Rocking out with the Spinjitzu Masters at Legoland California!

If you follow me on instagram, you know that Lil’ Man and I got a sneak preview of the new Ninjago World at Legoland California last week.

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And we had a BLAST! Ninjago the ride is crazy fun! Ninjago World opens officially on May 5th, just in time for summer adventures with your littles!

Rockin' the 3 d glasses!
Rockin’ the 3 d glasses!

LEGO NINJAGO tells the story of four young ninja heroes – Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane – who train under the watchful eye of Master Wu to master an ancient martial art – Spinjitzu. NINJAGO The Ride enables guests to demonstrate their ninja skills without the use of a hand held device and instead, they simply use their hand gestures. Riders collect points for their training and battle efforts throughout the ride and scores are displayed when their quest is completed.

What I love is that the ride isn’t passive, everyone gets involved- and let me tell you, after riding it 3 times, my arms were tired! Everyone in our car got into the action!

 

Our chariot awaits!
Our chariot awaits!

In addition to the new Ninjago The Ride, there are tons of fun activities to keep the kiddos entertained.  Henry loved Kai’s Spinners, where you test your balance as you stand on one of Kai’s spinning platforms and twirl!

 

There is also a building stations where guests can tap into their inner imagination and create LEGO models inspired by NINJAGO. If the kids need to get their wiggles out, check out the rock wall!  Kids can test their agility as they scale a rock wall. Or, check out the lightening drill! Guests can test their speed by pushing the lit up buttons in the speed cage.

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Look at those fierce skills!

And of course, you can’t go to Legoland without running into a few of your favorite Lego Characters!

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In addition to the fun rides and activities, Ninjago World has some tasty treats too. We got to try tasty sandwiches from Ninja Kitchen!

LEGOLAND chefs have put a special twist on Asian street food with Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwiches on fresh baked baguette or steamed Bao Buns with your choice of crispy pork belly, lemongrass chicken or baked sweet chili tofu.IMG_5049IMG_5050IMG_5051

We had a great time! It was fun to check out the sights and sounds of Legoland California.

If you are looking for good deals on admission to Legoland California, here are a few options:

Costco: They frequently have discount tickets available.

Denny’s: Right now, select Denny’s have kids go free coupons available. When you buy an adult ticket, receive a kids ticket free. I’ve only seen this offer in San Diego area locations. I’m not sure if this deal is other places.

 

 

Family Fun this weekend at the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering 2016!

SDFSE-EXPO-Day-IMG_9641-Photo by Melissa JacobsHenry informed me the other day that he wants to be a farmer scientist. We’ve started our garden of tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, lavender (to encourage bees to visit our garden), wild flowers, and a succulent. Henry really wanted to have a cactus garden, but I worried about Birdie being around pokey plants once she’s a little bigger and able to play outside on the patio.

I am super excited to take him and Bitty Bird to the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering 2016 down at Petco Park on Saturday, March 5th.

The event runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., we’ll be there at 10 on the dot. Henry is excited to get hands on with all kinds of experiments and fun! There are scheduled to be more than 130 local businesses, corporations and organizations providing interactive, hands-on science, technology, engineering and math exhibits and activities to budding K-12 science lovers.

New EXPO Day Features for 2016:
  • The Recycle Challenge: Are you familiar with the phrase “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? Are you into technology, creativity and want to help keep our planet green? Well, the blue bin isn’t the only place for your recyclables. With a little imagination and craftiness you can turn your “trash” into awesome works of art! In this Star Wars-themed challenge, students in grades 5 to 12, will convene in teams of four to design, build and present a wearable garment or innovative device out of recycled materials to wear in the Star Wars Universe! Student inventors will then present their creation and explain how they built it and/or where in the Star Wars universe it will be utilized.
  • K-Zone: Looking for a place where your youngest scientist can unleash their natural creative ability in a setting where they are free to touch, explore, and participate in whatever their developing minds can come up with? The K-Zone is a place where budding tinkerers can come and explore numerous activities guaranteed to nurture and engage their active minds. Go ahead and let them run free, they just might change the world. (this is where we’ll be for most of the day, I’m sure!)
  • TedXKids@ElCajon Take The Stage: In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. This local version will showcase the passion and potential of our children! Organized by the Cajon Valley Union School District, these students offer a unique platform to share their ideas. Connect with our future leaders, and leave inspired. Come see samplings of their talks throughout the day on the Dugout Stage!
  • Student Designed Merchandise: Come check out the winners of our STEM Design completion. This year we’ve got sizes for the whole family and newly featured women’s racerback tank tops! Pay tribute to our local student artists. The Festival continues to work hard to keep all items very family affordable with nothing over $10! The merchandise tent is located inside Park at the Park – check it out and get your awesome Festival gear to wear all year long!
  • Star Wars – Steampunk Universe: The two fastest expanding creative universes, Star Wars and Steampunk, will converge at the Star Wars – Steampunk Universe booth, just inside the Gaslamp Gate entrance. Learn how to salvage your everyday watch and bicycle gears, vintage brass plumbing parts, industrial revolution steam era antiques, old leather and lace into personal visual expressions of your love of the Star Wars saga. Come by and take photos with the Star Wars – Steampunk Universe crew. Kids will also be able to participate in a fun coloring activity. Booth attendees will also learn how Star Wars – Steampunk Universe turns “Cosplay into Cause-play,” combining their love of dressing up and participating in charity and community events.
  • Bright Idea Society Alley – Powered By ViaSat: No need to scour the map, our Bright Idea Society winners this year will all be gathered together in their own row inside park at the park! The three winning schools include Olive Elementary, Feaster Engineering Charter, and Dragons 5229 Boys & Girls Clubs. Come be fascinated by these young minds and let them teach you!

If you are looking for a fun, free event to take your kids to this weekend, check out the Festival! I hope to see you there!

9 Fun, Frugal things to do this Spring Break in San Diego!

Spring break is just a few weeks away for most of us. We get two weeks, and I know some schools get three (you have my condolences).  If you are looking for some fun, frugal stuff to do to pass the time, here are a few adventures we’ll be having:

Santee Lakes Splash Pad should be open. They are re-surfacing the ground there right now!IMG_0931_2

Shell Hunting at the beach: Low tide is the best time to go. Check the tide charts here.

Balboa Park offers Free Tuesdays at various museums in the park.

Hiking and a picnic at Old Mission Dam

Gillespie Field Duck Pond: Located on Billie Mitchell Drive in El Cajon, it’s a great place to stop, check out ducks and turtles and explore a little nature in the big city. Plus afterwards, you can stop by the Aerospace Museum Hangar on Kenney Road. It where the Aerospace museum keeps their place that are off exhibit or are being restored. It’s donation suggested, but you can pop by for free. The guys who work there are excited to have kids stop by. If you are feeling peckish, stop by the Gillespie Cafe and have a bite on the patio and watch the planes take off and land.

Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve: Lots of fun trails and paths, and if you’ve got it in you, there is a trail that leads down to some cool, hidden waterfalls! Don’t forget water and a snack!

The playground and Waterfront Park downtown are always fun. However, the water park area will be closed for maintenance for most of March. However the playground is RAD!!

Looking to enjoy a little bit of history? The Missions in San Diego are fun and educational. There are three in San Diego County: San Diego de Alcala (in Mission Valley), San Luis Rey (in Oceanside), and the Santa Ysabel Asistencia (in Santa Ysabel). If you go up to Santa Ysabel, stop for pie and bread at Dudley’s!

It’s wild Flower season out in Borrego Springs! Head down and check out the flowers, the funIMG_1520(and free) museum, and don’t forget to check out Galleta Meadows! The awesome metal sculptures in the Borrego Springs area by artist Ricardo Breceda. Check out a printable map here, and here is a video about the awesome sculptures. This is one of Henry’s favorite things to do!IMG_1501

If you are looking for other fun stuff, here is an article I wrote last summer about summer fun!

Get paid for your opinion: Focus groups!

There are lots of online survey companies, but their payouts can be small and take a lot of time to accrue the amount of points needed to cash out.

In most large cities, there are research companies that run focus groups weekly.

How to find them?  Google “Your city name focus group”.

In San Diego there are the following research companies:

Another way is to look on Craigslist.  Go to Jobs and in the search field type “Focus Group”.  Some smaller companies may post ads for focus groups.  Recently I participated in a mock jury style focus group and was paid $90 for 5 hours of work.  Yesterday I participated in a focus group relating to housewares and received $40 for just an hour! I found both on Craigslist.

Right now on Craigslist there are a couple great opportunities in the San Diego area.

WOW Summit in San Diego, CA 10/23 &10/24!

Ya’ll know I love Mom’s Meet (I’ve written about them before here), well they have an AWESOME event coming up next month, the WOW Summit!

summit2015_badge_attending_250x250_2I’ve got my tickets and I can’t wait to go! This year’s WOW Summit is sponsored by Solgar, Veri, SmartFlour, and Dr Bronner’s (check out the full list of sponsors here). There will be  plenty to do and learn about!

The Moms Meet WOW Summit will take place in San Diego, CA on 10/23 and 10/24. This annual conference brings healthy-minded moms and bloggers together to attend expert-led seminars and workshops, sample amazing products, build lifelong connections, and have fun!

Friday’s events will be all about bloggers! The day kick off with several workshop sessions, where you’ll learn from successful bloggers about building your brand, boosting your social media presence, and more. Then, there will be a special networking event (think speed dating!) where bloggers and brands can connect one-on-one. The day concludes with an awesome cocktail party where you can unwind and have a fun night!

summit2015_social_sponsors (1)On Saturday, get ready for a full day of learning and connecting! Moms in attendance will hear from guest speakers, attend educational workshops, and sample tons of free products in our exhibitor room. At the end of the day, you’ll walk away with an amazing goody bag!

Learn more here http://greenmosmeet.com/summit2015

 

If you are going to, don’t forget to RSVP on their FB page and leave a comment on this post. I’d love to connect with my readers at the event!

If you can’t make it, don’t worry, I’ll be reporting back with TONS of photos, and hopefully a giveaway or two!!

Legoland: Kids go free with purchase of Adult Ticket!

LEGOLAND_California_main_entranceWe’re heading to Legoland for the first time this summer and I am stoked. Ok, not as much as Lil’ Man who is currently spending this rainy afternoon building  animals and a zoo with his Duplos.

If you’ve got kiddos that are Jonesing for a trip to Legoland, but your budget is a bit tight, check out this sweet promotion from McDonald’s. Visit any SoCal area McDonald’s restaurants (L.A. and San Diego) from June 29 to July 31 and you’ll receive a Kids Go Free offer with any purchase!

PirateShores22Kids Go Free with paid adult ticket to LEGOLAND® California Resort and your choice of LEGOLAND Water Park or SEA LIFE® Aquarium. It is a $104 value!

Hubs is excited because of the sweet new Star Wars stuff at Legoland! The 8 feet wide LEGO® Star Wars™ Death Star Model Display has been added to LEGO Star Wars™ Miniland.

In addition to Duplos and Regular Legos, we were gifted with some Friends sets not long ago and Lil’ Man loves building with those as well- There are so many cool pieces in the sets (like animals, perfect for when he wants to build a “delicate” zoo – which is how he refers to regular Legos and the Friends pieces: Delicate Legos), they are great for girls or boys.  Lil Man can hardly wait to visit LEGO® Friends Heartlake City.

Heartlake City has all kinds of great things to do and see: Ride the beautiful new carousel in Mia’s family ranch. Stroll through the LEGO horse stables. Sing along with Andrea at her stage. Or cool off with new friends in the Heartlake Fountain.  The adventures are endless in Heartlake City.  Visit LEGOLAND.com for details.

I can’t wait to see the big smiles when we go on the rides, and of course when Lil’ Man splashes Daddy at the water park!

I’ll be sure to post tons of photos and tips to save money at the park after our trip! And if you have tips that will make our adventure more fun (or frugal!), please leave a comment!

All East County YMCA locations are FREE and OPEN to the community every Friday in July!

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Great news for my East County peeps!!
All East County YMCA locations are FREE and OPEN to the community every Friday in July!

With activities and programs for all ages, Freebie Fridays at the Y are a perfect opportunity to connect with family and friends this summer. Spend some quality time working out alongside your child, taking a spin class with a neighbor, or grab your bathing suit and beat the heat at one of our beautiful pools! At the Y, the doors are open to everyone because all families count!

lI am super excited to hear this! I’ll def. be taking advantage of this with both Lil’ Man and Lil’ Miss.  I see some open swim time in our future!! We LOVE the interactive rec pool and water slide at the Cameron YMCA in Santee!!

 

Helping Others: 1st Annual Cinch Sack for Scarlett’s Kids Fundraiser!

This year I have been fortunate enough to meet two really awesome ladies (Candi and Barbara), both of whom have children suffer at the hands of a horrible disease called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (that is a link to wikipedia- warning there are some kinda graphic photos, so it’s NSFW).

They have banded together to help other kids who are sick, and you can help too! Help sponsor a child through Scarlet’s Kids and buy cinch sacks that can be filled with goodies for children hospitalized at Rady’s Children Hospital – San Diego. Candi is partnering with Scarlet’s Kids on a yearly basis and raise funds for as many Thirty-One cinch sacks as possible. Sponsor a local child and receive a picture and their story in return. Order through Candi or online here.

You can learn more by checking out the fundraising flier below! If you have any questions, please contact Candi at cdemarestr@gmail.com.

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I am not affiliated with Thirty-one, or Scarlett’s Kids. I wanted to share an opportunity to help others with you. If you’d like to help Scarlett’s Kids in any other way, please contact Barbara at ScarletsKIDS@gmail.com. They are always looking for donations to help support their mission!

If you have a Non-Profit Project that is near and dear to you and you’d like to get the word out, shoot me an email at hewesfamilyfun@gmail.com.