Food, Sponsored, Vacation

Spring Break Road Trip: Red Rock Canyon Attempt + Bobo’s Oat Bars

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Our next stop was supposed to be Red Rock Canyon.  Apparently, A LOT of other people had the same thought, because when we arrived, it was closed off to incoming cars.  We parked on the side of the road and D talked to the ranger.  He said that the situation would be reassessed in a couple of hours!  Well,  we did not have time to wait around, so we headed back a couple of exits and pulled off at Calico Hills, which was still open to the public.

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You could still see some red rocks, so that was cool.

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We did a short hike.  I recently became a Friends of Bobo Ambassador, so I thought that I should bring some Bobo’s Oat Bars for sustenance.

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Yup, I’m even rockin’ the Bobo’s t-shirt!

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Bobo’s Oat Bars were invented by a mother-daughter duo in Boulder, Colorado.  They started selling them at local cafes, and their business took off from there.  (Love those types of stories!)  These oat bars are so delicious and hearty.  I like that they are not overly sweet.  They are also dairy-free and gluten-free.  These bars make a perfect on-the-go snack!  You can find them in stores near you here, Amazon, or order directly from their site.   I also visited them at Expo West, and was able to try their new toaster pastries–yum!  If you want to become a Friends of Bobo Ambassador, please tell them that LimByLim referred you!

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I need to get these two to loosen up for photos!

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Although the rocks we were able to see were pretty impressive, I was disappointed that we were unable to drive the scenic loop.  I guess we will have to make a return visit!

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Vacation

Las Vegas Road Trip Stop: Seven Magic Mountains

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D had a work conference to attend in Las Vegas that coincided with our Spring Break, so we decided to tag along.  On our way to Las Vegas we stopped to check out a public art installation called Seven Magic Mountains, created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone.  It is located about ten miles south of Las Vegas.  Currently it is scheduled to be on display through the end of 2018, but its run may be extended.  There is a free parking lot, and admission is free.  There are no restrooms, so plan accordingly.  When we went its popularity was quite apparent.

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It would be nice to be there to take pictures when no one else is around.

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The colors are so cheerful.  I can see why people are attracted to this work of art.

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It is always fun to make stops on road trips like this.  If you are driving to or from Las Vegas, check it out!

 

 

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Celebrations, Restaurant Reviews

Ladies Who Lunch Birthday Celebration

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My college roommates decided to get together for a joint birthday celebration.  We kind of had a difficult time figuring out what do since we all have different interests.  First we ate lunch at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach.  I had never been to this restaurant before, so I was excited to try it out.  Parking was a hassle, so it was a good thing that we carpooled.

We started out with the fried calamari appetizer.

I ordered the tostada salad with shrimp.  Underneath the salad there was a tostada shell and black beans which made it more filling.  The guacamole was also really good.

Then we went outside to take some pictures with beautiful backdrop.  It was a gorgeous day after a couple of rainy days.

We walked around a little bit and had some ice cream.

Then we drove to Irvine to do an escape room called Unlocked OC.  Two of us had done an escape room before, but it was my first time.  It ended up being really fun!  We ended up “escaping”, but not without asking for a lot of clues via walkie-talkie.  It was definitely challenging, and not scary, which one of us was concerned about.

It ended up being such a fun afternoon.  I am so glad that we have kept in touch after all of these years.

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Celebrations, n, Restaurant Reviews

Nine Year Old Birthday Party @ Benihana

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After we went skiing we had a birthday dinner scheduled for n at Benihana in Newport Beach.

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The chef hat kids menus kept them busy while waiting to be seated.

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Hosting seven active 8 and 9 year old boys was quite an experience!  D saw a co-worker and they were joking how we have a big family–ha!

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I was going to skip the fried rice, until I remembered that it is a big part of the “show”.  The boys’ commentary during the onion volcano is pretty funny.

There was a lively rendition of happy birthday for n.  I think we heard it about three other times that night for other parties as well.  Are they really singing in Japanese the second time?  I do not even know!

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For dessert, there was a choice of rainbow sherbet or vanilla, chocolate, or green tea ice cream.  n received a special sundae with some whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a pocky stick.

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This was our keepsake photo taken by the server.  The boys also chose a ceramic mug to as a souvenir since I signed up for Kabuki Kids.  I also bought Ramune soda from Cost Plus World Market as a favor.

All in all, the party worked out well.  I think it works for a wide range of ages, too.  I liked that there was minimal planning, and that the Benihana experience includes food and entertainment.  I do not know why, but hosting birthday parties makes me anxious.  My only regret is that I should have told the parents to pick up the boys in two hours, instead of one and a half hours.  I felt bad that they had to wait around while we were eating dessert and picking out the mugs since the service was a bit slow.

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4.5

Family Field Trips

Southern California Skiing: Mountain High Ski Resort

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As residents of Orange County, our options for local skiing are limited.  Last weekend our family had the opportunity to ski at Mountain High because I won tickets.  Unfortunately, I was not confirmed for tickets until 10 p.m. the night before and did not read my e-mail until that morning at 6:30 a.m.  After a mad scramble to borrow ski pants for n from a nearby friend, we were on our way.

The drive is easy from Orange County.  It only took us about an hour and fifteen minutes, and there is no windy mountain driving.

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When we were fifteen minutes away, this was the view out of our window.  It seems impossible that there is a ski resort near by.

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Then you turn a corner, and it seems a little more plausible.  There was a snafu in picking up our tickets, and a lot of frustration ensued as the crowds grew larger.  Thankfully, the blogger that I won tickets from was gracious in helping me over the phone, and eventually everything was straightened out.

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This was the second time skiing for both k and n, and they did not want to take lessons this time.  I am pretty sure they are already better skiers than me.  It really is better to learn to ski as a child as opposed to as an adult.  They were able to get a lot more runs in, even though we had a later start.  I would definitely recommend getting there as soon as it opens to avoid long lines at the ticket booth and rental hut.  Our lunch was overpriced and mediocre, which I guess is to be expected when there are not many options.  I witnessed an employee threaten to kick out one family because they had a full-on lunch spread that they brought from home, including a hot pot and noodles.  (I guess it is ok to bring food from home if you eat outside).  We lucked out because it snowed the night before.  D was happy to get his annual ski trip in.

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Food, Girl Scouts, Sponsored

Learning Healthy Habits with Lilly’s Hummus

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Recently, k’s Girl Scout troop had a meeting where they earned the Global Action Award. One of the Global Goals is Good Health & Well Being.  When the troop leader asked me to bring a healthy snack for the meeting, I decided on cucumbers, carrots, and Lilly’s Hummus.

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Lilly’s Hummus is one of the products that caught my eye at the recent Expo West because it is kid-friendly and nutritious.  My kids really like this hummus, and it is a great way to make cut vegetables more appealing.  What sets Lilly’s Hummus apart is that it is made with organic chickpeas and has a clean ingredient list.

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It is so exciting that Lilly’s has single serve, shelf-stable hummus.  This makes it a great option for lunchboxes and road trips.  The brand rep told me that they did not have to change the recipe of their hummus to make it shelf-stable; just the packaging.

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Teaching kids to love healthy food will benefit them for a lifetime!  You can find Lilly’s Hummus at Ralphs and Amazon.  For more locations, search here.

For the Global Action award, k presented about gender equality.  We also had presentations from the Irvine Water District and a retired dentist.

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The girls in k’s troop were each paired with a younger Brownie to help during the meeting.

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At the end of the meeting, the girls drew pictures of the global action that they want to work on.  The sign was then displayed near the lunch tables for the school to see.  I really appreciate how our troop leader tries to incorporate topics that apply to the girls on an individual, community and global level!

*Although I received a free product sample, all opinions are my own.

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Book Review

Green Enough: A Valuable Resource To Live a Healthier Life

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You might remember me excitedly talking about a conference that I attended earlier this year called ShiftCon.  Well, the founder of the conference wrote a book called Green Enough and it is being released today!  I had the privilege of reviewing a preview copy of this book and wanted to share some of my thoughts.

Segedie shows readers how to make the best choices possible about what they bring into their homes – from furniture to packaged food – all without losing their minds! It’s not about being “perfect,” it’s about being armed with the right information so that you can put your family on the path to better health. Segedie includes:

· Delicious, kid-approved recipes for readers looking to detoxify their cooking routine

· The brands that contain toxic chemicals and dangerous additives

· How to choose organic produce that’s pesticide-free (it’s harder than it seems)

· Instructions on making the move to meat, dairy, and eggs that don’t contain GMOs, growth hormones, and dangerous pathogens

Segedie’s writing style is conversational and friendly.  Reading her book is like listening to a knowledgeable friend.  However, she is also no holds barred with her language in getting her point across, which may take some people aback.  I appreciate the numerous snippets throughout the book from a well-known pediatrician and a scientist, both of which add another layer of credibility to the advice given.

Here is an example of how the book lays out changes you can make in your home by prioritizing simple steps:

My favorite part of the book is where Segedie creates lists of products ranging from deli meat to cleaning products to hair dye and categorizes the brands as Bad, Better or Best.  Sure, you could do you own research, (and she encourages her readers to do so!) but that would take forever.  These quick cheat sheets are really helpful when you are just starting out in greening up your home like I am.  Green Enough is definitely a valuable resource to live a healthier life.

Reprinted from Green Enough by Leah Segedie. Copyright ©2018 by Leah Segedie. By permission of Rodale Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Available wherever books are sold.

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Celebrations, n

n is 9!

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n’s birthday celebration lasted for about a week.  Last Sunday, we had a dinner at my parents’ house with my side of the family.  On Friday, we had a small birthday celebration at home with just us.  And yesterday we went skiing in the morning/early afternoon and had a dinner party with some of his friends at Benihana.

For the dinner at my parents’ house, my mom made it an emoji-themed party.

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Yes, those are what you think they are.

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If you need another clue, look at n’s new slippers–ha!

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For n’s birthday dinner at our house, he requested his favorite, salmon.  I bought a large slab at Costco and he basically ate it for Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and Saturday dinner–ha!

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I found these cute strawberry shortcake desserts at Costco.  When I bought them I did not even realize that they come with six real glasses.  Not bad for around $11.  I want to make my own mini parfaits now!

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Happiest of birthdays to our n.  I love that he still calls me mommy, likes to give and receive hugs and tells me that he loves me.  He is my affectionate one, for sure.  I am not sure how much longer that will last, but I will take it while I can!

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Book Review, k

Fifth Grade Mother Daughter Tea + Father-Daughter Dance

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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.

k is in fifth grade now.  I cannot believe it is her last year of elementary school.  She is also five feet tall now.  How did this happen?

A couple of weeks ago her school hosted a Mother-Daughter tea to talk about those “changes” that are happening, or will be happening in the near future.  I was on the committee to help plan the tea.  Honestly, I did not too much since our head chairperson really took the lead (which was much appreciated!)  I think the event turned out really nice.  The theme was cherry blossoms.  Here is part of the invitation:

We had the parents submit a baby photo of their daughter and then they took a picture of the girls at school.  Then they displayed the photos back to back in an Ikea frame as part of the favors.

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We also had the moms write a letter to their daughter that was included in their goody bags. We showed an introductory video put out by P&G, and a mom who was a nurse did an excellent presentation that was light-hearted but still informative.  There was also some Q & A time.

A lot of the girls actually do not like pink anymore, but I thought the pink-cherry blossom combo was cute.

We kept the food simple.  Tea sandwiches, salad, and chicken nuggets, made by one of the parents who is a caterer.  Cupcakes for dessert.  We had iced tea and lemonade in plastic tea cups.

The nurse recommended this American Girl book, The Care and Keeping of You.  I went over this book with k about a year and a half ago, and I think it is really good too.  I am glad that we were able to talk about it before going to the tea.  I think everything might have been a bit too shocking if we had not talked about it beforehand.  We have not gone through The Care Keeping of You 2 yet, though!

American Girl also has a similar book for boys, Guy Stuff.  I think I will let D handle that one with n!

The very next night our school also had its first ever Father-Daughter dance.

I was not part of the planning committee for that one, but I am grateful that it happened for k’s last year at the school.  Seriously, where is life’s “pause” button?

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Giveaways, Sponsored

My First #NewHopeBloggerBox + NeoCell Giveaway

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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 recently joined the New Hope Blogger Co-op and am so excited to be part of this community.  Last week I received a box of samples of natural products to try out, review and share about with all of you.

I received the following samples:

Of course, the snack items were the products that immediately grabbed my attention.  I am always on the lookout for healthier foods to snack on.  I will be sharing more about those products as I try them.

Another product that caught my eye was the NeoCell Glow Matrix Advanced Skin Hydrator.  This was because I had also received samples of this product, along with NeoCell Beauty Infusion Refreshing Collagen Drink Mix at ShiftCon earlier this year.  Now, I am not a doctor, so please do your own research, but recently I have been hearing a lot about the benefits of collagen.  Here is an article about collagen that I found helpful.  Some of the claimed benefits are healthier skin, hair and nails.

Since I received an abundance of samples from NeoCell, I thought I would host a giveaway for 15 samples of NeoCell Glow Matrix Advanced Skin Hydrator and 15 samples of NeoCell Beauty Infusion Refreshing Collagen Drink Mix.

 

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