Tiny Oranges – Fresh, fun blog for OC moms

We recently realized we have not taken a family vacation in the last three years since we had our daughter! Seeing that our days of being a family of three are limited and traveling somewhere in my 3rd trimester was not a good idea, we thought it would be fun to do a local staycation! We called it our “Siblingmoon” as it would be the last time the three of us would get dedicated time together. No offense to Little Sister on the way, but we thought it would be special to do one last trip before she joins us!

So early this week, my husband took off work, we both totally “unplugged” and ventured off to the beautiful Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa for two nights.  The property recently opened Slyders, an extraordinary $4 million dollar activities pool and water playground, the only one of its kind along the OC coast. 

Can I tell you how wonderful it was to pack up the car and be at our destination in 15 minutes?! It was completely stress-free and EASY! I have to say after having so much fun locally, I don’t know if we would travel far for a family vacation again!

The property is absolutely breathtaking. It is definitely a luxury resort, with an upscale California casual feel, and is incredibly family-friendly. There are several beautiful water fountains on the expansive manicured grounds, a cute little Village with shops and restaurants, and even a Pizzeria and game room. It was fun just letting her run around and explore the property. One night we took the lighthouse bridge over to the beach and took a beautiful walk to the Huntington Beach Pier.

Our room was AMAZING. We stayed in a suite with an ocean view and a wonderful balcony where we had breakfast each morning. There is really nothing better than breakfast with an ocean breeze! Staying in a suite made it so nice as we could put our daughter down for bed while my husband and I could stay up and play cards (we LOVE cribbage – and only play on vacation!) without waking her. It was so ultra-relaxing….oh just typing this makes me want to go back!

Let me tell you about Slyders.  It is, simply put, family paradise! With the exception of taking about a 30 minute break for lunch, my daughter was in the water for probably seven straight hours! It has many features to keep little ones and parents entertained throughout the day – 3 water slides, two fire pits, a pool cafe and bar, a toddler wading pool and oversized Jacuzzi.

Throughout the day, our daughter “rotated” from one pool feature to the next. First she would play around in the one foot wading pool (PERFECT for little ones!), then she would want to play in the big pool, then into the massive Jacquzzi to warm up.  Since my belly rendered me un-waterslidable, my husband took her down the little waterslide about a hundred times. She just couldn’t get enough! She also loved the inner tubes and baby floats the pool had for the kids. You don’t even have to pack your pool toys! We literally had to drag her up to the hotel room at the end of the day, she didn’t want to leave.

On the second day we had a few local friends to visit and rented a cabana to celebrate her birthday. Yes, you can host a pool party at this hotel! Isn’t that awesome? Their pool party packages are so fabulous, it warrants its own post. I will do one next week – stay tuned!

I could go on and on about how amazing the resort is and how much fun we had. I wish we had more time to take advantage of everything the hotel had to offer! They have Camp Hyatt and SophistiKids programs for kids, beach cruiser rentals, Beach Butler service, pool activities like “Dive-In Movies” at night, fire pits for roasting s’mores by the pool or on the beach (s’mores kits available at the grocer in the Village), and the list goes on and on. I guess we just have to go back and make this a yearly tradition!

AND, for locals, starting Sept. 8th (after Labor Day), you will be able to purchase day passes to Slyders Pool! Cost is $15/child (kids 2 and under free)and $25/adult. It includes access to the pool for the day as well as reduced valet parking rate of $6. Definitely something to keep on your radar, as this pool would be such a fun place to take your family, especially with our gorgeous Fall weather.

So, if you are wanting to get away this summer, but don’t want to spend the money to fly or drive some place far away, the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa is the IDEAL destination for a memorable family staycation! 

At the risk of sounding corny, but I truly believe it, this was one of the most special times we have shared together as a family. I will carry the memories of our stay there for a long time to come.

Have a great weekend everyone! Here are some pics of our adventures at the Hyatt!

When my daughter arrived 2 1/2 weeks early we were soooooo ill prepared on so many fronts!   I meant to send out a cute email announcing her arrival with pictures, but by the time we got home from the hospital, I was so overwhelmed I never got around to it.   My husband sent a basic one to a few family and friends, but that was about it.

This time around, things will be different!   I LOVE getting the email with pictures when friend’s babies arrive.  They are my favorite emails to receive.   That’s why I was so thrilled to find out about First Announcement.   

It is a totally FREE service and a fun and stylish way to e-announce the happy news.  All you do is register, log in, pick a design (cute, albeit limited options), and then you can pre-load your email list ahead of time.    I had my contacts imported from Outlook, then you select who will receive the email.  It was super easy and again, you can do it AHEAD of time! 

Then when the baby arrives, all you have to do is enter in the ”stats”, upload a picture and click “send!” Something even the dads can do on their own!

So, I want to know, other than of course buying your husband a World’s Greatest Dad mug (hee hee), how are YOU celebrating dad this Sunday???

I would love to hear your ideas on how you make the day extra special for the hard-working daddies in your lives! 

Please share your plans in the “Comments” section below! 

I have been in TURBO nesting mode lately! This past weekend, my husband and I worked on the nursery most all day.  I feel so much better!

I posted a few weeks back about my little project to do my own nursery letters to spell her little name on the wall.  It was really pretty easy (with hubby’s help!) and less expensive than buying custom ones in the store.   Here is how we did it:

Supplies:

* 1/8 ” thick plywood cut into the size you want to display the letters (I did 10″ x 10″ squares)

* Wooden letters purchased at any kid’s store or website.  I bought KidKraft 8″ white letters for $4.95 at Bergstrom’s. 

* Enough fabric to cover the front of the wood square. I bought mine through Pixie Dust Decor. Enter coupon code PN20 for 20% off your entire order from now until 10/1!  Or, enter PDHOSTESS for 25% your entire order from now until 7/8!  

* Ribbon to hang squares. I got 10 yards of ribbon, and did the ribbon pretty long (2′ each side.)

* Staple gun or regular stapler

* Small wood screws & a drill bit (husband had to help me with this part!)

Steps:

1. Cut plywood into the size squares you would like to mount the letters on.

2. Cut fabric into pieces to cover the front side of the wood.

3. “Wrap” the fabric around the backside of the square, almost like wrapping a present. Staple fabric to wood with a staple gun or regular stapler. We got by with using a regular stapler, but a staple gun would likely work much better.
P.S. Those are hubby’s hairy arms, not mine!

4. Cut ribbon into the sizes you want to hang. Staple ribbon to the top of the square in the back and tie a pretty bow at the top so you can hang them.

5.  Attaching the letters to the front of the fabric square (this part written by my hubby who did them for me!)

A. Use small wood screws that are long enough to go through your wood squares and adequately screw into the wood letters.
B. Center the letter on the wood square. Lift the letter and mark 2 spots on the wood square where you would like the screw to hold the letter. It is best to screw the letter in 2 spots, preferable in opposite corners.
C. Make a small (1/8″) cut in the fabric where you made the 2 marks in step B. This prevents the fabric from gathering around the drill bit. Drill small holes through the wood square.
D. Turn the wood square over and screw in your wood screws. Do not screw in all the way, but allow the screw to protrude slightly through the fabric side of the square.
E. Again center the letter on the wood square. When it is in position push the letter down on the protruding screw tips.
F. While holding the letter on the wood square, flip the square so the letter is face down on a solid surface. Screw in the wood screws into the letter.
G. Make sure the letter is flush with the wood square and secure.
    

Step 7 – TA DA!  You are done!   I did mine in alternating fabric backgrounds.  It looks SO cute on the nursery wall!  I don’t want to post a picture just yet of the finished product in her room as I don’t want to reveal her name just yet!  Will do so after she arrives!   And no, it doesn’t start with “R!” Hee hee…  

Happy Crafting!

A few weeks back, I posted that I wanted to compile the Ultimate Hospital Bag Checklist with your help! Thanks to your awesome comments and input, I think this is a pretty great, comprehensive list!  

Click here to download the Ultimate Hospital Bag Checklist!

Please pass this on to any friends that are expecting, and in case I happened to forget anything that you think is essential,  feel free to comment and I can always amend the list!   It can be a work in progress!

Thanks again to everyone who commented.  I am going to pack my bag in a couple of weeks, and you really helped me out!  Thanks again! Jen

{Cute hospital bag in graphic from Babytime Bags}