Foodie 2 Shoes

Pancake Chef

2008-10-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

I love pancakes, I can probably eat them everyday. I like to eat them hot off the grill with butter and maple syrup. Sometimes, I eat a few standing at the stove flipping them. I have a special recipe that involves Bisquick, TJ's multi-grain mix, lemon juice, and baking soda. It is awesome. I also used to prepare gluten free pancakes using garfava flour. I enjoy eating breakfast out, especially if it involves pancakes. Pancake Chef is one of my breakfast joints. It's no frills, family run, old-fashioned goodness. Nothing fancy, it has a cool vibe of a blue collar working class restaurant. The pancakes are of course, great as are the hash brown and sausages. They also have fresh squeezed OJ. I wish I can hang out here, eat pancakes, drink my coffee and leisurely read the Sunday paper, but I have my kids to tend to! It's located on Hwy 99, near SeaTac Airport.

Silver Dollar Pancakes:

They have great kids' meals too!

Morning Hike/Outdoor Fun

2008-08-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

We went for a short morning hike, more to play in the creek on a super hot day. Kids had fun, I spent some time cleaning after the poo poos, both kids had to go in the outdoors. sigh. The rushing creek was very good for washing out the swim diaper!
After the morning hike and lunch, we briefly shopped at the North Bend outlets, then visited the Idea house while Cooper took a nap. A busy day indeed!

The 2008 Idea House

Loved this built in bench in the mud room:

Mostly the usual McMansion finishes with gazillion flat screen TVs, but I did like the covered patio area with a ceiling fan. I am a huge fan of mud rooms and covered porches!

Latest Updates

2008-08-16T23:07:00.000-07:00

I will still update this blog, but if you want to keep up with the latest, follow me on facebook!
I don't really twitter, but I update my facebook status constantly!

Floating Water Ball

2008-07-26T23:34:00.001-07:00

This is a new sprinkler park near Kent Station with the coolest granite floating water ball......kids enjoyed it, especially when the ice cream truck came by.

Mini Trains

2008-06-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we took the kids to ride the mini trains. This was our first trip out there this year.

It's always fun and this time we had lots of friends join us which made it more fun. We rode the trains and had a BBQ picnic and came home after riding the very last train around 4 PM. We took our camper so that little coop can take a nap in it.

On the way home, we stopped at a good ChaChaMein place to eat ChaChaMein and ChamPon. Then, J & J came over to play and had dessert before heading home. It was a fun day! Now, off to Seaside this weekend!!!

Clam Digging

2008-06-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we went clamming with the cousins near Long Beach. It was a perfect warm morning. We put the kids in the car still in their pajamas and left around 6:45 AM. After a brief pit stop at McDonalds in Aberdeen, we arrived at the beach around 9 AM. Clams were plentiful and fairly easy to get, we got our limit in about an hour thanks to the cousins. The kids had a great time digging and "grabbing" for the clams. We cooked hot dogs & chili in our camper and relaxed a bit. Then we toured the beach cottages for rent before heading home. The season has ended, but we definitely plan to go back next season. We gave most of the clams to grandma and breaded and fried up some at home. These Razor Clams are delicious in seaweed soups or miso soup. Grandma blanched them and ate them with hot sauce.

The Coop still in his PJs ready to dig:

Oski digging with the clam gun:

Oski and cousin H:

Oski gets a clam:

Oski in action:

Kids playing after lunch:

Bucket o' Clams:

Happy Camper in front of the beach cottage that we want to rent this Summer:

West Hylebos Wetlands Reserve

2008-05-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we discovered this sweet little reserve in Federal Way. All hidden and tucked in next to a busy road, behind an old pioneer cabin. It was recently improved and the board walk extended. It's a really a beautiful, quiet, flat hike (about a mile) over the nice board walk. You can take the longer or shorter hike to a lookout of a lake. There's also deep water sink hole to look at, and a huge variety of interesting plants, bugs and birds. It's really a quiet heaven in the middle of a large suburb. The boys had fun looking at the lake for awhile. I ended up carrying the Coop on the way back, so so heavy. Sigh. After a short juice and cracker break, we left to eat lunch at the Blue Island Sushi.

Great Wolf Resort - Grand Mound Review

2008-05-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we took the kids to play at the Great Wolf Indoor Water Park Resort. We stayed there Fri/Sat nights.
After reading many reviews, we had a good idea of what to expect. After some heavy traffic, we arrived at the resort around 4:30 PM on Friday. Mini vans everywhere!

We were able to check in right away, look -- NO LINES!!

Since it was the "official" grand opening day, they had snacks and refreshments in the lobby and a disney concert.
Oski and I had chocolate covered strawberries and the Coop grabbed a giant hunk of cheese while papa got the bracelet keys.

At this hotel, there are no keys, but they give you bracelets. Parents' bracelets act as keys and you can also charge things to it. If you don't want to wear it all the time, feel free to cut it off, they will give you new bands. Rumors were that if you lose the bracelet, it's $30 but I don't think they will charge you.

After loading up our airport like luggage cart, we headed up to our 4th floor Wolf Den Suite.

It was very cute, with a separate "den" area with a bunk bed for the kids with a little LCD TV of their own.

There was a good size refrigerator and a small microwave. We brought cereal, instant oatmeal, cinnamon rolls, yogurt, etc. for snacks and one breakfast. There's a coffee maker and paper cups, but no dishes or silverware so bring your own or borrow from the restaurant. We scored on a balcony eventhough we didn't pay extra for it. As with brand new hotels, it was very clean.

Though expensive (but not unreasonable as each room comes with 4 water park passes valued at $30 each x 4 = $120), the resort suites are not luxurious. No heavenly beds here, it's standard issue but accomodating. The bunk bed mattresses are hard as a rock! Also, because it's a endless rows of rooms in a corridor, the noise level is high, teenagers slamming doors late at night, but by 10 or 11PM, things settle down. The coop decided that he would stay up until midnight the first night, stressing us out! We noticed that most of the guests are middle to upper middle class folks. All clean cut with young kids or teenagers from the Seattle/Portland areas.

We headed downstairs to check out the resort. Everything was well thought-out for families with kids. There were kids everywhere! There were plenty of staff members around to answer questions. There's a main buffet restaurant where we had one breakfast and one dinner:

The buffet was just "okay", there were seafood (crab, oyster, clams), ribs, salad bar, lots of kids choices like nuggets, mac and cheese, smiley fries, and evil gummy worms. There's also selection of processed Chinese food. Fresh fruit, dessert bar, drinks are included.

And another sit down restaurant (Camp Critter Grill) which was better than the buffet. They had excellent seared scallop salad and mini sliders were quite good. Kids meals there were good too. Go early because the wait gets long! They do have pagers. There's also a Pizza Hut express and a take out grill. There's also an espresso bar next to the Spa (mild but good DE espressos) with muffins, pastries, nuts, chocolate, ice cream, cotton candy, candy (danger!), etc. People line up to get pastries and lattes in the morning for breakfast. Starbucks will open mid-May or so. Wish they were open!

There's an arcade, a little girls' spa, and a spa for adults. There's also Cub Club, kids play area. Each craft activity costs $5 - $15, it's silly, Oski made a fish piggy bank, but they can play there for free. I think you can also drop them off there if your kids are willing so that you can go to the spa or go down the TORNADO! There's also a teenager's room where they can play wii, rock star, etc. It's set up like a cruise, all self-contained. They also have a gift shop and a magic play shop where they sell these magic wands for the kids. Throughout the hotel, they have items that you "zap" with the wand and they come to life. Pretty cool.

Now for the water park:
After the initial shock of seeing the pale white bodies of NW folks after a long brutal winter, we saw how cool the indoor water park was.

What I liked about the water park was that it was warm! So warm, kept at 85 degrees so you are never cold.

Kids loved the jet skis with squirt guns.
They provide life jackets, float tubes, and warm towels (all free), bring water shoes for the kids and adults.

Wave Pool, a deeper pool in the back ground with floating snake, beaver, and lily pads that you can hop over.

There were lots of lounge chairs, tables for parents to relax while the kids played. You can eat and drink in the water park, lots of parents nursing lattes. Of course you can't lounge around and relax with a toddler!

Oski loved to ride the tubes.

We had fun taking turns riding the tube slides with Oski. He just made the height limit and had a ball!

Every night at 8:00, there's the clock tower show followed by story time. Kids loved the show.

We had the cousins visit us to use the water park one day and had lunch together. While Oski slept, the Coop and the cousins had a fondue at the restaurant down stairs. Yum! The Coop had a big following of teenage girl fans. Everywhere (indoor/outdoor hot tub, restaurants, arcade, etc.) that we went, they were shouting his name and taking his picture with their cell phones! Good times.

As for the surrounding areas, there's not much in Grand Mound. There's a Dairy Queen, McDonalds, Red Barn Restaurant, and Figaro's Pizza close to the hotel. All the guests were talking about how someone should open some restaurants across the street from the resort. They would make a killing! There's NW Sausage (a famous meat smokery with burgers, etc.) on the way to Centralia. Follow the road South in front on the resort all the way into downtown Centralia. About 10 min. There's a Starbucks there, Burgerville (YUM!), and a Thai restaurant among others. There's also a bunch of outlet shops in Centralia and antique shops. A good restaurant called Berry Fields inside the Antique Center.

I recommend visiting the resort while it's brand new and clean. I would avoid Saturdays for sure. You can use the water park as early as 1pm and you can have breakfast and use the water park, then check out. So, one nighter is totally possible since the resort is so close. No late check out allowances, but if you are 10 - 20 min. late, oh well.

Hope you get to check it out with your family soon! Be sure to take the time to ride the Tornado (first thing in the AM, the lines are very short!), it was super fun and not as scary as I imagined. Regards!

Happy Camper

2008-05-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

We sold our Sea Ray boat (yay!) and purchased a hipster trailer (T@b). We've been "day-using" it at Alki Beach, Ocean Shores, and local State Parks. We were hoping that the kids can take naps in it after playing, but so far it has not happened! Argh. We're also too chicken to do an over-nighter with the boys.

Bentos

2008-05-04T23:54:00.000-07:00

This year, I started packing bento lunches when we go out with the kids. It comes in handy when they get that sudden hunger attack and you don't have to leave the venue to grab something to eat. Not to mention avoiding the restaurant chaos with the energetic boys. I had fun stocking up on bento supplies, and papa brought back some cute ones from Japan. Now that I am set, I am getting too lazy to pack them. Or papa is in too much of an hurry to get going in the morning. I'm also not a morning person so I can't get up early to pack the bentos like my mom used to.......now the onigiri (rice balls) are getting freezer burns in the freezer.

Afternoon Tea

2008-05-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

For C's birthday, the usual 3 friends decided to treat C for an Afternoon Tea at the Georgian - Fairmont Hotel. It was a beautiful and relaxing setting, especially without the kiddies. The scones were delicious as well as the rest of the offerings, we ended up taking most of the dessert to go as we were quite full. The mimosas and peach nectar champagne were very refreshing and hit the spot.

Afterwards, we went shopping and drooled over some super hot hand bags......but we didn't give into the temption....yet. Happy Birthday C!!!!!

Rice Shortage in the U.S.?

2008-04-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

The news is starting to come out about a potential rice shortage. I read that a local techie bought tons of rice at Costco in case there is a panic during a shortage. Now, most Costco stores are limiting one bag per purchase. My local Costco is already sold out of regular rice. Wholesale rice prices have jumped 50 - 60% and US is importing wheat for the first time ever. It seems that we exported too much wheat and there is not enough here. This is really crazy. Just in case, I purchased a ton of rice and some organic sweet brown rice at H-Mart last night. The supply there was getting pretty low although Paldo World seems to still have good supply. The H-Mart guy told me that the prices are going to jump this week, and asked how I knew about that. Also during check-out, a bunch of ladies came up and asked why I was buying so much rice.

I also bought a good amount of powdered milk for the kids in case of an earth quake or other pandemonium. I need to buy some King Arthur Flour at Trader Joe's and I will be okay for awhile. Don't panic, but stock up for your family just in case. Hope we laugh about this later......

A Special Birthday Treat

2008-04-12T22:16:00.000-07:00

For my upcoming birthday, my sweet friends treated me to a massage and lunch at the Salish Lodge & Spa After a chaotic morning of juggling kids, sitter, and hubby, I made it there a few minutes late. I chose the hot stone massage and C & S both chose the deep tissue massage. After the wonderful massage, we soaked in the tubs and had a nice lunch in the Attic Restaurant. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the food, but we shared a prawn dish, Halibut Risotto, and a beet and cheese salad. For dessert, we had a Pineapple Tart. Sorry C, didn't know that you were allergic to Pineapples!

On the way home, I was cresting a large hill on the highway and was going a little too fast, I say about 72 in a 55 zone. Just as I was hitting the breaks, I saw the State troopers standing outside their cars. They motioned something to me, then to the car behind me. For a split second, I thought that I had to pull over, but I was going too fast to pull over, so I looked back and they didn't get in there car to chase me, so I kept going. And going. They didn't come after me. Hopefully, I don't get a ticket in the mail. Hope they were busy busting the guy behind me.

Thanks again S & C for the wonderful birthday treat!

Top Pot Doughnuts

2008-04-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

Ummmm, nothing like a
Top Pot Donut to start out the day. We usually go to the Top Pot on 5th Avenue. A limited selection is also available at Starbucks. So crunchy and good. Mighty O Donuts might be better for you, but if you do donuts, might as well go all the way and have a Top Pot. We used to be addicted to Cup Cake Royale, but now it's Top Pot. Go ahead, click the picture for a close up.....and drool.

Oski always chooses a sprinkled one with the most sugar.

Spring Break '08

2008-04-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, Spring Break and snow/hail....... We planned to go to California, but due to poor planning and high airfare, we decided to stay home. So while some of our friends enjoyed the California sunshine, we went up North to Vancouver B.C. for a couple of days. Here's what we did.

Our usual apartment hotel was fully booked so papa got us free nights at the Hyatt, just 2 blocks from Robson.

The first day, we visited Granville Island and played at the Kids Market and took some photos. We had a light snack at La Baguette Et L'echalote - we shared a chocolate croissant, fruit croissant, and Oski had a cinnamon bun. The Pike Place Market has its charms but Granville Island Market kicks butt.

Then we went to MetroTown via the SkyTrain. The Metropolis Mall at Metro Town has the coolest food court, and we had dinner there. Papa had a gyro, kids a turkey dinner platter, and I enjoyed a spicy Korean fried rice with kimchee. Excellent. Oski fell asleep, so we put him in the stroller and the Coop and I rode the train around the mall. Only in Canada would they run a train inside a mall. It did stop on a dime though when somebody tried to cross in front of the train. It's a good way to window shop for sure.

Next morning, we headed over to the Stanley Park to ride bikes and stroll along the sea wall. It was a beautiful day.

Scary Totem Poles...

Unfortunately, the mini trains were closed, but we did the free peek into the aquarium of Beluga Whales and seals.

After a nap, we headed over to Robson Street for dinner at Ezo Giku. Ramen and gyoza set with mini fried rice for the kids. Papa had a shoyu ramen/gyoza set and I had the miso ramen set. The ramen was not as good as I remembered, but the gyoza was still good. The kimchee was really good. We left quickly after the Coop spilled 2 cups of water in a row. Then, a stop at the Mondo Gelato for some dessert. We shared the double - Oski chose blood orange gelato, I chose grapefruit and chocolate, raspberry for the Coop and papa. Then, back to the hotel with a stop at Tim Horton's donuts. I can't believe how many donuts are consumed in Canada, the place is packed all day long!

Next morning, we walked across town to Yale Town for breakfast at The Urban Fare. Papa said it was twice as good as the hotel breakfast and twice as cheap. (Our hotel breakfast was a disaster due to misbehaving kids, sad because I LOVE hotel breakfasts!) Papa and Oski had ham and cheese breakfast sandwiches and the Coop and I shared a 2 egg with bacon platter. Then we walked down to the sea wall and got on the little Aqua Bus.

The Kids loved the ride. Instead of getting off at Granville Island, we asked the skipper to take us over by the Burrard Bridge.

We got off the water taxi right onto the sea wall at the Western tip of Stanley Park. Kids ran into 2 Canadian twin brothers and played with them. Then we all decided to stroll to the Inukshuk statue.

There, we played some more and had a small snack before saying bye to the new friends. They cried. We started to walk back to the hotel, but decided to hop on a taxi to make our late check out time. The boys enjoyed the taxi ride.

After checking out, we finally were able to go to the famous Vij's Rangoli. It was totally packed as expected so we had 2 dishes to go (pressure cooked beef curry and grilled chicken with curry sauce). While we waited for the food, Oski enjoyed a Mango Lassi in a bag.

Coopy got some too.

We took the Vij's take out to Queen Elizabeth Park for a picnic, then headed for the border. It was a very easy drive home as both kids slept all the way. We decided to stop at the Sculpture Park to let the boys stretch out their legs. We really love this park on nice days.

After a nice stroll in the park, we had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Yum. I really like their spaghetti with meat sauce and the spumoni ice cream, and kid friendly too. Really strange how much I like to eat there..........

Vancouver's sky was full of construction cranes. Construction for the Winter Olympics is going crazy. They were trying to squeeze new buildings into small patches of land in between high rises. I think the city's growth will explode after the Olympics. So if you have a chance, visit this gorgeous city before the Olympics.

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-04-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

We rushed back from church on Easter for the egg hunt with neighborhood friends. Since it was pouring out, we decided to do it up at the elementary school's covered area. The Coop actually got quite a few eggs!

Ready, get set....!

Go Coop!

Ichiro is a Gangsta

2008-03-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Ichiro Kun's hilarious interview with Bob Costas.

Translation:
"--August,in Kansas City,is hotter than two rats $#@#?# in a wool sock".
"That's my favorite, I have a bad team mate".

On a foodie note, it was also in the news today that Ichiro eats the same lunch everyday -- home made Japanese curry rice made by his wife Yumiko. You bet lots of baseball players will be eating that now.....ummmm kare rice.

Cold Meds

2008-03-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, news agencies warned that federal health officials had said cold and cough medicines should not be given to children under 6. But actually checking the CDC website, you can give it to kids 2 and over. CDC expects to release a decision on giving cold meds to kids under 6 this Spring. Mostly, it's due to kids overdosing on their own (yes, kids love the sweet, fruity taste of medicine) or parents accidentally giving too much. Since my kids are currently sick (I jinxed myself by saying how healthy my boys have been this year!), I gave them Children's Tylenol Multi Symptom Cold Medicine. I gave the 2 year old 3/4 teaspoon 2 nights in a row and the 4 year old 1 teaspoon. The recommended dosage for 6 and up is 2 teaspoons.

For me, these cold meds are a life saver, kids can breathe, actually get some rest at night, which means parents can get the much needed sleep as well. And during the day, it stops the continous flow of runny nose and prevents raw faces.

Luckily, the kids are starting to feel better tonight so I did not medicate them. They are sleeping well so far (knock on wood).

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and not giving medical advice, please consult your physician before giving ANY medication to yourself or your children.

Home Made Spaghetti O's

2008-03-10T23:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Trader Joe's, now we can make home made spaghetti O's. Not the icky canned stuff (eventhough I used to love it). Kids love it! I stuff chopped broccoli and shredded carrots in the sauce to get some veggies in. Always searching for new things for the kids to eat.

Oprah - What's Up Girl?

2008-02-26T20:16:00.000-08:00

First Oprah confesses that her favorite singer was NEIL DIAMOND, today she had Rick Springfield on her show! Girl, don't you like Kanye West or Pharrell? Rick Springfield may get a come back thanks to her......."You know I want Jesse's Girl.....", yeah Rick Springfield still ROCKS!!

and How Was Your Morning Routine?

2008-02-25T23:01:00.000-08:00

How was your morning routine?
Alarm woke me up around 7:15, tried to sneak out of bed without waking up the Coop. Failed, the Coop grabbed a hold of me for another 10 min. Now we are already running late, carried the Coop to the bathroom, changed his diaper while he was screaming for his Hummer (Humma! Humma! Humma!). Managed to change his pants, bonus.

All the Hummer screaming woke Oski, now Oski wants his belly button cuddle (don’t ask). Now we are really behind schedule. Managed to get myself ready and at the same time preventing the Coop from climbing up Oski’s bunk bed. Everyone dressed, teeth brushed and down stairs. Breakfast consisted of banana bread, cheese sticks, pigs in a blanket (from night before), juice, milk. Also managed to give the Coop his bottle as well. Cool, did not have to cook anything!

Get everyone loaded into the car, milk and snacks packed, remembered the phone this time. Rush to drop Oski off at school, since we already missed the drop-off shuttle, I tell Oski to run while half way into the gate, keeping an eye on both Oski and the screaming Coop in the car. Meanwhile Oski takes his sweet slow time walking into his class. Dropped the Coop off at the in-laws, peel him off my legs, drive to work. Since running late, missed all the close parking spots, have to park 2 buildings away and hike into work. It’s SO hard being a working mommy!!!! Urgh.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope everyone had a great day. We made cupcakes with the kids and got some Valentines Boxers for Papa. I received a box of Nuts & Chews Chocolates from See's. Yummy.

Nanny Interview

2008-02-05T21:38:00.001-08:00

Interviewed a part time nanny tonight. She was a little late, hope that's not a bad sign. I was lucky to find a Korean speaker. It is so hard to find a good sitter/nanny. We have great neighborhood kids, but they are little too young to leave kids alone with them. Only when I am home and doing things around the house. I hope to get some good help for dinners out, getting house projects done, and when Al travels. Grandparents are great help during the week, but we would like for them to rest and enjoy their evenings and weekends. Our neighbor friends have great helpers that drive their kids to school, gym, swimming lesson, etc. I hope our nanny works out well and stays with us for years and years until she gets married and has her own kids. I'm already fantasizing about more dinners out and getting stuff done around the house. I need to do a background check and reference checks but hope to get her started this weekend. She is in her mid 20's, a college graduate, and has a full time job really close to our home. She can swing by after work and on the weekends. She is even available overnight, but my kids are too attached for that. She used to be a full time nanny for 3 kids. Hope she is a gem.

Safer Baby Bottles & Sippy Cups?

2008-01-29T22:04:00.000-08:00

I recently changed to glass baby bottles, actually heating the milk in the glass bottles then transferring it to plastic Avent Sippy cup bottles with nipple top to feed. I tried to use just the glass bottles but the coop refused the new nipple. He loves the Avent nipple. There's been a lot of press lately about polycarbonate bottles, MEC (Canadian equivalent of REI) going as far as stop selling all Nalgene polycarbonate water bottles. Polycarbonate bottles are thought to "leech" chemicals into your water. Sometimes you can taste the "leeching" when you drink from those common water bottles that's been sitting in your car. Polycarbonate bottles (Avent, Dr. Browns, etc.) which contain BPA, release some type of hormone that is harmful, especially when the bottle is heated (bottle warmer, microwave, dishwasher, etc.). Since the coop loves his bottles warm, I switched to glass. I also pre-rinse the bottles and dishes and do a light wash with air dry (so that the bottles don't get too heated in the dish washer).

There are safer plastic bottles, such as the Avent sippy cups (NOT their baby bottles), Munchikin sippy cups, etc. There are totally BPA free "safe" bottles from "Born Free" which my kids sometimes use. I also use Avent disposable bottles (The VIA system) which are made from polyproplene and deemed more safe. Sales of metal water bottles are going through the roof due to this, and I use the Klean Kanteen at work and Siggs are becoming more popular as well. I personally don't like the Sigg because the inside is coated with something like epoxy.

Look at the bottom of your sippy cups, there will be a triangle with a number in it. These are recycle numbers. Numbers 1,2,4,5 are more safe and 3,6,7 should be tossed. Take a look if you are concerned. Of course if you child has his/her fave's that's hard to do. ZRecs Blog really explains this in more detail and I credit it for the sippy cup photo as well. Check it out, it's worth the read!

ZRecommends Blog Article on Safer Baby Bottles

ZRecommends Blog Article on Sippy Cups

Cuisinart Cup-O-Matic

2008-01-28T22:35:00.000-08:00

Cuisinart Cup-O-Matic is now available!
I think this might be an early birthday gift to myself. I'm going to try to sell my Starbucks Espresso Maker to subsidize this. I can NOT wait!!!!!

Monster Jam

2008-01-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

Monster trucks rolled into town last weekend. Oski and papa went to the Tacoma Dome to see the Monster Jam and Pit Party. Blue Thunder, Grave Digger, and even Bat Man was there this year! Boo yah!

Cactus!

2008-01-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ate at Cactus! last Monday at Alki. Since we had the kids with us, I ordered the $10 nachos and the smoked chicken quesadillas. It was not as good as usual. The quesadillas were good, but the nachos were overly salty. Their chips and salsa was delicious as usual. There were tons of kids at the restaurant for lunch. Cactus is one of our favorite restaurants and we love their tapas menu. We were excited to see the Alki one open up, but I hope their food lives up to their other 2 locations (Kirkland, Madison Park). Note: No kids allowed during their happy hour 3 - 5 PM.

Cockatoos - Korean Fried Chicken!

2008-01-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

Korean fried chicken has been in the press a lot lately, including this
NY Times Article

The foodie in me had to try it as this is one of the most popular food in Korea.
After doing some research, I found 2 chicken restaurants.
I chose Cockatoos. Since both of the restaurants are "pub" types that cater to the drinking crowd, the restaurants don't open until 5 PM and goes most of the night. Cockatoos is non-descript and very hard to find. Check out the sign, can you spot the chicken restaurant?

Yes, next to the gun shop. I called in the order and went to pick it up. The restaurant is definitely one of those hole in the wall restaurants, but once you enter, it's party time! Music, videos, and a nice mix of people enjoying beer and chicken. This will be a good place for a date night with some friends. I ordered the Yang-Yum chicken which is like hot wings, but more flavorful. It came with a side of cole slaw/Thousand Island Dressing, and white water kimchee. Wow, the smell was incredible and I could hardly wait to get home. I think The Coope in the back seat agreed.

Yummy, gooey, spicy, yet sweet fried chicken wings with Yang-Yum sauce! Pure heaven, sprinkled with chopped peanuts. The skin of course was the best part. Next time I am trying the whole fried chicken. Get yours soon!

Cockatoo’s Chicken Restaurant. 33130 Pacific Highway S., No. 5, Federal Way; 253-661-2960. Hours: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. daily

Teva Westwater Shoes

2008-01-19T23:57:00.000-08:00

Adorable water shoes for Spring & Summer! Hurry up Summer....

Melitta One:One Javapods

2008-01-17T23:06:00.000-08:00

Finally received my shipment of the Melitta javapods. I ordered the breakfast blend, French Kisses, Creme Brulee, and decaf. They are all pretty good and a BIG step above the Senseo pods. Next up, the best pods Lavazza! I just hope they fit in my Senseo machine.

Kenneth Cole Keep Going Wedge

2008-01-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

Me want! Me really want!!

2008 Elections

2008-01-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

Looks like Obama Mania has lost some momentum. It might be good for Obama's team as they were starting to get a little cocky. Billary's team must be very happy. I wish Giuliani and other silly candidates would drop out and save the money. Here are my thoughts on 2008 elections:

1. Obama/Edwards or Edwards/Obama ticket would be cool!
2. Edwards needs to stop talking about working at the mill.
3. Huck –n- Chuck: What the *&*%@??
4. Billary – I’m not sure if I like or hate her. She might be a good president since she is such a bad ass. I also like the fact that she has Bill’s experience and knowledge behind her.
5. Mitt – Dude, you come across (at least to me) as unlikable and suspicious. Stop riding on the coat tails of the other candidates and form your own theme.

MILK - What's your take?

2008-01-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Most milk bottlers pool milk from different farms and bottle it together, which increases your risk if one of the sources are contaminated. These days more and more people are opting for organic milk, not good if you are using Costco or Target organic milk as recently reported on the news (it turned out that they were not really organic milk). We usually drink Smith Brother Milk, they bottle only from their cows and it's rBST (growth hormone) free. We get it delivered each week, and when we do run out, I buy the rBST free milk or organic milk from Trader Joes. Our family definitely prefer the fresh taste of Smith Brothers. It's too bad that the larger dairies are trying to force smaller family dairies like Smith Brothers into joining their pool and paying extra fees. This will mostly likely close down most of the smaller family dairies. This is bad news for the consumers. What's your favorite milk?

Co-Sleeping vs. Sleep Training

2007-12-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

Are you a co-sleeper or a sleep trainer? We are a family on the side of Dr. Sears, we do not “Ferberize” our kids -- although that would probably make our lives easier. Currently I co-sleep with our baby, the Coop. He is so cuddly and warm. Of course he takes up most of the bed and I sleep teetering on the edge each night. I love it though. I do miss sleeping next to Oski, he is doing well sleeping in his own bed or with papa on cold nights. He comes to visit at 7 AM each morning, wanting his cuddle.

Camo Santa!

2007-12-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, only Cabela's would have a camo-clad santa. We visited the new Cabela's in Lacey, the boys enjoyed the acquarium and Oski especially enjoyed the shooting gallery. I say visit if you are passing by, it's not worth the drive as a destination.....

A Visit to the Pediatric Dentist

2007-12-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

Oski had a visit to the dentist this morning. He did pretty well, except for the second half of the cleaning. He cried, but made it through. No Cavities!! We did find out that our Big Boy was missing a front baby tooth, weird. The new dental office was really kid friendly and the hygenists were dressed up as elves. Oski has to cut out candy from his diet, this will be very hard to do as he hoards Tic Tacs and other candies up in his bunk bed.......

Teddy Bear Suite at The Fairmont Seattle

2007-12-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas season, which means a visit to the Teddy Bear Suite at the Fairmont Hotel (formerly Four Seasons). I thought that it was adorable and sweet, DH thought that it was a bit small. It was nice to see all the decorations at the hotel and check our names on the naughty or nice list.

Venue Details:
Holiday hotel suite with display of teddy bears and teddy bear themed children's books, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Dec. 26. Free.

Fairmont Olympic Hotel 411 University St. Seattle, WA 98101

My little Darth Vader

2007-11-24T22:16:00.000-08:00

Oski's new obsession is Star Wars. He wears the cape daily and all he talks about is Star Wars and its characters. We are to address him as Luke Skywalker. He named the Coop, R2D2. Cute Darth Vader with.....mis-matched socks!

Finally

2007-11-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

This is so long overdue, but finally here it is. Hello World. Thanks for reading.