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Lifestyle

Belo Blow Dry Bar in Laguna Beach! Do Something For Yourself!

September 28, 2014 / Beauty & Pampering, Lifestyle, Orange County

I don’t know about you, but for me, there are just times when I NEED someone else to do my hair for a special occasion or an event I’m attending. There’s just something a stylist does that I’m just not capable of doing with my hair. A few of my closest friends had recently visited a blow out bar together as a group to have their hair done before a wedding they were all in and it sounded like so much fun. A blow dry bar differs from a visit to your regular stylist in a way that allows you to achieve that “finished” look without the long term commitment you have with your own personal hair stylist. Let’s face it, we all know that cheating on your hairdresser is a BIG offense and this actually doesn’t count, so you don’t have to worry!

I was recently invited to Belo Blow Dry Bar in Laguna Beach to try out their services! It’s Laguna Beach’s first, and only, blow dry bar and is located in the heart of downtown at 302 Forest Avenue (upstairs at the corner of Forest Avenue and Beach Street)

Belo Blow Dry Bar is a dream come true for hair stylist and Laguna Beach resident Patricia Musselman, who is the owner of this fabulous new establishment. Orginally from Brazil, Musselman has a passion for two things: hair and traveling. Belo Blow Dry Bar combines the two in a glamorous black, white and gold setting. Musselman describes her most recent venture as:

“I’m a huge fan of blow dry bars myself and saw a need in Laguna for girls to get their hair styled locally. When the opportunity arose to take over a friend’s salon, I jumped at the chance and am having a blast with it,” said Patricia Musselman, owner of Belo Blow Dry Bar. “My goal with Belo is to create a warm and friendly environment where women can come have fun by themselves or with their friends, experiment with new styles, and get beautiful hair for work, beach parties or special events.”

You can spot Belo Blow Dry Bar from its logo’d front door and the adorable sidewalk chalkboard that sits out in front of the door. Just inside the front door is a staircase that takes you to the second floor. The decor inside is so beautiful and the staff is very welcoming.

Emi loved being able to order off of the “hairstyle menu”. It features 8 of the most popular current hairstyles, with a sketch and description of each one. If you don’t find one of those that you’d like, Belo also has iPads available for their clients to use, to search for hairstyles on Pinterest! The Belo stylists will work with you to create whatever hairstyle you envision.

Emi and I each had our own stylists that day. It was fun for me to sit back, relax and chat with my stylist, Angelik, about girl things. Emi loved the attention she was getting from her stylist, Tiara. She also loved her name! (I wonder why?)

I was seriously in love with the back of my hair when she showed it to me in the mirror!

We had such a fun morning at Belo Blow Dry Bar and were so happy with how both of our hairstyles turned out. I highly recommend calling to book an appointment of your own. Whether you have someplace special to be or just want to do something nice for yourself, you deserve to be pampered every now and then.

Call 949.4949714 to make an appointment today. You can also connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

I Got My Brunch On at Michael’s Pizzeria in the Long Beach Downtown Promenade!

September 17, 2014 / Food, Lifestyle, Los Angeles, Restaurant Reviews

One of my most favorite things about living in Southern California is the fact that there is SO much to see and do here! We recently decided to take a short drive down to Long Beach. The Downtown Promenade area of Long Beach is so cool.

Along the promenade, you can find this adorable little Italian restaurant called Michael’s Pizzeria. It has a charming outside patio area (as well as inside seating) and even an area to park your bike!

I had seen pictures of Michael’s delicious pizzas before on their Instagram page, but we specifically made the trip on this particular day to try out some of their brunch menu.

The brunch menu is served on Saturdays and Sundays and features several wood-fired cast iron frittatas, as well as sweet items such as cinnamon rolls, french brioche french toast, and pancakes. Other items available during brunch hours include wood-fired organic eggs, fennel sausage, smoked bacon, and garlic-roasted new potatoes. I also need to mention that they have NUTELLA to put on your toast and your french toast! Wow!

So let’s talk about what I got to sample that day. It’s a lot, so I hope you’re ready for the pictures and the descriptions. (I just hope you’re not reading this while you’re hungry!)

I’d already seen a picture of Michael’s homemade cinnamon rolls on Instagram, so I knew I was destined to have some of my own. We started out with an order of the cinnamon rolls.

They’re cast-iron baked and topped with a rosemary syrup. They were amazing and I had to fight over the last one with Emi. (we halved it)

Next, a Salsiccia E Funghi frittata arrived at the table. It’s made with 2 organic eggs, fennel sausage, and mushrooms and wood-fired in the oven.

I love the presentation of the cast iron skillet. All of the frittatas are served with a side of brioche toast and house-made jam, which was strawberry. Yum!

We were just getting the party started when a Carbonara Pizze Bianca showed up at the table. This pizza is like a foodie’s dream. It’s made with provolone, mozzarella, and pancetta….and then topped with 2 eggs!

Breaking the egg yolk on top of the pizza just brought out even more flavor! This pizza is actually part of the regular menu and not specific to the brunch menu so you can order it anytime!

We slowed down a little bit with some light, refreshing Prosciutto and Melone. The cantaloupe and honeydew served with Parma ham was so pretty to look on the plate. It was especially delicious and tasted so fresh when it was combined with the arugula and balsamic. You can tell something is great if a kid will eat it and Emi was doing just that.

We then ventured back to meet a couple more pizzas. The first one was a Margherita Pizza. Tomato, mozzarella, basil, and extra virgin olive oil.

The second one was something featured on the special chalkboard menu that sits above the wood-fire oven. It was called the Porchetta Pizza and was made with pesto, porchetta (slow-roasted pork belly), smoked mozzarella, peppadews, and garlic spinach. It was loaded up with so much flavor!

Even though we were getting pretty full from all of the delicious food, we knew we still HAD TO have dessert! From the start, Emi had been eyeing the gelato she’d seen on the menu. There are about 8 different flavors of gelato to choose from each day at Michael’s. We finally decided to try the Salted Caramel and the Mint Chocolate gelatos. They were so light and flavorful and were just enough to top off our great brunch!

I especially enjoyed getting to chat with the manager, that day. He is so passionate about what they’re doing over there and talked extensively about the way the foods are all prepared fresh daily and how they only use the freshest ingredients. They really pride themselves on bringing the best foods to the table for their customers. He explained each and every detail about the items we were sampling that day.

I learned something about pizza slicing too. The pizzas arrive at your table unsliced. Michael’s Pizzeria follows what the natives in Naples do, by serving pizzas unsliced because they believe that slicing a pie immediately after it comes out of the oven, causes moisture to form beneath it. They want to make sure your pizza does not end up soggy and suggest cutting it with a knife and fork as you enjoy it, but will slice it for you upon request. I love this!

Michael’s Pizzeria is definitely somewhere I’d recommend to others. They have 2 locations in Long Beach, on 2nd street and on the Downtown Promenade, as well as a location in Rancho Mirage. (I know where we’re going the next time we visit Palm Desert). The restaurant is family friendly and has something for everyone on it. Kids will love hearing the kitchen staff shout “Pizza!” every time they take another pizza out of the wood-fire oven. (Ok I’ll admit I loved that part too and may have joined in too) I cannot wait to go back and try more items from their menu. I know you’ll love it too!

I Created a Beach-Themed Reading Corner in My Classroom This Year With the Help Of Oriental Trading Company

September 15, 2014 / The Teacher in Me

Although this school year has just begun, it’s already been a great one so far in Room 7! I have 30 bright-eyed, adorable, and very curious first graders in my class! Did I mention how adorable they are? This year, I decided to set up a thematic “Beach” reading corner in my room to get my students extra excited about reading. Thanks to Oriental Trading Company, it was easy to create one.

A photo of my classroom setup in process with my “Beach” Reading Corner in process. I’m obsessed with all of the plush sea animals on the canopy. My favorite is the octopus! It was so much fun to set up my classroom this year.

Here are the items I ordered from Oriental Trading Company’s online site to create my reading corner:

The DIY Sun was really easy to assemble. How cute is the face?

I could’ve easily ordered a bunch of other things too but I held back. (maybe next time) Everything was so easy to put together and hang up. I don’t think my classroom has ever looked this cute before!

What NOT To Do With Your Reading Corner at the Beginning of the School Year

Let’s first talk about what NOT to do with your reading corner at the beginning of the school year. I guess I got so excited about my thematic reading corner and had it all set up and ready to go the first day of school! What I didn’t really think about was the fact that my students might not be ready for IT that soon. On the first day of school, the worst possible thing happened….someone popped one of the green reading chairs! (Ok maybe that wasn’t the WORST thing that could’ve happened, but it was bad) Yep, it was a little girl in my class and she jumped onto it when my back was turned. I heard the noise of the pop, which was followed by a whole bunch of gasps from other students. It was at that moment that I suddenly remembered how important it was to set up my classroom expectations and review the procedures for the reading corner BEFORE allowing them to use it! I should’ve known better, especially since it’s not my first year teaching. I guess I just got forgot since I was so excited.

Establishing Rules and Procedures in the Classroom For the Reading Corner

Before you can utilize your reading corner, it’s very necessary to introduce and review the rules and procedures for how you want the children to behave and use the area. It’s very important to establish your expectations for them and to even do several sessions of practicing WHAT to do. I, often times, find that my own students need a lot more guidance because they come from homes where there is very little structure and many just haven’t learned basic ways to treat things, especially things that belong to others that they may be using. I also find that my students do really well, once I have explained and modeled my expectations and let them practice.

It’s also important to build a classroom community and give the students ownership so they feel like it belongs to them. The beginning of first grade is a big change for the students who are coming from kindergarten. I think it’s important to help them feel like our classroom is theirs and the items in our classroom are also theirs to use. The reading corner is a place they can choose to visit when they have finished their work, to read quietly. If they feel it’s theirs, they’ll treat it with respect and use it the right way.

Motivating and Keeping Students Accountable Using the Plush Clown Fish

I am SO happy that I decided to order a dozen of the Plush Clown Fish for my classroom this year. I’m using the fish to motivate my students in the classroom and also as a way to hold them accountable for staying on task.

Each morning, I have 12 glitter clothespins clipped to 12 of the fish on the wall. When the students arrive at school, they look to see who has a clip and those are the students who will have the privilege of “reading with a fish” that day and having them on their desk. ONE of the 12 students is also the student who gets to sit in the reading chair that day.Students may read with a fish on the carpet, they may also read with a fish at their desk.

Wherever they choose to read, they are held accountable in the sense that if I see them off task or playing around, I take the fish away and move to glitter clip to another student’s name for the day. (When that happens, they get really sad). It’s adorable to see them reading with the fish. Never underestimate the power of a stuffed animal with a first grader!

The students actually say that their fish help them read better!

The reading chair is the most sought-after seat in room 7!

I am so excited to see how much growth my students make this year and how well they progress in their academics. It already seems like my Beach Reading Corner is keeping them motivated and I have Oriental Trading Company to thank for helping me out with that!

Disclosure: I received products from Oriental Trading Company in order to write my review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

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!

The Girl With the Disneyland Map Skirt at Disney’s 24-Hour Event!

September 7, 2014 / Disney, Lifestyle, Social Media, Travel

As Mickey’s Trick or Treat party at Disneyland gets closer, I’ve been looking through pictures and trying to get costume ideas. As I was going through some of the pictures I’ve taken at Disneyland Resort, I came across some that I took of this adorable girl who was wearing the cutest outfit at Disney’s 24-hour event in May. I didn’t realize just HOW cute, until we got up close to her and realized that her skirt was made from park maps!

I just HAD TO approach her to ask where she got the skirt! That’s when she showed me her matching bow and told me she’d made them both! Oh my goodness! I loved her creativity and Emi looked instantly inspired by her! She was such a sweet person to talk to also, which is always nice.

I, of course, didn’t grab her contact info that day and I think she said she isn’t on Twitter or Instagram (good for her). I suppose one day I’ll run into her again and I”ll be able to ask if she could make a skirt and bow for Emi, because Emi has been dying to have her very own ever since that day and can’t seem to duplicate it. (believe me, she’s tried!) I know the power of social media is strong because it’s helped me find people before. Plus, I think she lives locally.

Did you attend Disney’s 24-hour event in May? Did you see “The Girl in the Disneyland Map Skirt”?

b4 Hand Sanitizers Are a Teacher’s Best Friend!

September 6, 2014 / Lifestyle, The Teacher in Me, Uncategorized

Disclosure: I received b4 products to write a review about. No other compensation was received. All opinion are my own.

Back to school time is very exciting for me as a teacher! I get to decorate my classroom and plan another exciting school year of learning activities, but the best part is meeting my new students on the first day of class!

After teaching for so many years and having my share of illnesses, I’ve learned the importance of making extra efforts to sanitize my classroom and my own hands, especially while I’m around the kids. I love each and every one of them and give out lots of hugs on a daily basis, I just don’t love what different germs get brought to school with them.

The playground is so much fun but such a breeding ground for germs!

When the people over at b4 asked if I’d like to try some of their hand sanitizer products, I was quick to respond with a “yes!“. After having an awful flu last year, I’m taking back-to-school seriously this year, including being more pro-active about sanitizing! This year, I actually wrote b4 products into my lesson plans! Ok, that was a joke, but seriously, my b4 packets sit right on top of my desk!

b4 is a hand sanitizer that refreshes and cleans all while giving back to the community. b4’s purpose is to change lives through charitable giving. Yes, that’s right — b4 gives back, which is what I love most about them! b4 gives 50 percent of all profits from sales to children-focused causes. The profits are donated through The Midway Foundation and more than $1.3 million has already been donated to 150 organizations.

I received an envelope filled with several packets of individual hand sanitizer packets, as well as some big boxes of them. The fact that the individual packets came in several different colors was just an added bonus. Everyone loves a rainbow!

Here are some highlights about b4 Products:

The b4 hand sanitizer is specially formulated to kill 99.9% of germs and bacteria
Each single-use gel hand sanitizer is packaged in eye-popping, bold colors
Hand sanitizer packets can be co-branded – b4 works with companies to customize colors, logos, etc.
b4 hand sanitizer moisturizes hands with Vitamin E and aloe
All b4 products are made in the USA
b4 is a triclosan-free hand sanitizer

Not only did I use several of these during my first week back teaching, but I also packed a box of b4 in Emi’s backpack on her first day of school. I’m sure she’ll be excited to share with all of her friends!

Check out all of the b4 products on their site. They are so convenient and can just be thrown into your purse or a backpack. Right now you can receive 15% off your order when you place your order online, using. the code “b4health” Orders over $35 receive free shipping. Also, starting September 20, you’ll be able to purchase b4 products at Staples.

I love supporting companies like b4 that give back to others!

I’ve now added b4 to my teacher necessities list!

Don Roberto Jewelers Knows How to “Bling It On”!

August 24, 2014 / Lifestyle, Los Angeles, Shopping

When I was invited to the grand opening celebration of the Don Roberto Jewelers in Huntington Park, I gladly accepted as it was a chance to meet up with some of my girlfriends for some “Mommy Time” to do some jewelry shopping. There were mariachis, food, balloon animals for the kids, and a raffle for some great prizes!

I loved their beautiful costumes!

I enjoy trying on jewelry and Don Roberto has a gorgeous selection of jewelry and watches in their store. My eyes were immediately drawn to some pieces in the front case of the store. Everything was so sparkly and I spotted the most perfect necklace with a little crown on it. Obviously this necklace would be perfect any princess, both young and old.

Right next to the crown necklace was a lock and key necklace. I loved the way this one too. I wear a lot of white gold and I like the look of pavé. The salesgirl was so helpful and even suggested pairing the 2 necklaces together to create an even prettier look.

As I continued to browse the jewelry case, I also found some gorgeous heart earrings with a matching heart necklace. I could feel my Don Roberto jewelry wish list growing by the minute!

A hot pink pop of color was the first thing that caught my eye from the watch case! They have a huge selection of watches in the store that are very reasonably priced, including Juicy Couture. I had no idea that Juicy Couture watches were made my Movado! That speaks a lot about their quality.

Both of them are beautiful! I love the extreme bling on the left one, but love the simplicity with just some bling on the right!

I also loved some of their other watches, especially the Hello Kitty collection. It seemed like everyone was trying these watches on. You’re never too old to love Hello Kitty!

After trying on a few watches, we decided we needed to stop and take a selfie! It’s just what my friends and I love to do!

Jewelry shopping with @ThatsItMommy and @KindaSillyMommy was so much fun!

When we resumed our shopping, I checked out some of the beautiful earrings. I loved the petite hearts because I usually wear really small earrings, but I also loved the flower earrings. They were very sparkly on my ears.

I also tried on this delicate bracelet that was all hearts linked together. I could wear this for everyday but also for a special occasion where I need to dress up an outfit or formal dress.

The last piece I tried on was a very simple, tri-colored necklace. I like the combination of the metals on this necklace. I also like that it’s different from anything I usually wear.

After spending almost 2 hours in the store, trying on jewelry and socializing, I needed to make a decision about what I was going to get. Sometimes you end up finding way more than you originally intended to shop for. Don Roberto offers an “Easy Pay” option, which is a line of credit that makes buying jewelry WAY easier.

Look at my new Hello Kitty watch!

I finally decided on one of the adorable Hello Kitty watches! Why not? I never buy anything like that for myself and so I decided to do so for once. They packed my new watch it in this beautiful red bag for me to take home.

I had such a fun experience shopping at Don Roberto Jewelers. The staff was so friendly and helpful and really made me feel welcomed. I hope to go back and shop there again soon. They know how to “Bling it on”!

Did you see anything that YOU liked?

Connect with Don Roberto on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend a grand opening celebration at Don Roberto Jewelers and received a gift card as compensation for sharing about the event on my social medias. All opinions are my own.

We’re Doing CHOC Walk at The Disneyland Resort!

August 23, 2014 / Disney, Lifestyle, Orange County

I’m excited to share with everyone that Emi and I will be doing the CHOC Walk in the Park on October 12th this year for our first time. We’ll be participating as part of the Blogging While Walking Team!

The 23rd Annual CHOC Walk will be held at The Disneyland Resort, and will go through both parks and Downtown Disney. This is a wonderful opportunity for people (like us) to help raise money which goes towards health care programs and medical research for CHOC.

Emi and I would LOVE it if you would consider sponsoring us for the CHOC Walk so we can reach our goal. No donation is too small and every little bit helps. To donate to our team, just click here! We thank you in advance. We’re so excited to be participating in something that benefits such a great cause.

To read more about the 23rd Annual CHOC Walk in the Park, click here.

Let’s Go Back-to-School Shopping at The Shops at Mission Viejo!

August 15, 2014 / OC Events, OC Fun, Orange County, Shopping, SoCal Life, Uncategorized

This is a sponsored post.

Summer is coming to an end and if you haven’t already started your back to school shopping, you should probably get to it soon! I know I need to start mine, so I’ll be heading to The Shops at Mission Viejo…again!

I refer to The Shops at Mission Viejo as “my mall”. Not only do we live close by, but I LOVE this mall because it literally has everything we need in one place and it’s family friendly. We always find the latest fashions there! Emi and I spend a lot of time hanging out together there.

Just making the list of things Emi needs counts as starting Back-to-School prep, right?

Every year, Emi and I make Back-to-School shopping an entire “Girls Day Out”. There are so many stores to shop at in The Shops at Mission Viejo and lots of choices for a stop to lunch, when our feet need a rest.

Here are just some of the stores Emi likes to shop at most for Back-to-School:

Justice
Childrens Place
Nordstrom
Old Navy
Claire’s Boutique
Macy’s
The Disney Store
See’s Candies (you’ve GOTTA bring something for the teacher on the first day!)