August 2015 - Over The Top Mommy

Month: August 2015

Knott’s Scary Farm Will Make Your WORST Nightmare Come True! #ScaryFarm

August 30, 2015 / Family Fun, Knott's, Lifestyle, Orange County

I’ts almost time for Knott’s Scary Farm again! If you know me, you know that I have a serious love-hate relationship with all of the scary things at Scary Farm! They terrify me in a big way but I can’t stop myself from wanting to be around them either! Last year’s Haunt was so crazy-fun that I cannot wait to experience it again this year! Knott’s Scary Farm seems to get freakier every year, which is probably why it’s so much addicting! This year’s Scary Farm will run for 24 frightful nights between September 24 and October 31st! Are you ready for all of the details?

Before I proceed with the the details about the mazes, scare zones, shows, and thrill rides, let’s first talk the Scary Farm Pass! The pass gives you unlimited to all 24 event nights at Knott’s Scary Farm and is such an amazing deal at just $80! Knott’s is also offering a specially discounted price on the Scary Farm Pass to current Knott’s Berry Farm Season Passholders.

This year, you also have the option to add parking to your Scary Farm Pass. If you are a current Knott’s Berry Farm Season Passholder and already have parking and purchase a Scary Farm Pass, you will automatically have parking on your Scary Farm Pass and don’t need to add it! Honestly, the Scary Farm Pass is an amazing deal and pays for itself by your 2nd visit. You should go grab yours now as quantities are limited!

So, let’s get on with the details of what you can expect to find at Knott’s Scary Farm this year! 11 mazes, 1000 monsters, 2 live shows, 12 thrill rides, and 3 scare zones! So many fan favorites are returning this year with an addition of some crazy, new things. I swear Knott’s raises the bar every year for this event!

Here are the 11 terrifying mazes you’ll find at this year’s Scary Farm:

Pinocchio Unstrung
Black Magic
Trick or Treat
Forevermore
VooDoo: Order of the Serpent
The Tooth Fairy
Special Opps: Infected-Patient Zero
The Gunslinger’s Grave
Dead of Winter (new this year)
My Bloody Clementine (new this year)
Paranormal Inc. (new this year)

One of the options that Scary Farm guests have is to add Fright Lane with Skeleton Key to their ticket. This offers unlimited priority access to 10 mazes all night long. The Skeleton Key, which is included with all Fright Lane passes, unlocks a secret extra room inside of five mazes. I went into some of the secret rooms last year and whoa! Extra freaky! Guests purchasing Fright Lane with Skeleton Key will receive a commemorative lanyard and collectible keychain with purchase (While supplies last)! Click here to purchase yours.

This year, both of the shows returning to Knott’s Scary Farm are big fan favorites! I loved seeing both of them at last year’s Haunt.

You can always expect a great performance by Elvira: The Mistress of the Dark! She is back with a brand-new show called Asylum, which will include music, dancing, and comedy! Also, fans have the chance to meet Elvira just by stopping by Elvira’s Boo-tique and spending a minimum of $50. (Meet and Greet opportunity is only available to a limited to a number of guests each night)

The second live show is The Hanging®-Straight Outta Calico! This show is a hilarious and controversial parody show performed on the stage in Calico Square! I can’t wait to see what kind of political jokes they’re going to bust out this year! I also cannot wait to see which celebrity they’re going to hang!

I love the scare zones! They pretty much cover the entire park so if you’re not in line for a ride, you’re walking through some portion of a scare zone! There are 3 different ones returning this year throughout the park and each have their own theme and set of monsters and other creepers to deal with.

CarnEVIL (The Boardwalk)
Fiesta De Los Muertos (Fiesta Village)
Ghost Town– the largest Scare Zone at Knott’s Scary Farm (Old West Ghost Town®)
Also, new for 2015 is The Deadly 7 which is park-wide.

Knott’s offers a couple different dinner options to “feed the beast”. You can enjoy the Knott’s Scary Farm Boo-fet Dinner with seatings at Chicken Dinner Restaurant or Spurs Chophouse. After dinner, you’ll enjoy early entry into Knott’s Scary Farm before it opens to other mortals. Click here for pricing.

Knott’s also offers hotel packages at the Knott’s Hotel for Scary Farm fans wanting to turn a night of thrills into a full-service weekend getaway! Packages are based on double occupancy and are subject to availability. Call the Knott’s Hotel at (714) 995-1111 or (866) 752-2444 or click here for reservations and pricing.

The dates for Knott’s Scary Farm this year are:

September 24, 25, 26
October 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, and 31!

Knott’s Scary Farm hours are:

7:00pm – 1:00am Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
7:00pm – 2:00am Fridays and Saturdays

Knott’s Scary Farm Parking

Parking for Knott’s Scary Farm is $20 per vehicle and can be purchased online (plus applicable fees) or at the parking booth upon arrival. All Season Parking is valid during Knott’s Scary Farm.

Other information about Knott’s Scary Farm

Scary Farm is not recommended for children under 13
Guests may not wear costumes
Re-entry is not permited
Buy your tickets early because this event is expected to sell out!

So are YOU ready for this year’s Scary Farm? Tell me, what are YOU most excited for?

For more information about Knott’s Scary Farm, click here.

{Giveaway} Rubba Ducks® Have Arrived at The Boathouse in Disney Springs! Enter to Win One of Your Own!

August 22, 2015 / Disney, Lifestyle, Travel

You may have heard some major QUACKING goin’ on at The Boathouse Restaurant in Disney Springs and it’s not Donald Duck! They’re actually Rubba Ducks® and you’re going to fall in love with them! (We have already!) Rubba Ducks are the premiere rubber duck toys with personality. Each one is super cute! They’re lots of fun to collect and give as gifts. They’re also the only non-Disney toy sold in The Boathouse gift shop.

Rubba Ducks® was founded in 1997 and was the first company to bring character rubber ducks to life. What’s special about these ducks is that they are uniquely designed to communicate their individual personality and characters. While there are the traditional-themed ducks dressed as police, firemen, sports and animals, these ducks go a step further in incorporating specialized hobbies and interests like a train con’duck’tor, a marathon runner duck, a ‘groovee’ duck, and even a duck who loves a good cappuccino!

Each of the Rubba Ducks® is adorned with a tattoo on its tail feathers reflecting its unique personality and has its own hatch date with an engaging bio found on its trading card.

It’s all in the details. These ducks are chock full of elements, from vibrant colors to ornate sculpturing to decorative costumes and designs. Here are 2 fun facts about Rubba Ducks that parents are going to especially love:

They float upright at all times. Rubba Ducks are designed with weights at the bottom so they will always float upright whether it’s in your own sink, bathtub or pool!
Most rubber ducks have a hole in the bottom which, when used in the bathtub, can retain mold. Rubba Ducks do not, which means Rubba Ducks don’t get moldy from being played with in the water!

You can enter to win a Rubba Duck of your very own, too! All you have to do is comment on this blog post, telling me who you want to win one for? (It’s ok if you say it’s for yourself). Giveaway ends on August 31st at 11:59 p.m. and I will choose one winner randomly on September 1st. Thanks for reading and entering! Good luck!

Swim on over and connect with Rubba Ducks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!

{Giveaway} Summer Fun at BOOMERS Irvine! Enter to Win a Family 4-Pack of Tickets!

August 20, 2015 / BOOMERS! Irvine, Family Fun, Lifestyle, Orange County

This summer, we’ve been trying to make the most of our time off by doing as much as possible together before school starts! One of the items on my daughter’s Summer Bucket List was to spend a day out with friends at BOOMERS! in Irvine. If you haven’t visited BOOMERS! yet, it is so much fun for both kids and adults. It’s free to get in and walk around and there are a ton of things to do inside. (pricing for the attractions varies) Also, there’s no charge for parking.Here are just some of the attractions you’ll find at BOOMERS:

Miniature golf
Thunder Road Go Karts
Lil Thunder Road Go Karts
Bumper Boats
Rock Wall
Batting Cages
Laser Tag
King Arthur’s Carnival (kid-sized rides)

At BOOMERS! Irvine, you’ll also find a game room with a TON of arcade games. Some of the games even allow players to earn tickets that they can turn in for prizes!

It’s super convenient that BOOMERS! has an indoor snack bar for when the kids (and moms) get hungry. The menu offers a variety of food and drinks, including pizzas, salads, and kids meals.

As a parent, I like that I could go to BOOMERS! and be inside supervising everything that the kids were doing. The attractions area, itself, has a gate around it, and as you walk around, trailing your kids, there are several areas for you to sit and watch and chit chat with the other adults in your party!

Our group included 6 kids and 5 moms and we were there for over six hours on our visit! The kids just kept on going and did not want to leave when it was time to go. I highly recommend visiting BOOMERS with a group of friends. It’s a great way to create fun memories!

Pricing for the different attractions varies. I think the best value if you’re going for the day is the 4 hours of unlimited attractions for $39.99. However, they offer some amazing deals on passes too! To get more information about pricing, click here.

I’m so excited to be able to host a giveaway for my readers! Yep! BOOMERS! Irvine is giving me TWO family 4-packs of tickets to give away to 2 of my awesome readers! To enter, just follow the instructions below in the Rafflecopter. Oh and don’t worry, the winners’ tickets are good for any time, not just summer! (I know a lot of kids have already gone back to school) Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connect with BOOMERS! Irvine on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Thank you BOOMERS Irvine for hosting us for a day of fun!

Your Love For Disney…..When Did It Start For YOU? #DisneySMMC #WDIS4U

August 18, 2015 / Disney, Disney, Lifestyle, Social Media, Social Media Conferences, Travel, Uncategorized

As a mom who loves Disney and shares A LOT about Disney online, it was such an honor for me to receive an invitation to the 2015 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities we (the attendees) received at the celebration, including access to hear amazing speakers like Jeffrey Epstein from D23. Jeffrey’s presentation at the conference had me teary-eyed (in a good, Disney way, of course) and beyond emotional. He shared one of D23’s latest campaigns with us called “When Did It Start For You?“.

The campaign asks Disney fans to share when they first remember falling in love with Disney and becoming a lifelong fan. It was fun to watch different clips of celebrities, a Disney Legend, some current Imagineers, and even some D23 fans. I couldn’t help but tear up as I watched each video. Listening to these people who all shared a common Disney bond share about their own personal reasons for loving Disney and feeling inspired by Disney was something I could relate to.

What inspired me the most though was when I looked up at the screen and realized there was a “When Did It Start For You” clip of someone that I knew up there! She’s mostly an acquaintance I know online, which is how this whole social media thing works, but regardless, to look up and hear Ashley speaking about her own experience was literally speaking straight to my own heart! The picture of her as a young girl was adorable!

It really hit home when she proceeded to talk about being bullied and how her love for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” was her own escape from the ugliness of bullying. The “Ashley” I know online is a fun-loving, adorable Disney girl who posts tons of beautiful Disney photos. I had NO IDEA about all she’d been through and that she’d overcome so much. I admire her immensely for sharing her story on the big screen!

Watch her story here (you’ll probably need a tissue):

I’m trying to remember when it started for me? I can’t remember exactly though. I think I was a baby! I grew up living pretty close to Disneyland. When our family did visit Disneyland (it was a single park back then), it was in the summer and we always had to make the most of one day, from park opening to park closing. It wasn’t like present day where so many people are fortunate enough to have an Annual Pass and can just visit for a couple hours at a time.

I only have faint memories of my early Disneyland days. I can recall things like The Matterhorn, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and It’s a Small World. I remember eating lunch at Carnation Gardens and I remember watching the Main Street Electrical Parade at night.

Our day at Disneyland was like the one day a year I didn’t fight with my younger brother since we were too busy being in awe of all the magic! What I do remember is that it was all about being with our little family and creating memories together.

As I got older, my love for Disney continued to grow and I’d visit Disneyland with my friends (and no parents. One of my high school dreams was to dance in one of the Disneyland parades. I never had the technical training to make it to the final cuts of Disney auditions, but I will say that it was fun to spend hours and hours on the old backlot of Disneyland where they used to hold the auditions.

Luckily for me, they created a parade for Disney’s 45th anniversary that guests could actually dance in. It was called “The Parade of the Stars” and guests were picked up along Main Street, U.S.A. in the Omnibus and taken backstage to learn their parts.

We got to dance the entire parade route from It’s a Small World to the top of Main Street, U.S.A.! I danced in it on two different occasions, so it was a dream come true…twice! They even gave each of us a commemorative pin for participating.

Once I became a mom, my love for Disney was something that I quickly passed on to my own daughter. Her first visit to the parks was at Christmas time when she was just 7 months old. I don’t know how much she remembers about that particular visit, but when she was about a year and a half, she and I started visiting the parks together approximately 2-3 days a week together.

My daughter and I watched “The Parade of Dreams” so many times during its run at Disneyland! Now, just hearing the music from that parade brings back all of the fun memories we created together when she was really little.

I would say that my love for Disney has come full circle because now I’m here blogging about it too. I could go on typing thousands of words about this topic too, but I think everyone gets the message loud and clear. “When Did It Start For You?” is something we can ALL relate to. It’s fun to hear others’ personal stories.

Do YOU have a particular memory or reason for when it all started for YOU? Share with me in the comments!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Monster Musical Out on Disney DVD September 8!

August 16, 2015 / Disney DVDs, Movies

I get so excited whenever I see anything Halloween! How adorable are those Mickey bats? I’m totally ready for Halloween like NOW!

Well, look what’s arriving soon, just in time for Halloween! It’s Mickey’s Monster Musical and it’s releasing on Disney DVD on September 8! Join Mickey and All His Friends in Their Favorite Fun and Spooky Adventure! The DVD Includes nearly 2 hours of adventure PLUS An Exclusive Trick-Or-Treat Mini Tote!

Here’s a synopsis of the DVD:

Put on your favorite Halloween costume and get set for a spooktacular full-length adventure. Visit the creaky castle of kindly “Count Mickula” and help your Clubhouse pals solve a puzzling riddle: Who, or what, is making a curious clanging, banging noise? With the right Monster Mouseketools and help from YOU, this mystery will soon be history! Then, enjoy two more exciting episodes as you search for pirate treasure with Captain Mickey and don your dungarees for delightful fun down on the farm. Packed with singing, dancing, laughter and surprises, Mickey’s Monster Musical is a high-spirited treat that can’t be beat.

The DVD includes these episodes:

Mickey’s Monster Musical (Part 1 & 2)
Mickey’s Pirate Adventure (Part 1 &2)
Mickey’s Farm Fun Fair

So tell me, are YOU more excited for Halloween now? I know I am!

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the Mickey’s Monster Musical for my own review. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

{Giveaway} Win Tickets for R5 in Concert on 8/23 at The Greek Theatre, LA on “Sometime Last Night” Tour! @OfficialR5

August 12, 2015 / Concerts, Entertainment, Greek Theatre

My daughter and a majority of her friends can rattle off the names of the R5 members faster than I can even count to 5! Can you? (This mom can!)

R5 is led by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Ross Lynch and, R5 came together in 2009 and is comprised of Lynch’s siblings Riker (bass/vocals), Rocky (lead guitar/vocals) and Rydel (keyboard/vocals) and friend Ellington “Ratliff” (drums/vocals). R5 first came together in 2009 and has rapidly emerged as an exciting new voice in the world of pop rock!
Ross currently stars in Disney Channel’s hit comedy series Austin & Ally, as Austin Moon. He recently won his third consecutive Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite TV Actor for his role on the show. He can also be seen on the Disney Channel Original Movies Teen Beach Movie and Teen Beach 2, where he plays modern day surfer Brady. We are huge Ross Lynch fans in our home and have seen him twice in person. Once was at a Teen Beach Movie Meet and Greet in Downtown Disney and the second time was at the filming for the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade at Disneyland!

Exciting news for R5 fans! After almost two years of touring the world to packed-house crowds in more than 20 countries, enthralling fans across the globe with their live show, pop-rock quintet R5 has announced the upcoming release of their sophomore album, Sometime Last Night, AND a major U.S. summer headlining tour of the same name making a stop at the famed Greek Theatre, LA on August 23! The show will also feature special guests Jacob Whitesides and Ryland! The show starts at 7 p.m. For ticket information, click here.

Here comes some more good news for R5 fans…I’m giving away a 4 pack of tickets to the concert on 8/23 at at 7 p.m. the Greek Theatre! Yep, one lucky reader will win 4 tickets! All you have to do is enter below on the Rafflecopter! Be sure to read the directions carefully! Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
US Residents Only. No purchase necessary to enter. All fans have an equal chance to win, however, you must enter to win. A winner will be randomly selected via RaffleCopter and notified via email. No cash value. Winner will have 72 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected the same way. Several different ways to earn entries (some can be done daily). Prize will be fulfilled by sponsor. One prize per household. Not liable for unclaimed prizes or fulfillment. Good luck! – See more at: http://www.letsplayoc.com/2015/08/r5-sometime-last-night-tour-greek-theatre-los-angeles.html#sthash.et4VJnNM.dpuf

What It’s Like to Apply for The Disney Parks Moms Panel! Should I Apply Again This Year?

August 9, 2015 / Disney, SoCal Fun

If you’re active on Twitter like I am, then you may have seen the tweet that came from the Disney Moms Twitter account recently, sharing exciting news about the Disney Parks Moms Panel!

It’s almost that time of year again…the time when the application window opens for the Disney Parks Moms Panel! It only opens once a year and it’s a VERY exciting time, especially on Twitter! If you’re not following the Disney Moms account on Twitter already, you should go do so now.

The Disney Parks Moms Panel is a select group of moms (and some dads) who are chosen through a very extensive search. After they are chosen, they go on to be part of an online forum where they help Guests by answering questions and offering advice and tips about Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland Resort in California, Disney Vacation Club, Disney Cruise Line, team sports at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and runDisney events. Applicants initially complete an online application for Round One, which contains questions in essay format. Those who advance past Round One may be asked to submit a video, participate in a phone interview or conference call, or even do other things as part of the selection process. It’s a ton of fun to participate in! I’d even call it magical!

I’ve applied for The Disney Parks Moms Panel twice. Two years ago I applied in a hurry without knowing much about it. I don’t even think I double-checked my spelling ( you totally should though) and I actually just quickly typed up and submitted my answers one morning right before the 8:00 a.m. school bell rang! I realized afterwards that I should’ve taken more time. I didn’t make it past Round One that year and it motivated me to plan better for the following year.As soon as the application window opened last September for Round One, I was on it! I took so much time! I researched the answers a ton and was super careful. I must add that Disney is really looking for the real you and not something that’s been rehearsed or memorized. Yes, you can study certain things but they can spot a true Disney Side when they see one! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I received a pixie-dusted email informing me that I was advancing to Round Two! That email in itself, was already magical! Last year, Round Two required a video submission though! Yikes! Me? On video? I sound about 12 years old on camera! The thing is…I really wanted to be part of the Moms Panel so I knew I needed to get past my insecurities about being on camera! I’ve seen some of the Disney Parks Mom Panelists on videos before and they seemed comfortable in their own skin so that’s what I was going to work on portraying.

One Sunday, I put on my best Disney Mom outfit, a pair of cute EARs (those are kind of necessary), and my Disneyland Mom button. I also put on some makeup and curled my hair. I locked myself in my daughter’s room for about 6 hours that day, with Woody and Jessie on the bed post behind me and about a dozen stuffed animals to keep me company. I can’t even count how many retakes I shot on iMovie that day! I had SO many outtakes! They were funny to look through afterwards!

I was super proud of myself for doing it. I conquered the video requirement and sent it off to Disney! I wasn’t selected to advance to Round Three last year, but I really felt like I’d a gained a lot from applying again AND was honored to even get to Round Two. Honestly, it was totally worth all of the time and effort I put into it. Are there some things I’d do differently if I were to apply again? Absolutely! I’ve put together a list of some tips for applying for The Disney Parks Moms Panel. These are just my own tips for others who are considering applying.

I think #5 is the MOST IMPORTANT one! You have to stay positive and believe in yourself. You should also be supportive of others who are applying. I made so many friends in the process of applying and found so much support and praise on Twitter. It was a magical time, even though I was stressed out to the max! Each time pixie-dusted emails were sent out informing applicants about whether or not they were advancing to the next round, I found so much love from Disney friends. Not only did it come from others who were applying but also from Disney friends, including the current Disney Moms panelists, themselves! It’s such a great experience and the Disney people make you feel special, whether you are chosen for the panel or not. I thought it was so nice that they bothered to send a kind email to those who didn’t make it. It’s so much better than just never hearing anything.

So…do I apply for the 3rd time this year? Is the 3rd time going to be “the charm” for me? Hmmm…what do YOU think? Are YOU going to apply this year? Have YOU applied before too? If you plan on applying this year, Round One of the Disney Parks Moms Panel Search begins at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 and will remain open until noon ET on Tuesday, September 15, 2015! If you are going to apply, good luck and chEARs!

Family Travel Made Easier With the New Cars Daredevil Garage App! #DisneyPixarCarsToGo

August 5, 2015 / Apps, Travel

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DisneyPixarCarsToGo #CollectiveBias

At the beginning of summer, when we were making our “Summer Bucket List”, we thought it would be fun to add some family travel, like a little road trip for our family of 3, to the list. I love road trips. I love exploring new areas. I love driving in what seems to be the middle of nowhere because of all the beautiful nature. I just love the idea of getting away (but still having our own car). There is one thing I don’t adore about road trips though…the questions that come from the back seat!

I’m almost sure the Road Trip Fairy timed the release of a new app called Cars Daredevil Garage to coincide with our road trip this summer because it came out right before our trip!

My daughter LOVES watching the Disney Pixar Cars movie and anything Cars related! The Cars Daredevil Garage app is fun for kids (and moms like me) because they get to join Lightning McQueen, Mater and all of their favorite Cars characters to power through virtual worlds of heart-racing stunts. There are over 160 cars to choose from in the new Cars Daredevil Garage app! The app is now available as a free download and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It’s optimized for iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6.

How cute does it look?

undefined on Disney Video

Go to the App store on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone. (I have it downloaded on more than one device).
Search “Cars Daredevil Garage: App. It’ll look like this.
Click “Get”. Be sure to have your Apple ID ready because it usually asks you to enter it when you download a new app.
Click “Install” and wait for the app to fully download.
As soon as it’s fully downloaded, it’ll look like this on your desktop.

Before we left on our road trip, we made a special trip to Toys “R” Us to check out some of the Pixar Cars toys they had and found some exclusive Cars Die-Cast vehicles like Hudson Hornet, Antonio Veloce Eccellente and Green Ramone that are exclusive to Toys “R” Us. They also had a bunch of the Radiator Springs Story Sets on the shelf, so I grabbed one to bring with us for the hotel room.

You can find all of these fun Cars toys in the toy section. I didn’t refer to any of it as a “Boys Toys Section” or “Girls Toys Section” because I’ve always encouraged my daughter just to play with anything and everything!

When you first open the app, this is the screen you’ll see. *Cue the fun music As you navigate through the game, you’ll be given choices for things you can play.

I appreciate that the app informs users, right away, about in-app purchases. It’s always important for kids to get permission from parents before adding on these kinds of things, especially when they know the password to easily download things on their own.

The app also gives you tips on how to scan in some of the Die-cast vehicles to add to your own garage in the game. It’s important to note that they must come from specially marked packages to work with the scanner. After you have them scanned in, you can actually play with those cars in the app. It’s really cute! We’re kind of partial to the Green Ramone.

Although I don’t encourage my daughter to be on her device for hours at a time, it was nice to have her engaged as we set off on our road trip. It was also so cute to hear all of the sounds coming from the game in the backseat. I can’t get enough of Lightning’s voice! The Cars Daredevil Garage app is such a fun game and I loved the Ultimate Piston Cup Speedway Set we bought for the hotel room because it kept her occupied.

What do YOU do to keep your kids occupied on a road trip or when you’re on-the-go?

In-Store at Toys “R” Us 25% Off All CARS Die-Cast $9.99 And Under (7/26 – 8/22)

I’m a Lifestyle Blogger Who Teaches. Does That Make Me a “Teacher Blogger”?

August 3, 2015 / Lifestyle, The Teacher in Me

Did you know, that in addition to being a Southern California lifestyle blogger, I’m a teacher too! Yep, I teach full- time during the regular school year. I’m a first grade teacher. I love first grade! So, if I’m a blogger who teaches, does that make me a “teacher blogger”? It actually doesn’t, but it was a fun thought to ponder.

Teacher bloggers are a totally different breed, as in way awesome! It’s like a whole other world of blogging and for me, it’s so much fun to explore and look through teaching blogs! Not only are teacher bloggers holding it down in the classroom and doing an amazing job teaching, but they’re also producing some crazy creative stuff on their blogs! Did I also mention that a great majority of them are also Teachers Pay Teachers sellers? If you’re not familiar with what that is, it an online curriculum store that’s like a Disneyland for teachers! Seriously though, teacher bloggers are total rockstars!

I’ve decided that THIS school year I’m going to attempt to blog a little bit more about teaching! I’m not going to stop doing what I’m doing as a lifestyle blogger, I’m just going to feature some of what I’m trying in my classroom on my blog! I’m been attempting to get some new motivation and inspiration through some of the teacher blogs I’ve been reading. I’ve been searching for ideas I can implement in my own school and classroom. Our school could really use a bit of inspiration right about now!

I’m sure it’s no secret that I love Instagram (and Twitter)! The other night, I came across this fun activity @farleyfarleyfarley’s Instagram. She’s one of those rockstar teacher bloggers I was talking about earlier. You should go check out her blog! (It’s way adorable!) “Currently” is just a fun way to share about what you’ve got going on right now! Here’s mine:

I feel lucky that I’m actually still on summer break because a lot of other teachers in different parts of the U.S. have already started their new school year! This school year, I’m going to make the biggest effort ever to knock it out of the park for both my students and I! I’ll do my best to “bring it” come August 28! Just you watch!