Trick or Treating Disney Style!

Well it is time again for one of my family's favorite traditions!
MICKEY'S TRICK-OR-TREAT PARTY at Disney's CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE.

Member all of the Laughs we had LAST YEAR?



It's the one & only place where you can go as an adult & actually TRICK-OR-TREAT with your children.
Also my older kids are just at that point where they feel weird, like they are too old to go trick-or-treating on halloween, so this spot is perfect for teenagers too.
Yes, one and all are given goodie bags to go candy collecting throughout the park, where there are stations set up all around.
Some have candy, some have healthy snacks like raisins & carrots...
so parents and kids alike are happy with the variety or treats!

I will say for the record that my youngest wouldn't put on her costume, so she looks like it's just another day, instead of Halloween. I just know that when she gets older she's gonna look at these photos & wonder why she isn't dressed up!
But it was the first time that Kaia actually Trick-Or-Treated! It was sooo cute to see her going up to the people at the stations and instead of saying Trick-Or-Treat, she'd say "PLEEEASE." Awwww! Isn't that ADORABLE???

We were invited by Mickey Mouse himself, with the help of his friend Michele Himmelberg. Thanks Michele!!!

2009 Spooky Holiday highlights include:

• 25 Treat Stops located throughout Disney’s California Adventure
• All your favorite Disney’s California Adventure rides and attractions
• A Hollywood Bat-Lot Bash in Hollywood Pictures Backlot
• A nightly “Mickey’s Trick-or-Treat on the Street” cavalcade
• Character photo locations featuring Disney villains, princesses and other favorites
• Pirate’s Wharf, a transformation of the Pacific Wharf area into an entertainment, photo location, craft area and games area

You can go with your family & friends to this one-of-a-kind celebration at
Disney’s California Adventure for 12 nights in October.
Save the Date: 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 and 31

For more information about all of the goblins and ghoulish fun
go to DISNEY'S WEBSITE.

So buy your tickets before all of the festivities... DISAPPEAR....


Have you heard about the deal Disney is offering this fall?
From Aug. 12 through Dec. 19, 2009, guests will save $400 when they book a 4-Day/4-Night Disneyland Resort vacation package, featuring Disneyland Resort hotel accommodations – Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier – and park hopper tickets. The offer is valid for arrivals Aug. 23 through Dec. 20, 2009. WOW!

And get ready for the Christmas Holiday at Disneyland & California Adventure coming November 13 through January 2, 2010.

Got Milk? Toma Leche?

We've all heard the tagline
"MILK... It does a body good."
But how much good?
What does it exactly do for our bodies?



I recently went to an event at the very hip BLD restaurant in LA.
(fyi: BLD stands for Breakfast Lunch Dinner.... Don't Worry, I didn't know either!)



It was a bunch of Mom Bloggers standing around chatting over... MILKSHAKES!!!
Some were made with cookies, some with caramel, they even added to Tequila to some of the recipes.
Which I have never even thought to do before...

Here are some of the drink that I tried:
Mexican Chocolate Milkshake
Blueberry Malt Milkshake
Salted Caramel Milkshake
(PS the caramel salted one was not so good -my opinion)



They also had a card reader & palm reader. I got my cards read & the lady was DEAD ON correct about me! It was really freaky & amazing. I thought it may be a fluke, until I heard that she was totally accurate for MY MOM & my friend as well! WOW!
Anyway it was a good time with some great women.
Special Thanks to Angelina who invited me & is an absolute doll! Love Her



They have a list of recipes that we tried at the event. You can get them HERE! I recommend the Blueberry Malt, YUM! (pictured below)


My new tagline is gonna be
"MILKSHAKE... It does a mommy good!"

Just some of the nutrients Milk has:
Calcium, protein, vitamin C, iron, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12 and phosphorus.

It's been called the "Most nutritional bang for your buck" over at WHY MILK.COM

Now I knew that the Calcium in Milk is good for your bones.
But you should also drink Milk for help with:
Hair
Skin
Nails
PMS
Muscle Rebuilding
Sleep
Strong Bones
Prevent Cavities



And for those of my fellow Moms who are totally sleep deprived, they also have advice for us!
If you can keep your eyes open long enough to read THIS ARTICLE... Ha!

I'll See You Soon SHAMU!!!

As a child, when people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up I always said the same thing. I never said I don't know, or had to think about it even for a second. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a Marine Biologist. I loved the ocean, & the things that lived in it. But the real reason I wanted to DIVE (pun intended) into this career path was because of Sea World! From the first time my parents took us to San Diego for a vacation, I was HOOKED (another funny)! My favorite parts were The Shamu Show, & the Dolphin Petting Pool. When I asked my parents, how does one become a dolphin/whale trainer they told me that I would have to study marine biology in school. So that is all it took. I knew what I was going to do for a living. Work at Sea World & be one of Shamu's trainer. I mean I would have settled for a dolphin trainer, or beluga whale trainer... but Shamu was the ultimate goal!

Fast forward 20 years later... So I'm not exactly a marine biologist! Okay, I didn't even finish college. I don't even live in San Diego! I live in L.A. and work in the entertainment industry. So it's more like working with Sharks, LOL!
I'm also a mom which brings me to the real reason I'm writing this post.

My husband & I are taking the kids next week to Sea World for the very first time. I CANNOT WAIT TO INTRODUCE THEM TO MY OLD FRIEND! I myself am thrilled to be going back for the first time, since I've been an adult. But the real joy will be seeing how my children like it. Watching them as they watch The Shamu Show, if they feel the same connection as I do with these amazing creatures. Seeing if any one of them catch the killer whale fever like I did so many years ago...

Maybe we'll hit the jackpot & be selected to Share Our SeaWorld Story & become VIPs. A mom can dream can't she???

If you too would like to stalk SHAMU, like I do make sure to check out:

SHAMU LIVE CAM

SHAMU ON FACEBOOK

SHAMU ON TWITTER

The Circus Made Me Become A Kid Again!

"It was better than I remember it!"
That is what I've been telling my family & friends about the CIRCUS.



My family & I got a chance to go to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus last Wednesday, which happened to be Opening Night at the Staples Center. My husband, my teen, 2 tweens & a toddler all enjoyed a quality night of family entertainment. Which is surprisingly hard to do considering the vast age gap of our kids.



Our youngest did pretty good, considering that she is only 22 months. She never got scared or anything like that. The hardest part was trying to keep her from wanting to walk up & down the Staples Center stairs all night! She did throw one loud temper tantrum in the lobby at intermission, (SWEET) when she thought I was trying to control her juice intake. She likes to hold her own cup, & if she thinks I am helping her, by holding that cup, she FAH-REAKS OUT!!!! Well, she freaked out... NICE! But after 10 excruciating minutes of screaming & a $20 snow-cone in a elephant mug later, she was fine... That and a $22 dollar whirlygig light-up toy. Ahhhh, the price we pay for silence is deafening!



My favorite parts were with the animals... The Elephants, horses, dogs (smart pet tricks), zebras (strikingly beautiful, BTW) & tigers (who I'm sure were about to attack their trainer at any minute)...
The Elephants being the true highlight of my night!
I love it how they hold each other tails with their trunks, SOOOO CUTE!!!



My husband liked how they made the 4-ton Elephant Asia, disappear...
Also where they transformed a clown into a white tiger all while being suspended in the air! Amazing!!



My oldest daughter now wants to run off & join the CIRCUS.
My sons have been asking, "How much money do you think people who work in the Circus make?"
Basically we are all still in awe of the magical show that Ringling Bros. put on....
When The Circus Came To Town!



With the help of a very special person: Jennifer Petro-Becker this evening was made possible! Thank you for the memories!

As you can see my family all graduated from "Clown College" at the top of their class!!



Let me also mention the Center for Elephant Conservation that Ringling Bros. have opened up. It is to save the Asian Elephant from becoming extinct, and "will ensure that people will be able to experience the joy and wonder of Asian elephants up close and personal for generations to come."

Ivy Love and Joy

Sometimes I have a hard time deciding which photo I like best out of a set or series.

Here's an example...

I took a few pictures of this, this cute little heart-shaped ivy leaf.
I narrowed it down to these three.
Then, I tried to pick out one, specifically for LOVE Thursday,
but ended up posting all of them because I just couldn't pick out my favorite!

Does that ever happen to you?
How do you choose between your photos/art/handmade things?

Which one of these shots do you like the BEST?








Happy LOVE Thursday!!!

Are you feeling LOVED today????

Go show some LOVE to Karen Walrond at Chookooloonks! (BTW it took me forever to learn how to spell that correctly! LOL!)

What Will You Celebrate?

So far this year we have celebrated many events...
But for some of the more special events, we have a tradition of celebrating in very magical place!!

I'm talking about Disneyland!!! (As if you didn't know!)

This year we have gone for 3 Birthdays, Mother's Day & a Graduation! (WOW! And the year is only half way over! LOL!)

We have had a BLAST!!
But now things are getting even more exciting at The Magic Kingdom...
Who thought that was even possible??

Here are some of the things included in SUMMER NIGHTASTIC!
A Bolder Fantasmic Show, new floats were added to "Disney's Electrical Parade", & for my teens/tweens a new dance club "Ignites The Night" in Tomorrowland!


(Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland)

But I am most excited about "Magical" the new Disney fireworks show!! The familiar image of Tinker Bell lights up the show, only this time she's joined by a surprising Disney character, Dumbo the flying elephant, who dances across the night sky.


(Photo by Scott Brinegar/Disneyland)

They have also re-launched their News Web Site with great new features and downloadable video, so go check it out!

Disney is now the Twitteriest Place On Earth. I am following them on Twitter, along with over 6,000 other Disney Fans! Make sure you do the same!
http://twitter.com/disneylandnews

So I ask you again...
"What Will You Celebrate?"

Happy Father's Day!

To the father of my child on Father's Day.
You are a shining example of what a loving dad is.
Our children are very lucky to have such a wonderful man in their lives.
You show up everyday with your love, strength and support.
You aren't afraid to change a dirty diaper, get peed or thrown up on.
I am very happy to be co-parenting with you.
You make me proud to have you as a husband... and as my baby daddy! LOL!
THANK YOU...I LOVE YOU

The Circus Is Coming To Town!

Get ready to be spellbound!!

The Greatest Show on Earth returns to the Southland!!

Children of all ages will delight in the newest production by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey called
ZING ZANG ZOOM


See it at a venue near you...
Los Angeles – Staples Center, July 8-12
Orange County – Honda Center, July 15 – July 26
Ontario – Citizens Business Bank Arena, July 29th-August 2nd

Now here's the GOOD news for my readers... a sizzling summer deal!!
See you at the Staples Center!!


(Just click on the image to make it magically appear bigger)

Flippin' Out!

I was given this FLIP Camera as a product review, & I am so happy!!!
It's a HD Video Camera!
Isn't it CUTE???

I will now start posting Video Blogs as well...
So stay tuned... It's gonna get exciting!!



I can't wait to use it & tell you all about the ins & outs of it!
But for now, I just wanted to take pictures of the newest member of my family...

Meet FLIP!
The world's smallest, simplest, awesomest HD Video camera!

Congrats Graduate! (BSM)

Well it's official...
I am now the parent of a high school student!
WHOA!
That's Scary!



Where has the time gone?

When I met this little guy, he was only 3 years old & now he is 14.
He has grown into a man in front of my very eyes, well almost a man....
Okay, a young man.
And I am proud to call him my stepson.



He is strong & sensitive. Thoughtful, smart, handsome, well-spoken and now...... A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL!!!

Congrats D...

You are AMAZING & I look forward to the next 4 years of your journey...
Thanks for letting me hang with you along the way!
Let's face the new challenges & triumphs together...

CRESPI BOUND!!!! Whooo Hooo!!!



Though not exactly artistic work this week for my BEST SHOT MONDAY, anyone who is raising a teenager knows that it is an art form! A very proud moment that deserved the title BEST SHOT & even one of my BEST MEMORIES!!

End of the Year Blues

Well, Kaia's first year of school has officially ended & I really do not know where the time went!?!
Yes, it was only a one day a week class, that lasted about 2 & a half hrs.
And no I never got to just drop her off (it was mommy & me class)
But none the less, it was school for us.
I find myself getting emotional over the whole thing! Great, I'm gonna be a wreck by the time she graduates from High School!
It's just sad to watch your baby grow up! I know she's not even 2 yet, but still....

She had great teachers & made so many little friends! (Autry, Brian, Sonia, Alexander, Rose, Jack, Chloe, Soren, Luna, Erik, Livia & Ben to name just a few) And just as importantly I made some really good friends that made life with my first biological baby easier. The people who you really want to talk to about everything you are going through in the first year of your child's life, is another mother who is going through the exact same thing!! There is something so comforting about suffering the sleepless nights together... I guess that's the whole misery loves company thing? I learned a lot from these women over the past year & I am very grateful.

One of the mommies put a end of the year gift together for our teachers. We each had to make a page with photos & things as a special token for them to remember our children by. It turned out so lovely, I wish I could have a copy of the book! LOL!
So here is the page I made for Kaia.

Something extra special is I will always remember her 1st day of class was on her 1st Birthday, August 28, 2008.

Foot Fetish

Call it a Foot Fetish of mine, but I love taking pictures of baby feet.
And when it comes to my girl, I'm even more smitten with the photos.
The fact that she's a go-go-go toddler, she hardly stays still long enough for me to shoot her without a blur.
I have to find moments of stillness aka naptime to uncover her little piggies.


I LOVE these feet. I LOVE these toes.

Happy LOVE Thursday.

EA Summer Block Party

Every now and then I get invited to special events. And sometimes I get to bring my whole family along with me! This makes for some very cool memories & quality time that will be remembered forever! Just last week was one of those exceptional times.

If you are a Gamer Family, like my family, than you know all about these 2 little letters EA. They are the ultimate makers of the ultimate games!
So when we got invited to join them at the EA Summer Block Party, you bet your game playing patoot that we were super excited!!
To be honest, I wasn't even 100% sure what their Block Party entailed... I just know I wanted in!!

When we opened up the doors & walked through the EA Lobby to get to the party, the first thing out of my two tween childrens mouth's were "Dad why don't you work at a place like this?" Then after my husband answered them with something that started out like, "it's really hard to get a job here"... the next thing out of their mouth's was "I want to work here when I grow up." The reason, it was no ordinary office space. They had video games set-up in every direction you could look. They had basketball courts, they had a boxing area, they had their own huge cafeteria, they had a mini beach set-up right in the middle of the buildings complete with reclining lounge chairs & everything!

Then we got to the shin-dig to be met by multiple living room type set-ups including couches, Flat-Screen TVs & Gaming systems for the kids & adults to try out the up & coming games of the summer! How AWESOME is that?
And I'm not even gonna go into the Ice Cream Sundae Bar, Cotton Candy, Popcorn, Pizza, Cookies, Hot Dogs & all the Summer lovin' snacks a gamer could ask for!



So the games that my family always seems to gravitate towards are the Sports Games. That day was no different. They spent most of the day playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Wii. Which will be released on June 8, 2009 for Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 & PSP systems. There are many cool new things to look forward to with this new version. And it provided my family hours of fun as you can see below. They are all getting their "Tiger" on! Special Thanks to Katherine over at EA Sports for being very helpful & full of good gaming advice! Also shot out to her baby Kaiya, who has the same name as my baby girl Kaia & is almost the same age! Yes, we bonded & are now new BFFs! Too bad they live in Florida or we would so be having playdates!!



The second game that they were enjoying was Madden NFL 10 Wii. We have every other Madden ever made (Football Family) and we will definitely be getting this one as well when it comes out on August 14, 2009. For Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 & PSP systems. My husband & his friends always have Madden tournaments, so I know they are looking forward to Madden 10's arrival! Special Thanks to Julie at the EA Sports Label for hooking us up with all the football facts & tips on the new game. Also we talked music & jobs & LA & stuff... so that was just COOL!



Lastly my kids & husband played a game called MySims Racing. Because in my family we have a need... the need for speed! LOL! You know that my grandfather is the famous race car driver, Alex Xydias. So the racing is in my blood!! You can pick your own character & build your own racing car! How cool is that? Special thank you to Troy over at The Sims Label, we liked your tats & your knowledge about the game! Plus we are very impressed by the fact that you actually create the games... truthfully we are kind of jealous of you!



Some games that I didn't get a chance to play but wanted to badly were Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, & Hasbro Family Game Night on Xbox Live Arcade. I Love anything Harry Potter & I know just by watching other people play that it is awesome! And I LOVE board games, so Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, Sorry, Battleship, etc. will be super fun new ways to play together on Family Game Night!! (I also hear there is a Family Game Night 2 coming out in the fall.)



Make sure to look out for all of these SWEET games in the stores, they will make great gifts for summer birthdays & graduations! Ugh is it really summer vacation already???

National Mom's Nite Out

Last Thursday May 7th, 2009 was a very special day for myself as well as Mother's all over the country!! It was (the first ever) National Mom's Nite Out!!! Being that I live in Los Angeles, I got to attend the one in, you guessed it, L.A.!! I saw this as a great opportunity to get out of the house, hang with some new faces. New adult faces! Which is a BIG deal to a SAHM/WAHM. I can't wait until next year!!! FYI: I heard about this exciting night on Twittermoms, which has been my new favorite site, as of late.



So, I got dressed up, grabbed a girlfriend, brought diapers (for a good cause), hopped into the car & drove to The Mint in LA. Upon arrival I got a drink, ate some goodies, met, chatted & networked. I laughed & commiserated, Blogged, Tweeted & Facebooked all about what a fun time it was!!!



There is something empowering & intimidating about being in a room, or a dimly lit club with a bunch of kick-ass Mom Bloggers.
Some of the Cool Moms who attended:
Twittermoms, Megan Calhoun.
The Go-To Mom, Kimberley Clayton Blaine. (She was our lovely MC)
Truu Confessions, Romi Lassally.
Intent.com, Mallika Chopra.
White Trash Mom
The Smart Mama.
Bizzie Mommy
Rockin' Mama
And the main sponsor for the evening was The Pump Station.



Some of the Highlights of the night for me:
I won the first raffle prize of the evening, a Book The Ultimate Mom by Maria Bailey.
The swag bag of goodies that we got to take home at the end of the night!
The Cupcakes!

Lowlight of the night for me:
After speaking with a woman for a short period of time, later in the night, she comes up to me & says... "I didn't know you were expecting!"
BTW... I'M NOT!!!!! Ouch!
Have another cupcake, preggers!!

Mood Lighting

Here's my BEST SHOT MONDAY.

Isn't this soooo beautiful???
I found this treasure of a chandelier at the club The Mint, while I was at LA's 1st Annual National Mom's Night Out...
I will tell you all about that on my next blog... So make sure to come on back for all of the juicy details! LOL!



BSM inspiration courtesy of TRACEY CLARK.

I Love You Mom!

Your Mother Is Always With You...
Author: Unknown

Your mother is always with you...
She's the whisper of the leaves
as you walk down the street.

She's the smell of bleach
in your freshly laundered socks.

She's the cool hand on your brow
when you're not well.

Your mother lives inside your laughter.
She's crystallized in every tear drop.

She's the place you came from,
your first home...

She's the map you follow
with every step that you take.

She's your first love
and your first heart break...
and nothing on earth can separate you.

Not time, Not space...
Not even death...
will ever separate you
from your mother...

You carry her inside of you...

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Cheers to you & yours on this fun & festive day!

Hope you have a drink to sip on, someone to share it with, & a toast to this amazing life!!!!



Also a fun game to play for a good cause!!!

Megan at Twittermoms invited us to share in the festivities!!

Just Tweet with the word #cuervo in the text & for the first 2,500 re-tweets
from 5p.m.-7p.m. PST under the #cuervo hashtag,
Jose Cuervo will donate $1 to RADD
(Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drunk Driving).
Jose Cuervo & RADD also remind you to designate before you celebrate.

Happy Cinco de Mama!!

Twitter Moms: The Influential Moms Network

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

HAVE YOU HAD YOUR DAILY DOSE YET?



After being sick for about a week, and one trip to the emergency room, one diagnosis of Croup, and one grumpy baby...
It's so nice to see the child coming back to life that I know & love.
And the laughter is helping in the healing process! For all of us...



BEST SHOT MONDAY

Good Morning Bed Head

Play Ball!

Spring for our family is filled with many things...
One of the main ones is BASEBALL!!
Opening Day, Batting Practices, Sunflower Seeds, Spring Training, One..Two..Three.. Strikes Your Out, etc.
We spend countless hours every spring at the baseball field. Much like how every fall you will find us on the football field.

Sometimes we get a little, you could say, restless. Time for a Photo Challenge!!

After seeing THIS POST...
That was inspired by THIS PERSON...

I thought I'd give the old Duet Photography thing a try. To spice up our time spent at the Chatsworth Junior Baseball League.

These first two shots are by my step-daughter. (Age: 11)



These last two were shot by me. (Age: Old)



All of this is what happens...
WHEN YOU GIVE A GIRL A CAMERA.

*I know that I am supposed to post them as a diptych (two photographs paired together) & side-by-side...
But I don't have that part down just yet, bare with me! : )

LOVE for Breakfast

Why don't you pour yourself a great big bowl of LOVE this Thursday morning...



HAPPY LOVE THURSDAY!!

Berry Lovely!

Happy Love Thursday!!

The Team

This week's theme: THE TEAM
Go to PHOTO FRIDAY for the weekly photo challenge!

When You Wish Upon A Star

Did you know that it's the 70th anniversary of the Walt Disney classic movie PINOCCHIO?
Did you know that the theme song of the movie "When You Wish Upon A Star" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year?
Did you know that the all new digitally restored version is playing now at the El Capitan Theatre?
Did you know that you have until Feb 12th to go see it there?
Did you know that Disneyland is not the only place to see PINOCCHIO live & in person?



I went to see it & I really enjoyed it.
I also got to see Dickie Roberts (the voice of Pinocchio) talk about his experience with Walt Disney,
and what it was like to do this movie.

We all know the story...
about a wooden puppet who is brought to life,
but can only become a real boy if he proves himself "brave, truthful, and unselfish"
Not a bad lesson to learn in an afternoon!