Credit: NASA/JPL

Since we are on the subject of science this is one event you won’t want to miss, it only happens once a year so mark those calendars. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will be hosting their annual open house on June on Saturday, June 9th & Sunday, June 10th from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This year’s open house  theme is “Great Journeys”. The public will be invited to learn about NASA’s work through high-definition and 3-D videos, live demonstrations, interactions with scientists and engineers, and a first look at JPL’s new Earth Science Center.

It is an incredible event and like I said it only happens one year and you don’t want to miss it.

JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena, off the 210 (Foothill) Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit. Parking is available near the Oak Grove main gate and the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible from Windsor Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway.

For additional info head here.

Coctel de Camaron Estilo California

I’m prepping for a very exciting weekend. I decided to go back to school a few years back and will be finishing my second degree this Saturday from Cal State Fullerton. I am super excited and am planning for a little get together with my family on Saturday afternoon. I grew up eating the most amazing Mexican Food from my mother and it is always a part of our gatherings. You can’t really mention Mexican Food without thinking of Avocados de Mexico. Haas avocados from  Mexico are a staple in our culture and food. They are incredibly tasty and did you know that they grow year round? Haas Avocados from Mexico are handpicked year round since they bloom four times a year.

Avocados from Mexico is hosting the Aguacate Lindo y Querido Recipe Contest”! All you need to do is create an original Mexican-inspired recipe using rich and creamy Avocados from Mexico, take a few shots, name your dish, and enter your recipe using the form here. Your recipe could win $500 and a trip to Houston in September for private cooking classes with Mexico’s renowned Celebrity Chef Aquiles Chavez.

I decided two kill two birds with one stone. I decided to put my own spin on a Shrimp Cocktail and created a dish called Coctel de Camerones estilo Camerones. A spicy and tasty Mexican Shrimp cocktail.

The ingredients

To make this spicy dish that works great as an appetizer you will need

• 1 to 2 pounds cooked shrimp
• 1 32 oz bottle of clamato juice
• 1 16 oz bottle of ketchup
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 3 stalks of celery
• 3 Haas Avocados from Mexico
• 2 fresh Jalapenos
• 1 small onion
• 3 lemons

Use a Large side bowl and add the cooked shrimp to bowl. Set aside. Chop tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, onions, celery and avocados into very fine pieces and add to the bowl. Mix well. Now add ketchup and clamato juice. Mix well. Squeeze lemons and mix well again. Serve chilled with Tortilla chips, tostadas or saltines. It’s perfect as an appetizer or as a main dish.  I promise it’s refreshing, easy to prepare and you are going to love it!

This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Avocados From Mexico. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Have a kiddo that is a bit of a mad scientist? Have a future rocket scientist in the works? If you do or if you want to expose your family to some fun, you have to check out Discovery Science Center’s Rocket Launch taking place this Saturday, May 19th from 9am to 2pm at the Boeing Company in Huntington Beach.

This family friendly event includes various hands on activities for the family including making your own rocket from a 2 liter soda bottle  and launching it, all you have to do is bring your own bottle. Some of the highlights of the event include:

Two Saturdays ago I had the opportunity to attend the What to Expect When You’re Expecting press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Before I even became pregnant with my first born, I bought the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting. It was my go to pregnancy guide and I think I read it from cover to cover a at least twice while I was pregnant. When I heard that they were making a film about the movie, I tried hard to visualize what this film would look like. I kept thinking how are they going to make it work? Well I watched it and let me just say if you have ever been pregnant, adopted or been around someone who has, you will definitely love this film. It’s funny, touching and fun to watch. I’ll share my review with you later this week but I wanted to share about what we learned about making of the film.

We were able to listen to the majority of the cast, the men and the women, share about their experience filming the flick. One thing we learned is that the movie was filmed in 10 day sessions and most of the film’s stars didn’t get to meet until the day of the conference. There are a few story lines and it makes perfect sense once you watch the film.  We were able to listen to Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Wendy Mclendon-Covey and also the Author of the Book, Heidi Murkoff(who I had the chance to meet and is an absolute sweetheart!).

The ladies were asked to share about their experience filming and how they could relate to the movie/motherhood. It was refreshing to hear the women, especially Jennifer Lopez share about bloating and what it was like the first few days after coming home from the hospital. There was nothing held back during the interview and the women shared all about their experiences from Elizabeth Banks, who just recently became a mom by surrogacy, and how she sometimes wants to “eat her baby to pieces”, Who hasn’t felt that way sometimes with our little ones, to Jennifer Lopez sharing how she balances it all. It was a great opportunity to learn about the film and also about these women as mothers.

The film is great and I can’t wait to share what I think of it later on this week. The film opens on Friday, May 18th. You won’t want to miss it!

Considering a visit to a location you’ve never been before? Wondering how safe you’ll be if you’re working late in an unfamiliar part of town? Thinking of a move for your family? If any of these scenarios are in your future, you may want to explore crime statistics before you act, and enhance your personal safety. Learning about crime rates will help you make an informed decision about areas to avoid, and areas that you need to be more careful in when visiting. You can analyze the benefits and risks of taking public transportation, and parking safety.

There are several easy ways to obtain information on crime statistics in areas you’re not familiar with. As with many information searches today, start with the Internet. On line you can compare a variety of differing data sources and quickly achieve a thorough look at crime rates in the area you are planning to visit, work, or move.

Crime background can be discovered by reading local newspapers as well as magazines and on line blogs that report crimes. Some publications will also publish police stats that will provide an immediate look at crimes that have happened recently as well as the history of crime in specific areas and what risks have been resolved or have not been resolved.

Another good place to look for information is through crime mapping sites, like SpotCrime.com. This site reveals recent crimes, placing them on Google maps, and offering savvy researchers a clear and easy, complete source of crime information. While not associated with law enforcement agencies, SpotCrime provides a strong overview of areas visitors may want to avoid.

Of course, local law enforcement resources are also available on line. You can search for local police department web sites world-wide. These sites utilize law enforcement’s own data to compile, analyze and map crime information. In the U.S. you can find this information on line and in depth, for free.

More in depth research on line can take you to nonprofit victim assistance organizations, that will field information on safety as well as crime stats that remain unreported to police.

Visitors will also find excellent sites such as corporatetravelsafety.com, which updates news reports and individual travel accounts about world-wide problem areas. Robberies, areas to avoid, hotel safety and the like will all be reported on this site.

In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports features data compiled from thousands of U.S. law enforcement agencies who contribute their data to the FBI. You can use this site to compare and classify crimes in a variety of different locations. This site is a virtual one stop shop for up to date information that’s verifiable and easy to analyze.

Other on line resources includes CrimeMapping.com and CrimeReports.com. These sites present information about U.S. locations with round the clock updates from local law enforcement agencies. Actual mapping of crime locations can prove very useful when planning a visit to a specific location.

Outside the U.S., check travel.state.gov/travel, for a look at international hot spots and crime activity.  Here you can search for statistics worldwide as well as looking for safety tips by country or region. Prudent travelers will take the time to research crime statistics, and learn more about their destination. Making informed decisions based on simply obtained safety information should be the first step in making travel plans.

In short, no matter where you’re planning to visit, travel, or move, the Internet is the place to turn for data, crime mapping, and research before you go.

Madison Parker is a home security expert whose passion for helping families develop better personal security standards has led to the creation of her blog – Pay a visit to her blog here!

Disclosure: This a sponsored guest post

Credit: Bridgette White

If you and the family are looking for something fun to do this weekend,  the Aquarium of the Pacific will host its 3rd annual Urban Ocean Festival on Saturday and Sunday, May 5 and 6th.  The festival will feature art exhibitions, an eco inspired fashion show boat cruises, games, sustainable seafood cooking demos, live music and other ocean inspired activities. Our contributor Bridgette had the opportunity to hop aboard a boat cruises last week for a sneak peek at what the Urban Ocean Festival is all about.  Here is what she has to share.

I had the opportunity last week to learn all about the Urban Ocean Festival. I boarded a harbor cruise hosted by the Aquarium of the Pacific. The 2 hours harbor cruise was a great learning experience.  Marine biologists from the Aquarium of the Pacific narrated our cruise and shared their knowledge about our local sealife. I learned about our local waters and also learned all about the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of  Long Beach.  Did you know that these two ports combined are the 5th busiest in the world?  Over 90% of cargo travels by ship worldwide and shipping cargo by sea has the smallest ecological footprint than any mode of transportation.  Who knew?

Credit: Bridgette White

I was also treated to an Eco Fashion show or Trashin Fashion.  I got a sneak peek at some the wonderful designs featured this weekend that will be made with all recycled materials.  You’re going to love it!

We were  also treated to a cooking demo, sponsored by Seafood for the Future partnered with Sip Lounge, Fish Watch and National Marine Fisheries. It was wonderful. We learned all about sustainable seafood and how eating certain fish can help our ocean and eco systems survive.  To see a list of sustainable seafood and eateries that serve it, visit www.seafoodforthefuture.com.

The festival is a great way to bring awareness to the public about our ocean and how can help take care of it.  The Aquarium of the Pacific is dedicated to instilling a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants and ecosystems.

Credit: Bridgette White

If you want to learn more about the Aquarium of the Pacific and the 3rd Annual Urban Ocean Festival, head here. Admission to the festival is included with general admission. Members get in for free.  This will be a fun filled weekend for the entire family to enjoy!