Tag Archives: park

Dub Nation Birthday Celebration

July 17, 2018 Aubrey Leave a comment

This year my boys turned 5 and 6…and for the past year they have been ALL about basketball, specifically our hometown Golden State Warriors who just happened to prevail as back to back champions in June. So, their birthday party these was a no brainer…a Dub Nation Birthday Celebration! My boys have been spoiled when it comes to (NBA) basketball. Not only did both of their births coincide with NBA Championships (in Miami), but in both of their lifetime’s, they have only known living in places with NBA Champions! We are clearly a basketball family, so this year I got the wheels turning to play up a blue and gold theme fit for my basketball kings! I made a custom “ticket” invitation via Paperless Post to announce the event, you can see those details here.

I created a dessert table using a backdrop of alternating blue and gold streamers, and I stuck a warriors sign from Party City in the middle. I covered the table with a coordinating yellow table cover and added Warriors logo plates and napkins. We already had a couple Warriors basketballs, so I propped them up on clear glass cylinders stuffed with matching tissue paper. I got the Warriors themed sheet cake from Safeway and ordered blue and yellow frosted cupcakes. I topped the cupcakes with their age (5 & 6) numbers, along with team logos, that I sized and printed out myself, then glued onto toothpicks. I found mini blue popcorn boxes which I filled with Boom Chicka Pop Kettle Corn, and filled the small candy jars with basketball wrapped butter mints.

The other desserts I added were rice krispy treats and chocolate dipped marshmallows, both made by me and both decorated with blue and yellow cake sprinkles. I also had a tray of (Costco) chocolate chip cookies, because cookies make everyone smile!

Over the years we’ve collected and saved various Warriors signs, so I thought, why no string them up and use them for decorations. That was really easy since we had several signs. I just punched holes in the corners and used twine to string them up.

Since it was an outdoor party at the park, I just made a couple centerpieces (you never know how the wind will factor in). I took a couple metal pails and filled with rocks for weight – found these at Dollar Tree. I then placed (free) foam fingers and clap sticks we’ve gotten from games, added tissue paper and stuck a “5” and “6” balloon to finish the look.

We played with water balloons….

Destroyed a basketball pinata, which I personalized with a Warriors logo print out…

You know it was a GREAT party when there was lots of laughter and smiles all around!

I also found the perfect thank you gift to give our guests, a Dubble Bubble “Slam Dunk” dispenser and I custom created a thank you tag to stick on them.

Thanks to all our friends and family who celebrated our boys with us and made it a very memorable occasion!

Mommy 101

Summer Stop: Chicago with Kids

June 30, 2017 Aubrey Leave a comment

We jump started our summer with a trip to Chicago after school let out. And, what I love about the Windy City is that there’s so much to do and see for all ages, and one place I always make it a point to visit is Millenium Park!

Turns out there’s a new addition adjacent to the park since our previous visit to Chi City and that’s Maggie Daley Park. It’s near the Lake Michigan Shoreline and is filled with awesome play structures for climbing, sliding, jumping, running, etc… It’s pretty massive and there are several areas for imaginative play! My boys loved the castle/tower structures, and my advice for parents is to keep your eyes peeled, because as big and exciting as it is…you could easily lose sight of your child. However, if you’ve got your runnign shoes on, the play structures can accommodate grown-up sizes too!

A couple of the other fun areas for more boys were the ship and the lighthouse! Where were these kinds of playgrounds when I was a kid!?

Okay, so back to “The Bean.” I don’t know what it is about this piece of art, but people love it, it’s a total photo opp and so we stopped for a snap there too. The boys really got a kick out of looking at their reflections in its metallic shell .

Exploring both of the parks an certainly be a day long outing or even two days… There’s plenty to play see and do. I love looking at the tall skyscrapers in the backdrop, or Lake Michigan to the east. And — for lunch, it’s an easy walk into downtown for some food and shopping too!

A post shared by Aubrey Aquino (@fifty3weeks) on Jun 10, 2017 at 9:35am PDT

And — while Buckingham Fountain is a sight to see at any time of day, if you can, cruise by at night when it’s lit up in different colors to a musical soundtrack!

Mommy 101

Steam Train at Tilden Park

May 15, 2017 Aubrey Leave a comment

On a Sunday afternoon whim, I decided to venture out with my boys the short distance from where we live to Tilden Park. Isaiah had been asking me for the past several weeks to go on a train ride, and while he would’ve settled for a BART outing, I wanted something a little more fit for my little man! I had heard about the steam train rides through the park, we had visited the adjacent Little Farm last year, and on this day, we finally made the trek out to Tilden. And, before you go, always be sure to check the steam train website aka Redwood Valley Railway.

The single ride tickets were just $3 each, so it wasn’t going to break the bank and it’s super safe, even for the little ones, so that made it more enjoyable for me. The ride was about 15 minutes through the tall trees of the park, there were some fun turns and a couple passes through the tunnel too which were perfect because Isaiah was wearing his glow in the dark shirt, so he got a kick out of seeing it “light up” when it got dark in the tunnel.

Anyhow, we must’ve timed it just right because after out steam train ride, we walked down to where they had the Golden Gate Miniature Railroad and we hopped on one of the last trips of the day! This was a no cost ride, but they happily accept donations. I believe it is run by retired train enthusiasts who are all too happy to share their hobby with the public.

Since our two train rides didn’t take up much time, we decided to venture over to the Merry-Go-Round. This is not something you can walk to, it’s a little more than a mile away from where the trains are…so we got back in the car and made our way over. It’s an old-school antique carousel with beautiful, carved wooden animals for the kids (and adults) to ride. They also have a snack bar there and seating where you can sit back and relax. Rides on the carousel are $2 a pop.

All in all, I’m so glad we made it an afternoon adventure at Tilden Park. We had a great time and it was the perfect place, activities and day to burn off some Sunday Funday energy.

Mommy 101

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

July 29, 2016 Aubrey Leave a comment

I have many memories of my visits to Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in my hometown San Jose, as a child, and while it has changed and been updated, it still has the same charm and excitement for a toddler. This is a great “Bay Area Summer Stop” for an outing with a toddler or small child. There is plenty of room to maneuver a stroller and you won’t be alone, lots of stroller parking around the park.

Happy Hollow has a nice combination of animals and rides. There’s a huge play structure and play area located inside the park too, which is a great way to take a break while the kids keep climbing, sliding and bouncing around.

My kids focused on the rides. The lines were short and I really appreciate that most of the attractions are perfect for toddler size, meaning they were able to ride most of them alone, without a “grown up.” There are a couple rides where they needed to be chaperoned – the roller coaster and Danny the Dragon, but other than that, I was mostly sitting back and watching them enjoy the rides and attractions.

If you’re taking a trip to Happy Hollow, plan on about 3 hours in the park. You do have to pay for parking, and you can also purchase tickets online ahead of time. Bring your own bottle(s) for water to, they have filling stations located in the park.

Mommy 101

Tilden Little Farm

June 18, 2016 Aubrey Leave a comment

A photo posted by Aubrey Aquino (@fifty3weeks) on May 28, 2016 at 6:36am PDT

Summer is here and now that my boys are on the verge of turning 3 and 4, they are mobile and have excessive amounts of energy, so getting out and about is a must! So, I’ll be posting about our different outings around the Bay Area and beyond, wherever our Summer 16 adventures take us!

First up is Little Farm at Tilden Park in Berkeley. I had heard about this spot in the Berkeley Hills where you could feed some of the farm animals and explore, and it’s just a short car ride from where we live, so we headed up to the farm on a Friday morning. I packed a lunch and some snacks, I wasn’t sure how much time we would need.

The farm is short walk up from a public parking area (no charge to park), and there are lots of shaded areas and picnic tables if you want to plan for a picnic. There is also a small playground adjacent to the parking lot.

I also brought celery so the boys could feed the animals. **Note – at Little Farm they ONLY allow you to feed the animals celery or lettuce.** I wasn’t sure how much to bring and I wish I had packed more, because our (animal) food stash went quick. I had only brought a handful of celery sticks…turns out between my two, we could’ve used a few celery stalks and a whole head of lettuce!

My boys really enjoyed holding out the celery to cows, goats and even the sheep! I loved that the farm is set up to be at their level. There weren’t any height issues while trying to see the animals or reach out to give them food.

There’s also a butterfly area, small creek and kid’s garden for children to explore too. There are clean bathrooms and hand washing stations and the atmosphere is very comfortable.

All in all we walked the property, explored and lingered to check out the scenery, ate lunch and played in the playground within a 2 hour time period. It’s just enough to get outside, enjoy the fresh air, but not tire them out too much…and there’s no cost! We will be back again!

Mommy 101

Snow Play at Spicer Sno Park

February 17, 2016 Aubrey 4 Comments

One of the great things about living in (Northern) California is having all kinds of “nature” at your doorstep. You can head to the coast for some beach time, or hit the hills and trails for a hike….there’s also the Sierra Nevada’s which provide for some awesome SNOW PLAY!!

Personally, I’m not much of a cold weather person. I’ve been fortunate to grow up and live in places where it really doesn’t ever snow, so that has worked out well for me. I have gone skiing and tried my hand at snowboarding, but at the end of the day, I’m gonna be okay if I never do either again.

However, because I believe in doing my best to expose my kids to new experiences and trying to cultivate family time activities, I made it a point for us to enjoy the “El Nino” snow, that’s just a short drive away. Last year my boys did get to see snow for the first time while we were living in Virginia, but I must say, snow in California is something special.

I did my due diligence in researching areas which weren’t far from home, didn’t have a big price tag and could provide us with a fun day of snow play! The big thing around the Bay Area is Lake Tahoe, but if you don’t aim so far north and think more direct east….you can avoid the Tahoe traffic, and find lots of areas to enjoy too!

In our case I chose the Spicer Sno Park – I have no idea why there is no “w,” but that’s how it’s listed. The California State Park system has 18 Sno-Parks to choose from in Northern California and the only cost is a $5 parking permit you can buy online or at designated locations on the way to your destination. Here’s a link to the map >> http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24867

Since we have toddlers and didn’t want to drive more than a few hours, we chose Spicer, off Highway 4. The play area has an ample parking lot and portable restroom on site. There was plenty of room to play, and you could take your pick of smaller hills, or steeper ones to slide down. We brought our own snow Saucers that I purchased at Big 5 before we left the Bay Area. And, everyone there pretty much knew the drill to bring their own sleds, toboggans or discs. Find more snow gear here.

All in all, it was a good day. We stayed for a couple ours to play and then went right back home. I also made/edited my first ever video mash up of the day, using iMovie on my iPhone! Press play below…

53 Weeks

Tag Archives: park

Dub Nation Birthday Celebration

Summer Stop: Chicago with Kids

Steam Train at Tilden Park

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

Tilden Little Farm

Snow Play at Spicer Sno Park

…and 2 babies later