Free App for Finding the Perfect Outdoor Adventure!

Getting outside and enjoying nature has always been one of my favorite things to do.  Whether it's relaxing at the beach listening to the waves crash, walking on a trail through a forest listening to birds chirp or any of the other countless ways to enjoy nature - I love it!

Unfortunately it can be time consuming to track down the right trail or other outdoor adventure so the Sierra Club is now offering a FREE app on the iTunes store called Trail Explorer.  It's free and easy to find (type Sierra Club in the search bar and it should be one of the first two to come up).  There are over 40,000 trails listed.  

Allow it to use your current location and it will tell you how far you are from it, the types of recreation allowed, whether dogs are allowed, the features, popularity and other key information (like distances!).

I've been playing around with it and honestly think this is one of the coolest apps for outdoor adventures I have ever seen!

It will even track you by GPS and show you the distance you have traveled and where you are.

So head on over to iTunes, download it and get outside to explore something in celebration of Earth Day!  For more information about the Sierra Club you can head here.

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Medieval Times in Buena Park is a Great Family Fun Night!

Medievil Times dinner show in Buena Park was something we had wanted to do for a long time but hadn't gotten to yet.  We have friends who absolutely love it and make a point of going at least once a year so it was on my list of something to do with the kids before they got older.

We were recently invited to attend to celebrate the new show and upgraded menu.  It was an absolutely amazing night and something I can't recomend enough!  I've never seen my youngest (age 8) get so in to a show!  He was literally screaming at the top of his lungs cheering on our horsemen! 

There are team crowns to wear, ribbons to wave and more to help cheer on your team.  The visuals are awe inspiring, with solos to jousting there isn't a quiet moment!  (The show runs about 2 hours).  Remember you are in the Medieval Times... so be prepared to eat with your hands (the soup bowl has a handle).  My boys initially couldn't believe they got to eat with their hands but by the end thought it was the coolest thing!

It's a super fun family outing that if you haven't done, you need to book your reservations asap!  There is currently a great deal for the new show (details here). 

Couple of tips:  There isn't assigned seating, so arrive early so you can be closer to the arena.  Enter with your entire group so that you will be seated together.  Come hungry - there will be plenty of food and drinks.  Arrive early to enjoy all the pre-show festivities (including pictures with the King or Queen), viewing the gorgeous horses and to peruse the gift shop.

To purchase tickets go here.  There are also multiple locations across the country if you can't get to Buena Park.

Note:  No compensation was recieved for this post - but tickets were provided to facilitate the review.  The opinions are stictly that of my own as well as the images taken above.

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Friday Night Family Fun - ElecTRONica at the Disneyland Resort

Ok, so maybe we don't have the most normal Friday nights around our house.  We might have family movie night, family video game night or our other favorite is Disneyland Resort fun.  We love heading to ElecTRONica (I personally love the music and the club feeling) and the kids love hanging out over at Flynn's playing the old school video games like Galaga, Rampage, Donkey Kong, and others.  Well, I might have enjoyed re-living some of those games too, but don't tell my husband!  I let him think he's the "old school" arcade game expert.

There is so much fun to have over at ElecTRONica for all ages (check the Disney Resort website for times), you just can't help but have fun!

Don't have passes to the Disneyland Resort?  Be sure to take advantage of the special running now through June 9th, 2012 for Southern California Residents.  You can purchase a 2-day pass to the parks for only $99 - a HUGE savings!  (Note you can only enter one park each day).  Check the website here for more information or purchase at your local Albertsons.  There is also a fantastic deal for military families that has been extended through till September (3 day park hopper for $99), check the website for details.

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Ridemakerz - Completely customize your own car

We recently had the chance to head over to Ridemakerz at Downtown Disney in Anaheim.  As I'm sure you have figured out, I'm not the dainty mom. The kids come to me when they need help passing a level at video games and my husband is the first person to admit that.  I love love love being the Mom to two wonderful boys and love building legos, racing RC cars and the other childhood fun for boys.  (Yes... I do wish that one day I would be able to venture on to the Princess rides at Disneyland or actually buy something on the Barbie aisle at Toys 'r Us).

Ridemakerz is the boy equivalent to Build a Bear Workshop.  From start to finish the kids get to pick out rims, body style, spoilers, running lights and much much more.  There are tons and tons of selections to make for a completely unique car.  I knew my kids would be in to picking out the different parts of the cars, but had no idea they would be so in to the actual building of the cars.   (Okay and a confession... there might have been a little smack talk between all of us about which car was going to be faster.)

There are selections for all types, from girls to boys, mom to dads as you can see from the variety of cars our family built.

The kids (and adults) had an amazing time customizing our cars.  

Ridemakerz has just released several exclusive Cars Movie cars, so if you have a Cars movie fan in your house, be sure to head over there so they can customize their very own car from the movie.

Want to go build one?  Father's day weekend, they are offering a BOGO offer, so fathers and sons can go get a fantastic deal on customizing your own Ridemakerz car!  For more information you can head over here.  Be on the lookout for Ridemakerz accessories at some of your favorite retailers.

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How to See Movies for Free - a fantastic guest post!

The cost of movie tickets seems to be rising as fast as the cost of gas. The cost of an adult ticket can now cost $10-$15 dollars, depending on where you live, and tickets for children or a matinee don't cost much less. For a family of four, the cost of a single movie can be as much as $50 -- and that doesn't even count the cost of popcorn and drinks, which can add up to as much or more. Going out to see a movie in the theater can be a luxury that many families can't consider.

Fortunately, there are many ways to obtain movie tickets for free, which can cut the cost of these outings by half or more. Here are some of the best ways to obtain free movie tickets, often to see movies before they have even been released to the general public:

GoFoBo - This site offers free passes to movie screenings at various times. Simply sign up for a free account with the site and select your movie preferences. Like to see family movies? Comedies? You'll get priority for offers to these movies. GoFoBo notifies you when there is a movie that matches your preferences screening in your city, and you can choose to accept two free passes. You won't have a choice of times, and if you don't act quickly, you could miss out on the offer. Screenings are sporadic, and you won't be offered passes to every showing in your area. But you can expect to receive as many as a few offers per month.

Film Metro - Simply sign up for a free account and get notified when free movie screenings are available in your area. You don't need to choose preferences for genres, as you will be granted access to any screenings that become available. However, you may be targeted according to your demographic information (age, sex, and race). Screenings are for movies that have not yet been released. Securing a ticket does not necessarily guarantee your entrance to the screening, as the site routinely overbooks screenings. Plan to show up early to ensure a seat.

Volition - Sign up for the e-mail list or bookmark the site and check back regularly to learn about current movie promotions. Complimentary movie tickets are available in several U.S. cities, and movie prize packs are awarded through regular competitions for those cities for which free screenings are not available.

Nielsen MovieView - Here's another great service for being invited to free movie screenings in your area. Simply sign up for a free account, as with the others, and be notified when a screening is available. When you register, you will be required to provide extensive information, including your phone number, age, sex, race, level of education, and household income.

Other fantastic ways to secure free movie tickets include browsing your local newspaper for giveaways and special promotions. Often, promoters often patrol local theaters to sign people up as screeners. If someone with a clipboard approaches you outside a theater, don't just shrug them off -- they might be offering you free tickets!

About the author...
Tracy Sitchen is a veteran coupon clipper, stay at home Mom, and aspiring writer. While she loves shopping, she loves the chase of the deal even more! She’s recently been writing about Loon Mountain coupons along with Nicoderm coupons over at her blog where she shares deals and discounts to help every day people save money.

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Now you can see that monster fish coming!

For Mother's day we ventured out to go fishing.  Yes, you read that right.  I hadn't gone fishing since I was a kid.  Oh man, please don't make me remember those days (I know a few of you are doubling over laughing because you know and/or remember for yourself why that is so funny but I'll save that for another blog post... maybe...). 

I've been very fortunate to have two amazing little boys and knew that one day I'd have to take them fishing.   The boys had been asking for months about going fishing and when the super cool Fish Eyes fishing rod arrived at our doorstep, I knew the boys would be thrilled.  Ok, I was excited too.  I love my boys and sharing new experiences with them is my favorite thing in the world, so I thought it would be the perfect Mother's Day.

The boys have been watching River Monsters (with Jeremy Wade) and of course their biggest excitement and concern was what they were going to do if we caught one of the monster fish from the show.  They had elaborate plans of lassoing the fish or wrangling it to the shore.  It was hilarious.
Once we got there, we set up chairs and got right to fishing.  As you can see from the video, the kids had a super easy time using the Fish Eyes fishing rod (they literally spent the entire afternoon casting and watching the fish through the cool screen).  What makes the fish eyes so amazing is that there is a camera attached to the end (instead of a hook) and a screen in the handle of the rod.  It works really well and the boys were mesmerized looking for the loch ness monster (which thank god they didn't find!).

It's a fantastic way to engage the kids in an afternoon of fishing, because it is something they can easily do and they are on the hunt for the big one!  We're already making plans to head back out to track down some monster fish. (ok... so hopefully not really monster fish...)

You can find the Fish Eyes at Amazon, Dick's  Sporting Goods and Toys R Us.

Some of the fun features are:

• Underwater video camera transmits live footage to your LCD screen
• Full-color, full motion LCD screen with removable sun shade 
• Allows you to catch the fish you see  
• Included bait basket attracts fish to the viewing area 
• Video camera with built in LED light for all underwater conditions

Technical Details

• Requires 4 AA batteries- not included
• For users ages 8 & up
• Adult assembly required
• Hooks and lures not included

*Note that I was given a Fish Eyes fishing rod to facilitate the  writing of this post.

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Special Screening of Rio in Orange County TOMORROW

Are your kids as excited as mine to see the movie Rio that is about to be released in theaters? 


Here's your chance to attend an advance screening of the movie at the new state of the art ETX (Enhanced Theatre Experience) auditorium at the Block in Orange County TOMORROW.  It's going to be a super family oriented screening and sure to be tons of fun.  Please note that this is definitely a first come first serve opportunity but go here and enter code MOMSDAN1 to to get your chance for screening passes for Saturday April 9, 2011.


Rio will be in theaters on April 15th.

Trailer


Still can't get enough of Rio?  Love Angry Birds?  Download the Angry Birds Rio App here.  And check out this Angry Birds infested video promo below.

Rio Angry Bird

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Family Video Game Night- Lego Star Wars III Clone Wars

During the week, it's crazy around our house.  By the time Friday arrives, we are all exhausted and ready family time.  I've talked about it before, but I can't emphasize enough how much we treasure our family video game nights.  We make popcorn, frequently get take out dinners and just relax playing a video game all as a family. 

Family Video Game night began in our house when my oldest was sick with bronchitis.  Keeping him mellow and on the couch was required until he improved.  He was uncomfortable and struggling to breathe (I was also because I was diagnosed with bronchitis a few days after him).  We both have asthma, so all we could do for almost a week was find things to occupy us.  It was great because he learned team work and how to strategize his way through a situation.

You'll frequently find us all camped out playing, switching back and forth for the levels that we are each best at.  My husband is great at the flying ship levels and I do well at the strategy levels.  The kids are great at playing tandem with both of us. 

One of our all time favorites is the series of Lego video games.  The countdown clock was on at at our house until the most recent release of Lego Star Wars: The Clone Wars III was available in stores.  We all knew it wouldn't disappoint and it is safe to say that we LOVED the game.   The graphics are amazing and the game is full of our family favorites (since we are all huge Star Wars fans).  Pass all the levels on the good side?  Then you move on to the dark side.  Pass all those?  Then you move on to the bounty hunter levels.  This game has so many different levels I seriously don't know when we will ever truly finish, which is great!  It's also fantastic for all ages because it is just Lego!

I particularly loved the "hidden" series of locations to find the new levels. This was unique to this game (we've played all the Lego adventure games...).

What games do you play for family video game night?  What's your favorite part?

Playing also?  Here are some of our favorite cheats codes to assist you along in the game:

Invincibility J46P7A

Character Studs 2D5GNM

Character Studs QD2C31

Stud Magnet 6MZ5CH

Stud Multiplier X10 N1CKR1

Score X2 YZPHUV

Score X4 43T5E5

Score X6 SEBHGR

Score X8 BYFSAQ

Score X10 N1CKR1

Minikit Detector CSD5NA

Perfect Deflect 3F5L56

Dual Wield C4ES4R

Dark Side X1V4N2

Fast Build GCHP7S

Super Saber Cut BS828K

Super Speeders B1D3W3

Regenerate Hearts 2D7JNS

Glow In The Dark 4GT3VQ

*Note: I wasn't compensated at all for this post.  This is purely a game we love and I wanted to post about it.  :)

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La Brea Tar Pits - A Fun Afternoon Adventure!

It all started one afternoon after we watched this episode of Dirty Jobs last week.  The kids were mesmerized.  When we told them that the La Brea Tar Pits were right here in Southern California, just about an hour away, they wanted to go.  We are so incredibly fortunate here in Southern California because there is an endless amount of things to do.  The La Brea Tar Pits were just one of those things we never got to.  We changed that last weekend.

I'm not exactly sure where I thought the Tar Pits were, but I really hadn't realized they were right on Wilshire Drive!  Across from the E! building and next to the Screen Actors Guild.

Big Tip: Be sure to bring at least $7 in cash for parking in the lot.  I am notorious for never carrying much in cash, so I wanted to be sure to warn others like me!  You can use credit cards to enter the Page Museum (you don't have to enter the Museum if you want to just see the Tar Pits, but for $7/adults and $2 kids, it's not an expensive adventure for the afternoon).

The Page Museum is like a secret garden in the middle of a concrete jungle.  There is a large open air courtyard in the middle of the building with paths, gorgeous trees and a fantastic koi pond to explore.  Be sure to find the turtles on the shore of the pond and say hi from us!  The Page Museum boasts a number of interactive exhibits that your kids are sure to enjoy.

I particularly liked the viewing area inside the museum that they call "the fish bowl", where they are excavating and preserving the fossils that are being discovered in the tar pits outside.

After we wandered around the Museum we headed outside to explore the tar pits.  What was amazing was seeing all these very small (4 ft by 4 ft) fenced in areas through out the park outside the museum where there is tar seeping up through the ground.  The ant hill looking one was quite cool. (the photo for that one is in the Whrrl story below).

We had an absolutely wonderful time exploring the La Brea Tar Pits and I highly recommend this fun afternoon adventure!

Take a minute to scroll through the images in the Whrrl story below - there were far too many images to include in this post.

More check-ins at La Brea Tar Pits

Powered by Whrrl

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Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco

I grew up in the Bay Area and loved it.  I've forgotten over the years just how unique that experience really was.  I take for granted the amazing sights that were the backdrop of daily life.  A couple of weeks ago I took the boys on a road trip (in the new car!) to visit for my best friends' wedding reception.  Over the next few days I'll post about some of the fun sightseeing we crammed in to a very short visit.  The boys were beyond excited about all the adventures San Francisco has to offer and I quickly realized that we'll need to take another trip up there shortly to do some more.

On our way home, we took a detour for a quick scenic photo opportunity- The Palace of Fine Arts.  I'd been there many many times over the years and can't wait to take the boys back to visit the Exploratorium when I have more time.  The Exploratorium is on the same grounds as the Palace of Fine Arts and if you've never heard of it, you are missing out.  It is a learning museum like no other.  You feel like you've walked right in to a science lab.  It's an amazing tactile and hands on learning experience for kids (and adults!).

As we came around the corner and the kids saw the Palace of Fine Arts for the first time their faces lit up.  They immediately recognized it from the smaller scale one at California Adventure (that cracked me up).  It's just unlike most buildings and even my boys were giddy with excitement to see it in person.  My oldest has become quite the photographer (with his handy Nintendo DSi camera).  The picture above is actually the picture he took.

 What's your favorite adventure in the San Francisco Bay Area?

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