Vacation For an Hour at Pure Blu Spa

I'm on CBS Los Angeles with Vacation For an Hour at Pure Blu Spa in Newport Beach.

Knott’s Soak City on CBS & Knott’s Berry Farm Ticket Giveaway

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.

The Knott’s Season Pass is really a great deal. At only $69.99 for adults and $64.99 for kids/seniors, it pays for itself by your third visit. You can even pay for 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.

Knott’s loves getting connected with you via social media. Be sure to follow them on Twitter.com/Knotts, Facebook.com/KnottsBerryFarm, and Instagram: @KnottsBerryFarm for all the latest updates.

Congratulations to Melanie, entry #4, selected as the winner by Random.org! Enjoy your day at Knott's!

Now, as promised, your chance to win two (2) free regular admission tickets to Knott’s Berry Farm

Here is how you enter: Contest period runs from Monday, June 18, 2012 until Sunday, June 24, 2012 at midnight (Pacific). Enter by leaving a comment stating what ride you would like to go on at Knott’s (have fun, be creative, your answer has no bearing on your chances of winning)and leave your e-mail address OR sign in to comments using your Google account, make sure your Google profile is public and includes your e-mail address. Earn an extra entry by “liking” my Facebook page, Facebook.com/ElizabethTraded: return here and enter an additional comment stating that you “liked” my Facebook page along with your e-mail address. Each comment = one (1) entry. If you don't leave a comment that includes what ride you would like to go on or that you “liked” my Facebook page and your e-mail address or public Google profile, your entry will be disqualified.  One regular entry and one Facebook “like” entry per person.  I reserve the right to extend the contest period.  Winner must provide a US mailing address. At the end of the contest period, I will utilize Random.org to randomly choose a winner. Winner will be contacted by e-mail.  Winner has 72 hours to respond to my e-mail. If winner does not respond within 72 hours, the tickets will go to the second place winner as decided by Random.org. Good luck!

To Be Unoffendable...

These are strange times we are living in. Though...The more perspective I get...By having more years under my belt...The more I think that any given time can be properly be termed "strange" by someone living it. But one thing seems clear, the amount of media through which someone can be trashed publicly is at a level no one could have predicted even 20 years ago. That even non-public figures can be trashed online by a disgruntled ex or a pissed off neighbor truly makes all of us "eligible" to have insults hurled at us, lies spread about us. Sort of makes you feel unprepared, eh?

Through an interesting chain of social media events, I arrived at this video and my new favorite quote: "To be unoffendable is like an incredible position of power. To not care, to not even be interested in people's ill-informed opinions." Simon Doonan

Inside the Dodgers' Dugout Club

I'm on CBS Los Angeles with Inside the Dodgers' Dugout Club.

My Little Pony–Bridle Shower

Lulu loves My Little Pony. She carries the character figures in her bag to nursery school and compares collections with her friends. “MLP” is also a nostalgic nod to my childhood. It’s funny, ever since the latest incarnation of these characters hit my radar in the past couple of years, I’ve had an urge to call them “My Pretty Pony”. I finally realized that I’m NOT confused. When they were first introduced, they were in indeed called “My Pretty Pony”…Wikipedia says so. The Hub TV Network, just 18 months old, has had the My Little Pony – Friendship is Magic series since the beginning. Lulu is a fan…And so am I. In fact, I have found out that there are a lot of fans from all walks of life who are MLP fans. Have you heard of the Brony movement? I’m not surprised at all. My Little Pony is really well written and is one kid show I can definitely watch along with the youngsters. So, you might imagine I was thrilled to receive an invitation to the My Little Pony Bridle Shower in honor of the upcoming Royal Wedding episodes, “A Canterlot Wedding” to celebrate the season 2 finale. (There is even a special interactive section of the Hub site for the episode: Hubworld.com/RoyalWedding) I got such a kick out of telling people I was going to a "bridle shower for My Little Pony…B-R-I-D-L-E. Get it?!” A couple good natured folks even asked if I had to “pony up for a gift” and told me to “stop horsing  around”.

My Little Pony VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

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

Bjorn

With the news being aflutter with barbs about presidential candidates transporting and consuming dogs…I thought it timely that I share my baby dog, Bjorn, in one of his carriers.

Unhappy Hunting–Easter Edition

Tomorrow is Easter. Hopefully all Easter Egg hunts that take place tomorrow will go off without a hitch and without obnoxious parents. Three years ago I wrote Easter as a Competitive Event for The Los Angeles Moms Blog. Back then, the stories of Easter Egg hunts gone wrong were mostly confined to parents talking amongst themselves and parent message groups. This year, I’m seeing it in the MSM (main stream media). Have we hit a tipping point or is traditional media just late to the game? Whatever, it appears the problem isn’t going away. Nationwide, hunts are being canceled, elaborate rules about parents “helping” in the hunts and press conferences by public officials warning of tightened security is this year’s big holiday story. I saw the following on the ABC Evening News. It seems some parents need to ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” Happy Easter!

Rotten Eggs: Parents Blamed for Canceled Easter Hunts on ABC News