Category Archives: Activities

Activities, fall, Halloween; costumes, sponsored

Falling for fall with pumpkins, lattes and #CampSpooky!

September 22, 2013 admin Leave a comment

Oh yes, friends…it’s time for one of the loveliest times of the year — FALL! Yeah…! While Mama had a blast with the kids this summer…traveling, exploring our own town and just being crafty, it was definitely time to get back into the routine of everyday life. Now as we settle into the new school and homework routine, after-school activities and sports and just remain as busy as we did in the summer time, fall just brings something special to the table.

Living in Southern California, we don’t really get to experience any drastic weather changes or the scenic leave change as some areas of the United States, we do get to experience pumpkin patches on every corner of town with overpriced carnival rides, pony rides and all you can bounce bounce houses, Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Camp Spooky at Knott’s Berry Farm. Yes, you heard Mama right…it’s time to celebrate Halloween with The Peanuts Gang.

Last year Mama and family were lucky enough to experience Camp Spooky for the first time as a family and it’s one of the best theme parks in Southern California. First off, it’s not spooky at all but rather celebrates the whimsical side of Halloween, which is Mama’s favorite part of the holiday. Smiling pumpkins, not scary pumpkins is Mama’s rule of thumb. Oh, and it makes Mama nostalgic…as only Charlie Brown and friends could. Every year we watch The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and laugh and laugh as he waits and waits…it has definitely become a Halloween tradition.

While Knott’s is fun EVERY day of the year with all the fun roller coasters, rides and games, Camp Spooky will entertain your kiddos with special activities like Snoopy’s Costume Contest and Parade; Charlie Brown’s Spooktacular Show; Scary Stories at the Lodge; a Creepy, Crawly Critter Cave; and a Monster Factory (an interactive maze where things “go bump in the night!).

Not to mention all the Bewitching Treats that will be available throughout the park…yum…sugar high! This year Mama is going to surprise the kiddos and not tell them when and where we’re going. The screams of delight will be priceless when we show up at Camp Spooky without a hint. It may or may not show up on Mama’s Instagram and Twitter feed (@EverydayMama is the name…of course!).

Today is only the first day of fall but the minute it turns October 1st, Mama is putting up the Halloween decorations. Camp Spooky runs every weekend, October 5-27 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and is included with your Knott’s Berry Farm regular admission price. In fact, you may consider a Knott’s season pass for the whole family because of all the fun you’ll have!

Mama hopes to see you there…we’ll be the ones hanging with Snoppy and friends!

***Disclosure: Mama was invited to a press event at Camp Snoopy by GigaSavvy in exchange for this blog post. All opinions are Mama’s…meaning Camp Snoopy really is cool or Mama wouldn’t have talked about it (journalistic integrity and all).

Activities

Mama is…

May 2, 2013 admin Leave a comment

Mama?

Yes?

Where are you?

At Mom 2.0.

Huh?

You know a blog conference where woman get swag, stay up too late and raid the mini bar!

Oh, yes! I did hear of those.

Which one are you?

The one in the corner looking like Anna Wintour with a scowl on my face but looking really stylish.

Really?

No, not at all! I’m the one with the lampshade on!

(Not in a million years…). Mama is here…can you find me? XOXO

Activities, decorating;, decorating; giveaway, event; reading, sponsored

Mama’s DIY Design…Ikea and Design Dad to the rescue

March 6, 2013 admin Leave a comment

Of course you’re wondering what Mama has been up to the past couple of weeks, right?! Well, besides changing poopy diapers and tripping over our newly blind Pug-dog (so sad Mama knows), Mama has finally broken ground on the DIY project that we’ve been talking about forever and a day. Here’s how it went down…

Hubs: “Lily-girl’s school and craft projects are eating up the dining room table? Where am I supposed to eat?

Mama: “We could do it 1970s-style and bring in TV dinner trays?” (How retro, right?!)

Hubs: *SNIFF* *HUFF* (insert eye roll as well)

Mama: “Okay, let’s finally redo the guest room and make it into a craft/guest/office/homework room?”

Hubs: “That’s a lot going on in one room, don’t you think?”

Mama: “Don’t worry, Mama has Pinterest and Ikea to consult with us!”

Hubs: (insert suspicious raised eyebrows here)

Doesn’t it all come down to Pinterest these days anyways? Well, it’s all good in theory but when it comes to actually applying the ideas in real life it can be a tad overwhelming. As can Ikea on President’s weekend but we managed to make it through with no extras but the one thing we came for (at least this trip) and the hubs survived putting it all together (always a bonus). While the room is still in project-mode and not fully ready to be shown off here, Mama is so proud that we took the plunge to make our house more functional for our family. The kids love sitting in there doing crafts, homework and Mama has space to put all of those craft supplies and projects that are always popping up. Next up is paint and hanging the Plasma TV that Mama found at Costco.

How is this relevant to you and your home? Well, it just so happens that Celebrity Designer Dad Stephan Saint-Onge is presenting a FREE Life Improvement Seminar this Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m. at IKEA San Diego (2149 Fenton Parkway, San Diego) to help you make your home more functional on a budget and with a little creativity. WHAT?! Sign-me-up! FREE design advice people and it’s a real live person instead of just a pinned picture!

Presented by Family Circle and Ikea, you’re sure to get the room advice you’ve always wanted but never wanted to pay a designer for.

Plus, they’re going to have some awesome FREE giveaways for attendees!! So come on down and get your free design advice and be inspired to make your kitchen or any extra space in your house that more functional this year. Believe Mama when she says it’s life-changing y’all!

Don’t believe Mama on how fabulous his advice is? Check out this video:

See you there! XOXO

*This is a sponsored post but all opinions and design are Mama’s. Mama really does like IKEA and Design Dad.

Activities, must-haves, sponsored

Monday must-have: indoor fun for kids

January 28, 2013 admin Leave a comment

What a weekend…it rained…and rained…and then it was windy and cold. The sun did peek out every once in awhile but not enough to make you want to drudge the kids to the park to play in the mud. As you know, Mama always has a few tricks up her sleeve when it comes to entertaining the kids on a rainy day but sometimes, you just want do to something a bit different but way fun. Sometimes we just get stuck in a rut of how to entertain the kids when the weather is less than spectacular or perhaps you have a few things around the house you need to get done. These activities will keep them entertained at least long enough for you to brush your teeth or take a quick shower!

Happy Monday Mamas! XOXO

1. BabbaCo BabbaBox — remember last year when Mama told you how obsessed the kids are with getting mail? They live for even junk mail like the Disney Movie Club stickers or a flyer about a new hotel. So you can just imagine their delight when a package addressed just to them arrives every month that is full of activities that kids and parents can enjoy together without ever having to leave the house. Appropriate for kids ages 3-7 (although, Lily-girl is almost 7 and she still adores it), BabbaCo delivers a box of themed activities and crafts. For example, this month (February 2013) the “My Awesome Adventures” BabbaBox is available and it will get their little imaginations revving. Which is such a change from turing on the TV (EEK!). This month BabbaCo and Shutterfly have teamed up to give you gifts and prizes (SCORE!). Just sign up for BabbaCo’s newsletter which will give you fresh ideas for activities, recipes and other fun stuff and you are entered to win a great prize package: an Annual Membership to the BabbaBox ($240 value), and a $50 Gift Card from Shutterfly. Additionally, BabbaCo is also running a “Cure to the Indoor Blues” offer right now: 33% ($10) Off the 1st month of a new monthly or annual subscription. Just use the Coupon Code: FEB33 at checkout. So fun and so what the doctor ordered for a rainy day. To sign-up for the Newsletter and/or a box subscription visit, www.babbaco.com.

2. Dance Party — crank up the tunes and get the wiggles out. We always sing really, really loud and jump on the couch…because if you can’t do it on a rainy day, then when can you do it?! Oh, and the best part…it’s FREE!!

3. Window Markers — drawing on paper is so ordinary but drawing on the glass windows and doors is so boredom busting. Have them doodle away and then wipe on, wipe off with glass cleaner for easy clean-up. Crayola Washable Window Markers, $3.88, at amazon.com.

4. Game On — blow off the dust of of those board games and get the kids thinking on how they can beat you in Old Maid, UNO or Sorry. If you have preschoolers (ages 3-5), try the new Bear in Underwear game, $20, at kiddlywinks.com.

5. READ, READ…READ! — how many books do you have in your house that you haven’t read in months or maybe even years? Pull them all out and have a reading marathon. The kids will love discovering old treasured books and it may spark their imaginations for new activities like building forts out of pillows saving the world!

**This post was sponsored by BabbaCo in an effort to get your kid’s imaginations moving and creating…nothing wrong with that!

Activities, Halloween; costumes, Halloween; decorations, travel; list

Snoopy celebrates Halloween too!

October 18, 2012 admin Leave a comment

As you already know, Mama loves Halloween. Not the scary, freaky side of Halloween where vampires and clowns jump at you out of the dark. No, that’s not Mama’s idea of a good time. Mama much prefers the fun and whimsical side of Halloween where pumpkins are painted pretty, friendly scarecrows smile at you from outside in the yard and where you get to sit with your family and watch ‘The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.”

So last week went something like this…

Baby Boy: “Mama, who is Snoopy?”

Lily-girl: “How come Charlie Brown only comes on during the holidays?”

WHAT?! Has Mama failed as a parent because Mama’s kids have no clue who Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie Brown and Lucy are?? The classic Peanuts Gang must, must be properly introduced to the kids STAT. Let’s road trip to Knott’s Berry Farm for a trip down memory lane…because honestly, it’s only one hour from Mama and it was one of Mama’s favorite places as a kid. The food was good….mmmm boysenberry pie and fried chicken….and Snoopy was Mama’s favorite stuffed animal (the girl version with the pink ruffled collar).

And so thanks to an invite from the Knott’s Berry Farm folks, Mama’s kids got the chance to discover one of Mama’s favorite places as a kid. In fact, for the Halloween season you can be a part of the annual Camp Spooky celebration that is happening every weekend NOW through October 28. It’s not really spooky…in fact it’s really fun with a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt, corn maze, silly stories and kooky cookie decorating and a costume parade. The kids had a great time discovering new rides and taking pictures with character favorites like Linus, Lucy and Snoopy, it made Mama’s heart so happy.

What’s even better….there is so much to do and see that the park never felt overly crowded. Mama hates paying good money to go into an amusement park and not go on more than one or two rides because the park is so full. Knott’s is perfect for ages 2 to adult because you have your little rides like flying airplanes to your smaller roller coasters that even Lily-girl braved to your thrill rides like Montezuma’s Revenge (EEK!). Mama is not really a thrill seeker but if you are — this is your place!

So skip the long lines and expensive tickets and head on over to Knott’s for a seriously GOOD time and tell them Mama sent you. The moral of the story…now Mama’s kids know who The Peanuts Gang and they can’t want to watch “The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.”

And…that might not be happening since we are now on day four of no TV until Baby Boy goes poop on the potty…it’s going to be a LONG winter folks…!

Discounted tickets are available at Knotts.com and are $25.99 for kids, ages 3-11, and $35.99 for adults (12-61).