Disney Store will celebrate the grand opening of its new store at MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana on Saturday, August 6 at 10 a.m. Orange County’s newest location of The Disney Store will offer an immersive retail experience with a touch of magic for Disney fans of all ages, including unique elements, some of which are exclusive to Santa Ana, such as:
- a blue Pixie Dust Trail
- Magical Trees
- a Disney Store Theater
- Storytelling Neighborhoods featuring Disney, Marvel and Star Wars products
- a customized skyline incorporating local landmarks, such as ithe Old Santa Ana City Hall and Bowers Museum, in addition to classic Disney features and magical storytelling moments.
The Disney Store grand opening celebration will feature a festive song, composed specially for Disney Store and performed by the store Cast Members. Disney Store Grand Opening Ceremony where one lucky child will be invited to “Unlock Imagination. Getting to be the first person to help open The Disney Store is a HUGE DEAL! We actually participated in this before and it was magical. To read more about it, go here. 
The first 500 guests to attend the opening celebration will receive a free gift (*while supplies last). Guests will have an opportunity to meet Donald Duck and Daisy Duck in the lower level Macy’s court from noon to 4 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring their cameras. *Characters alternate every 30 minutes. Character appearances are subject to change or cancellation without notice.
Disney Store at MainPlace Mall is located at:
2800 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Hope to see you there!
Connect with The Disney Store on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The easiest way to add the All Day Dining Plan is to 
Wouldn’t it be fun to spend an entire day at Knott’s, just eating every 90 minutes? Ok, I’m just joking. 
The All Day Dining Plan doesn’t include drinks but I need to share one of the best drink deals in the Park with you! You can purchase a 2016 Souvenir Bottle for only $14.99 and get free drink refills the entire day! It’s a great deal and we used it in between meals to carry around ice water, which they’d also refill for us. It’s almost always hot outside in Southern California so having the option to get a cold, icy drink constantly refilled was a life-saver. Also, if you purchase it online before your visit, it’s only $10.99! 
For more information about Knott’s All Day Dining Plan or general park information, go 
Northgate decided to throw a giant community party in the parking lot, in honor of the Grand Opening and generously offered to provide the first 300 customers in line with a free bag of groceries.
There must have been about 1000 people in that line and it turns out that 100 more free bags of groceries were handed out additional guests, making 400 recipients total. That is so generous!
Several sponsors were also on hand at the event, greeting shoppers in the line outside, as well as pass out goodies to them. Inside the store, there was mariachi music and folklórico dancers continuing the celebration.
Their stores are known for offering a sizable section of domestic and imported Latin American grocery goods to customers, however, they also offer so much more than that. (Keep reading to learn more.) Personally, I love to give my business to establishments that are not only family run, but run based on family values.
After touring and shopping at this store, I could see how considerate they were in planning what to offer customers. I was pleasantly surprised to see an extensive variety of organic fruits and vegetables, in addition to other sought-after organic foods.
I was amazed when I passed several different sections of Grab-n-Go items, including family meals. There were salads, cut up fruit, sandwiches, tamales, sopas, so many choices! I wish I worked next door so I could come over at lunch and “Grab n’ Go” every day!
So, if I haven’t made it clear yet, you need to stop by the newest Northgate Market in Anaheim. I know you’re going to love it as much as I did! The new Northgate Market is located at 2030 E. Lincoln Ave. Anaheim, CA 92086. 
When I heard the announcement that Kia Motors America formed an expanded partnership with B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe), a non-profit organization that provides free, hands-on defensive driving workshops in cities nationwide, I was excited to share the news with my readers!
B.R.A.K.E.S. will use an expanded fleet of vehicles provided by Kia and increase the number of classes offered.
To provide teenagers with the training and tools to be safe and responsible behind the wheel, Kia Motors America (KMA) and the B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe) Teen Pro-Active Driving School are bringing the 501(c)(3) 0uycharity’s free advanced driver training to San Diego July 30-31 at Qualcomm Stadium. According to a recent study, the B.R.A.K.E.S. program reduces the accident rate of teen drivers by approximately 64% in their first three years of driving. 
The B.R.A.K.E.S. curriculum includes advanced, behind-the-wheel training from professional driving instructors using Kia provided vehicles.
Connect with Kia Motors American on 
Admission is so reasonable, at just one low price of $17.95 per person, it includes a ton of rides & attractions. Here is a list of the rides:
Inside Adventure City, you can also visit the petting farm, go rock climbing, play in the arcade, and sing & dance along at the children’s theater. For more information about the rides and attractions, visit
My daughter loved having so many rides to choose from. I loved that I didn’t have to go on all of the rides with her, but could still sit in close proximity to keep an eye on her when she did. (I’m a total helicopter mom.) There are certain rides that I did enjoy. I never turn down a train ride and the Adventure City Express Train is a fun one because it circles the entire park.
If you’re hungry while you’re visiting Adventure City, you can visit Parker’s Fill-Up Station which offers pizza, sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, curly fries and more. There are also fun snacks like pretzels, churros, ICEEs, ice cream and even sliced apples with caramel swirled on top! 
I also noticed they offer birthday party packages at Adventure City. You can either choose the Party Station or the Party Treehouse. For more information about birthday party packages, go 
Adventure City is the perfect place to visit with your family or a group of friends. Connect with them on 
Enter to win my giveaway! I’m giving away a family 4-pack of tickets to Adventure City! Enter on the Rafflcopter below. I’ll pick one winner and tickets will be available for pickup in person at Adventure City Theme Park. Good luck and thank you for reading!
I can’t even tell you which part of it I’m most excited for because there is so much going on at the Resort during that time of year. Plus, it also begins the entire 
Mickey’s Halloween Party 
As you approach the security area, it can be a little congested at times. It’s always important to remember…you’re at The Happiest Place on Earth! Nowadays, these extra security measures are necessary. I’m actually glad that Disneyland Resort has done this. 
You should know that any bags will be checked, as well as strollers and wheelchairs. 
Once you get through the initial bag screening area, you’ll be going through a metal detector, similar to the ones at the airport. You’ll be asked to unload your pockets and place your belongings in a tray before walking through the machines. It seems that they’re currently doing this for all guests. 
There are things you can do to help speed up the security process for yourself and others around you. As someone who’s been through the lines recently, on a few different “busy days”, I am speaking from experience here. (These are just some of my own tips.) 
First, prior to entering the bag check area, be prepared by already by having your backpack, satchel, and/or purse open for the Cast Members to search. This really helps to keep the line flowing. No one wants to wait extra time while you are asked to remove your bag and open it when you could already be ready. 
Second, avoid carrying items on the prohibited list. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen with “selfie sticks”. They’re on the prohibited list and have been for a while. I’ve even seen this on the news. I’ve also seen guests try to negotiate to be able to bring theirs in with them still. Just don’t! 
Third, have some extra patience when you’re in line. Sadly, I’ve also witnessed other guests acting in a grumpy manner and complaining to everyone around them. Did you know that positivity is contagious? 
Finally, consider actually thanking a Cast Member as you pass through these security areas. Thank them for working to keep you extra safe. Trust me, it’ll make their day!
Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty also joined the festivities and danced up on stilts while a brass band played for guests and red, white, and blue confetti flew in the air at the finale of the ribbon cutting ceremony. Here’s a video recap of the event (courtesy of LEGOLAND):
For the first time ever, guests can use a special LEGO tower viewer, giving them a skyscraper view of Miniland U.S.A. The area also features LEGO model replicas of the 9/11 Memorial’s twin reflecting pools, the grove of memorial trees and the impressive World Trade Center Transportation Hub. 
The updated NYC area of Miniland U.S.A. is now open for guests to stop by and pay tribute to. With the upcoming July 4th Holiday, there’s never been a more perfect time to visit the Park. 
The new LEGO models and Independence Day event are included with the price of admission to LEGOLAND California Resort. LEGOLAND® California Resort will be having its annual the Resort’s Red White and Boom! 4th of the July celebration. The family fun event features activities such as water-balloon tosses, burlap sack races, patriotic stroller parade, building activities and a fireworks display at 8:30 p.m. For more information, log onto 
I was more than excited to receive a SwimWays Spring Float Recliner to try out in the pool, With what seems like constant heatwave temperatures, this couldn’t have come at a better time. If you haven’t seen these 
The SwimWays Spring Float Recliner is the only float on the market with the patented Inner Spring Technology, which allows it to be easily inflated, closed and carried. Take a peek at how it came out from the package. 
One of the amazing parts about taking this to our pool was how quickly and easily it inflated. I can’t tell you how many times my daughter has asked me to blow something up at the pool and I’ve literally become winded. This was so easy and when I was finished blowing it up, I wasn’t even light-headed afterwards! (That’s a plus!)
In addition to the cup holder for my drink, one of my other favorite things about the float was not having to humiliate myself to get on it in the pool! I’m sure many others can relate to this situation: You’re gracefully trying to climb onto a pool float and it pops out from underneath you or worse, dumps you into the water! The SwimWays Spring Float Recliner was super easy to climb into and there was no humiliation involved! Also, even with my daughter kind of hanging onto it and pulling me around, it was super stable and never came close to flipping over, which is great because no one wants to spill their drink in the pool! 