Parties and Play Dates

Scooters Jungle Aliso Viejo

Scooter’s Jungle Indoor Play Arena + Giveaway!

We’re always looking for great options for playdates to meet with friends. The children like to run around, and although they’re more independent, we still want them to be safe. In Orange County, there are so many venues to choose from, and we are blessed with beautiful weather year-round. Playdates usually run about two hours so we don’t feel guilty being indoors. Most recently we were at Scooter’s Jungle, an indoor play arena in Aliso Viejo, for their first annual Halloween Bounce Party. It was pretty fun. It was on a school night but it was in the evening which gave us time to do homework beforehand, play for a few … READ MORE >>

ZOOMARS Petting Zoo’s Pumpkinpalooza + Kids’ Favorites!

We’re wrapping up the last few days of October with a week to Halloween to go! I cannot wait for cooler weather after a week of scorching heat, but we still have time to have fun and visit pumpkin patches. Have you been to ZOOMARS Petting Zoo in San Juan Capistrano? It is a cute little petting zoo with more than 200 animals ranging from gregarious goats, sheep, potbellied pigs, exotic emu, humpbacked zebu cows, llamas, bunnies, and our favorite – the guinea pigs! I know you have seen photos of children hugging and feeding them somewhere. Well it is right here at ZOOMARS. They also have a kiddie train, pony rides, gold panning, a large play structure, and a corn box. During October, ZOOMARS is transformed into PUMPKINPALOOZA offering a family-style pumpkin patch with kid-friendly hay maze, pumpkin decorating, and all of the other activities mentioned above.

Fresh Brothers Delivery Saved Our Birthday Party + Pizza Giveaway!

October is National Pizza Month! It has been an eventful year since we became official homeowners, and I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to throw a party in our clubhouse by the pool. My son’s birthday was around our one year anniversary so I jumped to the occasion. Planning has been stressful, because I waiting too long to purchase items for the theme (Shark Bite). They cleared the items from the shelves after Labor Day, and it was too late to order online to have them delivered without a rush fee. It was totally my fault, because I waited last minute. I eventually went back to the LEGO Theme which I have used before. The only item my son asked for was a LEGO Ninjago Movie Cake with Ninja Lloyd, and I found a local baker that was willing to do it for me. We couldn’t cook at the clubhouse so serving hot food was another issue. FRESH BROTHERS PIZZA delivery came to the rescue, and they made it easy for me. Not only did I not have to leave my party to pick up food nor burden someone else to do it, I didn’t have to worry about heating up food. It was a Win/Win.

Bowers KIDSEUM New TeamLab Future Park Exhibit + Ticket Giveaway

Bowers KIDSEUM, an interactive children’s museum and learning center founded in 1994, is an extension of the main Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Dedicated to pre-school and early elementary aged children, it offers a “hands-on” experience for history, art, and culture. A new traveling exhibit called FUTURE PARK: Art & Technology in collaboration with Team Lab Kids, Inc. is coming September 17th and will be here until January 15, 2018. Designed to inspire creative thinking, encourage collaborative play and build and interest in digital technology, this digital exhibit features four areas for the children to explore – Sketchtown, Light Ball Orchestra, Connecting Blocks, and Hopscotch.

Pick Your Own Strawberries at Tanaka Farms’ Strawberry Tour

One of our favorite places to pick strawberries in Orange County is at Tanaka Farms in Irvine. Right now they have STRAWBERRY TOURS which is an hour guided wagon tour around their 30 acre farm. We learn about the different produce they grow, history of the farm, farming methods, sample a variety of farm fresh vegetables next to where they are grown, and then we stop to pick our own strawberries. Each paying customer receives a 1-pound container to fill to take home. I have been taking the children for years, and we still love it!

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