Mom to Bee

On Friday evening, as I attempted to drive the one-hour distance to Seattle in 30 minutes (yeah, um, that didn’t work so well) I realized something that is disturbing to me…

I think I might be falling out of love with Seattle.

For shame, I know!

Ever since living in Seattle for my college and law school education (yeah, I’m have a really expensive collection of pretty pieces of paper – Sidenote: if you are looking for info on advanced degrees, a friend of mine works at a cool place called The Online College Guru!), I have loved Seattle. In fact, I have felt more at home in Seattle than I do the city that I lived/grew up in for 20+ years. Something about the city just draws me in.

I even enjoy the drive up to the city. Especially on the Viaduct, where you have the Puget Sound and ferries on your left and the City flanking your right. Simple Beautiful.

But this last Friday, something was different.

Instead of reveling in the Happy Hour in the City-ness, I was instead perturbed at the lack of parking and wondering how I would manage to walk the few blocks through drug-induced arguments on the street to my posh restaurant location. The same neighborhood which I used to think was so hip, now seemed so dirty and, well, dangerous.

And, I shit you not, as we were leaving the restaurant, joking about the possible drug altercations we would see on the way to the car, we noticed a police van loading people in. A POLICE VAN, people! Did I mention that this was literally next door to the restaurant we’d been eating at?! Stay classy, Seattle.

And suddenly the suburbs have been looking better and better.

Maybe it’s just something that comes with getting older. Seriously, I will be THIRTY in a few months; I’m practically prehistoric, dude.

And I imagine it may have to do with being a mom. Instead of thinking that drug deals were pure entertainment and/or YouTube fodder, now it seems like I actually feel the need to protect my baby’s Mama (aka: me, if you were wondering. I have the vag scars to prove it).

But here in the ‘burbs, it is pretty hard to find a restaurant that serves fries with fried egg and ham on top.

And crispy California rolls.

And truffle fries.

And lobster paella.

Well, let’s just say that maybe me and Seattle will stay friends.

With benefits.

Song title: Falling in and Out of Love by Pure Prairie League

Kid Friendly Seattle
I’ve discovered a number of surprisingly baby/kid-friendly places in the last few days, so I thought I’d post and share my discoveries.

Claim Jumper
If you’ve seen the outside of a Claim Jumper Restaurant, you might have jumped to the same conclusion that I did. I had heard that they had ridiculously large portions and seeing what obviously looked like mining-for-gold themed restaurant, I totally assumed that it was Red Robin with pick axes.

When Mr. Bee suggested we eat there with some acquaintances down in Portland, I figured it’d probably be a nice, loud place where we’d fit in with Baby Bee. Little did I know that I’d be so right and so wrong all at once.

When we arrived at the restaurant, the first thing I noticed was that it was not as Red Robin-ey as I thought. (And no, there is nothing wrong with Red Robin.) In fact, it was a nice restaurant – somewhere above Black Angus but not as nice as Daniel’s Broiler. Any who, since we had reservations with 2 babies, when we were seated they already had high chairs waiting for us and the table was set with disposable table toppers ( I have these in my diaper bag at all times and looooove them) and oyster crackers to keep the babies busy while we perused the menu!

Then, before we even ordered, they brought the babies plates of deli meat, apple sauce, Mandarin oranges and cheese. For FREE. We didn’t even have to buy Baby Bee a meal and she gobbled up the entire plate.

For these reasons alone, I have told Mr. Bee that we will now frequent our local Claim Jumper at least once a month! Our food was fantastic and I can’t even believe that there is a nice restaurant that is baby-friendly in existence!

Westfield Shoppingtown Southcenter – aka: The Southcenter Mall
Since the grand re-opening of the mall two weeks ago, I have visited it twice to make my obligatory “donations”. During the last visit, I popped in to one of their new “Family Lounges” to change Baby Bee’s diaper.

Holy crap balls.

Along one wall, two or three changing stations include sunken tables so your wiggly little monkey doesn’t roll off the counter. There are bottle warmers, wipe warmers, and probably a whole bunch of other things that I didn’t notice because I refused to stand in line to change the baby. Instead, we headed over to the play area that was sprinkled with books and games, along with cushy chairs and a flat screen television playing random kid stuff. This quickly became the secondary changing area on the rug once other moms saw me refusing to wait for a changing station. And, the best thing ever, to the side, two “nursing stations” offer a quiet setting, cushy chairs, a flat screen TV and curtains, for moms.

Needless to say, I pretty much had to change my own diaper after stumbling upon such a mom oasis! And this was what I assume is the smaller of the two family lounges at Southcenter. It was crazy busy, but can you blame ‘em? If this house thing doesn’t pull through, I’m thinking about taking Baby Bee and moving in to one of the nursing stations.

Julep Nail Parlor
Okay, so I haven’t actually been to this nail salon yet, but I was thrilled when I read about their Mommy Mondays. Every Monday, from 9am to 3pm, they have an on-site nanny who will entertain your child(ren) so you can enjoy your manicure, pedicure or waxing treatment without distraction. Oh, and they use all organic products and no “fake nails”, so you don’t have to suffer with that icky toxic smell! More reviews to come of this salon soon.

My goal is to continue to review and post about wonderful mommy/baby-friendly places in the Puget Sound area. But the problem is finding them…

Song title: Are You With Me Baby by Billy Burnett

I would have loved to have met this woman! What a striking photo…

‘The epitome of vintage Ballard’ dies

By KOMO Staff & News Services

SEATTLE — An 86-year-old Seattle woman who refused to sell her little house in the Ballard neighborhood to developers has died.

The King County medical examiner’s office says Edith Macefield died Sunday of pancreatic cancer. She died at home.

A wind chime hangs in the archway and kitten figurines sit on the windowsill of Macefield’s small home. The two-story, two-bedroom house has stood for more than 100 years and she had lived there since 1966. It was assessed at $8,000 with the lot valued at $120,000.

Although developers reportedly offered her as much as $1 million, she said she didn’t want to move and didn’t need the money.”

I think it’s just representative of good ol’ Edith,” said Joel Niemeyer, who lives nearby.

Everyone knew about “ol’ Edith” who refused to back down even when big business stopped playing nice. The developers built a grocery store, fitness center and parking garage around her home, surrounding it with five story-high cement walls.

But in the middle of the battle, Ballard’s soldier in the fight against change died Sunday, leaving many to wonder what will happen to her historic home now.

“She was just sort of the epitome of vintage Ballard. That’s what Edith was,” said Niemeyer.

Friends and strangers have dropped off flowers, taken pictures of her home and even cried for ol’ Edith, concerned her century-old home won’t be here another 100 years.

The developers had no comment on the future of the home. Macefield said her only child died when he was 13.

Song Title: The Stubborn One by Trace Adkins