A Family-Friendly OC Oktoberfest!

My husband’s father (Siegfried!) is from Germany, his mother is from Switzerland and I have some German in me too through mother’s side, so a love of Oktoberfest runs in our family!

Those are my two little German girls pictured above. My youngest is wearing her aunt’s authentic dirndl from Germany which is over 40 years old!  I just LOVE it when I get to put one of them in this get up come October, which has now been passed down from big sister.

Over the years we have tested out many OC Oktoberfest celebrations and have found The Phoenix Club in Anaheim to be home of our very favorite family-friendly event. 

Whether you are German or not, this Oktoberfest is SO MUCH FUN, you will want to get your Chicken Dance on and shake your tail feathers like you are!

Open every weekend now through October 28th, every Sunday is family day opening at 11am….

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5 Must Have Baby Items (from a second-time mom!)

[Photo credit: Sandy Heit Photography]

This is a guest post written by my sister, Suzanne, a new second-time mom of my three-month-old nephew Gavin. Since I have been out of the newborn world for awhile, I asked her to write about her favorite and most used baby items from a real mom currently in the trenches. Even if you aren’t having another baby soon, I always love useful gift ideas for new moms!  Here is what she wrote…

“I’m sure there must be hundreds of blog posts and magazine articles with this title.

BUT…after making some unnecessary purchasing mistakes the first time around, I couldn’t help wanting to share my (not so!) humble opinions on a few of my favorite baby items…

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OC Pumpkin Patches

Along with Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte…this is one of my favorite Fall traditions!  Here is a list of some local Orange County pumpkin patches for the 2012 pumpkin season. Please comment below if you have any other OC pumpkin patches to share!  Happy pumpkin hunting…

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How to Clean Your Diamond Ring

For my 10 year anniversary last fall, Bruce of Gramercy Gifts in Newport Beach created a new wedding ring for me using my original diamond in a brand new halo setting. Something old, something new!  When I got my new ring, I thought it was an opportune time to ask an expert jeweler something have always wondered about ~  what is the best way to clean my diamond ring at home? 

I have bought fancy jewelry cleaners from the swap meet and various other ones throughout the years, but never knew if they were worth the money.

Bruce’s answer surprised me, so I am excited to share this inside scoop with you. It it cheap, easy and doesn’t include fancy jewelry cleaning solutions!  Here is what he suggested for those times you want to clean your diamond, whether at home, while traveling, or anytime.

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Jumpstart Read for the Record 2012 [ + Giveaway]

Jumpstart, a national early education non-profit organization, annual Read for the Record event is coming up and I wanted to share the information with you! This year, on Thursday, October 4th, 2012 Jumpstart will host nearly 250 Read for the Record events where people from all over pledge to read the same book on the same… Continue reading Jumpstart Read for the Record 2012 [ + Giveaway]