Fall in Orange County means apple picking time. heading into apple country is one of the rare times us Orange County folks can get a slight glimpse on one of the four seasons. for our family, we have always gone apple picking in Oak Glen...and now we take our kids. It holds a lot of...
11 Family-friendly Orange County Tide Pools
Besides the amazing weather here is Orange County, we also have some of the most the beautiful beaches. The summer weather is almost always nice enough to head down to one! Our family loves all of the beaches in Orange County, but we usually choose to go to the beaches with tide pools because there's...
We Stayed at The Cassara Carlsbad, CA
Looking for a hotel that's family-friendly, looks and feels upscale, and is located centrally to Carlsbad's most popular attractions? Then The Cassara Carlsbad, Tapestry Collection by Hilton is a great choice! We're always up for a fun weekend getaway that's not too far from Orange County, and Carlsbad, CA is a favorite. Carlsbad is a...
Is Welk Resorts San Diego Fun For Families? (with pictures)
I'm here to tell you that YES, Welk Resorts San Diego is an AMAZING place to bring your family! Everything you can ask for from a luxury family resort is offered at Welk San Diego...from amazing pools, family activities, restaurants, family-sized accommodations and more. The property is enormous...lots of different areas to explore. I would...
Flintstones Bedrock City Arizona: A Quirky Roadside Stop
This giant Yabba Dabba Doo welcome sign at the entrance of Bedrock City is a must stop if you are looking for an instagrammable photo spot in northern arizona. Chances are you've driven by the Flintstones Bedrock City if you've ever driven to the Grand Canyon from Arizona's Interstate 40. Also known as the historic...
Why You Want to Go on an Apple Vacation!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Apple Vacations and Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa. All opinions are 100% mine. Now that summer is officially over, I bet we're all ready for a vacation! After all that back-to-school shopping, getting back into the school time routine and going...
Disney's Descendants 3 in Vancouver AR Adventure
This August, our family got an exciting invite to head up to Vancouver Canada. We have never been to Canada, so that was exciting in itself. But not only did we get a chance to explore this amazingly family-friendly city in British Columbia, but also to attend the launch party of the new Disney Descendants...
Ventura Ranch KOA in San Paula California
I constantly get asked where the best family-friendly campgrounds in Southern California are. If I had to make a list, then Ventura Ranch KOA in San Paula, California would be at the top. Located just north of Los Angeles in Ventura County, is has all the amenities to make camping enjoyable for all different levels...
Dinner with Elmo and the Sesame Street Parade at Seaworld
A few weeks ago, we headed down to San Diego to check out the debut of the all new Sesame Street Party Parade at Seaworld. We also had dinner reservations at the new Dinner with Elmo and Friends, so we were really excited. Our family was most excited to introduce Dani, our littlest to Sesame Street. It...
The Legoland Castle Hotel is Coming to Southern California
earlier this month, i had the chance to check out the construction progress of the new Legoland Castle Hotel that will soon be opening at Legoland California Resort in Carlsbad. i have a bunch of boys who can not wait for it to open this April 27th...the are VERY EXCITED! let me tell you, it's...
A Weekend Road trip to Los Angeles with Chevy
This is a sponsored post. last month, Chevy invited our family to take a road trip anywhere we wanted in Southern California. i immediately knew that i wanted to head up to Los Angeles for a weekend of exploring and enjoying the LA sights and sounds. because, although it is only 30 miles north from...
Another Reason to LOVE California
there's no hiding how much i love California. it has the mountains in the north...some even with snow, there's the inland desert area with unique trees and cacti, beautiful sunny weather in SoCal, the most amazing coastline and the central valley filled with orchards and rolling hills. i believe that California is one of the...
Our Visit to SeaWorld in San Diego
a few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to take the kids to their first visit ever to SeaWorld in San Diego. we were invited to check out the park, the new improvements, shows and rides, plus take a tour of the SeaWorld Animal Care center. my boys were so excited because they love animals...
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco Chinatown
last summer we took a road trip up the coast of California and stopped in San Francisco, one of my favorite cities in California. there are so many things to enjoy in San Francisco, from the Wharf, to the museums, to the food, to the architecture. there are also many streets or sections of San...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: Lava Hot Springs
When we went on our famous road trip a couple of years ago, one of the places that we hadn't expected to enjoy as much as we did was Lava Hot Springs. It's a little town in southern Idaho about an hour north of the Utah/Idaho border. We only allotted for an overnight stay, but we...
Our Family's Visit to the Great Wolf Lodge in Southern California
from the moment i found out about the Great Wolf Lodge, i knew that i wanted to take my family on a vacation there. it was about four years ago when i read a post on another blog about the Great Wolf Lodge in Texas. it looked AMAZING...like a rustic lodge with amazing experiences for kids...
Family Road Trip to Salvation Mountain in the California
last summer, during our visit to Palm Desert and the Indian Wells Resort & Spa, we took a day trip out to Salvation Mountain, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. i had been wanting to visit the Mountain for years, but since the drive is very out of the way, i hadn't gotten...
Sneak Peek at The Ranch in Laguna Beach
this coming year, i will be partnering with The Ranch at Laguna Beach to share the latest news and all about what's happening at OC's newest hidden gem. just two weeks ago, the hubby and i got to check it out and enjoy a weekend stay so that i could share a sneak peek of what's...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
it's been a while since i've shared an adventure from our road trip last year, and with the holidays coming up, i thought this one would be a good. lots of people will be giving their kiddies pets for the holidays, which reminded me of our visit to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. we visited...
Hard Hat Tour of Great Wolf Lodge Southern California
today was an exciting day! i have been anxiously awaiting the time when a Great Wolf Lodge would be built here in Orange County, and it looks like my dreams are going to come true in February of 2016. today i got to take a hard hat tour of the construction site and see for myself what...
A Day on the Beach in a Pacific Edge Hotel Bungalow
imagine spending the day enjoying this breathtaking view. turquoise water, crashing waves, sunshine and warm sand. that was my day a few weeks ago. it was heavenly. growing up in the OC, i am definitely a beach girl. we re so lucky to have many beaches to enjoy. Laguna beaches are among some of my...
Staying On Budget During Summer Travels
summer is just around the corner, and for our family, that means summer road trips. if you have followed any of our road trip adventures, then you know how much we love to travel. but it can be hard to stay on budget while on vacation...especially on road trips with all of the many pit stops...
10 Ways to Use Glad Press'n Seal on Your Next Camping Trip
You probably already have or have had Glad Press’n Seal in your kitchen, because it's great for keeping your food safe and fresh. But did you know that it can be used for a variety of things outside of the kitchen? Head to your nearest Walmart and grab a few extra rolls because you're not going to want...
Tips for Staying Hydrated On Your Summer Road Trip and Beyond
This is a sponsored post. there are a few phrases parents DON'T want to hear from kids during long distance road trips....any kind of road trip for that matter. the dreaded, whiney voiced "are we there yet" "i have to go to the bathroom" and "i'm thirsty" are among the top ten statements you don't want to hear along the...
The Best Foods for Road Trips and Traveling On-the-go
This is a sponsored post. as you know, me, my husband and my kids are constantly on-the-go. we LOVE to travel...especially on road trips, and i often get asked how i handle traveling with kids on the road, including things like; how do i keep them entertained, how often do we stop, and what do we do...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: The Homestead Crater in Heber Valley
i loved all the places that we visited on our road trip, however, Heber Valley captured my heart. Heber Valley is made up of a few small towns, Heber City, Midway and Daniel. All together, they are referred to as Heber Valley, and are located just south east of Salt Lake City, Utah, nestled in a...
Family Road Trip Adventures: The Real UP House in Utah
If you followed our road trip adventures last summer, you probably saw a few pictures from our photo shoot at The Real Up House. Yes!! there is a real life UP House that was designed as a replica of Carl and Ellie's colorful house from Disney's movie "UP." I had seen the The Real UP House in the...
Saving Money on Family Travel with CityPASS
last year, i had the opportunity to visit New York for a blogging conference, and had a couple of days to myself to explore New York City with one of my besties Pattie. there were a few of museums and landmarks that we both wanted to see, and decided to buy a CityPASS because that was...
A Visit to the Endeavor Space Shuttle at the California Science Center
last weekend, we made an impromptu trip to the California Science Center to check out the Endeavor Space Shuttle. we haven't ever been to the California Science Center before and have been trying to get over there to see the space shuttle ever since it arrived here from Florida. it ended up being such a...
Family Travel: Point Lobos State Reserve in Carmel
i just recently wrote about our stay at the Hofsas House in Carmel, CA, and how much we enjoyed it. the stay was wonderful, partly because the landscape of Carmel is so breathtaking. the rocky ocean views are a little different the the ocean views you see here in Southern California. and it was such...
Family Travel: Hofsas House Boutique Hotel in Carmel
a few weeks ago, we packed up the boys and headed for a road trip from Orange County to the beloved town of Carmel-by-the-Sea which is located on the scenic coast of Central California about 2 hours south of San Francisco. it took about 8 hours with LA traffic and down pouring rain to finally reach our...
Dennis the Menace Playground Monterey, CA
This weekend we headed up the coast of California to Carmel-by-the-Sea, a charming little seaside town just south of Monterey. A town flanked by beautiful rocky beaches, cottage style houses and vintage old town charm. During our exploration of the area, the Dennis the Menace Playground in Monterey was overwhelmingly recommend for us to visit. This Dennis...
Searles Dry Lake Gem Mining Field Trips in Trona, California
last year, we had one of our best adventures to date, when we went gem mining in Trona, California. most people haven't have never heard of Trona, CA, either had we until i saw someone post on instagram about this awesome trip they took were there family was digging crystals from the ground. it looked...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: Coral Pink Sand Dunes
during our stay in Kanab, Utah, we really wanted to explore the area and find unique places to experience. one of the locals told us to check out the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, which is one of Utah's State Parks. the Coral Pink Sand Dunes are located off a remote road between the east entrance of Zion...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: The Historic Parry Lodge
continuing with our road trip, after our time in Zion National Park, we headed east to the little town of Kanab. i wrote a little bit about Kanab here...which i am still dreaming about its beautiful scenery and unique mountainous landscape. i now want to share about the motel we stayed in during our time there. we stayed...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: Kanab, Utah
after we left Zion National Park on our road trip, we continued by heading to the small town of Kanab, Utah. to travel to there, we drove highway 9 through Zion National Park and out it's east entrance. highway 89 took us to our destination of Kanab. as we entered, we were greeted by gorgeous views that you would see in a...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: Zion National Park
after we left Fort Zion, we continued our road trip heading to Zion National Park which is located in Southern Utah. it was our first time visiting Zion National Park and we had no idea what to expect. driving in, we got our first views of the mountains. our car was filled with oooo's and ahhh's. the mountains were...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: Fort Zion in Virgin, Utah
when you're on a road trip, you probably will be in the car for long periods of time. to break up those long stretches of driving, i recommend stopping at anyplace that looks cool along the way. a lot of times you will see signs promoting places to stop…or a place to get a local...
Popsicle Road Trip: Recap
it's been about a week since we got back from our road trip and i am smiling ear to ear just thinking about the fun we had. before we left on the trip, when i mentioned our plans to my friends or people i talked too, they would say... "Wow! that's a lot of driving."...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: Cedar City KOA
our road trip continued with us leaving Las Vegas and heading to Utah. we left Nevada late afternoon and didn't arrive in Utah until evening time. our first stop in Utah was to be Zion National Park, but we planned on staying in the Cedar City KOA the night before heading there. we knew it would be late and...
How Our Family Traveled on Our Road Trip
a lot of people have asked me how we traveled and where we stayed on our road trip. and although we technically camped most of the time, i wouldn't exactly say we were roughing it. i'm not a camper….but my hubby is. so years ago we negotiated and bought a travel trailer. that way we...
Popsicle Blog Road Trip: Fremont Street and Denny's
the next morning after all the wedding festivities, we headed to Downtown Las Vegas because Denny's invited us to breakfast! we had really wanted to take the kids to the Las Vegas Strip the night before, but wedding cleanup went late into the night, and we were exhausted. so we were excited to at least...