Tiny Oranges – Fresh, fun blog for OC moms

Michele from Play Parks Central has been raving about this cookbook…perfect gift to ask for this Mother’s Day mamas!  She writes…

“It’s no secret I’m a Trader Joe’s fanatic. I’m such a devoted customer/(TJ Freak) that I can tell when the Fearless Flyer is coming out because I notice the new products on the shelves. So imagine how excited I was when my sister gifted me a copy of the “Cooking With All Things Trader Joe’s” cookbook by Deana Gunn and Wona Miniati. The cookbook is not affiliated with Trader Joe’s – but these two women invented delectable and EASY recipes around TJ’s unique ingredients. For those true TJ-ers, you are probably thinking what I thought: “the inventory turns over so quickly, how can they keep current?” Well, they’ve pretty much chosen staples and I haven’t run into anything they don’t carry anymore. Beyond that, they have a blog where they are rolling out new recipes to stay up with the times.

How good is this cookbook? I reluctantly loaned it out to a friend (what if I needed to cook something and didn’t have a recipe?) – because she wanted to make copies of just the recipes she liked. She handed it back a few hours later and said, “I’m just asking for it for Mother’s Day. There are too many good ones.” And did I mention EASY? My favorites: Asian Dumpling Soup, Italian Wedding Soup, Comfy Chicken Pot Pie, Soyaki Broiled Salmon . . . I got it as a gift for another friend and we text page numbers back and forth on what we’re having for dinner. I know Tiny Oranges mommies will save time and find some kid-friendly meals in the cookbook’s pages.”

Looking for a new park to try out this weekend?  Make sure to visit Michele’s amazing website: www.funorangecountyparks.com, the BEST resource for Orange County parks, including cool new maps!

Have a great one everyone! You still have time to enter Monday’s giveaway!  Email me to enter, check post for details.

Click here for more easy recipes on Tiny Oranges.

This guest blog was sent from Kristin of Kristin Eldridge Photography…hence the amazing pictures!  They sure beat my snapshots when we visit!  HA!   This park looks amazing, Kristin writes…

“My new favorite park is Livingston Park in Belmont Shores. It’s located just around the corner from 2nd St.- a collection of the coolest shops and eateries in Long Beach. The park lives up to all the hype with space age features in a vibrant color palette. My favorite part of the park is the way it’s divided into section for various age groups. The entire park is gated in, so I can sip my latte, have an adult conversation and know that my 8 year old, 6 year old, 4 year old and our 2 year old play date will all play happily on age appropriate equipment.”

Click here to see more pictures of this park on Kristin’s blog.

Livingston Park
4900 E. Livingston Drive
{at Livingston Drive & Park Avenue}
Long Beach, CA 90803

Click here for a map!

Thanks Kristin!  This park looks amazing, we will definitely be checking it out!

Here is a fun outing idea from a local mom.  Sally writes…

“We took our 2 1/2 year old son bowling at Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley and we a blast! It was a great activity for little ones.  They put up bumpers and have a contraption where the kids can roll the ball down a metal ramp in order to be able to knock all the pins over.   My son went nuts watching the bowling ball crash into the pins. It was a very cheap and fun afternoon activity.  Not sure why but for some reason Fountain Bowl was much cheaper than than Irvine Lanes which we have also been to as well.”   – Sally, Costa Mesa

Click here for hours and directions.  Have a great weekend everyone! You have until 5PM PST today to enter the ZaZaGallery giveaway. Check Monday’s post for details!

Another great guest blog from a local mom…Pam writes:

“My best mommy treat/sanity saving/energy boosting thing right now is my Keurig one cup coffee maker. When I need my first cup in the morning I need it NOW and this is so fast and easy and delicious. LOVE IT! It’s also great for a quick cup of tea at the end of the day.  There are a bunch of different coffee flavors (“pods”) that you can buy online. I love the Newman’s organic extra bold and they sell those pods by the box at Costco which is handy. You can also use your own ground coffee if you don’t want to use a pod every time. ” – Pam, Aliso Viejo mom of 3

Have a tip to share? Email me at info@tinyoranges.com and if I use your guest blog, I will send you a Starbucks card for a coffee on me!

This awesome idea was sent to be one of our readers Sabrina. I thought it was brilliant!

She writes…

“We’ve started our “birthday season” today, it seems like every weekend for the next couple of months we have a party to go to. So I’ve been doing the usual and buying the reusable bags from Toys R Us to wrap my gifts.  But as I was watching the little birthday girl open her presents today I noticed that so many people had brought their gifts in the traditional gift bags. The majority of them we’re thrown into the trash along with the tissue paper and wrapping paper. Although these bags are great when reused, they rarely are.  I know personally that when I give them as gift bags the parents are more grateful than the children. They love using them as grocery bags or reusing them as gift bags. They are only $1.49 at Toys R Us and come in different designs. There are many places that sell reusable bags but I’ve found that Toys R Us has the cutest designs.”

Thanks so much Sabrina for the great idea!

Have a tip to share?  Email me at info@tinyoranges.com and if I use your guest blog, I will send you a Starbucks card for a coffee on me!