As a parent, it’s my main priority (and responsibility) to raise a daughter who is well-rounded. I want my daughter to grow up having a healthy mind, body and spirit. Sometimes it’s easier said than done though. Parenting is definitely a lot of work, requires constant effort, and can often times be very challenging. I’m going to share some of the things I’m doing as a parent to raise a happy and healthy child.
One way I encourage my daughter to lead a healthy lifestyle is by modeling it for her. There are also some things our family does to stay active together and have fun doing so. We enjoy going on family walks together. We also love to enjoy other outdoor activities such as a hike in the foothills or a jog along the beach. Being active together a perfect opportunity to bond as a family.
We also allow my daughter to make choices of physical activities that she enjoys doing to maintain that active lifestyle. She is pretty athletic and has participated in a variety of activities ranging from dance & cheer to swimming & martial arts.
It’s also very important to teach children about the importance of making healthy food choices, whether they are eating at home with you or our somewhere on their own. Our family spends time together on Sundays doing meal planning and grocery shopping for the upcoming week. 
Since our work, school, homework, and extra-curricular activity schedule are somewhat busy ones, we try our best to prepare meals together in the kitchen about 4 times a week. Dinnertime is when we share about our day and talk about anything else we’re excited about.
It’s also important to teach your children to give back to the community. I believe that giving back is one of the most important things you can do for others. Also, by doing so, you are modeling the importance of thinking about others’ needs and serving others for your child(ren). We seek out different ways to give back including volunteering with the homeless and bringing necessary supplies to the animal shelter.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America has a great resource for families trying to live an overall healthy lifestyle called Triple Play. The program is the leading comprehensive health and wellness program and serves young people at Boys & Girls Clubs. Triple Play gives kids the tools and awareness necessary to put them on the path to a great future. This is exactly what we want for our children.
As part of this program, parents can download The Triple Play Parents Game Plan. It offers a holistic approach with three key areas of focus:
- Mind: Develops a knowledge base for young people to acquire healthy habits, such as making smart food choices, understanding appropriate portion sizes and creating fun and balanced meals.
- Body: Promotes young people becoming more physically active through fun daily fitness, including activities to get kids active and moving.
- Soul: Strengthens interpersonal skills, positive behavior and good character through social recreation programs and activities.
At the start of the new year, Boys & Girls Clubs of American established a key mantra, “I Feel Better When..”. As many people recommit to improving their health and wellness practices at the start of a new year, the BGCA is committed to implementing this phrase, which can lead to how small, daily behavioral changes can have a long-term, lasting impact. Triple Play is focused on healthy lifestyle changes at a young age.
In our own family, we do a few different things to promote a healthy lifestyle. I feel better when…we model an active lifestyle, make healthy food choices, and give back. What about you and your family? What can you do to support this mantra?
National support from the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation and Coca-Cola make it possible for Boys & Girls Clubs around the country to operate Triple Play.
For more information about wonderful programs like this one, visit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Triple Play Website here. Connect with Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and Twitter, too.
Each guest will also receive a limited edition Hershey’s® collectible spoon for joining Yogurtland in its tasty mission to celebrate peace, love and frozen yogurt.
To help sweeten a delicious day, Yogurtland will feature a new Peanut Butter Cup frozen yogurt flavor made with Reese’s® and Hershey’s® ingredients, and the popular Chocolate Milkshake made with Hershey® flavor, also made with real, creamy California Milk. These two chocolatey flavors will continue to be served at Yogurtland locations throughout the month of February.
It looks like Sephora had the same idea as I did: to start the new year right. They put together a Sephora Favorites Refresh, Set, Glow Kit, that’s perfect for the work hard, play hard girl on the go. The kit features on-the-go glam solutions that will revive your hair, complexion, and makeup and is the perfect way to kick off the new year. 
Refresh, Set, Glow Kit is exclusive to Sephora Inside JCPenney. They’re literally two of my favorite brands to shop, so having them both in the same place is a win-win for me!
Before I even opened the kit, I was in love! It comes in this adorable, light aqua zippered, cosmetic bag and has the Sephora signature logo on the handle. Inside are a ton of fun things to try. 
There are 11 portable picks in all, each set to either revive your hair, your skin, or your makeup. Here’s what you’ll find inside this kit:
Blur by Clinique – This blurring product is perfect for adding finishing touches to your face and especially help with improving your selfies.
Coconut Sheet Mask by Farmacy – You’ll love this deeply moisturizing calming and soothing mask.
Ties from Sephora Collection – These are great for pulling back your hair while you wash your face or even just for down time at home.
Sugar Lip Treatment (Rose) by Fresh – You’ll fall in love with this super moisturizing lip treatment with SPF, that leaves your lips beyond soft.
Blow Dry by Bumble and bumble – We could all use a little help repairing what we’ve done to our hair via the blowdryer.
“Better Than Sex” Mascara by Too Faced – I think the name of this product speaks for itself! It’s an amazing mascara. That’s for sure!
Rain Skin Rollerball by CLEAN – This light fragrance smells amazing and is so easy to stick into your cosmetic bag in your purse.
The Refresh, Set, Glow Kit is a beautiful collection of sought after products that make you feel beautiful. It’s perfect to take on a trip and would make a great gift for every girl on your shopping list! Have you shopped at Sephora Inside JCPenney before? What are some of your favorite products? Share with me in the comments. For more information about Sephora Inside JCPenney, go 
I recently discovered (the hard way) that I can’t possibly keep up at that pace without having some kind of backlash. Although stress is inevitable, trying to do too much all the time, will only result in your body screaming at you to slow down. In my case, I ended up with the flu. According to the doctor, that was my body telling me to slow down!
One of the benefits of being a Kaiser Permanente member is having access to the wide range of services available. Not only can members schedule a medical appointment with their doctor when they need to but they are also able to discuss things like stress management, that can also affect your health.
I had the pleasure of spending some time chatting with Dr. Michael Hanna of Kaiser Permanente Orange County about my own stress and kind of picked his brain for some advice on how to best manage it all. I told him about my tendency to try to “do it all”. His first suggestion was this:
There are certain situations that we really have little to no control over. Dr. Hanna highly recommended putting my energy into things I can do something about. As a father, himself, Dr. Hanna had some other great advice for busy parents who find themselves in the same boat and juggling a lot, about how to best manage & combat their stress. Here are some of his best tips for managing stress:
Exercise
Sleep 
Declutter and Organize
How to Manage Stress When It’s Actually Happening to You
At the end of our talk, Dr. Hanna said something that really stuck with me. He said, “Have hope! This too, shall pass!” Honestly, if you can just rally through the trying times, there’s going to be something good that will eventually show up for you. 
Kaiser Permanente strives to help all of its members and employees work towards total health and wellness. Members can take classes, covering a wide variety of topics relevant to health, that are a good fit for their own situation. Being able to successfully manage stress, or in simpler terms “life management”, can only have positive benefits for an individual. To learn more about Kaiser Permanente and the services health and well-being services available to its members, go
Whether it’s a visit during their 
The Anniversary Celebration will also feature other $2.00 activities including:
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.
For more information, visit 
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!