Though the extensive cloud-cover, rain, and 50-degree weather suggests otherwise, it’s nearly summertime here in Seattle. I’m quite excited, because it means that those of us who live here can emerge out of our Snuggie cocoons and venture outside, squinting, somewhat horrified, at the sun.

It also means that quite a few folks will be heading up to Seattle from various locales in search of fun and interesting things to do. Any many of them insist on bringing their children, because apparently you can’t leave a four-year old in a hotel room alone, and leaving them alone at home is an even bigger no-no (I’m speculating here).

So, after nagging my friends who are parents (yet again) and searching the recesses of my brain for any suppressed childhood memories about Seattle tourist attractions (which only resulted in me uncovering a memory about how I was afraid of Shilshole beach because I thought mutant starfish lived there), I’ve come up with my Top Ten Seattle Attractions for Kids. Remember: I have no children. And I’m kind of afraid of them, anyway. So if this post is totally off, remember that you’re the one taking advice from a childless blogger who swears like a sailor. (more…)

This week’s guest post comes from Deanna, the brilliant blogatrix behind Traveling Monkeys. Since she’s far, far too modest to include a bio herself, I’ve included one for her. Here it is: Deanna has a wicked sense of humor. If you met her in person, you might pass out from the sheer awesomeness of it all. She’s mom to Ninja-baby, whose cuteness warms the brittle lump of coal that is my heart (quote, from Rand: “That child should be in commercials.”) Deanna’s traveled extensively with her little one, and today she’s been kind enough to share her knowledge with us poor schlubs, while even including a few Mad Men and Muppets references. In short? She might just be cooler than me. But don’t get used to this high caliber of writing, kids. Because tomorrow? I’m back.

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This is my daughter Maggie, aka Ninja Baby.

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Maggie was born in Honolulu, our families are in Maine and Florida and our closest friends are in Washington, DC.  By the end of 2010, she will have been to nine states and four countries.  You might say she’s traveled a bit, and I might reply “Bork bork bork Swedish Chef?  Blah blah blah Ginger?” because I have logged those miles right beside her and consequently, my brain is squishy and addled.

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It’s nearly summer again, folks. And we’re experiencing a bit of a baby boom in our little social group, as friend after friend is either expecting or taking care of a brand-new baby. I’m not gonna lie: I think it’s awesome. I’m already affectionately known as “Crazy Aunt Geraldine.” And that makes me incredibly happy. But when the issue of Rand and I procreating comes up, well … I don’t quite know how to answer.  I know I should have some coherent, well-thought-out responses. About our lives, our intentions, our future (you know: stuff that isn’t anyone else’s business). With the summer holidays nearing, and family get-togethers, weddings, and visits on the way, I suspect we’re going to get asked the baby question more and more. So I’ve come up with a fantastic solution for myself and anyone in my situation.

Just take somebody else’s kid and pretend it’s yours.

It’s actually pretty simple, and I guarantee one of two results: the asker will either believe you, thus ceasing any further awkward lines of questioning, or they’ll realize you’re lying, will probably deem you emotionally unstable, and try to get away from you as soon as possible, thus ceasing any further awkward lines of questioning. In either situation, it’s a win! Of course, the issue becomes, how does one pull it off? It’s easy:

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This week’s blogger, Andre Gunther, is an expert in a field of which I know very little, but am still ridiculous passionate about: photography. And he’s been gracious enough to share some of his know-how.  Read on for his tips on how to frame that perfect shot, hold your viewers’ attention, and maybe even capture that elusive snapshot of Bigfoot when the opportunity presents itself (and I am always assuming it will).

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Learn how you can take better pictures with these easy-to-follow tips.

Creating great pictures is extremely rewarding.

Maybe you want to captivate your viewers and earn their admiration, or maybe you just want to preserve your family memories. Whatever your goal may be, with a little motivation, you can improve your photography skills tremendously.

1. Get Up, Go Out, and Take Photos

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If you can only remember one thing from this list, remember this:

Get out there, get moving, and get busy!

The more you shoot, the more you will learn. Try out new ideas and challenge your old ones. Nobody has to see the photos that do not turn out so great. In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell theorizes that the only real difference (between being great at something and being only average at it) is practice. Talent often is nothing more than practice and tenacity.

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I am extremely excited, and honored, to introduce my very first guest blogger, Christine! Despite a very busy schedule, she look some time to write a post about an important subject (of which I know absolutely nothing): taking your little one to a theme park for the very first time.
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I still remember my first trip to a theme park. My parents took my brother, sister and me to the Magic Kingdom. My aunt, uncle and two cousins came along too. It was a great day. Sunny, lots of ice cream, Disney characters, fun rides.

Now, twenty-four years later, I’m the proud mother of a two-year-old boy, Jackson.
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Isn't he cute? I'm biased, but I think he's gorgeous.

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A couple of weeks ago, my fiancé, Jason, and I were able to take Friday afternoon off; we decided to make the most of it and bring Jackson to Orlando for his first theme park experience. We stayed with my brother, and he came along. All four of us had a ball, and I learned that bringing a child to a theme park requires planning and proper expectations in order to have a good time.

Below are some of my tips for success with small children at theme parks, based on years of personal experience as a child, and my new parental perspective:

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Someone recently asked me for some tips on fun, travel-worthy outfits to wear on planes. That incredibly elusive combination of stylish and comfortable. And I won’t lie: that is a very, very difficult balance to achieve, but I’d like to think that maybe, just maybe, I’m on my way there.

I’ll tell you now – I’m absolutely no good at coming up with outfits that would work for everyone, especially since so many of you gals out there insist on wearing skinny jeans. I can not wear those. My hips were designed by some miserable higher power with one thing, and one thing only in mind: to ensure that I will never be able to wear skinny jeans (I bet you thought I was going to say childbirth, huh? Don’t be stupid). BUT, I am great at coming up with lists, and picking out some great pieces that will help you put together stellar outfits. They’re perfect to wear on a plane, and are great must-haves for any trip you take. In fact, I can’t remember when I left home without most of these items securely packed into my suitcase.

So I sincerely hope this list helps all of you. Even those of you who can wear skinny jeans. Sigh. Like you need any help. (more…)

Don't leave home without it.

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I was stuck this morning. Absolutely stuck. It’s yet another sunny day in San Francisco, my cold is almost gone, and I’m not letting myself enjoy this crazy city until I get a post up. Ill-advised, perhaps, but also noble. Which just my be my personal motto. Second only to, “If it’s fried, I’ll eat it.”

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By now you’ve all heard about the volcano that erupted in Iceland, grounding thousands of planes across Europe, costing the airline industry millions of dollars, and dumping a copious quantity of incredibly fine ash across the continent. In other words: it’s made a pretty big name for itself, as far as volcanoes go.

If you have not heard about it, let me be first the welcome you to Earth. I assume you are here to take the Kardashians back to their home planet, and I’m more than okay with that. I never really accepted them as part of our species, anyway.

Also, seriously, how on (insert your planet here) were you able to avoid news coverage on this issue? It’s been covered in absolutely every paper and news outlet I can think of, despite the name of volcano itself being practically unpronounceable. NPR actually provides the correct pronunciation, which is actually worse that trying to spell it. Eyjafjallajokull. And just an FYI: in Icelandic, the double-l is actually pronounced as t-ll. That should clear things up, right?

My infant tongue can make of this name nothing longer or more explicit than Eye-uh-fyall, so we’ll just go with that.

Just last week I was quietly lamenting to my husband that it would be nice to visit Eye-uh-fyall, and our exchange shed some light on just how much of a space cadet I am.

Me: I’d really like to go see that volcano in Iceland.

Rand: Again?

Me: Zuh?

Rand: You know we’ve been there, right?

Me: What the crap-hell are you talking about?

Rand: You remember the hike we went on in Iceland? We saw that glacier that was up on a mountain?

Me: Uh- huh … you mean that was the same place?

Rand: Yup.

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I had another post intended for today, but I recently encountered an unexpected (and theoretically preventable) problem with my camera, so I figured I’d pass the information on to you all, and save you a bit heartache at my own expense.

But first, a little bit of self-promotion. I recently wrote an article for cozi.com about digital photo archiving, and it’s worth a gander, especially if you take a lot of photos. Basically, I took apart Real Simple’s advice on storing images (they suggest taking them all off your hard-drive and -GASP- burning them onto a CD. Which is a recipe for disaster). Naturally, since I keep all of my photos in several locations – both on my hard-drive and on a Flickr account – I figured I was safe. I didn’t consider that there could be problems with the memory card inside of my camera that could be causing me problems. But low and behold, there were problems. Serious ones. When I went through my pictures from the last few trips, I found saw this:

Damn it.

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I suspect that even people who rarely travel will end up taking a  trip or two because they need to attend someone’s wedding. After all, people generally like to get married in some crazy, out-of-the-way place that has sentimental value only to them (Ashland, Oregon, anyone?). Personally, I find that to be awesome. After all, your wedding is probably the only time in your life you can get your friends and family together in one place of your choosing. And usually, no one can complain a  lick, because it is, after all, your wedding (note: this wasn’t true in my family, of course. But that’s another blog post).

I have no problem traveling for people’s weddings – and, in fact, actually love to do so. We went to two weddings last month, and had to travel to vastly different places for each. I had a blast. There’s something wonderful about being in a place that’s new and different, but finding yourself surrounded by familiar faces. It’s like a field trip for grown-ups.

But, sweet merciful heavens, do I hate having to pack for a wedding. It’s near impossible: you need extra shoes, a dress, and all the accoutrements that go along with dressing up. This usually means a lot of space taken up in your suitcase by stuff that will only be worn once, plus knowing that regardless of how much you pack, you will inevitably forget something really, really important that you’d rarely otherwise need (for me, it’s usually a dressy cardigan and a clutch purse. However much I try, these are always left on my dresser).

As of late, though, things have gotten easier on the packing-for-wedding (and any other formal event) front. I’ve been creating a list of rules in my head, and they’ve proved so useful, I figured I’d pass them on to you …

1. (more…)