My latest post on CBS Los Angeles is about my top picks for online moms in Orange County. The list provides a nice variety covering different ages and interests. These gals make being a parent in OC much easier! So head on over to read Follow These Savvy Mom Bloggers for Parenting Advice in OC
Since I actually haven’t been yet, I can’t do a review. I decided to give links to posts from some of my favorite So Cal bloggers.
Disclosure: I was given tickets and parking for the LA County Fair
The skyline in Burbank changed earlier this month as the world’s largest traveling show came to town to set up camp. Cavalia is back after three years with an amazing new performance, OdysseO. First of all, I’d like to thank Elizabeth for the opportunity to guest post on her site about it! She knew this was right up BurbankMom’s alley, so I loaded up the family in my minivan and headed over to the 8pm premiere with orders to report back.
The Cavalia tents, if you haven't seen them...or have no clue what they are, are gigantic. The Big White Top is 10 stories high and the stage itself is 15,000 square feet and features a real carousel and a magically appearing 80,000 gallon lake. The backdrop is the size of 3 IMAX screens. There are stables for all 67 horses, a warm up tent for the performers as well as paddocks for the animals to have time outside every day.
With all that being said, it’s not hard to imagine how spectacular this show was!
If you know nothing about anything Cavalia has done, think Cirque Du Soleil....with the addition of horses. Ok, so the horses aren't actually spinning on high ropes or performing acrobats, but they certainly perform and move you like the music or artists do. They are breathtaking.
The mind behind the show, Normand Latourelle, is one of the co-creators of Cirque Du Soleil. In an interview last week with Mr. Latourelle, he said to me that he had once done a show where he put one horse on stage with all of the performers and he noticed the audiences were watching the horse more than the people.
That’s when Cavalia was born.
From start to finish, this two hour show kept me drawn in. I have a hard time even comprehending not only the insurmountable creativity it takes to think of every detail, but the hours of dedication it obviously takes to train the horses. They are just some of the most magical animals on the planet. They are strong, powerful, graceful, stunningly beautiful and so very intelligent. Consider me equine-illiterate if you will, but I had no idea that these animals were capable of such memorized choreography and elaborate training.
Can we talk about the human performers for a minute? I swear they must be from another planet. The men and women who grace the stage with trick riding, acrobatics, tumbling, spring stilts and pole dancing (Yes, I just said pole dancing) are so spectacular, they simply must be related to Superman. The human body is so brilliant, and paired with horses, choreography and music, it all becomes poetic.
Louisiana native, Anna-Laura Edmiston provides the vocals for six acts in OdysseO. Her voice is absolutely majestical, etherial almost...what a perfect cast. It took me a while to even notice the orchestra was playing live above us, including Anna and her voice.
This is way more than just a horse show. To me, it was a piece of art that was breathtaking and full of innocent wonder. I sat next to my children with the same amount of excitement on my face as they expressed.
OdysseO is a journey around the world. With every act, you are taken to a different place on our beautiful planet and you are taken there by horse. Fitting then, is the cast of people and equine that make up this show. There are 11 different breeds of horses from around the world and the artists are from at least eight different countries. The concept, the backdrop, the artistry, the choreography, the costumes and original score let you travel and experience the journey of man and horse as it should be...appreciated.
This is an absolute family must while it’s in Los Angeles!
OdysseO plays through Sunday, April 14th in Downtown Burbank, just off the I-5 freeway.
It’s conveniently located at 777 N. Front Street, Burbank, CA 91502.
For tickets and show times visit, www.Cavalia.net or call 1-866-999-8111.
Jessica Cribbs is a wife and the mother of three and secretly loves the Valley. She is co-creator and producer of Expressing Motherhood and publisher of BurbankMom.com. Jessica also runs an annual charity event in the memory of her mother Rose, who lost her battle with breast cancer 4 years ago, called The Rose Run. You can also follow Burbank Mom on Twitter & Facebook.
Next we headed to the show at Club Nokia to find our seats. It turned out we had general admission tickets for the open area right in front of the stage. There were a bunch of area rugs covering much of the seating area. However, there was not enough space on the rugs for everyone. It resulted in many of us, including me, sitting directly on the hardwood floor. I found out from people sitting around me who had purchased their tickets, that they did not know they would be sitting on the floor. Many people were frustrated and unprepared, ie: not wearing clothes they would be sitting on the floor in, someone had a back injury, elderly family members, etc. I went with it, but I will admit it wasn’t very comfortable to be sitting on a hard floor. This got especially uncomfy when Lulu wanted to lean against me. I suspect this seating option isn’t going to be at all venues, but I recommend looking into the seating information before you purchase your tickets. [I also want to mention that I noticed people who were needing assistance were able to get help from the Club Nokia staff and in some cases I saw they were moved to seats in the next section] The show entertainment started with The Doodlebops as the opening act. They did a good job getting everyone warmed up for the main attraction.
I have some more good news for you, Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Friends Forever is going to be released on DVD on March 5. It is available for pre-order now.
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All of the rides will be open and that is really the most fun for me. I feel like in as many trips as I’ve made to Knott’s, I still haven’t “done” everything. There is so much going on all day on the 31st: the ice show "It's Christmas, Snoopy" at the Charles Shulz Theater, Magician Dana Daniels will be performing his family friendly magic in the Boardwalk Ballroom and “Elton John – The Early Years” will be performed by Elton John impersonator, Kenny Metcalf. If someone in the family likes dancing, there are two options: Salsa and Country line dancing, including instruction if you are feeling a bit rusty.
No doubt you will need to eat with all the running around you will be doing. My favorite restaurants are: Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, Spurs Chop House in Ghost Town, Johnny Rockets on The Boardwalk and Grizzly Creek Lodge in Camp Snoopy. Click here for complete Knott’s dining info.
Calico Square is going to be the center of activities on New Year’s. The popular cover band, Clueless Remix Featuring DJ Resso will be playing hits from past and present. Next, Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang will ring in the New Year with song, dance and some fun audience participation! Then, starting at 11:50 There will be a countdown with aerial fireworks display, stilt walkers, party hats and horns at midnight to welcome 2013 at Calico Square!
All this comes with a regular admission ticket. Purchase ahead of time online and save money and avoid waiting in line to buy your tickets at the park. While you are at it, why not get season passes? For as little as 6 payments of $11.16 you can have access all next year plus one free visit in 2012 and lots of other benefits! Just make sure to take advantage of this offer before January 13. It is a really great deal and there are lots of new things coming in time for summer for family fun on The Boardwalk.
Well, that was easy planning…My family and I will be ringing in the New Year at Knott’s! Happy New Year to all my readers and an awesome 2013 to you!
Disclosure: Knott’s Berry Farm has invited my family and I to attend their New Year’s Eve celebration. No compensation has been received for this post.
I started skateboarding when I was a bit older than Chip. It was sort of the dawn of skateboarding…For the Boston area. Surfer Guy grew up on the beach in LA which was the epicenter of skateboarding. It think it has been officially driven into his DNA. In fact, where we live, I see skateboarding legends all over. Just yesterday we were at a surf/skate/board shop and skateboarding legend, Kevin “The Worm” Anderson was there. Surfer Guy knows him from when he got his first skateboard and introduced him to Chip. There is a short film, Skaterdater, that was shot around our neck of the woods and won at Cannes. Several of the kids in it (who are now older than I am as it was shot in 1965) still live around here. I recently attended a screening and met one
of the “kids”. So, it’s only natural that Chip and Lulu have already started skateboarding. I’ve been quite happy with them staying on straight flat surfaces…Mostly the walkway in our backyard. But I also realized that was getting a little boring when they started pulling planks out of the garage and making their own ramps. I had been thinking of buying them some sort of a skate ramp when I was contacted by Shaun White Supply Co. (I’m pretty sure most people have heard of Shaun, aka The Flying Tomato.) They wanted to know if I’d be interested in reviewing any of their products. What great timing, I thought! They kindly sent me the Shaun White Table Top Ramp, msrp $49.99.
paperwork/instructions/warranty information. I didn’t need instructions—it’s really self explanatory. Subsequent conversation with the company has confirmed that there is no paperwork in the box. Their customer service is quite responsive so if you need to contact them, they offer good product support. The second thing to know is that the ramp isn’t that big. See the videos for reference. I would say it is good for up to about 8 years of age. This is the size ramp I wanted and it is very portable, I have brought it to the park. I think that some people might assume it is bigger than it is. The material feels sturdy and is described as being “high impact”. It also has a textured surface to aid with traction. The base doesn’t slip, but I’ve only used it on concrete and grass, nothing super smooth. The ramps can be used alone and have a decent 
I headed out to Walmart to look for Disney Princess items and to buy some of them. I was looking for: Mattel Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle, Mattel Cinderella Transforming Carriage, Mattel Cinderella Magiclip Castle, Fisher-Price Little People Princess Palace, 16” Huffy Cinderella bike, 12” Huffy Princess bike, 12V Disney FJ Cruiser, 6V Disney Quad. I ended up visiting 3 Walmarts looking for the items. I highly recommend using the Walmart website to order and
choosing the “site to store” option which allows you to pick up your items without having to hunt around for them. Walmart.com has a really well done Disney page that is a great jumping off point for getting a grip on what Disney products are available in all departments. I had difficulty finding everything on my list. I eventually managed to find 6 of the 8 items. I decided to buy the Mattel Cinderella Magiclip Castle and the Mattel Cinderella Transforming Carriage. I really liked the castle because it has a lot of versatility. The age range is open ended (3+). The castle has 5 sections that allow for lots of imaginary play. To be honest, the Cinderella Transforming Carriage is something I would want, so that’s why I chose it. The ability to transform from a pumpkin to a carriage for Cinderella is so straight out of the story. I also think it pairs perfectly with the Magiclip Castle to create even more storylines.I will be donating both of them to a local charity that provides Christmas gifts to local families in need. I have worked with this charity over the past several years and they do so much great work. One of their annual events is having a holiday party for children undergoing cancer treatment at our local county hospital. This party is really special as the kids’ parents and siblings are invited and everyone receives presents from Santa. Of course Lulu was intrigued by the Cinderella toys and “wanted” them. But when she heard who we were donating them to, she was totally on board. She and Chip have gone with me every year to volunteer and put together “santa sacks” of toys for the needy families. The whole family talked about the “little princess” who will receive the gifts. Of course, Santa knows Lulu loves the toys as well. He may very well come down the chimney with something from the above list…We’ll have to wait a couple of weeks to see! I put together a Google+ Album of my Disney Princess Shopping Trip to the Walmarts.
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Disney Consumer Products, Inc #CBias #SocialFabric #DisneyPrincessWMT. All opinions and content are my own.
Tonight we are off to party at Disneyland! This year, Mickey’s Halloween Party started earlier than previous years allowing for more chances for more people to get in on the fun! As in previous years, Disneyland Resort guests will join Mickey Mouse and the Disney villains for some treats and family fun at Halloween Time. The Celebration started Friday, Sept. 14 and will continue at Disneyland Park on 11 special Monday, Tuesday and Friday nights until Halloween. This is a separate-ticket event and tickets are available at www.Disneyland.com/Halloween. The fun gets even spookier this year with the new Disney's Halloween Time Carnival featuring "The Astounding Cauldron of Magic" at Big Thunder Ranch, plus new pirate makeovers at Pirates League and, at Disney California Adventure Park, "The Art of Frankenweenie" exhibit with a peek behind the scenes of Tim Burton's new film which opens in theaters on October 5. Nearly all of the favorite Disneyland rides and attractions will be open so you can jump on something in between your trick or treating.
I’ve had some great opportunities with Sesame Street. In honor of the 40th Anniversary in 2009, I was invited to meet with Caroll Spinney who plays Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird and Fran Brill who plays Zoe and Prairie Dawn. Henson Studios, founded by Jim Henson, who created the Muppets has invited me on several occasions and I’ve had the opportunity to meet two of Jim’s five kids, Lisa and Brian. They were both amazing to meet and told fun stories of growing up going to Sesame Street. Imagine that. How totally cool.
A couple of days ago, I picked the kids up straight from school and pointed the minivan towards Hollywood. It was kind of funny when we walked into the restaurant and I asked the girl at the host stand if she knew where Elmo was. She looked at me confused. I said, “red, puppet. Elmo?” A nice man sitting nearby said, “He’s in there.” And pointed to a private dining room. How awesome! One of his people stepped out and showed us in. There we were, sitting with Elmo talking about the latest happenings on Sesame Street. Elmo was fun, enthusiastic and being that he is 3 1/2, he got along especially well with Lulu. In fact, Lulu kind of took over the interview! Here is what we learned: The 43rd season of Sesame Street premieres today on PBS. One of the biggest changes this season has to do with “Elmo’s World” which has been the show closing segment. This season kicks off “Elmo The Musical,” which is replacing “Elmo’s World” after 13
As usual, there will be many celebrities this season, including Charlize Theron, Maya Rudolph, Steve Carell and Don Cheadle. Elmo told me that he is really excited that the band Train and rapper Common will be visiting Sesame Street this season too. There will also be muppet spoofs giving nods to popular shows. We can look forward to “Birdwalk Empire” and “Upside Downtown Abbey.”
Elmo gave Chip and Lulu some goodies from the Sesame Street Store. The store is a great place to look for Sesame merchandise that you don’t really see anywhere else. There are plenty of things for grown ups, the iPad cases, watches, reusable tote bags and coffee mugs are some of my favorites.
Starting at the south side, Sears is where I go for kids Land’s End shoes, clothing and outerwear. The Land’s End
This level is where the majority of stores are found and is a good access point for Macy’s. At about the midpoint of this level, we find the food court. I love the lemonade at Hot-Dog-on-a-Stick and the chicken strips at Chick-fil-a. Here is also where the mall makes a left and a right turn in short order. Around the second corner we have Build-a-Bear Workshop which always has something new to commemorate any occasion and just past that, The Disney Store. Disney is a fun place to pick up themed lunch totes and water bottles. At the end of the hall is a large Old Navy. Here I keep an eye out for boys shorts and underwear and girls leggings and tank tops. Old Navy is also a great destination for school uniforms as well as trends you don’t want to “invest” in because you think the trend will be over by Halloween. For example, brightly colored denim is a major trend this Fall. My son found a pair of green jeans, although “full price” they were still only $19.50. Turning the corner to the right, you have Stride Rite for kid’s shoes on the right and further down, also on the right, is H & M kids. I seem to always find fun girls’ socks and tights here. H & M is one of the best choices for keeping up with fashion trends. They have inexpensive accessories like neon colored hair clips.
Having covered the whole mall, everyone is probably ready for a break and something to eat. Del Amo has many restaurants to choose from. I recommend Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ and applaud them for their spacious booths, kid’s menu and biscuits. Out in the Promenade, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse with a menu that has something for everyone, Stacked where kids have a blast ordering from the table’s iPads and Lazy Dog Café which offers a vast kid’s menu with lots of healthy choices and a fun outdoor patio with fireplaces.
Info & disclosure: The Del Amo Mall is located at 3525 Carson St., Torrance, CA 90503 at the intersection of Hawthorne Blvd. and Carson St. Exit the 405 freeway at Hawthorne Blvd. Barnes & Noble bookstore and Crate & Barrel are located on the mall property along Hawthorne Blvd. Get connected via: DelAmoFashionCenter.com, Twitter.com/DelAmoFashion and Facebook.com/DelAmoFashionCenter. To facilitate my review, I was provided at $50 Simon Malls Giftcard. All content and opinion is my own.
I recently had the opportunity to spend the day at Knott’s Soak City and I wrote a post for CBS LA: Cool Off at Knott’s Soak City. My family and I always have a blast at Knott’s and now Knott’s has invited me to giveaway two tickets to one of my readers! I’ll tell you how to enter, but first, let me tell you a few things about Knott’s Berry Farm. The Knott family really had a berry farm on the location of today’s amusement park. During the Great Depression, Mrs. Knott began serving chicken dinners at her small tea room on the farm. Mrs. Knott’s famous chicken dinners are still served at her namesake restaurant right by the front gates of the park. Knott’s Berry Farm really offers something for everyone, there is an Old West section with a ghost town and plenty of shops, restaurants and attractions that give you the old California experience. There is Camp Snoopy with rides and fun for little kids. The whole park is packed with stuff to do as varied as riding on a real horse drawn stagecoach to a thrilling rollercoaster ride on Montezooma’s Revenge.
your pass in installments. Season Pass holders get extra benefits like discounts on park dining, merchandise, bring-a-friend days and invitations to special events. And while some parks have blackout dates, Knott’s Season Passes have NO blackout dates! Make sure you lock in your Season Pass online now because the rates are going up on July 1, 2012.
A few days ago, Lulu, her friend Lily and myself headed to Royal T in Culver City. If you are in the area, Royal T is a fun and funky space to visit with ever-changing offerings set in a Japanese “cosplay” style café/bookstore/installation space. We were treated to a fun event that was kicked off by celeb-mom, Brooke Burke who brought her kids along. We lounged on big white bean bags, nibbled on treats and watched the two-episode Royal Wedding. So fun! Then we moved on to the celebration, decorating mini-wedding cakes, make your own bouquets which naturally led to “wedding pictures” complete with veils on a MLP set. How fun to be a little kid at this event? How fun to be me at this event? We met Tara Strong, the voice of “Twilight Sparkle” who autographed MLP “cast” photos for Lulu and Lily. What a nice way to spend the day…And isn’t it cool that the normal etiquette of buying a gift doesn’t apply to animated characters?! I’m really happy that The Hub has such a great show that I actually like to watch along with the kids.
About My Little Pony – Friendship is Magic, and “A Canterlot Wedding”
“My Little Pony Friendship is Magic,” set in the magical land of Equestria, a kingdom populated by colorful ponies, follows the studious young unicorn Twilight Sparkle and her five pony friends as they teach one another about the most powerful magic of all, the magic of friendship! In the two-part episode “A Canterlot Wedding,” the kingdom is in a frenzy preparing for the wedding of Princess Celestia’s niece, Princess Cadance, to Twilight Sparkle’s brother, Shining Armor. However, Twilight Sparkle discovers a dark secret about the bride that could ruin her brother’s “happily ever after.” Premieres April 21, 1p ET/10a PT
I was invited as a guest of Coca Cola to attend The American Idol Finalists Party in Hollywood. It was a really great evening and I had a blast hanging with Caryn of Rockinmama and Tee of That’s IT Mommy. Coca Cola is one of the sponsors this season and has some fun cross-promotion going on with Idol. When you visit MyCokeRewards.com and click on the Coke Family Night program, you can vote for your favorite Music Cover Artwork as submitted by families from all over the US with the hopes of winning a trip to Hollywood for the AI finals. There is also the opportunity to use your Coke Rewards to get Idol gear and a whole section with activities and recipes tied into Family Night and American Idol themes. American Idol is one of the few shows that the whole family can watch together. It’s great that Coke recognizes that. 
