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Celebrations

Happy 100th Birthday, Morton Salt Girl! #MortonSaltGirl100

September 29, 2014 / Celebrations, Food, Parties, Product Reviews

Disclosure: I received a free party pack of products from MomSelect and Morton to host a MommyParty! No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own. I grew up with Morton Salt in our house. My mom used it for cooking and baking and the Morton Salt Girl was just an American Icon that I always recognized. Now that I’m a mom, I love sharing things from my childhood with my own daughter. Everytime we bake or make a recipe for a meal, we use Morton Salt. She even knows which salt to grab when we’re at the store doing grocery shopping. She’ll even say “the salt with the girl on it”, reach for the Morton Salt, and toss it into our shopping cart.

Did you know that the Morton Salt Girl turned 100 this year? Yep, she first appeared on the Morton’s Salt package back in 1914. (The company actually established itself in Chicago in 1848.) She sure does look good for being 100 years old, don’t you think?

When I was presented with an opportunity to throw a “Morton Salt Girl 100th Birthday” Celebration MommyParty, I was excited! I’m always up for a party and celebrating something like that is so much fun. My own daughter also gets really into it. She loves a fun theme. So, I decided to invite over a couple of my girlfriends for a casual girls’ night one weekend. One of them brought her daughter over to hang out with mine. I let my daughter plan some fun activities to do at the party with her friend. While we relaxed on the patio with some drinks and appetizers, the little girls had some birthday celebration fun of their own.

I set out some special snacks for the girls to munch on, which included these adorable, personalized M&Ms and some (salted) popcorn. The little girls ended up combining the 2 to make one of my most favorite mixes…popcorn and M&Ms! It’s like my movie theater go-to! They brought us each our own little bowl to enjoy.

The girls loved drawing and painting that night and were even drawing the Morton Salt Girl. Although I grabbed a snapshot of this “works in progress”, she didn’t want me to post pictures of the finished products because she didn’t like how it turned out. Honestly, it was adorable!

They used the die cuts included in my Morton Salt party kit as game pieces and played quite a few games of “Morton Salt Girl Tic Tac Toe” outside in the front yard, on their big, giant pillows. I love their creativity!

Later on, the girls informed us that they had plans to dress up like the Morton Salt Girl and wanted me to take their pictures. It was their Morton Salt Girl Photo Booth. Looking at these pictures makes me giggle because both of the girls have pretty long hair and they worked really hard to make it look short, just like the picture of the Morton Salt Girl. Their favorite part about the photo booth setup was getting to use the special Morton Salt Umbrella! What do you think? I’d say they “Nailed it!”, wouldn’t you?

We had such a fun time getting together for a little “girl time” and watching our girls be creative while we “big girls” caught up with each others’ hectic lives. Happy 100th Birthday, Morton Salt Girl! I only hope I look as good as you do when I’M 100!

To learn more about Morton and The Morton Salt girl, click here.

Irvine Park Railroad’s Annual Pumpkin Patch Now Open Through Halloween!

September 14, 2014 / Celebrations, Holiday Fun, Lifestyle, Orange County

With the start of a new school year and seasonal treats like Pumpkin Spice Lattes making appearances everywhere, I’d say there are signs of Fall all around. It’s a time of year that I absolutely love!

One of the things many families love about Fall is the opening of Irvine Park Railroad’s Pumpkin Patch! Nestled inside of Irvine Regional Park, the Irvine Park Railroad is one several family fun activities offered at the park. Others include hiking, biking (bike rentals available), paddle boats, pony rides, and The Orange County Zoo. We like to bring along a picnic and make an entire day of it.

(photo credit: Irvine Park Railroad)

This year, Irvine Park Railroad’s Annual Pumpkin Patch ` opened on Saturday, September 20th and will run daily through Friday, October 31st! Although we’ve had the opportunity to visit their Easter Eggstravaganza and their Christmas train recently, this will be our first time visiting their Pumpkin Patch in many years, so we’re very excited about it!

(photo credit: Irvine Park Railroad)

Some of the activities you can find at the Pumpkin Patch include:

the Irvine Park Railroad train ride through the park
John Deer tractor racers
A kid-friendly haunted house
face painting
Halloween bounce house jumper
carnival games (where everyone wins a prize)
pan for gold
cookie decorating
a giant hay maze
Halloween picture stands for photo opportunities

Emi could jump in this for HOURS! (photo credit: Irvine Park Railroad)

I haven’t panned for gold since I was in 4th grade! I’m doing it! (photo credit: Irvine Park Railroad)

I love these little Halloween faces! (photo credit: Irvine Park Railroad)

Watch this video for Irvine Park Railroad’s website, that shows how much fun the Pumpkin Patch is!

The hours for Irvine Park Railroad’s Pumpkin Patch are:

Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

There is no charge to enter the Pumpkin Patch, but tickets are required to ride the train and participate in Pumpkin Patch activities. Activity tickets can be purchased at the box office for $5.00 each or you can buy a book of 15 tickets for $60.00 ($15.00 savings). Also, please note that a gate entrance fee will be charged by the County of Orange for each vehicle that enters Irvine Regional Park.

He’ll be happy to give you a lift! (photo credit: Irvine Park Railroad)

For updates about all of the fun activities at the Irvine Park Railroad (sometimes even coupons),

follow them on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

Make Your Own Photo Booth With the Help of Oriental Trading Company

July 22, 2014 / Celebrations, Crafts & DIY, Uncategorized

Disclosure: I was provided with products by Oriental Trading Company, in order to conduct this review. No other type of compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

In our family, we love to throw parties for every occasion. Parties for holidays, birthday parties, parties for award shows, even season premiere nights of our favorite TV shows! We’ll throw a party for any occasion! We also love to have fun with photo booth, which is a highlight at our parties. It’s really pretty simple to create your own photo booth corner to capture some unique photo memories. We had fun creating a photo booth for a “Surf’s Up” party we recently threw, using items we found on the Oriental Trading Company site. I’m going to show you how easy it is to make your own photo booth.

Choose a great spot to set up your photo booth

When you look for a spot to set up your photo booth area, remember to always pick somewhere with plenty of room for guests to be silly when they’re posing for pictures. Also, choose a location with good lighting. We usually set up our photo booth area outside because, for me, the natural lighting is much easier to work with than inside the house and you don’t usually need to worry about a flash.

Choose a photo booth background. Designate an area.

It’s really important that you choose a background for your photo booth area and designate an area at your party for your fun. We have used our wooden fence as a background for ours before. If you want a patterned background it’s easy to create by purchasing 1-2 yards of fabric and stapling it around a giant piece of cardboard or wood for guests to pose in front of. For this particular occasion, we ordered a stand-up surfboard from Oriental Trading Company that matched our theme. For some of the photos we stood it in front of a textured wall outside in our driveway. For other photos, I used a hot pink shower curtain that was hanging on a garment rack. Whatever background you choose, just make sure it’s a little taller than your tallest guest.

Designate a photographer

It’s much easier to designate someone as the official photo booth photographer for your party. It’s also better if YOU, the hostess, are not that person. I love that my BFFs step up to help me with this every time we have a party. They know how important photos are to me and they also know that I’m always so busy running around. Taking over this duty for me is something HUGE and I’m always appreciative of them. By the way, you’ll also have guests taking selfies in your photo booth with their own phones.

Have Photo Booth Props for guests

Having fun photo booth props is a NECESSITY for your photo booth! It’s actually THE most important part. You can sometimes find things around your house to use like hats, parts of old Halloween costumes, feather boas, glasses, etc., but there are also other important props that you should always have available. I found awesome photo props on sticks on the Oriental Trading Company site. I chose some lips, glasses and mustaches. Mustaches look great on everyone and they seem to be a popular choice with everyone! I like to stick all of the props into a mason jar so guests can just grab one or two that they like. In addition to photo props on sticks, I also found these oversized luau picture frame cutouts on their site. So cute!

Now that our party is over, we like to keep the jar of photo booth props on the counter so we can grab them whenever we need them to strike a pose and snap a pic! It’s just what we do around here!

And seriously, how cute are my models in these pics?

The Box Trolls: A New Film from the Makers of Coraline

June 14, 2014 / Entertainment, Holiday Fun, Movies

I don’t know who gets more excited for the release of new family films, me or my daughter? I LOVE to watch kid-friendly movies with Emily, especially because the filmmakers always seem to include so many clever details to capture adults’ interest too. Now the the makers of Coraline and ParaNorman are coming out with another film, The Box Trolls!

How adorable are they? I already know my favorite one is the one with the shoe!

Here’s a synopsis of the film:

A family event movie from the creators of “Coraline” and “ParaNorman” that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, “into the light,” where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnie (Elle Fanning). Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs’ family.

In honor of día del Padre, here’s an adorable printable you can print out to use for a special father!

I don’t think I can wait until 9/26/14 for The Box Trolls to come into theaters!

It’s going to be such a fun film, don’t you think?

Check out their official site: http://www.theboxtrolls.com/

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboxtrolls

Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBoxtrolls

Lauren McKinsey Celebrates Blue Goose Boutique Launch with a Giveaway!

May 16, 2014 / Celebrations, Crafts & DIY

It’s official! Blue Goose Boutique, Lauren McKinsey’s newest shop, is open for business! Blue Goose Boutique is a dream come true for them as they begin to sell what they fondly refer to as physical products. This is such exciting news because it means that you’ll now start to see the cute designs that they offer in their printable shop now appear on things such as notepads! Currently, you’ll find 7 notepad designs in their online boutique. They are so excited to be CELEBRATING the grand opening of their shop with a wonderful giveaway and will be choosing 3 winners!
(see Rafflecopter below)
The GRAND PRIZE winner will receive: {total value of $194}
*$50 gift certificate to Blue Goose Boutique
*One year CUTE CLUB membership to Lauren McKinsey
  {value $89}
*Hand painted {signed and numbered} blue goose magnet
  {value $15}
*Monogrammed tumbler from She’s Kinda Crafty {value $15}
*$25 gift certificate to Paper + Pop
  {a printing & cutting service for printables}
*8 Sparkle Sacks + shipping from The Purple Pug {value $50}

The SECOND place winner will receive: {total value of $65}
*$25 gift certificate to Blue Goose Boutique
*One month CUTE CLUB membership to Lauren McKinsey
  {value $12.99}
*Hand painted {signed and numbered} blue goose magnet
  {value $15}
*One set of 3 monogram decals from She’s Kinda Crafty
  {value $12}

The THIRD place winner will receive: {total value of $43}
*Choice of 1 notepad set from Blue Goose Boutique
  {value $18}
*Hand painted {signed and numbered} blue goose magnet
  {value $15}
*Sheet of 20 monogram return address stickers from
  She’s Kinda Crafty {value $10}

Blue Goose Boutique notepads make the perfect gifts for:
*moms AND dads
*teachers
*coaches
*birthday gifts
*graduations
*holidays
*and just FOR YOU
Each notepad was lovingly designed by Theresa of LM and then made in their home. For now they are making their own notepads. Every notepad you order is designed by them, made by them, packaged by them and sent to you with lots of love! There are a fun variety of sizes and quantities of notepads available. Four of the seven notepads come in packs of two with an adorable pencil, coordinated to match your pad. They are are beautifully packaged in a clear cello bag, wrapped with pretty twine and have a matching gift tag attached. They make the perfect gifts and all the pretty packaging is already done for you. Three of the notepads are single pads. You will find the full description of each notepad on the website, but each tear-off notepad is filled with high quality paper and backed in thick recycled chipboard, making the notepads extra sturdy. Several of them also come with a magnetic strip so that you can hang them on magnetic surfaces like the refrigerator.

Look how adorable the A to Z notepad is! Each page in the pad has a different letter of the alphabet and the notepad has 52 pages in all. This notepad is inspired by the ABC collection Lauren McKinsey created a few months ago that is just adorable! To see an image of what EACH page looks like click here.This 5 x 71/2 inch notepad comes as a set of two pads with a matching pencil and gift tag.

The Always be Sunshine notepad. This 5 x 71/2 inch notepad comes as a set of two 50 sheet pads with a matching pencil and gift tag.

The dream BIG notepad. this 5 x 71/2 inch notepad comes as a set of two 50 sheet pads with a matching pencil and gift tag.

The Little Bookworm notepad. This 5 x 71/2 inch notepad comes as a set of two 50 sheet pads with a matching pencil and gift tag.

The To Do list is another personal favorite. I LOVE the 15 lines for writing and the HAPPY graphic at the top of the page. This 5 1/4 x 8 inch notepad is filled with 60 sheets of cuteness.

This 3 1/2 x 8 inch notepad is filled with 60 sheets perfect for making your grocery and shopping list. It comes with a magnet for the back as well if you want to hang it on your refrigerator or another magnetic surface.

And just in time for father’s day, this adorable Superhero Dad SUPER list is perfect for that special dad! this 3 1/2 x 8 inch notepad is filled with 60 sheets that will make dad smile as he tracks his lists of things to do!

This is just one more photo I needed to show you…the sticker that “sits” on the back of each notepad. Isn’t it fun? I love details like this!
For the next 30 days, you can use the coupon code GiveAway-10 for 10% off your Blue Goose Boutique purchase.

Lauren Mckinsey is also excited to be giving away two CUTE CLUB memberships as part of their grand opening celebration. The CUTE CLUB is an EXCLUSIVE membership program that allows you to download EVERYTHING {yes, I said EVERYTHING} in the Lauren McKinsey store. They have over 1200 printables and add a new collection every week. Sometimes they even add two new collections. They offer an annual or a monthly membership. You can learn more here! You can even use the coupon code GiveAway-10 for 10% off your CUTE CLUB membership. Thank you for celebrating with us!

Now, last but not least…

go enter the giveaway below on the Rafflecopter!

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our “Decorate Your Own Cupcake” Party at Casey’s Cupcakes

May 9, 2014 / Celebrations, Food, OC Fun, Over the Top Kid, Parties, SoCal Life

It’s no secret that I love parties. I love throwing parties. I love being invited to parties. I love attending parties that are hosted at a location, especially when they’re done really well. I am always on the lookout for fun & unique places to have parties. For me, it’s not only important that party packages are reasonably priced to fit in my budget, but also that the party itself, be something I’d be proud to invite my guests to. I think we’ve all had at least one disappointing experience at an establishment that promised a good party and delivered the opposite.
Emi and I recently had the opportunity to experience a “Decorate Your Own Cupcake Party” at Casey’s Cupcakes. I can honestly say that I was as excited as Emi was, if not MORE excited, for al the days leading up to the party! I can’t think of a better match for us, since Casey is “The Queen of Cupcakes” and I’ve pretty much titled myself “The Queen of Parties“! Oh I think I forgot to mention that everything in a Casey’s store is pink! Again, it’s a perfect fit for me since my favorite color is pink! For Emi, an extremely pink dress was a necessity for her to wear on this special occasion, as was a pink hair accessory AND some pink lipgloss! She was channeling her “inner Casey“!

Emi was ready to party and came prepared with her Casey’s Cupcakes backpack AND even carried my camera bag!

When we arrived at the Woodbury Town Center location in Irvine, Emily was very excited to see balloons just right inside the store!

As soon as all of the children had arrived for the party, they each got to choose a tiara or a crown to wear for the party, which they also took home as a keepsake after the party.

The children were then led into the Casey’s Cupcakes Party Room.

I loved the way the room was set up. I also LOVED the beautiful chandelier!

The private party room is very pink and was beautifully decorated for our party. There was an elegant cupcake holder in the center of the table, an array of yummy frostings to choose from, and a beautiful assortment of sweets to adorn the cupcakes, including Sixlets, jelly beans, sprinkles and even Peeps bunnies. The Peeps seemed to be an especially big hit with the mommies! (I won’t name any names though.)

Sixlets, jelly beans, Peeps and sprinkles! So many goodies to choose from!

It’s hard to resist licking your fingers when there are yummy frostings on the table!

How adorable are they?

Immediately after this pic was taken, I’ll bet you can guess what I did with that Peep?

We had a choice of pink lemonade or hot chocolate to go with our cupcakes! What a perfect afternoon snack!
Emi and the other kids had so much fun decorating their own cupcakes. Casey’s Cupcakes really went all out to make every detail of the party special, down to the adorable, pink boxes and bags to carry home extra cupcakes in!

When the party was over, Emi was happy to take home one of the Casey’s Cupcakes balloons! She is a HUGE fan of Casey, has many of Casey’s logo items at home AND even has a Casey’s doll.

Before we left, Emi insisted on recreating Casey’s signature pose, featured in the logo. I swear my daughter is the most fun!

What do you think? Did she pull it off?

If you are thinking of throwing a party anytime soon, whether it be for a special occasion, such as a birthday or graduation, or even a girls day out, you should look into one of the party packages that Casey’s Cupcakes offers. They currently have 5 store locations and their Woodbury Town Center location is in Irvine and has a private party room, which is the one pictured in these photos. They offer a couple of different party packages at this location. The “Tea Parties & Tiaras” party is an amazing offering and can easily be adapted to include crowns if you have boys in your group.

Casey’s description of a “Tea Parties & Tiaras” Party:

Aspiring princesses will feel like royalty for a day at Casey’s Cupcakes! Our regal offerings start with a sparkling Apple Cider welcome and a Princess Tea. The lady-in-waiting will enjoy a private party in the party room in a setting inspired by a classic Parisian cafe with a glamorous Hollywood twist.….And what would a princess be without a Tiara?

The Tea Parties & Tiaras party is an all-inclusive package which includes:

*Private Party Room at the Woodbury Town Center store location

*Sparkling Cider Welcome Beverage

*One delicious cupcake per person to decorate (with an option to add a 2nd)

*Choice of Creamy Frostings

*Assortment of decorative toppers

*Choice of Casey’s Cupcakes Fine Teas

*Tea Service per person

*Tiara Keepsake

Casey’s can work with you to tailor a party to fit your occasion and party size. Our party was beautifully done and is something we we’re proud to share about with other friends and family.

It’s also fun to just stop by one of Casey’s location in the afternoon for a cupcake and a drink with your favorite little (or big) person. Casey’s is one of our favorite pastimes!

Casey’s Cupcakes offers “Date Night” during the week! 2 cupcakes and 2 drinks for $10 from 4 p.m.-close!

To inquire about pricing and availability and to make a reservation for one of Casey’s parties, please call 949.424.9250.
To visit the Casey’s Cupcakes website, click here.

The Time Farrell’s SAVED My Daughter’s Birthday Party AND My Sanity

May 5, 2014 / Celebrations, Family Fun, Food, Let's Eat!, Lifestyle, Orange County

Here’s the back story:
In case you didn’t know or hadn’t guessed, I’m the kind of mom who LOVES to throw a house party every year for my daughter’s birthday! I love to plan all of the details, far in advance, utilize Pinterest a ton throughout the entire planning period, seek out unique things to incorporate into the party and find vendors who are amazing but haven’t been very well known (yet). From the invitations to the coordinating printables to the custom cookies and the favors, I love all of it!
I don’t know what happened this year? I started out with a fun theme in mind for Emily’s 9th birthday, even had a few amazing ideas in my “party notebook” during the first few months of planning. What happened after that was just a series of hurdles followed by some awful events. The week prior to Emi’s birthday was the MOST challenging for me! Some of the obstacles I attempted to overcome included: a water leak in our ceiling, construction of that area, a majorly unexpected auto repair, a district walk through at my workplace, a heat wave paired with Santa Ana winds, a lady who was coming to do a little spa for the girls backing out, my inability to book someone new to come and do the party and probably the worst thing…..my daughter learning 3 days before her party that the cheer program she’d been in for almost 4 years, with the same coaches, was going to cease to exist as she’d known it! Yep, I had to inform her as I picked her up from school that day and then rush her to try out someplace new with some of her friends, all of which had bloodshot red eyes from crying! I cannot describe how horrible it felt to watch her become uncontrollably emotional and pretty much cry her little eyes out for the two days leading up to her party!
Needless to say, by Thursday, I knew I had to make a Plan B for WHAT I was going to do to modify this party I was having the next day, with 13 little girls, since I’d had ZERO time to get things ready while dealing with all of the previous.

Friday, May 2nd
I woke up at 3:45 a.m. and sat straight up in bed, suddenly wide awake. It was the day of Emily’s party. A thought came to mind…Farrell’s! We are HUGE Farrell’s lovers and there’s one very close to our home inside The Shops at Mission Viejo. I went online just to look at the kids menu and saw that there was any area to make a reservation online. I assumed it would only take a reservation for small parties but sure enough, when I entered my date, time and number in our party (13 kids and 3 adults) it took my reservation! I think I let out a big sigh of relief at that point. I think I knew right then, at 4 a.m., that everything was going to be OK.

I remember taking a picture of my laptop screen after I made my online reservation at 4 a.m. because I so overjoyed!

We’ve been to Farrell’s a couple of different times over the past few months, including the amazing grand opening at their newest Buena Park location AND Barbie’s birthday celebration at The Shops at Mission Viejo. I don’t think it’s possible to visit a Farrell’s without having an amazing time! Each of their locations exudes a crazy amount of positive energy and the food and nostalgia are something extra special for me that remind me of my own childhood .
I actually called Farrell’s around 10 a.m. that morning, just to double check with the manager on duty that they’d gotten my online reservation and that it was going to work out for a party our size. I spoke with “Steven” and he was so helpful on the phone and he confirmed that he did have my reservation. He asked me a few questions about our party and we decided together that our party would best be seated up front, in the area closest to the ice cream bar. It’s the location where you get the most drum action and that’s a biggie, right? Steven then reviewed the staff scheduled to work that evening and let me know that he’d be having “Michael” as our server, reassuring me that we’d be in good hands. This literally brightened up my day and I hung up smiling.
When I picked up Emily from school that day and told her about the slight change in our party plans, she had a huge smile on her face! She thinks she’s this big Farrell’s VIP because she’s hung with the best of the Farrell’s peeps at some of their different locations! In her world, this party would just be one more event that she could add to her Farrell’s repertoire!
Upon our arrival, it was such a pleasure to meet the manager on duty, Steven. He greeted us at the front desk and made Emily feel special, mentioning that he already knew it was her birthday and giving her a special birthday sticker to wear! He had mustache stickers and menus for all of the girls to color and led us to our table, which was already set up. Steven was so considerate that he even sat the 3 adults at our own table, separate from the table of 13 screaming girls! It was like the reverse of having “a kids table”!

Our server, Michael, came right over to the girls’ table and was ready to get the party started! He was so patient with all of them. I don’t know HOW he had the patience to deal with the craziness of 13 screaming 9 year olds but I can confirm that the guy was like an instant hit with the girls! (obviously)

I can’t even say enough good things about our server, Michael!

I need to point out something else that amazed me about our server…his knowledge of the Farrell’s menu. I’m not talking about their regular menu…I mean the fact that when we informed him about one of the girls who is “gluten-free”, he turned to us and said, “you don’t have to worry, I have A LOT of knowledge about this and I will take care of her!” He then went and grabbed one of their gluten-free menus and helped her with her special order. I think that was the point he definitely won the 2 moms over in our party! (Farrell’s also offers a “nut allergy” and “egg allergy” menu for guests)

Farrell’s has a gluten free menu!

They also have “nut allergy” and “egg allergy” items!

Michael kept the Shirley Temples and strawberry lemonades flowing at the girls’ table! I must’ve apologized to him about 100 times for all of the screaming and craziness coming from their table and he just kept telling me NOT to apologize and let me know that he works with kids like this every day and enjoys it! Ha! And here I was thinking I was the crazy one!

As if the girls weren’t already excited just to be hanging out,

they let out some extra noise when dinner arrived table side.

The Kids Mac and Cheese seemed to be a big hit at our table!

I ordered the Grown Up Grilled Cheese!

Dinner was a success and we ready to move onto the best part of all! The girls knew what would come next…a special birthday sundae, a special birthday song and a whole lotta drum….. all in honor of Emily’s 9th birthday!

The singing hadn’t even started and she was already blushing!

This video can give you a good idea of what it’s like to celebrate your birthday at Farrell’s! (I think Emi was trying to hide)

And then they all dug into their own kid sundaes! Mmm!

The kids sundaes are a good size and so yummy!

By this point I was so relieved and so pleased at how everything had worked out. It wasn’t just a birthday meal out but a total celebration and all because of everything that Farrell’s has to offer in its dining experience. I just have to say “Thank you, Farrell’s!” not only for saving my daughter’s birthday party this year, but for also saving my sanity! We will be back soon!

The girls had so much fun at Emily’s birthday celebration at Farrell’s!

For more information about Farrell’s and to check out their regular menu, as well as information about parties, click here.

The Day We Partied With Barbie and Ken at Farrell’s

March 12, 2014 / Celebrations, Food

Barbie turned 55 yesterday! She’s looks absolutely amazing for her age, don’t you think?

I grew up loving Barbies. I think Barbie was a favorite of most little girls and still is.

Emi and I had the chance to attend Barbie’s birthday celebration at Farrell’s Restaurant. At each of their participating restaurant locations, there was a special celebration which included appearances by Barbie and Ken, games, prizes and even a special Barbie Birthday Zoo for the kids to share.

We arrived a little bit early to find several little girls anxiously awaiting the start of the party and playing with their own Barbies outside of the Farrell’s door.

When the doors opened and we were welcomed into the party room,

we saw that the room was decorated for Barbie’s birthday.

Emi insisted that we bring her own Barbie table and chairs and she set it up right on the party table. (notice Barbie’s own tiny banana split and homemade birthday card on her table).

All of the children were so excited when the party host first introduced Ken! Everyone clapped and Ken appeared in the room. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud because he kept the stiff posed arms throughout the celebration. The Ken they chose was so adorable and had so much personality!

Soon after, Ken introduced Barbie and when she came out,

with her stiff arms too. Barbie was as adorable and talented as Ken was.

They were the most amazing performers that this Farrell’s could’ve found for this event and were both beyond animated, beautiful, and never broke character. You could just tell that “Barbie” and “Ken” were genuinely having fun with the kids. I certainly appreciate their version of this Barbie song…

The kids were so excited to play games with Barbie and Ken. First they played a trivia game, to see how much they knew about Barbie! Emi actually won TWO prizes in the trivia game! I have no idea how she knew Barbie’s full name, but that was one of the questions she answered!

Then they played “Hot Pig” (it’s like Hot Potato) with Barbie while Ken played the drum.

Did I mention that this Ken is amazing on the Farrell’s drum?

After the games, the kids all got to share the special Barbie Zoo! What a treat!

Emi was in heaven getting to have ice cream at 10:30 a.m. and before lunch!

At the end of the party, the kids got to have their pictures taken with Barbie and Ken!

The most powerful part of the whole event for me, was the statement Farrell’s made, without saying a word! For them to show the children (and adults) in attendance at Barbie’s birthday celebration, that Barbie and Ken are NOT ALWAYS blond-haired and blue-eyed with white skin, was something that I wish more companies would do. I don’t think there was one child at the party who noticed anything different about this Barbie and Ken, which is what makes me smile most! I thanked the manager, Chad, not only for hosting this fun event, but also for opting to feature a non-traditional Barbie and Ken to the kids! I honestly think there needs to be more of these kinds of occurrences in our society! Thank you Farrell’s! You really wowed me…again!

Irvine Park Railroad Easter Eggstravaganza 2014 & Giveaway

March 6, 2014 / Celebrations, Family Fun, Holiday Fun, Irvine Park Railroad, Lifestyle, Orange County

If you have ever been to Irvine Regional Park, you know how much amazing family fun it has to offer! Among some of the activities you can do are hiking, biking ( they even have bike rentals), rent paddle boats, pony rides, visit the Orange County Zoo, and even have a picnic! If you’ve never been, you need to take your family there right away!

One of our favorite things to do in the park is to ride the Irvine Park Railroad. In past years, we’ve gone in December for the Irvine Park Railroad’s Santa Train and festivities!

This year we’re excited to visit for it’s annual Easter Eggstravaganza, which begins on Saturday, March 29th and runs through Saturday, April 19th! Children and adults can ride the train through beautiful Irvine Regional Park. Children, ages 2 through 12 years old, also have the opportunity to participate in an Easter egg hunt, hunting for eggs that are each filled with either candy or a prize.

You can purchase tickets for your child(ren) to participate in the Easter egg hunts, which begin at 10:00 AM daily. Tickets will be exchanged for a wristband which will indicate a specific time for the egg hunt they’ll be participating in. Don’t forget to bring an Easter basket for each child who is participating in the Easter egg hunt. Irvine Park Railroad will also offer Easter baskets for purchase. Tickets must be purchased on the day of the event, in order to receive a wristband for the Easter egg hunt. Please visit http://www.irvineparkrailroad.com for complete details on the Easter egg hunts, including times and costs.

During the Easter Eggstravaganza, children can meet the Easter Bunny at a cost of $10.00 per family or group. This cost includes a picture that will be taken by Irvine Park Railroad staff and available for pickup shortly after the picture is taken.

There will be other activities to enjoy during the Easter Eggstravaganza including hay rides, a moon bounce, Easter cookie decorating, carnival games, face painting, picture stands and a lot more. Please visit http://www.irvineparkrailroad.com for full details including costs.

Irvine Park Railroad’s other annual events include the Anniversary Celebration, Pumpkin Patch, and Christmas Train.

Become a fan of Irvine Park Railroad on Facebook, follow us onInstagram (Irvine Park Railroad), view pictures on Flickr, and follow our tweets on twitter (@IrvineParkRR).

While at Irvine Regional Park, be sure and visit the parks other activities including Wheel Fun Rentals^® at Irvine Park bike and paddle boat rentals, pony rides and the Orange County Zoo.

The park entrance fee – charged by the County of Orange – is $3.00 per vehicle on weekdays and $5.00 per vehicle on weekends.

Irvine Park Railroad opens daily at 10:00 AM. The cost for train tickets is $5.00 per person; children younger than 12 months ride free. Irvine Park Railroad is located at 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869.

We can’t wait to go to the Easter Eggstravaganza 2014!

Emi already has her outfit and her Easter basket ready to go!

Now for the giveaway….you can enter to win 6 tickets (which can be used to ride the train OR participate in Easter Eggstravaganza activities) and 1 Wheel Fun Rentals at Irvine Park surrey rental (excludes double surrey)! Enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter below!

Good luck to everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway open to U.S. Residence. 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 36 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected the same way. Several different ways to earn entries. Not liable for unclaimed prizes or fulfillment. Sponsor has the right to refuse filling prize for duplicate winners from other blogs. Winner’s tickets will be mailed directly to home (or mailing address) and will not be available for will call at this event.

photos courtesy of Irvine Park Railroad