Events

The Newport Beach Wine Festival 2013 will be held at the beautiful Balboa Bay Resort this Memorial Day weekend and I wanted to share the details of the extraordinary food and wine events to be celebrated over three days.

Raise your hand if you like wine [I do!]

Raise your hand if you love culinary delights [I do!]

For all my moms out there with hands raised in the air, this event is for you [high five sisters!]

Newport Beach Wine Festival 2013 

Schedule of Events

Friday May 24^th

Master Sommeliers wine Dinner & Reception with Guest Chefs – The Commodore Room: 6:30pm

Six exquisite courses prepared by Executive Chef Ladeger and four guest Chefs with a parallel pairing of old and new world wines for each course.

Saturday May 25^th

Whites wines from France – The Mariner Room: 2pm

Bordeaux From Around the World – The Quarterdeck Room: 4pm

The “Grand Tasting” Gala Event – The Grand Ballroom: 7-10:30pm

The reception will be held in the Grand Ballroom with over 50 vineyards and top-notch cuisine ranging from fine cheeses to scrumptious barbeque.

Sunday May 26^th

Beer for Breakfast – Duke’s Place: 9:30am – 1:00pm

Rustic breakfast faire paired with delicious beers from Europe and other renowned parts of the world.

Australian Shiraz vs. French Rhone Syrah – The Quarterdeck Room: 2pm

Seafood on the Bay – The Lawn & Beach: 4 – 7pm

BBQ Seafood, Sushi Station, Paella Station will be accompanied by a variety of wonderful seafood pairing wines from over 20 wineries.

Cigars, Cognac, Spirits & Sweets – The Commodore Room Patio: 6-8pm

The Newport Beach Wine Festival is a proud sponsor of the 1221 Club Scholarship Fund, which raises funds throughout the year for exemplary local high school students who are college bound.

To book one or more of the Newport Beach Wine Festival events, please call 949-630-4146 or visit BalboaBayResort.com for more information.

This would be such a fun date activity to take your hubby to ~ click here to download a brochure with more information and pricing for each event!

One of our sponsors, Abiding Savior Lutheran Church and School, a darling South Orange County Christian school is having a Preschool Information Day coming up next week I wanted to share with you.

Abiding Savior Preschool is a Christ-centered, developmental learning environment for children between the ages of 2.8 to 5 years of age.

My nephew goes to Abiding Savior. Here he is in his class at the front table surrounded by cute girls (smart boy, right?)…

The preschool offers weekly chapel, a vegetable and flower garden, music, indoor and outdoor activities, credentialed teachers, extracurricular activities such as dance, sports and Spanish, along with extended care and summer programs.

You can take your children and learn more at their special information day coming up.

Here is the info:

Abiding Savior Preschool Information Day

Classes for children age 3 to Pre K

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013

8:45am – 11:30am

Meet in the Adult Education room for coffee at 8:45am where you will have the opportunity to learn about the program and tour the preschool classrooms. Children are welcome.

Please RVSP to Director of Admissions Paula Carroll at 949-830-1460, ext. 133 or email pcarroll {at} abidingsavior.com.

Preschool Summer Camp 2013

Summer is almost here! If you are looking for a fun Christian preschool summer camp for your kiddo, you have to check out Abiding Savior’s Preschool Summer Camp Program.

Preschool summer camp is open to children who are 3 years old and potty-trained through age 5 and entering Kindergarten in the Fall.

They offer flexible enrollment with 2, 3 and 5-day weekly camp sessions with 3 convenient time options:

Morning only: 9am – 12pm

Morning plus: 9am – 3:30pm

Full day: 7am – 6pm

They also offer optional occasional use of extended care for only $8/hour. Such a nice option for OC mamas!

For those moms interested in looking into South Orange County Christian private schools beyond the preschool years, Abiding Savior has classes up to 8th grade.  Please contact Paula for more information about their wonderful school.

www.AbidingSavior.com 

[Disclosure: Abiding Savior is a Tiny Oranges Sponsor.]

The ImageMakers contest is a national kids’ photography competition organized by the Boys & Girls Club of America where club members ages 6 to 18 enter their photographs and compete through local and regional contests before competing in a field of 4,000 entries at the National Headquarters.

Over 800 entries were submitted for the Pacific Regional Contest, which draws from seven western states, and the Pacific Regional Winners’ work will be on display in Orange County at the Laguna Art Museum from April 21st – May 19th in the museum’s Young Artists Society Gallery.

To celebrate the exhibit’s opening, they are hosting an exhibition opening reception on Sunday, April 21st, 2013 from 2:00 – 4:00pm. Admission to the reception is free and reservations are not required.

The Young Artists Society Gallery is located on the lower level of the museum’s gallery space and features art work by K-12 students from Orange County schools and non-profit groups throughout the year.

I think this would be an inspiring exhibit to take your children to experience and show them the beauty and creativity that can be expressed through photography; even starting at a very young age.

ImageMakers National Photography Contest: Pacific Regional Winners
Opening Reception
Sunday, April 21st, 2013 ~ 2:00 – 4:00pm
307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach
Reception is open to the public and admission for the event is free.

Regular admission prices are $7.00 admission; $5.00 students, seniors, active military. Children 12 and under are free.

The Easter Bunny has arrived at Irvine Park Railroad where your little cottontails can visit now through Saturday, March 30th at their annual Easter Eggstravaganza! I have tickets to giveaway below, make sure to enter. Thank you Easter Bunny!

Here are the festivities going on at this fun OC family Easter event!

Easter Egg Hunt 

Each day, there are Easter egg hunts organized by age and times. We went on Sunday and it was VERY well run.  More than enough for everyone and the girls had so much fun!

The eggs will be filled with candy, stickers, free train tickets and more.

Each hunt will be limited to a certain number of children so that all kids can find eggs. Bring your own Easter basket or purchase one there. The egg hunts may sell out, arrive early and get your wristband for your time of choice!

Meet the Easter Bunny

For the cost of a $10.00, children can meet and have their photo taken with the Easter Bunny. Each additional photo is $6.00. The Bunny is there weekends from 10am – 5pm and weekdays from 10am – 4pm.

Egg-cellent Activities

There will be other activities to enjoy during the Easter Eggstravaganza including train rides, hay rides, a moon bounce, Easter cookie decorating, carnival games, picture stands, face painting, and a lot more. Please visit www.irvineparkrailroad.com for details and costs.

Irvine Park Railroad opens daily at 10:00 AM. Irvine Park Railroad is located at 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: My family received complimentary media tickets to attend this event. 

Now that my kids are older I have learned that you have to plan out your summer activities early because many of the local OC summer camps and programs for kids start registration in the spring, which is just around the corner. To make summer planning easier, I wanted to share a special event going on this weekend!

Parenting OC  is hosting their 2013 Summer Opportunities Jamboree this Saturday, March 9th, 2013 from 10am – 3pm at The Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove, a new world-class 100,000 square foot multi-use athletic facility.

The annual event features over 70 exhibitors and gives families the opportunity to plan their family’s summer activities face-to-face with representatives from local outdoor OC summer camps, family travel destinations and performing arts programs.

Other attractions at the event include Parenting OC’s Cutest Kid Cover Contest, sports and fitness demonstrations and a family fun zone. Scheduled to appear are the Minions from the upcoming film Despicable Me 2 and TV’s newest dance star, seven-year-old Asia Monet Ray from Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition.

Parking is $5; 100% will be donated to benefit Empty Benches, a nonprofit dedicated to youth sports involvement and a source of funding to athletes who otherwise would not be able to participate.

I hope you can check it out, enjoy the festivities and get some fun ideas to keep the kiddos entertained this summer!

 Next Level Sports Complex
(click here to view location on Google Maps)
12821 Knott Street
Garden Grove, CA 92841
714.230.0706