Field Trip Mom

Southern California is filled with great entertainment. This December proved to be no exception. Our adventure began with Dave and Buster’s and a few friends. There, we played video games and ate American Cuisine. The evening was filled with laughter and sportsmanship. Their purple shaved ice with gummy worms was a hit with everyone. It was so delicious that we might go back just for drinks and a few more video games. It was a great way to relieve stress and enjoy the week.  We also visited Knott’s Berry Farm this holiday season as our family holiday party. Spending a whole day on roller coasters was great for family bonding. We spent our lunch hour at the Ghost Town Grill where we usually have the special of the day. This year, the entire room was celebrating birthdays and we ended up singing, “Happy Birthday” three different times.  The whole dining experience was fun and like a big giant family affair. The evening ended with one last roller coaster ride on the Sierra S

Denny's Diner is our favorite place to fill our bellies with delicious traditional American breakfast foods . My husband and I have been eating at Denny's since we were small kids. Now, we are passing that tradition to our kids. Saturday morning, we stopped by our local Denny's Diner to load up on family favorites. Pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon, oatmeal and hash browns along with biscuit and gravy usually end-up being on our breakfast order. Of course, the menu is filled with lots more delicious American dishes that will delight foodies like omelets, sandwiches, hamburgers and desserts. The kids menu offers variety and healthy options.  Denny's Diner has been a staple to Southern California because it is open 24 hours a day. It is the perfect eatery for our city that never sleeps. Their food is made to order so, you can customize your meal. This is great for people that have dietary restrictions.  The folks at Denny's aim to make each experience happy and fil

The Los Angeles Zoo is glowing with holiday season cheer!!!  Come see the zoo glow in the dark as they have decorated their 113 acres with thousands of LED lights to bring in the holiday spirit.  This year, the Zoo is celebrating their 50th  anniversary.   This means that everything will be bigger and better than previous years.  If you arrive before dark, you can visit with classic zoo animals, endangered species and even some new residents.  Otherwise, you will find that most of the animals have gone to bed when the LED lights come on. The LAIR's amphibians, invertebrates and reptiles exhibit is open for viewing as well as the reindeer exhibit.  Take a photo with glittering snow and Santa Claus for a small fee.  Every evening, the Carousel will be open and there will be lots of yummy treats available for purchase.  Some of these goodies include holiday favorites like hot chocolate and churros.  Last year, the Zoo sold over 10,000 gallons of hot chocolate and over 30,000 churros

Southern California offers different types of farms. Just a few hours from Los Angeles in San Diego County you can find Welburn Gourd Farm.   They have been growing  gourds for many years.  Driving to this destination is quiet and full of canyons and hills. San Diego County is beautiful. The air was clean and the ride was peaceful. Arriving at the farm was like discovering a treasure. We could see gourds growing in the fields.  Baby gourds and grown-up gourds were sun bathing in the farm. We were amazed at the beauty of the plants and gourds.  Close inspection of the gourds proved to be exciting. Look it really grows on a vine like plant.  Hundreds of gourds for sale at the farm. Just pick and choose the one that will decorate your house. As we toured the farm we could hear birds singing and the wind rustling the leaves.  These beautiful gourds are ready for painting and decorating.  The farm offers decorative gourds for purchase as well as other materials

A month ago, we drove to Julian for a family field trip to go apple picking. As we drove away from our field trip and pie eating, we saw a large sign that read, ” Oasis Camel Farm .” Camels in Southern California are extremely rare. My husband and I looked at each other and decided we would return for the open house scheduled in October. It was only a few weeks away and the Julian pie store was near the camel farm so a great reason to attend both. The trip seemed to promise a fun family day. A few weeks later, we returned to San Diego County and the weather was hot. Traffic was horrendous on our way to the farm and we arrive a little late to the Camel open house. The farm presentation had just started as we walked in. Camels could be seen in the distance. One young camel was being walked by his trainer towards the crowd. This camel was a little shy. He did not want to do the show and tell so stopped firmly and would not move. With a little help from another trainer and some t

Tigers, bears and snow cones, oh my goodness. October in Southern California is usually hot and snow cones are very much needed when visiting Boo at the Los Angeles Zoo spooktacular . The 133-acre Zoo is filled with wild animals and plants. During October, expect to find the corn stalk maze, pumpkin carving demonstrations, spooky caves, Mad Science fire and Ice show and so much more. We visited the LA Zoo this past weekend to get the scoop on the activities.  The park has many wonderful creatures. We got a chance to see the giraffes gracefully walking around posing for pictures. It felt as though they knew where to stand and when to turn their heads. They are like the super models of the zoo, extremely well dressed and amazingly tall. The hippos were a different story. It looked like the hippo family was just relaxing by cuddling together. They did not move or look our way, sleeping lazily in their pond. Both wild animals were fun to visit and photograph.   Pink flamin

California is beautiful during the month of October. We see pumpkin patches, corn mazes and festivals popping up in the community. Outdoor activities become more popular in the summer time because of the weather. San Diego County offers discounted or free admission to museums, park and the zoo. You could say October is California resident month to celebrate all of the wonderful things we have to offer in entertainment and culture. Keep reading to find out more.... This week we have lots of fun opportunities for you and your family to experience. Just go to our Fieldtripmom Facebook page to get a list of fun festivals, rodeo's, and science activities for everyone in the family.  https://www.facebook.com/FieldtripmomFTM/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel Best regards, Fieldtripmom.com 

Apple Season in Southern California is from August to September. Our family has been apple picking for almost (6) years.  We usually drive to Oak Glen, California to pick our apples.  This year, we changed our family field trip and visited Volcan Valley Apple Farm in the city of Julian.  The drive seemed shorter and we tried something new as a family.  It was a success with everyone in our family.  Let me share with you our family experience and our family photos.  We arrived in the afternoon, just in time to pick the best apples of the season. We were a little surprised that the apples were small.  We asked the farmer about the apples and he told us that it was because of the drought.  As you know, California agriculture is going through hard times as a result of the water shortage.  It was very evident on the drive to the orchard.  The hills are brown and the roads have little or no plants at all.  The farmer made lots of sense in explaining the crop size.  The size of the apples

A few weeks ago, I received "The I Heart Naptime" cookbook, for review.  It is filled with  bright, colorful pictures that invite you to make a meal.   The book offers over 200 pages of inspiring and helpful meal ideas.  Our family put it to the test the other day with great results.  Keep reading to find out how this cookbook inspired a great family moment.  There is truth in the saying, "We eat with our eyes first."  When I shared "The I Heart Naptime" cookbook with the kids, their first reaction was go to the most delicious picture in the book.   What they found was this delicious hamburger recipe that made their little tummies growl as soon as they saw it.  The directions looked easy and we were all inspire to make our dinner look just like the picture in the cookbook.  (See Below - Right side shows our homemade hamburger.) The adventure began at the local grocery store while shopping for hamburger ingredients.   First, we headed to

Family field trip alert: We are regular visitors to the Graber Olive House in Ontario. Their canning season is coming up soon and they open their doors to the public. We wanted to give you a heads-up.  Mid-October is the best time to schedule a family field trip.  Stay tune for best times and dates to visit Graber House.  Location: 315 E 4th St, Ontario, CA 91764

Education is an important part of life. Kids learn from their surroundings and the people that care for them. Happiness is something that can be cultivated and taught through love and compassion. Remember that happiness is more important than things you can buy. 

Salvation Mountain - Leonard Knight created this art piece as a tribute to God and his gift to the world with the powerful message: "God Is Love."  The message is clear throughout the man made mountain area that God is the way. The heart below reads, "Say, Jesus I am a sinner, please come upon my body and into my heart." This art piece is bright and colorful.  Salvation Mountain is located in Imperial County, in the city of Niland. The drive is very interesting as you will see the Salton Sea and Date farms on your road trip. 

My kids love to play video games as they sit in the back of our car while we run errands.     One day, I decided that the kids needed to leave their video games at home to be more present.   I wanted them to enjoy the view outside.   I asked them to look for plants, birds and just everyday life.     All of this in the hopes to get them engaged and thinking creatively.   What I would find out is that my kids are super funny and my parenting skills would be tested. As soon as the observation began, the kids noticed that drivers seemed to forget that other people could see inside their cars. The first thing they noticed was a driver picking her nose and eating her boogers. “Mom! Mom! Mom! That driver just ate her boogers!”, said my son.  I responded by saying, “Aaugh, WHAT? Please tell me that you are trying to be funny!”  My son replied, “No mom, it really happened!”  I stated, “Okay, let’s look away and not make a big deal.”  I wanted to laugh but I couldn’t. With a straight f

Tio's Tacos Restaurant in Riverside, CA offers great Mexican food and Folk Art. The combination of the two makes for a great family field trip. The owner, Martin Sanchez, has created a unique place for locals to come eat and enjoy art made from recycled bottles, wire, dishes, toys and other unwanted trash. We had heard about the place through a friend who recommended their tacos.  We parked in the back and entered through the Art path. Immediately we were met by several pieces of recycled bottles made into walls. There was so much to see that it was impactful the minute we started the self-guided tour.   The art pieces outside share a common theme of "trash is in the eye of the beholder".  Tio's Tacos patio is a look into the mind of a creative person who sees possibilities and second chances.  As we walked through the place it was evident that the love of art lives here. Recycled bottles were turned into walls and hundreds of cans became large statues with

Travel to San Diego and experience a piece of history. California is home to 21 Spanish Missions that were instrumental in changing history. One of them is Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, which is considered the king mission. Between 1769 and 1833, Spain established Catholic outposts known as Missions to introduce Christianity to the Native Americans. Today, we can visit this historical place and take a peek into the past. Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is located 4050 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92057. What you should know before you visit. History: Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside (San Diego) -SECULARIZATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. The first Spanish Franciscans to enter Upper California had intended to turn the local hunter-gatherer people into farmers, ranchers, craftsmen, and faithful practicing Catholic Christians. From the Franciscan point of view, mission lands and other secular properties were being held in trust until such time as the Indian

Anaheim Packing District offers food experiences like no other in Orange County. Here, you can find Grill Cheese sandwiches, Comfort Foods, Vietnamese Summer Rolls and Mexican street tacos.  It reminded us of vintage Los Angeles because of the boutique style eateries. Walking through the   Anaheim Packing District , we could see large seating areas filled with people eating and socializing. Locals come to find bites that remind them of home cooking. Others visit to try fancy drinks and gelato.  The Snow Monster offers teas and lemonades with cotton candy. Pop Bar offers gelato on a stick which reminds me of Mexican Paletas covered in chocolate and other toppings. These two places are very popular with the young at heart.  Located:  440 South Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92805. We suggest that you walk around and take a peek before choosing a place to eat. Try several places, we suggest that you order family style and share. We did on our visit and it proved to be a very good expe

This past Christmas, I decided there was plenty of options for television and started looking into cutting our reliance on cable TV.  You know, that $150 -$200 dollar expense every month that is similar to your daily fix, also known as a large Mocha Latte for $4.95 / day. Photo credit: Roku Our family is locked into the Cox Communications family because of our location.  Unfortunately, there are no other competitors to provide even an ounce of savings to subscribers locally.  My guess is you are a family member to Time Warner, U-Verse, Cox, Dish or Direct TV or if outside of California, you have one service provider for your city.  All of these companies look forward to creating a bundle package including high speed Internet and Phone services in order to increase revenue.  These companies coax you in by offering you a deeply discounted monthly rate for bundling these services for 1 year however lock you in for a 2 year commitment.  On the 13th month of your contract however, th