I Brake for Moms

Scan the card, load the trays, and tell the Suvie 3.0 when you want dinner to be ready. This kitchen robot is an exciting addition to the world of small appliances. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Move over Roomba: There’s a new robot in my house

The Suvie 3.0 can broil, roast, bake, slow cook, steam, reheat, defrost, refrigerate and do French-style sous vide cooking.

 

The two-hour walk through Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island offers opportunity for inspiration and reflection. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island showcases nature

The 150-acre wonderland, the former home of a timber magnate and his wife, is a beautiful place to visit in any season.

 

If you stand next to Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett and look up, you might just see a three-year-old operating a pretend crane. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Imagine Children’s Museum gets better and better

From a realistic pretend crane to a life-size recreation of the Snohomish bicycle tree, the Everett museum will keep kids engaged for many hours.

 

You don’t need to hop on an airplane to have an exciting Spring Break. Local activities, like the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, offer family fun. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Even a budget-conscious spring-break staycation can be a blast

Between Snohomish, Skagit and Island counties, there’s plenty to do right in your own backyard

You don’t need to hop on an airplane to have an exciting Spring Break. Local activities, like the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, offer family fun. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: The years come and go, but some birthdays warrant extra reflection. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Milestone birthdays make parents ask: where did the time go?

From cake frosting in their hair to the car keys in their hands, it all goes by so fast.

Caption: The years come and go, but some birthdays warrant extra reflection. (Jennifer Bardsley)
DONT USE THIS IN PRINT OR ONLINE EXCEPT AS TSR

Stop bugging high school seniors with questions about college

Give high school seniors who are stressed to the max a break — find something else to talk about.

DONT USE THIS IN PRINT OR ONLINE EXCEPT AS TSR
A snapping sound in her calf muscle sent her to urgent care. What happened next, involved a lot of sitting. (Jennifer Bardsley)

This injury changed me from a ‘human-doing’ to a ‘human-being’

A painful torn calf muscle doesn’t require surgery — just a LOT of rest. So pass the Advil and the TV remote.

A snapping sound in her calf muscle sent her to urgent care. What happened next, involved a lot of sitting. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: Does your car have an OK button? Trips through the carwash aren’t usually terrifying unless you’re driving a Hyundai IONIQ-5.

Her EV is fun to drive, but a real problem at the car wash

“Never again,” she vows after a white-knuckle trip through the Brown Bear tunnel. Then she remembers she bought a year’s worth of car washes.

Caption: Does your car have an OK button? Trips through the carwash aren’t usually terrifying unless you’re driving a Hyundai IONIQ-5.
Step-by-step tips for organizing your home in the new year. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Tackling home organization one step at a time

Got 10 minutes? Spend it cleaning a corner of the kitchen. You can get a lot done in that short period.

Step-by-step tips for organizing your home in the new year. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Graduating students hands throwing graduation caps in the air.

High school seniors, get set to be linked with 2023 forever

Some day, you’ll be mocked like you make fun of people who graduated in, say, 1996.

Graduating students hands throwing graduation caps in the air.
Caption: Waking your parents up at 4 am is only the beginning. Here are some never-fail ideas for making a Christmas you hate to remember.

Ten Ways to ruin Christmas: a DIY tutorial

No surprise, forgetting to water the Christmas tree is on the list.

Caption: Waking your parents up at 4 am is only the beginning. Here are some never-fail ideas for making a Christmas you hate to remember.
Could your Facebook page be earning money? Find out how our columnist made almost $7,000 this year by syncing her Facebook page to the Meta for Creators program.

Facebook is paying her to post about herself

Unlike the top TikTok content creators, local author Jennifer Bardsley isn’t getting rich. But it’s nice to be paid nearly $7,000 this year for doing what she’s done for years.

Could your Facebook page be earning money? Find out how our columnist made almost $7,000 this year by syncing her Facebook page to the Meta for Creators program.
Caption: What to serve for Christmas dinner? Here are three entrees that fit a variety of budgets.

Memorable holiday dinners require showstoppers and toilet plungers

This Christmas home cook has progressed from pot pies to round steak to prime rib.

Caption: What to serve for Christmas dinner? Here are three entrees that fit a variety of budgets.
Caption: The eternal fragrance of bath products triggers memories from long ago. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Bath product fragrances are full of memories

A Costco-size bottle of Neutrogena Rainbath takes the author back to the carefree days of seventh grade

Caption: The eternal fragrance of bath products triggers memories from long ago. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: If you can get past the itchiness factor, wool garments warm you up and last a lifetime. (Jennifer Bardsley)

In praise of wool, the fiber that saved this California girl

It may itch, but you can’t beat a wool sweater for warmth. And it’ll last a lifetime.

Caption: If you can get past the itchiness factor, wool garments warm you up and last a lifetime. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: Curbside delivery at Kindred Kitchen in Everett made cooking dinner a whole lot easier. (Jennifer Bardsley)

A quick trip to Everett helps put dinner on the table

Kindred Kitchen on Broadway offers delicious, affordable meal kits — supporting a local humanitarian cause.

Caption: Curbside delivery at Kindred Kitchen in Everett made cooking dinner a whole lot easier. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: Medical-grade LED therapy lights add a unique experience to this brand new yoga studio in downtown Everett. (Jennifer Bardsley)

I’ve never practiced yoga like this before

A session at a downtown Everett yoga studio recharges my batteries after a difficult start to fall.

Caption: Medical-grade LED therapy lights add a unique experience to this brand new yoga studio in downtown Everett. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: Downtown Everett has lots to offer pedestrians, including a wide variety of coffee houses. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Coffee in downtown Everett is the cure for a cloudy day

You could do a pub crawl there — and drive home safely, if a bit jittery.

Caption: Downtown Everett has lots to offer pedestrians, including a wide variety of coffee houses. (Jennifer Bardsley)
It meant staying up way past this mom's bedtime, but taking her daughter to an Alex G concert at The Showbox in Seattle was worth it. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Middle-aged mom braves a school-night concert

Jennifer Bardsley accompanies her daughter and a friend to an Alex G concert in downtown Seattle. What could go wrong?

It meant staying up way past this mom's bedtime, but taking her daughter to an Alex G concert at The Showbox in Seattle was worth it. (Jennifer Bardsley)
Caption: Step right up and perform your civic duty. Jury service in Snohomish County is an experience to remember. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Jury duty offers inside look at the criminal justice system

Sure, it’s a pain in the neck. But much, much more than that, it’s a vital piece of American democracy.

Caption: Step right up and perform your civic duty. Jury service in Snohomish County is an experience to remember. (Jennifer Bardsley)