The Grass is Always Greener

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?!

Planet Happy Kids

I first discovered the completely quaint Planet Happy in Ravenna a couple of years ago while searching for playgroup activities, and find it such a quiet refuge from most "toy stores" (they label themselves as a studio/showroom).  Don't wander in expecting to find a huge, fluorescent-lit warehouse full of all things Disney and Lego.  This tiny shop breathes life into the toy shopping experience, and manages to create a destination for families looking for something to do!  It's located just to the north of University Village, next to the Queen Mary Tea Room.

Animals are always a big draw for kids, and this shop offers both the living/eating/pooping variety and non-living/eating/pooping (a.k.a. plush) variety.  Doves, finches and a hedgehog inhabit the store, and apparently the birds have been breeding, so there are now babies too!  

Guests of the store can also make buttons, bath salts and engage in other small activities when they visit. (When we were there the first time, the kids and I were able to make our own scented massage lotion, buttons and plant seeds to take home with us - all for a couple of dollars.)  The store also hosts events and parties, and the latest is a free story time in Mandarin.  Planet Happy also offers art classes on Saturdays, with a different art project each week.  Check their website for more information.

Website: http://planethappytoys.com
Blog:  http://iamplanethappy.blogspot.com/
Phone:  206-729-0154

Of course, they also sell toys and great ones at that (Plan Toys, Haba, Folkmanis, and unique gifts from local crafts people), which you can purchase in store or online.  And for every $10 they sell, they plant a tree (hence the name, Planet Happy).  So...kids happy, parents happy, Planet Happy!

Grilla Bites: Great eats (psst, it's healthy and organic too!)

I love the relatively new cafe in downtown Snohomish called Grilla Bites (like Gorilla and Grill combined).  Grilla Bites is a small franchise operation with the best of intentions, offering healthy, organic food, and another one of their objectives is to purchase their products from small scale manufacturers and local farmers, thus supporting their local economy and community.

All of that is great, of course, but the main thing is how does the food taste? Fortunately, the answer is that it's delicious!  My personal favorites are the Thai Tuna sandwich and quinoa salad.  The kids like the grilled cheese sandwiches (and I like that they use real cheese).  They have also just started offering smoothies.  We tried the Creamsicle smoothie today - yum!  

The owner of the Snohomish store, Annie, is one of the warmest and nicest people I have ever met and instantly makes you feel like family.  

Speaking of families:  Grilla Bites has teamed up with neighboring toy store, Rowdy Rascals, to offer story time every Tuesday at 9:30 am.

Find them at:  1020 1st Street, Suite 104, Snohomish, Washington 98290 

(A Seattle location will be opening this year at 901 8th Avenue.)

Geocaching with the Kids

Have you heard of geocaching?  My husband is addicted and spends most of his lunch breaks at work doing it.  But we've also found that it's a great (and FREE) activity to do with the kids.  If you haven't heard of it, here's the official description from the geocaching website:  "Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment."  Last weekend was my first time geocaching.  It was a beautiful, unusually warm day in February.  My husband mapped out our route, and we headed out to the Kenmore/Juanita area.  We hit a couple of different parks, including St. Edwards where we finished up and let the kids play at the incredible playground there.  (It's massive and one of the best playgrounds in the greater Seattle/Eastside area.)  I was thrilled to have a day off from working, spend time with the family, get outdoors and take photographs of my own children for a change.  

Basic geocaching is free, or for $30/year you can become a premium member and have access to lots more geocaches.  (That's less than $3 a month.)  We search for geocaches with toys for the kids, and always leave a toy when we take a toy.  Here are some photos from our adventures last weekend to give you an idea of what it's like, plus some photos from St. Edwards.  

Finding the geocache!

A lot of geocaches are in metal artillery cases

Daddy pulls out the log book to sign and goes through the bag of toys

Hayden & Sylvie select teeny rubber ducks to keep

At the playground at St. Edwards park

The Grotto at St. Edwards

A kiss from daddy

A kiss for one another