Fabulous Finds. . . Great Local Eats!

My family loves eating out, and we have a great time trying out new places. But when I want to go with food that I know I'll love, here are a few of my absolute favorites:

*Favorite pizza delivery*
Garlic Jim's

Ooooh, yum! This is seriously crave-able pizza!

Why I love it:
*Their hand-tossed thick buttermilk crust is delicious!
*They have just the right amount of toppings, and yummy sauce.
*Their prices are really great, especially if you sign up on their website to receive coupons.

Tip: If you order the breadsticks (and they are good!) definitely order the cheesy ones. The regular breadsticks don't have much flavor.

*My favorite local burgers, hands down*
Blazing Onion Burger
I always loved the Mill Creek restaurant, but now the brand new restaurant at Alderwood Mall is open! It's a LOT bigger, and has some really innovative new features.

Why I love it:
*Everything about this burger is just awesome. I love the meat, the fresh bakery-made buns, and especially the BOB sauce! Whenever I eat a burger anywhere else, I find myself wishing for BOB sauce.
*It's a great place to take kids, because the food always comes out SUPER fast.
*You order at the counter and refill your own beverages, and they bring your food out to your table.
*The beverage station in the new Alderwood restaurant is just the coolest one I've ever seen! They have Coca Cola Freestyle machines with over 100 flavors of beverages, and you can refill with as many different flavors as you want. I was blown away! They have tons of different flavors of Fanta, peach Sprite, tons of Hi-C flavors, pretty much any drink you can think of! Plus they have my favorite, Pibb Xtra, and they even have Pibb Zero, which I've never seen before!
*The new restaurant also has a patio with a fire pit and outdoor heaters. Great for summer!

Tip: Ask for extra sides of BOB sauce, and they'll bring as many as you want! Trust me, you'll want extra. They'll also refill your fries for free.

*Great eat-in pizza restaurant*
The Rock Wood-Fired Pizza

Why I love it:
*Everything I've had from here is good. They have a really great lunch buffet and happy hour that I want to try out.
*It's a great place for families. They bring out pizza dough for kids to play with, plus a bunch of crayons and stuff to color.
*I love this place for groups, like girl's nights, double dates, or large families. You can order a ton of food (a couple of big pizzas, salad, garlic bread, sodas) and by the time you split the bill it's very little money per person!

*My go-to ice cream place*
Cold Stone Creamery
Okay, it's not at all local and they have them everywhere (we even found one on our honeymoon in St. Thomas!) But I just love Cold Stone!

Why I love it:
*The ice cream is so thick, sticky, and you just can't get ice cream anywhere else that tastes like it.
*You can make them as simple or elaborate as you want. I like mine pretty simple. . . chocolate ice cream with cookie dough mixed in, or vanilla ice cream with black cherries.
*They'll do a cute, tiny little kid-sized one. Or you can have them put just a small amount of your own into a separate kid's cup.

Tip: If you have an Entertainment Book, don't miss the great Cold Stone coupons they have in there!

To all my fellow northwest readers, I'd love to hear what some of your favorite go-to restaurants are!

Fabulous Finds. . . Marissa Fleur Handmade Flower Pin Giveaway!!!

As soon as I saw the images in the Marissa Fleur Etsy shop I knew I was going to love these unique handcrafted hair pins. But when I received them in the mail, I was seriously blown away! I have never seen anything like them before!

Marissa Fleur crafts these flowers by hand out of lightweight, air-dry clay. They come to you all the way from Latvia, and she charges a flat rate of $4.50 to ship them anywhere around the world! Also, the shipping costs the same no matter how much you order (not the case for most Etsy shops!)
I received a set of two red flowers like these and wow, they are almost too pretty to wear! I just want to hold them in my hands and stare at all the gorgeous details and the beautiful quality. Each petal is formed to perfection, she uses real swarovski crystals for the centers, and you can choose which type of pin you want them attached to. They also arrive beautifully packaged and gift ready!

Any of her flower pins would be beyond perfect in a wedding, and they add an elegant and beautiful touch to any special evening out. Just take a look at some of her stunning creations, and they look even better in real life. . .

Marissa Fleur is offering a gorgeous giveaway of one of her best-selling flower pins:
A white or ivory Gardenia Fascinator Hair Pin with Swarovski Rhinestone!

Here's how to enter to win this flower pin:

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 8!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Check out Marissa Fleur's shop and tell me which of her creations is your favorite one.
3. "Heart" the shop on Etsy.
4. "Like" Marissa Fleur on Facebook here. Every month she chooses one of her fans and sends them a free "gift of the month" from her shop. June will actually have two fans winning!
5. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook status, and be sure to link to this post!
6. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
7. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
8. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
9. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on June 21'st. Good luck!!!

Kitty Cat's Bad Day

In our house, we love our two kitties.
And 2 year-old Natalie certainly shares that love. She follows them around the house saying "Key-ah! Key-ah!" and pets and snuggles them whenever they let her.

I love these pictures of Natalie. They show her at her best, smiling and full of love. But you just have to laugh at the expression on the cat's face...

Yeah, Herbie. . . I know the feeling.

The Things We'll Remember

You know, when I look back on my "glory days" in college, my mind seems to block out the not-so-great things in favor of the really great ones. Same thing with childhood, or being a teenager. I tend to forget about the frustrations and the heartaches and remember all the carefree, happy, joyful moments and days.

I'm thinking that's how it will be with memories of our kids someday. It's hard to see it when I'm in the middle of caring for three young children, but I think in the future we'll sort of forget about the tantrums, the crying, the whining, the messes, the dirty diapers, and instead we'll remember the good times. The precious moments. The happy faces and sweet little voices. The laughter, the sticky kisses, the tight hugs. The beautiful, shining days. Like this one with my little girls at Country Village. . .

Those are definitely the kind of days I want to remember.

Fabulous Finds. . . Emariecreations Sweet Giveaway!

I now present for your viewing pleasure. . . the scrumptious sweetness that is the Emariecreations Etsy shop.

If you go nuts over all things miniature like I do, you will LOVE these tiny little treats handmade from polymer clay. They are the cutest little things! My 4 year-old girl loves them too, and always wants to play with them.

The attention to details on all of these sweets is completely amazing! Wouldn't these chocolate donut pushpins be soooooo cute all over a bulletin board?

I'm just glad these are made from polymer clay and not real food, because they are WAY too adorable to eat. :)

Emariecreations is giving one of my readers a whole set of 15 super sweet charms!
The set will include a whole mixture of cupcakes, donuts, popsicles, lollipops, pie slices, and a few surprises! You can also choose if you want only certain items or colors.

Here's how to enter to win these sweet charms:

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 8!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Check out the Emariecreations Etsy shop and tell me which sweet item is your fave!
3. "Heart" the shop on Etsy.
4. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook status, and be sure to link to this post!
5. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
6. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
7. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
8. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on June 9'th. Good luck!!!

Fun Finds: Yoplait Kids Yogurt Coupons and Prize Pack Giveaway!!

Yogurt is absolutely one of my kids' favorite breakfasts! As a mom of three little kids, I love finding breakfast options that are wholesome and also easy to prepare. You can't get much easier than opening up a yogurt! I can also feel good about giving it to my kids, for the following reasons:

*It's a great source of calcium, protein, and vitamin D
*Contains 25% less sugar than the leading kids yogurt
*No artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavors
*Kids love the flavors! It comes in strawberry banana, strawberry, and vanilla. My kids also love the fun Disney characters featured on the containers.
*$2.00 for a pack of 4! Maybe even less if your store has them on sale!
*The small size is perfect for young kids to finish

**FREEBIE alert** You can absolutely try this for free! My first 20 readers who click through to this link and submit their info will receive a coupon for a completely FREE 4-pack of Yoplait Kids Yogurt! Nothing better than getting great stuff for free! Click on "Free Yogurt" below to score this fabulous coupon:


If you want to learn some useful and fun information about healthy snacking and eating habits for kids, you can watch the Yoplait Kids Snack Chat series. These short webisodes by Christine Coppa give some really creative tips about making snacktime fun! Here's the first video:



AND one of my readers is going to win this Yoplait Kids Prize Pack!!!
We received one too and it's full of really fun stuff! Your prize pack will contain a coupon for Yoplait Kids Yogurt, a foldable travel cooler, a really nice 4-piece colorful spoon set, alphabet-shaped "Kiddie Bands", a super bounce ball (my kids' favorite thing in this package!), a "My First Scavenger Hunt" card game, and a magnet frame!

Here's how to enter to win this prize package:

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 11!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Tell me if your kids like to eat yogurt, and what their favorite flavor is.
3. "Like" Yoplait on Facebook here.
4. Follow Yoplait on Twitter.
5. Leave another comment if you received one of the 20 coupons for a free 4-pack! Yep, you get an extra entry for that!
6. Leave another comment if you watched the Snack Chat video. Let me know what you thought of it!
7. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook status, and be sure to link to this post!
8. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
9. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
10. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
11. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on June 9'th. Good luck!!!

My Disclaimer: The coupons, prize pack, and information were all provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.

Swimming In Rain

There's been LOTS of swimming going on around here lately!

For one thing. . . we've been pretty much swimming in all this rain we've gotten! March was an extremely rainy month here, April was really rainy, and so far May is a strange mix of nice weather and pouring down rain.

Yes, I'm aware that I live in Seattle, but this is some record-breaking rainfall we've been experiencing lately so this really isn't normal. I have photos of Kirsten's birthday party in May two years ago, and she was wearing a tank top and shorts! This year we're still in long sleeves most days. I, like the rest of the Seattleites, am excited for summer and our gorgeous weather that's coming! And I'm ready for it! But we did have an absolutely beautiful, sunny fall last year so I think this spring is just making up for that. :)

Kirsten has been taking actual swimming lessons for the very first time! And she LOVES it. She's a cute little Tadpole.

She just finished her first Tadpole session last week. . . and she will remain a Tadpole, since you have to put your whole face in the water to graduate to the next level. She's blowing bubbles and putting part of her face in the water now, which is a big improvement! But she's scared to put her whole face in.

She's so nice and obedient to the teachers. . . wish she would listen that well at home!

She loves swimming lessons so much she never wants to take her swimsuit off! She'll find it, change out of her clothes, and come downstairs in her swimsuit all the time.
We've really been enjoying the fun pool! After swimming lessons the kids get to play in the kids splash pool for 15 minutes, and it's great!

I can't even take Natalie with us to swimming lessons, since it's impossible to keep that girl out of the water. The one time I tried was so ridiculous. . . Brooke (thankfully) just sat in her infant seat, while I held the screaming Natalie in a vise grip on my lap to keep her from running straight into the pool with Kirsten. Can't really blame her for being mad, since she always wants to do everything Kirsten does and she loves swimming too. So I've had to go in the toddler pool with her or get a babysitter to watch them at home. That's one reason I'm glad swimming lessons are over for a little while. . . it was kind of a hassle! But worth it. It's so fun as Kirsten gets older and starts to learn new skills like dancing and swimming.

So here we are, up in Seattle, swimming in rain AND pools. Good thing we love swimming!

Adorable Etsy Shop. . . Summer Sweets Giveaway!

If you have little girls like I do (or are hoping to have one!) you'll flip over all the sweet, girly gorgeousness in the Summer Sweets Etsy shop!

Summer Sweets is full of adorable, hand-made silk flower clips and headbands. I love the high-quality fabrics and centers she uses when making these, and adore the color combinations! Not to mention the very reasonable and low prices!!!

So many of these fun accessories would be perfect for all ages too, not just babies or little girls. I would definitely wear the Sweet Zipper Headband! It would go with everything, and it's just so unique!

Summer Sweets is offering up a $20 gift certificate to all the cuteness in her shop to one of my readers!!! Even if you don't have little girls, you could use this for cute accessories for yourself or to use as gifts!

Here's how to enter to win this gift certificate:

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 8!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Check out the Summer Sweets shop and tell me what you'll buy with your gift certificate if you're the winner!
3. "Heart" the shop on Etsy.
4. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook status, and be sure to link to this post!
5. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
6. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
7. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
8. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on May 31'st. Good luck!!!

Fabulous Finds. . . LumaTweeze Pro TVTopTen Giveaway!

So these are the coolest little pair of tweezers I've ever seen! They pretty much have it all. The LumaTweeze Pro has a built-in LED light and magnifier! Plus it has a really easy to grip handle and sharp, angled tips. I've never tried many seen-on-TV products before, but TVTopTen sent me one of these LumaTweeze kits to try and I think the commercials definitely are right about it!
Such a great deal too, for $6.95 plus shipping and handling.

TVTopTen is giving away a LumaTweeze grooming kit, plus a lighted mirror!

Here's how to enter:

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 11!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Tell me about a product you think you'd like to try from the TVTopTen website.
3. "Like" TVTopTen on Facebook here.
4. Follow TVTopTen on Twitter.
5. Go here and sign up for TVTopTen's newsletter.
6. Tell me if you've tried "as seen on TV" products before, and if you liked them.
7. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook status, and be sure to link to this post!
8. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
9. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
10. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
11. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on May 31'th. Good luck!!!

My Disclaimer: I received a free LumaTweeze in exchange for writing an honest review. All opinions are totally mine and I was not compensated!

New Winners!

Some new winners over here! I'll start with the one everyone is SO excited about!!!

The winner of the Fila Toning Outfit is. . . #12!
Thoughts from Her said... I like Fila Toning on FB.

Winner of the Ecosystem Sippy Training Cup and Ecosystem Snack Stacker from Green to Grow is. . . #44!
Shannon said... I love how cute the Green to Grow products are. I love the stacking snack cups!

Winner of the plates, bowls, and toddler utensils from i play is. . . #51!
aubrey.gideon said... I love the Welcome Home Set seems to have everything you'd need

Winner of the Glee Encore DVD is. . . #13!
Christa said... Of course I would love to win Glee Encore! lol. I think I'm going to have to pick up a copy of the Warblers cd as well!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered!!!

A Fantastic February!

{Gasp!} I did not write a single blog post about all the stuff we did in February!!!
Time to remedy that, and fast. One of these days, someday, I will get all caught up on my blog. I know it will happen!

So we DID have a fantastic February!
We got some more snow. . .

(Yep, it was a snowy year in Washington! And I didn't complain about that one bit! Snowy year means it snowed more than three times the whole winter)

We celebrated Valentine's day with our adorable, snuggly, loveable baby Brooke. . .

Had a Valentine's playdate with a yummy spread of food. . .

{The Valentine's popcorn was a BIG hit! Just melted white Wilton's candy melts and some Valentine M&M's = a cute and delicious snack!}

Pizza for the kids. . .

Valentine crafting!!! Gumball necklaces were super fun. . .

And we filled the windows with these heart doily guys! Kirsten made one for each member of our family, including Uncle Chance :)

Sharing the sisterly love!

And I enjoyed celebrating my birthday! I had a fun girl's night out at a new dueling piano bar, and got a delicious dinner of homemade burgers, fries, and chocolate shakes cooked by the hubby.
My kids' favorite thing? I think it was a toss-up between the balloons and the cake. . .

{Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake! Ohhhhhh yeah!}

And THIS is the impressive free birthday dessert you get from Black Angus in addition to the entire free birthday meal you get if you sign up for their free Prime Club! This has got to be my favorite birthday freebie!

And. . . joy of joys!!!. . . my Christmas/birthday combined present arrived at our house! The Yamaha YDP-181 piano!!! I never thought I wanted digital but I didn't want to stop playing this one when I tried it out at the music store. It has beautiful sound! Now I just need more free time to play it. ;)
Here are my cute little future musicians. . .

See? It was a fantastic February, one that definitely deserved some blogging!