Are you looking to bring a touch of spring to your breakfast table? Krispy Kreme can help you get into the spirit!

The donut brand just revealed the cutest lineup: Spring Minis. The adorable tiny treats are available for a limited time beginning Mar. 25 and include three versions returning from last year. 

photo: Business Wire

Get ready to sink your teeth into the new Mini Blue Bird donut, a mini Original Glazed with bright blue icing and decorated like a bluebird. Also newly designed this year is the Mini Flower donut, am mini Original Glazed Doughnut dipped in yellow icing and yellow sanding sugar and decorated with a white icing flower.

Finally, you can’t pass up the Mini Bunny Bum donut, a mini Original Glazed dipped in green icing, topped with green sprinkles, a dollop of Kreme and two bunny feet sugar pieces.

You can get these donuts in 20-count boxes as part of your pick-up, drive-thru or delivery orders. To be sure your closest Krispy Kreme is making these adorable treats, check out their store locator online.

—Karly Wood

 

 

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COVID turned 2020 into the year of constant cabin fever. But you don’t have to continue the trend into 2021, especially during the winter season. Portland families have access to an abundance of winter adventures that get them out of the house and keep them active all through the colder months. Get your calendars out and get ready to schedule out the family fun with some of our favorite winter activities. Read on to find out more.

Sledding & Tubing

Mt Hood Territory

Get out the winter wiggles with a day on Mt Hood! Sledding and tubing are great options for including even the youngest in some winter wonderland adventures without the price or complications of getting skiis or snowboards. Grab your inner tube, sled, or snow disc and head to the slopes! Some of our favorite spots include Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Snow Bunny and Summit Ski Area, and White River Snow Park. Check out more spots here. Put on your warmest clothes, fill up your gas tank and get ready to slide. 

Snowshoeing

sarowen via flickr

Some families love the thrill of bombing down fresh powder together on a bluebird day. Others like to take things a little bit slower, pausing to inspect the tiny frozen details of a wintry landscape, or to fall backwards to create the perfect (or not-so-perfect) snow angel. Snowshoeing is a multi-sensory, meandering way to explore Portland's neighboring Mt. Hood this winter! Some of the best places for you and your family to go include Mirror Lake, Trillium Lake and Frog Lake. To find out more about these and other locations that are perfect for your family snow shoe adventure, check out this article.

Winter Road Trips

Black Butte Ranch via Yelp

One of the best ways to kick COVID Cabin fever, is by hitting the road for your winter fun. Portland's proximity to Oregon winter adventures makes it the perfect launching pad for epic winter road trips. Pack your family's bags and load them in the SUV and head to Depot Bay for whale watching, or Sisters, Oregon for a horse ride. For more awesome winter getaways, check out our favorite spots here. We've rounded up the best destinations for your crew's Oregon family vacation. 

Hit the Slopes

Christine G. via Yelp

It's a snowy season and there is big powder on the mountain. It’s time to head to Portland ski resorts! Finding incredible places to go skiing near Portland, Oregon is easy to do as our city has some of the best ski areas within a short drive. Mt. Hood Meadows, Mt. Hood Ski Bowl and Teacup Lake are just a few. Grab the kids, grab your  Sno-Park pass, and enjoy epic adventure PNW-style. Find out where you can purchase tickets, rent gear, and more here.

Go Glamping

Sunriver Resort

Winters in Portland can get pretty darn cold and wet. While your family may not be down for camping during the Pacific Northwest's chilliest season, chances are they'd love to go glamping! Take your crew's winter adventures to the next level and head to one of these fantastic luxury cabins where you can spend your days playing outdoors and the evenings warming up in style. Some of our favorite spot include Sun River Resort Vacation Rentals and Dancing Bear Lodge at Mt. Rainier. Get ready for the great outdoors combined with hot tubs, fully stocked kitchen's and more!

—Annette Benedetti

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Kid’s music has come a long way from “The Wheels on the Bus.” These days, artists stand out with tunes that are everything from super-meaningful to super-silly. Why? The bottom line is, if kids won’t listen, it’s not going to get played, while at the same time if it annoys you, it’s gonna get shut off. To help you create the perfect family playlist, we listened to a heap of new and cool kid music and found the best of the best in 2020 (so far). Don’t be surprised if you find yourself listening to some of these while no one else is around!

'Songs for Singin' by The Okee Dokee Brothers

Songs for Singin
Okee Dokee Music

Justin Lasing and Joe Mailander are the Okee Dokee Brothers, and we wish we were friends with them. We love these guys. They speak truth in tunes like “Campin’” (“Campin’ is fun. Campin’ is fun. If you say it enough, campin’ is fun.”) and Grandmaderation (about how grandma stays young). You’ll get the biggest bang for your buck with this two-CD collection with songs loosely separately by “Day” and “Night.” The set features 27 blue-grassy songs and a songbook complete with lyrics and guitar chords. The songs range from silly to the sweet all done in the spirit of American fold legends Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. The “Day” CD focuses on the joys of daytime while “Night” starts out with “Raise a Ruckus” and other energetic tunes before slowly winding down with “Hushabye.” Songs for Singin’ include a variety of musical instruments too. There’s a lot to take in here and enjoy.

Order or download it here

'Dinosaurs and Metaphors' by Danny Weinkauf

Dinosaurs and Metaphors
Red Pants Music

This isn’t Danny Weinkauf’s first rodeo. In addition to performing as a bassist in the band, They Might Be Giants, Dinosaurs and Metaphors is Weinkauf’s fifth album for children and families. The 15-song album doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a hodgepodge of toe-tapping tunes that won’t annoy parents with fun titles like “Dinosaurs on Roller Skates,” “My Nose Knows” and “Your Love is a Metaphor.” It features a few light lessons too, like how to change one’s perspective of a certain day of the week (“Hooray it’s Monday!”) to learning how to be brave with a barber (“Don’t Want a Haircut”). You might be tempted to skip over the song, “Cut the Cheese,” but your kids will love it, and after a listen or two, you'll probably think it’s quite clever too.

Order it or download it here

'Unhurried Journey' by Elena Moon Park

Elena Moon Park

This 15-song collection by world-traveling musician Elena Moon Park is the most unique on this list. After playing with different artists all over the world for eight years, this album brings it all together with a crazy mix of east and southeast Asian music and western-style songs. It is also filled with sounds of nature, encouraging listeners to take time to listen to quiet sounds that surround us. While some songs like “Brilliant New Idea” and “Unhurried Journey” are pretty mainstream, a lot of this new album is about music appreciation with a lot of cultural influence. 

Order it or download it here

'Night Life" by Sara Lovell

Night Life
Sara Lovell

Night Life is Lovell’s third kid’s music album, which showcases a variety of musical styles and genres while going along with the theme of “what happens between the resistance and the surrender when day turns to night.” Lovell’s voice is lovely, and her music stylings are beautiful. We could listen to “I Don’t Want to Go to Bed” all day long. It’s catchy and contains very clever lyrics. While technically a lullaby album, Night Life starts offs with a little more energy than one would expect, but soon, the tone quiets down to nice peaceful rhythms, which isn’t much different than how our kids usually settle in for the night. There is even a song dedicated to mom and dad entitled, “Lullaby for Grownups” that teaches kids and parents the importance of bedtime rituals.

Order it or download it here

'A Place to Call Home' by Dana

A Place to Call Home
Music Playground

With a theme about how every living thing has a place that they call home, this album surprised us. With fun, rockin' tunes like “Underground Traffic Jam” about animals who burrow their way and meet up with others, it’s a lot of fun. Other songs focus on other animal homes, including beavers (“Let’s Build a Dam”), bees (“Honey Bee Bee Bop”) and a hermit’s crab relentless quest to find another place to stay (“Movin’ Day”). The album not only represents a variety of musical genres but it also naturally appeals to a child’s love of animals. It is almost impossible to listen and not start singing along.

Order or download it here. (Out on June 6)

'Go Banana Go!' by Hi-Ya!

Go Banana Go!
Hi-Ya

For something completely different … Hi-Ya’s high energy album is full of silly fun. Created by Jim Roach and Brian Wecht, this is their first family-comedy album, and we suspect it won’t be their last. From the get-go, very little makes sense here with song titles that include “Pizza Feet,” “Super Cow” and “Stinky Diapers.” The band also sneaks in a few worthwhile lessons, including one about how to get along with others “Queen of No Share,” bedtime business (“Brush and Brush and Brush”) and even a silly German language lesson. Perhaps the cleverest bit is “Dinosaur Chicken Nugget,” about a woman who freaks out when she discovers that one of her chicken nuggets is shaped like a dinosaur. Comedy gold.

Download it on Spotify here, iTunes here

'Wild Life" by Justin Roberts

Wild Life
Justin Roberts

This is Roberts' 14th album of original songs for children, and Wild Life goes a completely different direction than his prior work. In fact, it's more of a lullaby album for parents rather than children. Including an eclectic group of instrumentalists like pianist Lisa Kaplan (Eighth Blackbird), baroque cellist Anna Steinhoff, percussionist Gerald Dowd (Robbie Fulks) and vocalist Nora O’Connor (Flat Five, the Decemberists), Roberts says this collection of songs is his most personal project yet. It was inspired by the pregnancy of his wife and is filled with musings about his daughter. With songs like “Maybe She’ll Have Curly hair” to “When You First Let Go,” this album is tender, full of love and would make a great gift to an expecting couple. We can totally see this as the go-to album when trying to get a cranky little one to nod off during a long road trip.

Order it or download it from Amazon it here.

Download it on Spotify here

'Fiesta Global' by Flor Bromley

Fiesta Global
Flor Bromley

You might say that Flor Bromley is an over-achiever. She is a bilingual recording artist, singer/songwriter, actress, storyteller and puppeteer. Fiesta Global is her second children’s album which is a Latin-fusion party for kids celebrating the creativity, color and rhythms of Latin culture. It includes a variety of Latin performers including 123 Andrés, Noemi Gasparini, Damaris, Claudio Vega, and Jazzy Ash. The album begins with the introduction song “Fiesta” welcoming kids to the party then transitions to a short history lesson in “We Came to America” before plunging into a vibrant world of music.

Download it here

'I Am Kind' By Lindsay Munroe

I Am Kind
Troubadour Music

The iconic children’s musician Raffi Cavoukian’s own record label, Troubadour Music, is proud to release a new artist, Lindsay Munroe. Not only does Munroe receive Raffi’s blessing, but he sings with her on the new album as well. It is somewhat of a throwback to a time of simpler children’s music with classic tunes like “This Little Light of Mine,” “Frère Jacques” and “The More We Get Together” along with folk songs like “Peace Like a River” and “Bluebird Bluebird” and some original tunes too. Raffi joins in while also playing guitar, ukulele, electric piano, bongos, and train whistle. Not bad for a 71-year-old.

Available for download here. CD is available for purchase on Jun. 12. 

'Paseo Lunar' By The Lucky Band

Paseo Lunar
One RPM

A Red Tricycle favorite, The Lucky Band is back with a new release that has a surprisingly quieter tone than their usual upbeat and danceable music. The band, which consists of Lucky Diaz and his wife Alisha Gaddis, had just returned from a whirlwind tour and found themselves exhausted with a four-year-old that didn't sleep. "Everything we've done lately is so big and so amped. We wanted to make something really simple," says Diaz. “I hope this work can help soothe families and help the little ones to sleep. We can all use a bit of rest." The result is a collection of beautiful, slowed-down Latin tunes that are sure to relax restless souls even if you don’t understand the words. We especially like “Goodnight My Love.”

Available for download here on May 15th.

—Jeffrey Totey

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If you grew up in the 90’s, chances are you played with a Polly Pocket. The now vintage toy was every little girl’s dream, with tiny characters in a tiny world that looked just like your mom’s makeup compact.

With a new Polly Pocket generation alive and well, those vintage versions from the early 90’s are now a hot commodity. A quick Google reveals that the less than one-inch dolls and their cute compacts can sell anywhere from a few dollars to thousands!

 

An unopened Bluebird 1992 Partytime Stampers kit sets you back over $3,000 while a buying just a minifigure to replace that one lost in the 80’s can start at $25 for one doll. While most of the items fetching top dollar are unopened Polly Pockets, if you have a stash lying around you can still rake in some serious cash by selling your collection online.

––Karly Wood

 

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Your little explorer is on the move. Whether your baby prefers the cross crawl, belly crawl, or butt scoot, it’s important to encourage his newfound mobility. So we’ve gathered a handful of DIY games perfect for the crawling set. Using items from around the house (or in the fridge), from bubbles to balls, boxes and more, these awesome activities are sure to inspire lots of movement.

 Photo: Jen via Plain Vanilla Mom

Have a Ball
It might sound far-fetched, but simply rolling a brightly-colored ball back and forth, or across the room, is a great way to get your tot to crawl. Jen at Plain Vanilla Mom calls it “a quintessential toy of childhood.” We couldn’t agree more.

Photo: Amy via Lilly & Bliss / Kimberly Photography

…Or Lots of Them
Why play with just one ball when you can create an entire ball pit? Use safety gates as a frame or inflate a kiddie pool like Amy of Lilly & Bliss did for her kids. Baby will have a ball swimming through the vibrant, multi-hued sea, and tossing the balls in and out.

Photo: Amanda via Dirt and Boogers

Sensory Crawl
Babies love feeling new textures. So Amanda at Dirt & Boogers combined crawling and sensory play by creating a “road” of sights and sounds with everyday household objects. Making their way from bamboo mat to fuzzy blanket, your little wriggler will enjoy discovering each new surface.

Photo: Jamie via Hands On: As We Grow

Follow the Bubble Wrap Road
Recently moved? Received a huge online order? Take a cue from Jamie over at Hands On: As We Grow and put all that extra bubble wrap to good use! Create a pop-able path by securing the sides with bright painters tape (so you don’t ruin the floor) and encourage Baby to crawl, or roll his favorite toy, back and forth. He’ll love the texture beneath their hands and knees, and the sound of the bursting bubbles.

Photo: Ana via Bluebird Kisses

Create an Obstacle Course
Under, over, around, and through. Obstacle courses are the perfect way to challenge your little mover. Ana, the mama bird over at Bluebird Kisses, transformed the living room floor into a soft obstacle course for her little guy to safely test his new skills. Easy to re-create, simply put pillows, cushions, plush toys and blankets around the room, and let the exploration begin.

Photo: Babble / Casey Mullins

Make a Water Blob
As temperatures rise, venture outside with a homemade water sensory mat. All you’ll need is plastic sheeting, waterproof duct tape, and a hose. Add some familiar toys and let your little one explore the squishy space. Check out the how-to on Babble.

Photo: Marcin Banaszek via Flickr creative commons

Blow Some Bubbles
Bubbles truly are a baby’s best friend. Your babe will burst with excitement trying to catch each bubble as it floats toward the ground. Check out the Artful Parent to find easy instructions for making your own bubbles and wand at home. Perfect for playing indoors or out, expect lots of giggles with every pop!

Photo: Meri Cherry: Sharing Arts, Crafts & Family

Make a Sensory Box
Crawling in and out of boxes, like this one created by private art teacher Meri Cherry, is an awesome sensory game that’s sure to offer endless fun. A cardboard box and variety of ribbons in different widths, colors and patterns are all you will need.

Photo: Anna via The Imagination Tree

Build a Cardboard Box Tunnel
Kids love boxes (it’s a cliché for a reason). So before you toss your boxes into the recycling pile, create a tunnel for the kids to crawl through. Anna at The Imagination Tree added an element of surprise by hanging socks and other soft items inside. Plus, it’s the perfect set up for a rousing game of peek-a-boo!

Photo: Andrea via Pinksugarland / Pink Sugar Photography

Play with Pull Toys
Get ready for a fun game of cat-and-mouse with your little one in hot pursuit. Zig, zag and wiggle a pull toy just out of reach to keep baby on the move, like Andrea at Pinksugarland. No pull toy on-hand? A favorite toy attached to a piece of rope also does the trick.

What games do you and your crawler play? Share with us in the Comments!

— Lauren Hill

You’ve likely heard the “Flappy Bird” story. Guy builds gaming app, app becomes the most popular mobile game on the Apple app store, players spend countless hours on game, creator receives complaints and nasty tweets, guy shuts down game, gamers are angry, phones with “Flappy Bird” installed go for thousands of dollars on ebay.

Since game developer Dong Nguyen shut down his operation, numerous copycat games have cropped up hoping to capitalize on people’s desire to lead a bird through a series of obstacles (well, and their penchant for spending hours on a mobile device). Recently, one creative knockoff called “Flappy Bert” caught our eye. Created by the folks at Sesame Street, “Flappy Bert” allows gamers to lead Bert through moving pipes along with his bestie Ernie and a bluebird. The interface is simple–use your mouse to elevate Bert and guide him through the obstacle course. Hit a pipe and the game is over.

Play the game by clicking here.

What are your thoughts on this copycat game by the creators of “Sesame Street”? Love it or over it? 

— Erin Lem

The ultimate dilemma: Your server asking “Would you like to see our dessert menu?” Even though you know foregoing dessert is an option, sometimes that after-dinner sweet tooth just aches for a little something something. So go ahead, sneak a peek at the menu. Because honestly, what’s better than dessert? How about dessert and drinks…together. The best of both worlds? We think so. Our friends at Seattle Magazine must agree, as they rounded up some great spots for spiked desserts to cap off a meal or an evening in a scrumptious manner. A.J. Rathbun writes:

Boozy Milkshakes, Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery
These are every adult’s dream. You get to feel like a kid and a grown up all at once. My pick is the Extra-Dark Salted Caramel with Espresso and Rye Whiskey milkshake garnished with vanilla sugar, but there are four to choose from and each is constructed with Bluebird handmade vanilla ice cream. And booze, naturally.

Strawberries and Grappa, Artusi
A summertime gardener’s treat (and if you’re an Italian gardener, a double treat), this flavor-packed ensemble macerates fresh strawberries in Italian-after-dinner staple grappa and then finishes it off with black pepper and lush cream. As a bonus, as it contains fresh fruit, you can convince yourself that this is really a healthy dessert.

Still need a fix? Check out Seattle’s other spiked desserts over at Seattle magazine.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.

It’s easy to drive past small neighborhoods and great Seattle nooks while running errands or rocking the daily routine. That’s where Seattle Magazine comes in. They do the exploring for you, so all you have to do is show up! This week we’re checking out Phinney Ridge, and we think you should too!

With more backyards than bistros, Phinney Ridge tends to attract more dog walkers than foodies. But what started as a trickle of new restaurants has turned into a full-on food avalanche on this hilltop nabe nestled between Woodland Park Zoo and Greenwood, bringing with it a hearty selection of new shops and boutiques.

EAT + DRINK

The bustling corner of 74th and Greenwood just got a little cooler: Located across from Herkimer Coffee (7320 Greenwood Ave. N; 206.784.0202; herkimercoffee.com) is Bluebird Ice Cream’s newest “microcreamery” (7400 Greenwood Ave. N; bluebirdseattle.blogspot.com), which will sate your palate with both ice cream and new in-house microbrews.

If you need some savory to go with your sweet, head next door via the shared outdoor patio to Cornuto Pizzeria (7404 Greenwood Ave.; no phone at press time) for a slice of fresh, thin-crust wood-fired pizza.

Grab a hand-pulled espresso at renowned Caffé Vita (7402 Greenwood Ave. N; 206.588.1519; caffevita.com) or down a pint at PROST! (7311 Greenwood Ave. N; 206.706.5430; prosttavern.net). The bar’s owner Chris Navarra also has a new neighborhood-centric bar and pizza palace, The Ridge (7217 Greenwood Ave. N; no phone at press time), complete with game room.

Though several blocks south, be sure to head to Chris Porter’s first brick-and-mortar A La Mode Pies (5821 Phinney Ave. N; 206.383.3796; alamodeseattle.com), where straight-from-the-oven slices are topped with Bluebird ice cream, closing the circle of Phinney’s wonderful new culinary delights.

Check out the rest of Shopping and Dining in Phinney Ridge to discover great places to shop and new local boutiques to support.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.