NEW Help Me Grow ONLINE for Busy Parents!

Do you ever wonder if your child is on track developmentally, but don't know where to go to find out or don't have time to look into it? Help Me Grow Orange County is known to connect parents to their local resources for children birth to 6 years of age, but now they've made it even easier for parents like you to get the personalized help you need with their NEW "online" services. 

All you do is fill out a short survey about your child's concern online (there is no automation), and a Help Me Grow Specialist will call you with personalized services for the appropriate support or service provider.

Pumpkin Patches at Irvine Park Railroad are Great Photo Ops! @IrvineParkRR

Halloween is one of our most favorite time of year! We love pumpkin patches, coordinating costumes, and attending Halloween Parties. It also reminds me that I need to take great pictures for upcoming holiday cards to share with family and friends, or it's more quality time I can capture for a photo book. I love how the fall colors just pop in the background. I'm not always successful, because getting my kids to smile for the camera is just CHALLENGING, but it's worth a shot. =) At one point my 3 year old yelled at me to stop... haha. Here are some highlights I wanted to share along with some pix that I love.

We Test Drove the Mattel Disney • Pixar Cars Micro Drifters Press Event!

My family and I were thrilled when we won tickets to a Disney Pixar Cars event. My kids love, Love, LOVE Disney•Pixar Cars. We're also annual passport holders to Disneyland so we've been to the new Cars Land (opened since June 2012 at Disney California Adventure) several times. Just imagine everything you remember on Route 66 in Radiator Springs from the movie: the desert scene, canyons, Flo's V8 Cafe, Cozy Cone Motel, Luigi's Casa Della Tire shop, and more blown up to a life-sized version. You must see with your own eyes to believe. What's more is there is a life-sized McQueen and Mater that cruises Route 66 for photo opps. I don't see any drivers behind that wheel so they really do want you to believe McQueen and Mater are the real deal. You'll also find Mater as part of the new Pixar Play Parade. (Btw, LOVE!!) Ok, I think you get it - we LOVE Cars!

Single Rider Lines Are the Way to Go @ Disney California Adventure!

I was with my girlfriend Jenn the other day at Disney California Adventure trying to get one last meet-up in before school starts, and we were saying how nice it would be to go back and ride all the "adult" rides without the kids. If you know me, you know that a big light bulb went off in my head to plan it. Moms need breaks too so we asked our other girlfriend, Kirstin (who also has an annual passport) to take a morning off for ourselves and have some fun.

We're talking no kids, no strollers, no backpacks, and no diaper bags - we wanted to travel light and we had about 2.5 hours to cover some real ground and ride "adult" rides (rides that we normally skip because our kiddos don't meet the height requirements).

NEW Scheduled Sensory Friendly Films by Autism Society

Thanks to AMC Theatres (AMC) and the Autism Society, families affected by autism and other disabilities can enjoy watching current movies which are sensory-friendly. They turn down the sound and brighten up the theater. What's also nice is there are no previews or advertisements, audience members can bring their own GFCF snacks, get up and dance, walk, and laugh out loud as the "Silence is Golden®" policy will not be enforced.

Sneak Preview of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood @ Pretend City!

We previewed Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood this weekend at Pretend City. This highly anticipated new show airing this Fall on PBS KIDS is extremely cute.

I can't get this song out of my head:
"When something seems bad, turn it around, and find something good."
-Daniel Tiger

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood 

premieres  
 Labor Day Monday, September 3, 2012 
on PBS KIDS

I like that it teaches emotions and what to do when you feel sad. The first episode was about Daniel's Birthday and the second was about having a picnic. Things don't always go smoothly but they were always able to find the positives out of it. I'm setting my DVR so we can watch it over and over again!

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is own by The Fred Roger's Company and is inspired by the award-winning Mister Rogers' Neighborhood!