Get a Taste of the Top Restaurants in Orange County

How many times have you been in the mood to try a new restaurant but because were afraid it wouldn't be good and ended up just sticking to your normal places?  I've done that more times than I can count.  The Taste of OC is coming up and this is your chance to break that habit and get a taste of 50 of the top restaurants (and chefs!) in Orange County!

There will be chefs' demonstrations, special dinners, farm-to-table dinners, wine and tequila tasting seminars and more.  This two day event (June 16th and 17th) is being held at the Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine.

Click here for an AMAZING deal on tickets for the event through OCSaverTime.com running now through May 31st.  Be sure to grab this deal before it disappears!  For $44 you can get the $89 ticket value which includes the following:

·        40 tasting & drink credits
·         Preferred seats to the OC Star Chef Demos that's hosted by KFWB Talk Radio Host, Chef Jaime Gwen, and showcase demonstrations from Haven Gastropub's Chef Greg Daniels, 370 Common's Chef Ryan Adams, and more.
·         Plenty of live music and entertainment, restaurant tastings, cooking demonstrations, and more
·         Valid for admission on June 16^th (21 and older)   or June 17^th (all ages)
·         Mingle with and taste popular restaurants in Orange County, like 118 Degrees, Tamarind of London, Mastro's, and dozens more, and quench your thirst with great wines, craft beers, and classic cocktails served up by OC Mixologists.

Be sure to note these restrictions:

·         Voucher redeemable starting June 16th.
·         Includes 1-day admission for June 16th or 17th, 40 tasting and drink credits, and chef demo preferred seating.
·         Adults only (21 and over) on June 16th and all ages welcomed on June 17th.
·         Only valid on Saturday, June 16th, 12PM to 10PM or Sunday, June 17th, 12PM to 8PM.
·         Does not include $12 on-site parking fee.
·         Limit 3 vouchers per person.
·         Name on voucher must match photo ID.
·         Rain or shine event; no refunds.
·         Not valid with other offers.
·         Cannot be resold.
·         Valid only for location and date purchased.

* Note this post is part of a sponsored campaign - but all opinions as always are 100% my own.

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Free Hands On Driving Tips from Race Car Drivers and Jaguar!

From a very young age I had exposure to performance driving and sports cars. Those experiences have served me well as I've gotten older. Knowing how to maneuver vehicles in challenging situations is an invaluable experience! Simply knowing when to accelerate in a turn and when not to is one of my most favorite tips. It makes a huge difference in how much control over the vehicle you have. Also another tip I love is where your car should and shouldn't be in a turn to maximize your braking and accelerating!

Jaguar will be making a stop in Irvine as part of its' 18 city tour - The Jaguar ALIVE Driving Experience this weekend (April 20 - April 22nd) at the Verizon Amphitheater. It's free to attend and you'll be given the chance to test drive the entire Jaguar collection accompanied by processional race care drivers. The drivers will be able to offer tips and tricks to improve driving skills. If you're interested in attending go here to sign up.

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Dragonfly Shops and Gardens co-hosts a very special event with Cypress Church - an Ecuador Silent Auction

On any given day, the Dragonfly Shops and Gardens, a Victorian shop in the heart of old-town Orange specializing in collectibles, jewelry, and unique garden art, is a terrific place to visit. This coming Friday, April 20th from 6pm - 9pm, is an even better reason as the Dragonfly co-hosts a very special event with Cypress Church - an Ecuador Silent Auction. Admission is free!

Cypress Church is sending a short-term missions team to Ecuador this July to equip and partner to and with an indigenous people in the village of Zancudo and to the Waorani people. (All profits from the Silent Auction go toward this mission’s trip.)

A bit of history: Five missionaries were killed, speared to death, by the Waodani tribe in 1956. Their story made international headlines, including Life Magazine. The Waodani were once called savages and considered the most violent of all tribes, but God’s love has and continues to transform them. See their story in a movie called, End of the Spear.

Some of the most unique items to be sold include two, four foot-long blow guns (and darts) made by the Waodani tribe, plus jewelry, purses (called chigras), and plates, all made by the tribe. Other fantastic items to be auctioned include tickets to Magic Mountain, Medieval Times, Knott’s Berry Farm, Aquarium of the Pacific, and more; a stay at the Anaheim Doubletree Inn; Glen Ivy Spa gifts; meals at In-N-Out Burger, The Filling Station, Watson Drugs, and more; horseback riding; Wine Tasting and Making tours; exquisite jewelry; Waterford crystal; and much much more - something for everyone! There will also be a make-it-and-take-it craft to do for all ages.

Bring the family and join the fun while supporting a worthy cause this Friday, April 20 at 260 N. Glassell Street.

For more info, contact Susan Peterson at (562) 867-5223 or Susan (at) funplaces (dot) com

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Pretend City 2 for 1 Valentine's Day Deal

Pretend City in Irvine, CA is offering a 2 for 1 deal tomorrow!  Print out the above picture for a free adult admission with the purchase of a child's admission.  For directions, hours and other information on Pretend City you can go here.  Happy Valentine's day!!!

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Star Wars Fan Days at the Discovery Science Center!

We are not Star Wars fans in our house.  Not at all.  I don't have a cat named Boba Fett.  My husband has never had a personalized license plate with a Star Wars bounty hunter name.  We haven't spent thousands (that *might* be an understatement) on collecting Star Wars toys.  We don't have the Darth Vader costume, Chewbacca or Storm trooper costume hiding anywhere in our house.

Ok, I don't lie well.  We are fans.  Big fans.  

If you too have Star Wars fans, particularly of Star Wars:  Clone Wars on Cartoon Network, you will want to be absolutely sure you head over to the Discovery Science Center this Saturday January 14th between 11am-3pm where the Clone Troopers will be there to take pictures and other fun festivities.  Kids between the ages of 3-14 get free entrance if they wear a Star Wars Costume!

For directions, ticket pricing and other details about the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, head over here or call 714.513.CUBE.

May the Force be With You.  :)

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Pinkberry Giveaway and Grand Opening Freebies!

Who doesn't love Pinkberry right?  Well, what's better than Pinkberry?  FREE Pinkberry of course!  To celebrate the opening of the newest location here in Orange County, at the Brea Plaza (go here for location information - located at Imperial Highway and the 57), they are offering FREE small frozen yogurts to guests who go between 5-9pm on November 17th, 2011!  Yum! (note limit of 1 per guest)

And what's adding a cherry on top?  I have TWO $5 giftcards to giveaway to readers of this site! 

Giveaway will end Wednesday November 16th, 2011 at 12 midnight pacific time. A winner will be drawn using random.org and I reserve the right to draw another winner if I am not able to get mailing address information in a timely manner. Giveaway is only open to residents of the contiguous US. Please ensure I have a way to contact you to notify you if you have won

Here's how to win:

Mandatory first entry:
Tell us in a comment your favorite PinkBerry Combo (this entry is allowed once per day)

Additional Entries:

• Become a Fan of OCMomActivities on Facebook and/or Pinkberry on Facebook (1 entry for each "like" just be sure to comment once for each to get credit!)
• Follow OCMomActivities on Twitter and/or Pinkberry on Twitter (1 entry each "follow" just be sure to leave separate comments to get credit!)

 ->Bonus 5 entries! Become a fan of my new site PlanetMoms.net on Facebook

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Love Chocolate? Don't miss this event in Anaheim this weekend!

Who doesn't love chocolate, right? 

Well if you love chocolate as much as I do ... Downtown Anaheim is the place to be this weekend (the Center Street Promenade in Downtown Anaheim to be exact) for Chocolate -The Event.  There is a dizzying list of celebrity chefs who will compete in a chocolate cook-off, an irresistible chocolate fashion show, fun chocolate inspired giveaways and more including a special showing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the (ultra cool) Ultra Luxe Theater at the Garden Walk.  This is definitely set to be a not to be missed event this weekend!

The entire event also compliments the MUZEO's Chocolate Exhibition running now through September 10th.  For more information about the MUZEO Chocolate exhibition you can go here. 

For a calendar of events including ticket purchase for the separate events you can go here.

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Dinosaur Train is making a stop in the OC

Looking for a fun adventure this Sunday (July 31st)?  Dinosaur Train will be making a stop at the Pretend City Museum in Irvine from 10am - 3pm.  Buddy the Dinosaur will be there to take pictures with the kids and the kids will also have a chance to see a special preview of the new Dinosaur Train movie "Dinosaur Big City" which is set to air the end of August on PBS.

Print out the about image for a 2 for 1 pass for free adult admission with the purchase of a child's ticket for the day. 

For more information about pretend city you can go here.

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HURRY! Rapid 24 hour giveaway for Tickets to the OC Fair and Aeromyth!

Some of my most treasured memories of the Summers growing up as a kid are from going to the county fair!

The Orange County Fair is here again!  It's full of the favorite foods you love, fantastic music performances at "The Hangar".

This year there is everything from We Care Wednesdays (a food drive on July 20th, Children's Book Drive on July 27th, Clothing Drive on August 3rd and School Supply Drive on August 10th), Kid's Day (everything Thursday kids have free admission), Let's Eat for $2 (Taste of Fair Foods noon -4pm every Friday) and Rise & Shine $2 general admission from 10 am - 11 am. 

The fair runs now through August 14th at the Orange County Fair Grounds (Wednesdays to Sundays).  For more information you can go here.

I have 4 tickets to giveaway to the performance of Aeromyth at the Hangar on Wednesday!  Hurry because this giveaway will only be open until 8pm Tuesday.  Please be sure I have a way to reach you so that we can make arrangements to get the tickets to you.  The tickets also include free admission to the park in addition to the performance at 8:30pm.

Now here's how to enter... let me know what you favorite memory is of the county fair (can be recent or of a county fair you went to as a child).

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Love iCarly?

Do you have kids that are huge fans of iCarly?  If they are you will want to be sure to head out to Crossline Commnunity Church 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills this Saturday (6/18/11) at 10 am (event is FREE and goes until 1:30pm) where kids will get the change to meet and greet with Noah Munck (also known as Gibby on iCarly on the Nickelodeon channel).  It's a family event that will have giant inflatables, giveaways, balloons, face painting, carnival games, cotton candy lunch and lots more.

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The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia - A moving guest post

I am honored to present this guest post from another Orange County Mom - Meredith Drews.  Just a warning... you are going to want to have tissues ready.  Thank you Meredith for sharing your story!

I am the mother of four—but I only get to kiss two of my children goodnight.  I have two boys, Thomas and Henry, and two daughters, Bridget and Elsie.  Thomas is five, plays t-ball, gymnastics and thinks Justin Beiber is cool.  Henry is two, adores his big brother, loves Mickey Mouse and is talking like crazy.  Bridget and Elsie died an hour after they were both born. They should be three years old.

It was my second pregnancy and we were shocked with spontaneous twins.  Once the surprise wore off, we adjusted to the idea and to the never-ending question: “Do twins run in your family?”  

My twenty week ultrasound came and went… in this time we’d learned the twins were both girls; we’d just picked out names, the excitement was building, the reality settling in.  Two weeks or so after my “grand” ultrasound I went back to my OB for a check-up.  We did growth checks at each appointment and the girls’ heads had grown in two weeks, but not their stomachs.  My doctor was concerned and sent me home on bedrest for two weeks. I never made it that far.

A little more than a week later I called my doctor at 5 am in the morning.  I asked to come in and she said absolutely—call the office as soon as it opens, so I did and got an afternoon appointment.  Around 10 am I called again and said I didn’t feel right: could I come in sooner? They said yes.  I left the house around noon.  I wasn’t swelling.  I thought maybe I had “floaters” in my eyes.  My urine was dark.  I was bruising on my legs.  I’d had a nose bleed a few days earlier that I had trouble stopping.  There was no pain under my right ribcage, but I had had a pain in my right shoulder for nearly a week.

When I got to the doctor, I knew preeclampsia could be a concern because of the visual disturbances.  My blood pressure was higher.  I was spilling protein in my urine.  My doctor sent me to the hospital and things went from bad to horrific.  I was told I had preeclampsia and would be in the hospital at least a week.  I was 24 weeks the next day at this point.  Then my doctor and MFM came in the room.  He delivered the bad news… I was very, very sick.  I had preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome (which I had NEVER heard of).  I needed to deliver right away.  If we chose to deliver cesarean, it would give the girls the best shot, but be very risky to me.  I could bleed to death with my platelets in the 16,000 range.  I could deliver vaginally and not attempt to save my daughters.

I had to call my husband over the phone with this news and we agreed the best thing to do would be to deliver vaginally, not risk all three of us and leaving behind our oldest son without his mother.  From then, every kick I felt inside me was gut-wrenching knowing these little babies I’d tried so hard to keep safe were dying.  Unable to have an epidural, I felt every push of labor, heard all the crying in the room from doctors and nurses and from my husband and me.  We heard a deafening silence from our baby girls.
We held our daughters in our arms as they died.

I couldn’t believe this had happened to me.  I still can’t.  I recovered in the hospital another five days and went home to my computer and the internet. I searched for information and when I typed into Google, out came the Preeclampsia Foundation.  I found information and support which helped me stayed informed through my third pregnancy just three months after we lost our girls.  In time, I have found a place and means to give my daughters’ one hour of life each a great meaning in the volunteer work I do because of our experience.  

On May 14th we will hold the second annual Promise Walk for Preeclampsia at the Lakeside Lagoon in Irvine.  Organizing this walk is the only way I have left to be a mommy to my girls.  This is their legacy.  I may never be able to watch them cross the stage as they accept their high school diplomas or walk down the aisle to be married, but each year I will see all the people at our walk.  We will come together to raise funds, awareness and to support each other and our shared experiences.  For information on registering or donating, please go here.

I will never understand why this had to happen, but I someday hope to know what happened to cause my body to betray me like that.  I want to know how it happened and how others can prevent it.  Really… I want my baby girls back… but I’m very blessed to have my own health and my sweet, perfect two little boys—both born completely preeclampsia-free.

For more information on the Preeclampsia Foundation or the OC Promise Walk for Preeclampsia, contact Meredith Drews at meredith.drews@preeclampsia.org or at 949-378-5690.

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Pirates Dinner Adventure - A Night Full of Fun!

We were recently invited to check out the Pirates Dinner Adventure in Buena Park, CA (note there is also one located in Florida).  If you are a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the Pirates of the Caribbean movie or just Pirates in general - you are sure to love this dinner theater!  It starts with a pre-show entertainment experience, I say this because there really isn't any other way to explain it.  You'll be harassed by Pirates, have the chance to take photographs with Pirates and more before the show even begins.  Be sure to have your Yo ho ho and arrrgs ready! 

Once the show is ready to begin, you'll be escorted to your seats where you pick your meals, enjoy you drinks and the show will begin.  The seats surround a 250,000 gallon indoor lagoon with an 18th century Spanish ship replica.

Be prepared for Pirates to be swinging from above and tons of audience interaction.  My kids had an awesome time and we highly recommend any Pirate fans be sure to check it out!  There are two dinner shows to check out - Curse of Poseidon's Treasure (the newest addition) and Captain Sebastian's Revenge (a classic favorite).

For more information on booking your Pirate Dinner Adventure, you can head here.

Ok... and I admit it... I was adding "arrgg and ahoy matey" to many of my conversations in the days after, but don't tell anyone!

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Good To Go From Head To Toe is at Pretend City Saturday!

There is no doubt that Autism Spectrum diagnosis are on the rise among other developmental disorders.  When my boys were young I remember scouring the baby books each month to refresh my memory as to what the important milestones were for the boys.  I've been very lucky to have two average boys.

Pretend City and Good To Go Head to Toe have paired up again for the 2nd Annual Family Fun and Wellness Fair this coming Saturday (April 16th 10 am-3 pm) to help make those crucial screenings for developmental check-ups fun and less invasive for children by cushioning them in a fun environment.  There are free developmental check-ups, community and health related activities, nutritious snacks, crafts, a dance competition and all sorts of other fun family activities.  Kids who visit all the stations will receive an admission ticket to Pretend City.  The stations are designed for kids ages 0-5 and include hearing, speech and language, behavior, BMI, height and weight, blood pressure and dental.


Pretend City is located at 29 Hubble, Irvine, CA and you can find out more information about them here.  You can find out more information about Good To Go From Head To Toe here.

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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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Amazing Sushi in Newport Beach - Wordless Wednesday

Two of the amazing and extraordinary dishes from Sam & Harry's AMAZING sushi bar (inside the Newport Beach Marriott).  I can promise you these dishes tasted even more amazing than they looked!

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Bubblefest is here!

It's here!  Have you made you plans to attend Bubblefest XV at the Discovery Science Museum in Santa Ana?  It's here April 2- 24, 2011.  Records will be set, bubble shows will happen daily and unique bubble experiences will be everywhere.  Learn about the tension, elasticity, air pressure, geometry of a bubble.  Get you very own picture in a bubble (extra charge for this).

There will be daily bubble shows performed by the Yang Family at 11 am, 12:30 pm, 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm for a small additional fee.

Don't forget to take a ride in your very own bubble in the water pool!

This is surely a Bubblefest not to miss!  For more information you can go here.

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Free Spa Event in OC? Absolutely!

I've raved about the Dermalogica MicroZone treatments before, but here is your chance to experience one for yourself... and the best part?  It is free!  Several local Orange County Spas will be hosting the events combined with Dermalogica and Kiva (you know, the one named as one of Oprah's Favorite Things..) as a fundraiser for FITE- Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship.

Guests will receive the fabulous MicroZone treatments as part of the "Give A Hand Up" campaign and deluxe samples.

No RSVP is required and the locations are:

Nirvana By Tristen Salon

431 N. Tustin Avenue, Suite D

Santa Ana, CA

Thursday, March 10^th from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Second Street Beauty

12410-F Seal Beach Blvd.

Seal Beach, CA

Tuesday, March 15^th from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Want to learn more?  Head on over here to learn about the amazing programs and campaigns FITE is involved in.

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Sesame Street at the Discovery Cube and GIVEAWAY

Elmo is back!  

Sesame Street Presents: The Body Exhibit is returning to the Discovery Science Center January 29th to May 1st, 2011.  If you didn't have the chance to check it out last year, be sure to stop by and explore the Body exhibit where you and your child can learn about activities that promote a healthy lifestyle.

1. How You Work – Whether you are exercising, playing, dancing or even sleeping, your body is always hard at work. In “How You Work,” kids can learn how the heart and different muscles work as they pump, row or run in “Rosita’s Locomotion” and boogie along with Grover in “Grover’s Dance Party,” a groovy disco.

2. Your Insides – “Your Insides” is an exploration of what goes on inside the body. Activities include the “Count’s Organ Organ,” which musically teaches kids about their internal organs’ locations and functions; “Digestion with Oscar,” a display that shows kids what happens to food when they eat it; and “Oscar’s Sneeze Machine,” where children pull a lever to irritate a big nose that actually sneezes on them!

3. Your Outsides – Children learn to identify different body parts, learn what they do, and explore the many ways they can put them to use. Exhibits include “Your Wonderful Hands,” featuring puzzles, sign language games, shadow puppets and more; “Your Legs and Feet,” an interactive exhibit that shows what happens when you put your legs in motion; and “Use Your Head”, a play-along question and answer game show about the parts of the head.

4. Staying Healthy – Learn how eating healthy foods, staying clean, and getting plenty of physical activity as well as sleep can help the body stay healthy. Ernie and Rubber Ducky get kids started in “Rub-A-Dub Tub,” a silly game that shows them just how much fun staying clean can be. Then it’s on to “Mr. Hooper’s Store,” where children scan groceries and learn specific messages about how different healthy meals are good for their bodies, and “Baby Bear’s Mini Mart,” a toddler-sized activity area where children can stock up on a variety of healthy foods.

Step into Elmo’s colorful world where Dorothy the goldfish, Mr. Noodle and the red, lovable Muppet live, learn and play. Elmo’s crayon-scribbled world contains kid-sized furniture and colorful manipulative games. The video screen window is where Elmo and Mr. Noodle are thinking all about the body and the things it needs to stay healthy like rest, exercise and good food. Photo: Chris Haston, 2005 Sesame Workshop

Best part?  Two lucky of my lucky readers will win VIP passes to attend Elmo's Birthday party on February 3rd!  It is a private event and will feature Elmo's birthday cake from Sensitive Sweets (gluten-free, soy-free and allergy free).  The event will be from 6-8pm at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana.  Ready to enter?

The giveaway will go until January 20th at 11:59pm and is only open to residents of the contiguous U.S.  When leaving comments, be sure I have a way to contact you, I reserve the right to pick another winner if I am not able to contact the winners in a reasonable amount of time.  I will need to get your information before January 21, 2011.  The two winners will be picked using Random.org.

Mandatory first entry: Post a comment below.

  Other ways to enter:

• Subscribe to email feed or other feed subscription for OCMomActivities.com (or if you already are, just say that in a comment) 
• Become a Fan of Discovery Science Museum or OCMomActivities on Facebook (say so if you already are)
• Follow Discovery Cube or OCMomActivities on Twitter (1 extra entry each)
• Mention/link this giveaway in a blog post or tweet about it (1 extra entry each allowed once per day until the giveaway ends) 
• Go comment on another post on OCMomActivities.com then come back and comment on this one saying you did it (this is an unlimited number of extra entries as long as you do the extra commenting!) 

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Holiday fun at the OC Zoo

Looking for some Holiday Family Fun this weekend?

Head over to the OC Zoo (at the Irvine Regional Park) on Saturday December 18th for fun activities including story time with Mrs. Claus, crafts, face painting and Santa of course!  Between the hours of 10:00 am - 3:00 pm you can see all the animals open their presents and find treats hidden inside Christmas trees.  All activities are included with the admission to the park ($2 per person and parking costs $5 a vehicle).  For more information you can go here.

And of course you don't want to forget to ride the Christmas Train at the park while you are there. Information about when it runs is here.

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Snow Land in Costa Mesa this Saturday!

Looking for a fun family activity in Costa Mesa this weekend?  

Head on over to the annual Holiday Snow Land hosted by Torelli Realty on Saturday, December 11, 2010 from 12 noon - 3pm.  It's free (except for concessions, etc.).  

Santa is scheduled to arrive at 12pm (via Fire Truck) and will be available for free pictures with the kids.  There will be hay wagon rides, cookie decorating, music a collection of toys for the Toys for Tots program and food collection for the Share Our Selves food drive.

The following schools will also be present:

-The Estancia High School sports teams will be raising money by selling donuts by Jess Gilman, (the officer who was recently profiled in the paper for his donut making), hot dogs, polish sausages, sweets, crafts, and more.

-TeWinkle Middle School is selling coffee, hot cocoa and snacks to raise money for their programs.

-Adams Elementary School is selling shaved ice to raise money for their PTA and recycling efforts

-The Indian Maidens will be selling popcorn and brownies to benefit their organization.

-The Estancia High School Cheer Team will be doing face painting and volunteering their spirit throughout the day.

Snow Land will be located at Balearic Park – 1975 Balearic Dr., Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Saturday, December 11, 2010.

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