Tag Archives: socal

Mommy 101

5 Fun Kid Stops in San Diego

Leave a comment

sd5

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!

sd

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.

sd1

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.

sd2 sd6

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.

sd3

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.

sd4

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.

 

Mommy 101

SoCal Stop: Knott’s Berry Farm

Leave a comment

kbf1
The kids and I trekked to Knott’s Barry Farm recently. We were in Orange County to visit some friends and while I wanted to take them to an amusement park, I didn’t want to take them to that park this time around. One reason, is it would be just me with the two boys and I preferred a lower key option. Second, I have fond memories of Knott’s Berry Farm from my own childhood. We would frequent this park during our family trips to LA since I had cousins who worked there!

kbf4

We went on a Sunday, and while there was a good size crowd, it wasn’t overrun or too crazy. We pretty much spent 98% of our day in Camp Snoopy…the children’s area. The boys got on every ride from the kiddie coaster to the kite flyer, the train and the huff and puff! Matter of fact, the only time we left our area was to ride the Stage Coach. Yes, a real stage coach ride with horses and all…we saved that for our last ‘ride’ of the day.

The cost of food was pretty much what I expected… On the menu they didn’t have a kid’s meal posted, but when I inquired, I was happy to find out they had one and it was a pretty good value. The kid meal even came in a very sturdy plastic Snoopy lunchbox…can we say souvenir! SCORE!!

kbf3

A highlight of the day was watching the live performance with Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the entire Peanuts gang. Since it wasn’t too crowded, my boys felt comfortable getting up and joining in the parade during the stage performance and following the show we took advantage of the character photo opportunity, which had my 3-year old grinning from ear to ear.

kbf5

Overall, it was a very nice, manageable outing…the kid’s got their fix on thrill rides and amusement park atmosphere and I managed to have fun too!

kbf2

 

Mommy 101

SoCal Stop: Dinosaurs in the Desert

3 Comments

dino2

Along I-10 in Southern California, you can find dinosaurs in the desert in between the palm trees. I heard about the spot in Cabazon from a friend when I mentioned I’d be driving from Ontario to Indio. I inquired if there were any good spots for kids and this “pit stop” was mentioned…

Okay, so when I say pit stop, that’s literally what it is…an exit with a gas station, a Burger King and dinosaurs. Coming from Ontario it was just one exit past the Desert Hills Outlets (where I’ve heard there’s great shopping) and the Morongo Casino.

dino1

If you ever watched Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and you can recall a dinosaur scene…this is them! And, these Cabazon Dinosaurs are a couple of giant concrete dinosaurs that stick out in the desert landscape.

It’s not a stop you need to make lots of time for…we literally snapped some photos from the Burger King parking lot. Although, my 2-year old kept asking me how we could get up there! Nonetheless, if you ever pass through the area, it’s worth it to stop and snap a pic or two with Dinny the Dinosaur, a larger-than-life-sized Brontosaurus and a 100-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex named Mr. Rex. I promise it’s kind of DINO-mite! 😉

Dinosaur selfie in #Cabazon #dinosaur #familytravel #raefthomas #isaiahjoaquin #funnyfaces

A photo posted by Aubrey Aquino (@fifty3weeks) on

BTW…my kids are only casual dinosaur fans, we went to the Discover the Dinosaurs exhibit a few months back…but the Cabazon Dinos definitely caught their attention and it’s FREE!!

Mommy 101

Our Favorite Rides at Disneyland

1 Comment

IMG_0446

On our family’s recent trip to SoCal, I was the only family member who had ever been to Disneyland before. It was a first for our two boys and  first for Daddy too! And — it was then a FIRST for us as a family, I mean it felt all new to me since the last time I went was many moons ago for grad night when I was a senior in high school! LOL!!

IMG_0434

I think we lucked out with weather and picking a good day to be in the park. We beat the Spring Break rush and temperatures were in the mid 70’s! I downloaded the Disneyland app before we got there so I could see how it worked and how it might help us when it comes to ride time (highly recommend doing this), but we didn’t really need to use it too much. Typically we had to wait 5-15 minutes for most rides, with our longest waits being about 30 minutes. Ride-wise we pretty much got to experience all of the ones our kids were qualified for…we skipped any big rides like Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Haunted House or Space Mountain, but had plenty of time to jump on the rest. The only one ride I wish we could’ve done was Peter Pan, but hey, save something for next time, right??

Thinking back, one of the things I can appreciate about the majority of the rides there that simply require the shorter set to be accompanied by an adult is that for the most part you get on the ride and it’s taking you through a maze of attractions telling a story, something we can all enjoy. I will say Alice and Wonderland and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey were a little dark (kinda scary) for the boys, and Roger Rabbit is way before their time, but everything else was lots of fun.

All that being said, these were each of our “first time” favorites.

IMG_0418

Raef loved the Astro Orbitor. It was the first ride we went on after enjoying our character breakfast at Plaza Inn, and at the end of the day he still proclaimed it as his favorite ride of the day. I think he liked being high in the sky and able to control going up and down!

IMG_0477

My favorite was the Mad Tea Party, you know teacups! I liked this one because we all got to sit in one teacup together and spin around and around…

IMG_0471

Isaiah’s favorite kept changing throughout the day with Dumbo the Flying Elephant being his most consistent pick, BUT for sure, his highlight was meeting Pluto in Toon Town. Toon Town was a lot of fun. We got to meet Mickey at his house, hang out with Goofy, ride a roller coaster and more. However, when Pluto showed up, it made Isaiah’s day!

IMG_0423

T (Dad) says he had no preference. I will say he beat us all at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters though… In this ride, you have these laser guns and there are targets along the ride route that you can aim for and earn points…well I only discovered that halfway through, so when I realized how to make my score go up the ride was already half done! HAHA! However, when we disembarked I say that T had amassed the most points, clearly he was in the competitive spirit of the ride.

IMG_0447 IMG_0445

Other favorites included It’s a Small World – Raef keeps re-watching a youtube video of the ride and singing its signature song. The carousel is always a big hit and the daytime Mickey’s Soundsational parade was also lots of fun. We didn’t do any of the Star Wars stuff this time around, but I know next time we visit, that will be a main attraction.

Mommy 101

Fun SoCal Stops with Kids

1 Comment

IMG_0340

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.

image1

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.

IMG_0335

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.

IMG_0352

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.

image2

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.

IMG_0380

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.

IMG_0365

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.

IMG_0371 IMG_0378

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.

IMG_0366

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

Mommy 101

3 Easy Tips for Disneyland First Timers

4 Comments

IMG_0453

My family is fresh off its first trip to Disneyland and there are so many thing I want to share about our experience, namely a few “insider” tips that I wanted to share. I say “insider,” because I learned the value of these tips after being on the inside. If you’re reading this post as you plan to take your kiddos for the first time, chances are you’re probably trying to sort out and absorb the overwhelming amount of info out can find about planning a trip to Disneyland. I did my fair share of pre-planning and felt pretty confident going in with my crash prep for the trip, I wrote about that here. Right now I want to give you a heads up about a few easy ways to make your trip a little more memorable.

1stvisit1. 1st Visit Button

First up, a FREE souvenir… Be sure to pick up a 1st Visit button! It was a cute giveaway that can be proudly worn to show off that it’s your very first time. I wouldn’t have even known about this, save for one of the park attendants, who asked if I had one for my kids. He gladly gave them to me, making us feel that much more welcome for their first visit! I saw some people wearing other like buttons and pins, so maybe it’s a “thing” and they have them for all sorts of stuff…keep your eyes open.

A photo posted by Aubrey Aquino (@fifty3weeks) on


2. Character Breakfast

If it’s your first trip to Disneyland (or Disney World), I would highly suggest making reservations for a character meal. We chose to do Breakfast with Minnie and Friends at the Plaza Inn on Main Street USA inside Disneyland. It was easy to get a reservation – I think I did mine a week ahead of time, and it’s so worth it! Note – you do need the admission ticket for Disneyland in addition to a reservation for the meal. I wasn’t sure how my boys would react to the characters in person and it was a great ice breaker.

IMG_0403 IMG_0393

This was our first activity of the day and we got into the park a little early, before it opened through a special entry marked for the character breakfast! It was a breakfast buffet with all the standard favorites. The food was good, but more than the food you are paying for the experience. The characters continuously made the rounds, each stopping at our table multiple times…taking photos, high fiving, interacting and signing the boys’ autograph books.

IMG_0391 IMG_0411

We met Rafiki, Tigger, Pooh Bear, Dale, Fairy Godmother, Max, Hook, Eeyore and of course Minnie Mouse!

minniebutton

**BONUS – Scoop up the FREE souvenir button, showing you went to the breakfast!

astroblasters

3. Ride Photos

Several of the rides at Disneyland snap your photo during your excursion and at the end of the experience you can view the picture and email it to yourself free of charge. Another great memory saved in a photo, at no extra charge. At first glance I thought it would be a photo they’d try to sell to me, so it was a pleasant surprise to realize it was complimentary. We got one snap from the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride.

Screen Shot 2016-03-05 at 2.42.02 PM

All in all, our visit was exceptional. Other than our tickets for entry and buying each of our kids a Disneyland hat, we made it out without breaking the bank. We brought a few snacks/munchies and my dollar store finds like the autograph books and neon, glow in the dark goodies for when the sun went down…and managed to steer clear of any over the top, unplanned purchases!

Screen Shot 2016-03-05 at 2.42.20 PM

Mommy 101

Planning for Disneyland

1 Comment

I don’t know who’s more excited, me or them!?!? My boys will get their first trip to Disneyland this week and I can’t hardly wait. I’ve done a lot of thinking, talking and (crash) planning to try and plan, prepare and execute a successful trip…and now the bags are getting packed and I think we’re just about ready to go!

Screen Shot 2016-02-24 at 9.54.57 AM

As this trip approaches, I really want to attempt to be laid back and flexible in this very first Disneyland family outing. Growing up in California, Disneyland was one of the trips I always looked forward to and just thinking about going back there – the last time I went was in the 90’s, and now taking my offspring, is super exciting!! We live about a 6 hour drive north on I-5, but we’re going to fly (2 toddlers + 6 hours in a car = no bueno), and first stop will be visiting with friends in SoCal, before eventually landing in Anaheim.

I’ve gotten some great tips from friends and family on simple ways to save money and/or the don’t miss opportunities for our visit! First off, my cousin told me to make reservations for a character breakfast. I’m so glad she reminded me of this, because it’ll be great to get my boys the one on one meet and greet with a few characters, that way we won’t have to hunt them down in the park!

IMG_0298

Along those same lines, she suggested I purchase and personalize an autograph book, so the boys can get those coveted signatures form all the Disney characters they encounter. I found this fun, hardcover Mickey and Friends journals at Dollar Tree, and I personalized them with stickers too.

IMG_0299

Also on my trip to the dollar store and dollar aisle in Target, I found all kinds of light sticks, bracelets and perfect glow in the dark “souvenirs,” that will conveniently pop up when the sun goes down and we wait for the electrical parade! I’m SURE this is going to save me more than a few dollars.

I also found some Mickey-themed tissue and Star Wars bracelets, plus I dug up Minnie and Mickey ears we took home from a Mickey Mouse party a while back! I purchased them Mickey Mouse shirts to wear for our outing (I got one each for me and their Daddy too), and I borrowed a City Mini double stroller because I’m sure at some point their little limbs will be tired.

All in all, I think we are good to. Other helpful tips I’ve been given include checking out the Anaheim Target store because they have an entire “Disney” section, as well as keeping lots of sanitizer, baby wipes and bringing in our own snacks and water bottles. I’ll be sure to write a follow up on this post with any other Disneyland tips, tricks and advice of what worked (or didn’t), for us!