Tag Archives: sand

5 Fun Kid Stops in San Diego

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Right before school kicked in, we took a trip south to visit San Diego. In 4 days and 3 nights we found some great spots to hang out with the kiddos, that were fun for the whole family!

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1. Seaport Village – Take a nice walk along the San Diego Bay and take in the beautiful views as you make your way along Harbor Drive to Seaport Village. We began our walk with brunch in the Gaslamp district before walking around Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres), then toward the water and up to Seaport Village’s cute strip of shops and restaurants, centered around a gazebo where we ran into some live music and fun vibes. Keep walking north of Seaport Village and you’ll run into the USS Midway Museum at Navy Pier.

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2. Sea World San Diego – It’s the perfect combination of sea life and thrill rides. The boys enjoyed several up close encounters with the animals, and also got their fix of amusement park rides. We went to the park on a Monday and while it was busier than we expected, wait times were easy and we covered the entire park and took in the dolphin show too.

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3. Coronado Beach – Out of all my visits to San Diego over the years, one place I had yet to visit was Coronado Island, so I decided to make the short trek across the bridge to check out Coronado Beach. The sand is powdery fine and soft, it’s littered with gorgeous gold flecks. There’s a huge beach area before you get to the water and there’s plenty of room to play. My children got a kick out of searching for seashells in the sand and the occasional navy air craft that would pass overhead.

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4. Mission Valley – We stayed in the Mission Valley area where there are many options for accommodations. The location is central to so many places and was very convenient to downtown and the Gaslamp district, Mission Bay, Balboa Park and Old Town. There are many of the familiar strip mall stores and restaurants, and an open air shopping mall to hang out at too. The boys couldn’t resist taking their turn at the lifesize chess board at the mall.

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5. Mission Bay – Our last stop on this San Diego visit was to Mission Bay. We rented a surrey to check out the sights and rode it along the Bay. All that pedaling worked up our appetites, so we walked toward Mission Beach where we enjoyed yummy burgers at Coaster Bar & Grill. The grill is located right off Mission Beach and across from Belmont Park. Belmont Park has a fair number of amusement rides and fair food, plus a fun arcade for the kids to burn off some energy.

 

Fun SoCal Stops with Kids

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On our recent trip to SoCal (we live in NorCal), the main focus of our trip was Anaheim aka Disneyland! There’s may ways to enjoy Orange County and while a trip to the Disneyland Resort and theme parks can easily fill more than a few days, there is more to do and see in the area. A couple of my good girlfriends live in the area and since we were there… we visited with them, and they also provided the ideas on a couple of family-friendly fun spots the kids were sure to enjoy.

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First up the Irvine Spectrum Center. Located in Irvine, this is essentially an outdoor shopping mall…BUT it has so much more. Beyond the shops, there’s an awesome (free) outdoor play area resembling a pirate ship.

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There’s also a Carousel, Giant Wheel and Kiddie Train. You have to purchase tickets to enjoy these attractions, we chose to test out the carousel.

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And — when it comes to food choices. There are several restaurants at the center, from fast, food-court style options to casual sit down and more sophisticated dining too. We ended up at Red Robin, hence the balloons! I spied more than few sweet/dessert spots too.

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My friends both commented how it’s a nice place to hang out in the summer when the days are hot and the nights stay warm. There’s lots of room for the kids to roam and open grass areas too.

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What visit to Southern California would be complete without a trek to the beach! Being there at the end of February, you never know if it’ll be warm enough to go, but since we had rockin’ weather, we decided to bust out the swimwear and hit the coast. My friend recommended Corona del Mar Beach at Inspiration Point, which is in the Newport Beach area.

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It was a beautiful stretch of sand, and the waves were perfect for our toddlers. Since technically it was still winter, there wasn’t much of a crowd and we had lots of room to play. The water was cold, but you know kids, they don’t care! So they got their feet wet, jumped some waves and played around. Good thing Dad was game to go in… I got to sit in the sand and just watch.

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There is a parking lot adjacent to the beach, but we just parked along Ocean Blvd. It is a residential street, but we found free parking no problem. We also got in some good exercise because it’s a very long steep staircase down from the street down to the beach and then the climb back up too.

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Overall, so glad we got the chance to explore off the Disneyland strip and enjoy more of what SoCal has to offer.

Gear Up for the Beach “Baby”

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Summertime and trips to the beach with the kiddos can certainly make for the perfect family outing… And packing and having the right gear once you hit the sand can make the day that much more FUN! Our favorite time to go to the beach is first thing in the morning. Once we get up and eat breakfast, dress and get ready, we load up the car and head out. Of course this takes some pre-planning, but heading out early (in my house) is key. First, the kids are fresh and ready for the day (less likely to meltdown). Second, it’s so much easier to find parking…and subsequently a spot on the beach. Smaller crowds always equal less headaches. I love the morning sun and the “fresh” sand. Third, you make the most of your day. Whether you do a full day at the beach or just start it there, a jump start always makes a better day for us.

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When thinking about the setup and what essentials to pack…you definitely need more “stuff” when you’ve got the kids…but sometimes you try to minimize what you’re hauling onto the beach because it can be a trek from where you started (parking) to where you end up, and it’s not exactly convenient to roll stuff on the sand (i.e strollers, carts, etc…). So, this is what works for me. I use an old flat or fitted bed sheet to lay on the sand to mark our spot. Fitted actually works well because you can fill the elastic sides with sand to hold it down! 😉 Sheets are lighter and less bulky than towels and this way your towels aren’t covered with sand when you actually want to use them to dry off!

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I also invested in a “Lil Nursery” tent. It’s small and lightweight and offer shade for a small child if they want to nap or get away from the direct sun. The set up on this one is pretty easy and while my kids have yet to actually nap, it also sort of is a good place to keep our personal belongings that we don’t want out in the open. And it’s perfect to use for diaper changes….BONUS! You can also find great family tent options here.

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Okay now, the plastic ring pool is SO key! I won’t claim this idea as my own (I got it from a fellow Mom), but it’s perfect when you have a non-walker who can just chill in there and enjoy the beach with everyone else and you can set it up right at your feet. I picked up the inflatable pool at the drugstore and it was cheap, like $5, and worth every penny. I bring along a small hand pump, inflate it, add some ocean water and voila, fun and easy way to keep them cool while you lay out and catch some sun.

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With the tots you can’t forget the beach toys. Depending how much you want to bring a bucket and a shovel are usually enough. Although we tend to bring multiple items with rakes, molds and other various beach toys. The huge blue bag we got from IKEA (the cheap one they sell at checkout), works so excellent to pack the toys, tent and towels in.

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And finally – I can’t forget the cooler. There are a variety of coolers available, we have a medium size one that rolls, but also a more portable over the shoulder insulated bag that works well too. It’s always a good idea to keep milk, water and any fruits “refrigerated.” Other items for a day of fun in the sun…sunblock, swim diapers, wipes, tissue and music!

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I don’t do beach chairs or lug along extra umbrellas as of now…maybe when my guys get a little bigger and can be a bit more help to transport the items onto the sand. But this is what works for me! I hope these suggestions can work for you too.

 

Mermaid Birthday Party

A post written for 53 Weeks by Arlyn M.

My little girl was turning three and now well aware of what was entailed at birthday parties (as we didn’t have a big soiree for her second birthday). The deciding factor on what theme we would go with was the venue. Naomi was in love with the beach and wanted to go every day. It was only appropriate that it would be an option for her party. Ah, the perks of a having a summer baby. Once that was decided, naturally we went with a Little Mermaid theme. It was a toss up between her and Snow White.So, my go to inspiration boards, Pinterest and Etsy! Search “mermaid birthday” and voila! I decided not to go the Disney Little Mermaid route and instead found so many other cute Mermaid theme alternatives.
The invitation I found at Etsy Shop, Your Invites. The graphic designer had a whole “Mermaid” bundled package which included everything from cupcake toppers, water bottle wraps, birthday banner, favor tags and thank you cards. It couldn’t be more perfect (especially for a mother of two high energy little girls)! It was basically a one-stop-shop. I ordered the personalized package and after a few proof emails back and forth, I had the finished PDF product in just a couple days. Now time to print on the card stock paper (photo paper works fabulous as well) and assemble. I also requested for a JPEG file of the invitation only so I could just email it out to our guests. It saves paper and postage and is super easy. Invitation, birthday banner and decoration, CHECK.imageedit_4_9552835203To add to the party décor, I had to make one of those fabric garlands to hang somewhere. I hung the garland on the beach and used it to designate an area for the kids to hang out and play with the sand toys we put out as party favors. The assorted sand toys were already bundled (from our neighborhood Target). I simply took some twine and tied on the favor tags.

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Now for the cake. Since we were having it at the beach, I wanted to find a local bakery. My Cupcake Corner was literally just around the corner from our beach location. They had raving reviews on Yelp plus they deliver! Kelly, the owner was so helpful in helping us choose the cupcake flavors and design ideas. I decided to just use cupcake toppers to decorate but Kelly wanted to incorporate the theme on some of the cupcakes. She did an aqua colored frosting to look like the ocean and then sprinkled burnt coconut shreds to look like the sandy beach.

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The mermaid party wouldn’t be complete without the birthday girl dressed as the part. I found my daughter’s dress on Etsy, Once Upon A Time Tutus. An Ariel-inspired tutu dress. It also helped to have a creative and crafty girlfriend. We topped off the dress with a gorgeous handmade starfish hairpiece (thanks Auntie Roselle). It was a bejeweled starfish set on a feathered piece accented with faux pearls and sequins detail.

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We kept the party small and simple.  Thanks to some easy ideas I was able to sit back and watch my daughter enjoy her big day.  I felt the details were just enough to keep my little mermaid entertained and impressed. More importantly, she had a blast and enjoyed having our dear family and friends gathered at her favorite place to celebrate.