Category: Family fun


Jul
2014

OC Great Park has a great weekend of FREE events

categories: All things educational, All things yummy, Family fun, Health

Yesterday, I shared the Fresh Plates: Culinary Workshop that will take place to today at 10:00 am in the Farm & Food Lab at the OC Great Park but there are so many other great events going on at the Great Park this weekend, I had to share them with you.

I do want to highlight one event – Clinic in the Park. If you or anyone who needs health or dental care,  please let them know about this FREE event held on the second Sunday of each month.  Clinic in the Park is an Orange County-based nonprofit community health collaborative.

 

Now on to the weekend events:

 

SPIRIT OCGP Graphic

SPIRIT: Tae Soon Kim (Opening Reception)

Saturday, July 12

Time(s): 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Location: Great Park Gallery | Map & Directions
Gallery admission, parking and the opening reception are free to the publicThe artwork of Tae Soon Kim reveals the “spirit” of traditional Korean culture by transforming, through the technique of collage, handmade paper (Han-ji) and old damaged books into objects of everyday life such as clothing, furniture, and books. Tae-Soon Kim was born in Kyungnam, Republic of Korea. Her artwork has been displayed worldwide, including at […]
MoviesontheLawn

Movie on the Lawn – The Lego Movie

Saturday, July 12

Time(s): 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Location: Terraced Lawn | Map & Directions
Starts at Dusk; Weather PermittingJoin us for an outdoor movie experience under the stars. Grab your beach chair, blanket and snacks for a night out with the family. Come see blockbuster hits and family favorites on the big screen at our Movie on the Lawn nights! This year’s Movie on the Lawn series will feature seven film screenings beginning […]
FarmersMarket02

Certified Farmers Market

Sunday, July 13

Time(s): 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: Farmers Market | Map & Directions
Free Parking & AdmissionSundays at the Orange County Great Park are headlined by the fresh produce and fun at our Certified Farmers Market. Every week, rain or shine, the Great Park Certified Farmers Market features fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, handcrafted artisan products, live music and entertainment, and a selection of gourmet food trucks. Take home fresh […]
GrovesAntiqueMarket

Clinic in the Park

Sunday, July 13

Time(s): 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: Great Park Certified Farmers Market | Map & DirectionsOn the second Sunday of each month, Clinic in the Park connects children and their families to medical and dental resources, provides application assistance for low cost insurance, developmental health screenings for children, community resource referrals and facilitates health chats with doctors and nurses. These programs are offered and staffed by health-related professional organizations and […]
ChildrensGardeningWorkshop

Children’s Garden Workshops

Sunday, July 13

Time(s): 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Farm + Food Lab | Map & Directions
FreeThis season’s Children’s Garden Workshop Series is designed to highlight the connection between nature and the core education disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts, music, and math.  A garden is a perfect backdrop for exploring the ways in which the natural world impacts every aspect of our daily lives.  This new set of fun and […]

pictures and information from OCGP.org & clinicinthepark.org

Share

Jul
2014

OC Fair – Summer Starts Here

categories: Family fun, Take Action/Serving Your Community

ocfair2014Logo

Are you ready for some food, carnival rides, carnival games, pig races and exhibits? It’s that  time again, the 2014 OC Fair  will begin this Friday, July 11th and continue through Sunday, Aug. 10. The fair will be open Wednesday-Sunday. Wednesday – Friday: Noon – Midnight and Saturday & Sunday: 10 am – Midnight

Some of the exhibits I’m excited about are the Culinary exhibits, the educational exhibits, contests, Explorium and the garden exhibits in Centennial Farm.

Explorium is an exhibit in which kids from all over  the OC entered the Kids Competitions for Wild & Wonderful Wings, Creative Critters, My Book Buddy, LEGOs, Poster Art, Fair Foodies, Junior Photography, Creative Writing, Drawing and Painting. I can’t wait to see the kids imagination’s at work.

Now, because I we have a budget to keep, I loved reading this article in the OC Registar about How to enjoy the fair without going broke. In addition, I’ve included a list of deals to get into the fair. Some of the fair admission deals even provide an opportunity to help your community through food, book, clothing & school supply drives on We Care Wednesdays.

For me, visiting the fair on the right days provides three very important things: 1) spending time with family 2) learning 3) giving back to your community. Now that’s refining!

Opening Day
FREE Admission & Parking
July 11 (Noon – 1 pm)

Daily
Active Military & Veterans
FREE Active Military & Veterans admission with I.D. Must Show Identification-Not Valid
for Spouses or Dependents
Read & Ride
Read 2 books for 3 carnival rides (ages 5-11)
Click here to download book report form
Submit book reports to the Information Booth @ Centennial Farm for FREE ride tickets
(Valid July 11- August 10, 2014)

Wednesdays
$30 Unlimited Carnival Ride Wristband
(Sold until 5 pm. Valid until 8 pm) – Plus 2 FREE games
We Care Wednesday

We Care Wednesday
Promotion Schedule and Guidelines
FREE admission and 1 carnival ride per person every Wednesday with donation (donation changes weekly).Acceptance of donated items is at the discretion of the OC Fair. Limited to 1 FREE admission and 1 carnival ride per person
Food Drive July 16 (noon – 3 pm)
FREE admission with donation of 5 cans of food		 Second Harvest Food Bank Orange County Food Bank
Children’s Book Drive July 23 (noon – 3 pm)
FREE admission with donation of 1 new children’s book
or 3 gently used children’s books		 Think Together Early Literacy Program
Clothing Drive July 30 (noon – 3 pm)
FREE admission with donation of 5 new or gently used clothing items		 goodwill
School Supply Drive August 6 (noon – 3 pm)
FREE admission with donation of NEW school supplies valued at $5 or more. Receipt required.
Accepted items:

  • pens/pencils/crayons
  • notebooks/notebook paper
  • school backpacks
 Share Ourselves

Thursdays
$30 Unlimited Carnival Ride Wristband
(Sold until 5 pm. Valid until 8 pm) – Plus 2 FREE Games
Kids Day
Children 12 & Under FREE Fair admission All day.
Shop ‘Til You Drop
Look for Olivia for special shopping deals with select vendors all day.

Fridays
Seniors Day (60+)
$2 off senior admission
FREE Ferris wheel and merry-go-round rides all day
$2 Taste of Fair Food
Every Friday Noon – 4 pm
Download the $2 Taste of Fair Food list– Coming Soon
$2 Rides and $2 Games
Every Friday Noon – 4 pm
Ride with OC Fair Express
Catch the OC Fair Express at one of the eight convenient locations in Orange County with direct bus service to the OC Fair and save!Price: $2 Each Way or $4 Round-Trip to the OC Fair
$3 OC Fair admissionTransit Locations: Anaheim, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Orange, Santa Ana, San Juan CapistranoFor more information, visit octa.net/ocfairexpress
Ride with Metrolink
Take Metrolink to the Anaheim Canyon, Santa Ana or Irvine Metrolink station and connect with OCTA’s
OC Fair Express which provides direct bus service to the OC Fair. Just show your valid Metrolink ticket for a FREE ride to the OC Fair. Click linkfor details.

Saturdays & Sundays
Rise & Shine
$3 general admission
(10 am a 11 am)
Discounted tickets are sold until 11 a.m. and must be used by noon on the same day
Off-Site Parking (Weekends Only)
Free parking and shuttle service are available on Saturdays and Sundays from the Experian parking structure located off the Bristol St. exit of the 405 freeway.
Ride with OC Fair Express
Catch the OC Fair Express at one of the eight convenient locations in Orange County with direct bus service to the OC Fair and save!Price: $2 Each Way or $4 Round-Trip to the OC Fair
$3 OC Fair admissionTransit Locations: Anaheim, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Orange, Santa Ana, San Juan CapistranoFor more information, visit octa.net/ocfairexpress
Ride with Metrolink
Take Metrolink to the Anaheim Canyon, Santa Ana or Irvine Metrolink station and connect with OCTA’s
OC Fair Express which provides direct bus service to the OC Fair. Just show your valid Metrolink ticket for a FREE ride to the OC Fair. Click linkfor details.

OCfairlogo

General Admission and Parking (No deals) are as follows:

Admission::
General (13-59) – $12
Senior (60+) – $7
Youth (6 – 12) – $7
Children 5 and under are FREE

Super Pass:
Buy the exclusive Super Pass and enjoy admission to the 2014 OC Fair for all 23 days! Must be purchased in person at OC Fair box office or online. Includes: admission all 23 days, express entry at all gates, 2-for-1 tickets for select Pacific Amphitheater/Hanger and Action Sports Arena concerts, 20% off OC Fair merchandise, and carnival value book.
General admission: $35
Senior: $28
Youth: $28

Parking Rates:
General parking passenger cars: $10
General parking buses & limos: $20
Pacific Amphitheater VIP: $30
*Parking is CASH ONLY. There is no in-and-out parking privileges.

Share

Jul
2014

Tustin Concerts in the Park

categories: Family fun

If your in or around Tustin, remember Wednesday night is Concerts in the Park night! In addition to some great music, during intermission you’ll get to hear  the School of Rock students perform. This is a great way to showcase our local talent.

Tonight they’ll have some classic rock. So bring your picnic dinner or buy it here from local non-profit vendors. Be sure to bring your lawn chairs and blankets and be ready to have a great time.

wpid-wp-1404922822976.jpeg

 

 

Share

Jul
2014

OC Parks Summer Concert Series

categories: Family fun

The annual OC Parks Summer Concert Series are a great way to get the family out and enjoy a evening of music. They are held every Thursday from 6 – 8 pm at various parks in Orange County.

Craig Regional Park, Mason Regional Park, Irvine Regional Park, Mile Square Regional Park, and Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach.

We’ve missed the first two but the next concert will be this Thursday, July 10th,  and run through August 28th. 

wpid-wp-1404777398923.jpeg

The concerts and parking are FREE. Food trucks will be at each event. The lineup of bands/artists include No Duh (No Doubt tribute), Flashback Heart Attack, Suburban Legends, Papafish, Stacy Clark, Moonsville Collective, Matt Costa and more.

Pack up your cooler and chairs and get ready for some family fun.
wpid-wp-1404777411119.jpeg

Share

Jul
2014

IHOP $0.56 cent pancakes

categories: Family fun

 

ihop56

Today only, July 8th 2014 from 7AM to 7PM, participating IHOP restaurants will be celebrating their 56th Anniversary. They will be offering their famous Original Buttermilk Pancake Short Stacks for just 56¢!

We don’t normally go out to eat but this very cost effective breakfast is a great chance to create a memory and spend some precious time with my little ones.

This offer is valid at participating IHOP Restaurant locations only. You can not use any coupons or any other discounts in combination with this offer.  This is for dine-in customers only and you can only order one 56¢ Original Buttermilk Short Stack (3 Pancakes) per Guest.

Find your participating IHOP locations.

Share

Jul
2014

Target Free Sundays

categories: Family fun

Every month Target hosts “Target Free Sundays”. This programs provides FREE admission to museum’s and events around the country normally held on Sundays but there are museum that hold these events on others days of the week. As an example: The Atlanta Children’s Museum’s free day is on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

targetfreeMOLAA

We’ve used this program to visit The Children’s Museum of La Habra, Orange County Museum of Art, Bowers Kidseum and Bowers Museum, one of favorite exhibits was the Terra Cotta Warriors.

Terra-Cotta-Warriors-Guardians-of-Chinas-First-Emperor

In Los Angeles County you can visit museums like Los Angeles County Museum of Art and  The Museum of Latin American Art. In San Diego you can visit The New Children’s Museum (We had a blast at this museum).

This program has many  participating museums throughout the United States.

newchildrensmuseumSD

 

pictures from molaa.com, bowers.org and thinkplaycreate.org

Share

Jun
2014

Planning your 4th of July Celebration!

categories: Family fun

Growing up the 4th of July was always a big celebration for our family. It was my Dad’s birthday and the park nearby had a wonderful firework show that we were able to enjoy from our front yard.

My sister’s and I were able to continue that tradition for years with our kids. I’m now looking for new ways to celebrate with my husband and our younger daughters. I have some great memories of celebrating the 4th of July and I hope that I give them the same. With that in mind, I’m looking for ways to step up our 4th of July celebration and thought I’d share my ideas with you.

This week I’ll be posting some yummy recipes, tips,  and things to remember while celebrating the 4th of July.

First off we need Fireworks. Here are some links for Fireworks shows in Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire from Pomona to Temecula and San Diego County.

Here is great list of 4th of July Celebrations in Orange County from kidsguidemagazine.com

July-4th-512x1024

This weekend while visiting family in San Diego, we got a 4th of July warm up. We went to Mission Bay and viewed the firework show from Sea World. It was such a wonderful evening out. I hope some of the events on these lists will help you plan your 4th of July too.

missionbay

missionbay2

Share

Jun
2014

Fullerton Arbortetum

categories: Family fun, Summer Series

wpid-20140621_113429.jpg

Last Saturday we visited the Fullerton Arboretum, this very tranquil place is located  just off the 57 frwy in Fullerton on the Cal State University Fullerton campus.

wpid-20140621_113456.jpg

 As we walked  along the dirt path we were greeted by glorious sunflowers and a waterfall. The waterfall leads to a stream that flows throughout one side of the arboretum and into two ponds. The ponds are hosts to ducks, fish, turtles and cranes. The stream instantly inspired my daughter to draw and write in her journal.

wpid-20140621_113806.jpg    wpid-20140621_142533.jpg

There is a small nature center for the kids (with binoculars for the kids to use during their visit), a fruit orchard, a children’s garden, a community garden, walking trails (one with redwood trees) and a plant store called the “Potting Shed” that sells plants which reflect the Arboretum’s Garden Collections: Cultivated, Desert, Mediterranean, and Woodland.

wpid-20140621_120019.jpg  wpid-20140621_113459.jpg

They have guided tours of the Heritage House. This Eastlake style home was the home of Dr. Clark, one of the most highly regarded individuals in early Fullerton. The home was relocated to the Arboretum in 1972. The interior is fully restored and refurbished with furniture and medical equipment of that era. A suggested donation of $3.00 is encouraged be not required.

wpid-20140621_115721.jpg  wpid-20140621_115707.jpg

The Farm Stand is open every Sunday and sells vegetable grown at the arboretum. They offer educational opportunities for adults such as Yoga in the Garden, Composting and an Eating in the Yard Series. They also hold an ongoing children’s series called Bug-Safaris, There are plenty of walking trails and benches to sit and enjoy the views and a quick snack.

FullertonAboretumGroundsMap

Bring your water and be advised that picnicking is not allowed inside the Arboretum, there are however picnic tables just before the entrance. Parking is free on a dirt lot. A  donation of $5.00 to visit the arboretum is suggested but not required. For a complete list of events check their calendar. In addition to the Family Fun to be had here, places like this are a great addition to your Summer Educational Series. Here’s a list of botanical gardens and arboretums in the United States.

Share

Jun
2014

Made at Home Father’s Day Gifts

categories: All things yummy, Family fun

To my husband, don’t read this post! Ok, since I know you, I know you will continue to read this post. So act surprised when you receive one (or all) of these as your gift.

Here’s a few quick Father’s Day Gifts that the kids can put together at home.

 From www.triedandtrueblog here’s a FREE printable, simply enough for the little’s in your family and enough detail for the older kids to get into this.

Fathers-Day-Free-Coloring-Page01SM

 

This Fathers Day Mug from www.iheartartsncrafts.com  is another craft that would work for just about any age group.

 

Fathersdaymug

 

 From designdininganddiapers.com here’s a simply and cost effective gift with free printables.

 

Nuts aboutyou

 

Now as for Breakfast, I love this simply Breakfast Eggs and Bacon Pizza from heatherchristo.com. Because I’ll be serving a few people, I’ll  be making two of these along with with a big bowl of fruit and juice. I’ve made breakfast pizza a couple times and they all loved it.

Breakfastpestopizza

 

 

 

 

Share

Jun
2014

7th annual National Get Outdoors Day -June 14, 2014

categories: Family fun

GO_day

The 7th annual National Get Outdoors Day is on June 14, 2014. This event encourages healthy, active outdoor lives and embraces our parks, forests, refuges and other public lands and waters. Participating partners will offer opportunities for American families to experience traditional and non-traditional types of outdoor activities.

Get Outside Day event actives will offer a mix of information centers, “active fun” areas, places where guests (especially kids) can use a fishing pole, go geocaching, help pitch a tent and more. Many sites also feature areas that focus on other aspects of healthy living, including sustainability and good nutrition.

The sites will also provide photo opportunities with characters like Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl.

In addition to the days events, participants will be invited to nearby follow-up activities called EchO events occurring throughout the summer, which include introductions to mountain biking and fly-fishing, hikes with rangers to see wildlife, kayaking and rafting and much more.

Find event locations here: National Get Outdoors Day.

Can’t find an even in your area? Don’t let that stop you, here’s a link for Trails.com, enter the name of your City and it’ll locate hiking trails near you. 
  logo-trails-3 (1) logo-trails-7
 
Share