Welcome to the Red Tricycle blog. Not everything fits in our bi-weekly newsletters, so here you'll find additional tidbits about events, restaurants, products, organizations and local news around town as it relates to kids and parenting.

It's all part of our continuing effort here at RT to make your job as a parent easier and more fun. Stay tuned...

Bellevue Family 4th, www.bellevuedowntown.org

Issaquah All-American Independence Celebration, www.ci.issaquah.wa.us .

Celebrate Kirkland, www.celebratekirkland.org .

Sammamish Fourth on the Plateau, www.ci.sammamish.wa.us/4thjuly.aspx.

Woodinville Bluesfest,  www.ci.woodinville.wa.us .

Burien Independence Day Parade, http://www.swkcc.org/calOfEvents/default.asp?id=21657&page=displayEvent

Kenmore fireworks show over Lake Washington, www.ci.kenmore.wa.us .

Renton Fabulous Fourth of July Celebration, www.rentonwa.gov .

25th Annual Naturalization Ceremony, . www.ethnicheritagecouncil.org . 

Twenty-Seven Flags, www.museumofflight.org .

Magnuson Fourth of July Picnic, www.cityofseattle.net/parks .

Chase Family 4th at Lake Union, www.familyfourth.org .

Family Fourth at Fort Dent, www.ci.tukwila.wa.us.

Bothell Freedom Festival, www.ci.bothell.wa.us .

Lynnwood Star Spangled Celebration, www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us/parks
Bainbridge Island Grand Old Fourth of July, www.bainbridgechamber.com

Combine cute kids, yummy food and lots of free games and prizes and what do you get? A really fun day at the Zespri Play With Your Food event at U Village last weekend.

Thanks to all who came out to play. We also want to single out a lucky few who scored some great raffle prizes: Diane Jacobsen won the tricycle. Anna White won the Merin tote bag. Melissa Paesle, Suzanne Pierce, Heidi Stolte and Liz Hendrickson all won t-shirts. Athena Pierce, Lorrel Macdonald., Jennifer Johnson, Anthony So, Jacob Feinstein, Melissa Hersh, Trina Hollomon, Jill Politsoh, Tami Hough, Preeti Shah, Jessica Cote, Helen Chaney, Peta Mehlman and Darcy Baker all won gift cards to various U-Village retailers.

Many people have emailed us asking for the recipes from the event. Click here for the Zespri Kiwifruit Cone (a healthy alternative to ice cream) and here for the Kiwifruit Cheesecake Ginger Bites. Need some more inspiration? There are also a ton more creative recipes available on the Zespri website.

If you were lucky enough to have your photo snapped with Heather Quintans last weekend, you can check out the photo gallery from the event online (don’t forget to vote for your favorite Kiwi Kid - the winner snags a free photo session). Also, if you haven’t yet, stop by and claim your (complimentary) photo from Kids Club.

Thanks also to Calidora Skin Clinic for the gift cards and of course, Zespri for the wonderful, playful, food-filled day.

Yep, we’re dating ourselves, but in searching for the perfect gift for Father’s Day, we were reminded of one of our favorite all time gifts to give: The Mix Tape.

Before CD burners and playlists, mixed cassette tapes were a staple of our adolescence, cherished reminders of a mega party, a summer love, or a road trip. Prized not only for their cool song compilations, but the labor-intensive process (Stop. Rewind. Pause.) and inventive packaging (Cover Art? Check. Hand scribbled notes? Check.), a good mix tape is a little bit luck, a whole lot of work, and a big dish of love, thus the perfect ode to parenthood.

Whether you want to dig out your boombox and go totally old school, burn a CD, or make a big splash with a new iphone booted with a personal playlist, we’ve come up with a few songs about parenthood that will surely bring a tear to dear old dad’s eye (he always was a softy). For additional inspiration, we’ve tapped a few local music gurus (who happen to be dads) for their top parenting playlists. Feel free to add your own to the mix. Read more »

This Mother’s Day it truly is your turn to shine with your kids and capture some of that love on film  (digital) with them.  Time to recruit Dad or another family member to take the reins. We asked local photographer Heather Quintans to offer some tips for capturing a fab family photo. Here’s her top five  -

1.   Choose the time of day your kids are happiest.  Nothing is a portrait breaker than having a cranky kid…cranky kids makes cranky …..you get the idea.  Get plenty of sleep and drink water, do your makeup and dress to impress…..come on we know how much of a critic of your own pictures you are.

2. Location:  See the locations here for some ideas, but remember your own backyard could work just as well as any other location if you pick the right time of day .  A non-distracting background will help you to pop out.  See a pretty flower bush, get about 10 feet in front of it.  Look out for people behind the picture.  (Case in point, I thought the cherry blossoms at the UW would be great, so did a thousand other people that Sunday morning !)

3.  Time of day:  Pick the time of day more convenient for you all, but keep in mind how lighting can effect the look.  For indoor shots, anytime will work fine.  For outdoor images, either mornings or late in day  when the shadows are longer and you’ll have less of the raccoon eyes.  (flash fill or overhead trees can help to block off shadows on eyes.)

4. Flash Em:  Use your flash for some of them.  You may notice a big difference especially if the sun is behind or shooting during mid day.  Will really help to bring out the eyes.

5.   Mix it up: try a couple different looks.  Mom with kids/ on lap…then mix it up for some different ones, hugging and kissing the kids, showing love, will be the most tender ones of all….

but most of all, Have Fun! Happy Mother’s Day!

Heather Quintans
Seattle Baby & Family Photographer
www.heatherquintans.com

1.Read My Lips: FREE Story times everyday of the week (except Sunday), both through Seattle Public Library and Mockingbird Books.

2. Kid-Friendly Coffee Shops. Hot Coffee and a slew of new-to-you toys make for a perfect outing any day of the week. From Ballard’s Sip and Ship, to Mosaic in Wallingford, there are a plethora of indoor havens that will keep both moms and kids happy, all for the price of a cuppa joe. My Coffeehouse in Madison Valley scores points with Red Tricycle readers for the sheer volume of toys (and a train table, to boot).

3. FREE Play Areas. With the addition of the new Kids Cove in Bellevue Square and the Pirate Ship at Bothell Country Village, shopping mall’s aren’t just about spending money, they’ve evolved into entertainment complexes. Bonus: University Village has added a new weekly Tuesday Playday program with free activities and story time for the under 5 set.

4. The Center for Wooden Boats just might be a broke mom’s best friend. Kids love wandering the docks, getting up close and personal with tugboats, canoes and sailboats (not to mention the seaplanes taking off nearby). If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a free weekend sail or the bi-monthly free Tug Boat Story Time aboard the historic tugboat Arthur Foss.

5. Kelsey Creek Park. If ‘Old McDonald’ is one of the songs in your musical repertoire these days, a trip to Kelsey Creek Park in Bellevue is a must. Kids love visiting the cows, horses, bunnies, chickens, sheep, pigs and more at the farm in the heart of Bellevue. The playground is the perfect size for toddlers with swings, seesaw, and climbing toys. Walking trails wind through the park, over the creek, and by the pastures.

6. If you have a kid under five, you’ve probably logged a few hours at one of the many Seattle Community Centers drop-in playtimes. For roughly $2 you can get the crazies out just about any day of the week. Another bonus is the once a month kids entertainment programs at the Phinney Ridge Community Center (called Ridge Romp) and Mount Baker’s Pied Piper series. Kids can enjoy magicians and singers, performing pigs and more silliness for only $3 bucks. This weekend Charles the Clown is performing at Mount Baker.

7. Get Crafty! When you’ve spent all week long doing activities with the kids, it’s kind of nice to hand them off to Daddy for a Saturday morning adventure. We suggest several craft sessions that range from free to $5. Planet Happy Kids in Seattle; and in Bellevue, Lakeshore Learning and Bellevue Arts Museum. Make room on the fridge.

8.  Seattle Center. There’s a reason the Seattle Center is one of the top visitor destinations – it’s a blast! And you don’t have to spend a dime to keep the kiddies engaged. Let them wander around the sculpture garden, run around by the fountain, emote on the stage. If you really want to hit a homerun, take the bus to the Seattle Center and your kids will look at you with a newfound appreciation and awe. Bonus: If the stock market rallied and you’re feeling flush, spring for some tix to The Children’s Museum. At $7.50 a pop, it’s worth every penny….

9. Furry creatures are a pretty safe bet for a fun day out with toddlers and you don’t need to drop any money to get your animal fix. Visit the horses at Woodinville stables, check out the four legged beasts at Magnuson Dog Park or visit a pet shop. Pet Co on 45th is a great place to visit with fishies, birdies, mice and other small creatures.

10. Museums & toddlers can be hit or miss so it’s hard to cough up admission fees for the wee ones when a melt down and early exit are a distinct possibility. Fortunately, we’ve found some great museum spots that are free for the 4 and under set (and they have wonderful toddler play spaces within them). Two of our favorites are the Burke Museum (kiddos love the dinosaur exhibit) and KidsQuest museum in Factoria, which is free for all ages on Fridays from 5 to 8. You can’t beat that.

After a successful inaugural season, the Family Dining Series returns with new restaurant options and, due to demand, additional dates. Red Tricycle and Future Foodies created the monthly series to offer families the chance to dine out at some of Seattle’s best restaurants on designated family-friendly nights. The demand was so high during the first series at Tilth, Cremant and TASTE Restaurant at SAM that the restaurants were booked within a few days. Tilth even added a second night to accommodate those on the waitlist. Families may call to make reservations at the following restaurants. Mention Red Tricycle at booking.

March 17: Monsoon Capitol Hill, 615 19th Ave. E., 206-325-2111, dinner reservations start at 5 p.m.
March 24: Osteria La Spiga, 1429 12th Ave., 206-323-8881, dinner reservations start at 5 p.m.
April 5: Monsoon East, 10245 Main St. (Bellevue), 425-635-1112, dinner reservations start at 5 p.m.
May 4: Monsoon East, 10245 Main St. (Bellevue), 425-635-1112, dinner reservations start at 5 p.m.
May 5: Monsoon Capitol Hill, 615 19th Ave. E., 206-325-2111, dinner reservations start at 5 p.m.
May 10: Lark, 926 12th Ave., 206-323-5275; Mother’s Day steak-and-eggs brunch, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., $40 per person (3 courses for adults), children 12 and under, $12.

Future Foodies of America is a social network for parents who believe in the imperative of teaching their children to have a holistic relationship with food that is as much about pleasure as it is about healthfulness and nutrition. Visit Future Foodies of America at: http://futurefoodies.ning.com.

Just this weekend, after a day of jumpy house, story time and Ray the Animal Guy, my husband turned to me and asked, “Do you think our parents spent this much time with us?” No way, we agreed. My husband’s mother would park him, in his stroller, in the yard for a few hours for “fresh air” while she did housework. My mother utilized a novel new electronic babysitting device at the time called, “television”.

So it was no surprise to read an article by Stephanie Coontz, a professor of history at Evergreen State College and the director of research at the Council on Contemporary Families, in the New York Times this morning, indicating that, married mothers in 2000 spent ” 20 percent more time with their children than in 1965. Married fathers spent more than twice as much time.”

The thing is, there’s a finite amount of time in the day, so if we’re spending time with our kids, something else has got to give. Housework? well, yeah, probably. But the most significant shift in time has been away from our partners.  You know, Grown-Up Time. Date Night.  Not surprisingly, this shift has a disastrous effect on marriage (read the full article).

The article made us reflect on our own family time, and how many hours per week we spend with our partners. Alone. Semi-romantic (i.e. not talking about potty training or birthday parties).  We’ll share our number if you share yours…

Bonus: Special prize for the most deserving couple (i.e. best sob story):  Gift certificate for two to a fab Seattle eatery (you arrange the childcare).

Comments

In Tuesday’s newsletter, we wrote about the CPSIA  -a well-intentioned law created to protect the safety of children’s products from lead and phthalates. The State of Washington was actually a leader in getting this legislation passed.  The idea, of course, is to make toy manufacturers more accountable for the products they bring to market. From the conflicting emails and press releases we’ve been receiving, it obvious that there is a ton of confusion about what businesses will be effected by the new law and what the implications are. As a result,  Congressman Waxman is advocating a delay the Feb 10 implementation of the CPSIA until further clarification is provided. In the newsletter, we endorsed his position. Read more »

It’s a celebratory day. Your kiddos may be too young to grasp the significance yet, but we’ve got some Presidential pop trivia that is sure to pique their interest. Pepper your policy dialogue with a few Obama fun facts and your little ones will be all ears. Just like the Big Man himself. Be the first to answer all five questions correctly and snag a Red Tricycle kiddie tee. Woo hoo!

1. What kind of comic books does President Obama collect?

2. Which ice cream parlor did President Obama work in as a kid (brand name)?

3. What is his favorite book?

4. What kind of computer does he use?

5. What kind of sports equipment is he having installed at the White House?

Update: We have a winner. Maureen Sullivan (and Sebastian) from Columbia City were the first who emailed with the correct answers (fasting googling, you two!).

Answers:

1. Spiderman (and Conan the Barbarian)
2. Baskin Robbins
3. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
4. Apple (Mac) laptop
5. A basketball court

Did you snap a photo of Junior losing it on Santa’s lap? Do you have more family portrait rejects due to little Suzies protruding tongue? Send us your worst Holiday photo - the only that didn’t make the Chirstmas card this year. We’ll put them all on display and then one lucky winner will walk away with a bottle of bubbly, just in time for New Year’s Eve. BTW, we can’t take credit for this fab contest idea. We nicked it from The SF Chronicle’s The Poop blog last year.  Bonus points if you can top their 2007 winning photo (scroll to the bottom of the page). Send pics to admin@red-tri.com. And check out the growing RT Bad Holiday Photo Gallery.

PS - The Poop has replaced Perez Hilton as our daily must read dose of fun.  Go to the RT Blog page for more and to post comments. Read more »