Irvine Park Railroad has become a favorite destination for families from across Southern California, takes passengers on a 12-minute ride through scenic Irvine Regional Park. The engineer narrates the ride pointing out all of the history inside of the park which is over 100 years old. It’s one of our family’s favorite places to visit.
Whether it’s a visit during their Pumpkin Patch, Santa Train, or Easter Eggstravanaza, our family enjoys all of the seasonal celebrations at Irvine Park Railroad. Another fun time to visit is during their anniversary. This year, Irvine Park Railroad will celebrate its 21st anniversary on Saturday, February 25th and Sunday, February 26th.
The Anniversary Celebration will also feature other $2.00 activities including:
- carnival games
- a bounce house
- panning for gold (requires 2 tickets)
- face painting (requires 2 tickets)
- and more! .
$2 concessions, including hot dogs, sodas, ice creams, and popcorn, will be available for guests. FREE giveaways include Irvine Park Railroad balloons (one per child).
Please note: The $2 tickets are valid during the Anniversary Celebration weekend only. Coupons, discounts and/or any other promotions are not valid on the anniversary celebration dates.
In honor of their Anniversary Celebration, Irvine Park Railroad will host raffles on both Saturday and Sunday, every hour from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Winners will receive Irvine Park Railroad prizes ranging in value from $60.00 to $300.00. To add even more fun for visitors, a live band will play on both days from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.
While you’re visiting Irvine Park Railroad inside Irvine Regional Park, be sure to visit the park’s other activities including Wheel Fun Rentals® at Irvine Park bike and paddle boat rentals, pony rides and the Orange County Zoo.
The Irvine Regional Park entrance fee is $5.00 per vehicle. Irvine Park Railroad opens daily at 10:00 AM.
Irvine Park Railroad is located inside of Irvine Regional Park at:
1 Irvine Park Road
Orange, CA 92869.
I’m also hosting a giveaway for my readers. Irvine Park Railroad is going to provide 8 activity tickets and 1 Wheel Fun Rentals Double Surrey Bike Rental at Irvine Park package for one of my lucky readers! Enter below on the Rafflecopter. Good luck everyone!
For more information, visit http://www.irvineparkrailroad.com. Connect with Irvine Park Railroad on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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When I was asked if I’d like to spend a week driving around a Toyota Prius Four, I’ll admit, I was hesitant at first. Initially I wondered how I’d fit our entire family in it. I was also concerned that there wouldn’t be room inside for all of our junk, but I decided to give it a try…and boy was I surprised…in a good way!
I’m going to share 5 great reasons why I loved driving around the Toyota Prius Four, even though there are probably way more! 
The Prius Four is adorable. I see them out on the road all the time. I love the sleek design of the vehicle and it just seems so clean in shiny silver. From the stylish wheels to the body shape to the luxurious interior, I just love everything about the way this car looks and was so excited to get to drive one! 
Have you ever been next to a Prius Four when it started? It is so quiet. I wasn’t expecting that and there were actually a couple of times when I had to double check that it was on, even though I knew I’d pushed the power button to start the car.
I loved how quiet this car was to drive. I almost felt like, in a way, it kept me calmer. 
As someone who normally drives an SUV, I’m always envious of other drivers because I know that they’re not pouring (and wasting) a ton of money into their gas tanks, the way I am. Did you know that the Prius Four gets up to 58 mpg in the city and up to 53 mpg on the hightway? That’s amazing! (especially compared to what my regular vehicle gets!)
I don’t think I had to put any gas in it for the entire week I drove it! When you don’t have to spend a ton of money to fill up your “guzzler”, it translates to more money in your pocket. The Prius was definitely developed and designed with fuel economy in mind!
I also appreciated all of the design efforts to keep so much of what a driver needs, within reach and provide the least amount of distractions possible. There’s a great spot to set your cell phone where it can charge wirelessly. In addition, the bluetooth compatibility allows the driver to do everything hands-free!
Some of the features that you’ll find in one, convenient location, which allow for less distraction while driving include Blind Spot Monitoring and Cross Traffic Alert. 
Probably the most surprising thing about driving the Prius Four was the leg and headroom. I honestly thought I’d have to push my husband’s head down to get him into the car but I didn’t! He’s over 6 feet tall and had no issues getting into the car or riding around comfortably inside it.
I was invited to attend a very special preview of the Lunar New Year Celebration at Disney California Adventure Park and was absolutely amazed at this bigger-than-ever celebration planned for the Year of the Rooster. Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated within Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures and commemorates the moment when both the sun and the moon begin their journey for another year.
In Disney California Adventure Park you’ll find such beautiful, festive decorations in honor of the “Year of the Rooster”, including whimsical red and gold ornamental lanterns and the 12 zodiac animals, with a Disney twist, of course. 
Paradise Gardens has been completely transformed into a magical setting for the Lunar New Year Celebration this year and you’ll find banners wishing guests a “Happy Lunar New Year” in English, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
During the Lunar New Year Celebration, there are artisans that will teach children to make paper lanterns they can take home. Chinese artisans are also on hand doing calligraphy demonstrations for guests, as well as free face painting.
There are also special character appearances in Disney California Adventure Park. You can find Mulan and Mushu, Chip n’ Dale, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse, all dressed up in their Lunar New Year attire. There’s also a beautiful photo location for guests to take photos with the characters.
You’ll want to make sure to save time for a visit to see the Lucky Wishing Wall. Guests may add their own wishes to the wall for a wonderful future. It’s a beautiful display to admire and contribute towards. 
Special Entertainment
Lunar New Year Celebration Special Food Offerings
Guests will find a variety of authentic dishes at three locations within the Lunar New Year Marketplace from:
Lunar New Year merchandise is also available in the park during the celebration. There’s a specially designed t-shirt, a collectable pin, a decorative trinket box, and traditional red envelopes for gift giving.
There are so many highlights to this year’s Lunar New Year Celebration at Disneyland Resort for Guests to experience during their visit to the Park. Have you been yet? Don’t forget to take advantage of the 
To create this fun Valentine’s Day patterning activity, I found the most adorable mini smile face heart erasers on the Oriental Trading Company site’s 
Students can also just practice the patterning at their desks. Each student gets 3 circles, each one with an “A”, a “B”, and a “C” in the center, to create their “key”. They place a different colored heart eraser in each circle after they decide which ones they want to be each letter in their patterns.
Then they place the rectangular pattern cards out on their desk. Each student receives about 50 heart erasers to work with and they create their own patterns. It keeps them pretty quiet for a short while, which is nice.
To switch it up, they can change around which color heart they place in the key and create new patterns. They LOVE doing this patterning activity!
As an extension activity, you can also have students draw and illustrate their patterns on a piece of paper.
Although the “Paint the Night” parade is also a big fan favorite at Disneyland, there are so many Disney lovers that deeply cherish the Main Street Electrical Parade and have longed for it to return since it “glowed away” from Disneyland on November 25, 1996. 
The older generations of Disney fans remember this classic nighttime parade because we saw it during its originally run down Main Street, U.S.A. inside Disneyland, in its original “home”. Others have either seen in another Disney Park or have possibly just been told about it from their parents. Whatever the case, the little kid in me comes out as soon as I hear the first synthesized tune of “Baroque Hoedown” start to play the theme song for Main Street Electrical Parade. When I watched the TV spot for its return, my eyes immediately welled up with happy tears. Watch it here:
It was a magical night and for some reason, the Southern California rain, which had been pouring for a couple of days, suddenly halted for a few hours so that the 9 p.m. parade could take place. I had a case of the giggles as I sat on the curb in Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A., with some of my friends, waiting for it to start. 
Before long, the parade lights lit up nice and brightly, and we could see the front of the Main Street Electrical Parade making its way towards us in Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A.. (It began all the way down by “It’s a Small World“.)
The iconic floats illuminated the parade route and were led by the train that Goofy’s driving. Minnie and Mickey Mouse are also aboard this train greeting guests, all along the parade route. The train is pulling the drum which has a lit up text that says “Disneyland Presents Main Street Electrical Parade”. 
It gave me all the feels to see it say “Disneyland” again, as the last time I had the pleasure of watching this parade, it was at Walt Disney World.
The Main Street Electrical Parade includes 22 floats in all, which is 10 more than the original parade which only included 12. You’ll find characters in the parade from 7 different Disney films including “Alice in Wonderland”, “Cinderella”, “Peter Pan”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Pinocchio”, “Dumbo”, and “Pete’s Dragon”.
In addition to the floats, there are about 80 parade performers, some of which are adorned in lighted costumes. There are also 27 beloved Disney characters that perform as part of this parade including Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Cinderella, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and more!
The Main Street Electrical Parade’s stay at Disneyland is only for a limited time so be sure to get there to see it (at least once) before June 18th! Do you have childhood memories of this special parade? Share with me in the comments. I hope to see you in the Parks!
I added more fresh fruit (I love citrus), trail mix, and Weight Watchers Light Mozzarella String Cheese to my snacks and carry them in my lunchbox to work as snack options.
Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved string cheese. It’s so fun to to peel it as you eat it. I was surprised (in a good way) to find out how full of flavor and fun to pull apart, this 
It’s definitely a satisfying choice when you need a snack on the go. I shop for mine at Walmart, in the cheese section and they come in a package, individually wrapped, to help with portion control.
Each serving is only 1 SmartPoints. I feel good eating that kind of a snack and knowing it’s made from real milk.
Right now, until January 31, 2017, Walmart has a digital savings offer for shoppers to save $1.00 on 2 Weight Watchers Cheese items at Walmart. To grab your own digital coupon, click 
Since starting my new meal planning and meal prep, I feel a lot better and have more energy. My pants are also a little looser-fitting, which is a good thing! How are your New Year goals going?
Eighty-seven years ago, in the quaint seaside town of Clydebank, Scotland, construction on the Queen Mary began. Exemplifying the finest craftsmanship of the country, the Queen Mary’s legacy is undeniable and today the ship’s heritage is celebrated through the two-day ScotsFestival honoring Scottish culture.
ScotsFestival honors nearly fifty Scottish clans & vendors throughout the weekend with professional and amateur competitions in drumming, massed bands, darts, piping, Highland dancing, and Highland athletics. The Scottish Highland Games, a pre-cursor to today’s Olympic Games, were designed to test the strength, skill and technique of ancient warriors by face offs.
The official opening ceremonies for the Queen Mary’s ScotsFestival begin with the traditional Grand Parade of Clans & Bands with an Address to the Haggis on the Parade Platform. Daily festivities include:
The Queen Mary’s ScotsFestival hosts World Champion Scottish Highland Dancers and many internationally acclaimed athletes competing for titles in stones, hammer throw, weights for distance, weight over bar, sheaf and the famed caber toss.
Tickets to ScotsFestival are now on sale and start at $10 online for ages 4-11 and $19 online for guests 12 and over. VIP tickets, upgrades, ticket add-ons, two-day festival passes and hotel packages will also be available. For more information or to purchase your tickets online, go
The group of friends consists of Emerson, Camille, Kendall, Willa, and Ashlyn. 
As a mom, and an educator, I feel the importance of providing children with the opportunity to play can help their social-emotional learning. Character education for children is more important than ever and just giving them time to play, allows them the chance to learn how to get along with others, be empathetic, show kindness and share responsibility for others’ well-being. The WellieWishers are a great tool to do this because their “story” involves all of that. When children explore the world of WellieWishers, they “step into their colorful garden boots” and get ready for stomping in mud puddles, putting on shows, and helping friendships grow.
My daughter was so excited when we received a “Willa” doll and her pet rabbit “Carrot” on our doorstep to review. They are so cute and all of my nieces ,who visited our home over the holidays, wanted to play with them.
The WellieWishers are a little bit smaller in size than the traditional American Girl dolls. I actually like this size and it’s easier for a littler girl to tote them around. Willa has beautiful hazel eyes, freckles, and 2 strawberry blonde ponytails. 
She comes dressed in a super cute outfit that consists of a hedgehog print floral skirt, a tee with a hedgehog face on it, and a coordinating headband that has bunny ears on it! However, my favorite part of her outfit are her ladybug wellies. They are so cute!
Willie has a pet bunny named “Carrot”. (It’s sold separately.) Carrot comes with an aqua-colored bunny hutch that opens up and has a ramp so Carrot can “walk the runaway”. The door has a cute little heart cutout window for Carrot to peek out of from the inside.
The accessories include a little name sign that you can fasten to the side of the hutch, a carrot-shaped water bottle for inside, a food dish and some pretend carrots. Carrot is so soft and cuddly.
As you can tell, we are slightly enamored by the WellieWishers. I love everything about them and what they stand for. To view the whole collection, go 