, WA

Finding Wonderland: Fox Hollow Equestrian Farm in Issaquah

Last December and just before Christmas, I had the privilege of photographing a large family reunion at Fox Hollow Equestrian Farm in Issaquah. (Photos are posted on my photography blog at http://teddiyaeger.blogspot.com) The entire farm was blanketed in snow, but even then I could tell that it was a magnificent estate.  The owners, Autumn and Tony, had moved to it recently from the East Coast, and they have done a lot of work in the few months since I was last there.  The farm is a bustling place - a full riding school as well as summer camps and seasonal events, plus their new drop-in play dates!  I'm personally excited for their Autumn Harvest and Halloween events in October!  They also have packages for company events, family reunions, birthday parties and such.  

Fox Hollow is the kind of place where I would love to raise our kids.  It's the kind of place that you hand down to your children and your children's children.  Perfect for celebrating holidays, family reunions, the seasons, life in general.  The kind of place I would purchase in a heartbeat if I won the lottery.  But since that has happened (yet), I will have to be content with visiting it from time to time, when it's open to the public.

It's also the perfect place to spend an idyllic summer afternoon, so a couple of weeks ago, I headed out to Fox Hollow with my two little ones in tow (ages 5 and 2 & 1/2 years) for one of the drop-in play dates.  The cost was only $5 per person.  The kids immediately started running around the barn, picking up any farm animal that they could and petting those that they couldn't pick up.  There were chickens, peacocks, bunnies, kittens (running loose in the loft), horses, ponies, ducks and even a pot belly pig (who we discovered quietly sleeping in the shade).  The kids then rode around on little John Deere tractors on the lawn, and then discovered the huge inflatable castle to bounce around in.  After a while, I convinced them to follow me to the back lawn behind the house for a snack and rest in the shade.  (Several picnic tables were filled with moms and children having picnic lunches.)  We wandered over to the stream (gated off from the rest of the lawn), to watch a couple of inner-tubers.  Issaquah Creek runs right behind the property at a nice, gentle pace, and I suddenly wished we had brought our swimsuits.

Which is exactly how we were treated the whole time - as guests. From the time we were escorted to a parking space in their large lot, to signing in and wandering the grounds, there was always someone greeting us, asking if we needed anything.  It was an absolutely idyllic summer afternoon, and I thank Autumn, Tony and their family and staff for their hospitality.

For more information on Fox Hollow's events, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noppakao Thai comes to our 'hood!

My favorite Thai restaurant in the Seattle area has come to our neighborhood!  Noppakao introduced itself to the Eastside a couple of years ago by setting up shop in Juanita Village. It's always been worth the drive, but now we don't have to go more than a few blocks from home to eat their yummy food.  Their new (franchise) restaurant just opened Monday at:

4809 132nd St SE, Ste B101, Everett WA 98208

You can celebrate their grand opening by dining at their restaurant for 15% less by clicking here and printing out a coupon.  

Our favorites:  Spring Rolls, Garlic Delight with Chicken, Crab Fried Rice, Garlic Pork Ribs and Phad See-Ew.

"Making the Most of that First Year" - Free Seminar on August 13th

Beth Edwards is my daughter's teacher at Woodinville Family Preschool, and one of the sweetest, most knowledgeable people I know when it comes to parenting tips.  She will be speaking at Tot Spot Cafe in Woodinville on Thursday, August 13th from 7-8 pm, sharing useful tips and strategies on surviving baby's first year.  There will also be a "baby-wearing consultant" present - I personally recommend learning this vital skill, so you can get on with your life!  

Your other children (if you have them) are welcome and get to play while you learn.  And it's all free!!!

Hosted at Tot Spot Cafe
17802 134th Ave NE, Suite 6, Woodinville, WA 98072 (425) 488-2795

New Place of (Donut) Worship in Mill Creek!

Okay, Seattle, we bow down to your cupcakes - it's true.  Sure, you've got Cupcake Royale and Trophy Cupcakes, and I've worshipped them plenty.  But now we've got a new place of worship over here on the Eastside (Mill Creek to be exact).  The brand new doughnut shop Frost just opened at Mill Creek Town Center, and I'm clamoring to get my worship on as soon as possible.  On today's menu:  Banana Fritters, Banana Creme w/Walnuts, Marcona Almond & Tart Cherry, Smokey Bacon Maple Bar, PB&J 2.0, Wedding Cake, Red Velvet, Aztec Chocolate, Tropical Storm, Bourbon Caramel Pecan, and many, many more!  

Oh Lord, I'm a believer!!!

Note:  I stopped by Frost for the first time on Saturday afternoon, and not surprisingly, it was pretty busy.  They were out of their banana donuts, so I picked up a half dozen of the following:  2 vanilla donuts with sprinkles for the kids, 1 Pink Lady (chocolate cake donut with pink frosting), 1 Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting, 1 Bourbon Caramel Pecan and for the hubby, the Smokey Bacon Maple Bar.  Just as the name implies, it was a maple bar with chunks of cooked bacon sprinkled on top.  The donuts did not disappoint!  My favorite was the Bourbon Caramel Pecan, but I got to taste a few of the other ones as well.  (In fact, the hubby was too freaked out by the maple/bacon combination, so I ended up eating it the next day.  It was a bit strange texture-wise but tasty - think maple syrup over bacon and you get the flavor.  I hope to stop by in the near future and get my hands on some of the banana ones, but apparently its the early bird who gets the banana donuts in Mill Creek.

Cute as a Button: Consign your kids' stuff, make money, shop early & save!

Just a few of the reasons that you should click onto Cute as a Button's website, and get signed up to consign your used children's items on September 25th and 26th.  What is Cute as a Button?  "Our sale is an event for local families to buy and sell gently used children’s clothing, equipment and toys at great prices. You will find everything you need for your child from birth through 12 years of age."  

Need a few more reasons?  How about these:

• Your husband keeps nagging you to get rid of the boxes and boxes of your children's outgrown items so that he can park the car in the garage again. 
• No matter how hard you try, your daughter cannot fit into that adorable onesie anymore.
• No matter how hard he pleads with you, you know that your son no longer plays with it.
• You need the money.
• You get first dibs at everyone else's merchandise at the sale, and since you just got sold all of their old clothes, your children will need something to wear now. 
• Whatever doesn't sell is donated to charity.

Okay, so maybe those are my reasons, but you're welcome to borrow them!

Free Books! Free Books!

Have I got your attention?  In my many efforts to save my family money these days, I turned to a long-forgotten resource and feel so dumb for not having done so sooner.  I LOVE books (in a big, I "heart" books t-shirt kind of way)!  And I spend far too much money on books.  My biggest vice these days?  Cookbooks.  I cannot enter a bookstore without walking out with at least one cookbook.  My children are now just as interested in books as I am, so lately I've been transferring my love and pocketbook to them.  

As much as I love them, this is just not a habit I can keep.  So what's a newly frugal mama to do?  The answer is simple (duh):  get a library card!  

Remember the library?  I certainly do, but haven't used one in the past ten years!  Signing up couldn't have been easier - I knew where the nearest library to us was, having driven past it many times.  (If you're not sure, consult this website to find your nearest branch.)  So one recent Thursday morning, the kids and I wandered in.  Ah, the musty smell of old books, the peace and quiet, the Dewey Decimal system - I've missed you all so much!  We wandered immediately to the children's book section, and the kids were in heaven!  Within ten minutes we had a huge stack of books and video tapes teetering on the table, and five minutes later had a brand new library card in our hands.  Our library, part of the Sno-Isle library system, also has a summer reading program for kids, with lots of fun little goodies to encourage kids to read (not that mine need any encouraging).  And there are lots of free events for families as well - a whole calendar full of story times, concerts, etc.

Since our first visit, I have returned to the library by myself to browse leisurely, the way I used to at bookstores.  I headed straight for the cookbook aisle (thrilled that the library had any cookbooks), and couldn't believe the selection.  (While it's nothing like Barnes & Noble's selection, I still found many recent titles by cooks like Jaime Oliver and Tyler Florence.) Unlike the bookstore, I was able to leave with a huge stack of (new-to-me) cookbooks at absolutely no cost to me.  While I love adding to my library of books, I love FREE so much more!  My quick and easy solution to "borrowed" cookbooks is to copy the recipes I'm interested in on our color inkjet printer and stick them in plastic sleeves inside a three-ring binder.  (Instant cookbook, and one that I can actually wipe clean!)

I even picked up two cookbooks geared toward picky kids - The Toddler Cafe by Jennifer Carden (links to The Toddler Cafe blog!) and Favorite Family Meals by Annabel Karmel, and will share any gems that work on my children with you soon.  

I'm happy to report that for the past month, whenever I've come across a book that I'm interested in, I've done a search on the Sno-Isle website instead of Amazon (good for the library, bad for Amazon).  I can easily place a hold online, and the library emails me when the book is available to pick up at our local branch.  Sometimes it takes a few weeks, but I'm not complaining.