San Francisco

Squash and Bay Clubs / August 13, 2015 by Kate Brightbill

School starts on Monday, but we are savoring our last few days and remembering our summer fun!! One of Sophie's favorite weeks of the summer was her SQUASH CAMP at the ever-so beautiful SF Bay Club. She started the week barely able to throw her "magic ball" against the wall properly, and only hitting the return once, and by the end of the week, she could actually play a match with her squash coach Charlie! Since camp, she has been tossing a ping pong ball against our walls and use a ping pong paddle to return it -- not effective, but it's a valiant effort to keep the skills she acquired! (she tries to find walls without pictures, but since I've finally finished my gallery walls, it's a little trickier, haha!) We need to get this girl some real squash supplies. ;)

I actually took VIDEO during squash camp! I'm such a picture person that I hardly ever switch the lever to take video, but when your firstborn is in her first sports camp, you want the in-action video proof of the improvements she made! I'm so used to seeing princess Sophie, and fashion Sophie, and creative Sophie, but now we have Sporty Sophie too. I love sporty Sophie!

SO. Here you have it... our video chronicling Bay Club squash camp! Enjoy!!

ALSO! They have academic year classes for those of you who want to start getting your kids involved in sports regularly! HIGHLY recommend!

SOPHIE SQUASH CAMP 2015 from Kate Brightbill on Vimeo.

* Post 2 of 2 in collaboration with Bay Clubs. We received complimentary camp and services from the Bay Club in exchange for writing about our experience. Post is NOT sponsored. ALL opinions are my own. The Bay Club is amazing, and I am recommending it to friends in real life as well as to you!

Tech Trend: wRipple App / July 14, 2015 by Kate Brightbill

I think if I didn't have a lifestyle blog about life with kids, I would want to write about food. I literally take pictures food daily. Ahh, I bought fresh food and veggies at the farmer's market! Definitely photographing this. Oooh, I made tacos and fresh mango salsa-- you can be certain I'm grabbing my camera and snapping the evidence. ;)

Then there's eating out. All the restaurants, all the foodie flavors! San Francisco is still that gold mine from '49- only now it's a foodie mine. I want to try it all, and blog it all. Who doesn't love eating great food?

So. We want to eat well, we want a good deal, and we want to know what our friends are having too. What to do?

There's an app for that (you knew that line was coming, yes?).

It's the wRipple effect! SF- this beautiful city- has launched an app to share WHERE we are eating + a fabulous deal for that spot at the same time. I don't know about you, but I'm on my phone googling deals whenever I retail shop... but there's never really been any streamlined discount app for FOOD. wRipple is an app to keep the discounts accessible on my phone- no need for cutting and carrying our dollar savings anymore!

Let me tell you how it works:

I'm always craving something in my current very-pregnant state, so let's say today I'm craving Burmese food. I go to SOMA StrEat Food Park and that beautiful LilBurma truck is just sitting there calling my name. Samosas and noodles, YES please.

I whip out my phone and open my wRipple app-- ooh! A deal... right there for me!

I shared the deal with all my Facebook friends (who also LOVE GOOD FOOD), got a barcode on my app that was scanned by the LilBurma employee, and voila! What's that you say? I can have that Pellegrino just sitting there calling my name in the San Francisco sun for free? OH, and $1 off? Well, if you're going to insist...

Obviously sharing is caring, so my darlings got to partake in the meal too. I love their affinity for ethnic food. :)

To download wRipple, just follow this link.

Be sure to follow wRipple on social media for all the info and deals at your fingertips! // Twitter . Instagram . Facebook .

This post was sponsored by wRipple. All opinions are my own. If you like good deals, this is a fantastic app for you!! Thanks for supporting the companies that support us! xx

Healthy Comfort Food + Thermometers / November 6, 2014 by Kate Brightbill

If someone is going to offer cooking lessons, I am going to take them.

The Hillside Supper Club and Braun Thermometers hosted a little event in the city the other day, and I am soooo glad I went. I left with the best thermometer I've ever seen {my children cannot handle the in-the-mouth version we currently have, and this one just taps against their forehead and DONE!}, and a good grasp on making healthy hearty soup and pot pie. My family is thankful in advance, and judging by the cold and flu patterns in 2014, it won't be long before we put the thermometer to great use.

Sometimes cooking certain dishes is entirely too intimidating. Homemade pasta? What? I could never... but oh, we did. Chicken pot pie? No way... but yes, we also did that. I think the biggest lesson I'm learning this year regarding the kitchen is to "TRY IT. You might like it!" I know that expression is generally regarding the eating aspect of the kitchen, but for me- eating diverse foods has never been the problem. ;) I just don't want to try cooking recipes that just may not taste good... 2014 says TRY.

SO, here are the things I've learned from my day at The Hillside Supper Club

{*unsponsored, though we got goodies for the kitchen and thermometers to take home}

Eat at the Hillside Supper Club. I'm craving their homemade pasta so much that I've added a pasta maker to my Christmas wish list. There is nothing like it.
Spend a little time at the beginning of your week prepping things. Dicing and seasoning veggies that can be used for soups or pot pies or as sides on your plate make day-of cooking that much more manageable!
Doughs are not as intimidating as they seem. They're only a few quick ingredients, and you can have fresh, unprocessed pastas, pie crusts, etc etc.
Don't just toss meat bones. Simmer simmer simmer, and you'll have brilliant chicken stocks. My mom has been trying to teach this to me forever, but I'm a repeat offender of just tossing the bones. No longer, my friends, no longer.
GET A BRAUN THERMOMETER. I had this "under the tongue" traditional thermometer until last week. As I've said many times, my girls have been sick repeatedly this year. I avoided the thermometer at all cost-- the fits my sick little patients threw when I inserted that stick under their tongues were ridiculous. Now, my medicine cabinet has a thermometer that I merely need to press to my child's forehead {and I can allow them to keep sleeping!! Imagine!}, and their temperature shows directly on the screen. It's colored red, yellow, or green based on their numbers. I'm sold on this forever. PS. No need to worry if you have run out of germ-blocking sleeves.

All in all, a fun, successful day. Cooking classes and fabulous thermometers are my new favorite things.

Marina / October 24, 2014 by Kate Brightbill

MARINA/COW HOLLOW

We let the kids play at Moscone Playground.
We let the kids take scooter rides at The Palace of Fine Arts.
All the great craft and indie fairs at Fort Mason.
Marina Green for views of boats and the Golden Gate and for the kids to run around.
House of Air and Planet Granite for cool activites for kids.
We get ice cream at Smitten (also in my Hayes Valley guide).
We have casual burgers & milkshakes at Super Duper or Roam. YES.
We get Italian at three notable Italian places: Delarosa, A16 and Roma Antica.
... Or for casual, Italian Homemade Company or Lucca's Deli.
Tacos at Don Pistos (favorite), Tacolicious, or Flores.
Cupcakes at Kara's.
We find the best cakes and cookies at Susie Cakes.
We eat salads and healthy food at Blue Barn.
And grab a treat for the road at Loving Cup (coconut rice pudding is my vice/also in Hayes).

In The City: Waterbar / August 14, 2014 by Kate Brightbill

There are places in San Francisco that we go for the view, places we go for the food, and then there are places we go and get both at once. Waterbar, I'm talking to you.

When family comes in town, we like to put our best foot forward. This often means a fun and extra nice dinner. The last time my father-in-law was in town, we tried Waterbar. It's VERY nice when you take a chance on a place you've never tried and it all works out in your favor!

We ate outside, which is a WIN. Sweeping bay bridge views under yellow umbrellas with the cityscape on the other side. The landscaping out there is fantastic...

Then we have the food.

I took these pictures a couple months ago, and whenever I scroll through my iphoto library, I stop at these pictures and I crave these meals. I am not even joking. SO good. Fresh fish, flavor fusions, and garnish that make them beautiful and extra tasty. Incredibly delicious.

And did I mention those bay views?

If you have family in town: Waterbar. If you need a nice date night: Waterbar. If you're in SOMA: Waterbar. Mmmm.

Waterbar: 399 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA

*Not sponsored, nothing free. I just like talking about food and San Francisco. xx

The Making of Macarons / August 11, 2014 by Kate Brightbill

Macarons.

There's a hype, yes. When it comes to macarons created perfectly by The Sugar Studio, the hype is 100% justified. I've been eating Hilary's macarons for ages {and even had her sweets grace the tables on Sophie & Maggie's most recent birthday parties!!}, and it was high time for a macaron making lesson. Brian made my dream come true a couple months ago when we took an evening macaron making class... it was worth every penny.

We arrived at The Sugar Studio around dinnertime, and though I probably would have thought it acceptable to have eaten macarons AS my dinner, Hilary had thoughtfully provided a spread of delicious for us all. Watermelon, mint, onion feta salad {similar recipe here} was incredible and I want to make it for everything now. She also had cheeses and bread like any perfect hostess. We mingled and sat in her pretty lounging area, and then got to work.

Macarons are delicate and following the recipe requires precision. I have a little OCD, and so does Hilary, so we're a good match. She made sure I mixed perfectly, and I made sure my circles were exactly the right size for the cookie sheet. We picked our own colors for the shells and filled them one of three flavors she offered. While the shells baked, we went back for seconds on the cheeses and watermelon. YES.