You are invited to join Brea Mall as they continue to participate in the “More Than Pink” movement in support of Susan G. Komen and the fight against breast cancer. As part of its pledge to donate $1 million each year in 2017 and 2018, more than 180 participating Simon Malls, The Mills and Premium Outlets nationwide participated in a range of activities during the month of April and will continue to do so in May.
“It has been wonderful to see the positive response that the More Than Pink movement has generated over the past year. Our shoppers, retailers and employees have embraced the opportunities we’ve offered to support Susan G. Komen in its tireless efforts to reduce breast cancer deaths, and we look forward to continuing that momentum this year” – Nate Weirbach, director of marketing and business development at Brea Mall
Visitors to Brea Mall will notice the pink theme carried out at the Guest Services booths and staff donning pink accessories. Other ways to support the “More Than Pink” movement include:
Jenny Cookies’ Spring Workshop: Support Susan G. Komen by getting crafty on Saturday, May 20 at 3pm at a fun, hands-on terrarium DIY workshop with Jenny Cookies’. With a donation of $25 you’ll enjoy this fun workshop and receive a discount card for up to 25% off one item at participating retailers and a goodie bag. Purchase your ticket here.
Discount Card Program: In exchange for a $10 donation to Susan G. Komen, shoppers at Brea Mall will receive a Discount Card, available at Guest Services or the Mall Office at participating centers, providing 25 percent off one item at each participating retailer. All Discount Card donations go to Susan G. Komen.
As of April 2017, Simon has raised $441,667 in support of Susan G. Komen, all generated through the support and participation of shoppers, retailers and employees, and they hope to raise even more in May. ‘Race For The Cure’ events and other activations will take place with local Simon teams working with Susan G. Komen affiliates. Simon encourages shoppers to locate and register for an event near them by visiting http://www.raceforthecure.org/Simon.
Images and logos are property of Brea Mall.
You can give the gift of renewal this Mother’s Day with one of these 3 Gift Card Packages:
Please note: Guests must be 18 years of age to enjoy a massage. Pedicure services are not available at the Mission Viejo spa and will be substituted with a 25-minute Salt or Sugar Glo for the Mother’s Day packages. Go beyond the spa with Burke Williams this Mother’s Day.
Visit a Burke Williams spa location near you or online at 
I had the opportunity to spend a day in the Park, enjoying many of their boysenberry-inspired foods and drinks. I got so excited to see Ghost Town all decked out for the occasion!
Did you know that the boysenberry originated at Knott’s? Yep! The roots of Knott’s Berry Farm stretch back to the early 1930s when Walter Knott nurtured the only surviving 
The popular purple little 
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival runs from April 1-23 this year. During the festival, guests have the opportunity to enjoy boysenberry foods, both sweet and savory, and boysenberry-inspired craft beer and wine. Trust me when I say that you need to try all of the special boysenberry offerings during Knott;s Boysenberry Festival. One of the best ways to get a tasting of a variety of these foods is by purchasing a Festival Tasting Card. For just $25, you’ll get to sample 6 different items. As you can see, I started with one of the desserts, Boysenberry Panna Cotta! 
The Festival Tasting Card gives you quite a bit of food as you get samples of Boysenberry BBQ Meatballs, Boysenberry Fry Bread, Boysenberry Buffalo Wings, Boysenberry Ravioli, Boysenberry Panna Cotta, and Boysenberry Pizza!
I loved all of the items I got to try but I couldn’t stop there because there was still so much more boysenberry goodness to try! Some of the other boysenberry items you can find during the festival include:
Aside from all of the boysenberry goodness at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival, there’s also a great lineup of entertainment for the whole family, you won’t want to miss including Snoopy’s Boysenberry Jamboree (on the Calico Mine Stage), Old Time Melodrama (Bird Cage Theater), The History of Boysenberry & Knott’s Berry Farm (in Town Hall), Cloud 9 Ballroom/Studio K Classic Dance Party (in the Boardwalk Ballroom), Wild West Stunt Show: Frontier Feats of Wonder! (in Wagon Camp Theater), and the fun Camptivities (in Camp Snoopy). Also stop by Calico Park for some fun, music & games and visit the animals Old MacDonald’s Farm (in Ghost Town).
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is a must-do. Be sure to stop by before April 23rd! For more information, visit Knott’s Berry Farm’s site
Walk For Wishes is an amazing, annual event that’s always filled with incredible moments as “wish” children, families, volunteers and participants come together to celebrate and honor wish recipients of the past and present.
This year’s event is held on World Wish Day, Saturday, April 29 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.. at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. World Wish Day is a celebration of the first wish ever granted to 7-year-old Chris Greicius who wished to be a police officer, and a celebration of all wishes past, present and future.
The event is open to the public and kicks off with a spirited, non-competitive walk at the Orange County Great Park. Guests will also be able to experience the World of Wishes festival with special booths dedicated to each of the four wish types: I wish to have, I wish to go, I wish to be and I wish to meet. Attendees will enjoy music, games, face painting, live entertainment and food from local vendors.
Registration is $25 and proceeds from the walk will go directly to granting the wishes of local children facing life-threatening medical conditions.
This year’s event is sponsored by Service Champions Heating & Air Conditioning and Toshiba with support from; Air 1, Hot 103.9, Parenting OC, Yelp and Manhattan Stitching Co.
To learn more about this incredible day celebrating “Wish Children” and their families, go 
Here are a few highlights about the show:
This year Knott’s Boysenberry Festival begins on April 1st and will offer park guests 23 days of special boysenberry offerings, After attending a media tasting and getting a sneak peek at this year’s menu, I’m pretty sure this year’s Boysenberry Festival is going to be the best one by far!
Knott’s has a line-up of over 70 mouthwatering boysenberry-inspired foods and drinks to choose taste this year. You’re not going to want to miss out on any of it! I was absolutely wow-ed by some of the new offerings this year’s Boysenberry Festival! First of all, they’ve got an incredible Boysenberry Pizza that will drive your palette crazy! 
It’s made with arugula, smoked ham, and goat cheese, and topped with Knott’s very own boysenberry Sriracha sauce. It was delicious!
Another new menu item is the boysenberry ravioli! Who would’ve thought? This ravioli dish is packed with boysenberry flavors and so savory! Also new for this year is the freshly-baked boysenberry fry bread! Mmm!
Some other guest favorites from years past, which will be offered again this year, include:
Guests who want to take home the exquisite Boysenberry BBQ sauce, Boysenberry Butter, Boysenberry Dressing and Boysenberry Chipotle Sauce can do so by stopping by the Berry Market located in the California MarketPlace and General Store located in Ghost Town. *Select items are available on the online Berry Market store.
One of the best ways to experience the Boysenberry Festival is with a Boysenberry Bites Tasting Card. For only $25, the tasting card includes generous portions of six delectable treats:
Guests at the Boysenberry Festival can also visit the Wine and Craft Brew Garden, which is located inside of Ghost Town’s Wilderness Dance Hall. Those guests who are 21 years of age and older can enjoy 4 craft brews and over 50 different wines from 36 producers including boysenberry beer and boysenberry wine. There’s also a tasting card iavailable for only $25, which includes 6 tastings paired with snacks.
As you can see, there is lots to see and do at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival this year! In addition to all of these food and beverage offerings, there’s also an entire lineup of live entertainment during the festival, which I’ll be sharing more about once it begins. To see a schedule of the live entertainment, go 
I was invited to spend a relaxing afternoon at Burke Williams Spa in Mission Viejo. From the moment I opened the front door, I felt hypnotized by the aromatherapy scents inside. It’s like a dream when you check in and are led back to the women’s spa. Guests are assigned a secure locker where they can store their personal belongings. Inside the locker you’ll find a super soft, comfy robe to borrow and some spa slippers to use. I didn’t hesitate to change into my bathing suit to take advantage of all the spa area has to offer, before my treatment appointment time. 
What I realized afterward my visit to Burke Williams Spa was that I need to do it more often! Did you know that you can also purchase a “Day Pass” for spa use without a booked service? It’s available for a $45 entrance fee, Monday through Thursday (excluding holidays) and reservations are required. which entitles you to visit and utilize all of the spa amenities when you aren’t visiting for a treatment. Reservations are required for spa use without service.
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.
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?