Summer is here and that means another season of Regal $1 Movies! Yep, the 2015 Summer Movie Express is one of our favorite parts about summer! It’s 9 weeks of kid-friendly movies with admission that’s only $1. Tickets are available for purchase at the box office of the theater. All movies are rated either G or PG and start promptly at 10:00 am. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Will Rogers Institute.
The following is a schedule for the theaters located at the Kaleidoscope Center in Mission Viejo. To check for a theater near you, click here.
Week 1 Tuesday, June 23-Nut Job Wednesday, June 24-Annie
Week 2 Tuesday, June 30-Earth to Echo Wednesday, July 1-The Boxtrolls
Week 3 Tuesday, July 7-Paddington Wednesday, July 8-Turbo
Week 4 Tuesday, July 14-Rio 2 Wednesday, July 15-How To Train Your Dragon 2
Week 5 Tuesday, July 21-Mr. Peabody & Sherman Wednesday, July 22-The Book of Life
Week 6 Wednesday, July 28-Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb Tuesday, July 29-Penguins of Madagascar
Week 7 Tuesday, August 4-Madagascar 3 Wednesday, August 5- Dolphin Tale 2
Week 8 Tuesday, August 11-Muppets Most Wanted Wednesday, August 12-Alexander and the Very Bad Day
Week 9 Tuesday, August 18-The Lego Movie Wednesday, August 19-The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
Connect with Regal Entertainment Group on Facebook and Twitter!
When I was a little girl, I used to go and stay with my grandparents (my dad’s parents) for the weekend, quite often. They were an amazing couple, who were madly in love from the time they married in the late 1940’s to the time they passed away. I LOVED staying at my grandparents’ house for the weekend with my little brother because we always go to go to Bob’s Big Boy for dinner on Friday night and on Saturday night we’d get to stay up late to watch The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and then eat ice cream while watching The Rockford Files! (That was on super late!) There were virtually no rules when we were at my grandparents’ house, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be, right?
One Father’s Day, my brother and I gave my Grandpa an adorable button from Hallmark that read, “A Grandpa is a Friend With Quarters“. It was the perfect gift for him because my Grandpa really DID give us quarters back then. (That was when you could play a video game for just .25!)
It’s been quite a few years since my Grandpa and Grandma passed away. They were the greatest grandpa and grandma we could’ve had! My Grandma survived longer than my Grandpa and after she passed away a few years ago, I helped organize their belongings and I came across “the button”! When I grasped it in my hand, it made me smile and I could remember way back when, getting all of those quarters from him. I stuck it into my purse for later. I had plans for it.
This year, I broke out “the button”. It couldn’t be a more perfect year actually. You see, my own dad enjoys taking my daughter (and her cousins) to this restaurant near our home that has an arcade. While the adults sit and talk over our meals, the kids keep busy making trips between the arcade and our table, to get more quarters from Grandpa. Yep, my dad is the “Go-To Guy” now for quarters. I swear the kids think his supply of quarters is unlimited!
For Father’s Day this year, I took the button to my favorite t-shirt making place, The Shirt Cannery! The girls who work there are always really helpful whenever I go in to have something custom made. First, they had me email a photo of the button to them. Then, they pulled it up on their screen to edit and size it to fit on a t-shirt. Finally, they printed it out on special transfer paper and used their fancy press machine to put it on the t-shirt!
I am so happy about how the t-shirt turned out and I hope my Dad loves it as much as I do. (I know he will) I love the card my daughter made to go with it, too.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Thanks for being an amazing Grandpa!
Disclosure: The opinions in this article are 100% my own. I do not work for, or with, any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them. I have a relationship with GigaSavvy, for whom I create original editorial content.
After reading about all of the new things at Knott’s this summer, I was beyond excited to be attending their Summer Media Day to kick of my summer. I could barely sleep past 5 a.m. that morning! As I sipped my morning coffee in my favorite Peanuts mug, I put together a list of things I wanted to accomplish that day. I think it’s good to set goals, even if they are “Knott’s Goals”, right?
With my need to be matchy-matchy all the time and deep love for the Peanuts gang, I had already purchased the cutest little Snoopy knapsack the day before, along with a box of Peanuts bandages.
So, I proceeded to pack new my knapsack full of park necessities because I was planning for a marathon of a day. Yeah, I’m a planner AND a packer!
One of the most special parts about this particular visit to Knott’s was that I got to spend the day with my dad. I hadn’t been to Knott’s with my dad since I was a little girl! We used to visit every summer and he was the one that took me on my first upside-down rollercoaster there, “Corkscrew”! It’s not there any more but Knott’s holds a special place in my heart and that’s one of the reasons.
My dad knew JUST what I needed when we got through Calico Ghost Town….a grande, nonfat, boysenberry latte WITH whipped cream! Knott’s serves Starbucks. This particular flavor of drink is exclusive to Knott’s and you can grab one of our own at the Gourmet Coffee Hut. In addition to their extensive drink menu, you can also choose from a variety of yummy pastries!
After enjoying our Starbucks, we were ready to take on the latest attraction to open at Knott’s: Voyage to the Iron Reef! This brand new attraction opened on May 15 and I was dying to go on it since I’d heard it’s really cool.
Voyage to the Iron Reef is a 4-D interactive adventure that has you taking on The Kraken Queen and her aquatic army, all while wearing 3-D glasses and going head-to-head with your friends for the highest score!
It was a REALLY cool experience and we kept getting back into line because we were on a quest to beat our previous high scores. When you exit, you can see your scores. I don’t mean to brag but check out my score from my first time!
Next, we were ready to preview the all-new Blockbuster Beagle…on Ice! What a treat, considering I usually only see Snoopy on Ice shows during Knott’s Merry Farm! If you’ve never seen any of the Snoopy on Ice shows in the Charles M. Schultz Theatre, not only are they adorable, but the skaters are incredibly talented!
In this new production, Snoopy and his Peanuts buddies “go Hollywood“, bringing Walk of Fame glamour, dazzling movie lot escapades, and California excitement to a brand new ice show adventure.
I enjoyed the show immensely. The music is so good and there is so much going on the entire time. I need to go back to watch it a couple more times because it’s just that good!
This is where a Knott’s Season Pass comes in handy! With this much stuff to see and do at Knott’s. you can keep going back when you have a Season Pass because there are no blockout dates. With Knott’s Soak City open, a Gold Pass is even more ideal. Unlimited visits to Knott’s AND entry to Soak City? Yes, please!
Another cool show I got to watch for the first time was Vertical Impact! I squeezed myself into the middle of the anxious crowd in Calico Square, who were all waiting to watch this ultimate blend of extreme stunts with high flying acrobats performing a one-of-a-kind performance. This high energy show is set to the most popular songs of today, combining everything from trampoline stunts, BMX, skaters, dancers, and aerialists.
I think my mouth kept dropping open watching the amazing performers!
There are so many things to do at Knott’s this summer! Fun on all of the rides, yummy food to eat, and TONS of shows to see, too! Summer nights at Knott’s are one of my favorite parts about summer, especially when they’re spent with friends!
What’s YOUR favorite thing to do at Knott’s in the summer?
School’s out for the summer and Youth Service America is challenging kids to make this a Summer of Creativity. YSA, through support from Disney | ABC Television Group will award “Summer of Creativity Grants” to young change-makers who have ideas and projects that positively impact their community. Young people who are creating lasting, positive change through volunteer and community service projects should definitely apply, especially those who are already involved in volunteering.
Youth ages 5-18 in the U.S. are eligible to apply for Summer of Creativity Grants by submitting service project ideas that will make a difference in their local communities.
Some of the details:
One hundred and twenty five winners will be awarded individual $500 grants to implement their projects.
Select grantees will have a chance to be recognized on Good Morning America or their local ABC affiliate.
2014 grant-awarded projects included:
Warm Winters, a program run by a 14-year-old to collect coats, hats, and gloves left at ski resorts to help keep the homeless warm.
Shred Kids Cancer, a campaign organized by a 14-year-old to fundraise for research to help find cures for pediatric cancer.
Braeden’s Brown Bags, a foundation founded by a 10-year-old to provide healthy meals to kids in need.
Applications for Summer of Creativity Grants will be accepted through August 10, 2015. For more information and to apply online visit ABC.com/BeInspired or YSA.org/BeInspired.
Are you looking for something fun to do with the family this summer? Well head over to Baker Ranch for their Summer Concerts in the Park beginning on June 19! It’s going to be something that the whole family can enjoy, which is something you absolutely won’t want to miss. These family-friendly concerts are totally free and open to the public and the perfect place to spend warm summer nights surrounded by friends, neighbors, and the beautiful Baker Ranch community.
Here’s the schedule of Summer Concerts in the Park for this summer:
Friday, June 19th – Keepin’ The Summer Alive – Beach Boys Tribute Band, 5:30 – 8:00pm
Friday, July 17th – Neil Morrow & Memphis’ 54 – Rockabilly/Country (with line dancing instructor), 5:30 – 8:00pm
Friday, August 21st – A Peaceful Easy Evening – Eagles Tribute Band, 5:30 – 8:00pm
Guests at the concerts are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner but no need to worry about drinks and desserts as those will be provided! If you’re looking for a truly relaxing concert experience, this is it. Feel free to bring blankets and chairs to lay out on the lawn and feel free to invite your friends and neighbors and make a full evening out of it.
If you haven’t visited Baker Ranch yet, is a the stunning master planned community in Lake Forest that showcases some of the area’s most gorgeous new homes, crafted by respected builders like Shea Homes and Toll Brothers. There’s nothing quite like the resort-style living found at Baker Ranch in all of Orange County!
For more information about the Baker Ranch Summer Concerts in the Park, go to their Facebook page HERE. You can also connect with Baker Ranch on Twitter and Instagram!
When I saw the announcement from CHOC Children’s about their plans to address pediatric mental health issues by offering extensive services to children, it really touched my heart. Community leaders and executives from CHOC Children’s recently announced a transformative initiative to ensure children and adolescents with mental illness receive the health care services and support they currently lack in Orange County’s fragmented system of care. As a teacher in Orange County, I have seen SO many children, over the years, in need of these kinds of services, but very limited resources available for their families to turn to. Now I feel like there will be more hope for them.
Did you know that 1 in 5 children experience a diagnosable mental health condition during childhood? There are about 150,000 children in Orange County alone who fall into this group and yet, there are no psychiatric inpatient beds for patients under 12 years in Orange County. Due to the absence of designated space to treat young patients, sometimes children with serious mental health episodes remain in the emergency department for days at a time. In addition, there aren’t enough inpatient psychiatric beds for adolescents either, with many needing to be hospitalized outside of Orange County.
There’s a stigma about mental illness and people usually associate it mostly with adults and perhaps young adults or teens, but rarely do they think of it as something younger children need help and care with. Community leaders and executives from CHOC Children’s recently announced a transformative initiative to ensure children and adolescents with mental illness receive the health care services and support they currently lack in Orange County’s fragmented system of care.
Children’s advocate Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, managing partner, C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, donated a $5 million lead gift to help establish CHOC Children’s Mental Health Inpatient Center. The new center will provide a safe, nurturing place for children ages 3 to 18 to receive care for mental health conditions. It will also provide specialty programming for children ages 11 and younger.
The new CHOC Children’s Mental Health Inpatient Center will be located on the third floor of CHOC’s Research Building and will feature:
18 beds in a secure, healing environment
Outdoor area for recreation
Specially trained pediatric staff
Construction is expected to begin by fall 2015 and finish in late 2017. CHOC has launched a fundraising campaign to raise $11 million for inpatient capital and startup costs, and $16 million to endow the program.
Recognizing the urgency to help meet the community’s need, last fall CHOC and Rick and Kay Warren, co-founders of Saddleback Church formed a taskforce — led by Dr. Maria Minon, CHOC chief medical officer, and Dr. Heather Huszti, CHOC chief psychologist, and comprised of community leaders, educators and faith-based advisors — to begin discussing a comprehensive pediatric system of care for patients with mental illness.
CHOC’s support of the pediatric system of care includes:
expanding mental health services this year for CHOC patients being treated for serious/chronic illnesses (these children are more likely to have mental health problems, such as depression and severe anxiety, than their healthier peers)
opening an intensive outpatient program in 2016 to keep struggling children out of the hospital and assist those who have been released
expanding CHOC’s outpatient eating disorders program by 2016; and continuing to facilitate and work on multiple county-wide projects with the task force.
CHOC is raising additional funds for outpatient mental health services. To learn more about CHOC’s mental health campaign and how YOU can help support it, click here.
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own. Photo credits: CHOC
When I heard that not one but TWO of the McDonald’s locations near my home in South Orange County were offering “Create Your Taste”, I hurried over to try it! If you aren’t familiar with Create Your Taste, it may be because it’s one of the company’s newest options and is currently only offered at select locations. Consider yourself lucky if any of those locations are near you!
The Create Your Taste option lets foodies create the flavors and meal they want using an innovative, touch screen kiosk to order. With 29 ingredient options, it’s about using flavors to create a meal as unique as you.
For obvious reasons, my daughter insisted on ordering for BOTH of us! It looks so fun! I guess I’ll get to try it next time we go! Check her out on the kiosk!
The Create Your Taste option allows a guest to first choose between a 1/4 lb 100% pure beef patty or 100% chicken breast filet for their sandwich. From there they choose a bun, decide if they’d like to add Applewood Smoke Bacon to their sandwich, then cheese, and finally toppings and sauces! There’s also the option to “make it a meal” and add french fries or even new sweet potato fries, and a drink!
There are so many different combinations to create, that it was kind of difficult to choose just one. I know we’ll be going back soon to try different ones. Look how delicious our burgers turned out!
We were dying to try McDonald’s sweet potato fries as soon as we saw the sign hanging. They were so yummy!
There is also a Create Your Taste Option for desserts! Again, my daughter insisted on ordering for the both of us. She worked hard to create the perfect sundaes for each of us!
As you can see, McDonald’s has really nailed it with their Create Your Taste concept! If you haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet, it’s something I think you should look into doing soon. For a list of locations offering this option, click here.
Disclosure: I was invited by McDonald’s to a media tasting event in order to write my review. No othe compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.
UCI’s Anteater 5k & Family Fun Run invites you to lace up your high-top sneakers, run through the decades and celebrate UC Irvine’s 50th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. The course takes participants on a throwback adventure through the campus, finishing at the Festival of Discovery in Aldrich Park. The first year festival is a new interactive event, open to the community, providing an opportunity to experience educational, hands-on displays highlighting the solution-based work addressing global challenges and staging UCI’s arts and cultural contributions.
The Anteater 5k & Family Fun Run kicks off at 7 a.m. with registration and the health and wellness expo. The first heat of the 5k run will begin at 8:30 a.m. The Family Fun Run will begin at 9 a.m. Race participants will run through the decades with themed décor and deejays spinning top hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and today. Running in costumes and your favorite throwback gear is recommended.
As the centerpiece of the university’s 50th anniversary, the Festival of Discovery is designed to showcase how UCI researchers are working to solve global challenges in energy, healthcare and medicine. A “Discovery Pass” will grant visitors access into discovery pavilions, each highlighting a different interdisciplinary theme: Health + Wellness, Ingenuity + Innovation, Local + Global Impact and Arts + Culture.
The festival will also offer athletic clinics and activities, gourmet food trucks, a digital lounge, student and community performances and live music suitable for all ages. Festival of Discovery will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Registration for the Anteater 5k & Family Fun Run is now available online at http://festivalofdiscovery.uci.edu/5k. 5k tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for UCI students and $10 for children ages 17 years or younger. The 5k run is a timed race. Tickets for the Family Fun Run are $10 for participants. Children 4 years and younger are admitted for free. The Family Fun Run is not a timed race. All registered race participants will receive an official race t-shirt and free access to the Festival of Discovery. The Festival of Discovery is a free event for non-race participants.
One of my favorite places to eat is Fresh Brothers Pizza! In addition to their delicious pizza, I always have to order some Fresh Knots and couple of Meatball Sliders while I’m there! Luckily, my family loves Fresh Brothers as much as I do so we never have a problem finishing all of it. Oh, I’m hungry now just typing about it and looking at the pictures!
Fresh Brothers offers healthy options made with fresh ingredients! When it comes to our kids and their nutrition, it’s important that we provide them with as many opportunities to eat healthy foods as possible. Did you know that Fresh Brothers has a Fresh Kids Special Sauce, which is a mix of finely ground veggies blended into their pizzasauce? They use it on the kids pizzas and kids can’t even taste the difference! The Fresh Kids Special Sauce is just one of the ways they cater to kids. They also offer several gluten-free options, including gluten-free pizza!
When I was looking for somewhere to take my daughter and her friends to celebrate her birthday, I knew exactly where I wanted to go! Fresh Brothers! Our children are invited to a ton of birthday parties throughout their elementary school years and we’re all aware of the quality of typical “party pizza” being served at these parties. I can feel good taking the girls to Fresh Brothers for a party because the entire concept behind the restaurant is providing guests with the freshest ingredients. (Hence the name “Fresh Brothers”)
It was so easy to schedule a Fresh Brothers “Make Your Own Pizza Party”! We live close to the Newport Beach location and I had a choice of having our party outside on the front patio or inside. We opted for inside and when we arrived, there was an area “reserved” just for our party, with drinks for each guest (that I had pre-ordered) and some Fresh Brothers balloons.
We were greeted by our party hostess “Kylie”. She was really great with the girls and so patient. The girls were excited to start the party by getting to decorate their own pizza boxes first. Fresh Brothers provided the markers, crayons, and stickers to decorate them with. This was the perfect activity for these creative pre-tweens.
Next, each of the girls got to make her own pizza. They brought out dough and every imagineable ingredient the girls might ask for, to top their pizzas with. After they finished making their individual pizzas, the pizzas were taken back to the kitchen to be cooked in the pizza oven.
While the girls waited for their pizzas to cook, they had fun playing with pizza dough! A huge pizza dough was brought out for all of them to break up and share. They loved creating different shapes and making things like mustaches with the pizza dough.
The table got quiet when their pizzas were delivered fresh from the oven. Although they had the option to take home any leftover pizza in their decorated pizza boxes, there weren’t any leftovers. That’s just how great the pizza tasted! I ordered a Greek Town Special Salad for myself! I love their salads.
The week before our party, I stopped by Fresh Brothers and picked up an empty pizza box to use for the adorable matching cake I had made. (The cake was something we saw on a Nerdy Nummies video.) I also grabbed some of their adorable stickers to use on the favor bags. I just love their smiley face logo, don’t you?
At the end of our party, each girl received their very own Fresh Brothers t-shirt! So cute! And the back says “I made my own at Fresh Brothers“! Such a fun keepsake!
A Fresh Brothers Pizza Party is perfect for guests of all ages. It was a lot of fun for my daughter and her friends and I got to enjoy the party too while our party hostess took extra special care of us!
To read more about party options at Fresh Brothers, click here. Fresh Brothers currently has locations in Los Angeles and Orange County. To find a location, click here. Connect with Fresh Brothers Pizza on Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram.
A very special thank you to Fresh Brothers for hosting my daughter and her friends for a “Make Your Own Pizza” birthday party. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.
Summer is here and that means another season of Regal $1 Movies! Yep, the 2015 Summer Movie Express is one of our favorite parts about summer! It’s 9 weeks of kid-friendly movies with admission that’s only $1. Tickets are available for purchase at the box office of the theater. All movies are rated either G or PG and start promptly at 10:00 am. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Will Rogers Institute.
