Parks In Your Backyard!

Amtrak makes traveling to the National Parks so easy, it's like they are right outside your back door!  Which ones will you discover?

Check out this great deal - San Francisco Treat, stay for two nights, get the third night for free!

COOL SITE ALERT - Kidlee.com

Kidlee is a tool that lets you quickly capture the things your kids say and do. It automatically calculates the age of your child, so it's great for recording milestones like losing a first tooth. And it's equally great for writing down the hilarious things your kids come up with on a daily basis.

Kidlee is completely private. The only people who see what you write are the people you choose. Invited friends and family will receive a weekly email update with that week's posts. They don't need to register for Kidlee or log in to see your updates. Easy!

So maybe your child said or did something funny today, had a cool experience, or learned something new. We invite you to give Kidlee a try, and start saving and sharing life's little moments.  Please use OCKIDS as your invitation code, and get started today!

Try New Products!

Experience the excitement of trying new products!
Love to check out new products and talk about them with your friends? Join the First Taste community today, and you'll be among the first to try exciting new Kraft products.

529 College Savings Day!

529 College Savings Day: What’s the big deal?

• May 29 (get it? 5/29) is the day to raise awareness and educate all families around the country: This is the time to make a plan to start saving.

• Saving for college is one of most important things we can do for the students in our lives, whether they’re starting kindergarten, in middle or high school, or even planning to go back to college.

• We all need to get involved to make 529 College Savings Day a turning point in our communities. Our country’s future depends on an educated workforce.

• All too often, families put off saving for college — it just seems so far away. But if they begin early and save little by little, their college savings can potentially add up over time.

Great Info Here: CollegeSavings.Org, Vanguard, BankRate.com, Saving for College.com

Books:
529 & Other College Savings Plans for Dummies
The 529 College Savings Plan Made Simple
The Best Way to Save for College - A Complete Guide to 529 Plans, 2009

How Much Fun Can Kids Have Outdoors?

Show kids how rewarding it can be to spend time in the outdoors. That's what the REI Passport to Adventure program is all about. Designed for kids aged 5-12, it's a fun way to connect them to the natural world and start them on a lifetime of outdoor recreation and stewardship.

Here's How It Works!

1. Start with an Adventure Journal, where kids can document their hikes, bike rides and other fun times. Pick up a journal in any REI store, or download and print one here. (PDF 880KB)

2. Use their handy interactive map to find local family-friendly hikes and bike rides. Lists are also available at your REI store.

3. Earn a prize! After you finish one outdoor activity, send in the tear-off postcard from the journal or fill out their online form to get a certificate of completion and a special prize—binoculars that turn into other cool tools including a compass, signal mirror, magnifying glass and more!

Local OC Hiking Trails include: Aliso Canyon Trail, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Crystal Cove State Park, Laurel Canyon & Willow Canyon Loop & Peters Canyon Regional Park.

Local OC Biking Trails include: Oso Viejo Park, O'Neill Regional Park, Mile Square Park, Huntington Central Park & Bolsa Chica State Beach to Huntington Beach Pier.

National Mom’s Nite Out

Thursday, May 7, 2009 - Everywhere, USA

National Mom’s Nite Out is the first nationally organized celebration of motherhood. Intended to bring together today’s moms, physically and virtually, National Mom’s Nite Out will unite over 150 social media groups, companies, local playgroups, mommy bloggers and mother social networks in giving moms a well deserved night off. “Our goal in hosting National Mom's Nite Out is to unite Moms all over the country prior to Mother’s Day,” says Maria Bailey, Author of “The Ultimate Mom Book” (HCI, 2009) and Host of Mom Talk Radio. “Most moms spend Mother’s Day taking care of the other mothers in their lives so we hope to give moms a well deserved night off right before Mother's Day."

Local OC Mom's Nite Out Sponsors:

Children’s Orchard is proud to be a sponsor of the first National Mom’s Nite Out. Please join us for a well-deserved night off. Mingle with other moms and enjoy refreshments, prize drawings, and special offers and activities just for YOU. Hours and events will vary by location, so please contact the Children’s Orchard nearest you for details.

•Laguna Niguel -(949) 249-3736
•Fountain Valley -(714) 964-3488
•Lake Forest - (949) 951-0444
•San Juan Capistrano- (949) 276-6555

Pump It Up locations will offer a fun, family-friendly evening for the dad (or caregiver) and children at their stores to celebrate National Mom’s Nite Out. This event is not a drop-off evening, nor an event that mom will attend, but rather a fun night for just dad and the kids so that mom can go out and enjoy her night off. Pizza and drinks will be offered so that mom doesn’t have to worry about feeding her family! Hours and pricing will vary by location, so use the numbers above to contact the Pump It Up nearest you.

•Lake Forest- 949-951-9663

Mother's Day Coupons

For the Dads that need a little help, here is a fun site, with printable Mother's Day Coupons!Also listed on this site are some additional Mother's Day activities and ideas!

Celebrate motherhood and all that moms do for their families, communities and beyond. Gifts are great—handmade or otherwise—but taking the time to recognize Mom is just as important. Here are some more fun ideas, from Oprah!

Don't forget Mother's Day is May 10th!

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"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."

Cinco De Mayo

Cinco de Mayo falls on a Tuesday this year (conveniently falling on Taco Tuesday)! Did you know this holiday honors a victory by the Mexican Army over invading French troops at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862?

Here are some fun things to do with your kiddoes to celebrate!
Kaboose.com offers these crafts, to name a few: Mini Sombrero - these mini sombreros are great table decorations kids can make, Tacos & Tostadas - create fun, festive Cinco de Mayo Mexican food with colorful craft foam, Maracas - spice up your Cinco de Mayo party by making your own musical instruments!

Over HERE, there are free powerpoint presentations, teachers resources and games for kids.

At Apples4theTeacher, they have an interactive Cinco de mayo coloring book pages for kids .

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And if you can get away, here are a couple local restaurants that are celebrating with drink and appetizer specials:

Bluewater Grill in Tustin welcomes Cinco de Mayo celebrants with a full day of appetizer and drink specials. A special Organic Margarita will be featured and Bluewater Grill Margaritas will be $4 all day. And from 3:30pm to 6:00pm, a wide range of happy hour appetizers are available for just $3, $4 and $5 in the bar.

On Tuesday, May 5th, Fred's Mexican Cafe, Huntington Beach will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo and is the place to get your Fiesta on! Join Fred’s for Mariachis, Prizes, Games, & Giveaways all day long! Since all of our Tuesdays are Tacolicious you can still enjoy our $2.00 Chicken & $3.00 Steak, and Mahi Taco specials from 4-10pm!

Top 10 Work at Home Scams

Chance are, most of the stay-at-home moms out there (myself included) have received an email or seen some too-good-to-be true, make millions while you sleep offer. And the worst of them, have marketing tactics that prey on your emotions! Flashy clips of happy families at the beach, on vacation...don't YOU want that for your family?! Unfortunately most of them are not legitimate. Here is a great link from scambusters.org with some good info.

There ARE a few legitimate sites our there. Here are a few: MomCorps. WAHM.com.

FREE FRIDAYS, Part III

Here we are again, getting ready for another fun filled weekend in the OC! Here are our family friendly and free (mostly) things to do THIS weekend in Orange County. AM showers and cloudy skies are expected, so take advantage of less crowds and have a great weekend!

Here is a list of GARAGE SALES this weekend in South Orange County. Its free to look, right?!

Young Masters™ Art Show - May 2, 2009, 1 to 4pm, Irvine, FREE admission! The opening day Festival will provide numerous hands-on art activities for children plus jazz bands, balloon artists and complementary refreshments. A day of art and fun!

Children's Museum at La Habra - FREE Admission Saturday, May 2 , 10am to 4pm
Agenda: Learn about your community and all the important professional jobs that help make it a safe and family friendly environment. Special guests and community leaders will lead demonstrations and will encourage children and families to get involved in activities that promote strong and healthy communities.

Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 2 9:30a to 6:30p @ A Castle of Books, Stanton
A Free Day Of Fun For The Whole FAMILY - A Castle of Books in Stanton is one of thousands of stores around the world celebrating the comic book art form on Saturday, May 2nd. Over two million comic books will be given away by participating stores, introducing as many people as possible to the wonders of comic books!
Phone: (714) 828-2040

The Great Park Balloon - Weekends: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm; 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm / FREE
A 1,347 acre public space on the site of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Orange County. Passengers will soar between 250-400 feet above the surrounding landscape, enjoying a bird’s eye view of the retired air station’s transformation into the first great metropolitan park of the 21st Century

Atlantis Play Center, Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Sunday: 2:00 noon to to 4:00 p.m. / Garden Grove.
Kids will have a blast here playing on the concrete animals or sliding down the sea serpent slide. All of the other expected playground amenities are here as well, from swings to climbers. There are plenty of areas for picnicking under the trees and a picnic area for parties or large groups. Adults are not allowed without kids, and kids are not allowed without adults, so it's the perfect chance for a little together time.

Mommy Blogs

Cool Mom's Blogs

Mommy Track'd - Managing the Chaos of Modern Motherhood. Mommy Track'd is a multi-tasking website for modern moms that stands out from the crowd of parenting sites. Always fresh, funny, informative and entertaining, but never judgmental, Mommy Track'd strives to provide time-crunched, over-extended and multitasked-out moms a much needed and well deserved escape from the chaos of modern motherhood.

Mom Logic - Real Stories. Real Advice. Real Moms. Momlogic is the ultimate destination for Moms who want to know a little bit about a lot of things, but have very little time. We understand the challenges of keeping up with your family, your home, your world ... never mind finding time for yourself. At momlogic, we believe that being a mother is not an exact science, but a perfectly imperfect experience.

Five Minutes for Mom - Bringing Moms Together. Our mission at 5 Minutes for Mom.com is to provide an essential, go-to site for moms that entertains and informs, while promoting the online mom community.

KaBoom!

100,000 Playspaces in 100 Days!

Play is serious business for KaBOOM!, a national non-profit aimed at locating and funding play spaces. The organization has launched a campaign to locate 100,000 play spaces — playgrounds, skate parks and field complexes — in 100 days in an effort to ensure there is a play space within walking distance of every child.

FREE Fridays @ OCK!

Happy Friday!
We are starting a new series today called FREE Fridays which will be focused on finding FREE things to do in Orange County this weekend, along with links to other FREE ideas, tips and tricks from around the web.

Swap Meet @ OC Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa
Every weekend, from 7am to 4pm, Admission is $2, but kids under 12 are FREE!

Earth Day at Bolsa Chica @ Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Huntington Beach, CA (Warner @ PCH)
Saturday, Apr 18 9:00a to 12:00p
All ages are welcome to help out at Bolsa Chica with Beach clean-up and Native plantings. Free refreshments and free parking at Bolsa Chica State Beach for all volunteers.

Healthy Kids Day @ YMCA, Fullerton, CA
Saturday, Apr 18 10:00a to 1:00p
Join us for this FREE community event with activities for the whole family! Activities include Bounce House, Obstacle Course, Arts & Crafts, Health Seminars, Sports, Food, Chance to win a FREE birthday party (valued at $350)!

EarthDay 2009 @ The Lab, Costa Mesa
Sunday, April 19th 12 - 4pm. For the Earth Day festival afternoon, there will be plenty of environmental vendors, displays, live music, arts and craft activities, food samplings, raffles and sunshine.

Kid's Club Earth Month Celebration and Book Reading @ Whole Foods Market in Tustin
Sunday, Apr 19 Noon to 3 p.m. Free.
Calling all kids! Come celebrate Earth month! Stop by to see the live Lady Bug Farm and make an edible earthy treat. Also meet author/illustrator Jim Figueroa, who will read from his book "Clarence the Clown and His Not So Special Day"

15th Annual Orange Plaza Car Show @ Old Towne , Orange, CA
Sunday, Apr 19 8:00a to 3:00p
425 pre-1975 Street Rods, Custom and Classic vehicles will be on display. Dozens of prizes will be handed out and the crowd will be entertained by a professional DJ and two live bands. Specialty vehicles will be on display, including racing dragsters and Army vehicles.

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More FREE ideas!

11 Cheap (and free!) Toys for Young Children - @ SimpleMom.net

100 FREE things to do with your Grandkids, a printable guide @ Grandparents.com

101 Things to Do When There's Nothing to Do - @ About.com

How to Have Fun with Your Kids for Free @ Associated Content

Save for college...by spending money?!

I have been a member of upromise.com, for the last 5 years, and absolutely love that every time I shop at certain stores, or buy certain products, a small percentage goes into my kids college fund.

Every time you make an eligible purchase on upromise.com, their partners return a portion of that money back to you. Those earnings accumulate in your Upromise account until you decide to use it to invest in a 529 plan, help pay down eligible student loans or assist with college expenses—all tax-free!

99 Cent Kids Downloads on iTunes

I am one of those "modern" parents that downloads kids shows onto their iPod or iPhone, then whips it out when needed (doctor's office, restaurant or any other "boring" place where I need the munchkins to tone it down a notch). SO, I was excited to see on iTunes offering a special, limited time Kids and Family TV shows for $0.99 each! Most of the time they run about $1.99 per episode, so stock up now! They also have special Kids and Family Movies starting at $4.99. You need to have iTunes installed on your computer, go here to download it.

Separation Anxiety

Great article here.

After two kids, I don't think it get's easier. I think I have a little thicker skin with my daughter and can turn my back and leave (sob), but its still hard on me....I can only imagine what she's feeling....

Great Schools

Great Schools.net Elementary, middle and high school information for public, private and charter schools nationwide.

This really useful and informative site provides comprehensive school profiles, email newsletters, over 600 articles, save a "My School" list to track school performance, and allows you to compare schools. Great website if your kids are school age or will be soon!

SAVE $$ @ Disneyland?

Wow, that's an interesting idea, right? A reader sent me a link to this site: MouseSavers.com. Thank you!

Here's a recent tip that was just posted on this useful site:

Avoid Seasonal Restaurant Price Increases
Disneyland now raises the prices of its Character meals during busy times of year. During these periods, a Character meal will cost you up to 23% more than normal! All of the Character meals participate in this upcharge and it is based purely on dates, not on any "enhanced" menus. March 20 - April 26, 2009 (Easter / spring break time) will be subject to these increases. Other dates have not yet been announced, but peak summer season and possibly Thanksgiving and the Christmas-to-New Year's period will see similar upcharges. One way to get around this increase is by pre-purchasing meal vouchers. During the surcharge period, meal vouchers will definitely save you money on every character meal.

Great Re-Sale Place

OK, this doesn't constitute an "Orange County" tip, but I had to mention it! Once Upon A Child, with locations in Temecula, Oceanside and La Crescenta, is a really wonderful store that buys and sells gently-used children's clothing, toys, baby furniture, equipment and more! Check out their website at: http://www.ouac.com/

Happy Shopping!

Thanksgiving Goodies from me to you!

You and your child can make a beautiful wreath of leaves that displays what your child is thankful for. This wreath makes a great Autumn or Thankgsiving decoration. Supplies needed: A plain white paper plate Construction paper (orange, red, yellow, brown, and other earth tones) Crayons or markers Scissors Glue or a glue stick Instructions are here: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/thankfulwreath/

Pumpkin-Cranberry BreadSubmitted by: Kathy Gunst.
The combination of fresh and dried cranberries gives this bread a great texture. Serve for dessert or as a breakfast treat.
Ingredients
Vegetable oil spray
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup fresh cranberries
Preparations
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with vegetable oil, and set aside. Mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a medium bowl until blended. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugars and the oil together on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until well blended. Add the pumpkin and mix again on low speed until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
Add the dry ingredients in two additions, and mix on low speed until just blended. Stir in the dried and fresh cranberries by hand.
Divide the batter between the two pans, and bake on the middle shelf for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one loaf comes out clean and the loaves are golden brown.
Let the loaves cool for about 5 minutes in their pans, then remove from the pans and cool completely on racks. (Makes 2 loaves, or 24 slices -- 1 slice per serving)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Total time: 80 minutes

Corn Casserole
INGREDIENTS:
1 (15-ounce) can creamed corn
1 (15.25-ounce) corn, undrained
1 (8.5-ounce) package corn muffin mix ( such as Jiffy )
1/2 cup chopped green onions ( optional)
1 large egg 2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
Mix creamed corn, corn (including liquid), corn meal, egg and oil. Stir until moist. Mix in half of the sour cream. Stir until smooth (with corn chunks). Pour into prepared pan.
Blend in chopped green onions. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until casserole is set and begins to brown. Remove from oven and allow casserole to sit for around 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top!
Makes 12 servings.