These 10 Quotes Kick My Tush When I Need a Nudge of Inspiration
You are more prepared than you realize.
- Seth Godin
Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.
- Saadi, poet
#TravelOregon
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
- Mark Twain
Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard.
- Kurt Vonnegut
The Net Will Appear
Let whatever you do today be enough.
It's impossible, said pride.
It's risk, said experience.
It's pointless, said reason.
Give it a try, whispered the heart.
(Listen to your heart.)
Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed. - Charles Schulz, cartoonist
Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation... even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind. - Leonardo da Vinci, artist and inventor
What quotes do you refer to when you need a little inspiration?
As we all know, teens and tweens can be a tough group to "please" at times, so I am always on the lookout for suggestions from others who have traveled this path before me to share their tips and tricks of what appealed to that age segment. The following were some of our favorite destinations located in and around Seattle, Washington and all met the teen/tween "seal of approval" (or at least a subtle admission that the destinations were somewhat "cool").
The Pacific Northwest plays host to some incredible weekend getaways and Seattle, Washington is a favorite of mine. Prior to our visit, I searched and researched both popular and lesser-known favorite stops that I thought would appeal to my kids.
Spring tulips
From the famous Pike's Place Market where we watched fishmongers fling fish...
Fish market - beware of flying salmon!
Contributed our chewed gum to the lesser known Seattle Gum Wall found below the bustling Pike Place Market...
How many pieces of chewed gum live on this wall?
Adding our "gum"...
Preparing our addition of gum!
Sampling divine crepes filled with both sweet and savory fillings at Crepe de France inside the market...
To the less famous Uwajimaya Asian Market that amazed my tweens and teens with all the varied selection of meats and seafood as well as the aisle dedicated to their favorite seaweed!
Uwajimaya has so many seaweed choices for this seaweed lover!
Our checkout purchases selected by the kids, minus the lemongrass that I wanted for a Thai recipe...
The Uwajimaya also shares a space with the Beard Papa's - seriously, a must-stop for these delicious cream puff-like concoctions.
To it's neighboring fantastic museums - the EMP Museum
The interactive Pacific Science Center and breathtaking Chihuly Glass Garden.
Seattle Aquarium
The quirky Ye' Olde Curiosity Shop proved to be especially intriguing for the tweens/teens with it's three-headed ducks, mummies, shrunken heads and a treasure trove of very strange collections.
The Harbor Tour, a perfect distraction during the rain showers, provided a nice chance to sit down after running around Seattle all day, and offered a different perspective of the city. We learned interesting trivia and history via a delightful tour guide narrating the boat ride (which was sheltered from the elements, by the way).
The Museum of Flight, the west coast's largest aviation museum offers visitors the ability to get inside aircraft and space craft. The teen's favorite was getting into the cockpits of numerous aircraft and checking out the Air Force One used to carry Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, and Johnson. The Hubs' could have spent all day (and then another full day) but the teens were finished after a solid four hours (or maybe they just needed food and beverages). Personally, I was really moved by the exhibit depicting the Space Shuttle Challenger mission of 1986 with a video dedication area paying homage to the crew who lost their lives.
I highly recommend getting a Seattle CityPass if you plan to stay in Seattle for a long weekend (at least three days), as it's an economical way to pack in numerous incredible sites at a discount. As long as you hit the majority of the featured destinations, you will definitely get your money's worth and more than likely, visit destinations that you may have not considered checking out, but that should just not be missed, otherwise.
The Seattle City Pass ($69/adult) provides you with the following:
Two visits to the Space Needle (highly recommend one of the visits be at sunset)
The EMP Museum OR Woodland Park Zoo (we picked the EMP Museum based on the fact that we had teens in tow vs. younger kids)
The Pacific Science Center OR the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum - the teens opted for the Pacific Science Center with interactive exhibits, butterfly rooms, opportunities to touch marine life and included a special IMAX movie.
An Argosy Cruise Harbor Tour that provides great views of the City coupled with interesting history and facts about Seattle. Snacks and beverages are available to order. Try to sit near the front.
The Seattle Aquarium
The Museum of Flight (although this may be a seasonal offering as at the time of this article, it's not offered as part of the package deal, however, I think it is a definite contender and favorite teen stop, even though it is located out of Seattle city center).
We also recommend visiting during the week instead of the weekend to beat the tourists. Seattle in the spring (late March) delighted us with gorgeous blossoming trees and sunshine.
We ran out of time to visit several other tourist attractions to include the University of Washington (rivals of the Ducks but we do want our kids exposed to every college option), kayaking in the sound, taking a ferry, tasting the macaroni and cheese at Beecher's, finding the famed Dahlia Bakery (I loved the cookbook) and tasting the doughnuts from Ma'ona island-style doughnuts, or those from Top Pot, to see if they truly rival Portland's famed Voodoo Doughnuts.
Because we were traveling with the tween/teens we opted to let them help provide selection of what restaurants we visited for dinners, resulting in their top two favorite stops. I suppose everyone needs to experience the family-style Italian meal experience at the eclectic-decorated Buca di Beppo. The kids' first visit to Buca di Beppo left us longing for the dreamy Chocolate Chip Cannoli and the Chopped Antipasto Salad is a recipe I'd love to be able to duplicate at home. Another kid-pick included a night of various fondues at the Melting Pot.
The kids are always love seafood so Ivar's was an easy choice for some of the best hand-dipped halibut.
I'm grateful for our freedom on this celebration of America's Independence Day!
May you all enjoy your patriotic celebrations, fireworks and stay safe!
Fourth of July Fruit Salad
If you need a last minute recipe for a Fourth of July party, picnic or potluck don't forget the easy Patriotic Brownie Kabobs! You could even purchase bakery brownies or angel food cake to make this even faster!
This is a great Berry Pie Fillingto assemble while fresh berries are plentiful, to freeze for winter months.
Mix 7 cups sugar with 1 3/4 modified cornstarch (Clear Jel A) in a large saucepan. Add 9 1/3 cup cold water and cook over medium high heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in 6 quarts of berries (blackberries, marionberries, boysenberries). At this point you can either put batches in freezer containers or you can fill canning jars and process immediately by process pints and quarts in boiling water bath for 25 minutes. This recipe yields 7 quarts that can not only serve as pie filling but also top cheesecake, ice cream or be covered with a crumb topping as a great berry crisp.
July Belongs To Berries Month
2. In honor of National Outdoor Month how about considering organizing some fun outdoor games such as Water Balloon Dodgeball (water balloons are used instead of balls), Glow in the Dark Capture the Flag (glowsticks are used instead of flags), Glow in the Dark Bowling (add glow sticks into ten bottles of water to make bowling pins you can use at night).
3. It's National Picnic Monthin July! What will you pack for you picnic? It wouldn't be a picnic without this Olive Lover's Muffuletta Sub Sandwich recipe!
4. National Blueberry and National Raspberry Month - Have you tried the delicious Blueberry Boy Bait yet? You can also make it with raspberries as a substitute.
5. National Ice Cream Month and July 1 is National Frozen Yogurt Day AND Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day
6. National Peach Month - My favorite peach recipe blends 2 fresh peaches combined with half of a container of frozen Pineapple Orange juice concentrate, topped with ice cubes and blended. This recipe saved me through my second pregnancy as it was one of the only things that sounded tasty during the first few months.
7. The fourth Sunday in July recognizes Parent's Day- a day recognizing, uplifting and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.
8. Happy 60th Birthday to Disneylandon July 17, 2015! Celebrate by recreating one of Disneyland's famous desserts - the famous Pineapple Dole Whip that can only be ordered in Disneyland or Disneyworld, and by watching a classic Walt Disney movie. What is your favorite Disney classic?
I love this idea for creating a fairly inexpensive Outdoor Movie Screenout of curtain hanging wire and screen fabric which can be found at Amazon. Supposedly the screen fabric is the correct color gray for projector contrast and black out backing, although a white tarp or sheet could work in a pinch.
9. Did you know that July 2nd is considered the halfway point of the year?
10. July 2nd is "I Forgot Day". Does that mean we do nothing that day? Do we forget how to do "everything"?
11. July 4th celebrates Independence Day in the states along with National Family,National Country Music Day and it's the Birthday of the Rodeo (first one was in 1869). In our neck of the woods there are many family-friendly rodeo options that would play country music and have fireworks at the end of the evening in celebration of our country's independence. Talk about killing all your birds with one stone!
12. July 5th is Graham Cracker Day. S'mores anyone? Have you tried adding caramel to your traditional s'mores? We tried adding Rolo's instead of the Hershey's chocolate bars and discovered how delicious that mash-up of flavors can be although it was a bit messy.
13. Visit a drive-in movie venue. This is so much fun! We loaded the kids and cousins up and headed to a drive in theater while visiting the grandparents. We brought lawn chairs, blankets, snacks and used the back of a truck for a great viewing experience. It sounds as if Drive-Ins are becoming a thing of the past. Here are where to find them in the U.S.
14. Take in an outdoor concert or outdoor theater production.
15. Visit a state or county fair.
State Fair Ferris Wheel
16. July 19th celebrates New Friends Day. So many of our friendships have formed around the activities that our kids partake in as we find ourselves sitting on bleachers, along the sidelines of fields and waiting for practices to conclude. As my kids age, I realize that I will have to look elsewhere for new friends, expanding my circles. What a great excuse to be proactive and to start forming new friendships with "New Friends Day".
17. The third Sunday in July marks Sundae Sunday! I do not ever need an excuse to indulge in ice cream sundaes, do you? The Hubs' recently reported that my childhood favorite Dairy Queen's Brownie Earthquake will no longer be an offering. I am thinking it's time to replicate that childhood favorite at home in celebration of Sundae Sunday.
Homemade Brownie Earthquake
Two brownies, two scoops of vanilla ice cream (soft serve or vanilla frozen yogurt, perhaps), hot fudge sauce, marshmallow cream, topped with whipped cream and a cherry!
18. July 21 recognizes National Junk Food Day! This year, I want to try making the "copycat" versions of some of our favorite Junk Food treats. The homemade Twix bars are at the top of my copycat list, followed by homemade Oreo Cookies and Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. What are your favorite Junk Food indulgences?
19. July 21 - Cousins Day! No wonder the Hubs' family gathers around this date annually. On the Hubs' side there are currently 26 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren, so there is never a shortage of kids for the cousins to hang out with. Last summer, the older teens recreated a photo of them taken in a cabin at our family reunion years prior to include the original facial expressions, hand gestures and positions on the couch. It cracks me up!
Cousin photo from kids to teens
20. National Cheesecake Dayfalls on the 30th of July. As a HUGE fan of cheesecake, growing up, I requested (and still request) for every birthday, my mom's cheesecake. This is my other all-time favorite cheesecake recipe - the decadent chocolate truffle cheesecake!
A girl in love with the seasons who wants to cram as much as she can into the 365 days of the year to live a life of bliss. Welcome to What Matters Most Now! I hope you will find inspiration and recipes you love.
