Rave & Review

Seattle area parents: see Caspar Babypants at Teatro ZinZanni throughout June

Who knows how many times I’ve walked past the Teatro ZinZanni historical spiegeltent on Mercer Street in Seattle over the years, wondering what it was and dying to get inside.  Who would have thought that it would be a kid’s show that finally brought me through the doors and into the world of Teatro ZinZanni, but that’s exactly what happened. 

When I heard that one of our favorite Seattle “kindie” bands, Caspar Babypants, was partnering with Teatro ZinZanni for a month-long presentation of King's Wish, I knew my daughter would go crazy for it.  With Teatro ZinZanni circus performers including child acrobat Saffi Watson, child juggler Max Peterson, rope aerialist extraordinaire Terry Crane, former Ringling Bros Clown Peter Pitofsky, and more paired with awesome kid-friendly music, it was basically her dream show. 

So, when they offered us two tickets to the King’s Wish show so I could take her to celebrate her 5th birthday this weekend, I happily took them up on it. 

And, even though we were late to the show because of the Mercer Street exit closures {side note, when coming South on 1-5, get off before Lake Union to avoid getting caught in the Denny exit mess and then trying to circle back by the Space Needle.  It took us FOREVER to get back to Mercer and we were bummed we missed the first part of the show}, we still had a blast singing, dancing, parading, and oohing and aahing over all the amazing sights during the show. 

Of course, it helps that we love Caspar Babypants {AKA Chris Ballew, lead singer and songwriter for the Presidents of the United States of America} and have enjoyed seeing him at local kindie concerts as well as when he was a special guest when Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE came to town, but even non-fans would quickly become fans during the hour and 15 minute show.  With many of the children {and parents} singing along and with all the audience participation aspects, it would be hard not to get swept up in the performance.    

Add in all the amazing circus-esque performances from the ZinZanni troupe and my daughter was completely smitten.  Her favorite part was the “huly hoop” performance that had Saffi Watson swinging overhead and doing all sorts of amazing moves effortlessly above us.  Her second favorite part was Stompy the Bear, and she waited in the lobby for him after the show so she could give him a hug. 

He even gave her a big hug and took a {slightly blurry} picture with her, which she was thrilled about. 

If you will be in Seattle this June, I would highly recommend going to see King's Wish with your little ones.  The show runs from June 1-30 and has showings on Saturday and select Sundays {show runs from 11am-12:15pm}.

Tickets range from $19 {booth seating in red} to $24 {chair seating in yellow} per person and can be purchased at dreams.zinzanni.org or by calling (206) 802-0015.


A big thank you to Teatro ZinZanni for offering two tickets for us to see the show this last weekend.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours.

Traveling Light with the Samsung WB200 Smart Camera

Before I was a mom, I hauled around a SLR with me wherever I went – first the film variety, then a DSLR – and made good use of my photography degree.  In those years I took amazing pictures of our adventures while traveling, around our house with family and friends, and exploring the many sights around the Pacific Northwest. 

But all that changed in 2008 when I exchanged my small purse for a diaper bag and a baby, and suddenly my hands were full.  Ironically, this came at the same time that I wanted to take pictures more than ever before, as I wanted to document all those important firsts of my baby girl.  So, I compromised by taking the camera only on days out as a family when my husband could help haul all our gear, but I always felt like I was missing all the really amazing shots of our everyday life.

Obviously, the solution is to get a smaller compact system camera that can fit in my purse or diaper bag and go everywhere with me.  But, the problem with that is that I have a really hard time going from my DSLR on manual to a standard point and shoot where the camera makes all the decisions and I’m stuck with whatever it decides. 

So, I’ve been sitting here holding out for a compact camera that can be used in manual mode, and I finally found it with the Samsung WB200.  Sure, it’s got all the fancy auto modes and scene selections that make it fun, but it also can be used in all manual mode, shutter priority, and aperature priority that allows me to control the exposure, color balance and depth of field when I feel like it.

{Random Rave: see where the power button is in the top of the camera?  IT'S AWAY FROM THE SHUTTER.  It never fails that whenever someone picks up my camera to shoot a picture they press the power button instead of the shutter, which means everyone is sitting and posing in front of a camera that is turned off.  Samsung heard our groans and they have moved the button away from the shutter to avoid all confusion.  THANK YOU!}

And, besides giving me a huge amount of options to get the picture just how I'd like it every time, this camera is also super cool in its own right.  Starting with the fact that it has a touch screen control right on the back.  No more digging through menus and pressing up/down and right/left arrows to select your option because now you can merely tap your selection and be done.  Seriously, why did this option take so long?

Secondly, the Samsung WB200 has Wi-Fi capabilities, which makes it easy to share, back up, or email the pictures right from your camera.  Awesome, right? No wonder they call it a smart camera!  I'm horrible about downloading my pictures and even worse about sharing them, so this camera is absolutely perfect for me.  I can't even tell you how many times I'm snapping pictures of the kids and their friends and everyone begs me to email them my pics when I download them.  Now I can simply connect to a Wi-Fi network and email them or share them on the go, which means it might actually happen. 

Want to know something else super cool?  You can actually use your smartphone as a remote to control the camera from a distance.  I can throw away my long cable release and give up setting up the camera and running into the shot, because now I can actually see what my camera sees directly on my phone.  I haven't played with this much as of yet, but you can bet I will be come Christmas picture time!

I had so much faith in the Samsung WB200 that I actually left my DSLR home on a trip to Idaho this past weekend.  Knowing that we would have plenty to carry without adding the bulk and weight of my full-size camera, I happily ditched the weight and went with the Samsung WB200 that could fit in my purse. 

But, with four days of extended family fun, a day at Silverwood, and four generation pictures planned, going point and shoot to capture it all was a very big step for me.  Thank goodness the pictures turned out really well, even with the action shots and unpredictable lighting of an amusement park day. 

The photographer in me is very, very happy that I could take fun shots like this with my Samsung point and shoot without blowing out the exposure. 

Or this backlit photo at sunset that still shows all the sand and dirt on my little guy's cheeks.  Because, isn't that what childhood is all about?

This isn’t to say that I don’t shoot all auto sometimes, but I really like having the option to override the settings with a simple spin of a dial to create beautiful images like this one of our gorgeous blue Seattle sky. 

But, when I am shooting in auto, I love that there are so many options available to play with.  For instance, retro, vignetting, miniature effect, etc. that allow me to simply select the look I’m going for and have the camera do all the rest. 

I love macro shots, so being able to get shallow depth of field with the press of a button is pretty awesome.

There's also fun effects like the retro filter that I really love to play around with.

I also played around with the miniature effect and the zooming shot effect while we were testing the camera and took some funny shots of the kids.  Although it's not something I would use a lot, I had to admit it was really fun.

All this and the camera can fit on a tripod the size of a small flashlight!  I picked up the Gorilla Pod at Walmart when I realized the camera was $20 cheaper than I had budgeted for and I was so excited.  With how small and light the camera is, I love that it can now attach to trees, perch upon just about any surface, and store right in my pocket! 

Speaking of tripods, my photography background makes me very flash-adverse on point and shoots so I love that the flash doesn’t automatically pop up.  To use the flash, you simply press the lightning bolt button on the top and the cool-looking flash pops up, ready for low light photography.  I only used it a few times because it was simply too powerful for what I was looking for, but if I had been doing larger shots, I think it would have been nice to have. 

Really, the only time I wasn’t that impressed with my pictures was when I was shooting in dark places that were too low light for the camera to handle without the flash.  Most people would have turned on the flash and dealt with the blown out faces, which I probably should have when I was meeting the lovely Jessica from And Then There Were More for the first time.  While my pics turned out okay even in a dark bar, they would have turned out a lot better with more light or with flash. 

But, this picture below was taken after the sun had set and the sky was growing dark quick.  It was also in low light and it turned out beautiful. Go figure.

But, the daylight is when the Samsung excels.  It consistently produced clear and crisp images, even up close or with moving subjects in all the auto modes and in manual mode.  I was able to capture these images of my children with their great grandparents over the weekend to help us always remember how much fun we had exploring Coeur d’Alene together. 

When it was time to head home from our vacation, I even snapped some pictures in the car while going freeway speeds to document the many sights we saw along our scenic route.  They turned out surprisingly well, and are some of my favorite shots.  
But, as great as the Samsung WB200 is for trips and more, I really like that it's perfect for days out with the kiddos when I've already got my hands full.  Normally I would just leave the camera at home and head out with the kids, but then I risk missing shots like this that show how much they adore each other.  

It may not take up much space, but it can capture the moment *almost* as good as my DSLR can.  Seriously.

Samsung WB200 14.2 MP 18x Optical Zoom WiFi Digital Camera specs:

• 14.2 megapixel resolution with high-quality still images and video recordings
  Featuring SMART Mode, 720p HD Movie Recording and SMART Camera 2.0 functionality
• Samsung 4.0-72.0mm zoom lens with 18x optical zoom
  Equivalent to a 24-432mm lens on an analog camera with Normal AF, Macro, Auto Macro, Manual Focus
• 3.0" TFT LCD screen with image editing features
  Featuring Hybrid Touch User Interface
• Built-in flash with Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In Flash and Slow-Sync Flash

You can buy the Samsung WB200 at Walmart right now for $179, which I think we can all agree is a steal.  You can see more camera specs at the Samsung Smart Camera site if you like things like facts and comparisons, or you can check out my Google+ album to see my take. 

Connect with Samsung on Twitter and Facebook to find out more about their products as well as tips and tricks of the pros. 

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #SocialCamera

Kids Bowl FREE all summer long

With summer on the horizon, I know many of you are thinking about programs you can enroll your kids in during the break to avoid break boredom.  I’ve heard everything thrown out amongst friends from Chinese classes to playdates at the park, but I’ve got something more exciting up my sleeve: bowling.

Just like archery, sports, and musical talents, my husband would also like our kiddos to be amazing bowlers.  For this reason, my announcement that we would be participating in the Kids Bowl Free program this summer was a very welcome announcement to him and the kids. 

Have you heard of the Kids Bowl Free program?  It’s actually quite simple; you just need to visit KidsBowlFree.com and sign up your kids aged 15 and under.  Then, throughout the summer months, your kids can bowl two free games every day between the specified times {our alley is from 8am-5pm}.  And, with a huge number of bowling alleys participating all across North America, you are sure to find a location near you!

Want to join your kids in all the fun?  Purchase a family pass for a one-time payment of $24.95 that includes passes for up to 4 adults so babysitters or grandma can take the kids.  Really, you’d pay that much for just a few games of bowling, so it would easily pay for itself after a visit or two.  While the cost of shoe rentals are not included with either the free pass or the family pass, you can rent those cheap enough through the bowling alley, or you can bring your own if you have them. 

With over 1.6 million kids that participated last year and even more expected to participate this year, we might have to show up early to our bowling alley when we want to use our coupons, but I’m okay with that.  Just to get out of the house and do something active and fun for everyone is completely worth waiting a bit.  Just thinking about all the family memories we will be making this summer as we bowl makes me happy, and knowing we are saving money while doing it makes me ever happier.   

Here's the run down on how to sign your family up:

1. Register at the Kids Bowl Free website. Simply select your state and choose a bowling alley closest to you.
2. Note the times available for KBF coupon use.  These times may vary by bowling alley, so make sure you note which times are available at your bowling alley for free bowling under the program.
3. Watch your email.  Every week you will be sent an email that contains your free bowling passes for the week that you need to print and bring with you.

For more information visit kidsbowlfree.com.  Have more questions about how this FREE program works?  Check out the Kids Bowl Free FAQ page for more info!

Harlem Globetrotters Summer Basketball Clinics for Kids {$10 off Discount Code}

We love the Harlem Globetrotters.  We've seen them the past three years in a row now and we always have so much fun.  You know those events where everyone is in a good mood and people go out of their way to be helpful?  Yeah, that's what it's like at a Globetrotters game.  

As excited as we are for the 2014 tour, this year we are thrilled because the Harlem Globetrotter Clinics for kids ages 6-14 is coming to Seattle.  These clinics will come to select US cities and take kids behind the curtain to see the Globetrotters’ electrifying skills and tricks, while also having fun staying active. 

Each participant receives: • A free ticket voucher {valued up to $40} to see the Globetrotters during their 2014 World Tour • Autographs and photos with the stars! • A certificate of completion that includes your child's very own personalized Harlem Globetrotter nickname. Pretty cool, right?  Sounds like a bargain for $59! 

Want to find out if there's a clinic near you?  Check this link to see where you can find them.  Keep in mind that the clinics are only in select cities but the 2014 tour will include 200 cities.  

Are you thinking about attending a Globetrotters Skills Clinic?  I have a special promo Code for you to save $10 on registration!  Enter the Coupon Code USFAMILY on the cart page after completing your registration or mention it when calling 1-800-641-HOOP (4667) before 5/31/13 to claim your discount.

A big thank you to US Family for sharing their coupon code.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours, we just love the Globetrotters!

Our week as the cool kids {KIA Soul review}

by Tyler, editor and reviewer

Like everyone under the age of 20, my daughter loves the KIA Soul.  The dancing hamsters, the toasters, the “you can go with this or you can go with that” commercials, and most of all, the car itself.

Have no idea what I’m talking about?  This YouTube video should help you out:

Now that you’re up to speed on why the Soul is awesome, it’s not going to be a surprise that we were thrilled to test one out through STI - The Drive Experience Company.  Since we had recently checked out the KIA Sportage, I was a bit worried that the cars would be so similar that there wouldn’t be much new to write about, but I was proved wrong within minutes of borrowing the “Alien Green” KIA Soul.

From the boxy design of the Soul to the color-changing speakers that can change with the beat of the music, there’s really nothing quite like the Soul.  Yes, it does have many of the luxuries that won us over in both the Optima and Sportage, but it also has a very different vibe than either of the luxury KIA vehicles we’ve tested.

Here’s what we learned from our week of being cool:

Daddy-O Likes

• Mid-level height – Easy to get in and out of and also to load things {kids included} into.
• Boxy design – Although the Soul is a smaller car, the boxy shape and big sunroof makes it feel very open and roomy.  
• Eco-Mode – It still amazes me that even in their non-hybrid models the eco-mode button really changes the feel and performance of the car, and really does improve your mileage.
• Rocking stereo – Loud and clear, just how I like it. On top of that it will play just about anything you can throw at it including AM/FM, Satellite, CDs, iPod integration and Bluetooth streaming audio.
• Back up camera – This is still one of my favorite features of all the KIAs we tested, especially as we’re acclimating to new cars and taking them to places unknown.
• Fun Factor – There really is just something cool and fun about the Soul. Kia really managed to pack a lot of personality and style into what is normally considered just a basic transportation type of car.

Mama Likes

• Keyless entry and ignition – Yes, I’m still raving about this.  If I could change one thing about every car I have ever owned, it would be to add keyless entry and ignition.  I would happily keep my car keys zipped in the pocket of my purse and never take them out again, which would save us roughly 15 minutes every morning that is spent searching random places for my car keys. 
• High-tech envy – Our road trips are usually more plugged in than I would like, but having on-call schedules and a job that never ends means that our phones need do more than accept calls these days.  For this reason, I love that I can easily hook my phone up to the Bluetooth so that calls can be made and accepted right from the control screen or steering wheel.   
• GPS – When we set out on a road trip, it’s a given that we will end up exploring a bit off the beaten path, so I love the built-in GPS on the control panel that can help guide us back to the main path to find food, water, and shelter, as needed. 
• Heated seats – I love heated seats.  I was sold on this alone.
• Big, but not too big – I like sitting up higher when driving, but I really don’t want to drive a huge truck or SUV, so I love that the Soul is big without being unmanageable in a parking lot or narrow roads. 

Kiddos Like

• Teenagers love it – I don’t know if it was the hamsters that did it, or if tweens and teens love the Soul because it’s so different, but whatever the reason is, KIA has totally nailed the teen market with the Soul.  Our tween/teen nieces, neighbors, and friends all came out to see the Soul and it was by far the biggest response we’ve gotten in a test drive car.  And, it's hard to not think you're cool when all the hip teens are dying to ride in your car.
• Good visibility – Again, both kiddos loved being up higher in the KIA Soul and how they could see everything easily on our roadtrip.  This was especially important when we were surrounded by a group of deer grazing in the median of the beach front road we were cruising down and the kiddos had a gorgeous view of the action just like we did. 
• Big rear windows – Not only do these allow for the great views, but they open big as well, something the kiddos have just decided is the coolest thing ever. 
• Dance parties – Car dance parties will never be the same now that they have experienced car speakers that change color – either by mood lighting or to the beat of the song.

Gripes

Although the KIA Soul is a fun little city car that does well over smoothly paved roads, it doesn’t handle poorly maintained pavement well, perhaps due to the short wheel base.  On our KIA Soul road trip we were often faced with potholed beach roads that the Soul’s suspension and stability control system didn’t quite know how to handle.  Whereas the Sportage gave a smooth ride through just about everything, the Soul is much more jittery in comparison.  

But, with the Soul’s very reasonable price tag, this might be something that I could eventually see past.  With their base model starting $14,400, it really is an amazing deal for the price.  Even the fully loaded model that we tried out was still around $23,000, which is a great price point for their demographic markets. 

During our test drive a comment was made by a stranger about how “dialed in” we looked in our Soul with our integrated phones, the fancy control panel, and the fact that I was taking electronic notes from the comfort of the passenger seat.  I thought that summed up the test drive perfectly as I had found it was hard to not feel hip and cool in a “dialed in” Soul that got so much attention everywhere we went.

Interested in driving experiences?  Check out the STI Facebook page to keep up on all their events near you.
A big thank you to STI The Drive Experience Company for letting us borrow the KIA Sportage for the week to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions remain 100% ours.

Our Week of Adventure {KIA Sportage Review}

by Tyler, editor and reviewer

After having so much fun trying out the KIA Optima last fall, we jumped at the chance to try out the KIA Sportage CUV {compact utility vehicle} earlier this month through STI - The Drive Experience Company.  Since we don’t have an SUV or CUV in our family, we were all very excited to try out something new and exciting and see what we’ve been missing out on.  And, as it turns out, what we’ve been missing is adventure. 

There’s something about a fancy new car that makes you look for reasons to drive, and we found plenty of places to drive our loaner Sportage.  From short road trips to all-day adventures, the KIA Sportage was the perfect solution for hauling all of us – and our gear – while still having enough pep to make driving fun. 

Since the Sportage is the smaller of the two SUVs that KIA offers {hence the CUV title}, we were originally concerned that space would be an issue with all our gear, carseats, and strollers we need to haul around.  But, we were very surprised of the roomy-ness of the interior, especially the back seat.  While the back storage wasn’t huge, it still fit everything that we normally have in our trunk and more, while still having the option of packing the back seat, if necessary. 

While I’m not anti-SUV by any means, I have been driving compact cars almost exclusively for 8 years now and I was initially worried that driving an SUV – even if it was on the smaller side – would be a tradeoff in terms of power and handling.  But, what I found was that although the Sportage has a raised drive height, it still has a very car-like handling that I love.

Something that really surprised me about the driving experience was how much you can fine tune the feel and performance of the Sportage.  By turning the Eco-Mode on or off and either using the automatic or manual settings on the transmission the Sportage really felt like different cars at different times, making it perfect for whatever terrain we were on.

Here’s what we learned from our week of adventure:

Daddy-O Likes

• Leg room – Being a tall guy, I dread having to sit in back seats, but the Sportage passes my personal “can I sit behind myself?” test with flying colors.  Which means not only am I comfortable in any seat, I don’t have to feel bad for anyone behind me, either.
• Room for both car seats – Not only do our two car seats fit in the back seat, but we could also drop down the center armrest between them which gave the kids access to the two cup holders within {a treat they both agree has become a necessity.}  
• The quick turbo engine – Our Sportage came with the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine which has 260HP and 269 ft. lbs. of torque.  Put the transmission into manual mode and this thing felt like a little race car, able to carve corners and merge onto the freeway with ease.  
• Eco-Mode – Switching to Eco-Mode garnered an indicated 4-5mpg gain during some of our longer freeway jaunts while at the same time making the Sportage feel like a comfy Sunday cruiser as it seemed to take the edge off of the throttle inputs.  This was the perfect attitude for cruising the back roads, enjoying the scenery while sipping fuel.
• Cooling seats – I have a tendency to hop in the car with my jacket still on while everyone else has only a T-shirt.  The option to pump cool air through my seat with the heat on for everyone else may be the single most meaningful advance in family harmony ever.  I can only imagine how great it feels once it really gets hot out.
• Steering wheel controls – The ability to control your phone, radio volume and station, and cruise control is very helpful when you jump into a new car.  And apparently something you get used to quickly, as I found myself searching for those same non-existent buttons in my own car a week later. 
• Super-bright lights – That pretty much sums it up, but for those of you looking for more description, we are talking about curb to curb daylight leading the way ahead of you all night long.  These things are awesome. 
• Back up camera – This is another feature that I could really get used to.  Since I prefer to back into parking spots whenever possible, it was nice knowing I wasn’t going to crash someone else’s car into someone else’s car {AKA the pinnacle of automotive embarrassment}.  This was especially handy when we stuffed the back luggage area to the roof, blocking out the rear window completely, and I still felt confident with just my side mirrors and the backup cam. 
• Smart lane change blinker – No driving like grandpa because your blinker automatically turns off after 3 blinks when changing lanes.  That’s right, simply tap the blinker lever gently, in either direction, and you get three blinks from your lights instead of one. 
• Bluetooth integration – An amazingly simple pairing process gets you phone calls and audio streaming directly from your phone, whether it is in your pocket or on the center console.  On top off that, the audio quality on the other end is so good that when my wife called me from the car I honestly had no idea I was on the car’s speakerphone until the kiddos chimed in from the back seat {which of course they loved as well.}

Mama Likes

• Heated and cooled seats – Heated seats are great for colder weather because they warm you up quick without the stuffy heat you sometimes get from blasting the car’s heater, but they are also good for lower back pain I sometimes get while driving, and for cruising around at night with the sunroof open.  But, since the warmer weather is approaching, I also love that they added cooling seats as well, which would be amazing through the summer months. 
• Dual climate control – He’s hot, I’m cold.  But, we both can ride together without bundling or burning up with dual climate control.
• Keyless entry and ignition – Hands down, the coolest new car feature, ever.  As long as you have the Sportage key on you {in your pocket, purse, jacket, etc} the car interior lights turn on as soon as you get close to the car, and then you can unlock the doors just by pushing the small buttons on the exterior door handles.  Once inside the car, simply put your foot on the brake, push the start button and you’re off, never having to dig for your keywhile wrangling your kids and all the various stuff that comes along with them.  I literally never took it out of my purse while I was test driving, which is pretty awesome. 
• Dashboard control screen – As much as I love having buttons and knobs for certain things, I also really like a good sized touch screen that can add even more functionality to your journey, especially when you’re out exploring and you *may* need a little assistance with directions, finding coffee, or good tunes along the way.   
• Drives small – Coming from a compact sedan, the worry was that it would take an initial adjustment period, for me especially, but what I found was that it didn’t feel like we were driving a huge vehicle at all, just a taller version of what we are used to.  
• Trunk under tray storage – While the main area of the trunk is pretty good sized, it does taper in at the top to allow for the sporty proportions of the Sportage, which means you are a bit limited on space.  A smart way they added storage is a nice divided compartment underneath the floor of the trunk above the spare tire.  For us, this was a great place to store our first aid and roadside emergency supplies, change of clothes or other small items we carry but don’t get at frequently.  Plus, it’s a great place to hide valuables when you’re parking the car for any amount of time.

Kiddos Like

• Panoramic sun roof – Can’t beat a sunroof for the parents AND one for the kiddos.  Whether it was sunny or sprinkling, having almost your entire roof letting in light makes it feel so open and roomy that they don’t even mind that their sunroof doesn’t open.
• Good visibility – What fun is driving around if you can’t see anything?  Both kiddos loved that being up higher afforded them a much better advantage point for sight-seeing along our journeys.
• Cup holders for them  – Whether they were holding sippy cups, toys or treats, the cup holders are always the first thing the kiddos take ownership of when test driving, and the thing they miss the most when we return to the reality of our compact sedan.   
• Folding mirrors – While very practical and useful feature when parking in cramped spots, this also is apparently the coolest feature ever to a 4 year old.

As you can imagine, the whole family was a little upset to hand back the keys to the KIA Sportage and say goodbye to the red CUV we had all grown to love.  It’s now become the standard by which SUVs are evaluated, and has made our car a far less appealing road trip mobile.  While we save up money for our own Sportage someday, we have our week of adventure to remember forever.

Interested in driving experiences?  Check out the STI Facebook page to keep up on all their events near you.

A big thank you to STI The Drive Experience Company for letting us borrow the KIA Sportage for the week to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions remain 100% ours.

The "Original 8" from Crayola celebrate their 110th birthday

How well do you know your Crayola Crayons?  Would you recognize the Original 8?  Would you be surprised to find out that Crayola Crayons have been around since 1903, bringing joy for 110 years?  It’s true, the Original 8 are turning 110, and they are celebrating in a big way with a Crayola 110th birthday limited edition pack, an interactive adventure, and daily fun online.


This May, the Original 8 will be “coloring the town” in a journey to promote the new Crayola Experience in Easton, PA.  The Crayola Experience will feature four floors of interactive exhibits and attractions for casual and avid art fans of all ages.  And, if 4 floors of fun wasn’t enough, the 110th birthday limited edition packs will also be available FREE with a paid admission to the Crayola Experience from May 24-27.  If you can’t make it to PA, but you want one of these retro packs, you can also buy them exclusively on Crayola’s Facebook page in May.

Interested in hearing about more?  You can follow along online during the month of May to see where the Original 8 are headed and see if you can catch them.    
 
A big thank you to Crayola, who provided the information about the new Crayola Experience as well as the 110th Birthday Set!
 

Celebrating National Poetry Month with Starbucks #DeliciousPairings

I used to write poetry.  Really, really awful poetry that ranged from flower-y preteen stuff to angst-y teenage poems that were written in the margins of my term papers.  I have since come to my senses and admitted that writing poetry is not my forte.  Don’t get me wrong, I still like reading poetry and am enjoying rediscovering it again now that my daughter enjoys it as much as I used to. 

As for my poetry career?  That ship has definitely sailed.  But, just for one day I’m breaking my own promise and giving you the little treat below. 

In honor of National Poetry Month, my husband and I are dusting off our pen and paper to celebrate by writing two poems about two things near and dear to us: Starbucks coffee and chocolate brownies. 

You’re welcome, in advance. 

So, we poured ourselves a mug of the Dark French Roast Starbucks and paired it with The Bakery at Walmart Turtle Brownies as per the suggestion of the Delicious Pairings display at our local Walmart.  Gotta love when dessert is this easy, right? 

Also, I had a coupon.  Can't beat $1.50 off $7.28!  So, it's easy, inexpensive, and delicious. 

The coffee alone might be enough to inspire poetry, but when paired with the turtle brownies, the result is pure heaven.  I mean, really.  Yum.

Don’t believe me?  Well, check out this…. Art?
Or, how about a haiku?  {side note: this is in all likelihood NOT a haiku, as it's been a long, long time since either of us have studied poetry}

Or how about this probably-not-a-haiku haiku?

As you can see, our poetry skills are a bit… rusty.  But, hopefully you’ve been inspired to enjoy a cup of Starbucks Dark French Roast paired with these delicious turtle brownies from the Bakery at Walmart yourself.  Or, maybe you are inspired to dust off a notebook, sit and relax, and write {good} poetry to celebrate National Poetry Month. 

While I think this might be the official end to my poetry career, I enjoyed being creative in a new and fun way with hubby.  It may feel daunting, and a bit silly, to write a poem about coffee and chocolate, but the lesson I took away from this was that creativity inspires more creativity.  While the poems we wrote aren’t anything to brag about, the process of writing them was more fun than I thought it would be, and it reminded us both of our dream to one day write together. 

Who knows, maybe next week we will brew ourselves another mug of coffee and make it happen.  We could finally sit down and work on one of the many {many} writing projects we have been half-heartedly planning and have our first work ready to publish by the end of summer.  It’s a lofty goal, but I think we’re up for the challenge.   

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours. #cbias #SocialFabric #DeliciousPairings

#SeattleBaby Blogger Event at Northgate Mall

Were you following along on Twitter and Facebook a few weeks ago as I hosted the #SeattleBaby shower for new and expecting mom bloggers in the Seattle area?  I was so grateful so many local bloggers turned out at the event to welcome all the new little babies and thrilled that so many of you helped tweet and retweet during the party. 

Kerri from The Maven of Social Media {picture snapped by Cristi from Motherhood Unadorned} was my guest of honor and she went home with some really cool new gadgets and gifts just in time to welcome baby #3.  She got a Summer Infant Baby Touch 2 monitor that I’m super jealous of, a Britax Chaperone car seat, a Blue Celery organic baby carrier, an Philips Avent breast pump, a custom gold and silver mama’s necklace, and a tote full of items I picked up during my #SeattleBaby shopping spree at the Northgate Mall to welcome her little one.  

Of course, all the other bloggers couldn’t leave empty-handed, so they went home with swag galore as well.  And, by swag I mean armloads full of stuff that required multiple trips to the car.  Pictured below are only some of the bloggers and a portion of the swag.  True story.

A big thank you is in order for all the awesome baby companies who sent stuff for the event and helped me fill up swag bags and offered prizes.  Thanks to them and what Kerri and I like to call our “swag store”, we were able to put together 22 prizes for guests that included a Beaba bib’espresso, a Maclaren stroller {with accessories!}, Munchkin diaper pails, wooden HABA rattles, Bumkins bibs, baby and mama sets from Granola’s Natural Market in Mill Creek, Gymboree prize packs, Infantino toys and diaper clutch, Summer Infant diaper bag and accessories, Zutano gift sets, Goodness Knows snack squares, and many more.

But, a special thank you goes out to Northgate Mall in Seattle, WA.  What many of you following along on Twitter didn’t know about the event is that up until a few days before the 26th, we didn’t have a venue.  Well, technically we did, but when we found out it was going to completely deplete my bank account with catering and whatnot, I realized it wasn’t really a viable option… and thus we were venue-less not even a week before the event.

After I had a mini stress/freak out, I sent an email to the place where I always go when I’m stressed… the mall.  Specifically, I was seeing if the Northgate Mall would allow 10 Seattle bloggers to take up residence in their North wing by the children’s play area.  As it turns out, it was an awesome place for the party because it was a nice central location for all the bloggers who were coming from different directions and it had everything we needed to make it a great party – a comfortable place to sit and chat, eat, and tweet!

To show my thanks to the Simon mall, I went on a baby shopping spree for Kerri and found some really wonderful Gymboree and Crazy 8 onesies, hats, and socks {that didn’t say Daddy’s Little Slugger}, Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag clips from Nordstrom, some ABC cards from Papyrus, a handprint kit from Hallmark, and some Robeez shoes from Macy’s.

Kerri and I are hoping to make the #SeattleBaby a yearly thing, so if you’re in the area and would like to get involved, feel free to send me an email.  Also, if you’re a company who would like to make sure Seattle bloggers are talking about you, we’d love to hear from you and invite you to contact either Kerri or I for more details!

Green Giant has a Giant Surprise: New Veggie Chips

When it comes to snacking foods, you can keep your cupcakes, your chocolate and your sweet treats.  I only have one snacking weakness and that is salty snacks - the crunchier the better.  The problem with this is that most salty foods are horrible for you, and are not included in any diet I know of.

While I wish there was some sort of pill I could take to curb these cravings, a smarter option would be to find snacking foods that don't compromise my day's diet.  Say something made with vegetables, whole grains, and with less fat than potato chips, but that still tastes delicious and fulfilling.  But, does such a food exist in the salty/crunchy realm?

The surprise is that they do exist, thanks to The Green Giant.  With their recently introduced new line of veggie snack chips with two flavors to pick from: Green Giant Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips Zesty Cheddar Flavor and Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips Sea Salt Flavor, Green Giant is ready to surprise you with a great tasting snack that you can actually feel good about.

So, why is this so surprising?  On one hand, it isn’t.  For years Green Giant has been producing great-tasting veggies for even the pickiest of eaters, and it’s the same brand I turn to when buying canned and frozen veggies, so it makes sense that they should also produce veggie snacks that the whole family loves. 

But on the other hand, I’ve tried other veggie chips before and found them to be styrofoam or cardboard-tasting snacks that are overly processed and look nothing like actual food.  So, the real surprise is that these veggie chips from Green Giant look and taste just like your favorite tortilla-type chips, but have the benefits of whole grains and real veggies.

And that they are, in fact, every bit as delicious as I hoped.  We recently got to sample a bag of each flavor and it was a very sad day when both bags were empty.

The Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips – Sea Salt Flavor are made with real sweet potatoes and include 14 grams of whole grain.  While my favorite part is that they contain 40% less fat than regular potato chips, {only 6g of fat per 28g serving compared to regular potato chips 10g of fat per 28g serving} I also love the hint of sweet with salty and the fact that it’s a lighter flavor than most traditional chips. 

And, my favorite, the Green Giant Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips – Zesty Cheddar Flavor. The Green Giant Roasted Veggie Chips are made with real vegetables, they include 17 grams of whole grain per serving and are naturally flavored, all of which I love.  Add in the cheddar flavor, and I’m smitten.  One bite of these chips has so much more flavor than any other veggie chips I’ve ever tried, and it was really all I could do not to eat the whole bag myself!      


Are you as surprised as I am that Green Giant has created such a delicious and nutritious snack made with real veggies?  Well, to celebrate this accomplishment, they are on a mission to find other surprise talents.  Just check out the surprise talents they've featured in this video as well as the Jolly Green Giant's favorite surprise talents at the Green Giant YouTube channel.

Have a surprise talent of your own?  Be sure to share it with the Jolly Green Giant as well and you might end up in their online film!  You can also find out more about the contest at the Green Giant Facebook page as well as other promotions they are running!

Don’t have a surprise talent but really want to check out these Green Giant chips to see if they are as amazing as everyone says?  You’re in luck, because Green Giant has shared a printable coupon for 85 cents off their Veggie Snack Chips!  

Thank you to The Green Giant™ for being a sponsor. Show the Giant your surprise talent at www.facebook.com/greengiant