Today, I am looking back at the twins’ second Halloween. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, and as you know, I love creating new traditions with my family, involving them in activities and making memories together. This year, I planned out, sourced and created our family Halloween costumes, we painted and decorated pumpkins together, we went trick-or-treating at a local shopping center and spent Halloween day playing at Kid Ventures.
Continue reading for all the details on our Halloween 2018. Since I did not start this blog until after last Halloween, I also wanted to share with you a look back on the twins’ first Halloween.
Pumpkin Painting with Toddlers
Pumpkin carving is one of my favorite fall activities. I have made it an annual tradition in our home since I was a young adult. I’m sure there were years, here and there, where we missed pumpkin carving, especially when we were in graduate school or traveling, but it has been a consistent activity for years.
This year, we tweaked our pumpkin carving tradition so that we could enjoy it with the twins without worrying about the mess or the safety of trying to carve pumpkins while getting our twin toddlers involved.
Pumpkin Painting with Toddlers
Earlier in the month, we purchased four pumpkins during our visit to Bates Nut Farm. Unfortunately, one of the pumpkins developed mold, so it had to go before we got the chance to paint it. When it was time for our painting activity, we were left with only three pumpkins to decorate.
Painting Pumpkins for Halloween
I purchased some last minute supplies from Target, including kid safe paint, paint brushes and googly eyes. The pumpkin decorating supplies were pretty slim picking since it was the weekend before Halloween.
I also had some leftover tablecloth from a previous party that we used to cover the kitchen floor and smocks from Ikea that are perfect for arts and crafts with the twins.
Painting Pumpkins
We noticed that older brother was a little bit more adept and focused when it came to painting the pumpkins, but little brother had a lot of fun too!
Overall, I would say our pumpkin painting activity was a success and they even turned out pretty nice!
Finished Pumpkins
DIY Halloween Costumes
We decided to go as our own little zoo for Halloween this year. I purchased a lion and a giraffe costume from Carter’s for the boys and sourced my and hubby’s costumes from our closets and Goodwill.
I found the perfect khaki dress for myself and a khaki dress shirt for hubby from Goodwill. They were $4.99 each. To complete our zookeeper uniforms, I found the logo for the San Diego Zoo online and then re-sized and printed them onto iron-on t-shirt transfers. Finally, all I had to do was figure out the placement for the transfers and iron them on. Super simple!
DIY Zookeeper Costume
Then, we were able to finish our looks with items already in our closet. I added a brown belt and black flats, and hubby wore brown khaki pants and a hat. I think our costumes come out so great, especially considering the cost!
Trick or Treating at the Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch
On the Sunday before Halloween, one of our local shopping centers held a trick-or-treating event for the kiddos and we decided to make that our Halloween activity for this year and skip trick-or-treating on Halloween night.
Trick or Treating with Toddlers
This year, the boys were able to walk to the stores by themselves and carry their Halloween buckets by themselves. We led them to each store that was participating, but they could find the person giving out candy, pick a piece and put it in their bucket.
Lion costume from Carter’s
They totally got the concept, but at 19 months old, they still don’t know what candy is.
We went to the majority of the stores that were participating before we got exhausted and took a break in Starbucks.
When we got home, the boys played with the candy for a little while before we took it away from them. Most of it wound up being shared with hubby’s co-workers the next day!
Photo credit: Keane Studios
I had so much fun trick-or-treating with the boys because I could tell they were having fun and got the concept of it all. Plus, they were so freaking adorable in their costumes!
Halloween Day at Kid Ventures
On the day before Halloween, I got an email that Kid Ventures was offering 50% off admission for those dressed in costume on Halloween Day. Since we needed something to do anyway, I decided to take the boys there for a few hours. Kid Ventures is one of the local indoor play gyms for younger kids, and I had never been before and wanted to check it out.
Halloween at Kid Ventures
The twins had a blast and could have stayed there much longer, but we had to attend a birthday lunch.
Kid Ventures was also doing some activities throughout the day, but the boys were more interested in playing and running around.
Trick-or-treating – Halloween 2017
Last year’s Halloween was very different from this year’s mostly because the boys and I were still living at my parents’ house in Los Angeles, while hubby was living and working in San Diego and would come to visit us on the weekends.
My parents and I took the boys trick-or-treating on Halloween night at Del Amo Fashion Center, near their house in Torrance. They were only 8 months old at the time, so they had no idea of what was going on. When I look back, I cannot believe how little they were! We stopped by only a handful of stores, ate dinner and headed home with our little astronauts!
Hope you enjoyed reading about our Halloween! I cannot wait to see how grown up they will be next year. Now on to planning for Halloween 2019!
Some of you might not know this, but I have been running for the past 6 years. Having my sons put a bit of a gap in my running, but I finally laced up my running shoes for a race last weekend.
Over the past 6 years, many of my personal goals have been centered around running. My most recent goals actually included my twins (sort of). Before the boys were born, I had the goal of completing a half marathon while pregnant, and this year, I had the goal of completing a race with my sons in their jogging stroller.
I am proud to say that I achieved that goal!
Last Saturday, hubby, the boys, our BOB Duallie Stroller and I headed down to Liberty Station in Point Loma for the Fit Foodie Festival and 5K.
Arrival and Pre-Race
We arrived at Liberty Station around 7:15 AM, and there was plenty of parking! We loaded up the stroller, and then headed down to the festival area. I still had to pick up my packet since I skipped packet pick up on Friday night, as I did not want to drive down during rush hour traffic with the boys in tow.
The lines were a little lengthy but moved quickly. After I got my bib and got situated, hubby headed back to the car to try to take a nap, and I wandered around the festival. Many of the booths were already set up and handing out samples. I was lucky because I could stash so much stuff in my stroller. We had food samples, drinks and snacks for the boys and hooded sweatshirts in there!
Another difference between this race and other races that I have run is that since it was a 5K, I didn’t really feel the need to go to the bathroom before the start. It would have been hard for me to do anyway, since I’m not sure how I would keep an eye on the boys while I was in the port-a-potties!
We took part in the pre-race warm up and then headed to the starting area. Participants with strollers were told to line up in the back, which I did. The start was a wave start, so we wound up being in the 8th wave.
Getting ready to start!
Fit Foodie 5K
Almost at the front of the start
Running with a stroller proves to be quite difficult when you are doing a road race. The beginning mile of the course had lots of narrow spots so it was basically impossible for me to run. This section was by far the worst in terms of bottlenecks. It was so narrow and it irritates me so much when walkers insist on starting in early waves and block the entire path. Anyway, I was super frustrated that I couldn’t run or pass people.
A fun element of the Fit Foodie 5K is that the race features snack bites at each mile, but since I was running with the stroller and did not want to stop a bunch of times on the course, I skipped the first and last bite and all of the water stations.
The first bite was a donut, the second was a brownie, which was yummy, and I did not see what the third bite was.
I did not get to take in much of the course as I was more concerned with no running over walkers and trying to make my time goal. There were some pretty spots along Point Loma and we passed this neat ship. Excuse my ignorance, but I’m not sure what ship it is.
Navy Ship? Not sure!
One of the best things about the course in my book was that it was super flat. There was just one spot where we ran over a bridge and back over again that had an incline. My biggest con for this course was the narrow spots and difficulty in passing people.
Finish Line Photo by RaceWire
My official chip time was 37:51
I started my running app early and stopped it late, so my time on the app was 38:21. I was more interested in my split times though. As you can see, we definitely suffered from the blockage of walkers and narrow course because each mile got faster as we went. I also met my time goal of 12:30 per mile! Woohoo!
As we approached the finish line, I saw hubby on the sidelines and he met us when we crossed. I loved it! My fellow runners get how romantic this gesture feels! I was handed my avocado medal and then another volunteer handed me two more for the twins. So glad that they got medals too! They were amazing troopers through the whole race.
We did it!
Festival
After we finished the race, we headed to the festival. There were cooking demos and lots and lots of food and a beer garden. We visited some of the booths that I had not already visited before the race.
Cypress Grove Cheese
By this time, many of the lines were super long and we wanted to take the boys to the park before brunch, so we only went to booths with no or short lines and we also did not see any of the demos or visit the beer garden.
Salad sample
If I do this race again, I will allow for more time to spend at the festival.
Post-Race Brunch
We had brunch planned for 10AM with my brother’s family, so we had to bow out pretty quickly. We headed to the park and then to Swami’s Cafe in Point Loma.
Swami’s Cafe in Point Loma
I ordered the chilaquiles, and they hit the spot! After brunch, it was time for naps all around!
Chilaquiles at Swami’s Cafe
Swag and Medal
I had lots of food samples to try and share! In addition to the booths, finishers also got a tote bag full of samples and coupons as you cross the finish line! Yum!
Lots of food samples
Overall, this was a great, fun race to do to meet my goal of running a stroller-friendly race with my twins! I might even consider doing it again next year if this race returns to San Diego!
Last weekend, we headed to Dallas to visit my sister, brother-in-law and their two pups. My sister lives in the bedroom community of Frisco, Texas, which is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Frisco was the fastest growing US city in 2017 and has grown a huge amount ever since she moved there about 10 years ago. Notably, the Dallas Cowboys moved their headquarters and training facilities to Frisco in 2016.
To be honest, the weather was horrible the entire time we were there. We are so spoiled in San Diego. It was raining on and off the whole weekend, so we had to time our activities during less rainy times or find indoor activities to keep us occupied.
State Fair of Texas
On Friday, we headed to Fair Park to attend the State Fair of Texas. The fair has taken place annually since 1886, except for some breaks during the First and Second World Wars. Over 2 million people attend every year, and it is considered one of the most attended and best state fairs in the country.
I have attended the fair numerous times in the past as a child and visiting my sister and always have a fun time.
The Champ at the State Fair of Texas
Attending the fair with the boys was slightly different than what we are used to. We spent a greater amount of time visiting the animals and doing a couple of kids’ activities.
We started off our day at the Home on the Range exhibit, where we could feed and pet different animals, including cows, donkeys, goats and pigs.
Home on the Range Petting BarnHome on the Range Petting BarGoats at the Petting BarnFeeding the goatsExhausted mom with her piglets
Next, we took the boys to the Little Hands on the Farm activity. They each got to put on an apron and get a basket to act as little farmers! It was seriously the cutest thing!
Little Hands on the Farm
The twins collected different produce, eggs and milk and then took them to the market to sell their products. The boys like to collect things, so they had a blast doing the tasks.
Little Hands on the FarmLittle Hands on the Farm
One of the highlights of the fair is, of course, eating insane fair food. New this year was the “Cotton Candy Taco,” which I did not partake in but did take a photo next to the replica of it!
Cotton Candy Taco
Every time I visit the State Fair of Texas, I have to have a Fletcher’s Corny Dog. This baby was first sold at the fair in 1942 and claim, as others do, to have been the original corn dog. I don’t know who was the first, but Fletcher’s is delicious!
Fletcher’s Original Corny Dog
Another of my must-do activities at the fair is seeing the butter sculpture and the Creative Arts Building. This year’s butter sculpture featured Big Tex’s head and was made from 1,000 pounds of butter!
Butter Sculpture of Big Tex
I love looking at the crafts and food items that regular folks create and submit for the Creative Arts contests. There is so much talent and so much to look at!
It was getting pretty late in the day and Dallas traffic is the pits, so we made our final stop at the Midway to check out the games and rides.
Midway
A section of the Midway is referred to as the Kidway, where there are rides for the little ones. The twins were too small to ride the majority of the rides, but we found a little whale ride to go on with them. They tolerated it, but did not enjoy the ride!
Ride in the Kidway
Little Humans Big Fun
On Day 2 of our visit, we stuck to things that were in Frisco since it was supposed to rain all day long. We started the day off at Little Humans Big Fun. Although they are only open from 9 AM to 10:30 AM, it was definitely worth the $24 that we spent. The twins loved every minute of their time there. That is, except for when little brother got pushed by a mean girl and started to cry.
Grocery store play area
There was a good variety of things for them to do. They were especially obsessed with the grocery store and shopping carts.
Giant Lite BriteAuto shop play area
For parents, there is no admission charge. I seriously do not understand why other places, like the Children’s Museum, charge admission for adults. It makes no sense. Additionally, Little Humans Big Fun also provides free coffee and espresso drinks, tea and wifi!
Foam building blocks
Sci-Tech Discovery Center
We stayed until Little Humans Big Fun closed and decided to head to the Sci-Tech Discovery Center next. Had it not been raining, we would have done a different activity, but our options were limited. I read some pretty unimpressive reviews before we went to the Discovery Center and was not expecting much.
Honestly, it was not that great, but did keep the boys occupied for a good hour or so before we went to lunch.
They loved the bubbles, fire show, and ball drops!
Having fun with auntie!This looks like a good place to sit!
Bye, Auntie and Uncle
I am so happy that we got to visit my sister and brother-in-law, especially while we were able to still take advantage of the twins’ lap child status for our flights! We don’t get to see them that often, so it was nice spending a whole weekend together!
And of course, we also loved seeing Waffles the Corgi and his sister Cinnabon the Chowgi!
I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.
There’s nothing worse than going in to change your baby’s diaper, only to find that they have developed a red, horrible, uncomfortable diaper rash! It makes me so sad to see my sons so uncomfortable and in pain.
Thankfully, we started using Boudreaux’s Butt Paste Diaper Rash Ointment soon after my twins arrived, and their rashes are normally gone within a couple of days. Boudreaux’s Butt Paste gets their little tushies back to normal so quickly. We also exclusively use Boudreaux’s Butt Paste as a preventative in our household to keep those awful diaper rashes at bay as much as possible.
In addition to its Butt Paste products, Boudreaux’s also has the Boudreaux’s Rash Kicking Kit. This kit includes a 2 oz. tube of Boudreaux’s Original Butt Paste, a 2 oz. tube of Boudreaux’s Maximum Strength Butt Paste and a Diaper Cream Applicator. It makes a super useful baby shower gift!
Boudreaux’s Rash Kicking Kit
The Original Butt Paste is recommended to prevent diaper rash and to treat mild diaper rashes. The Maximum Strength Butt Paste is recommended for prevention and to treat moderate diaper rash. Boudreaux’s Butt Paste is also formulated free from dyes, preservatives, parabens and talc.
Boudreaux’s Butt Paste Original and Maximum Strength
Now, I have always been one to just use my fingertips to apply diaper cream, but let me tell you, the Diaper Cream Applicator is a game changer! Applying diaper cream can make a total mess and the cream is sometimes hard to wash off. The Diaper Cream Applicator makes applying the product mess free! Plus, the applicator is BPA free and made of soft silicone so it is gentle on babies. My sons didn’t even notice a difference. Diaper changes are messy in and of themselves, so eliminating additional mess is a good thing!
Boudreaux’s Rash Kicking Kit and other Boudreaux’s products are available to purchase on amazon.com.
I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.
Today, October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day and the month of October is designated Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. President Ronald Reagan first dedicated this month in October 1988.
October 15th is a day of remembrance for pregnancy loss and infant death which includes, but is not limited to, miscarriage, still birth, SIDS or the death of a newborn. Each year this day is observed with remembrance ceremonies and candle-lighting vigils.
My Miscarriage Story
In April 2016, I had a miscarriage at 8 weeks, 2 days gestation. It had been 1,208 days since we started trying to have a family, that is 3 years, 3 months and 22 days. It was the first time in my life that I had ever been pregnant, and my heart broke into a million pieces.
After trying to conceive naturally and with medical assistance, we decided to begin the IVF (in-vitro fertilization) process as our last resort in 2016.
We had a successful egg retrieval and decided to transfer two frozen embryos, the two highest quality, on March 8, 2016.
Babies’ first photo!
After a few days of bed rest, I went back to normal life. Nine days after my FET (frozen embryo transfer), I was scheduled to get a blood draw to see if I was pregnant. I know lots of women start taking home pregnancy tests every day after their transfer, but I refrained from doing this since I knew it would drive me nuts. However, while I was waiting for my blood results to come back, I could not stand it any longer and took a home pregnancy test. It was POSITIVE! My blood draw also confirmed that I was pregnant!
My first ever positive pregnancy test!
I took another home pregnancy test two days later, and then had my second blood draw two days after that. Still pregnant! However, my blood test results did not have the numbers my doctor was hoping for. This was the first sign that things were not progressing as it should be.
Two weeks later, I returned to my doctor’s office for our first ultrasound. This was super exciting for me because we should be able to hear a heartbeat. Look! It’s my old friend Wanda!
We found out that only one of the embryos stuck. The other one did not make it to implantation. We were able to hear a heartbeat but the doctor pointed out that the ultrasound was also not as expected because the area around the embryo was so small. If you look at the ultrasound, the black area surrounding the embryo is usually much larger than this.
First ultrasound
I headed back home after and carried on. There was nothing to do but see what happens. Although my doctor did give us an indication that the pregnancy might not progress normally, all we could do was hope for the best.
Hubby took my very first baby bump photo for me at 6 weeks gestation.
6 Weeks Pregnant
Two weeks after my first ultrasound, I was scheduled to see my OBGYN who would be taking over care of my pregnancy. We had a long conversation about what to expect in terms of my prenatal care, and at the end of my appointment, she wanted to look at the baby with a portable ultrasound machine. I knew something was wrong because there was no heartbeat coming from the machine. She didn’t show me any pictures of the baby and then she said she wanted to send me to the high-powered ultrasound machine. I waited and was taken to the ultrasound room later. The ultrasound tech did not really say anything to me and again, I heard nothing from the machine in terms of the heartbeat. The tech sent me back to the exam room, and I was told to wait for the doctor.
That is when I finally got the news. The baby had basically stopped developing right after my first ultrasound and it had no heartbeat. It was shocking and crushing to hear this. Even though we had been warned and I kind of knew something was off today, I was so sad.
Going through something like this is so difficult but then to have to decide what to do next is truly the worst. The doctor gave me three options: wait, undergo a procedure or use medication. For me, I could not fathom walking around with my dead baby inside of me for an unknown time period and I would rather try the noninvasive approach first before undergoing another procedure.
I left the office with a dose of misoprostol to induce miscarriage at home. I remember having a number of events that weekend including my friend’s bachelorette party and bridal shower. I decided to wait until I came home from the bridal shower to medically start my miscarriage. It happened relatively quickly and I felt pretty normal physically later that day, but the mental effects of having a miscarriage stayed with me.
For me the worst part of having the miscarriage was how it affected my second pregnancy. I came to terms that my first pregnancy was not viable, but the prospect that something could go wrong at any time haunted my second pregnancy.
Every time I entered an ultrasound room, I had a deep fear that there was not going to be a heartbeat. I bought myself a pregnancy journal but could not bring myself to write in it out of fear that the pregnancy would not make it to term. I did not buy anything for my twins until after my baby shower because I was afraid that there would not be any babies to use the items.
I went through my entire pregnancy with fear and I wish that my miscarriage had not robbed me of the joy that being pregnant should have given me.
Miscarriage is so, so common. In fact, one in four pregnancies result in a miscarriage, but it is seldom talked about. I hope by sharing my story that we, as women, can be more open about this issue and support each other through the difficulties of pregnancy loss.
San Diego is having a hard time deciding if it wants to be fall or not, but since it is, we decided to get started on some seasonal activities this weekend before it is too late. Hubby was gone all week for a work conference, so it was nice to do a special activity as a family when he returned.
We headed to Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center, California on Saturday for their pumpkin patch! Last year was actually the first time I had ever been to a pumpkin patch. When I was growing up, it was just not something that we did, but now that I have children of my own, we get to decide as a family what traditions we want to have. I hope we can continue our pumpkin patching tradition, as long as the twins will tolerate it!
Bates Nut Farm is located about 45 minutes from our home in North Coastal San Diego County. We arrived at the farm a little after 10 AM, and let me tell you, am I glad that we did not arrive later in the day! It was insanely busy already.
Unbeknownst to us, there was a lot more than the pumpkin patch going on this weekend. There was also a Safety Expo and a Crafts Fair happening. Additionally, there was live music later that afternoon. Needless to say, there was a lot going on at Bates Nut Farm!
Bates Nut Farm also has a bunch of activities, including hayrides, a straw maze, petting zoo and pony rides. There is also plenty of food and snacks available.
Wagon Ride
We were honestly a little overwhelmed when we first got there and kind of wandered around to get the lay of the land. We saw some corrals with animals in them, so we headed over there since our sons LOVE animals. There were ducks, chicken, geese, pigs, cows, sheep, goats and, my personal favorite, alpacas!
Alpaca
Then we swung into the General Store, where you can pick up candy, fudge and knickknacks.
Bates Nut Farm General StoreBates Nut Farm General StoreWheelbarrows for collecting pumpkins
It was starting to get a bit drizzly so we headed over to the pumpkin patch to let the kids run around amongst the Big Mac pumpkins and take some photos.
Exploring the Pumpkin Patch
Then we picked out our pumpkins for this year before saying good bye to Bates Nut Farm.
Now that we know what to expect from the Bates Nut Farm Pumpkin Patch, I think we will be much more prepared to spend a whole day there if we decide to return next year! We had a great time. We just weren’t expecting there to be so much to do!
There is still time to visit Bates Nut Farm’s Pumpkin Patch
It will be open until Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Hours: Monday to Friday 9 AM to 5:30 PM
Weekends 8:30 AM to 6 PM
Fridays October 12 and 19th 3 PM to 8 PM
$5 Parking fee on October weekend
Check their calendar for a schedule of events, including Scarecrow Contest, Costume Contest and Parade, Dog Costume Contest and live music performances
One of our favorite places to go to in San Diego is Balboa Park. It also happens to be ranked the #3 Thing to Do in San Diego on TripAdvisor.com
Balboa Parkis a 1,200-acre park with open spaces, gardens, walking/hiking paths, theatres, the San Diego Zoo and museums. The park was established in 1835 and is one of the oldest recreational parks in the United States. It hosted international expositions in the early 1900s, which left many architectural landmarks. Today, many of those buildings house Balboa Park’s museums.
Museum of Man
Balboa Park is currently home to 16 museums. They are:
Centro Cultural de la Raza
Fleet Science Center
Marston House
Mingei International Museum
Museum of Photographic Arts
San Diego Air & Space Museum
San Diego Art Institute
San Diego Automotive Museum
San Diego History Center
San Diego Mineral and Gem Society
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego Museum of Art
San Diego Museum of Man
San Diego Natural History Museum
Timken Museum of Art
Veterans Museum and Memorial Center
Now that we are a single-income household, we are always looking for inexpensive, fun and creative things to do as a family and being new to San Diego, I have had to learn as we go. For that reason, I wanted to share the five best tips and tricks I have discovered for saving money on admission to the museum’s of Balboa Park.
#1 Get a Balboa Park Explorer Pass
Purchasing the Balboa Park Explorer Annual Pass is a great way to save money on admission to the museums in Balboa Park. This pass is valid for one year from the date of purchase and includes admission to 16 museums. It costs $129 for one adult and $229 for the Family Pass (two adults and four kids).
Balboa Park museums offer free general admission on a rotating basis throughout the month to residents of the City and County of San Diego and to active military personnel and their dependents. Proof of address may be required.
The current schedule is as follows:
First Tuesday
Fleet Science Center
Centro Cultural de la Raza
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum
Second Tuesday
Museum of Photographic Arts
San Diego History Center
Veterans’ Museum and Memorial Center
Third Tuesday
San Diego Museum of Art
San Diego Museum of Man
Japanese Friendship Garden
Fourth Tuesday
San Diego Air & Space Museum
San Diego Automotive Museum
SELECT House of Pacific Relations International Cottages
San Diego Art Institute
If there is a fifth Tuesday in a month, regular admission prices will be in effect.
#3 Check Out a San Diego Public Library Museum Pass
San Diego Public Library card holders can check out 14-day passes to either the Museum of Man or the San Diego Museum of Art. The passes are valid for up to two adults and four children. Additional fee may be required for special exhibitions. To check it out, sign on to your San Diego Public Library account, place a hold on the museum pass, and then wait. Currently, there are over 500 on the hold list for the Museum of Art pass, but if you are not in a rush to visit, this is definitely worth trying!
We were able to use the Museum of Man pass to visit with the twins over the summer, and it was a lot of fun!
Monsters! Exhibit at the Museum of ManMonsters! Exhibit at the Museum of Man
#4 Kids are Free in October
Kids can get free admission to over 40 San Diego County museums, including many museums in Balboa Park, thanks to the San Diego Museum Council.
#5 Get Half off Admission for Macy’s Museum Month in February
During the entire month of February, local San Diegans and visitors alike are able to take advantage of half-off admission at more than 40 San Diego museums. This program takes place annually through Macy’s and the San Diego Museum Council.
To take advantage of this promotion, just stop by any local San Diego Macy’s store to pick up your Museum Month pass.
Check the San Diego Museum Council website in late-January to view a list of participating museums and to find out where to pick up your museum pass.
The different museums have vary widely on the cut-off for free admission for youth under a certain age. For example, the San Diego Museum of Art offers free admission for youth 17 years and under. The Museum of Man is free for children under 5 years old, while the kids two and under are free at the Air and Space Museum. Make sure to check these age limits and visit before they hit the upper limits to save even more!
On Saturday, we attended the 7th annual Celebrity Red Carpet Safety Event, held on the Sony Pictures Studio Lot in Culver City, California. This fun, educational event is hosted by Ali Landry and Saarah Samadani (aka Beauty Momme) and aims to spread awareness on keeping our children safe, especially in the area of car seat safety.
So much to do at the Red Carpet Safety Event
There was so much to do! There were car seat safety checks, an art and coloring station, flower crowns, car seat safety demonstrations from Diono, UPPAbaby, Nuna, Cybex and DOONA, a ton of high-end brands to learn more about, including Munchkin, OXOTot, Babyganics, ergobaby, Happy Family and so many more.
Checking out products from Munchkin
Honestly, we spent the majority of the time playing! Step2 had a huge set up at the event with coasters, play houses, kitchens, workshops, a ball pit and push cars.
The boys loved the play kitchens and coasters. They could have stayed there all day long and had so much fun! There was also a bunch of water tables set up for play time, but we didn’t want to drive home with soaking wet twins!
Having fun in the ball pit!Exploring one of Step2’s KitchensLittle brother getting his workshop in orderCoaster!!!
As I mentioned before, this event occurs annually. Ticket prices depending on what level of ticket you purchase. We paid around $85 for our ticket, which included admission for the entire family, a gift bag and the Step2 Metro Modern Kitchen. Amazon is currently selling the same kitchen for $152, so the fact that our ticket price included the kitchen makes the ticket ridiculously worth the price.
Now, for the gift bag. It is seriously loaded with stuff! There is too much to list it all, but a few of my favorites are the Munchkin stainless steel 360 cup and the OXOTot roll up bib.
To be honest, this event was one of my favorite family events so far and we are definitley going to make every attempt to attend again next year!
Last week, the boys and I went on another one of our weekly adventures. Queen Califia’s Magical Circle had been on our radar for a while now. In March, we saw an exhibit on Niki de Saint Phalle‘s work at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. That was when I first learned about Queen Califia’s Magical Circle and decided that I had to take the boys to see it when they were older.
Model of Queen Califia’s Magical Circle from the Niki de Saint Phalle: Mythical California exhibit
Incidentally, I had previously been exposed to another one of Niki de Saint Phalle’s works when I last went to Paris in 2011 and stopped by the Stravinsky Fountain.
Stravinsky Fountain in Paris, France
About Queen Califia’s Magical Circle
Opened to the public in 2003, Queen Califia’s Magical Circle is a sculpture garden located in Kit Carson Park in Escondido, California. It was one of the last works of Niki de Saint Phalle, a Franco-American sculptor and artist, whose later years were spent living in La Jolla.
The garden is named after Califia, a mythical warrior queen from the Island of California and inspired by California’s history and culture.
The Magical Circle includes a circular outer wall and maze entry, ten large sculptures and is surrounded by plants and trees.
Entering into Queen Califia’s Magical Circle
Once your enter the Magical Circle, you make your way through a wall maze until your reach a courtyard, which features 10 large sculptures.
The central piece is a sculpture of Queen Califia standing on top of an eagle and holding a bird above her head.
Visitors are able to walk underneath the sculpture to view a golden egg.
The remaining sculptures were designed as totems that were influenced by Native American and Mexican traditions.
How to Get There
As this was my first time visiting Kit Carson Park, I had a difficult time locating Queen Califia’s Magical Circle and had to ask someone for directions. I entered Kit Carson Park from Bear Valley Parkway and turning left onto Entrance Drive. Follow the road and if you see the snake sculpture, you are getting close.
Drive past the snake sculpture on your left and then turn left after the Maintenance Building. Once you reach the next parking lot, park and then walk straight into the park. You will see a sign for Queen Califia and then it is just a short walk to the Magical Circle. The path changes from paved to dirt, so if you are pushing a stroller, keep this in mind. I used my BOB stroller with all-terrain wheels and had no problems. I am glad I brought it with me instead of our Maclaren umbrella stroller, which would have made it difficult to make it along the dirt path.
Queen Califia’s Magical Circle is completely surrounded by a security gate and there is one entrance into the garden that will give you access.
I was allowed to push my stroller through the maze and parked in by the wall inside the courtyard. This was a life saver for me since I have twins and it would be near impossible for me to walk through the garden without the aid of a stroller.
How to Prepare
Queen Califia’s Magical Circle has very limited hours of operation and they can change at any time. Currently the hours of operation are as follows:
Tuesday, 9 am to noon
Thursday, 9 am to noon
2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, 9 am to 2 pm
The garden is closed for rain or when there is puddling from rain within the last 24-48 hours.
Docents are available during all open hours to answer questions.
Be sure to wear sun protection when you visit as the only shade that is available is underneath the central sculpture by the golden egg. All other areas of the courtyard are exposed to the sun.
We arrived around 10 am and there was only one other group of people there. I recommend arriving early if you want to get photos without a lot of strangers in them or want to enjoy the garden alone.
Kid-Friendly
The garden was a hit with the boys. They especially loved running around the open courtyard and exploring underneath the Queen Califia sculpture. We will definitely be back later this fall!
