This summer, we’ve filled a lot of our time off with some exciting road trip adventures. Since we live within proximity to great beaches, mountains, and desert areas, a couple of road trips were the perfect way to enjoy the time together.
Road trip prep and packing has changed over the years. Gone are the times of loading up the car with pillows, blankets, snacks, and paper maps for a road trip. Do you remember watching your parents use actual map books? (and even squabbling over which route to take?) I do. I don’t even think kids nowadays know what paper maps are. I mean, with technology, the need for those kinds of maps seems obsolete.
One thing that was so helpful to have on our road trips was our Navdy HUD (Head-Up Display System). I already have this system installed in my vehicle and use it all the time for city and highway driving. I recently shared about Navdy on my blog and how convenient it is for everyday driving. Now I need to tell you just how useful Navdy can be on a road trip, too.
If you aren’t familiar with Navdy, it’s a Head-Up Display system you install on your vehicle’s dashboard. Navdy has many convenient features for you to access, all while remaining hands-free and keeping your eyes on the road thanks to hand gestures, voice control, and the dial attached to your steering wheel. With smartphone information like texts, maps and calls projected directly in your line of sight, you never have to look down at your actual phone.
Let’s face it, cell phones and distracted driving are a big problem nowadays. Navdy also has these other technological features:
- directions
- music control
- speed limit
- read and reply to texts
- make and receive phone calls
Watch this brief video that shows how Navdy works:
Just watching that video makes me wonder why I didn’t install one in my car sooner, especially for road trips. Here are 3 ways that Navdy helped our road trips.
Keeping your eyes on the road, especially in a road trip situation, is the most important thing. With the projections right in front of you on the screen, it minimizes the distractions because you don’t even have to look away to do such things as use maps or voice command to call one of your contacts. Navdy is set up to project into the distance with transparent images, so the road stays in focus at all times.
Navdy is projected onto the screen right in front of you and is clearly visible to the driver whether it’s bright and sunny outside, cloudy and grey, or there’s a dark, nighttime sky. There was no need to feel like I was rushing to beat the daylight to still be able to use it. I also didn’t have to worry if it was cloudy or even if it rained outside. Navdy has the capability to be visible to the driver regardless of the lighting situation and the weather outside, and that was reassuring.
I already mentioned that maps is one of the basic features on Navdy. However, the part I really appreciated the most about using Navdy on a road trip was the fact that no matter where we were driving, especially in the middle of nowhere, Navdy still had capability to navigate. Thanks to its onboard GPS, Navdy has a clear line of communication with the satellites above. Since its access comes from offline maps stored within the device, it didn’t matter if there was cell reception or not. How many times have you been on a road trip and had your “maps” go out because your phone had “No Service”? That’s scary! Being able to access maps through Navdy, regardless of where we were, was the ultimate win on our road trips.
In addition to these things, being able to make phone calls, receive and reply to text messages, and control the music in the car ― all while remaining hands-free ― was very convenient and something that helped our family on our road trips. You can customize your Navdy’s display system ahead of time, too. 
Whether you’re going someplace local or are out on a road trip, you want to avoid distracted driving at all costs because it isn’t safe and can result in dangerous, unsafe situations for all of those on the road. Navdy technology was an immense help on our road trips and I highly recommend it for everyone! .
Now if Navdy could just come up with a feature that stops kids from asking “How many more minutes?”, that would be the ultimate dream!
For more information about Navdy, please go here. You can also watch more informational videos on their YouTube channel here.
The creepy chaos of creatures on the loose and Rocket scheming to save Groot adds to the high-energy action, only during Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, Sept. 15 – Oct. 31, 2017!
In keeping with the dark humor of the experience, all-new 1970s-style punk rock song,
As Fall and Halloween near, guests staying at Great Wolf Lodge anywhere from October 1 through October 31st will be in for an extra special treat. One of Great Wolf’s seasonal offerings is its Howl-O-Ween Costumes and family water park fun come together in October at Great Wolf Lodge. When you take a Great Wolf Lodge Howl-O-Ween vacation with your family, you’ll be able to treat your kids to their most spooktacular Halloween ever during this month-long Howl-O-Ween festivities. Here’s a fun video featuring Hall-O-Ween:
Here’s what you can expect to find at Great Wolf’s Howl-O-Ween:
Spooktacular Story Time – Everyone loves the magical atmosphere they create for their Howl-O-Ween Story Time, because they strike the perfect balance between spooky and funny. This has to be one of the favorite family traditions of all time.
Monster Bash Dance Party – Our Monster Bash Dance Parties will be the highlight of your Howl-O-Ween vacation, because if there’s anything we love more than wearing our costumes, it’s dancing in our costumes!
For more information about Great Wolf Lodge’s Howl-O-Ween and to book your stay,go 
Irvine Park Railroad is located inside of Irvine Regional Park, in the foothills of Orange, California. It’s one of our family’s favorite activities to do together each fall. 
The Pumpkin Patch is located in Locomotive Loop and Miner’s Meadow just behind the train station and has thousands of pumpkins, in all shapes and sizes. All visitors are sure to find the perfect pumpkin there! There are also several Pumpkin Patch activities to choose from. 
The Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch will be open daily from September 16th through October 31st and hours are as follows:
The parking fee for Irvine Regional Park is $3.00 per vehicle on weekdays and $5.00 per vehicle on weekends. Important parking information: As Halloween nears, we encourage visitors to plan to arrive early to help avoid crowds, particularly on the weekend. Visit this page on our web site for special event parking information.
This year, applicants will be able to apply for this amazing and unique opportunity beginning on September 6! The application window will only be open through September 13 and I don’t recommend waiting until the last minute to apply! This was the tweet that announced it on Twitter: 
Whether guests have a question about a theme park, restaurant, service, shop, hotel or activity, the Moms Panel is there to help with that planning.
It’s a Magical, Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity 
You Have NOTHING to Lose By Applying, Only Something to Gain! 
The photo above was me attempting to make my video submission for Round 2 of the selection process. To read more about my experience about “What It’s Like to Apply for the Disney Parks Moms Panel”, click 
Although 
What is the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration “On-The-Road”? 
The “On-The-Road” conference is a mini version of the bigger Disney Social Media Moms Celebration which is a much larger, multi-day annual conference also put on by Disney Parks. The purpose of this conference is to give attendees sort of a “snapshot” of what’s to come in the near future for Disney. It might include information about additions to Disney Parks around the world, Disney Cruise information, the Disney Parks Blog, or even give attendees a sneak peek at upcoming Disney movies. There are several great speakers at the conference who provide helpful information about blogging, social media, and the digital space and inspire all of those in the room. 
Since this particular conference location was at the Disneyland Resort, each attendee also had the opportunity to spend the rest of the day, inside the Parks, with their family. What an absolute treat! There’s nothing quite like making Disney memories together! Don’t you agree?
I Updated My Business Cards 
I Picked Out My Conference Outfit! 
I Made Some Connections with New Disney Friends Beforehand 
Well, I can’t wait to share more about my magical morning at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration “On-The-Road” at Disneyland Resort so keep an eye on my blog for more posts to come soon!
With several years of back to school shopping under my belt, I feel like I’m getting better at it each year. I’m definitely a list maker, so here’s my shopping list: 
My regular back-to-school shopping list has necessities on it such as clothing and shoes and backpacks and lunchboxes.
Nowadays, schools also request your child(ren) come to school, equipped with a laptop or other device because they’re “21st Century Learners”. What this means for me as a parent, is that there are now even more school necessities to shop for.
Not only devices but also accessories for the laptop, carrying cases, and anything else that a student might need to be successful in this technological age of implementing digital technologies in the classroom.
This year, I broke my back to school shopping into 2 trips. I wanted to get over to the mall by myself to check out the laptop options for myself, without my daughter there making me feel rushed. Thank goodness Brea Mall has an Apple store! I love going into Apple to look around at all of the latest laptops, iPads, Apple Watches, iPhones, etc. I will admit that it can be a bit overwhelming for me. Luckily for me, “Peter” from the Apple store, took a lot of time to help me pick out the right laptop for my daughter to use for her schooling. The “Beats” they have at Apple are also really cool so I picked up a pair of those too because my daughter’s been begging for some. 
Brea Mall also has Brookstone, which is another great place to shop for school technology needs, in addition to some other things. I found another pair of wireless headphones for my daughter to take to school. These are great quality and offered at a great price but also won’t have me worrying about her “Beats” getting lost at school. 
Brookstone also had a great selection of portable batteries/chargers, which she is going to need to carry in her case. 
For the main back-to-school shopping trip, my daughter and I like to make an entire day out of it. We love to start out at the Starbucks and make our shopping plan while we get something to drink. Then we shop, take a break to have a late lunch at one of the eateries there, and then shop some more. It’s a fun annual tradition and something we really enjoy doing together. 
I always love to see all of the latest trends for kids when we go back to school shopping. This year there are too many to choose from: dinosaurs, unicorns, cute monsters, super heroes, camo, sparkly stuff, etc. I wanted to buy it all! Not only am I shopping for my daughter, I also like to pick up a few things for my nieces and nephews. 
Some of the stores we checked out this year at were Cotton On Kids, Gymboree, GapKids, Journeys, Justice, and Vans, but Brea Mall has over 175 specialty shops and several popular restaurants. 
Have you finished your back to school shopping yet? Maybe I should ask if you’ve even started yet? Leave me a comment and tell me if you have any back to school tips, tricks, or ways to make it easier on your own family. I’d love to hear all about it!
I’ll be hosting a Brea Mall gift card giveaway soon on 
Right now, Islands Restaurants is featuring two new limited-time menu items: their Waimea Burger and Islands Golden Ale! This combo represents a toast to summer! For Islands’ 35th anniversary year, they’ve brought back this fan-favorite Golden Ale, handcrafted exclusively by Karl Strauss Brewing Company. It’s a medium-bodied draft beer with roasted malt flavors, floral hop aromas and a crisp, clean finish. The refreshing ale was created to pair well with Islands’ signature burgers (and delicious Cheddar Fries).
The Islands Waimea Burger is topped with Kalua pork, fresh grilled pineapple rings, Swiss cheese and caramelized onions smothered in a tangy teriyaki sauce. The sweet and savory flavors pair so well together. If you’re not a fan of beer, why not pair this delicious burger with one of Islands’ many tropical cocktails? There are so many to choose from. (and have you been in during their Happy Hour?)
Although it’s the middle of summer, I can’t resist a delicious bowl of Islands Tortilla Soup on every visit, as well as an order of their Spinach Artichoke dip, served with warm tortilla chips. So yummy! 
I’m also a HUGE fan of dessert and their Kona Pie out of this world! Our family has a tough time sharing it. I wonder why? 
In celebration of summer, I’m hosting a giveaway for one lucky winner to win a $25 Islands gift card. To enter the giveaway just go to the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!
We were invited to celebrate summer at Disneyland Resort, which happened to be the day Disneyland Railroad and the other Rivers of America attractions reopened, so it was a great day to be there!
Now that Disneyland Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Colombia, and Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, and Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island reopened, all seems right in the world again! Just wait until you ride on Disneyland Railroad’s new route! It’s been beautifully updated but they also kept all of the important and historial elements of this attraction and I bet you’ll be in awe for the entire train ride! I know we were!
Adding to our excitement about being at Disneyland Resort was the opportunity to try out the new MaxPass. If you haven’t heard of it before, don’t worry, I’ll explain more. Just keep reading. By the way, MaxPass is awesome! 
Planning your day out at Disney, even if it’s just a little bit, will help it go smoother. I’m not saying that you can’t enjoy being spontaneous at Disney, I just know that it can sometimes be overwhelming, especially on a busy day. As a mom, I always appreciate helpful tips I get from others. Today I want to share my own tips with you about how you can make your day in the parks much easier.
1) Download the Disneyland App
The Disneyland app allows you to view current wait times, make FASTPASS selections through MaxPass, view your PhotoPass photos, locate show and parade times, and find amenities such as dining locations and restrooms. I assure you that having this set up ahead of time will alleviate the stress of hurrying to do so when you arrive at the Resort.
Disney MaxPass is a feature you can add to your ticket and includes 2 great benefits to make the most of the magic! For $10 a day, per person, you’ll have access to PhotoPass services and be able to reserve digital FASTPASS selections for any of the 16 attractions that have this set up. (per availability)
This is all done through the Disneyland app on your mobile device. (Now you see why I recommended downloading it!) With MaxPass, you have the convenience of scheduling your digital FASTPASS selections through your mobile device. With a regular FASTPASS, you have to walk over to the attraction to obtain it on your ticket through. You can also reserve a digital FASTPASS from either park, as long as you’re in one of them. It saves you so much time not having to walk back and forth. Your feet will actually thank you! I know mine did! 
You’ll also appreciate the Disney PhotoPass benefit included with MaxPass. You’ll be able to download your photos taken at select locations throughout the parks, character photos, and also photos from popular attractions. Sometimes the poses caught on the attraction photos are beyond hilarious and priceless!
If you think you might want an actual sit-down meal during your day, I recommend making that reservation before you even arrive at the parks. As soon as you download the Disneyland app, you can make a dining reservation. Some of the restaurants that offer dining reservations at Disneyland include Blue Bayou Restaurant, Cafe Orleans, Carnation Cafe, Plaza Inn (offers character dining for breakfast), and River Belle Terrace. At Disney California Adventure Park you can make a reservation for Ariel’s Grotto (character dining) and Carthay Circle Restaurant. 
Although it’s super simple to make a dining reservation through the app, you can also always call 714.781.DINE or 714.781.3463 to make one also. For more info about all of the dining options at Disneyland Resort, go 
There are also dining packages available for World of Color, Fantasmic! and Main Street Electrical Parade, which include preferred seating in the package. If you have an idea of what shows and/or parades you’re determined to watch, it will help drive the rest of your day. For a list of entertainment at Disneyland Resort, go here.
I also invest the money in a locker for items such as extra clothes and a change of shoes for nighttime and also to put my big camera if I happen to bring it and get tired of lugging it around. At the end of the day, it’s all worth it!
I hope my tips are helpful for you! A very special thank you to Disneyland Resort for inviting our family to spend a special day in the parks. We hope to see you again real soon! Happy Summer!