San Diego Winter Break Activities

The whole family is home for two weeks and we’re looking for things to do around town. Not only by ourselves but with our extended family in town for the holidays. And that means hitting up a few of our favorite places to see their holiday lights and entertainment! Below are a few places we love to visit during our winter break that help us celebrate the holiday season up until the day the kids go back to school.

Places To Go In San Diego During Winter Break

Jungle-Bells-San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo Jungle Bells

Come out and celebrate with the animals now through Jan. 3!  Twinkling lights, festive foods, and merry performances transform the Zoo into a wild, glowing wonderland. Ride the Twinkle Lights Trolley to tour an array of animal light sculptures, enjoy jingly, jazzy carols, acrobatic trampoline elves, and more. Jungle Bells holds holiday cheer for all!

Jungle Bells activities are included with your admission or membership unless otherwise noted.*

SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration - Pets Rule Christmas show

 

Sea World Christmas Celebration –

Where can you find Shamu®, Santa, and more than one million glimmering lights this holiday season? SeaWorld, of course! It’s all part of SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration®, continuing through Jan. 3, 2016. Festivities are included with park admission. 

Enjoy festive holiday shows and attractions, share a holiday wish with Santa when you visit Santa’s Cottage, plus, bask in over a million glimmering lights and festive decorations filling the park! They’re sure to put everyone into the holiday spirit.

The best way to enjoy SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration is with a Fun Card. Guests who purchase a 2016 SeaWorld Fun Card can enjoy all of SeaWorld’s Christmas festivities in 2015, plus come back again and again in 2016.

San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum

San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum (SDCDM), the only children’s museum in San Diego County focusing on hands-on science, art, and world cultures, announces extended hours from December 20 through January 3.

The Museum will be open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm daily, providing an extra two hours for families to be able to enjoy the Museum over the holidays. Regular Museum hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The Museum will also be closed on December 24, 25 and January 1 in observance of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

In addition to providing extra hours for the community to visit the Museum, San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum is also offering Free Admission for all Active-Duty Military, Veterans, and their Families this holiday season from November 21, 2015 – January 31, 2016 thanks to the sponsorship support from The Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians.

SDCDM is also running a “You Buy One, We Give One” promotion where SDCDM will be donating a Membership to a family in need through one of their donation programs for every Membership that is purchased through January 10.

Legoland CA Holiday Snow Days - sledding

Legoland Holiday Snow Days

Come to LEGOLAND® California Resort to experience Holiday Snow Days with more snow play than ever, prior to the Park opening to the public! The winter fun runs until January 3rd, 2016 and includes festive treats, holiday entertainment, cheerful decorations, family fun activities and nightly fireworks from December 26th through December 31st, 2015.

The Park’s Fun Town transforms into a winter wonderland with two snow play areas for families to throw snowballs at LEGO themed targets, do a little sledding, build snowmen using LEGO accessories, and join in the Holiday Village Build at the LEGO Clubhouse. Plus guests can enjoy a holiday show from the LEGO Friends, Jingle Jammers, and the Holiday Character Dance Party featuring the LEGOLAND elves, Jingle Joe, and Tinsel Toe. 

But that’s not it! There’s more fun to be had! Read all about it here in our post

How are you enjoying time with the kids during winter break?

Summer Activities for Kids

Summer Activities For Kids

It’s almost the end of another school year and weare planning out our summer activities. Since I work from home I need a great go-to list of activities to have prepped for the kids to do. We have checked out our friends lists and have created one of our own.

Someone on the interwebs mentioned the fact that we only have 18 summers with our kids. And while I’d like to think that we’ll have more after they turn 18, I’m going to try and make the most of each of those summers.

I’m going to attempt to do at least one fun activity or craft at home with them each week. Then we’ll plan one outing to visit the various spots around town. That way we have a good balance of things to do this summer.  Gotta hit up all of the fun we’ve mapped out on our Summer Bucket List.

Summer Activities for Kids

  1. DIY Milk Carton Bird Feeder from Simmworks Family
  2. Make Watermelon Cupcakes from Formula Mom
  3. Pool Noodle Bubble Blowers from The Mad Mommy
  4. Caterpillar Clothespin Kids Craft from DIY Inspired
  5. DIY Splash Pad for Summer Fun from Life with Captain Fussybuckets
  6. DIY Sidewalk Paint from Simmworks Family
  7. How to Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk from Spaceships and Laser Beams
  8. Make Your Own Camping Scavenger Hunt from Quirky Inspired
  9. 5 Great Ways to Get Outdoors With Kids from Simmworks Family
  10. Pool Noodle Boats from Our Family of Seven
  11. Create an Ocean Rock Pool from A House Full of Sunshine
  12. DIY Fruit Juice Dyed Watermelon Windsock from Simmworks Family
  13. Dinosaur Egg Ice Smash from A House Full of Sunshine
  14. Berry Sweet Handprint Strawberry Craft for Kids from Fun Handprint Art
  15. Create a DIY Herb Chalkboard Planter from Simmworks Family

How are you keeping busy this summer?

Summer Activities for Kids To Do

5 Places to Take Kids When It’s Raining

Are you going insane right now frantically thinking about how to entertain your kids after days and days of rainfall? Well surprisingly, right now here in San Diego we’re going through the same thing.

Because we live in sunny So Cal we normally don’t have to deal with rain but we desperately needed it. So instead of cursing at the fact that it is raining, I’m embracing it and figuring out places to take the kids when it’s raining. Because we all have to stay sane.

I was kinda surprised when asking my friends that there weren’t too many places to take them but if we got creative, alternate locations could totally work. And? A few of them are free! [Read more…]

Where to Pick Strawberries in San Diego {San Diego Family Fun}

Where to Pick Strawberries in San Diego

The one activity I’ve been dying to do with my family is go strawberry picking. I’ve said year after year that we were going to do it and then just didn’t follow through. So for Mother’s Day my husband asked if I wanted to take the kids up to the strawberry fields to go strawberry picking. And I quickly said yes!

We made our way up the 5 freeway towards Carlsbad and just stopped at the first U-Pick Strawberries sign we found. We didn’t do much research beforehand that I know of other than to find out how much it was so we had enough cash on hand.

When we got there we parked, paid for our small bucket. Then after a quick run down of the rules we made our way to the strawberry plants to get picking.

Where to Pick Strawberries in San Diego Carlsbad Strawberry Co picking strawberries

The kids quickly jumped on board and started picking and eating like crazy. Until my husband noticed the moldy strawberries next to the ones the kids just ate and picked. So we became the pointers for the kids and showed them which ones to pick.

Where to Pick Strawberries in San Diego eating strawberries

My son was quite excited about the whole “eat as many as you’d like” and quickly had a ring of red around his lips and on his fingers. I highly recommend bringing baby wipes with you as you pick the strawberries!

Where to Pick Strawberries in San Diego eating strawberries at Carlsbad Strawberry Co

After traipsing up and down just about every row, the kids were too exhausted to walk back to the car alone. So my husband scooped them up and carried them. He quickly learned why the owners recommend wearing old shoes after putting the kids down at the car… his shirt and pants were not only covered in strawberries but caked with muddy dirt as well. The sign of any great adventure!

So if you are interested in picking some strawberries this season I highly suggest that you check out where your local U-Pick strawberry farms are. They’re great fun for kids and adults alike! Next year we’ll definitely be checking out the other strawberry fields around town.

Where to Pick Strawberries in San Diego strawberry fields

Where to Pick Strawberries in San Diego

Carlsbad Strawberry Co. – Camarosa Strawberries
Located on Hwy 5 at Cannon Road in Carlsbad
Open 7 days a week, 9 am to 5 pm

PO Box 479,
Carlsbad, CA, 92018-0479
760-519-4154
m1h2ouse@yahoo.com.

U-Pick Fields open April 17th through June, perhaps as late as July 4th weekend.
Prices: $8.70 for a 1 quart bucket, $17.00 for a 3 quart tub (think fried chicken tub size), Cash only

Temecula Valley Strawberry Farms
Click here for current open hours, days, dates, and directions.
Open Friday-Sunday 10am-6pm

5452 5th Street,
Fallbrook, CA 92028
951-212-4899
kfietz3@gmail.com

U-Pick Fields open March 15 pm to August 30.
Price: $4 per pound, Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard accepted

Heritage Farms
Call for picking hours

21345 San Pasqual Road,
Escondido, CA.
(760) 746-8822

Have you gone strawberry picking with your family? What do you make with the strawberries you pick?

Routines {Our Favorite Friday Hangouts}

Every Friday my son gets dropped off at his great aunt’s house and my daughter and I have a little one on one time. It’s a great day to catch up on the weeks house cleaning or work that I hadn’t yet had the time to finish. But we also get to go out and enjoy ourselves for a bit in the mornings after we do drop off. 

One thing I love about Fridays is our standing play date. Without fail, just about every other week, we end up heading to story time at The Yellow Book Road after dropping off Brother. Then we head over to Con Pane with friends to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and something to nibble on.

The Yellow Book Road features a new theme every week and they always include a few books geared to children under two as well as some fun music they play and dance to that go along with the theme. My daughter loves getting her groove on with the other kids.

Last week the theme was kittens. And they sang Soft Kitty. For any Big Bang Theory lovers out there I’m sure you’re now singing it to yourself.

After the quick 30 minute story time we make our way across the street to indulge a bit in pastry (my one major weakness). I so look forward to this every week. It’s like a little treat to myself.

Sure, some mamas love going out and getting pampered or head out to happy hour for a margarita on the rocks or watermelon martini. I wait all week for a brioche twist, a piece of delicious buttery bread with nuts and chocolate folded inside. And oh my is it amazing.

Paired with a cup of coffee and it’s my breakfast and lunch all in one.

There are also delicious cookies, scones, and breads to choose from. And their sandwiches are filling and unique. One of my favorite sandwiches is their Turkey Cobb. Turkey breast, avocado, bacon, and gorgonzola cheese (that I usually omit and sub brie for) with crisp lettuce and tomatoes atop a fresh rosemary & olive oil bread. I order a 1/2 sandwich and it’s still enough food to feed two!

Once we let our food settle we head over to the park to get some more energy out of the kids before heading back home for nap time. Watching my daughter socialize without her big brother is quite fun. She definitely has a big personality and it shows when she plays with her friends.

The best part about our Friday morning playdate is the fact that it’s so casual. If we wake up too late or my son doesn’t get dropped off at his great aunt’s house in time we can just skip the storytime and go straight to brunch. And if we skip brunch… well then I just pop in and grab my order to go and than take a little stroll to the NTC park for some fun in the sun.

And even if a friend or two cannot make it, no big deal! There are plenty of other kids and mamas at all locations for my daughter to socialize with. Plus we like to get all of our shopping done after playtime since it’s right next to a Trader Joe’s and Vons.

So if your local and free Fridays and have a little one come on out to The Yellow Book Road for story time. It’s a fun, relaxing morning that’s perfect for moms and kids alike.

Do you have any weekly routines? A standing play date somewhere?

 

Enjoying the Summertime Fun {SD County Fair}

Every year since E was born we’ve made our way over to the SD County Fair for their discounted Tuesday. The past two years it was $2 Tuesday. This year it was $3 Tuesday. Pair that with $2 Taste of the Fair Tuesday and you get one discounted day at the fair! Definitely worth every penny. And we did it for under $30.

We sampled some yummy fair food including meatball sliders, freshly made mini donuts, corn dogs, cinnamon rolls & ice cream. We saved a bit of room for when we take Daddy. But all in all we got a taste of everything we wanted that day. Each “taste” cost us $2.

There were so many temptations! It was hard deciding what we wanted and what we passed on. E made most of the decisions for us though. The large, over-the-top signs helped him 🙂

Once we got some food in our belly we were ready for the animals. The animals are one of E’s FAVORITE parts of the fair. When we come again we’ll see them again. Maybe even twice through.

Ethan was very curious about the cows and had many questions. One of them being why they were laying down and if he could pet them. He asked if he could pet every single animal he saw. (The blanket is there to cover their legs from the sun, not to keep them warm ;)).

Goats were super fun. They made lots of noise and kept both kids happy for a while. We just parked in front of a few and just watched what they did.

Then we came up to the birds. Ducks, chickens and turkeys oh my! Ethan loved this large turkey. He kept talking to it and putting it’s bedding back in it’s cage for him. He even mimicked him when he gobbled.

In the same area as the birds they had a petting zoo and other animals in larger pens. We caught a glimpse of this little oinker tinking. E wanted to know why it wasn’t using the potty.

E kept reaching his hands in the fence and calling the goats (and cows, chickens & pigs) over to be pet. Next time we’ll have Daddy with us so we can do the petting zoo. I hope to get some good pictures then!

 

After strolling through the tents and perusing the fair deals on the latest and greatest gismos and gadgets we took a small break by the flower and landscape area. E had acquired a mini dino Pillow Pet that I spotted in one of the tents and wanted to play a bit with it as looked at all of the different landscapes people designed. This one below even had a choo-choo! E wanted to watch it the whole afternoon…

All in all it was a great day with the kids. Something I hope they remember fondly as they grow up (as I plan on continuing the tradition yearly). I remember how much fun I had at the fair when I was younger so I hope they do too!

Playing Tourist {Seaport Village}

On Saturday this weekend we headed over to Office Depot to pick up a scanner. The Office Depot we first went to was out of stock so we asked if they’d check stock at the Downtown location. We were in luck. They had one! Now you’re probably wondering why the heck I’m talking about a scanner when the title of this post clearly states that it should be about Seaport Village. You’re right. But I’m getting to WHY we went to Seaport Village.

My dear two year old decided that we were going downtown not to pick up a scanner. No, he thought we were going there to see boats. Sadly for him he was wrong. And we really were just picking up a scanner. It was late, his sister was getting very tired and Mommy and Daddy just wanted to sit down and relax.

So I made a promise. If he was a good boy that night we’d go see boats the next day. And low and behold he was a good boy all the way through bedtime. So the next morning we waited for Molly to take her first nap and then headed out to see boats. We didn’t quite know where we were going but I knew I wanted to end up by the Star of India or the Midway. So we decided on parking at Seaport Village and taking it from there.

As soon as we walked in through the little shops E found the water. In a small pond form. With ducks. He was ecstatic! And as an added bonus there were baby ducklings too. When we turned to another area of the pond there was another duck mama and her set of ducklings as well! Two sets of mamas and ducklings. that has to be a good sign of a great day.

E just kept asking if he could “pet them” and we told him if he could reach the mama duck then he could definitely try. It didn’t happen. Mama was watching over her ducklings swimming to the side of the small stream through a strong current.

Then we headed towards the water. The real water. And E loved what he saw. Sail boats and speed boats were going by and he got to watch them. For as long as he wanted to. We gave him full reign for our outing and let him choose when he wanted to stay and when he wanted to move onto the next spot.

He quickly found more water. And this time at a spot where he could actually touch it. He asked me to roll up his sleeves and got his little hands in there so quickly. He loved pointing out all of the monies to me. But he listened and only used his fingers to play with the water. His wrists were hardly wet by the time he decided to move on.

See? He does listen sometimes! Just dipping his fingers 🙂

E asked Daddy to help him look farther out and just gazed around for a bit before he decided he wanted to see some big boats.

But then he saw the telescope (is that what these are? I’m just assuming). And quickly wanted to be lifted up again to check it out. Sadly we had no change on us. So he just pretended. And told us he was a pirate. What an imagination already!

Then he saw a small pier and asked Daddy to take him out to see if he could find any fish or birds out in the water.

As we got to the edge of Seaport Village we continued along the harbor and started to see the larger boats. In the background of these boats you see the USS Midway. This ship is now actually a museum. We plan on making it a day trip in the near future. I really think E will like it. He already started pointing out the airplanes and helicopters on the deck before we even got close to the ship.

This is when E started to get tired. We were pushing naptime up in hopes that we could get some fun in before getting back home to do housework and yardwork. He enjoyed having Daddy carry him.

My sweet boy definitely loves his father! Since we knew we were getting to the end of our trip we decided to get lunch before heading back to the car. We stopped by Anthony’s Fishette and grabbed some yummy fish sandwiches. Joseph had the original fish sandwich and I had the salmon sandwich. Oh yum! That salmon sandwich is something I had when I was pregnant with E on a regular basis (there was a fishette close to my work at the time that shut its doors by the time I was pregnant with M). It hit all the right spots 🙂

E munched on french fries and had a few of my black beans. He even had a taste of each of our sandwiches. M enjoyed the crust of my sandwich. She really got mad when we were leaving and she couldn’t have any more bread. That little one really likes food she can’t have already!

She was demanding more!

By the time we got back to Seaport Village we had worked up a little more room in our stomach. And E had a bit more energy so we grabbed our Entertainment book and tore out a coupon for Ben & Jerry’s. We enjoyed waffle cones. E and I shared. We both didn’t need a whole one. M even got some in the end. She finished off the waffle cone!

If you are by a Ben & Jerry’s and they have the coconut seven layer bar ice cream flavor available try it! It was amazing! And don’t try to take the end of a waffle cone away from M. She gets pretty upset when food is taken from her. Even if it is a choking hazard.

All in all we had a fabulous day. It was low key, inexpensive (about $30 for the whole day including parking) and we got to enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery that makes our city a tourist destination. I’m hoping to do a lot more “tourist trips” with the family this summer. Being a tourist in your own city is pretty darn fun!

And I apologize for the lack of M pictures. She slept in the Ergo on me or rested in the stroller the whole time. She leads a very chill life 😉



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