Book Coming Soon!

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Philz: THE Best Coffee I Ever Ever Had

Okay, here's one for the parents: if you're in Palo Alto, or close, or even if you're bored some weekend or need a longer drive to make the kids go to sleep, head over to Phils for coffee. It's incredible.

I've only been to the one in Palo Alto, but looks like they also have locations all over San Francisco, one in San Jose, and one coming soon to Berkeley. Check them out at philzcoffee.com .

I wasn't a coffee drinker until I got pregnant with Zoe, and since suddenly I wasn't allowed to have caffeine, I automatically craved it. I started drinking decaf with great gusto, and when Owen stopped breastfeeding, moved on to the serious stuff (realizing right away that decaf pretty much sucks). We have a K-cup machine at home that bangs out a tasty cup in less than a minute, so from a caffeine-delivery standpoint, I'm all set.

Philz, however, takes it to a new level. You might say gourmet, or you might say boutique, but either way it's a damn good cup of coffee. High-end beans, single cup brews, and cream and sugar to order, along with a staff that really knows and enjoys what they're doing, make it a blissful experience. Don't miss it!

AllRecipes.com, Five-star cooking reference site

Once my kids stopped eating jarred goo, it has been a constant struggle to get them to eat. For a semi-compulsive eater, this seems crazy. I mean, what kind of person doesn't want to eat? As it turns out, it's toddlers.

I'm always looking for new super-simple recipes to feed to the kids that they will actually eat. I found a really great resource is AllRecipes.com. You can search for recipes by what ingredients you have on hand. You can search by the amount of time you have. They have recipes that kids will eat, and ones that kids can cook themselves (with help, obviously). You can create a virtual recipe box and save your favorites. You can post your own recipes and read other people's comments on how their versions turned out.

In all, it's a really user-friendly site that has a lot of resources for a lot of different aspects of cooking, and you can find recipes for just about everything. This site has rescued dinner more than a few times at our house.

Offhand, I'd recommend Ginny's Cheesy Macaroni, Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie, Oatmeal Waffles, and Five Minute Ice Cream (if you have a good blender or food processor).

Check it out and let me know what recipes you find that are super easy and tasty!

First Post, WHY...

My husband and I were lamenting the fact that we couldn't find a good place to find information on where to take the kids while we were travelling. This blog is a small step to address this, and hopefully will encourage other moms to rate and review their favorite places in their area.

We live in Dublin California, so the majority of my posts will be reviewing places in our area. All of the information is just one persons opinion, but it may at least give you a place to start.

And yes, OF COURSE, we're bringing the kids...