Archive for May, 2012
Buccaneer Bay-Splash La Mirada
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Credit: Robert O'Connor
Our Dad Blogger, Robert has been super busy taking his little Ava on numerous adventures. He shares with us about their experience at Buccaneer Bay in La Mirada last week. This is one place I can’t wait to take my kids!
As the temperature climbs while we ease into summer, I am happy to share with you my families favorite “cool down” destination. Buccaneer Bay in La Mirada is a Water Park that is so much fun for kids that my family has gone 2 times in the last 3 days!
At Buccaneer Bay they have created a Water Park oasis that is geared towards family fun. If you are looking for a Water Park with slides that will scare you with in an inch of your life this place is not for you, perhaps another water park would be better suited to your needs.
Credit: Robert O'Connor
Maybe I am getting old and cranky, but I was so happy that there there were no obnoxious older teenagers running amok ruining it for the younger kids. As soon as we entered the facility I could tell that this place caters to children, as there were plenty of life vests available at no extra charge, sufficient security and lots of lifeguards keeping an eagle eye on the water. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are plenty of bathrooms along with one just for families, and that they all were very clean.
Zero Depth Entry for the little ones
For the very young they have a zero depth entry pool, for those who are older there are some small slides and activities. If your children are 48″ or taller there are 3 different slides that are lots of fun to ride. Luckily my daughter has just surpassed the 4 foot mark so she rode the big slides to her hearts content. My favorite part is the lazy river, where we hopped on an inner tube and took a relaxing journey around the park. For you adults that may want to work on your tan, there are plenty of grassy areas to lay down and soak up the suns rays.
3 different slides for kiddos 48" or taller
What impressed most about Buccaneer Bay is that the pricing seemed more than fair. At some of the admittedly larger water parks there is a $15 parking fee, here they have FREE parking that is also close to the entrance. Admission is $17.95 or just $12.95 for those who are under 48″. I was also happy to find out that the snack bar was reasonably priced. As an example, a combo platter of a freshly cooked burger, chips and a soda was 8.95 and a kids combo of chicken nuggets with fruit cup and juice was 5.95. While we are on the subject of good deals, they are offering summer passes for $49 if you purchase before May 31. We bought passes for the three of us in our family and I am glad that we did.
Plenty of lifeguards on duty
For more info and hours of operation go to www.splashlamirada.com/buccaneer-bay Or call 562 902-3191
A few helpful hits
* bring towels, sunscreen, hats and bottled water
* There are plenty of chairs available but not as much shade as I would have liked, so if you can find a chair under one of the umbrellas, claim it right away.
* sandals or flip flops are a good idea to bring as the concrete will be hot during the summer months.
From Tourist to Tour Guide with Apartment Guide: Discovering SoCal!
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Having fun at the SD Botanic Gardens
Last week I shared about my partnership with Apartment Guide and going from Tourist to Tour guide thanks in part to their helpful suggestions found in the Apartment Guide Blog. We decided to head a little south and had a great time taking PCH from Newport Beach to Encinitas. We had to hop on the freeway through Camp Pendleton but hopped right back off in Oceanside. It was such a blast! We stopped off at Ruby’s Shake Shack and watched the sun go down and also spent a beautiful afternoon exploring the San Diego Botanic Gardens! I’ll be posting an in depth look at the visit later on next week. I just have to say it was an incredible day!
The Apartment Guide Blog has great articles encouraging you to explore your city, like this one, with the best model railroads in the nation including San Diego’s own Model Railroad Museum. If you are also looking for a new neighborhood or looking to move, Apartment Guide has the photos, floor plans, features and tips to help you find the perfect place! You can “Like” Apartment Guide on Facebook, follow them on Twitter @AptGuide and “circle” them on Google+for real-time tips and updates on exploring your city and neighborhood.
We had a great time playing tourist guide in our neck of the woods and I hope I’ve encouraged you to do too!
Disclosure Statement:
Apartment Guide and owner Consumer Source, Inc. partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in their monthly blogger programs. As part of that program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used, and believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The winner of this giveaway will be randomly chosen and gift card fulfillment will be handled by a third party.
Wordless Wednesday: A Perfect Southern California Sunset
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Credit: Daytrippingmom
We had such a fantastic time this Memorial Day Weekend. On Saturday, my hubby, kids and myself jumped in the car and headed out to Crystal Cove to catch the sunset from the Shake Shack. It was spectacular. We sat in awe with a shake in hand admiring the beautiful scenery. We are so lucky to be surrounded by such beauty!
For more Wordless Wednesday fun head over to Angry Julie Monday.
I would love to feature your photos of your outings on Wordless Wednesday. If you have any that you would like to share, please send them to mom@daytrippingmom.com
The Sargento Thin to Win Challenge: Unwinding with Music
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Image: Columbia Pictures
I love a good challenge and when I was asked to participate in the Sargento “Thin to Win” Challange, I jumped at the chance. The “Thin to Win” Challenge by Sargento is challenging Americans for 45 days to “thin out” and simplify our lives. Whether it be thinning out or meals or thinning out or closets Sargento is challenging us to “eliminate things that don’t really matter without sacrificing things that we do”. The “Thin to Win” Challenge is running from May 4th until June 18th.
My challenge was using music to help unwind on my commute and travel. I do carpool with the kids and usually drive my daughter to her almost daily dance classes. I decided to cut out the talk radio and listen to the most relaxing music in my itunes library, The Eat, Pray, Love Soundtrack. I love the book, the movie and the soundtrack has become one of my absolute favorites. I love almost every song and the music is so relaxing. I have turned it on for the past month the moment I get in the car and it almost instantly relaxes me. By the time I’ve dropped off my daughter I am cool as a cucumber!
So tell me what is your favorite song or music that helps you unwind? I would love to know! You can also share on the Sargento Facebook place and enter to win daily prizes.
Disclosure: This is part of a compensated campaign with Sargento Foods Inc and The Motherhood. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Home Depot Saturday Morning Free Kids Workshops
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No project would be complete without pink paint as far as my daughter is concerned. Credit: Robert O'Connor
Our Dad Blogger Robert shares all about the Home Depot Saturday Morning Workshops. They are free and look like a blast for the kiddos!
Pack up the kids and head over to your local southern California Home Depot this Saturday from 9am to 12 noon to participate in their FREE Kids Workshop. Each child is given a kit to assemble (mom or dad are welcome to help). The project this month is a desktop organizer which may be a nice item to make for Fathers Day which is only weeks away. Home Depot will supply everything that your child may need to build the project at their location including a hammer, nails, glue and even paint so that your child can customize their creation.
Ava applying a coat of paint. Credit: Robert O'Connor
My daughter looks forward to the first Saturday of every month, because she knows thats when they have the Home Depot Kids Workshop. I look forward to it because it not only makes my daughter happy, but it gives her a sense of accomplishment to see what she has assembled.
Each child who attends will receive for free their own Home Depot apron, a commemorative pin, and a certificate of achievement which is suitable for framing. Perhaps the most valuable thing that will be given is a sense of pride in what they have created with their own hands.
Ava making her daddy proud. Credit: Robert O'Connor
Helpful hints
*the project is intended for children from 5 to 12 years of age but I have seem younger kids still have fun, but requiring help from mom or dad.
*held the first Saturday of every month from 9 to noon
* expect to have your child spend about 15 minutes assembling and painting their project.
*its a good idea to wear old clothes if possible as there is paint involved.
For more info head here.
Free Movies on the Beach at Newport Dunes this Summer!
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Credit: Newport Dunes
I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! We had a great time relaxing and even managed to make it down to Encinitas to check out the SD Botanic Garden. Can’t wait to share about our adventures later on this week. I first wanted to start out the beginning of this week by sharing about this upcoming weekend and actually about an event that takes place every weekend during the summer.
Newport Dunes hosts a free movie on the beach every Friday and Saturday evening for the entire family. Movies start at sunset and you are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and jackets. Movies start at sunset and there are concessions available for purchase. The movie nights are free but parking is $10. It’s still a super fun evening for the entire family. For additional information and to see the schedule head here.
Kids Bowl Free
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Memorial Weekend is upon us and for me that means the unofficial start of summer. The long days will soon be here along with our kiddos looking for some fun things to do. Kidw Bowl Free is one of my favorite programs for summer. Bowling Centers, Schools and Communities work together to set up this fun and Free programs for families.
Each kiddo that registers receives 2 free games of bowling every day all summer long. All you have to do is register each one of your kids. Families can get two free games for up to six children per day, or you could do a family pack for the whole summer for $24.95. Family packs allow up to four adults to enjoy bowling all summer long. My friends and I have signed up our kiddos and I got a family pack. I can’t wait to have fun with the kiddos this summer!
To register and to learn more about this fun program head here. For a list of local participating bowling centers head here.
Celebrate National Shoe Week at the Brea Mall
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Clone Wars Shoe that my son is crazy about!
Did you know that this week is National Shoe Week? That’s right, an entire week devoted to Shoes and my family couldn’t be happier. We headed over to celebrate National Shoe Week at the Brea Mall, by making a stop at our favorite children’s shoe store, Stride Rite.
I had planned on buying the kids just a pair, and buy myself a pair too, but after one stop Stride Rite, we wound up buying two pairs and mom never got around to buying shoes (isn’t that the way it usually goes?). My kiddos fell in love with two pairs of shoes and that was the end of it. My son fell in love with the Clone Wars light up shoes. He tried them on at the store and although I wanted to buy him water shoes, he really fell in love with the Clone War shoes and he wound up wearing them out.
Hello Kitty Fans Will Approve!
My daughter fell in love with these Hello Kitty canvas shoes and well the rest in history. She also wore her pair out. We also bought water shoes for each of them for our upcoming trips to the beach and the pool.
There are plenty of shoe stores at the Brea Mall but we are creatures of habit and only made it to the first store we tried out. I think that’s the hazard we face when we have the little ones in tow. Memorial Weekend is coming up and so will the sales. Have fun shopping and hopefully you will make it to more than one store!
Disclosure: This is not a compensated post. A Gift card from Simon Malls was provided to aid in the review. However, all opinions are my own.
Update:Giveaway is now closed. The winner is Amy Delong. Congrats Amy and thank you all for entering!
I love being a tourist in my own town. It’s what encouraged me to start this blog. I’m setting out to explore Socal this weekend thanks in part to Apartment Guide. I’ve partnered up with them and will be setting out on some fun adventures this weekend throughout So Cal. I’m planning on hitting the Aquarium of the Pacific(we haven’t been in a while), Sea World, and a few other smaller outing. We are ready for a jam packed weekend filled with adventure in our local area.
If you are looking to move to a new city /area or getting to know your city/area, Apartment Guide has tips and articles about exploring a new city and making a space your own on the Apartment Guide blog and Moving Today. I’m taking these tips and putting them to good use! You can “Like” Apartment Guide on Facebook, follow them on Twitter @AptGuideand “circle” them on Google+for real-time tips and updates on exploring your city and neighborhood.
It’s Giveaway Time!
Apartment Guide wants you to also put these ideas to good use and they’ve given me an $50 American Express card to become an expert in your own area. All you have to do is let me know what area you would like to discover. For an extra entry follow @AptGuide on Twitter.
Giveaway ends on May 28th at 11:59pm. Good luck!
Disclosure Statement:
Apartment Guide and owner Consumer Source, Inc. partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in their monthly blogger programs. As part of that program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used, and believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The winner of this giveaway will be randomly chosen and gift card fulfillment will be handled by a third party.
Knott’s Soak City
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Credit: Katie Walsh
Summer is almost here and this past Sunday was opening day at Knott’s Soak City. Our contributor Katie had the opportunity to spend opening day at Knott’s Soak City and shares all about it.
I am so ready for Summer this year. I have been counting down the last weeks of the kids’ school and making plans for Summer fun, but I’m finding it hard to wait! Luckily, this past weekend we were able to have a Summer sneak peek by spending a day at Knott’s Soak City.
Credit: Katie Walsh
This was the first trip to a water park for my five and two year old kids, and I was a little worried that there wouldn’t be enough “little-kid” activities. Boy was I wrong. The first place we hit when we arrived was Gremmie Lagoon, a water play area specifically for the littlest family members. The large submarine that spouts water, the octopus slides, and the fact that the water is never deeper than about a foot and a half quickly made this area a favorite for my kids.
Credit: Katie Walsh
I also appreciated the large number of life guards that were constantly supervising the area. My two year old was happy spending the whole day at the lagoon, but after a while my five year old was ready to explore a bit more. Together, we had a blast trying out the Sunset River, Tidal Wave Bay and Toyota Beach House. When it was time to leave, my husband mentioned that this was a family outing that really had something for everyone to enjoy, and we are already planning our next trip.
Credit: Katie Walsh
A few tips that we discovered during our visit:
First, arrive early. We arrived when the park opened and were able to enjoy most of the attractions without fighting crowds.
Also, grab a spot under one of the canopies as soon as you get inside…the covered chairs go early. For more tips and information, visit http://www.soakcityoc.com.
