We're still a couple of weeks away from our next trip, but I wanted to share something fun you can do with the kids that won't cost much. If you don't have a barbecue/grill because you live in an apartment, don't want one, can't afford one, or any other reason, I recently found this great video of someone making s'mores in an oven. For those of you unfamiliar, a s'more consists of a roasted marshmallow, melted chocolate, and graham crackers. It's every bit as bad for you as it sounds, but it's also a staple of the classic American summer.
Monday, May 28, 2018
S'mores for Memorial Day
In the United States, today is Memorial Day, a day to remember the many men and women who have fought and died for our country. It is also common to barbecue, have picnics, go to the beach, and generally celebrate the unofficial start of summer.
We're still a couple of weeks away from our next trip, but I wanted to share something fun you can do with the kids that won't cost much. If you don't have a barbecue/grill because you live in an apartment, don't want one, can't afford one, or any other reason, I recently found this great video of someone making s'mores in an oven. For those of you unfamiliar, a s'more consists of a roasted marshmallow, melted chocolate, and graham crackers. It's every bit as bad for you as it sounds, but it's also a staple of the classic American summer.
I did a slight variation on this using my convection/toaster oven. I set it to broil at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. First, I toasted the bottom layer of graham cracker with just the chocolate on it for 1 minute. Then, I added the marshmallows and added another 3 minutes of cook time (could have been 4 minutes if you want a darker marshmallow). Finally, I topped them with another graham cracker and let the kids loose on them. It was fun, delicious, and only cost about $4. The marshmallows didn't catch fire the way they often do on a grill and the chocolate was much better melted than doing it the traditional way.
We're still a couple of weeks away from our next trip, but I wanted to share something fun you can do with the kids that won't cost much. If you don't have a barbecue/grill because you live in an apartment, don't want one, can't afford one, or any other reason, I recently found this great video of someone making s'mores in an oven. For those of you unfamiliar, a s'more consists of a roasted marshmallow, melted chocolate, and graham crackers. It's every bit as bad for you as it sounds, but it's also a staple of the classic American summer.
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Street Fair
Today I took my children to our local street fair, put on by the city chamber of commerce. It's an opportunity for people to see what services their community has to offer. The event includes booths for various businesses and government agencies, candidates for political office, activities for kids, police cars, fire trucks, and garbage trucks for kids to explore, a small car show, live music, and food trucks. The best part? The event is free (though the kids' attractions cost a bit of money similar to a carnival). My kids loved going to each of the booths and exploring. This year, they moved it from the center of town to our local mall. It was nice to have more space for everything, but I hope next year they have more volunteers for parking and crowd control, a more detailed map, better crowd flow, and possibly offsite parking with a shuttle as an option.
If your town has something like this, it's worth going. We had a lot of fun and the kids were kept entertained for hours.
If your town has something like this, it's worth going. We had a lot of fun and the kids were kept entertained for hours.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite
Last night, I had the pleasure of being able to ring in May the 4th with thousands of other rabid Star Wars/Disney fans at Disneyland After Dark. This was a new offering at Disneyland to celebrate Star Wars Day, a popular moment in geek culture. The event sold out within hours of going on sale and people were eager to see what there was to offer. I was only able to get one ticket, so I went by myself. While it would have been more fun with friends and/or family, there were plenty of people to talk to and generally a positive atmosphere.
First, I went to a panel where I got to see some of the head Imagineers discuss their roles in developing Batuu (aka Galaxy's Edge, aka Star Wars Land). Unfortunately, I couldn't take videos or pictures because we had to seal our phones for this part of the event, but needless to say, it's going to be amazing to walk through the streets of a real Star Wars planet and come face to face with the Millennium Falcon.
There were many food offerings throughout the park. I did not get to try many because I spent a good portion of the evening in line for other things, but Beru's special was delicious (blue milk with boba) as were the clone potatoes. The offerings were whimsical and most people had a positive response to the food.
Merchandise was kind of a disaster. There was a line from Starcade all the way through the normal queue for the Tomorrowland theater area. I considered myself to be fairly close to the front of the line, but it still took 45 minutes to get through. Unfortunately, this is where Disney fell short big time. The lower level cast members did a great job with what little direction they were given. However, the "ties" (you know, supervisor and up level) were all standing in a huddle laughing and chatting when they really should have been helping out. At one point, myself and the people around me were helping direct traffic properly and one man that looked like a bouncer was shuffling people through who were cutting in line. The people who exited Star Tours were not forced to wait in line for the merchandise as the ride exit spits itself out in the store, so people waiting in the merchandise line were pretty frustrated. I scored a May the 4th t-shirt, but honestly? If I had known how little variety of merchandise they had, I would have skipped that part of the night.
There were many photo ops throughout the park. Unfortunately, I didn't get any. I was too busy trying to see the professional lightsaber duels and catch a glimpse of Captain Phasma and her troopers.
Overall, it was a fun experience. I am hoping they make this an annual event and that they manage to work out some of the kinks and start training their employees better so that when Star Wars Land opens, they don't have riots. I will say, above all, it was sort of magical to see the park without it being packed wall to wall. It's especially beautiful at night.
Here are some other pictures from earlier in the day before the event began. It was a beautiful day and I couldn't resist taking some photographs.
First, I went to a panel where I got to see some of the head Imagineers discuss their roles in developing Batuu (aka Galaxy's Edge, aka Star Wars Land). Unfortunately, I couldn't take videos or pictures because we had to seal our phones for this part of the event, but needless to say, it's going to be amazing to walk through the streets of a real Star Wars planet and come face to face with the Millennium Falcon.
There were many food offerings throughout the park. I did not get to try many because I spent a good portion of the evening in line for other things, but Beru's special was delicious (blue milk with boba) as were the clone potatoes. The offerings were whimsical and most people had a positive response to the food.
Merchandise was kind of a disaster. There was a line from Starcade all the way through the normal queue for the Tomorrowland theater area. I considered myself to be fairly close to the front of the line, but it still took 45 minutes to get through. Unfortunately, this is where Disney fell short big time. The lower level cast members did a great job with what little direction they were given. However, the "ties" (you know, supervisor and up level) were all standing in a huddle laughing and chatting when they really should have been helping out. At one point, myself and the people around me were helping direct traffic properly and one man that looked like a bouncer was shuffling people through who were cutting in line. The people who exited Star Tours were not forced to wait in line for the merchandise as the ride exit spits itself out in the store, so people waiting in the merchandise line were pretty frustrated. I scored a May the 4th t-shirt, but honestly? If I had known how little variety of merchandise they had, I would have skipped that part of the night.
There were many photo ops throughout the park. Unfortunately, I didn't get any. I was too busy trying to see the professional lightsaber duels and catch a glimpse of Captain Phasma and her troopers.
Overall, it was a fun experience. I am hoping they make this an annual event and that they manage to work out some of the kinks and start training their employees better so that when Star Wars Land opens, they don't have riots. I will say, above all, it was sort of magical to see the park without it being packed wall to wall. It's especially beautiful at night.
Here are some other pictures from earlier in the day before the event began. It was a beautiful day and I couldn't resist taking some photographs.
Monday, April 2, 2018
Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz--A 4 Day Trip
This past Easter weekend, my family and I took the off to enjoy the first half of our Spring Break in the Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz area. Spring is a beautiful time to visit as the rainy season is, for the most part, over, and the hillsides are full of lush greenery. It's also not quite as crowded as the July/August peak season.
We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Capitola. I stayed there last year when my oldest son and I went on a trip and we decided to return. It's a decent hotel, much nicer than others in the area that will possibly be closer to the beach, but as a rule are not as pleasant. The beds were comfortable. The room was clean. Free breakfast is given every morning and there's a safe, locked parking area, which is a nice perk in this area. The only downside to the room itself was that the cleaning crew left the slider open and forgot to replenish our bath towels. We were lucky no one jumped into our room and stole anything, but thankfully, even being on the first floor, we were not at ground level, so getting in would have been tough for a thief. The hotel was a bit noisy and sound carried very well, but generally, things were quiet from 10PM-6AM, which was good enough for us.
One of our favorite locations in the area is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This is one of the last classic seaside amusement parks on the west coast. My husband and I also happened to work there for a few years way back when we first met, so the area holds some personal connection for us as well. Going to the Boardwalk is free, but parking is $15 and rides can cost anywhere from about $3-$7, or you can get an unlimited ride wristband for a bit more, which makes sense if you plan on riding a lot of rides. There's also a huge arcade, indoor mini golf, a haunted house, and laser tag. Overall, it has a carnival type feel, but it also has some classic rides that have been around for over 100 years, like the carousel and the Giant Dipper, a classic wooden roller coaster.
We also visited another personal favorite, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Located in Monterey, California, this aquarium is amazing. It's a bit pricey at $50 for adults and $30 for children, but well worth the money to see the amazing exhibits. Where else can you see fish larger than a toddler swimming in a gigantic multi-story display or watch otters swimming in their enclosure, then step outside and see them drifting in the wild literally right outside the door? All of my children really enjoyed this experience. As an extra perk, it's a great way to make a trip educational.
While in Monterey, we also stopped at Dennis the Menace Park. Close to the wharf, this area is a fun place to let your kids run. Fair warning though, it gets very crowded and is quite large. If you have more than one or two kids, it's hard to keep track of everyone. Still, it's one of the best parks I've ever been to and worth the side trip.
Speaking of educational, we also took a trip to the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. This museum is meant for children between ages 8 and 14, but my 4-year-olds enjoyed it, too. There are hands on exhibits on robotics, networks, the human body, and health. You can even simulate an earthquake to see how buildings, materials, and people respond to the shaking.
San Jose is a beautiful city with an odd juxtaposition of old and new. A stroll around the downtown area rounded off our trip. Some of the old buildings and modern art were gorgeous.
As for food recommendations, my number 1 choice is always Las Palmas in Santa Cruz. This is a pretty basic taco shop with tacos, burritos, enchiladas, rice, and beans, among other basic Mexican fair. Prices are also right. A bean and cheese burrito will only cost you about $4. Taco platters run around $9.
My other standard recommendation is Erik's Deli, which you can find in Santa Cruz, Capitola, Watsonville, and San Jose. This deli seems like any other typical place until you actually taste the sandwiches. Alfalfa sprouts come standard on most of the sandwiches, adding a little extra flare. The sandwiches aren't the most cost-effective, but definitely worth the $7-$10 per sandwich if you want something surprisingly good and unique compared to larger chain companies.
It was a great trip and I can't wait to go back again. Hopefully we'll make it next year. Our next big planned trip is Legoland in June. Can't wait!
We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Capitola. I stayed there last year when my oldest son and I went on a trip and we decided to return. It's a decent hotel, much nicer than others in the area that will possibly be closer to the beach, but as a rule are not as pleasant. The beds were comfortable. The room was clean. Free breakfast is given every morning and there's a safe, locked parking area, which is a nice perk in this area. The only downside to the room itself was that the cleaning crew left the slider open and forgot to replenish our bath towels. We were lucky no one jumped into our room and stole anything, but thankfully, even being on the first floor, we were not at ground level, so getting in would have been tough for a thief. The hotel was a bit noisy and sound carried very well, but generally, things were quiet from 10PM-6AM, which was good enough for us.
One of our favorite locations in the area is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This is one of the last classic seaside amusement parks on the west coast. My husband and I also happened to work there for a few years way back when we first met, so the area holds some personal connection for us as well. Going to the Boardwalk is free, but parking is $15 and rides can cost anywhere from about $3-$7, or you can get an unlimited ride wristband for a bit more, which makes sense if you plan on riding a lot of rides. There's also a huge arcade, indoor mini golf, a haunted house, and laser tag. Overall, it has a carnival type feel, but it also has some classic rides that have been around for over 100 years, like the carousel and the Giant Dipper, a classic wooden roller coaster.
We also visited another personal favorite, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Located in Monterey, California, this aquarium is amazing. It's a bit pricey at $50 for adults and $30 for children, but well worth the money to see the amazing exhibits. Where else can you see fish larger than a toddler swimming in a gigantic multi-story display or watch otters swimming in their enclosure, then step outside and see them drifting in the wild literally right outside the door? All of my children really enjoyed this experience. As an extra perk, it's a great way to make a trip educational.
While in Monterey, we also stopped at Dennis the Menace Park. Close to the wharf, this area is a fun place to let your kids run. Fair warning though, it gets very crowded and is quite large. If you have more than one or two kids, it's hard to keep track of everyone. Still, it's one of the best parks I've ever been to and worth the side trip.
Speaking of educational, we also took a trip to the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. This museum is meant for children between ages 8 and 14, but my 4-year-olds enjoyed it, too. There are hands on exhibits on robotics, networks, the human body, and health. You can even simulate an earthquake to see how buildings, materials, and people respond to the shaking.
San Jose is a beautiful city with an odd juxtaposition of old and new. A stroll around the downtown area rounded off our trip. Some of the old buildings and modern art were gorgeous.
As for food recommendations, my number 1 choice is always Las Palmas in Santa Cruz. This is a pretty basic taco shop with tacos, burritos, enchiladas, rice, and beans, among other basic Mexican fair. Prices are also right. A bean and cheese burrito will only cost you about $4. Taco platters run around $9.
My other standard recommendation is Erik's Deli, which you can find in Santa Cruz, Capitola, Watsonville, and San Jose. This deli seems like any other typical place until you actually taste the sandwiches. Alfalfa sprouts come standard on most of the sandwiches, adding a little extra flare. The sandwiches aren't the most cost-effective, but definitely worth the $7-$10 per sandwich if you want something surprisingly good and unique compared to larger chain companies.
It was a great trip and I can't wait to go back again. Hopefully we'll make it next year. Our next big planned trip is Legoland in June. Can't wait!
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