Have you visited Blink Inc Studio in Fashion Island yet? It is such a fun place! Prior to our visit, I had never heard of it and wasn’t familiar with the concept yet. Now I’m trying to find new excuses, on a daily basis, to go back for another shoot.
Blink Inc is a photo studio staffed with professional photographers that are ready to photograph you the moment you walk in. There’s no hassle of trying to find a time, date, and location that works best for you, you can simply go online to their site and book an appointment to come into the studio.
The studio is already set up and offers a sleek, all-white/blank backdrop that results in images that look and feel like a professional, editorial fashion shoot. The lighting is set up to make everyone look their best! (Trust me on this one!)
Not only are the photographers experienced, they work with you to make it a fun experience and also to assure you are leaving with the images you’d hoped for. You’re able to see your photos as they’re shot, because they offer a real-time delivery system.
Here are just some of what they’ll photograph for you at Blink Inc:
- family
- baby
- #BFFs
- pets
- graduation
- birthday party
- engagement
- headshot
- professional photos
- business and product photos
- holiday cards
- announcement
Honestly, the sky’s the limit and you are free to bring any kind of props you’d like included in your pictures and dress however you’d like for your shoot. We visited Blink Inc on a “Girls Day Out” and ended up with a super fun and adorable photographer, Morgan! 
It’s so convenient to be able to walk in, shoot your pictures, select which ones you’d like to purchase (the entire shoot is also available for purchase at a great “Buy All” price too.) and then have access to download your photos from a smart phone or device.
In this day and age, Blink Inc offers exactly what busy families and people-on-the-go are looking for….quality and convenience.
Walk ins are welcome at Blink Inc. but reservations are highly recommended. To book your own reservation for their studio, go here.
Photo credit: Blink Inc.
Hasbro and generationOn, the youth division of Point of Light, have partnered for the seventh annual Joy Maker Challenge. The campaign encourages youth,ages 5-18, to spread joy to people in need during the holidays through volunteer service. For every kid and teen who volunteers throughout The Joy Maker Challenge, Hasbro will donate a toy or game to Toys for Tots (up to $1 million worth)! That’s amazing!
Since the campaign’s inaugural year in 2010, more than 960,000 total acts of service have been completed, with 6 million dollars’ worth of toys donated to Toys for Tots by Hasbro
I was so excited when I received a giant box of toys from Hasbro on my doorstep! There were so many great toys inside the box and my daughter loved getting to open it and peek inside. I explained that the toys were going to be donated to families in need and she then helped me pick out the organization we’d be donating them to. We decided to take them The Orange County Ronald McDonald House.
The box was so giant that it barely fit in the back of my car. Ronald McDonald was there to greet me on the front doorstep when I dropped off the toys. I was happy to learn that my donation was just in time for their annual holiday party, which welcomes over 375 guests, who are either current residents at Ronald McDonald House Orange County or have stayed there within the past year.
I think it’s so important to encourage kids and teens to become “changemakers” in their communities and the world, through service. It really teaches them about being selfless. How do you teach your kids about giving back to those in need? Don’t forget to visit the campaign website before December 23 and sign up to be a “Joy Maker” too for Hasbro’s 2016 Joy Maker Challenge! 
Hasbro has so graciously offered to send one of my readers 2 boxes of 20 toys each, 1 box of toys to keep and 1 to donate. You can be a Joy Maker too! Enter on the Rafflecopter below! Good luck and Happy Holidays!
I also teach school and am a first grade teacher, which requires me to be up on my feet a majority of the day. I spend a lot of time on the carpet with my students reading to them and doing many activities. A 
Recently expanded to include even more great retailers to choose from, the newest area offers holiday shoppers even more great stores to shop at including:
Did you know….The Outlets at Orange is the only shopping destination in California to include Bloomingdale’s Outlet Store, Neiman Marcus Last Call, Nordstrom Rack and Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th? 
The Bloomingdale’s Outlet was the last one to join the center, just this Fall, and is the only location between San Diego and San Francisco.
From shoes to accessories and apparel for men’s women’s and children, all four department stores provide exclusive name brands at value.
After grabbing a cup of coffee in at the center’s Starbucks, I ventured over to check out the new area and was instantly drawn to the fountain, located just outside of Under Armour.
I love the serenity of the fountain and could’ve stood there and listened to the water flowing, all day long.
Among the drought-friendly landscaping, you’ll also find welcoming sitting areas to take breaks during your holiday shopping. It’s nice to be able to sit and cross things off your “Christmas Shopping List” before heading back out again. 
The Outlets at Orange is home to over 120 retailers and restaurants and offers shoppers a ton of choices to dine and shop at! 
This Saturday, December 17, join The Outlets at Orange for a holiday celebration including a live ice sculpture carving and carolers. Guests at the Outlets of Orange can enjoy holiday music from the carolers from 12-4pm.
To show appreciation to its fans and local community 
During “The Twelve Days of Giving Sweepstakes” different prizes will be awarded to a consumer every day from December 10 – December 21. The daily giveaways are announced every day on Frontier SoCal’s Instagram, so be sure to follow @FrontierSoCal on Instagram so you can be the first to find out what we are giving away! Also, you can enter twice per day. that’s twice the chances to win!
I’m fairly new to wet shaving and only started getting really into it about six months ago, Since then, not only have I had the best shaves of my life, but I feel like I get a little bit of daily serenity and “me time”, before the craziness of my hectic work day begins.
I also tried out their new “Sweet Almond” shave soap, which is just one from their new line of shave soaps, along with the 
It’s OK to take back ten minutes out of your day to regroup and wet shaving is where it starts, in my opinion! Be daring, and try out some new scents and really explore all the inventory West Coast Shaving has to offer! I guarantee that whether you’re buying this for yourself, or you’re shopping for Dad, brother, souse, significant other, etc. they will surely enjoy getting back to this age old tradition of shaving!
They’ve created a new gifting experience, with their beautifully, curated gift boxes, that’s much more exciting than traditional gift baskets. The idea behind the company is that they believe a gift should last long after the beautiful wrappings have been torn away. 
I received the Cirque du Sweets gift box which includes:
The act of giving is always in season with Thoughtfully which is why they’re providing one of their boxes as a giveaway to one of my lucky readers! All you have to do is enter below on the Rafflecopter. Good luck everyone!
During SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration, in addition to all of the regular shows and attractions, ther are two additional areas exclusive to the event, that you won’t want to miss…Santa’s Christmas Village and the all-new Rudolph’s Christmastown.
As soon as we arrived at the park, we began our celebration by heading straight over to Rudolph’s Christmastown. I grew up watching all of the classic Christmas specials on TV featuring Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer™ so I was on a mission to find Rudolph and all of his friends at SeaWorld!
As you walk through Rudolph’s Christmastown you’ll find so many adorable areas to take photos over there, as well as fun games that are all Rudolph-themed. We also found Rudolph, himself, and he was ready to take pictures. you have the option to take pictures with Rudolph and a couple of his friends. (Characters available may vary.) 
SeaWorld offers PhotoKey™ services to guests, so you have the option to have their professional photographers photograph your family at designated spots throughout the park and then purchase the photos for sharing online and printing out to create keepsakes of your day! We utilized the service at this location for our photos with Rudolph.
We were also pleasantly surprised when Bumble the Snow Monster walked in! He is one of my all-time favorites from the series and we had a lot of fun posing with him. (especially my husband)
There are some very special savory and sweet holiday food offerings in Rudolph’s Christmastown such as gourmet pizzas, a variety of Mac & Cheese, Holiday Crepes, and Waffles on a stick! Warm coffee drinks and hot cocoa are also available!
SeaWorld really spoiled us that night and we ate everything I mentioned above. Their culinary team is amazing!
Right near the Arctic Wild, in Rudolph’s Christmastown, you’ll find the 40′ Happiest Dancing Christmas Tree. We enjoyed a fun tree lighting ceremony with singing elves and Rudolph. The tree is beautiful and changes colors and light patterns as the music changes. Here’s a very short video of the countdown to the tree lighting up:
Next, we headed over to Santa’s Christmas Village to find Santa and Mrs. Claus. There are many different activities and things to explore in Santa’s Christmas Village including:
Wait times to see Santa may vary so please plan your day accordingly. You also have the option to reserve your visit to see Santa by visiting 
We had so much fun at the media review of SeaWorld San Diego’s Christmas Celebration and look forward to going back during the daytime to experience even more fun. Have you been to SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration before?
For more information about Christmas at SeaWorld San Diego, visit 
I just get bored with the same old lunches and I also find that if I don’t pack enough food or go to work without a lunch at all, I end up grabbing not-so-healthy things. One of my personal goals when this school year started (I’m also a teacher) was to reduce, or even eliminate, “driving through” for lunch.
I feel like I’m just out of ideas and tired of the same old lunch: a sandwich, chips, and a diet soda. I got pro-active and set up an appointment with a nutritionist at Kaiser Permanente Orange County to talk about some healthier lunch packing options. During my appointment, I got some really great tips and ideas that I want to share with you. 
The first thing I leaned was that “a lunch doesn’t have to look like a lunch“.It’s a concept that seems odd and not normal to me. When I think about packing a lunch, I visualize what my own mother used to pack for me. However, I learned that the most important part about packing what you’re going to eat all day when you’re away from home is actually the balance between nutritional value and adequate portions. 
The nutritionist helped me think of a long list of “non-traditional” lunch items to include in my lunchbox. Here are just a few:
Honestly, I love all of these new ideas for lunch. I’ve actually seen other teachers eyeing my lunch in our Teachers Lounge.
Although water isn’t actually food, the nutritionist stressed the importance of drinking enough water on a daily basis. I shared my water drinking challenges with her. As a teacher, there are days when I walk around my classroom just carrying my water bottle around and still have a full water bottle at dismissal!
She suggested adding natural flavoring by using things like cucumber or strawberry to my water. I love the way it tastes when it’s infused and it’s so much easier to drink my daily requirement now. I also learned that water isn’t just important for your insides, which helps regulate you, but also beneficial for your external appearance, aka your skin! Drink your water!
The nutritionist asked me right away to describe what my weekly lunch meal prep looks like. I really didn’t have an answer for her because prior to meeting with her, I didn’t set aside much time for meal prep. Lunch making was more of a “throw-it-in-the-lunchbox-5-minutes-before-rushing-out-the-door” sort of thing! She discussed the benefits of carving out that time each weekend to do this. On Sundays, my daughter & I team up to make the shopping list for weekly lunch packing, go to the grocery store, and package and measure out portions of foods that can be done ahead of time. (ex. nuts, cut up cheese, etc.) 
While I was at my appointment with the nutritionist at the Kaiser Permanente location in Irvine, there was a Farmers Market going on. I love shopping at a Farmers Market! 
They offer the freshest fruits, vegetables, and other products that are all locally grown and made. I found a variety of local produce, honey, nuts, teas, beef jerky, breads, and specialty foods there, many of which are organic!
There is also food you can order to eat right then and there, such as gourmet tamales. All of the vendors are very friendly and there are lots of great things to sample before you buy. 
I found a lot of things there to grab for my lunch packing. It’s free and open to the public, every Wednesday (year-round) from 9-1. To find a Kaiser Permanente Farmers Market in Southern California near you, go 
Believe it or not, I actually look forward to packing lunches now. I feel like I have a new perspective and it’s fun to mix it up with non-traditional lunch packing. My daughter even asks to help out more in the kitchen now, since we started doing lunch meal prep together. It’s like a mother-daughter bonding time.