Fun For The Whole Family With FlarePlay

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post in collaboration with flarePlay.  All thoughts are my own.

 

When I was invited to review flarePlay, I did it all for my 7 year old Duke.  Everything about it sounded awesome.  No consoles.  No disks.  100+ games on demand streamed right to the tv.  SOLD!  The worst thing here are scratched and lost disks.  I want to rage every time one of the kids scratching up a disk.  Not even a crazy big scratch either, teeny tiny ones get them all the time.  It's not like back in my days where you just blew into the game and it was good to go.  I tried everything, even banana peel to seal a scratch and nope.  $50 on a game just gone.  Wah!  Lost games are even worse.  At least with scratched disks you know that it was loved and played till the very end but lost games are just lost like.. socks.  No explanation, no closure.  Wah!  

I really didn't expect it to be fun for the whole family.  I had my husband Chris set up the microconsole behind our tv, it barely took up any space and took him less than 2 minutes.  I set it up on our tv and we were oohing and ahhing over game choices.  The boys were totally excited for LEGO Batman (scratched the disk and then lost it) and LEGO Harry Potter.  I was excited for Assassins Creed 2 (mainly for our 14 year old Damien that always lugs his game console over when we have him for the weekend) and Antique Road Trip!    

Why I love flarePlay:

No consoles

No disks

Easy set-up! We were ready to play in 5 minutes!

Game bundle is only one microconsole and one game controller

New games every month!  December titles include: Lego Batman (5-8years), Lego Harry Potter ( 1-4years), H.A.W.X.2, Assassins Creed 2, Rabbids Go Home

Only $9.99 per month

Good variety of games: adventure, action, arcade, simulation, racing, sports, time management, hidden object, and puzzle games

From now till 12/31/13, you can get in on this special offer:  Pay $30 for 3 months of flarePlay service, and get a free microconsole (valued at $99).*

 

The flarePlay microconsole behind our tv.  So tiny!

 

Took me two minutes to set up on our tv!

 

Dashboard is similar to Netflix!  Love that it shows last played games and top games.

My husband went for Game of Thrones.  It is so clear!

* Offer expires 12/31/13. Offer includes one free microconsole (reg. $99) with 3 month $30.00 flarePlay basic game tier subscription. Higher flareplay tiers, rental services, add'l features, add'l devices, taxes and other fees are extra. After 3 months, your credit card WILL automatically be charged the $9.99 monthly flarePlay subscription fee.

If service is cancelled between days 31 - 90, the microconsole must be returned in the original packaging to: New Business, 1400 Lake Hearn Drive, Atlanta, GA 30319. Other- wise, a $50 disconnection fee will be charged. Flareplay is available only to California residents 18 years or older. 3 Mbps or higher downstream Internet, in-home Wi-Fi, and HD TV set with an HDMI port required. Uninterrupted or error-free service not guaranteed. A valid credit card is required for billing. Limit one offer per unique email address per account. Offer not combinable with other flareplay offers, promotions or discounts. Other restrictions may apply.

** 30 day money back guarantee entitles you to a refund of the first month subscription fee, device charges and taxes. You must claim refund within the first 30 days of service, and the microconsole must be returned in the original packaging to: New Business, 1400 Lake Hearn Drive, Atlanta, GA 30319.

Our Traveling Pocket Speaker #PocketBoom

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

It is amazing how kids just know technology these days.  My 7 year old son Duke is quite the tech savvy one and because of technology, he has created a super special bond with grandma via FaceTime on his iPod.  He can spend hours chatting with my mom.  My family lives north of Houston, TX and we're in California so it's not like we can just go to grandma's house on the weekends...  the holidays are hard on us because we miss them and they miss us!  Sometimes Duke suggests we take grandma with us when we go places.  I think it's funny but it works... our latest trip to LEGOLAND was spent hanging out in our amazing hotel room for the first day.  It was heavenly.  We brought along our pocket speaker to listen to music, it's extra small extra loud and very portable!  It's less than an inch thick and we love the 360-degree sound (speakers on both sides!)  Let me tell you why we need sound from all angles cause we have kids that love to talk.  I want talk time with my mom too!  Plus I gotta be nosy, I have to hear what's going on haha    

The pocket speaker we're using is by Carbon Audio and is exclusively available at Apple stores.  It is the perfect gift for families especially during holiday activities!  I plan on using it at events I'm hosting too!  Up to 8 hours of music playback, that's the type of thing this parent looks for when shopping around for new gadgets.  Ready to take this on the road again!

Enjoying our view and mini vacation with good tunes!

The boys wanted to say good night to grandma! The built-in mic is high quality in and out.

Easy enough, right? Plus I love the gorgeous blue color - available in 6 colors!

Spend The Summer at Knott's Soak City

One of our favorite things to do in Southern California with kids is spending the day at Knott's Soak City.  We had season passes when I was pregnant with Duke.  We were there just about every day and I had the best tan.  Our routine was to get there early and get chairs in the shade but in a central area.  That was the #1 priority.  Once that was settled and sunscreen was applied, the kids went on their own and I got to relax.  

Of course I would insist on family time and our family favorites are:

Gremmie Lagoon offers our smallest thrillseekers their own pint-sized playground of interactive octopus, submarines and other oversized landmarks that squirt, sprinkle, soak and splash kids and parents too! 

Height Requirement: Must be UNDER 54 inches barefoot  

Sunset River You can’t resist the lazy river action of the 1,780-ft.-long Sunset River. At one-third mile in length, Knott’s giant figure-eight waterway is the widest and one of the longest water park lazy rivers in the world! 

Height Requirement: Guests under 42 inches must be accompanied by a responsible adult 

Rider Safety: Swimmers under 48 inches must wear a life vest

Tidal Wave Bay Locals know to head for our 750,000-gallon Tidal Wave Bay for the City’s best surf. Here, you can bask in the sun when the waves are “off” and shoot the curl when the breakers start rolling in! 

Height Requirement: Guests under 42 inches must be accompanied by a responsible adult 

Rider Safety: Swimmers under 48 inches must wear a life vest

Toyota Beach House Exclusively for tomorrow’s surfers, the Toyota® Beach House offers three stories of hands-on water fun including interactive water guns, nozzles, faucets and other surprises. And beware! Every five minutes the water bucket unloads 500 gallons of water on anyone below!

The kids would beg for Dippin' Dots before we called it a day and if they were lucky we'd do it all over again the next day!  I highly recommend getting Season Passes.  They have been the answer to boredom for us and necessary for those intensely hot Summer days.  We are so excited for opening weekend, we're excited to let the baby play in Gremmie Lagoon!      

2013 Knott's Soak City Pass Prices:    All 2013 Season Passes allow unlimited admission to Knott's Soak City during public operating days.

Adult Season Pass $59.99 - or 6 payments of $9.99

Jr./Sr. Season Pass $56.99 - or 6 payments of $9.49

PRICES GO UP ON MAY 27th!!!  

For more information on Soak City, please visit www.soakcityoc.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  I am a member of GigaSavvy Blogging Network and will receive tickets for this event as well as for the giveaway.  All thoughts are my own.

My Epic Playdate

What would you do on an EPIC PLAYDATE?



I know exactly what I would do.  Actually there are a million scenarios exploding in my mind.  But to start it off, I would fly my nephews in from San Antonio, Texas.  We miss them so much.  I can't help but feel close to them out of all the nieces and nephews because I am a mom of boys.  And my sons love their cousins.  C and I would pick them up from the airport, sign the boys out early from school and surprise them.  And then we would blindfold them and whisk them off to Vegas.  Just kidding!  I think we would stay at a swanky hotel in Hollywood, order in, eat out, walk on Hollywood Blvd. check out all the characters, do some shopping, sightseeing and hang out by the pool.  Doing all the fun tourist stuff just because we can!!!

The last time our nephews were out here together was in 2008.  We had a blast.  We enjoyed hanging out at their hotel in Anaheim because the pool was open 24 hours a day and it had the best view of Disneyland's fireworks without actually being at Disneyland.  The kids really let loose and so did we.  I wish we could do it all over again!



Hyundai is hosting their own Epic Playdate and it sounds AWESOME!!!  It is going down on April 27th from 9am-5pm in Santa Barbara, CA.  Some of the most popular bloggers on the planet will be hosting this epic event.  Would you like to camp on the beach with Dooce, BoingBoing and Oh Happy Day?  Perhaps a paint fight with Mighty Girl or eating ice cream sundaes till you can't no more with Girls Gone Child...  There will be hula hooping with How To Be A Dad!  Crafting with Oh Joy and Say Yes To Hoboken! (Okay I just totally made that one up because that would be dreamy for me)

Sounds fantastic, right?  You can enter to win a trip for four to Hyundai's Epic Playdate Weekend!  It is an invite-only event so you definitely should get in on this (I know I am) because there are FOUR GRAND PRIZE PACKAGES up for grabs!

To enter, you must have a Pinterest account and you must choose Clever Girls Collective when the form asks "How did you hear about us?"

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Fronk's in Bellflower, CA

I usually hate spur-of-the-moment change of plans but all our visiting friend had to say was "burgers and barbecue" and we were there.  Its a shame that we had never heard of Fronk's but better late than never!

The menu has specialty burgers - hand formed, never frozen.  Salads, specialty sandwiches, entrees from the grill and the fryer.  Chris and I make it a point not to order burgers but we couldn't pass up specialty burgers.  Chris ordered The Little Piggy - pulled pork on a patty with coleslaw with beer battered corn on the cob and I got The Bull Burger - fried egg on a patty with maple bacon with beer battered onion rings.  We split our burgers when we got 'em, I sampled mine first, actually I inhaled it.  It was good.  I'll admit, fried eggs on burgers are good but not everyone can do it.  I want my yolk runny and a few places will cook it all the way - wrong.  Fronk's did it the right way.

My burger was good but C's was even better.  Now thats a burger.  The pulled pork was flavorful, not drenched in bbq sauce and tender.  The coleslaw was crisp and had a good sweetness... it went well together!  But the real surprise was the beer battered corn on the cob.  I can not tell you how good it is - You have to try it yourself.  HAVE TO, HAVE TO!  It is LIFE CHANGING.

The beer battered onion rings are the yum too!  Noel & Samantha also split a Little Piggy and a half rack of ribs.  To my surprise (& maybe theirs too) they didn't finish it but kept raving how good it was.

Fronk's was a delicious surprise.  From the food to the staff to the decor.  (Except maybe the crawling clown on the wall.  That kinda freaked us all out)

Noel was in town from NY on a business trip and our other longtime friend Samantha is local.  So many laughs and stories.  It was a perfect impromptu Saturday.  Thanks for the invite family!

I happened to meet the owner Jamie as we were leaving and he's a genuinely nice guy.  Support small business!  


Fronk's Restaurant

9260 Alondra Blvd.
Bellflower, CA 90706
(562) 804-2222

@EatatFronks
Fronk's Restaurant on Facebook

Oshogatsu Family Festival at JANM This Sunday

We're heading to the Japanese American National Museum in LA's Little Tokyo this Sunday to check out the Oshogatsu Family Festival!  

Join us on Sunday, January 6 from 11am – 5pm for a BIG day full of family-friendly fun activities, crafts, and cultural performances…and it’s all FREE!

• Mochitsuki performance & demonstration by Kodama Taiko
• Common Grains returns with the Onigiri Design Contest. Last year, this was so popular that we ran out of rice! This year, we’ll also have a rice tasting and you can purchase different varieties of rice. 
• World-renowned candy artist Shaun Ichiyanagi also returns to make snake sculpture candy! 
• Learn how to play taiko with Bombu Taiko
• Reptacular Animals presents a Reptile petting zoo! Come meet real snakes and other cool reptiles!
• Special fukubukuro (lucky bag) sale at the Museum Store

View the full Oshogatsu Family Festival Schedule at JANM

Take advantage of the free admission all-day to check out Giant Robot Biennale 3 before it closes on January 20!

FREE Pre-Party Event for OC Fair NYE Block Party + Giveaway!

This Wednesday from 5:30 - 9pm, experience the food trucks that will be showcased at OC Fair New Year's Eve Block Party!  There will be contests with giveaways for Block Party tickets, food truck vouchers and other fun stuff. Attendees can also buy their Block Party tickets fee-free from the onsite Box Office before the prices increase.

I have always wanted to attend a safe and fun New Year's Eve Block Party and this year OC Fair New Year's Eve Block Party looks like the place to be!  There are a lot of fun things planned but most exciting are the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s stages with tribute bands Green Today and No Duh!  

It’s a party only the OC Fair would throw with tribute bands, gourmet food trucks, demolition derby, Vegas-style games, carnival rides and a midnight pyrotechnic celebration, all for one affordable admission.

Hours:  Monday, December 31st 7:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

Admission: $47.50-$95 (Pre-sale discounts available through December 30)

Parking: General $10 (first-come), Preferred $20 (reserved)

Location: OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Information: ocfair.com/blockparty (714) 708-1500

Get Social with OC Fair:  @OCFair on Twitter / OC Fair on Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  This is not a sponsored post.  I received complimentary tickets to the fair.  Thoughts are my own.

Start The New Year With Your Family At Knott's

One of my favorite New Years memories with the kids is driving home on the 5 Freeway, the clock on our dashboard turning Midnight and like magic, immediately seeing the fireworks from Knott's.  It is something the kids will remember forever.  Knott's Berry Farm has helped us create some amazing memories this year so its only fitting to finish out this wonderful year by spending New Years there!  

Knott’s  Berry  Farm  will  have  something  for  the  entire  family   this  New  Year’s  Eve  with  a  variety  of  dance  music,  a  family  friendly  comedian   magician,  Clueless  Remix  Featuring  DJ  Resso  and  a  trip  back  to  the  ‘70’s  with  Elton   John  –  The  Early  Years.  All  this  plus  Knott’s  rides,  attractions  and  a  Midnight   Mayhem  Fireworks  Show  in  Calico  Square  will  make  Knott’s  New  Year’s  Eve   celebration  the  place  to  ring  in  2013.

Why do you need a Knott's Season Pass for 2013?  To check out Knott's new boardwalk debuting next Summer!   The  area  will   further  enhance  the  feeling  of  strolling  down  a  colorful  California  Boardwalk  fun   zone  filled  with  amusements,  games,  and  fun  food  offerings.  

• Coast  Rider   The  52  foot  ascent  to  the  top  of  Coast  Rider  will  have  everyone  clinging  to  the   handrails  for  the  ultimate  family  coaster  experience.  The  adventure  aboard  the  ride   gives  guests  the  feeling  of  riding  the  California  coast,  but  once  they  reach  the  crest,  it   is  a  harrowing  journey  down  the  1,339  feet  of  track  filled  with  hairpin  turns,  twists   and  spins.  
• Surfside  Glider   Taking  the  ride  into  their  own  hands,  guests  will  pilot  their  own  Surfside  Glider.   From  a  height  of  28  feet,  these  two-­‐man  aircrafts  zip  through  the  air  providing  a   bird’s  eye  view  of  the  Boardwalk  area  as  they  glide  over  Boardwalk  Bay.  
• Pacific  Scrambler   Everyone  will  be  caught  in  the  spin  of  the  Pacific  Scrambler,  a  family  favorite  and   traditional  Boardwalk  attraction.

To  take  advantage  of  all  the  new  offerings  and  experience  all  of  Knott’s  Farm  Fresh   Fun,  the  park  is  selling  2013  Season  Passes  for  only  $66.99  or  6  easy  payments  of   $11.16  for  a  limited  time.

As  a  Season  Pass  holder  guests  receive:  
• Unlimited  visits  for  the  entire  2013  season
• No  blackout  dates.  That’s  right,  no  blackout  dates.
• Discounts  at  select  food  and  merchandise  locations
• Discounts  on  Halloween  Haunt  Tickets
• One  FREE  visit  during  the  2012  season
• Additional  visits  for  just  $9.99  each  through  December  2012*
• Early  ride  time  on  select  rides  during  summer
• Other  great  Season  Pass  perks  and  surprises  throughout  the  year!  
*Per  passholder/non-­‐transferrable  **Per  passholder/per  day/  non-­‐transferrable.  

To  purchase  passes  and  find  additional  information  on  all  Knott’s  Berry  Farm  has  to   offer,  visit  www.knotts.com.

Disclosure:  This is not a sponsored post.  All thoughts are my own.

Knott's Merry Farm Is Pure Magic!

We really enjoyed ourselves at Knott's Merry Farm on Sunday.  It was gloomy and rainy but with great company and with awesome things to do... good times simply happen.

First stop: Private viewing of "Gift of the Magi" in the historic Knott's Birdcage Theatre.
One of the actors in the play gave an introduction and made jokes about mommy bloggers and us live blogging during the play.  I thought it was hilarious.  We all really enjoyed "Gift of the Magi" - even our 7 month old baby was captivated by the singing and dancing.  I didn't hear one kid cry or whine.  Shocking, I know! but thats how good it was!  Duke said it was his favorite part of our Knott's trip.  It is a beautiful story.  This is a must-see.

Duke says he looks like The Once-Ler from The Lorax (I agree!)

Next:  Visions of Sugarplums Reception.
Oh my.  We walked in to the Wilderness Dance Hall (I always wondered how it looked in there) and the sweet smells tickled my nose.  There was hot chocolate with all the fixins, fresh maple syrup lollipops, made-to-order filled churros, bread pudding and pretzels.  And we could make gingerbread people with real gingerbread cookies or sugar cookies!

My husband Chris swore about the hot chocolate and helped himself to two cups.  Now he's insisting I make hot chocolate at home but I bet it won't be as good as Knott's!  We both fell in love with the filled churros.  I went for a boysenberry churro and got him a strawberry one.  SO GOOD!  My friend Tee of ThatsITMommy.com & I watched the Chef doing something with syrup and ice and decided to try the maple syrup lollipops.  Messy but addicting!  You need one.

My son Duke and Tee's daughter Teagan!

See what happens when you encourage the hashtags #uglychristmassweater and #merryfarm on Twitter - a contest happens!  That's Alma of fieldtripmom.com's ugly Christmas vest that everyone tried on.  It won the contest!  YAY!


After the reception, it was raining and we took the kids to Camp Snoopy where they rode Air Mail three times!!!

Last:  "It's Christmas, Snoopy!" Ice Show in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre
This show is phenomenal!  The skaters are first class!  I really didn't expect to see so much amazing ice skating (We've seen other ice shows)

These snowmen made me laugh.  So funny seeing them wobble around!

AMAZING!

I thought the falling snow was magical...

Until the live doves flew out and gathered at the Christmas tree!  PHENOMENAL!

Knott's Merry Farm is pure magic.


"A Peanuts Holiday Parade" was cancelled because of the rain.  And I had to rush home to take an exam so we missed the "Calico Christmas Tree Lighting" - It was so good hanging with blogger friends and their families, so thankful for Knott's for inviting us to experience their Holiday fun.  There is a lot more to see, do, eat, ride!  Create Holiday memories with your family this Holiday season!   

Knott’s opens daily at 10 a.m. The park closes December 25 to allow its employees to spend Christmas with their families. For information about the day you plan to visit and available discounts, call (714) 220-5200 or click on www.knotts.com or download the Knott’s Berry Farm mobile app for your smartphone.

Disclosure:  This is not a compensated post.  I was invited to a media event.  All thoughts are my own.

#GiveEmRagu Commercial Starring Omie & Duke!

Watch Duke & Omie's super cute Ragu commercial and then I'll tell you how to make one too.  Its easy and fun!  


This Holiday Season you can play filmmaker and create your own commercial starring your kids with Ragu's Give 'em Ragu app on Facebook, iTunes and Google Play.  Inspired by the brand's Long Day of Childhood campaign, parents select adorable, hilarious or silly photos or videos from mobile phones, Facebook or Instagram, add a title and using that phrase, the app will pair the video with an original Ragu jingle. The video can then be shared with family and friends through Facebook or YouTube, and is a great way to connect and share a laugh.

Give 'em Ragu app on Facebook

My thoughts:  I was raised on Ragu and now I use Ragu with my family so I was excited for this app.  I used the Give 'em Ragu app on Ragu's Facebook page, I had no idea how many pictures I could upload but did 20+ and the app only allowed 6-7 pictures.  I added my title and in a couple minutes, my video was ready.  I laughed at the jingle.  It was cute and sorta/kinda went with the pictures.  I made a couple videos including one with video (use a 15 second video) but this was my favorite jingle.  I think its a cute idea, my littles will appreciate their "commercial" when they get older.  I keep watching it and I think in a few more days, I'll have the jingle memorized!  I love when a brand creates something fun for their consumers!    

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  All thoughts are my own.