Free Movie Mondays under the stars at the Orange County Performing Art Center

I keep stumbling upon so many free fun things to do this summer that I’m going to have to post at least twice a day. I received an email from the Orange County Performing Art Center and had to share about their Free for all under the stars Movie Mondays.

Movies start at dusk(approximately 8pm) and guests are invited to bring beach chairs and picnic dinners/snacks. You can start staking your spot around 5:30pm.
The dates/movies are as follows-
July 13th- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
July 20th- Annie
July 27th- Footloose
August 3rd Momma Mia

I have already saved the dates and plan on picnicking with the family. Hope you will too! If you would like to know more head over here.

Disney Mondays- My love affair with Disney’s California Adventure

Disneyland is a classic and untouchable. There is no debating that. However, when looking at California Adventure- it’s important to not compare it to its iconic next door neighbor. When you look at DCA as a whole, by itself – it is a really impressive little theme park and one that I just happen to be in love with.

Here are the top ten reasons why I think Disney’s California Adventure is a fantastic place for the kiddos and why I am madly in love with DCA.

The kiddos can get wet-We love the Irrigation Station and Princess Dot Splash Pad in the Flick’s Fun Fair Area. It is the perfect spot on a hot spring/summer day.
I hate waiting in line. I mean really who does?? I love that the attractions in Flick’s Fun Fair have minimal waiting lines and are a big hit with my kiddos. They love every single ride – especially Flick’s Fun Flyers.
If your kids love the Disney Channel’s cartoons then they will absolutely love The Playhouse Disney Show- my kids LOVE it!!
Who loves Free stuff? I do- I do!! I love that you can get a fresh warm tortilla from the Mission Tortilla Factory tour and a sourdough taste from Boudin Bakery.My kids love the fresh tortillas and I’m not going to lie, so do I. Here’s a little tip- on your birthday pick up a dozen free tortillas from the Mission Tortilla Factory. Just show them your birthday pin and you are set!
They have an amazing baby center. Not as big as Disneyland’s but still great.
DCA is home to Disney’s Electrical Parade. Love it. It’s new and improved and a must see!!
They are home to three amazing shows that your kiddos will love-MuppetVison 3D, It’s tough to be a bug and Aladdin.
In my opinion, DCA is home to one of the BEST(if not the best!!) attractions in the Disneyland Resort, Toy Story Mania.
They have a pretty spiffy Ferris Wheel. You can either pick a gondola that moves or is stationary.
I love that I can park in the Downtown Disney lot ( free for 3 hours)- walk over to the DCA entrance at the Grand Californian Hotel in Downtown Disney(next to Sephora) , spend a couple of hours there and then I don’t have to deal with taking a tram back to the parking lot. I love love that I can do this, especially on a crowded day.

DCA is in the middle of a major expansion – which includes a new water show, a Little Mermaid Ride and sure to be a big hit with my son- A thrill ride- featuring the characters from CARS!! The expansion should be complete by 2012.

There are so many other things I love about DCA but I tried to limit myself to my favorite 10. Next time that you are heading over to the Disneyland Resort make sure to show DCA some love ! It deserves it!

Kids Bowl Free

Looking for something to keep the kiddos busy this summer? Here is another fabulous freebie for the kiddos this summer- The Kids Bowl Free Summer Program allows your kids to bowl two free games every day Monday-Thursday all summer long. There are only two locations in Southern California that are participating- Concourse Bowling in Anaheim and Gage Bowl in Huntington Park. The only thing you will have to do is provide bowling shoes or rent some which go for $3.00 at the Anaheim Concourse. I was discussing this with a couple of friends this week and they suggested buying some bowling shoes on ebay- they go for around $20.00.

Here is how it works –

Head over to kidsbowlfree.com–
Select a bowling center near you.
Register directly on the bowling center page (The registration is valid only at the bowling center where you register and cannot be used at any other bowling center unless otherwise noted.)
Once you register, you will have the opportunity to purchase the family pass. You don’t have to but it is a really good deal!!The Family Pass was created to allow for adult family members to enjoy bowling throughout the summer as well. The Family Pass starts from $23.95 and includes 2 games per person per day. The Family Pass covers up to 4 adult family members. You may have 1, 2, 3, or 4 adults on the family pass. The one-time payment covers up to 4 adults for the entire summer.After your registration we will send you two (2) emails.The first email is a welcome email and contains your account information.
The second email is very important. This email does not contain coupons, but you will need to click the link confirming your subscription to the service If you do not click the link, the system will not send your weekly coupons to you.You will receive an email every Sunday morning that contains a link to your coupons and family passes for that week. It is not required that you view the email to print your coupons.

I think my oldest might be ready to bowl her first game- we are going to check this out this week