Knott’s Boysenberry Festival 2015 #knottsSpring

Knott’s Berry Farm is celebrating Spring with a Boysenberry Festival.  They are turning the park into a boysenberry paradise complete with live shows and a food fest.  Kids and adults will have the opportunity to participate in a pie eating contest (located in front of the Bird Cage Theater) and baking your own pie tart (food cost may apply).  The food fest includes boysenberry bits, cheese curds, Boysenberry ICEE, boysenberry frappuccino (served at the Gourmet Coffee station) BBQ Chicken and many more open aired barbecue treats that will make the foodie in you say, “Yum, Yum!”  

The park will be filled with Boysenberry plants, food and live shows that will celebrate spring.  The Easter Beagle will be greeting fans and taking pictures with the family all day long.  Last year, we took many photos of our spring day adventure.  Here is just a few of those pictures.  Tasting the different food offerings, cheering on the pie eating contestants and meeting the Easter Beagle made our visit special.  The highlight of our food adventure were the BBQ wings with a Boysenberry dipping sauce.

Music is a very important part of this Spring celebration at the park.  Knott's has added a few opportunities for you and your family to get down and dance all day long.  Peanuts Party in the Park is a great new show with lots of bright fun colors and the Peanuts gang showing off their dancing abilities.  Jammin' in the dark will make everyone get up and dance with DJ Howly.  Lucy's Really Big Spring Show is a great sing-a-long for the tiny tots.  Salsa dancing in the Fiesta Village will have you doing the Cha-Cha-Cha long into the night.  All of the entertainment will leave you feeling excited and inspired.  

Sponsored Giveaway - Enter for a chance to win (2) tickets to Knott's Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival. You must be 18 years of age and live in Southern California. The tickets are only good during the Spring celebrations March 28th-April 12, 2015.

Disclaimer: Sponsored giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are all my own. My family and I have been invited as part of media.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Flintstones &WWE - Stone Age Smackdown

Looking to take Wilma on a long deserved vacation to Rockapoco, Fred tries to ask his boss, Mr, Slate for an advance on his paycheck.  Through a comedy of errors, Fred must pay for damages he causes at the rock quarry.  With the help of his trusty side kick Barney, Fred comes up with a harebrained idea to make enough money to take both families on vacation.  Teaming up with John Cenastone, Marble Henry and the Undertaker, Fred becomes an event promoter for a crowd pleasing wrestling entertainment show worthy of a packed arena.  Family fun for an evening together; you and your kids will laugh your way through the entire movie.

Hanna Barbara, WWE Studios and Warner Bros Studios join together for an amazing stone age movie with a modern storyline.  Available on DVD, Blu Ray and Digital HD via Ultraviolet, this movie is 52 minutes of great Flintstone fun.  Go out today and pick up a copy for this evenings family movie night.

Disclaimer: Fieldtripmom.com received a free Blu Ray copy of this film in exchange for our review.  No monetary compensation was exchanged for this post.  All opinions are our own.

Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations. #CYN

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year! This week there will be many opportunities to see the Lion Dance in Southern California and throughout the US. We hope you get a chance to experience the festive celebrations first hand in your local area. Here is a few places that will be holding parades and fun events for all ages. Remember it's the year of the goat! 

 

California:

1. Southwest Airline Chinese New Year Parade – 3/7/2015, 6-8pm (San Francisco)

http://www.chineseparade.com/

2. Chinese New Year Flower Fair – 2/14/15, 10am-8pm, and 2/15/15, 9am-6pm (San Francisco)

http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/events/flowerfair.html

3. 116th Annual LA Golden Dragon Parade – 2/21/15, 1pm (Los Angeles)

http://lagoldendragonparade.com/

4. Midnight Temple Ceremony – 2/18/15, 10pm-1am (Los Angeles)

http://www.chinatownla.com/calendar.php?eventId=214

5. The Highlighted Undiscovered Chinatown Tour – 2/21/15, 10:30am-12pm (Los Angeles)

http://chinatownla.com/calendar.php?eventId=124

Celebrations across the United States

Washington:

1. Lunar New Year Celebration – 2/21/15, 11am-4pm (Seattle)

http://www.cidbia.org/events/2014-lunar-new-year/lunar-new-year-celebration-2014-year-of-the-horse

2. Chinese Lunar New Year – 2/18/15, 5:30-7:30pm (Seattle)

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinese-lunar-new-year-tickets-15705557746?aff=es2&rank=1

Illinois:

1. Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade – 2/22/15, 1pm (Chicago)

http://www.chinatownspecialevents.org/

2. Visit 360Chicago – 2/16/15-3/5/15 (Chicago)

http://www.360chicago.com/chinese-new-year/

3. Sounds of China: A Chinese New Year – 2/15/15, 3pm (Chicago)

http://www.choosechicago.com/event/Sounds-of-China-A-Chinese-New-Year-Celebration/25597/

4. Chinese New Year Kickoff Celebration – 2/19/15, 12-1pm (Chicago)

http://www.choosechicago.com/event/Chinese-New-Year-Kickoff-Celebration/23246/

5. Celebrate Chinese New Year at the Garden – 2/21/15, 11am-3pm (Glencoe)

6. Chinese New Year Lantern Festival – 3/1/15 (Chicago)

http://www.choosechicago.com/event/Chinese-New-Year-Lantern-Festival/23253/

Oregon:

1. Lan Su Chinese Garden – 2/19/15 through 3/5/15 (Portland)
http://www.lansugarden.org/things-to-do/events/chinese-new-year/

New York:

1. Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival – 2/22/15, 1pm (New York)
2. 16^th New Year Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival – 2/19/15, 11am (New York)

3. Chinese New Year Lantern Making Workshop – 2/19/15, 3:30pm (Poughkeepsie)

http://localsearch.poughkeepsiejournal.com/localevents/event//144664-Chinese-New-Year-Lantern-Making-Workshop

Connecticut:

1. Lunarfest 2015 – 2/21/15, 10am (New Haven)

http://www.yalechina.org/arts/festival

Florida:

1. Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival 2015 – 2/22/15, 11am (Orlando)
http://www.centralfloridadragonparade.org/

2. Chinese New Year Festival – 2/16/15, 11am-6pm (Miami)
http://www.chinesenewyearfestivalmiami.org/

3. 2015 Asia Fest – 2/21/15, 10am-5pm (Naples)
https://asiafest2014.eventbrite.com/

4. Kid’s Club: Chinese New Year – 2/19/15, 11am-12pm (Jacksonville)

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/kids-club-chinese-new-year-tickets-15559110719?aff=es2&rank=1

5. Chinese New Year Gala – 2/14/15, 2-6pm (Tampa)

http://sacatampabay.org/wp/

6. Chinese New Year Festival – 2/21/15, 10am-4pm (Tampa)

http://sacatampabay.org/wp/

Virginia:

1. 8^th Annual Chinese New Year Festival – 2/14/15, 10am-6pm, Luther Jackson Middle School (Falls Church)

http://www.chinesenewyearfestival.org/program

2. Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration – 2/15/15, 12-4pm (Tysons Corner)

http://www.tysonscornercenter.com/Events/Details/227053?startDate=2/15/2015&back=

3. Chinese New Year: Year of the Sheep – 2/22/15, 1 hour (Fairfax County)

http://parktakes.fairfaxcounty.gov/rev1_coursedetail.asp?subject=Chinese+New+Year%3AYear+of+the+Sheep++++++&facility2=9999&view_records=SEARCH+SCHEDULE&age=9999&day=9999&LOC=M308&TRM=15WI&CDE=3081831501

Washington, DC:

1. Chinese New Year Family Festival – 2/14/15, 11:30am-3pm

http://americanart.si.edu/calendar/event.cfm?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D112437643

2. ImaginAsia: Love in Every Language – 2/15/15, 12-4pm

http://www.asia.si.edu/events/families.asp#/?i=1

3. Celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year at the Fair Oaks Mall – 2/21-2/22/15, 1-5pm

http://www.shopfairoaksmall.com/events

Nintendo DS, 3DS, Sony Playstation and Microsoft XBox Repairs

Go to Game Geeks for all of your video game system (including Nintendo, Sony PlayStation and Microsoft XBox) and PC repairs, you will be amazed at the prices and customer service they offer.

Christmas break for the boys was moments away from commencing and there was excitement in the air.  Both our boys were ready for some hardcore video game play and excited to see the new games Santa had in store for them.  Saturday morning came and it was a battle royal of video game play when suddenly time stood still and I heard a banshee cry, "DAD!!!!!"  Do you have a video game system with the red ring of death, a broken controller or other problem?  You are going to want to continue reading.

Disclaimer:  This is an unpaid posting.  All opinions are my own.  We received no monetary or service compensation for this review.  I truly had an amazing experience and believe in paying it forward.  Thank you Game Geeks....You have a new Loyal Customer! 



Alma was working this beautiful Saturday morning when the cry rang out so I had to go it alone.  I responded to our youngest who came before me, looking at me like his favorite stuffed penguin had ripped.  With his Nintendo 3DS XL in hand, he just stared at me like, aren't you going to fix it?  I asked him what the problem was as I couldn't see any blood, bruises or otherwise.  He exclaimed, "My DS broke!!!"  I took it out of his hands and opened it up and sure enough, there was a large crack in the upper right hand corner crossing the hinge area.  Although cracked, it wasn't broken.  I turned and told him it was OK and I would research if there was anything I could do to fix it.  Not a day went by and the corner had completely broken off so you could see the IC board.  I explained to him the importance of taking care of his things but couldn't really blame him because the device was two years old.  My warranty request to Nintendo was met with, "this device is out of warranty and standard repair costs start at $120.00 plus parts."  It simply wasn't worth repairing when I could buy a brand new one for $180-190.

Knowing there were plenty of places open to repair cell phones, I started searching for a video game repair shop.  I ran across Game Geeks in Garden Grove, CA.  I called them and told them the problem.  They said the issue sounded like a common problem that was notorious on the Nintendo DS and recommended I bring it in.  They were extremely busy over the holidays and so we decided to wait a few weeks to drop off our system.

The technician on site was extremely courteous, friendly and presented me with a quote of $47 for parts and labor.  Since I was a first time customer, he wanted to help me so I would tell everyone I knew about their services.  He asked me when I wanted the device back and I told him I could wait for it.  He didn't have the parts and needed to order them from his other store in Santa Ana so needed a day to complete the repair.  The next morning, I called him and he told me there was more to the issue than he thought.  He needed until 1 PM and told me he wouldn't charge me anything additional to show excellent customer service.  The boys and I arrived to the store and he kindly showed us a few concerns that we needed to pay attention to for the future.  It appeared that my sons juice box got a little to close to his DS and although the liquid didn't reach the motherboard and battery, he wanted to show us how close we came to having to replace the device.  It was excellent customer service.

Although situations vary from device to device, Game Geeks in Garden Grove is the place to go for all of your PC and video game console repairs.  Additionally, you will find a large selection of new and used video games for PC, Nintendo, Sony PlayStation, Microsoft XBox including several generations past.  While in the store, I was able to show the boys what my old Nintendo Game Boy and Nintendo Entertainment System looked like and show them some of the games I enjoyed playing as a kid.  Quotes for repairs will vary from situation to situation and our repair will not resemble yours.  

If you are in need of repair support for your PC, Laptop or Video Game Console, we recommend going to Game Geeks in Garden Grove.  Game Geeks is conveniently located off the 22 Fwy at 12893 Harbor Blvd Ste # 3 Garden Grove CA 92840, Cross Streets are Garden Grove Blvd and Harbor Blvd.  There is also a location in Santa Ana, maps shown below.  Call them ahead of time at 714-539-0888 and they can provide you some additional repair insight before you take the trip.  If you are a lover of used and vintage video games and systems, don't forget to stop by Game Geeks. Buy, Sell, Trade and Repair all in one convenient and friendly store.

Written by guest blogger and co-owner of fieldtripmom.com

Tim Bosek

Knott's Berry Farm - Seven (7) treasures.

Knott's Berry Farm has (7) treasures in plain sight that everyone will enjoy.  The first is the Mystery Lodge waterfall statue.  The second is the Native American Rock carving at Mystery Lodge. The third is Montezoom's Revenge statue and Roller Coaster. The fourth are the lucky waterfalls located throughout the park. Fifth is the Mineral and Fossil store offering Geodes near the front entrance. Sixth includes the delicious fresh Berry Cotton Candy. Disclaimer: Sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are all my own.

The other day, my family and I visited the park as part of a fundraising media event. Our first stop was to the Mystery Lodge. We all enjoy the storytelling along with the special effects. As we walked up to the show, we looked up and noticed a Native American man carved on a rock behind the waterfall.  We were all shocked that after years of visiting Knotts, none of us had ever noticed the man hidden under the waterfall. This sparked an interest in looking for more interesting hidden treasures in plain sight.

We quickly became aware of the secret treasures that Knotts has to offer.  Next, we found the largest carved rock statue of a Native American.  This was located right outside the entrance of the Mystery Lodge.  I pointed to the statue and asked my family if they had ever seen the statue before?  They all said, "No?"  Right then and there we all realized that there must be more treasures tucked away in plain sight at Knott's Berry Farm.

The third find is located at Montezooma's Revenge roller coaster area. A Mayan inspired rock carving was found inside a planter.  All of us were surprised, we had never noticed it before even though we had all walked past it on our way to the Hat Dance.  This day turned into an adventure as though it was our first time visiting Knott's.  We all rode the roller coaster to see if we could spot other treasures.

Feeling lucky, we headed over to the coffee shop near the largest fountain in the park. This is when we found the fourth treasure.  We named this water fountain "LUCKY FALLS".  Everyone in our family felt lucky, so we made a wish and threw in a penny.  Okay, we made more than one wish and threw in dimes and nickels too just in case.  Let me tell you, it is lucky because my wish came true right away.

The fifth treasure that Knott's offers is the Mineral & Fossils Store.  Buying a Geode is all about getting lucky.  It is so exciting to choose your favorite rock and then having it cut open to see what gem awaits you.  Try it on your next visit and experience it first hand.  They offer Geodes for under $20.00 dollars for those of us who are on a budget.

The sixth treasure that we found at the park was their Boysenberry Cotton Candy!  Fresh, delicious sugary fun food for everyone in the family.  All foodies must try this treat because it gives you the giggles.  Maybe it's just me because it makes me feel like I am 4 years old again.  

Photo Credit: Jaime Jenkins

Finally, the seventh treasure is "YOU"!  You can make a difference for our greatest treasures, those who are supported in their fight with breast cancer by the Susan G. Komen foundation.  Now through March 27th, go online and purchase your Knotts Berry Farm admission tickets and a portion of the proceeds will benefit this incredible organization.  Additionally, with a simple purchase of "PINK" merchandise, a portion of the sales of these items will also benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation of Orange County.  This is an important fundraising event because my family and I have personal experience with loosing a loved one to cancer.  Unfortunately, a friend of mine is battling with this illness.  Forgive me for putting this at the end of my post however I am having the hardest time accepting that my friend has cancer.  Please help me support Susan G. Komen and together we can be a treasure to someone else.

 Jaime Jenkins is a fellow blogger who is fighting the fight of her life. Find out her story and how she is doing today: http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/2015/01/knotts-for-cure-2015-amazing-experience.html

Knott's for the cure link:

https://www.knotts.com/what-s-new/knott-s-for-the-cure

Disclaimer: Did not receive compensation only media access. All thoughts and opinions are all my own. #Knottspink Hashtag

Marvel's Avengers Age of Ultron. Movie Preview

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Get set for an action-packed thrill ride when The Avengers return in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015.

Just click here to see a clip:

 

http://www.youtube.com/embed/MZoO8QVMxkk

Oatmeal Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies for the New Year

Oatmeal Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies are a great way to start off the New Year.  2015 has entered our lives with a bang and what better way to celebrate a New Year with a sweet, delicious treat that is a wild spin to your grandmothers old fashion oatmeal raisin cookies.  This special cookie is moist like a brownie while sweet and rich like mother load fudge cake.  Made with love, we are sharing with all of our readers.  From the Field Trip Mom family, we wish you a Very Happy New Year.



1/2 Cup or 1 Stick of Softened Butter

1/2 Cup or 4 Oz of Applesauce

2 Cups firmly packed Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

3 Cups Old Fashion Rolled Oats

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

3/4 Cup Trader Joe's Cocoa Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Small Bag of Toll House Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips



In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, applesauce, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Beat on low with an electric mixer until creamed, scraping the bowl.  Add oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips and mix completely on low.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an un-greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake in the oven at 350 Degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Let stand on the baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack.  Enjoy!