“Jelly Cam” is now something I blurt out at random times during the week. This is to alert everyone that the Monterey Bay Aquarium Facebook has a live feed of jellyfish running. They also have Kelp Forest Cam, Shark Cam, Penguin Cam, Sea Otter Cam, Moon Jelly Cam, and videos of things like a huge…
My soon-to-be 11-year-old just informed me that he would be “zooming” with a friend if I needed him. People say “new normal” a lot, and we are certainly operating on a different set of rules, routines, and resources, but the new way we do things seems to get amended each week whether good or bad….
< It feels weird to talk about school when our students won’t be inside the buildings for the rest of the school year. Friday, May 8 was a half day, something that previously would have changed a lot of schedules but didn’t even register at our house. The learning and the locations are different, but…
During a daily class Zoom meeting for my youngest, the student support specialist had the kids make a “Bliss List” — a list of things that students are enjoying lately. It was so good for him to hear that other people shared his coping skills and also to get ideas for new options. Connecting via…
Back home, my sister organized a drive-by birthday party for my nephew where teachers, friends, and family drove by with their birthday wishes. They even rigged up a pulley system to lift presents to their deck, which is right above the sidewalk. Last week, we celebrated our anniversary with dinner from Salt & Iron. Of…
Some of our early quarantine “go-tos” aren’t fitting the bill these days. The kids are pretty burned out on sitting through a movie at night, especially because we’re still struggling to get a good amount of exercise — I’m going to add some new links below because it seems like it’s not just us. Virtual…
This week, Gov. Jay Inslee and State Superintendent Chris Reykdal announced that K-12 school closures will remain in effect through the end of the school year. The news comes as we are just about to cross the first estimated date of return, which was April 13, after spring break. When the kids were first sent home from school, there…
I started this week riding the high of a successful “Lunch and Learn” routine we had going in the first two weeks of our time at home. These “Lunch and Learns” — named after a midday event at my husband’s office — were planned to not only teach the kids some useful life skills, but…
Currently, there is a video chat happening in two different rooms of my house. The dogs seem hell bent on being involved in both of those conversations, taking quick breaks to make sure whoever is outside of our house is informed of their presence as well. One video chat is work related and the other…
Social media is full of families adjusting to their new set of circumstances and a large part of that is figuring out what to do with the kids. We’re looking for places for the kids to go, how to get them online/connected, and then once they’re connected what will they do?!? Both of my kids’…
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School is out for six weeks, currently the plan is to return Monday, April 27, in response to the Covid-19 virus as we try to“flatten the curve.” School being out creates many different challenges for families, today we are going to talk about some of the free resources for information on talking to the children…
Editor’s note: This story was published before school closures and other program cancellations were announced due to COVID-19. Schools are now closed through at least through April 24, Sno-Isle Libraries are closed, and local government agencies have announced closures of many programs and buildings. Because the situation is rapidly evolving, please visit the City of…
The Tooth Fairy came to our house this week to deliver $2 for a molar. It is worth noting that the $2 was paid out in two separate one dollar bills, not a premeditated $2 bill or fancy coins, and the amount was pre-determined by the recipient in this case either based on what the…
Last week, we focused on fun options for teenagers and this brand new “selfie-ready” destination would have fit right in — or at least I think it would. As I enter this phase of parenting, all I really know is that the bar of what is fun/cool/acceptable moves frequently and without notice. Earlier this month,…
This week, I took my oldest son — now a teenager — to a show on Capitol Hill. He and his jazz band friends wanted to see Lucky Chops and their “high-energy brassy funk” so he got tickets for Christmas. The songs are mainly instrumental, except for some audience participation ‘la las.’ The band members…
There are consistently fun options for kid entertainment locally and as my kids get older, there are also consistently new events not offered when we were in the age range that I wish had been! I usually put the events together in a theme, whether it be free events, indoor/outdoor events, sports options, camp options,…
The Edmonds School District Recreation and Resource Info Fair will be this Saturday, Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. to noon at Meadowdale Middle School. This event, for families and caregivers of children with disabilities, is an opportunity for you to learn about local community resources that will help you navigate services and supports available to…
When the snow showed up in the forecast, I became glued to the weather app on my phone. Not only was I not ready for snow days at home that close to the break we just had, but we had a hockey tournament that required traveling over one of the passes. When the forecast doesn’t…
The gear shift between the pre-holiday rush, the post-holiday haze, and the 0-to-60 pace of a full week back to school has left our house feeling road-worn with a mix of waking up to an alarm you didn’t expect. While I think we appreciate the routine and getting back to the friends and our extracurriculars,…
We did a long overdue garage clean-out over this winter break. It made for lots of trips to the dump and to drop-off donations, spurts of extended kid screen time, and (what I consider) hard decisions about what should actually stay. I have a really hard time getting rid of the kids’ things, be it…
It is hard to talk about “Betwixtmas,” what Urban Dictionary defines as “the week in-between Christmas and New Years Day,” without sounding like I-need-a-vacation-from-my-vacation guy. But, when Googled, there are survival guides, articles, hashtags and, of course, there is a full week of winter break left in the Edmonds School District. If you’re looking for…
Last week, on social media I saw an article about how “Holiday Magic” takes its toll on women. It immediately made me think of the Lifetime Christmas Movie I saw this month called On Strike For Christmas with Daphne Zuniga, who you likely either remember as Jo Reynolds, resident of Melrose Place or Princess Vespa, resident…
Over the last couple of years, the idea of having an artificial Christmas tree has become increasingly enticing. Having the smell of a freshly cut tree in the house is definitely one of the best parts of the holiday. However, the watering, clean up that extends throughout the year because pine needles are relentless, and…
It took more than one try to get our first picture with Santa, now 13 years ago. I used the trick where you hand the kiddo to Santa while keeping eye contact and smiling while the photographer jingles the bell for further distraction. Santa is picture perfect and my son is mostly smiling. Over the…
Christmas movies turn up on the Lifetime and Hallmark channels ahead of the holiday. Though of the two Lifetime channels we have, one is still playing a movie that involves a cheerleader who murders or a mom who murders or — as in the movie I checked right now to make sure I wasn’t exaggerating…
