Get U to the U Village

One of the benefits of living in West Bellevue is how quickly we can cross the pond to UW. (Of course, this is assuming you don't get traffic on 520, which means going any time other than rush hour.) We have been to the U for sporting events so far; a few football games, a basketball game and even a women's soccer game.

This week for Red Tricycle, I wrote about University Village shopping center. It really is a one stop shop.

Some days, it's a struggle to plan for kid-sized activities when there's adult-sized stuff to get done. Those are the days when University Village is a shining beacon in our perpetually gray skies. You really can do just about any errand and squeeze in some fun . Groceries? The QFC on NE 45th has, gasp!, childcare while you shop. Mani and Pedi? Julep Nail Salon has Mommy Mondays, when kids can enjoy storytime while you get pampered. Kidddie cut? Try The Salon at Kid's Club where you can also sign up for a cool hair-braiding class. Moms and kiddos can wile away the hours at Paint the Town ceramic studio. Shop? Well, the sky's the limit, from the newly remodeled Village Maternity to Sole Food for sweet kicks to Alhambra Warehouse for really great, really cheap tees. And then there's the matter of noshing. Sure, you can do World Wrappsor the easy burger and shake at Johnny Rockets. But if you did, you'd miss out on one of the best dining adventures around - the uber kid-friendly conveyor-belt at BlueCSushi; bring a Japanese movie like Totoro or Kikis Delivery Service and they just might play it on their big screen TV. A Specialty's cookie or Red Mango yogurt will top off your visit. Hot Gossip: Trophy Cupcakes will be opening soon on 'Kid Row', the conveniently located strip of shops adjacent to the awesome covered play area. Psst... Really in need of some personal time? Whirlwinds Drop-In Childcare, a few blocks from U-Village, has been a mommy's secret weapon for years.

A few elaborations on what I wrote: Julep Nail Salon is opening a Bellevue location in March. It's in the shopping center on Bellevue Way across from Safeway, where there's a UPS store and Quiznos.

Also, I intervewed the owner of Whirlwinds -- what a very cool concept. It is "drop in" childcare. Kids ages 2 to 6 can come for a maximum of 4 hours, at $8 per hour. (Siblings are $4). The best part is that you can reserve in advance or last minute, and as long as there is room (they take up to 20 kids) you're in. Plus, they don't charge if you have to cancel at last minute. The place is run by Marybeth O'Neill, who is a longtime Laurelhurst pre-school owner, and she is all about accomodating moms who just need a little help every now and then.

Yes We Did!

It has been a celebratory week, with all the inauguration-related hoopla. I have enjoyed every mintue of it, even though I watched the actual swearing-in ceremony alone, in my living room with a fire blazing and a full pot of coffee, and answering texts from friends from all over.

My friend Julia was there for it. She grew up in DC and is an alum of Sidwell Friends, the school the Obama girls are now attending, so said she couldn't bear not witnessing history in her hometown with all her high school buds. She had a pretty good spot -- albeit with an obstructed view -- to watch the swearing in and says that aside from at one point almost getting trampled by the crowd (yikes! she likened it to a European soccer crowd minus the temper), the collective positive energy of the people gathered was absolutley phenomenal and infectious.

Last night I went to a Mr. Obama Goes to Washington party, thrown by my college pals Alice and Sean, and some of their friends. It was at the Sunset Tavern in Ballard, and to get in you had to use the word "maverick" in a sentence. Mine was, "I am such a maverick, I came all the way from the Eastside." The cute ID checker at the door chuckled at that (probably not used to seeing my kind).

It was a fun night, and it was so nice to be around others who were just as excited about this new president. We enjoyed live music and great, danceable DJ tunes, trivia games with prizes and other raffle items. (Can't decide what was best, the George Bush barbie, I mean, ken doll or the lifesize cutout of President Obama, which everyone took a chance to dance with.) There were lots of kids running around and TVs showing the Obamas dancing again and again at all those balls.

The First Lady looked so exhausted by the end of the night. You know she was probably thinking about having to get up to get her kids ready for school the next morning. (I wonder if she had to make their lunch, or if the White House chef is making PB n Js?)That is what I love about Michelle Obama.. you get the impression that she is just as caught up in trying to balance kids and work and life as the rest of us are. Oh, and now she has to worry about throwing State Dinners, too...

This is my favorite snapshot from the Inauguration, courtesy of Newsweek. It looks like the First Lady is fixing the strap on Sasha's shoe. Look at the Secret Service guys looking on with bemused expressions. There are some things only Mom can do.

Award Season

Check out this very cool charity event I recently wrote about on Red Tricycle. If you live in the Seattle area and would like to donate or volunteer, see the info at the end.

Sure, the actors who won Golden Globes on Sunday were happy to get their shiny trophies. No doubt, they were just as psyched about their swag, goodie bags filled with thousands of bucks worth of celeb loot. It's a phenomenon that confounds Carol Schiller of Baby Chaleco, a Bellevue-based creator of high end, waterproof baby bibs . "If I'm going to give my products away," says Schiller, "I'm not going to give it to someone who is rich." Schiller knew there was a better use of swag, a more charitable version. The result: Baby Day Luxe, an event that benefits families served by the Providence Regina House, a food and clothing bank in South Park.

At Baby Day Luxe on February 7, families go to the Providence Regina House to pick up their celeb-style stash, donated by Seattle-area baby product vendors as well as the general public. Schiller is currently soliciting items. Baby product vendors can donate anything, from first quality products to samples or closeouts. From the general public, Schiller will take any and all baby items, whether new or used. Cash donations will buy diapers and other necessities. (The used donations are distributed on other monthly Baby Days.) Boxed items should be sent or dropped off at Schiller's business address (a UPS store): 12819 SE 39th Street #41, Bellevue, WA, 98006. Deadline is February 4.

Like to volunteer at the event? Contact Schiller at carol@babychaleco.com. Consider it the Oscars for the needy, and you're providing the award. Trophies are overrated, anyway.

Books and Movies make a January go by

For the past week I have literally been in the Twilight zone. That is, nose buried deep into Stephanie Meyer's four book series (the first of which is Twilight) about a high school girl who falls in love with a vampire. Trust me, I am not into sci-fi books and before this, would not exactly say I am the type that digs vampires. But these are seriously addictive. The characters Meyer creates are so beautiful, complex and lifelike (and most of them are vampires.. throw in a few werewolves). You just want to keep on reading about them. There is something about the way she writes that makes writers like me think, hey, I could do that.

Anyway, clearly I am late getting into this as all my Bellevue Mom friends (who turned me onto it) had read all the books well before the movie came out in December. I now feel all caught up; even went to see the flick, which is fine, a bit too special-effected out, and in no way compares to the book.

Speaking of movies, Brian and I are on a roll with our goal to actually see all of the movies nominated for Best Picture at the upcoming Oscars. This is something we used to do.. and then we had a couple of kids.

Granted, Oscar noms are not out yet but it will likely follow suit with the Golden Globes. Of those, we've seen Revolutionary Road and most recently, Slumdog Millionaire. Both are pretty brilliant.

But Slumdog blew us a way. I have visited Mumbai many times and it's amazing what a gritty, poignant, realistic portrayal of the city the movie creates. I read an interview with director Danny Boyle and I loved the way he described India (his first visit there was when he went to film Slumdog.) He described how everything in Mumbai (and India, for that matter) is in the extreme. The temperature is too hot. The tea is too sweet. The poverty is beyond compare, just as the wealth is. I have always, when describing what India is like to people, have used the expression of sensory overload. You don't expect to see so many people, colors, noises, smells, despair, joy.

Slumdog captured all this and more. If you haven't seen it, treat yourself and do so.

Write Some Letters In 09

After five, count em, five snow days, the Christmas hols, a nine day vacation in Florida and the usual back-to-school/work/reality windup, it is indeed nice to have the Oh-Nine underway. Happy New Year to all.

We did send out holiday cards, which were late because I didn't get them out before the snowstorm and we had no mail delivery for several days. (Whatever happened to the US Postal Service's promise of "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" ??)


Receiving holiday cards is a huge pleasure for me. It's that once a year reminder of friends who were once (or still are) an important part of our lives and I love seeing the pics of kids, pets and even the corny letters.

Back to the postal service -- there was an interesting article last fall in the Washington Post about how the USPS was expecting to deliver 9 BILLION fewer pieces of mail in fiscal year 2008 that it did the year before. The drop, according to the story, "is about 10 times greater than the 902 million decline in deliveries between 2006 and 2007."

The culprits of the downturn are the usual subjects: the nation's economic downturn, the Wall Street meltdown and the surge in e-mail and Internet usage.

What a sad trend.

Not that you should stop doing things related to the Internet (ahem, like reading this blog) but, really, would it be so hard to send a few letters this year?

I do email, social networking on Facebook, texting, and still love to chat on the phone as a way to keep up with my friends. But I've always been a huge proponent of letter writing. At one point I dreamed of opening a coffee/card shop, where for an all inclusive price, you could get a cup of joe, pretty writing paper and a stamp, plus a great ambiance in which to write in. It would have letter writing consultants and lots of cool visual and auditory stimulation to get you into the letter writing mood.

I am not a big resolution gal, but this is one I'm making for 09: To write letters to the people I care about.