DEALS: Knott’s Soak City, Staycation, and Gold Season Passes | #SoakCityOC

How lucky are we to have so many fun things to do locally! Did you know that Knott's Berry Farm offers a Gold Season Pass which gives you unlimited access to both parks? Not only that, you could stay overnight at Knott's Berry Farm Hotel, enjoy a breakfast buffet the next morning, and take advantage of their money saving packages (which include parking)!

Snoopy Themed Rooms. Photo Courtesy of Knott's Berry Farm Hotel. 

EVENT ALERT: Brides, Sip and Scan @Macys with World Kitchen! | #WeddingRegistry @WorldKitchenLLC #ad

This is a sponsored message written by me for World Kitchen. 

You're Invited!

Brides, you'll want to mark your calendars! World Kitchen (manufacturer of Corelle, CorningWare, Pyrex, Baker’s Secret, Snapware, and Chicago Cutlery) is sponsoring two Sip & Scan bridal registry events at Macy’s in Miami and San Diego! 

Concert Review: RAIN - A Tribute to The Beatles | @SegerstromArts #RainTributeOC #SCFTA

Last weekend, I sent my sisters (Kim and Leyna) to RAIN - A Tribute to The Beatles for a Mom's Night Out at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and here's what Leyna reported...

Photo by @LeynasKitchen.

Segerstrom Center - RAIN - Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

"RAIN was incredible! It was like we were at a REAL Beatles concert! It was impossible to not sing along or even stay in your seat. The Beatles made their mark in history, and RAIN rocked it to the present. Bravo to RAIN for an extraordinary performance! My sister and I had the best time!"
- Leyna @LeynasKitchen 

How to Introduce Dental Health to Children with Special Needs via @HealthySmilesOC

This message is brought to you by Dr. Richard Mungo, Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County.

Photo Courtesy of Healthy Smiles.

Dental health is one of the most important components of healthy daily living. Yet among chronic childhood diseases, tooth decay is the most common, even though it is usually preventable. Bacterial infection from a decayed tooth, if left untreated, may spread, leading to severe toothaches, infections of the face and even death. I believe no child should ever suffer from untreated tooth decay. Children with special health care needs are at an even higher risk for tooth decay. The introduction of good dental health habits, at an early age, can help them experience a lifetime of good oral health with minimal need for extensive dental treatment. 

However, for some children, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), practicing dental health habits at home and going to dental visits can be frightening and stressful. As we recognize Autism Awareness Month in April, I would like to point out some of the steps that Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County teaches families to make the experience repeatable and even rewarding for children with special healthcare needs.

Review: Disney On Ice 100 Years of Magic Has It All! | #DisneyOnIce

Disney On Ice - 100 Years of Magic has it all! All of the Disney On Ice are different and this one features all of the wonderful classics we love!

That night at the Long Beach Arena, we anxiously awaited for the magic to begin. 

Toy Review: LEGO Juniors ARE Easy to Build! | #LEGOJuniorsPack @HousePartyFun

My boys love, Love, LOVE LEGOS! They could spend hours and hours with them. Recently, we jumped for a chance to sample the new LEGO Juniors Easy to Build sets. They're designed for ages 4 thru 7. (My kids are 4 and 6).

Ticket Giveaway: Newport Landing Whale Watching! | #NewportBeach @NewportWhales

For our most recent whale watching excursion, we boarded the Western Pride from Newport Landing Whale Watching.

Family Day: Arcades and Go Kart Racing at Boomers! Irvine | @BoomersIrvine #USFG #boomersirvine

For one of our Family Day adventures, we spent the afternoon at Boomers! Irvine in the arcade and go-kart racing.

We couldn't pass through the arcade without spending some time in here. Deciding what to play first was the challenge.

TICKET GIVEAWAY: Concert to Rain - A Tribute to The Beatles! | @SegerstromArts #RainTributeOC #SCFTA

Here for a limited engagement, RAIN - A Tribute to The Beatles will return to Segerstrom Center for the Arts from April 25 - 26th and we have a quick giveaway for tickets for Friday's show! 

Segerstrom Center - RAIN - Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Our Highlights of Boysenberry Festival at Knott's Berry Bloom | @Knotts #KnottsSpring

Last weekend we had the pleasure of experiencing the opening weekend of the Boysenberry Festival at Knott's Berry Bloom. (Disclaimer! I will be sharing lots of my food pix in this post!)

If you're feeling hungry, we found BOYSENBERRY-GLAZED TURKEY LEG (or you can get it on the side like I did) at Chowhouse BBQ Grill.

CONCERT: RAIN – A Tribute to The Beatles! | @SegerstromArts #RainTributeOC #SCFTA

Here for a limited engagement, RAIN - A Tribute to The Beatles will return to Segerstrom Center for the Arts from April 25 - 26th!

Segerstrom Center - RAIN - Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

The Beatles fans can rock out to Hits performed live by RAIN.

"The next best thing to seeing The Beatles!” 

- The Associated Press

RAIN's performance will include the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience. Also, new songs for the 2013 tour!

GIVEAWAY: Happy National Caramel Popcorn Day! @Gaslamp_Popcorn

April 6th was National Caramel Popcorn Day! We are celebrating with a fun contest. Gaslamp's Cinnamon Carmel Popcorn are made in small batches using only all natural brown sugar, cinnamon, popcorn, and a pinch of sea salt.

SHOPPING: Gift Card Findings at Westminster Mall | @ShopWestminster #ad

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me for Westminster Mall. All opinions are our own. 

We are a family-on-the-go. Now being a full-time working mom, I'm sad to say this, but I don't even have time to shop. If you're like me, gift card shopping is the way to go. (Let them pick out the gifts they really want without worrying about returns.)

Did you know that you can find a ton of gift cards at Westminster Mall's SIMON Guest Services? (Tip: No service charge!) Check out what I found below...

Gift Cards for Book Lovers, Movie Goers, and Music Lovers! 

(Barnes & Noble, Fandango, Regal, Edwards, AMC Theaters, and Spotify, etc.)

FOOD: Limited Ed. Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies @PaneraBread

We are enjoying samples of these limited edition Easter Egg shortbread cookies at Panera Bread! It has a yummy lemon icing and pastel-colored chocolate candies. (Available until Easter, April 20, 2014.)

For a Panera Bread location nearest you, please visit their website at www.panerabread.com.

Disclosure: We received a sample to review. All opinions are our own. Image by LetsPlayOC.com.

FOOD: Wake Up to a Morning Home Grocery Delivery @WinderFarms New Spring Items!

Imagine waking up to a home grocery delivery of all natural, farm fresh products at your doorstep. We enjoyed just that this month with Winder Farms new spring items!

Delivered in an insulated cooler bag, this box contained kale, asparagus, carrots, apples, oranges, onions, avocados, cilantro, and egg plant. We were inspired to cook something healthy for our family that day!

Other items we sampled were...

GIVEAWAY: Safety Tat "Just in Case" Temporary Tattoos for Children | @SafetyTat #AutismAwareness

It's Autism Awareness Month, and you may not know this, but many children with autism attempt to elope from safe environments. Of those who elope, many are unable to answer simple questions like what is their name or phone number. It's a scary situation! Parents of children who elope are often afraid to take their child to large open places like amusement parks, because they fear their often nonverbal or speech-delayed child will get lost and not be able to tell someone how to find their parents.

Introducing the Safety Tat (temporary "just in case" tattoos).

We received a sample of the boy-themed pack. They are really easy to use (no water needed), and we like that you can order custom ones. These say, "If Lost, please call". They even have some for alerting allergies, and "I have Autism."

THEATRE REVIEW: Mamma Mia! Musical is So Much Fun! | @SegerstromArts #MammaMiaOC #MomsNightOut

This month my sister-in-law (SIL) Nhi and I are celebrating our birthdays, and being a new mom with newborn twins, I thought she could use a night out at the opening night performance of Mamma Mia!

Now showing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Mamma Mia! is the ultimate Girl's Night Out! I think this picture says it all with our "Dancing Queens" pose. It was a night full of laughs.  This photo opportunity is located on the third floor.  Other pre-show activities include a timeline banner with fun facts about ABBA and Mamma Mia! (located on the second floor) as well as a disco dance floor with lights and ABBA music (on the third floor).

GIVEAWAY: Spring Fashion @ChildrensPlace! | #PLACEspring

The other day we were checking out the spring selections at The Children's Place in the Irvine Spectrum Center. We had several things to shop for such as something nice for Easter and shorts since it's now warming up.

One of the things we like to stock up on are the licensed tees. They always have a great selection!

Coming Next Week: DISNEY ON ICE Celebrates 100 Years of Magic!

Are you ready for this?? Disney On Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic will be in SoCal next week! Who's going?!

FAMILY DAY: Bubblefest XVIII at Discovery Science Center | @DiscoveryCube #BubbleFest

This weekend, we took the family to Discovery Science Center to check out their annual Bubblefest. One of the first things on our agenda was the Mega BubbleFest Laser Show. Bubble Scientist Deni Yang does some amazing things with bubbles.

Deni used different tools to create bubbles including his hands. In the picture below, he made a cube inside a bubble. WOW

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Rocked @SegerstromArts…Literally

We sent our Carolina to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's performance while they were at Segerstrom Center for the Arts and this is what happened...

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AAADT's Linda Celeste Sims, Alicia Graf Mack, and Glenn Allen Sims in Alvin Ailey's Revelations. Photo by Andrew Eccles

Dance has been a big part of my life as I trained since I was very little, and one of my dreams was to be able to attend to an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance. It came true for me last Friday at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

The company didn’t only come for their performance March 27-30, the festivities started on March 22nd with the kick-off event Revelations Celebration (a free event on the Arts Plaza which gave the visitors of all ages a chance to get to know some of the Company performers and teachers.) They even taught parts of the choreography for their most renowned pieces like “Rocka My Soul”, “Wade in the Water” and “I’ve Been Buked”. SO COOL! I wish I was able to see all that. 

FREE EVENT/GIVEAWAY: OC Fair's IMAGINOLOGY (Youth Expo) to Explore S.T.E.A.M. April 11- 13 | @OCFair!

The OC Fair's Imaginology (aka Youth Expo) is the new name for this very educational and family-friendly event. We went last year and loved it!

The OC Fair & Event Center (OCFEC) invites families to Imaginology, a re-imagined Youth Expo for children and families to explore the fun of S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) April 11-13, 2014.

Imaginology creates the perfect environment for curious children of all ages to discover the unlimited career possibilities within the educational fields of science, engineering and more. Local youth can discover the possibilities of the future as a result of learning though workshops, scavenger hunts and a build-a-scarecrow contest.

Dad Tips: Navigating the Easter Eggstravaganza @IrvineParkRR #IrvineParkRailroad

Disclosure: We were invited to attend a media preview. All opinions are our own. 

We love Irvine Park Railroad's annual Pumpkin Patch and have been going since our youngest son was 5 months old. We just recently discovered they also host other holiday activities like this Easter Eggstravaganza thanks to Mary.

TRAVEL TIPS: Family-Friendly Stays at Ski Country Resorts | @SkiCountry @GoBreck #BreckBecause

Welcome to part five of our Snow Vacation Series in Colorado. Let's face it, lodging is a big part of traveling. It can make or break a trip. When we're traveling with small children, we want family-friendly lodging that's comfortable. Check out our stay at Ski Country Resorts in Breckenridge, Colorado.

This two bedroom, two bathroom condo at their Motherlode location was spacious and sleeps 8. Lots of space for two families of four, and it felt like we were in our own apartment with 980 square feet!