Tiny Oranges – Fresh, fun blog for OC moms

I wanted to do a post on our Top 5 Orange County parks in case anyone might be looking for a fabulous new park to visit on this holiday (weather permitting!)

And of course, for the most comprehensive, awesome site to visit for information on OC parks and playgrounds, visit my friend Michele’s blog, FunOrangeCountyParks.com.

Here are my Top 5 Picks:

1. Bluebird Park Laguna Beach – Hands down my absolute favorite park in Orange County. A must visit. Worth the drive!

2. Irvine Terrace Park Corona del Mar - Beautiful, peek-a-boo views of Newport Harbor. Great equipment for all ages.

3. Dinosaur Park Laguna Hills – Unique attractions like “fossils” and a huge dinosaur skeleton for the kiddos to explore.

4. Castle Park Irvine – The kids love the huge castle that they can run around. Fab winter park, gets toasty in the summer.

5. Balboa Pier Playground – Love this “smack on the sand” playground. This is a multifaceted outing…in one trip you can hit the playground, walk out on the pier to get a shake at Ruby’s Diner, explore and get in a game of skee ball at the Balboa Fun Zone, even take the ferry over to Balboa Island in the same trip.

PLEASE do comment below on your absolute favorite OC parks to visit – I always love new playgrounds to explore.  Have a super fun day of play everyone!

xo

Jen

This outing has been on my list to blog about for a llooonnnngggg time!  I took my girls last summer to the Bowers Kidseum and it was a fabulous OC family outing.

Located in Santa Ana, the Bowers Kidseum is an extension of the Bowers Museum and offers a ton of cultural hands-on experiences for little ones.

From tribal masks to international drums, international dress-up to art labs, kids are encouraged to touch, explore and play all the while learning about different cultures and traditions.

I love a good, fairly inexpensive OC outing that is also educational!

Adults + kids 2 and up are $6/each (2 and under free)

And everyone can visit the Bowers Museum, Kidseum and enjoy activities for FREE the first Sunday of the month for Target Free First Sunday compliments of Target.com.

Click here for hours and directions.

When I came across this fabulous list on local Orange County blog Just Spotted on the Best Christmas Lights in OC I had to share! Just the other day I was looking to drive my girls around to look at lights and didn’t know the best places to go.

Thanks Just Spotted ladies for the fabulous resource!

Click here to see their great list by city.

Happy viewing…

In our little Costa Mesa neighborhood there is a yearly tradition, a holiday display like no other, affectionately called by those who know it as “The Snoopy House.”

When The Snoopy House goes up in December, we take the kids to see it almost nightly. I have memories of taking Emma starting when she was just a year old.

It is hard to explain why it is so enchanting, you just have to see it for yourself.

This display has been going up for 44 years. Yes, the Jordan family has been doing this massive display for two generations, so it was a very sad day when our little community got word that the property had been foreclosed and The Snoopy House was not to be this year.

“NOOOOOOOO!” Parents everywhere cried! It seriously it part of how we celebrate Christmas in our neighborhood!

The community was in an uproar, it was almost daily news (thank you Daily Pilot for keeping us up to date!)

Parents held their breaths as we waited to hear if the Snoopy display would be going up this year after all in a new location.

And it did! Last week, after a team of volunteers helped to bring the magic alive, The Snoopy House display is now up for all to see thanks to the City of Costa Mesa in front of Costa Mesa City Hall.

Visitors can see the display nightly from 5 – 10pm through New Year’s Eve. Santa will be visiting today through 12/23 from 7 – 9pm where families can get free photos with Santa.

My family went to the new location this weekend. They had free cider and kids were running around with the spirit of Christmas in their hearts. It is definitely worth the drive to check it out. It is a Charlie Brown Christmas after all! 

Click here for details on this event.

Local families are invited to a special “Breakfast with Santa” holiday event tomorrow, Dec. 17th, at UltraLuxe Cinemas in the Anaheim GardenWalk.

Santa Claus will be in town to meet and greet star-eyed guests from 9 – 11 a.m. so bring your cameras and holiday wish lists to get in those last minute requests!

Hosted by Los Angeles radio personality Chris Martinez, “Breakfast with Santa” will feature a buffet breakfast provided by Bubba Gump and a host of fun activities including holiday-themed face painting, music, games, prizes and more.

As part of the event, UltraLuxe is also offering  free admission to a special 11:30 a.m. screening of its December Kidtoons feature, OLIVIA Wintertime Cheer, with every ticket purchase.

Tickets for “Breakfast with Santa” are now on sale at the UltraLuxe box office or online at www.ultrastarmovies.com. Admission is $15 for adults and $7 for children. Children ages 2 and under are free. A ticketing fee of $1.95 applies to online purchases.

UltraLuxe Cinemas is located at Anaheim GardenWalk on the upper level at 321 W. Katella Ave. Free parking for 4 hours is provided with validation at the movie theater. Parking structure entrances are located off both Katella Ave. and Disney Way.

My family is going tomorrow to check out this event and the girls are very excited.  We adore OLIVIA in this house! Have a jolly weekend everyone!

[Disclosure: My family will receive complimentary media tickets to this event. Lucky us!]