I'm Back!

In true new-blogger form, life got busy and my poor blog was pushed to the end of the priority list.  But,  I am back and even more enthusiastic about sharing our family outings and activities.  We have had so many fun adventures over the past few months and several more planned as we finish out the year and head into 2012.  This weekend we will be headed to the Muppet movie, sing-along, and party at the El Capitan Theater, so I will be back with info and pictures next week!

Citrus Classic Balloon Festival

This is an event that we have attended twice before, and we were disappointed with the lack of organization each time.  Since it is close by and sounds like such a great event in theory, we decided to give it one more try.  Apparently the third time is a charm because we loved it this year!

We went on Friday night for the evening balloon glow.  We arrived around 6:30 and had no problem finding a parking spot and making our way into the event.  We spent some time looking at the various booths (food booths, items for sale, kids' activities, etc).  Then we found my favorite activity of the night.  For a $1 donation, you were given the chance to walk inside a partially inflated balloon laying on its side, that was being kept inflated by a large fan.  That's right, we could go inside the balloon part of the hot air balloon!  It was such a cool experience and made for some really great pictures. 

Brother and Sister inside the hot air balloon

As it started to get dark, the hot air balloons started to be inflated, and slowly we saw about 15 balloons grow from pieces of material laying flat on the ground to magnificent colorful fully inflated balloons.  They then started to "glow" as the balloons took turns "lighting up" from the flames inside (I wish I knew the technical way to explain it, but I can tell you that it was beautiful!). 

Next year I hope to make it early (very early) on either Saturday or Sunday morning to see the balloons take off into the air...should be a beautiful sight!

Event: Citrus Classic Balloon Festival

Dates: July 29-31, 2011

Cost: $12 per adult, $7 per child (ages 5-14), Under 5 is free.  Discount tickets are sold in advance at various locations (check website)

Location: 18249 East Telegraph Rd, Santa Paula, CA 93060

Parking: $7 per car for on-site parking.  Shuttles are available from off-site lots (check website)

More Info: http://www.citrusclassicballoons.com/index.php



U-Pick Lavender

Put this one on your calendar for next year...every Sat and Sun in July, New Oak Ranch in Ojai, CA, opens it's lavender fields for a u-pick event.  It is a beautiful way to spend an afternoon!

We took a picnic lunch, bought some lavender jam (they have lots of lavender products available for purchase right there at the edge of the field) and enjoyed our afternoon in nature.

 

Event: U-Pick Lavender

Dates: Saturdays and Sundays in July, from 10am to 4pm

Cost:  Free to visit.  Lavender is only $5 per bunch.

Location:  Check the map on the website for this

Parking:  Free parking is available right at the field

More Info: http://newoakranch.com/index.htm

Butterflies Alive

We are finding that with Summer here, our schedule is a bit less hectic and we are able to add some mid-week outings into the mix.  Poor Daddy was out of town on a business trip last week, but that gave brother, sister and I the perfect opportunity to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa for a day of fun.  We headed to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History specifically to see their new exhibit, Butterflies Alive.

What a beautiful exhibit! There are about 20 different types of butterflies flying around in this green house type structure, filled with flowers and waterfalls and benches and pathways...and you get to walk right into the middle of it all.  In fact, butterflies will even occasionally land on the people...Grandma had one in her hair for several minutes. The kids loved being so close to the butterflies, and I loved the beautiful surroundings.   

Event: Butterflies Alive Exhibit

Dates: Now through Sept 11, 2011

Cost:  Free with entrance to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.  Summer museum tickets cost $11 per adult; $8 per senior or teen; $7 for ages 3-12; Free for ages 2 and under  

Location: 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, California 93105

Parking: Free parking on site

More Info: http://www.sbnature.org/exhibitions/673.html

Cars 2 Movie and Attraction

This past Sunday is a day that brother has been counting down to for many weeks. The day we went to see Cars 2. Brother has been in love with Cars for several years (and he's only 4!) so we knew this new movie would be a big deal for him and we wanted to make it special. Luckily we live fairly close to Hollywood and decided that a trip to the El Capitan Theater was in order. The El Capitan is not just a plain old movie theater. It's the place to go when you want to make watching a movie into an event.

We had pre-purchased our tickets, so when we arrived (they recommend arriving 45 minutes to an hour early) we jumped in line and were quickly given our 3D glasses and our wristbands which would allow us access to the World Grand Prix Attraction after the movie was over. We didn't have to wait too long before we were allowed to go into the theater and find our seats. In true Disney fashion, they offered popcorn, candy and drinks all in Cars themed containers and complete with special surprises such as toy cars on the top of the cups. We don't always buy those things, but we wanted to make this a special day and came prepared to spend a little bit (ok, a lot) of money doing so.

Brother absolutely loved the movie and even cried at the end because it was over. Luckily, our day of fun was not. We were escorted in a large group over to the Hollywood High School field, where the Grand Prix attraction was set up. As we entered we took pictures with McQueen and Mater (sister's favorite). Once inside we had the chance to experience all sorts of car themed "rides" (such as a giant slide and a bungee jump) and activities. Brother and sister especially loved climbing on the giant tower of tires and painting a real car in the "paint and body shop".

By the time we were ready to leave, we were all hot and tired, but we had had a great time. And, judging by the fact that brother hasn't stopped talking about it since we got home, I think we made a great childhood memory!

Event: Cars 2 Movie and Grand Prix Attraction

Dates: June 24-Aug 28, 2011

Cost: General Admission is $22.00 per adult and $18.00 per child. There is also an additional $2.00 fee per ticket. VIP tickets are available for an extra charge.

Location: El Capitan Theater, 6838 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028

Parking: The El Capitan Theater will give a partial validation for those who park in the Hollywood and Highland center, located directly accross the street from the theater. The maximum daily charge in that lot is $10.00

More Info: http://elcapitan.go.com/

Math Midway Exhibition

We were looking for a fun family outing this past weekend...one that wouldn't be packed with 3-day weekenders (like the beach) and would preferably be inside since it was supposed to be hot. At the last minute I remembered hearing about a temporary exhibit hosted by the Discovery Center called Math Midway. All I knew was that it was a hands-on, family friendly exhibition centered around making math fun. It sounded like it met our requirements, so we headed out for an afternoon of learning. I had no idea that we would end up having such a great time! The kids were so excited to be allowed, and even encouraged, to touch everything. They had a chance to ride a square-wheeled tricycle, make music with the "Organ FUNCTION Grinder", and play a laser harp, just to name a few. They even had volunteers at each station that were there to help and to educate. This is a wonderful outing for kids of all ages. I think daddy and I loved it as much as brother and sister.

We all had a chance to ride the square-wheeled tricycle

There were volunteers at every avctivity to help and to answer questions

Our whole family had a great time

Event: Math Midway

Dates: Now through Aug 12, 2011

Cost: $8.00 per person for ages 4 and above. Ages 3 and under are free

Location: 43 West Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Parking: Plenty of free parking

More Info: http://www.discoverycntr.org/pages/events/mathMidway/MathMidway.htm

Pleased to Meet You

Our little family




I am a stay-at-home mom of two kids, a 4 year old boy (who I'll call brother) and a 2 year old girl (who I'll call sister). Daddy, brother, sister and I live in a lovely little community in southern California. Since our family is now complete and we are leaving the baby stage, we have been enjoying taking brother and sister to various family friendly events and activities. In fact, researching events and planning our outings has become one of my favorite past times. Over the past six months or so, we have been averaging around one family activity or event per week, and more and more lately I have been getting the question "how did you find out about that event"? After looking back through our pictures and thinking about the fun we have had this year, I have decided to create this blog to share my research and as a way to remember the fun that we have had as a family. I am working to create tomorrow's childhood memories for my children and I am loving it!