dishing up creative goodness
This is a sponsored post by me on behalf of The Home Depot.
As self-proclaimed weekend warriors, my husband and I find ourselves at The Home Depot quite a bit.
So much so that our kids know the layout of the store about as well as they do Target (yeah… we’re bad about that one too!).
When my husband and I head out for an afternoon alone without the kids the one thing we’re looking for is easy. And we get just that with the ArcLight UTC.
We purchased our tickets online in advance and chose the seats we preferred, then we headed to the mall for a little shopping pre-movie. As we got closer to movie time we made our way over to the Arclight and settled in to their cafe.
When my husband and I first started dating one of our go-to spots for dinner or lunch was Islands Restaurant. Not only did we love it for their great food and fabulous service, but we knew what we were getting every time we walked in the door. I don’t think we have ever been disappointed by a meal at Islands.
After having kids, Islands continues to be a great place to grab a bite to eat. And the kids love it just as much as we do. So when I was invited to head on over to the Mira Mesa location to try out a few items from their new happy hour menu I could not say yes fast enough!
We are always looking for a great happy hour spot for girls afternoons as well as our own frequent date night in the afternoons. And boy will we be heading to Islands more often for happy hour! With a great selection of appetizers and drinks for under $5, we can enjoy our favorite burger joint without breaking the bank.
Father’s Day is this weekend and we cannot wait to celebrate! Why? Because we have some pretty awesome fathers in our lives.
My kids are busy finishing their gifts at preschool and I’m planning a fun root beer float barbecue for our families. But we’ve also scouted out great things to do with my husband and the kids around San Diego.
If you’re looking for a great way to get out and enjoy this gorgeous city of ours while celebrating Dad then look no further!
The one thing my husband and I have been pretty diligent about even after having kids is making sure we have at least one night a month dedicated to date night. I was even writing a monthly post for Date Night 411 (before the site was closed) and loved sharing my date night ideas with others who are looking for things to do.
So I’m going to start sharing the things we do on our date nights again. And this time it’ll be on my blog so I don’t lose all of the photos and the content when the websites I write for are gone (sorry… a little vent… but I’m done now!).
One place we LOVE to go to at least every few months is National Comedy Theater on India Street. I first heard about this show after being asked to check it out as a blogger. Now I love going even when I’m paying for tickets! Not only is it an awesome improv show that changes nightly, it’s also next to some fabulous restaurants!
I’m all for sticking with routine and hosting or going to brunch for Mother’s Day but sometimes doing something a little different is a nice change in pace. Especially when there are so many fun things to do around town!
We’re so lucky to not only live in a beautiful city but to live in a city full of culture, fun, and entertainment. Why not enjoy that with Mom this weekend and save the brunch for next weekend.
Whether you use these ideas as great gifts for Mom or if you actually do them this Mother’s Day weekend, Mom is still in for a treat.
Looking to do something special with your significant other but just don’t know what?
Well you’re in luck! Living in America’s Finest City has it’s perks. Great food, entertainment, and weather! The perfect combo for an awesome Valentine’s Day. Below are a few great Valentine’s Day Ideas in San Diego.
Looking for the perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day but don’t want to deal with the crowds? Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza & Grill will be selling their popular take home Valentine’s Day Pizza Kits beginning February 4th through the 14th.
These kits provide an easy, fun, and enjoyable way to celebrate the Valentine’s season. Plus partial proceeds from all pizza kit sales to benefit the American Heart Association!
I’ve lived in San Diego all my life and am still amazed when I find out about places I’ve never been before. When I first heard about the Living Coast Discovery Center San Diego while visiting their booth at the fair I was excited to find out how much they had to offer.
While we’ve been members of Sea World, currently have memberships at the San Diego Zoo and Birch Aquarium, and go to the museums and beaches whenever we can, we still crave new experiences. Especially when they’re only 10 minutes away from our house. The Living Coast Discovery Center offers this and more!
This weekend we headed out to the Discovery Center to participate in a VIP Experience. And boy did we feel like VIPs on our visit!
Being a mom doesn’t mean that we can’t get out and have fun anymore. It just means that we need to get a little creative to do so. Lucky for me, I live in a city filled with entertainment and a never-ending list of places to go and things to do.
Since my time away from the family is much valued but short lived, I need to make the most of it and really create great memories to hold me over until the next time I get out.
Here are a few ways I like to enjoy my time away from the kids and family while enjoying the city I live in.
Now happy hour is not the same as it was pre-kids. No longer are we heading to an upscale bar after work for a few drinks, appetizers, and some girl time that goes late into the night.
Happy Hour has now become any time the girls get together at a place with food without the kids. Drinks may or may not happen but all we know is that we’re eating a whole meal without having to feed another being.
We also will be able to eat our meal while it’s still hot and won’t have to worry about asking for it to-go because of a tantrum. Meals away from the family means chit chat and girl time at its best… un-filtered!
And if there is booze involved… watch out! Cause moms are usually quite fun when tipsy (but always safe)!
One of the best things about my life as a mom is the fact that I get to hang out with other cool moms all the time. And sometimes we get to network with each other finding out that we might be able to help each other more than we thought!
And one event that brings moms together to do just that are the SD Mom’s Night Out events. They are an absolutely amazing way to relax, reconnect, and network with other moms in San Diego who you might not have known about. From Momtrepreneurs to bloggers to stay-at-home-moms looking for a great way to get out and explore. Each event is different and has something else to offer.
The next event is their one year anniversary and it isn’t to be missed! Not only is it being held at Kin Spa, it also includes some amazing perks and goodies! To read more about the SD Mom’s Night Out Anniversary Event, check out my post here.
Click here to purchase tickets for the event.
Every few months my mom friends and I get together for what we call a My Favorite Things party. We each bring 5 $6 items that we’ve dubbed as our favorite thing and we pass them out to each other (drawing names to choose who gets what). We eat and drink our favorite things too!
I love this type of event because it’s low maintenance and it’s a way to learn about things I might not have known about in daily conversations with my friends. Our last Favorite Things party focused on our favorite kid items. And as you can imagine it was pretty hard to chose one item for $6 or less to share. But I was amazed again at the products that were shared and have fallen in love with a few new awesome things!
Yes, I know. This technically is not getting away from the kids but my friends are awesome. And when we get together, we are able to mingle and chat while our kids play around us. Most of the time I’ll host playdates at my home and just rope the kids off into certain parts of the house and yard. That way the moms can sit in one central location and chat without having to worry about what trouble our kids are getting into.
This option does require a little bit of work but the reward is much worth it. Not only do we each get to sit and enjoy adult conversations, we also get to tire our kids out so that when we do go home they (hopefully) take nice, long naps. Win-win!
Now these adult conversations aren’t always just about us. Usually one way or another we end up talking about some pretty fun topics. Bladder control, birth, and a few other wonderful mommyhood moments having to do with poop usually come up.
Whether it’s for groceries or for clothes… shopping alone is always considered a great way to get out in my book. Not only do I get to enjoy some peace and quiet, I get to participate in one of my favorite activities… spending money!
While I love time with my kids, I don’t love having to worry about my kids breaking everything within reach while we’re out and about. I’ve learned that I’m a lot less stressed when I can go to a store alone and actually consider it relaxing to shop knowing that my kids are elsewhere having fun and not asking if they can have every.single.thing they see at the store.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by SD Mom’s Night out. I received two tickets for their SD Mom’s Night Out Anniversary event in exchange for this post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
She enjoys sharing her family life in San Diego and features everything from delectable recipes to sharing DIY tips around the home and garden, what she's crafting and more.
