Food, Restaurant Reviews

Hopdoddy Quarantined Together Meal Kit Review

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For Fourth of July, we decided to try out the Quarantined Together Meal Kit from Hopdoddy.

This Hopdoddy kit includes:

  • Cheeseburger Ingredients – 5 beef patties & Hopdoddy secret burger seasoning, 5 Egg Buns, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Sassy Sauce.
  • Truffle Fries at Home: Ingredients – Enough fries for 5, with all the Truffle Fry fixings and a recipe card to cook at home.
  • Bonus! 2 bags of pretzels and Nutella dipping sauce. [Not really two bags, but two very small containers of pretzels.

I thought this was a reasonable amount of food for $24.99. It is also easy to order and pay online so there is minimal contact when you pick it up.

D grilled the burgers outside. I realize this picture looks more like a tomato sandwich than a burger, but the meat and cheese are underneath the toppings. I liked that there was real cheddar as opposed to American cheese.

Five burgers turned out to be the right amount for our family of four:

D: 1 1/3

L: 1

k: 1

n: 1 2/3!

The truffle fries took a lot longer in our oven than recommended. I also cranked up the heat to 400 and then 425 at the end. I am sure they would have come out better in an air fryer, which we have yet to purchase. I did not want to deep fry them in oil, which is the other recommended method. The Truffle Fry seasonings definitely made for some tasty umami-loaded fries, though!

I think it is great how restaurants are using creative ways to overcome the loss of in-person dining business. If you are looking for a delicious family activity, I would recommend the Hopdoddy Quarantined Together Meal Kit (need to enter zip code location to view).

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Vacation

Carlsbad Beach Mini Vacation

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After our morning at Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, we drove to nearby Carlsbad. We had been to Carlsbad several times before, but had never really walked around the city. We found a primo free parking spot and did a little exploring.

After our big breakfast burritos, we wanted something a little lighter for lunch. We walked to Beach City Smoothies and ordered a smoothie for the kids to share and an acai bowl for D and me.

The acai bowl was just “eh” but the kids liked their smoothie.

We also all shared one large poke bowl from Hooked on Poke. We had a nice picnic lunch at Carlsbad Beach.

The kids haven’t eaten poke too many times, but they liked it! (As you can see, n is hard at work in the background).

This beach is quite narrow, which makes it easy to transport everything. Maybe that is why there were a lot of families there. However, we were able to set up a safe distance from others. It was overcast, but still a little warm.

I always think it would be nice to live on the beach, but then I look at the parking and crowded streets and think better of it.

This cute dog seemed to be enjoying the view by himself!

I saw this scene while taking a walk along the shoreline.

After our second day at the beach it was time to go back and relax at the tiny house.

For dinner we did takeout from Big Bob’s Best Pizza. I really enjoy researching the local restaurants, figuring out what to order and supporting small businesses. I must say, I chose well during this trip!

We ordered the family meal online, which came with a salad, breadsticks and pizza.

We ended up eating some of the leftovers for breakfast the next morning!

We enjoyed another cozy night in the tiny house. It was not cold, but n wanted to try out the fireplace (without heat). Even though we were only away for two nights, our trip was definitely a much appreciated break from the routine.

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Book Review, Sponsored

Modern Parents Vintage Values Book Review

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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Modern Parents Vintage Values, by Sissy Goff and Melissa Trevathan, is a handbook of practical parenting guidelines for today’s parents. While some of the topics that “modern” parents need to deal with are actually new (e.g. social media, phones, e-cigarettes, etc.) the underlying values that parents want to instill in their children are the same as they have always been. For example, this book discusses the values of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, integrity, responsibility, patience and confidence. I found these chapters particularly helpful and inspiring. Such lessons are best taught through real-life situations, and this book includes many examples. The authors also use several lessons gleaned from the Bible, and their advice is given from a Christian point of view. Modern Parents Vintage Values would be beneficial for parents of children of all ages, as they discuss issues regarding dealing with toddlers up through teenagers.

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Family Field Trips, Vacation

Visit Alta Vista Botanical Gardens

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Our stay in Vista, California felt like a real vacation even though we were only about an hour away from home. As I wrote in a previous post, we stayed in a tiny house. The next morning we picked up two El Grande breakfast burritos from Mi Asador Mexican and Seafood Restaurant.

Wow, these were the best breakfast burritos ever! The giant flour tortillas were stuffed with scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon and fries. One half a burrito per person was plenty. Be sure to ask for plenty of the red salsa, which we liked more than the green. We drove to Alta Vista Botanical Gardens and ate our burritos in the parking lot to avoid dining in.

Alta Vista Botanical Gardens

Admission is a requested donation of $5 for adults and $3 for kids (ages 3-12). There is a wooden box at the entrance.

There are several gardens with different themes that are connected by meandering paths.

Unique art sculptures are sprinkled throughout the gardens.

Something was REALLY funny!

We visited Alta Vista Botanical Gardens at 8:00 a.m. on a Monday morning and we pretty much had the entire place to ourselves. Wear comfortable walking shoes and have fun exploring!

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Vacation

Oceanside Getaway at an Airbnb Tiny House

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A couple of weeks ago, I planed a short two night getaway for our family. On Father’s Day we drove down to Oceanside Beach, which is just north of San Diego. First, we picked up lunch at Mr. Bibi. We each ordered our own bowl, but in retrospect, sharing three bowls would have been a better idea.

You choose a base (rice, noodles, salad, etc.) and a protein (chicken, beef, pork). Then there are a bunch of toppings to choose from:

  • Kale
  • Carrots
  • Corn
  • Jalapenos
  • Cucumber
  • Pineapples
  • Onions
  • Potatoes
  • Cheese
  • Kimchi
  • Bean Sprouts
  • Eggs (Served Sunny Side Up)
  • Spinach
  • Mushroom

As you can see, they are not all traditional Korean ingredients, but I had all of them, and it made for an interesting bowl. My noodles and pork bowl ended up being a little too saucy, but it was still good!

We were able to stay socially distant on the sand. There were also a lot of people fishing from the pier.

Later in the afternoon we checked into our AirBnB tiny house rental in nearby Vista.

I have yet to watch any of the Tiny House shows on television, but I have always been fascinated by them. This one is in the owner’s backyard, but it had a nice private separate entrance.

Look at those stairs to the loft (with a queen bed)! It would not be safe for younger kids, but our kids loved it up there.

This is the second “bedroom”.

Small, but complete kitchen. (The coffee maker and coffee was much appreciated).

Loved the stylish bathroom. The shower was nice and hot and had good water pressure.

For dinner, we ordered take-out from Taverna Mediterranean Cuisine.

We ordered two gyros and a chicken salad. The gyros were absolutely packed with meat and quite filling. We were unable to finish our chicken salad so we kept it in the refrigerator.

After dinner, we took a walk around the neighborhood.

At night we stayed in and had a mini Diners, Drive-Ins and Dines marathon. Not too exciting, but it was nice to have a change in scenery after being in our own house for so long.

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Giveaways, Reviews, Sponsored

Simply Earth Salon-in-a-Box Review + Giveaway

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Disclosure: I received a sample in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

If you have been curious about essential oils, but feel a little overwhelmed, Simply Earth is an easy place to start!

Simply Earth’s Recipe Boxes come with four different essential oils and a few fun “extras”. Each month there are recipes that tell you exactly how to mix the essential oils to make different formulations for everything from diffuser blends to personal care products. I was excited that the theme of this month’s Simply Earth Recipe Box is “Salon-in-a-Box”. I am overdue for a salon appointment thanks to the pandemic, so I will take any help that I can do at home!

This month’s Simply Earth Recipe Box comes with the following essential oils:

  • Spearmint: uplifts, aids digestion, supports focus
  • Palmrosa: calms, soothes pain, aids sleep
  • Rosemary: uplifts, warms, supports hair growth
  • Fit: curbs appetite, energizes

This Recipe Box also comes with a paraben-free shampoo and conditioner base. You can use these bases to make Strong & Long Shampoo and Strength & Length Conditioner with the included recipes.

Love that this shampoo and conditioner does not contain any artificial fragrances. Adding the essential oils makes your shower into a spa experience!

There are also recipes to make DIY Dry Shampoo, a Salon Day Diffuser Blend, Fit Roll On and Nails Without Fail Oil. I can’t wait to try them all!

Simply Earth Discount Code

Simply Earth is offering a fantastic deal for my readers. When you start an Essential Oil Recipe Box Subscription, you will also receive a Big Bonus Box AND a free $40 eGift card when you use the code LIMBYLIMFREE at checkout. (New subscribers only).

Simply Earth Giveaway Time

Thank you, Mama the Fox, for hosting this Star Spangled Giveaway Hop! Have fun hopping around the different blogs to enter a bunch of fun giveaways, and be sure to enter the Simply Earth giveaway below.

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box! Please note that by entering this giveaway, you agree to have your e-mail added to the Simply Earth e-mail list.

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Food, Restaurant Reviews

What to Order at North Italia

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D received a generous gift card to North Italia before the pandemic. North Italia is a mini-chain, with locations from California to Florida. We wanted to use it for a dine-in experience, but like many restaurants, it was only open for take-out. When they started accepting dine-in reservations, we jumped at the opportunity to go.

Although we usually opt to dine indoors, this time we chose outdoor seating since it is more Covid-safe. The Irvine location has a small, but nice patio.

They did a good job of spacing out the tables to be socially distant.

I like to do research before I visit restaurants so I have an idea of what to order beforehand (thanks, Yelp!). Am I the only one who does this? I wanted to try different dishes, so I told my family that we would be ordering “family-style”, which they went along with.

One unanimous recommendation that I read about was to order the White Truffle Garlic Bread ($13.50) house made ricotta, mozzarella, grana padano, herbs as an appetizer. It was good as all the rave reviews talked about! Probably the best garlic bread I have ever had!

I ordered a Caesar salad with salmon ($21), mostly for n (who loves salmon!). This would make a nice entree salad if you are a low-carb person.

I debated ordering the Bolognese ($20) traditional meat sauce, tagliatelle noodle & grana padano cheese, because it sounded a little too simple. However, it is listed as the “House Specialty” so we decided to go for it. The homemade pasta was so good, and we liked the meat sauce too. The only bad thing is that we wished there was more!

Next was Short Rib Radiatore ($22) parmesan cream, fresh horseradish, wilted arugula, herbed breadcrumb. I liked that this was a unique dish that you would not find at another restaurant. It was definitely decadent, which made it a good dish to share.

Finally, we ordered the Italian classic, Chicken Parmesan crushed tomato, aged provolone, mozzarella, parmesan rigatoni. This was a nice rendition, with a fairly large piece of chicken (not sure why the pasta portion was so small in comparison). Again, I am glad we were all able to share a few bites.

For dessert, we had to order tiramisu, because that is D’s favorite dessert. The crunchy chocolate ball topping (not sure what it is called) added a nice texture contrast to the creamy layers. Definitely recommend this if you are a tiramisu fan.

Have you been to North Italia? What is your favorite dish?

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Giveaways, Reviews, Sponsored

Care For Your Hair Naturally With Maple Holistics {Giveaway}

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Disclosure: I received samples in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

I am always in search of personal care products that use natural ingredients. I recently discovered a company called Maple Holistics that is dedicated to using only the highest quality ingredients.

I recently had the opportunity to try the Maple Holistics Castor Oil Shampoo and Conditioner Set. I have to admit, I did not have a positive connotation with castor oil before trying these products. However, after doing some research, I learned that castor oil has long been used to promote a healthy scalp and hair. Some even say castor oil can help with hair loss (although I do not have scientific evidence to prove that). I was eager to try it out.

I have been using the shampoo and conditioner for a few days now, and I have to say that my hair definitely feels healthier! I have not been to the salon in months thanks to the pandemic, and my hair had been feeling dry and blah. I actually think I have combination hair as my scalp tends to get oily and my ends tend to dry out. Even after my first use, I could tell that my hair felt softer, but not oily. My daughter, who has really long and thick hair, had the same result. The slightly medicinal scent while using it in the shower is not my favorite, but it is not detectable once my hair dries. I only have to use a little of both products to work up a good lather. I also feel good about the fact that Maple Holistics hair products are PETA-certified cruelty-free, sulfate-free, paraben-free and safe for color treated hair.

Where to Purchase

Maple Holistics offers a wide variety of personal care products, including hair care, skin care and hand sanitizer. Visit their website or Amazon to order and have their products shipped to your door.

Giveaway Time

Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a set of Maple Holistics Castor Oil Shampoo & Conditioner!

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Uncategorized

Life in the Time of Corona (Days 92-100)

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6.16.20 (Tuesday): After living with this band-aid paint color in our master bedroom for eleven years, I finally started re-painting! The kids have been helping, too.

6.17.20 (Wednesday):

Nothing memorable happened today, but I am grateful for the June gloom.

6.18.20 (Thursday): Our public library re-opened for curbside pick-up!! I think this was the most excited I have been about a re-opening so far.

We had a large stack of books just waiting to be returned.

6.19.20 (Friday):

During my walk I came across this group of dogs sitting ever so patiently with their dog walker. They were so cute I had to sneak a picture.

6.20.20 (Saturday): We dropped off a gift for my dad for Father’s Day. Not being able to see my parents regularly is one of the most unfortunate parts of quarantine.

6.21.20 (Sunday): Happy Father’s Day! We made breakfast for D, who usually makes breakfast for us on Sundays. He opened his gifts and then we tuned into church service.

Later in the morning we drove to Vista for a quick two-night stay in a tiny house in Vista (separate post coming). We stopped in Oceanside for lunch and went to the beach.

6.22.20 (Monday): We visited a local garden and went to a beach in Carlsbad.

6.23.20 (Tuesday): We drove home in the morning. D was able to get a lot of work done even though he was technically still on vacation.

n had his first soccer practice back on the field!

6.24.20 (Wednesday): D went to workout at 24 Hour Fitness today at 5 a.m. for the first time since quarantine. This is a big deal because going there used to be an essential part of D’s daily routine. He had to reserve a workout time through an app the day before and workouts are limited to 60 minutes. He said about 60% of people were wearing masks.

We survived 100 days! There is still a lot of uncertainty, as the numbers in California still seem to be rising and they are still working on a vaccine. However, life does seem to be slowly returning back to “normal”. I think this is an appropriate time to end my “Life in the Time of Corona” series. I will try to be better about doing periodical personal updates in between my product reviews and giveaways.

It will be interesting to see how some things may never change back to how they were. Will we ever shake hands again? Will D continue working from home a lot more and will he have to wear a mask if he is at the office all day? Will people always stand 6 feet apart when they are in a line? How will the school experience be for k and n when they return in August? I guess only time will tell.

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Giveaways, Reviews, Sponsored

Make a Memorable Blanket With Mpix {Giveaway}

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Disclosure: I received a sample in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Digital photography makes it easier than ever to take as many pictures as you want. However, many people end up just keeping those pictures on their phone or camera where no one can really enjoy them. I recently discovered mpix, a website that makes it simple to order quality prints and create photo products to display precious memories.

I decided to make a personalized blanket for my dad for Father’s Day. The mpix website was really easy to navigate. The hardest part was figuring out which pictures to use. I ended up creating a collage from the Alaska Disney Cruise that we took in 2017.

I was amazed that my mpix personalized blanket arrived just a few days after I ordered it. According to their website, all mpix products are made by hand in the Midwest. I was really impressed with how clear the pictures came out! The blanket is lightweight, (but not too thin) and incredibly soft. I was very pleased with the quality.

I was excited to give this blanket to my dad. He said it brought back great memories. My mom said it was a nice conversation piece. These blankets would make such a thoughtful gift for anniversaries, grandparents, milestones, etc.

How To Order

Visit mpix online, and check out all of the different photo products they offer. Right now they are offering 25% off your first purchase when you sign up for a free account and there is free standard shipping on orders over $35.

Giveaway Time

Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win an mpix personalized blanket!

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