Can't-Miss-It! The Oregon Edition

Here it is... my can't-miss-it travel guide for Oregon with kids!
This one features Portland, Cannon Beach, Tillamook, and a little further south on the Oregon coast. Here goes. . .

For our Memorial weekend 6'th year wedding anniversary, we took the kids on a romantic (ha!) trip to Oregon! We started with our friendly neighbor city only 3 hours south of us: Portland!

*Can't-Miss-It place to stay:
To save some money and still stay in a nice hotel, try a hotel in Vancouver, WA, which is very close to Portland. We booked a family suite at the Heathman Lodge (I found a deal on it through one of the daily deal sites a few months ahead of time, score!!!), and that ended up being our most relaxing night of the whole trip, since there was a separate bedroom with a queen bed for the kids. So we were able to close the door, keep the baby in the main living area with us, and enjoy some peace and quiet after the older kids fell asleep!

The room actually had a tempurpedic bed and an awesome, HUGE jetted tub in the bathroom!

Our kids were ALL about the pool (the whole weekend, all they talked about was going to the hotels to go swimming. They love to swim!) So after swimming I filled up the tub, poured in some bubble bath, and turned on the jets to take a warm bath. I'd love to soak in a tub just like that every single day!!! The funny thing was how fast the bubbles multiplied with the jets going. The tub was completely overflowing with bubbles!

*Another Can't-Miss-It place to stay:
McMenamins Kennedy School in Portland. We actually didn't stay there this time, but we stayed there on a previous trip without kids and it is just the coolest! It's a historic elementary school, converted into a hotel, and each room is a former classroom! Our room had a chalkboard in it and everything. You can watch movies in the auditorium (free if you stay there!), hang out in the restaurants and brewery, and use the outdoor saltwater soaking pool.

*Can't-Miss-It for cheap lodging:
Definitely use the name your own price feature on Priceline! We put in a lower price than we thought we would get, and ended up staying in a nice Courtyard Marriott for super cheap just outside of Portland!

*Can't-Miss-It attraction:
Stunning Multnomah Falls! I've been here a few times now, and I just keep coming back! It's very close to Portland, and just beautiful!

Our family at the falls!

Um, what is she scared of? This picture cracks me up!

*Can't-Miss-It Portland Eats: A unique breakfast, lunch, or brunch at Pine State Biscuits. I heard about this place from the Food Network, and I knew I had to try it! The biscuit sandwiches were incredible, with tons of different toppings! I was wowed!

*Can't-Miss-It Attraction: The Portland Rose Festival!
Come during the festival (from Memorial weekend through the month of June) to see all the beautiful roses in bloom like we did. . .

Except. . . the roses weren't blooming. Yep, not a single one. We saw a bunch of leaves.
Here's what we DID enjoy at the rose gardens, however:
*A beautiful sunny day with a great view of the city

*Some really beautiful flowers (may not be roses, but they were pretty!)

*The Rose Garden Children's Park! I had no idea this was here, but it was a REALLY awesome park with a huge playground! My kids loved it!

*Our next Can't-Miss stop is. . . Tillamook!
Home of my favorite cheese (and yours too, right?) This is such a fun stop on an Oregon coast trip!

{Ain't it the truth!}

Plan on staying here for a couple of hours. That gives you enough time to tour the factory (not really an actual tour, but they have big windows where you can see them making the cheese), taste the delicious samples, and then get lunch or dinner in their restaurant and most definitely have some ice cream! I love the wide range of flavors they have available, and so did the kids!

*Can't-Miss-It rest stop. . .
One of the most beautiful spots on the Oregon coast, Paradise Cove!
(Yep, that's really all that was there. Paradise Cove??? I don't think so!)

*Moving right along to. . . Cannon Beach!!!

I had never been here before and was very excited to see this beautiful beach! And it truly was beautiful! But I would recommend going to this beach in July or August, because it was windy and COLD! So we didn't actually play on the beach or use the sand toys we brought. Everyone was just too cold! We took some pictures and then got out of there. Such a shame, because it was so gorgeous!

Haystack Rock!

{Here we are, freezing on the beach! At least it wasn't raining!}

*Definitely do not miss stopping in the adorable little Cannon Beach town! I liked it much better than Seaside, which is just a few minutes away. We ate lunch at Morris Fireside (this is actually buy one get one free entrees with the Prime Card is you have one!), and we loved the Cannon Beach Bakery!

And your kids will not LET you miss Bruce's Candy Kitchen. Whoa, this was a sugar and sweets overload! They had every sweet thing imaginable, and the place was popular and very crowded. Don't forget to load your kids up with sugar right before a long car ride down the coast. Great idea, really!!! ;)

We ran out of time to do much in Lincoln City or Newport, but we did stay in a beautiful resort very close to those cities. I found another daily deal for the Salishan Spa and Golf Resort in Gelenden Beach. What an amazing place! The entire grounds were landscaped perfectly, and most of it looked something like this:

Our Premier room was really nicely furnished, with a cozy fireplace and beautiful views through our windows. We didn't get to use the golf course or the spa, but our family's absolute favorite thing was their AWESOME pool. It was most definitely a resort-style pool! HUGE, in a large greenhouse, and such a perfect temperature. We loved it so much we swam there at night and then again the next morning before we checked out! It's one of the best hotel pools I've seen. Our little fishies had a blast!

The Oregon coast is so great, I'm sure this guide could go on and on and on! But those are a few of the things we did and loved on our weekend of exploring Oregon! What should we do next time? I love new ideas!

Fabulous Finds... Crystal Light Mocktails!

So what's your favorite summer drink that you use when entertaining or just hanging out in the backyard?

My favorite labor-intensive summer drink is Brazilian limeade (soooooooo good!!!), and if I want something quick and easy to make I've usually gone for pink lemonade koolaid. Too bad neither of those are summer diet-friendly! I was really happy to be able to test out the new Crystal Light Mocktails. . . they contain just 5 calories per serving and come in 3 limited-edition, non-alcoholic flavors!

I got to try out Mojito and Margarita, and was surprised by how much I really like them! I don't even like the typical flavor of margaritas, but this one is yummy and light! I always love finding non-alcoholic drinks that are light on calories but still fun for entertaining, and these fit perfect! I thought they were especially refreshing when you mix them up with lots of ice and fresh fruit!

All the Crystal Light Mocktails are available in multi-serve canisters that have five 2-quart packets in them. Just right for a summer party or bbq!

My disclaimer: I was compensated for my time for sharing this information as part of the Crystal Light campaign hosted by One2One Network. All opinions are my own.

Please Don't Laugh At Me... For Posting About Easter In July!!!

I find it hard to imagine an Easter (or any holiday, for that matter!) when I don't have an adorable baby to pose and take cute pictures of. This one I took of my cute Brookie bunny has got to be my favorite EVER!

All three of my girls getting ready for the Easter Egg hunt. . .

It's a good thing we went to an Easter Egg hunt the day before Easter, because Easter Sunday was rainy and cold in Seattle! But the day before was absolutely beautiful! It was Natalie's first Easter Egg hunt and boy, did she have fun huntin' down those eggs...

But not quite as much fun as eating all the sugar! Chocolate eggs!!! Kirsten and Natalie were both on a sugar frenzy, and really who can blame them?

I just love that messy, chocolate-stained face!

The next morning...

Look what the Easter bunny brought us!

Our very own baby in a basket! SCORE!!!

{Okay, this might tie with my other favorite Easter picture of Brooke. I never had a baby small enough to fit in an Easter basket before, since the other two girls were close to a year old on their first Easters. I took full advantage!}

Here's what the Easter bunny really brought...

Kirsten immediately picked out what I knew she'd love most. . . strange, squishy, ball-shaped chicks that I found in the dollar section at Michael's. Or the Easter bunny found, I mean. Kirsten loves anything squishy.

Natalie loved the candy (surprise!) and the cute board books about Thumper and his sisters. And for my own basket (that I bought and filled)... a whole box of See's, all to myself! Happy Easter to mommy!

Everyone was happy with their Easter gifts!

Here is my attempt at a nice Easter photo of all the girls together in their Easter dresses that Grandma made for them:

Massively unsuccessful. ;)

At least Easter dinner was a huge success! I made the very best batch of orange rolls I've ever made before! I was just a little proud of them.

We also had honey-baked ham (of course!), four cheese potatoes au gratin, corn on the cob, and pistachio pudding salad!

Happy Easter!
{And just for the record, I promise to actually post my 4'th of July photos in July}

Fun Finds: Beaba Bib'expresso Bottle Warmer!

I've been reviewing the brand new Beaba Bib'expresso Bottle Warmer for a few months now. I have decided this amazing contraption is the Rolls Royce of bottle warmers. Seriously. It puts my old bottle warmer to shame. This one blows it out of the park!

Here are the many reasons why this appliance rocks my world:

*It really does warm up any size bottle in 30 seconds or less. It is FAST!
*All of the water stays contained inside a closed compartment while it heats up. Then you press a lever and it dispenses straight into the bottle. No water everywhere, no steam rising up and burning your hand (my old bottle warmer did that), no guess-work about how much water you need to use and whether or not the bottle will be too hot!!! Genius!!!
*You can prepare a bottle one-handed, while holding your baby who doesn't understand why they have to wait for their food.
*Thanks to direct water control, the water is always the perfect temperature. It simplifies the process of bottle preparation with a patented, unique water flow system that reduces air bubbles and eliminates hot spots when mixing powdered formula. I've never once had it be too hot or too cold. It's also BPA-free, so everything about this bottle warmer is safe.
*It has a built-in self-cleaning steam system that cleans the inside of it, where the water goes. You never even have to wash it!
*It actually looks NICE on my counter! Slim, modern, not just like another piece of baby equipment. Bonus points for style!
*It includes a microwaveable sterilizer/bottle compartment that can store up to three bottles and keep them away from dust.
*After your baby grows up, you can use it to prepare water for tea or hot cocoa. Nice!!!

It's amazing how much easier my life has become, just from switching from my old bottle warmer to the Beaba Bib'expresso. I love it, and I'm so lucky that I got to test out this awesome new product!

You can watch a demo of the bottle warmer in action here and buy it on Amazon here!

My disclaimer: Thank you to Beaba for providing me with a Beaba Bib'expresso to review free of charge! While this was provided for me to review, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Beaba, Clever Girls Collective, and I promote Blog With Integrity.

Winners!

I apologize that I took so long to post some of these winners. Time just got away from me, wow! So here are some new winners!

Winner of the baby shoes from the BirdyBoots Etsy shop is. . . #82!
samamfee said... I heart birdy boots on etsy

Winner of the baby shoes from CozyToes by KathyDee Etsy shop is. . . #73!
Breaking Free From Old Ways said... I like the grey and plum shoes

Winner of the $50 gift certificate to The Pretty Peacock is. . . #88!
@nola727 said... I like the Sweet Love ring

Winner of the LumaTweeze Pro kit is. . . #46!
~dab said...I'd like to try http://www.tvtopten.com/Slap-Chop.html

Winner of the Summer Sweet Etsy Shop $20 gift certificate is. . . #49!
Katarzyna said... "Heart" the shop on Etsy as Kaziuta

Winner of the Yoplait Kids Prize Pack is. . . #29!
Raven In A Blue Room said... my kids love strawberry-banana yogurt

Winner of the Emariecreations Sweet Charms Etsy shop giveaway is. . . #22!
Amber said... I posted about this giveaway on my FB status

Winner of the Marissa Fleur Handmade Flower Pin giveaway is. . . #52!
Sandra S. said... I liked Marissa Fleur on Facebook

Thanks to everyone who entered! I have emailed all the winners and they have 48 hours to respond, or I will choose new winners. Congrats to the winners!

Fun Finds. . . BARE Bottles!

As a bottle-feeding mom, I'm always on the lookout for new advancements in bottle technology. I also love supporting companies and products that are made by other moms. With BARE Bottles, I found both at once! I'm intrigued by the concept of this bottle. It was designed by a mom who was looking for a good solution to some feeding problems her own baby was having.

Some of the coolest features of this brand new bottle concept are:

*A patented air-plug ensures 100% air-free feeding every time!
*Vents allow an air stream into the bottle to stop nipple collapsing. This reduces gas and colic that come from air ingestion.
*BARE is designed to mimic all the aspects of breastfeeding. From the way the nipples extend inside the baby's mouth to the way milk is dispensed only by suction and a natural flow that's controlled by the baby's suction strength, BARE is designed to be very close to breastfeeding.
*These bottles are perfect if you're planning to feed your baby with a combination of breast and bottle, since the nipple tip extends up to two times on suckling, just like the breast. It avoids nipple confusion and promotes a proper latch technique.
*The bottle is easy to put together and take apart, and snaps together with just two pieces.
*BARE is the most effective bottle at preventing bacteria. The air-plug maintains an air-tight, air-free movement. This minimizes back wash and spit into the bottle and keeps milk fresh longer.
*BARE is made in the USA and is BPA, PVC, lead, and pthalate-free. The bottles are made of the safest materials available.
*Promotes self-feeding by allowing baby to drink from any position.

BARE will be available on store shelves in January 2012. Because the development and production of BARE is being funded by the mom inventor, we hope moms will visit the BARE project page. Here, moms can support the project and be the first to receive these new, revolutionary bottles. This project sounds so great and it allows us to support other moms. Anything contributed will help this project!

My disclaimer: I did not receive these bottles to review, but I did receive compensation for my time in posting about this project. I only post about projects that I support and believe in.

Right Now. . .

Sometimes I feel like I'm constantly just trying to catch up on this blog (case in point: still need to post about Easter! Yikes!), and I never get to post what's going on right NOW. So here are just a few of the things making my life extra happy right now. . .

*All the endless cute photo opps that pop up when you're around babies. Especially ones as cute as this little guy, Rennan. I just want to steal him, he's so adorable! Is he making anybody else want a baby boy? (I want one BAD!) I took this while we were camping with his family at the beach, and it just makes me smile!

*My new mom's group! I met such a fantastic group of moms in a meetup group that was closed by the organizers, so me and my friend Michaela decided to start a brand new group a couple of weeks ago. And I'm having SO much fun filling up the calendar with fun events and places to play for the summer! I feel so lucky to have such great friends who want to explore with us!
(If you're in the Seattle area, we'd love to have you join, new members are always welcome! You can find our group here: http://www.meetup.com/northsoundexploreandplay/)

*Swimming season! My kids are so crazy happy in the water, and it's pretty cute to watch them have such a great time. It's Splash Week at YMCA and I've been doing a little swim class with Natalie for the week. She's a cute little fish! (She doesn't use the arm floaties in the class, but aren't they adorable? They remind me of my childhood swimming in my grandma's pool!)

*Oh yeah, speaking of the YMCA. . . I joined a couple of months ago, and I love it! My kids have mostly gotten used to the childcare they have there (included in the membership, up to two hours each day!) and they're crazy about the outdoor playground there. And I've discovered my absolute favorite way to work out: ZUMBA! Gosh, those classes are so fun! I try to do two regular Zumba classes and one Zumba Toning class each week. All the different instructors and the variety make it really enjoyable!

*Bright, gorgeous colors that just look like summer! Like these poppies I bought at a Farmer's market. They only lasted about one day, but they were beautiful!

*I'm a firm believer that variety is the spice of life! That's why I'm always on the lookout for new experiences, new people to meet, new restaurants, new parks, new places to explore! Variety makes me happy. :)

*I'm not the craftiest person in the world (my grand ideas tend to turn into big disappointments), but I did love these interchangeable flowers I made for my friend's baby shower. I singed all the edges with a tea light candle, put velcro on them and a white onesie, and turned it into a onesie outfit. I need to make a bunch more for my own girls!

Now that I've posted about NOW, I'm feeling even a little bit happier. :)