Friends,
I am über exited we are going to DC next month. It will be just a small subset of us, and we are mostly going to attend my friend’s wedding. But we will stay a couple extra days to be tourists. I have been wanting to go to DC for a long time. I have been to all the major cities (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle), but LA, DC, and Boston have been on my bucket list for some time. I can’t wait to see all the monuments and the White House in person. My husband said the art museum was great, so we will be going there. And I’ll be doing lots of shopping, too. Zara being in the top of my list. And I will eat my way through town, DC Cupcakes within walking distance from our hotel!!!
Have you been? Any must see or eat suggestions??
I can’t wait. Last time I left town was almost a year ago when we went to Durango, Colorado. This year is going to be a little more exiting in the trip department: DC in June and our anniversary trip in the fall. I can’t wait to take you all with me via Instagram…:) At least that is how I travel when I am at home.
Have a great weekend,
Sofija
PS Even though I am a little more homebound these days, I have actually been to a LOT of cool places in my life. Largely because I grew up in Europe. And, because in my previous life, when I was young and crazy, I hitch hiked through the entire United States (don’t try this at home!). You can find most of the places I have been to on my Pinterest board.
Out of the Blue Toy Store
Last post I told you about our birthday marathon. Well, my kids are not the only ones having birthdays. Last week I went shopping for 3 parties. Chances are, you are, too. To save time and money I often pick up gifts while I’m out shopping at Target or Costco. But every once in a while I’ll make a special trip to my favorite toy store here in town: Out of the Blue. They have a great toy selection for the 11 and younger crowd.
They have some vintage toys, too.
And lots of science experiments kits.
My kids love going there, because of the play tables. They just plant themselves there and play for a long time, which gives me extra time to shop.
I like the friendly service and the fact that they wrap all your presents for free. Oh, and they do have a large collection of Ravensburger puzzles and Pappo figures.
Do you have a favorite toy store? Does it take you back to your childhood? Or do you do your shopping mostly online?
Have a wonderful day,
Sofija
Kids Party Ideas from Fire and Creme
My mind is on birthdays big time. Five of our children were born between February and May. It’s like a Birthday marathon around here…So it was great timing to find out about Fire and Creme, an LA based company. Their party boxes and props creatively take you beyond Frozen and My Little Ponies (which is the world I live in).
How about a Cowboy party?
Or a circus…
And a fairy themed party….
And lastly, my favorite: a Zorro party!
You can find more themes here.
Don’t have the props, no problem. You can rent props and furniture from their store. They have costumes, too. What a great idea!
They have a physical store in LA. Let me know if you ever go there.
Have a great day,
Sofija
Christian Hospitality
“We are not meant simply to invite people into our homes, but also to invite them into our lives. Having guests and visitors, if we do it right, is not an imposition, because we are not meant to rearrange our lives for our guests-we are meant to invite our guests to enter into out lives as they are. ”
Lauren Winner, Mudhouse Sabbath
-Sofija
Bandelier National Monument
I am linking up with Design Mom today. Thank you for stopping by!
Have you been to Bandelier National Monument? We have been several times because it is one of our favorite places to take visitors to. It has all the right elements to make it a great outing for the whole family: a moderate 1 mile hike, lots of climbing on ladders, and just the right amount of anthropology and history to call it a field trip. Bandelier has several ruins and cave dwellings to explore what life for Native Americans was like around 1,000 AD. And, unlike Mesa Verde, you can actually climb into the caves, which makes it so fun for kids.
First a village on the ground. To get the full scoop I suggest paying $1 for the pamphlet, which explains explains the numbered sites in detail.
If you look closely there is an adobe structure in front of the cliff. That is what the cliff dwellings used to be like. When you see the pictures with us in the cliff dwellings, these front structures are missing.
Here is a view of the village from up high. I think several hundred people lived there at the time.
Lots of climbing up stairs to see the cave dwellings. You do not want to bring a stroller here.
So here we are climbing into a one room cliff dwelling. Like I said earlier, there would have been a structure in front of it. These caves are so nice and cool, which is nice because usually it gets hot climbing up the hill. Be sure to bring lots of water…
How many people can you fit in one room? The people hiking behind us where a little surprised when they watched 8 of us climb out of there.
Another shot of the village below.
Here is my son Finn climbing up a ladder with Tasha. The ladders are bolted in, just in case you are wondering.
My friend Jana with our 6 and 8 year old. My six year old could do the hike and climbing pretty well with some assistance.
Here is a 4 room cave. 
Here is my youngest taking a water break. The second half of the hike is in the shade along a small stream.
Bandelier is about 50 minutes northwest of Santa Fe. For more info go here. The visitor center has a small little museum showing what life in the village looked like. And it also has snacks foods available.
If you like travel posts like this, here are a few others I have done: Tent Rocks, Taos, Santa Fe, The Very Large Array, and Lincoln.
Have a great day,
Sofija
Pictures taken by David Burton
Albuquerque: Nob Hill
In my last post I mentioned that we have friends visiting this week. On Tuesday we had a mother daughter date in Nob Hill. Nob Hill is the fun, quirky part of town near the University of New Mexico. Lots of great restaurants, quirky shops, and vintage clothing boutiques. My friends always hit up the Buffalo Exchange in that area, a store that buys and sells clothes. They claim it is one of the better ones in the country, in terms of the amount and quality of clothes they have. Here is my daughter Esther checking out some shoes.
Another favorite is the Flying Star, a local coffee house chain. They have great coffee, and their food is locally grown and organic. I personally go there for the desserts. They are really good!
On our way home we stopped to take some pictures of these quirky homes. People really do live here.
And lastly, a picture I snapped just walking down Central street.
Right across the street from there is my favorite children’s clothing store, Zap…Oh. So next time you are in Albuquerque, make Nob Hill your destination.
Have a great day,
Sofija
Rykiel Child Summer 2014
Friends,
How are you doing? Is your school year almost done? Are you hanging in there? I have been posting less here because our lives have been full with friends visiting, baby showers, birthdays, and other festivities. However I am very active on Instagram, so you can follow along with us there.
This photo shoot in the streets of Paris caught my eye. I can’t say I care much for the Sonia Rykiel adult line, but the kid’s one is charming. Take a look.
I like the 50’s vibe here. The last outfit is my favorite, along with that charming suitcase.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Traditions
How was your Easter? Ours was the most low key we ever had (it was “just” us), still I am always amazed how exhausting it was. I think largely because When we were still a small family I started a whole bunch of traditions that have become burdensome with 6 kids. The baskets, the egg hunt, the big meal, going to church all dressed up on a day when it is the most crowded. My husband has seen it for years, but I am a little late coming to the realization that we need to make things simpler. Not sure how yet; maybe I’ll have the kids vote on what traditions we keep, and what we can do without. I remember years ago when my husband’s family decided not to give gifts to the adults anymore. Though I was sad at first it ended up doing away with a lot of stress. How about you, do you ever rethink and adjust your traditions? Or is everything pretty much fine tuned and as smooth as can be? Or somewhere in between?
Have a lovely week,
Sofija
Monochrome Easter Eggs
Are you into coloring easter eggs? If so, here is a fresh idea you might want to try. It is so easy, yet it adds instant style to your easter table. All you need are hard boiled eggs and a sharpie.
Have fun with these! The possibilities are endless.
-Sofija
This post was inspired by Ferm Living
Moments
Heart Pajamas: the Gap (hand me downs from big sister)
-Sofija
Teach Where You Live 
