No Words...Just Pictures

Freestyle Motorcross - Nuclear Cowboyz

April is almost here and spring brings fun events throughout Southern California. My family and I will be attending  "Nuclear Cowboyz" at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Ca.  This will be our first time attending a freestyle motorcross event. The whole family is super excited to go and experience speed and awe-inspiring tricks. If you want to attend one of their shows, please use CODE: MOMMY12 and save $5.00.  Here is more information that will help you:

Citizens Business Bank Arena

4000 E. Ontario Center Parkway Ontario, CA 91764

• Friday, April 13^th at 7:30pm
• Saturday, April 14^th at 7:30pm
• Sunday, April 15^th at 2:00pm

Event Description:

The Nuclear Cowboyz 2012 tour includes the greatest cast of freestyle motocross, trials and quad riders ever assembled including recent X Games 17 medalists Mike Mason, Ronnie Faisst and Adam Jones plus Winter X Games winner Colton Moore along with Taka Higashino, Beau Bamburg, Derek Garland, Nixey Danielson, Brody Wilson, Jimmy Fitzpatrick, Dustin Miller, Wes Agee, Geoff Aaron, Keith Wineland and Derek Guetter.

Advance purchase will save you money:

The Nuclear Cowboyz 2012 tour is affordably priced with seats starting at just $20 for Kids (ages 2-12) and $40 for Adults plus the exclusive VIP Fallout Zone passes for $125* (prices listed are advance purchase only; all tickets are $5 more day of show – additional facility, service and handling fees may apply).

Tickets are now available for purchase at the Citizens Business Bank Arena Box Office, participating Ticketmaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800-745-3000.  For groups of 10 and more, please call group sales at 909-244-5516.

 

Bowers Museum - Terra-Cotta Warriors

What if you had a chance to visit an artifact made in 221BC and traveled all the way from China? Would you make the extra effort to drive a few miles to see it? Why not? What if it was free, your kids could attend and the event was on a Sunday afternoon?  A few Sunday's ago, we attended the "Free Museum Day" at the Bowers Museum presented by Target.  Bowers' is  hosting the famous "Terra-Cotta Warriors", which were discovered in China in 1974. It is estimated these statues were made around the year 221 BC for the after-life protection of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.  The history of these amazing statues is very interesting and thought provoking.  To learn about the history of the Terra-Cotta Army you can read their amazing story on National Geographic website at the link listed below.

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/emperor-qin/

Bowers Museum had a private room for this special exhibit with many artifacts that were from the same period. The pictures you see now do not begin to show all the detail of  the artifacts.  Vistors were not allowed to use flash photography or get too close to the artifacts.  As always, I am sharing the photos of my fun and great field trips our family attends for your enrichment.  Please take a moment and look through these amazing pictures of the past, "Terra-Cotta Warriors". 

Standing in front of these Warriors, I realized that life was rough in 221 BC. The serious stares on the Terra-Cotta Warriors brought attention to a very conservative life they must have lived.  I continued to think of their commitment in the after-life. The exhibit seemed very serious and thought provoking. Why did a royal feel so compelled to make thousands of these Terra-Cotta Warriors? What can we learn from the past and how can this information make the future better? What did they know about our future that we have yet to discover? There are so many questions, I wish the Terra-Cotta Warriors could speak.

Standing in the exhibit with my kids, I knew that we as humans believe in something that can not be seen. More important is what was the past trying to tell us about our future? My kids are too little to understand, but they still thought the mystery of it all was worth exploring. They asked questions that I could not answer as they required more research. The maps and the audio in the room were helpful for many of the kids questions. For a brief moment, I became a teacher pointing to time-lines and seeking information to better help explain the exhibits to my kids. I felt as though one day was not enough to explore Bowers Museum and all it has to offer.

On Free Museum Sunday, Bowers Museum, had free crafts for the kids, African drum musicians and vendors in the courtyard of the museum. The kids had fun taking in the crafting and the music. They made masks, then walked around the museum pretend playing with their tribal masks. My kids had fun exploring the arts and culture that Bowers Museum had to offer.  It was a day my family and I won't soon forget. 

My hope is to get you excited about visiting these fun places and take a new approach to learning through field trips. Field Trips are necessary to a child's life. They are the bridge between book learning and applying the theory. As a parent you should make every effort into teaching through field trips. You may find that the process will change you and make you learn new skills.  Please don't make excuses as to why you are not learning something new and teaching your own kids something exciting. Free Sunday Museum at Bowers Museum hosted by Target makes it possible for all of us to make a difference in our children's lives. Go ahead and learn right along side with them. It is so much when you learn together!

Thank you to the Bowers Museum, Target and Zevia Zero Caleories for making this field Trip possible.

http://www.zevia.com/cola

What is Zevia?

Soda. Pretty plain and simply, Zevia is soda but better. Zevia was created with the miracle ingredient, stevia, which makes it all natural and zero calories. Never any sugar or artificial sweeteners mean it’s a healthier soda for you and those that you love.

What is stevia?

A miracle plant. We think so anyway. Stevia is a little green plant from the sunflower family and originally native to South America. The stevia leaf is up to 300x sweeter than sugar but has no caloric value or effect on blood sugar levels. Super safe? Yes. Sweet? Yes. Worthy of a trophy? We think so. For more info on stevia click here.

Zimmer Children's Museum in Los Angeles, CA

On a very busy week we drove to Los Angeles to go play and attend a very fun event, "Cupcakes for Bloggers". I was completely amazed when I arrived at the Zimmer Children's Museum. There was a plane! Yes, a plane inside the museum. The kids jumped into the plane right away without losing a beat. It seemed like magic, because they were so fast! They sat in the plane pretending to be pilots. They even had pilot clothing! Making fun noises and conversations with each other. Soon there after they walked very fast downstairs with excitement.  Downstairs was a hidden treasure of play exhibits. There was a wall of dreams and wishes, crafting room, water ways and a rescue ambulance and a boat. The boat is an actual boat from Hurricane Katrina. The museum was filled wall to wall with wonder and compassion.  My kids played and played until they were tired. At one point they stopped and turned around to say "Thank you for bring us here".  To hear them say thank you made my day as a mother!

We continued to play, paint, pretend and discover the museum. Throughout the event the kids would go from exhibit to exhibit, each time finding a new view on the same play idea. I saw my kids turn on their critical thinking. Which was very inspiring for me. Then I thought for a second how great would it be, if I lived closer.  I know for sure that we would be visiting the Zimmer Children's Museum often, if I lived nearby.

As we said good-bye to the Zimmer Children's Museum it felt very sad to leave such a fun place. If you live in the Los Angeles area, please stop in and leave your note on the famous wall. Maybe  your wish and our wishes will come true. The Zimmer Children's Museum taught us that anything is possible. Thank you Zimmer Children's Museum for teaching us!

Hours of operation:

Zimmer Children's Museum 6505 Wilshire Blvd., #100 Los Angeles, CA 90048 Front Desk: (323) 761-8984 Fax: (323) 761-8990 Email: info@zimmermuseum.org

HOURSSunday 12:30pm-5pm Monday CLOSED Tuesday 10am-5pm Wednesday 10am-5pm Thursday 10am-5pm Friday 10am-2pm Saturday CLOSED

Zimmer Children's Museum

Natural Products Expo West - If you like food

Please excuse the lack of photographs.....

If you like to eat food then you should know what I found at the Natural Products Expo West . It is a world of healthy eating, washing, wearing and just living a better life. Some of the products are in our local stores and some of them are on Amazon.com. The Expo has several floors of vendors with amazing stories. All the vendors I talked to have a passion for living a healthy life. Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Natural, Fresh, Kosher, Low Salt and pure living were among the words that were used today.

I am going to tell you about a few of the vendors that caught my eye and will be used in my household. Let me start with Zydeco bar. It is a bar for a wallop of energy. It was delicious and easy for travel. It is a great energy bar. It is  Gluten free and high in protein that you must try. I loved it because I can pack it for a field trip and not worry about fast food or bad eating while travel. Their website will tell you more about their product, please go and find out more:

http://www.zydecobars.com/press.php

GoGo Squeez all Natural Squeezable applesauce/banana, apple/strawberry, apple/peach and apple/berry all natural fruit in a pouch. This is a favorite item for lunches and travel. My kids absolutely love it! They love the packaging and I love the health value. Gluten free and peanut free is perfect for school snacks and play dates. You really have to try it. It is already popular with the kids in school and the park here in Irvine.  Yes, I buy them for the kids lunches.

http://www.gogosqueez.com/our-products/product-apple/

Another favorite was MilkMakers a mother's cookie. It is made for moms who are breastfeeding to help promote increase in breastmilk. I love this cookie. I wish I would have had it when I was trying to breastfeed. It is a great idea and it tastes great. I think every new mother should try it. The product was recently featured on the Dr. OZ's show of great healthy products. New mothers go out and try it. Pregnant women look for the cookie. Have it on-hand before the baby is born. Friends be kind to your friends and tell them about this cookie that could help them be successful with breastfeeding. Yes, I loved the product.

http://www.milkmakers.com/

LoSalt - 66% potassium Chloride and 33% Sodium Chloride made in Scotland, UK. Bloodpressure, Diabetes and other health issues require you to change your diet and watch your salt in-take. Why not try this new LoSalt and continue to enjoy salt. Salt is something that I love in all my foods. This is why I was so attracted to this product. Started in 1984 and sold in 30 countries.  LoSalt is here in the US and is going to change our diets for the better. This product is Kosher certified and is natural. Yes, I am going to cook with it.

http://www.losalt.com/

To find more healthy products, gluten free, sugar free, healthy living then go to Natural Products Expo West. I hope that you change something unhealthy for something healthy and improve your life. I was really inspired today to change several things in my diet to improve my health. Let's do it together!

I hope that I have inspired you to make positive changes. May all your dreams come true.

Sincerely,

Alma- Field Trip Mom :) 

Orange County Coupons & OC Adventures with Zaya

Orange County, California is famous for many things like Newport beach, Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Discovery Science Center and The Real Housewives of Orange County. There is actually many other things to see and do here in sunny Orange County, California. I should know I field trip every week with my family. The weather is always nice and sunny, so travel is easy. What makes it extra special to visit is that you can find deals and offers on all the attractions here in the OC. You just go to Anaheim/Orange County Visitors & Convention Bureau. There you can find something to do for every budget.  I found a great coupon for "buy one get one free" offer for Medieval Times. (Which is where we go to celebrate birthday's.) Part of my goal of field tripping is to make sure I find deals and coupons to save money on my travels. So I check this site on a regular basis to find the latest offers. (You should too!)

Recently the Anaheim/Orange County Visitors & Convention Bureau started a new Youtube series to help you see all the great places Orange County has to offer, "OC Adventures with Zaya".  The videos are from a 7 year olds point of view exploring Orange County. The purpose of the videos are to help you understand the value of the great museums, attractions and fun places that are here in Orange County. With this new tool you don't have to guess what to expect once you pay for admission. Now combine discount with video and you have a great trip. My personal experience tells me that having more information about a trip makes my travel/field trip more enjoyable.

Help keep the offers coming on this website, please tell others about Field Trip Mom and  Anaheim/Orange County Visitors & Convention Bureau. My wish is to help others get traveling/field tripping and saving money at the same time. Please share with me your comments or ideas.

http://anaheimoc.org/deals-and-discounts/free-and-almost-free

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4SKwzMEY6U&feature=youtu.be

LACMA - Levitated Mass (The Rock)

"Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder"

 

Location was the city of La Mirada

What do you think?

Read the stories:

http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/levitated-mass

You can read more @ the LA Times:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2012/03/lacma-rocks-week-begins-smoothly.html

There is a new neighbor in town - Nordstrom Rack

We have a new neighbor in the city of Orange, "Nordstrom Rack".  The new store is located in "The Outlets of Orange" formerly known as "The Block of Orange" and is located right off the (5) freeway at the Chapman exit near UCI.  If you get lost, just follow the Krispy Kreme Donut smell and you won't miss it; the store is directly in front of the donut shop.  This shopping center has lots of eateries and things to do as well and is in a perfect location for Nordstrom Rack fans.

I was extremely lucky to be among one of the first customers to shop at the new location.  As part of a select group of women and men, we got the opportunity to take a look inside and shop for a few hours.  On my shopping adventure, I bought my husband his birthday gift as well as shoes and clothes for my kids.  Nothing for me you say???  You're right, but there were plenty of purses I was willing to fight over if needed.  This shopping trip was for my three men, next time will be my turn.  Nordstrom Rack has many great deals on children's wear and shoes.  Since the birth of my sons, we have been buying their shoes at the Nordstrom Rack because they last longer and the quality of the products is excellent.  When you buy quality items they last longer and in the long run...ultimately, it saves you money.  

Once I got the items home, you should have seen my youngest son in his QuickSilver Jeans.  Ripping off the tags and modeling them for me, he wore them two days in a row.  He loves the fit of the new jeans and won't take them off.  I finally got him to part with them, by telling him we will get him a few more pairs of the same jeans soon.  My husband did not wait and opened his birthday gift.  He loved the new clothes that I bought him.  He proudly showed off his new attire at work.  I think I heard him sigh, like when you get your pajamas on.  Comfort and great fabric really makes a difference.  It was great to see my family enjoy their new items.  I am sure we will return soon for a little something for me.  Maybe I will see you there!  Look for me, I will be the one with the canvas bag that says "Nordstrom Rack".



P.S. No one was injured in the fight for the handbag however I lost the bag to one of my collegues. Darn!

I am here with Jill and Shelby you can find them on their blogs:

http://www.feltstories.com/p/contact-us.html

http://sandytoesandpopsicles.blogspot.com/

Valerie and I look fabulous on the Nordstrom Carpet. You can find her and her fabulous blog on:

http://sweeps4bloggers.com/

On my wish list for next time

 This is a must have for every girl who loves to go have fun. I know I want one!

Find out more go to the Orange County Register:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/nordstrom-342718-store-rack.html?pic=2

Travel Industry and Social Media - Jetsetextra.com

Life is very curious. You never know where you will find your next adventure. As I sat and listened to travel industry leaders, I realized that traveling outside the US would be next for our family.  To learn first-hand about a country is the ultimate lesson plan. I have avoided the subject, because I thought it was to too hard or too expensive. For a while now I have known that learning about other countries through travel is necesary for my children's education. My sister and brothers have encouraged it because we have family in another country and know first-hand to the benefits. They often travel to and from Mexico to visit aunts, uncles and cousins. Every year they ask if I will be joining them, like when we were younger, and every year I say no. Instead I go to YouTube or wait for their pictures to arrive. Pictures and video do not have the same feel as  meeting the locals, eating the food and enjoying the destination. Through travel you build memories that stay with you even after your vacation is over. I know because my kids can't stop talking about our last trip that we took to Minnesota. The kids got to fish and then eat their catch. They watched grandpa clean the fish and we all looked in amazement. Now when we go to the market and walk by the fish the kids say remember when we went fishing for dinner?

Travel is all around me and in my community. Just in my immediate family and neighbors I know of several overseas trips that will happen this year. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures and the hear the stories.  Most of the families in our neighborhood travel every holiday to visit their families in Korea, Japan, India, Middle East and as far as Australia. It is not unusual for my son's classmates to be absent due to an out of the country travel. Travel is very much a topic of discussion in his second grade class here in Irvine. Just the other day his friend Colton moved to Hong Kong. My son asked if we could go there someday to visit his friend. I told him that we would have to be penpals first.  I am sure he is wondering why we don't travel outside the US like the other kids do? After listening to the panel at Jetset Social, I feel that it is attainable and that it is a necessity. With a little research and with my adventure hat, it can happen. Who doesn't want to teach their Children about different cultures and foods through travel. Maybe that is the secret to a balance education? Field Tripping around the world could be the next adventure.  I can just imagine how much fun my kids would have visiting the beaches of Thailand or fishing in Michoacan, Mexico.  I will add World Travel to my wish list of things to do with the family.

I want to say thank you to everyone involved with Jetset Social for the great information.

To learn about the travel industry and hear the leaders of travel go to: Jetsetextra.com 

Jetsetextra.com hosted the "Jetset Social 2012" it was held in Los Angeles on Sunday February 26th, 2012. It was a great opportunity for me to hear what is happening in travel. The event hosted (6) key travel persons who are industry leaders: Johnny Jet, travel expert and founder of JohnnyJet.com, a leading online travel site, James Densmore the celebrity “Go-To Travel Guy” of CTS Travel; Jeff Greif Owner and Editor of TravelSquire.com; Ashley Colburn host of TakeOff on Wealth TV; Lee Abbamonte Travel Writer and Gobal Adventurer, and Stacy Dreyfus Owner of Orchid Worldwide Resorts and Excapes. The Moderator was Amy Swift, Founder of SMARTY in Los Angeles.

Social Media

 Source: Michoacan picture - http://www.wallpaperpimper.com/

Thialand-http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/travel/thailand.html