Cavalia Odysseo Gallops into Burbank for a Limited Time

"What do horses dream about? The same thing we do: Freedom."

From the moment we knew Cavalia was coming back to Burbank, my husband had been asking me if I thought that we would be invited to a media preview. Every now and then (not often) he is even more excited than I am about a certain show, product or event. Cavalia is THAT show. We were fortunate enough to see it last year and it blew us away. We were even more fortunate to have had a date night, and no date night since has even come close. So when the invite showed up in my inbox to a new show Odysseo, I didn't even have to ask if he wanted to go see the show. It was a guaranteed yes!

This time we decided to bring our youngest daughter with us to experience. While we were trying to explain the "horse show" to her by using words like amazing, magical, awesome, I could tell she wasn't sure what to expect, and this child is one who can be skeptical of trying new things. At one point before we left she said to me, "I don't like horses, I'm allergic to horses." Really dude? Allergic? (Where do they get this stuff?) But once she saw the big white tents (which you can see from miles away) she started getting excited. Apparently she grew out of the whole horse allergy thing pretty quick. 

The lights dimmed, the horses came out and she was in awe from the start. We were sitting only 5 rows back from the stage, which gave us an amazing up-close view of everything that was happening. The music was really ethereal, and almost hypnotic. The set was incredible and I kept feeling like I was in Oz. It definitely has a cirque type feel to it, just with horses. 

What's so unique about Cavalia is that it gives you a chance to see horses in a way that unless you are an equestrian, you would never get to see. They are running wild with their hair flowing. God how I just want to brush their hair. I especially love the "horse girl" as I like to call her who at one point worked alone for like 20 minutes with a group of ponies. Every guy in the place had an instant crush on her. Heck I think all of the girls had a crush on her too. (blonde bottom left)

But the show is not all horse. There are "human" performances too. There is a band of African brothers that stole the show. They flipped. They flopped. They made human pyramids. (Reminded me of my old cheerleading days) They sang, danced and chanted. I must also mention that there is an incredible part in the show where a huge carrousel get lowered down from the ceiling. Yes the ceiling! Then the acrobats do things on the poles that will boggle your mind. Holding themselves completely vertical while the carrousel spins round and round. It was my favorite part, I think.

Right before the show ends they fill the stage with water and the the horse prance, trot, gallop and run through the water. The whole cast does. Needless to say they got a standing ovation from the crowd, except from me. Oh don't get me wrong, I would have stood but I had a newly converted horse-lover asleep on my lap.

Cavalia Odysseo runs in Burbank, CA (my hometown) from now until March 24th. GO SEE IT!!! Hopefully I will get to go again, as my 85 year old grandmother is dying to see it!

Here's how to get your own tickets and see the beauty for yourself:

Buy Tickets ONLINE

or call the Toll-Free Number: 1-866-999-8111 everyday from 9am to 10pm

Prices range from $34.50 to $159.50

Fresh Mom Tips: I HIGHLY recommend seeing Cavalia: Odyesso. My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed it. However I warn about taking younger children to the weeknight (school night) performance at 8pm. My 5 year old was asleep by intermission. Looking around at the other wee ones it was definitely a late night for the 7 and under crowd. They have snacks and alcohol for sale (whee) along with a concession stand that sells all sorts of Odysseo swag.

Disclosure: My family was invited to Opening Night for a Media Preview to this incredible show. (Special thanks to David, Tim, Peter, and Andy.) All thoughts are 100% mine and 100% fresh. 

You're Invited to a New Years Eve Party at Knotts

Look at this face.

This is the look of pure joy.

It's my 5 year old the last time we were at Knott's Berry Farm.

What parent in their right mind wouldn't want to create this feeling in their child over and over again. So when I got invited to ring in the New Year with my family at Knott's, I am jumping at the chance. I can't wait to see this happy face again. She's a huge fan of Camp Snoopy. On our last trip, she had to have road on this ride below like at least 20 times. (not an exaggeration) Check out my daughter & That's It Mommy's daughter having a blast!

Here are some reasons that you may want to check out the theme park on Dec 31st too:

They're Open on New Year's Eve til 1am.

There will be not one but two dance parties, live bands, DJs and salsa dance instructions.

A Special Performance of Snoopy on Ice.

The Show at Camp Snoopy, "Happy New Year Charlie Brown."

The fantastical "Snoopy's Magical Night of Lights."

When the clock strikes twelve, a "Midnight Mayhem Fireworks Show."

It's going to be a PARTY with the Peanuts Gang & we can't wait to say goodbye to 2012 and welcome in 2013 with our favorite beagle.

Fresh Tip: If you're looking for a great gift to give to your So Cal friends or family members, a Knotts Season Pass is only $66.99. For the whole 2013 year! Or you can break it down into payments of $11.16 if you buy online now through January 13th. So affordable right? That's the gift that keeps on giving the entire year!

Disclosure: I was not paid for this post. I will be attending the New Year's Eve Party as media, tickets will be given to me and my family. Thanks to Knott's for inviting us! The opinions on this blog are 100% mine and 100% fresh!

Santa Snoopy with my family: The holiday season at Knotts

Santa Snoopy and my family: Celebrating the Holiday Season at Knotts Berry Farm

It's that time of year when we're all running around like crazy baking cookies, decorating our homes, going to holiday parties, shopping for everyone on our list and trying to finish up all of the last minute projects of the year. Recently we have started to make an effort to do more family activities together. Taking the time out of this busy season to enjoy each other's company because our eldest child will be heading off to college in the fall. Eek! My children are growing up faster then I'd like to admit. With a senior, a junior, a sophomore in high school and a kindergartner my home is going to be empty really soon. So when we got invited to spend a day together at Knott's Berry Farm, it was another great excuse for my teenagers to hang out with the family. The last time we went it was for Camp Spooky during October and had so much fun.

It was my kid's first time at Knott's Merry Farm, which is what they call it during the holiday season, from Thanksgiving til Jan 6th. Everything is decked out so beautifully. If you had any doubt, Knott's really goes all out this time of year. It's filled with holiday spirit and cheer. There are sparkling lights through out the park, which are my favorite. There is plenty of unique gifts on sale from artisans, that have handmade one-of-a-kind treasures at Christmas Crafts Village. They even have a new ice show and a holiday parade with all of the Peanuts Gang and Santa!

With rides of all sizes Knott's can keep my children of all ages having a good time at the park. Our youngest likes to spend her day in Camp Snoopy, while my older kids run around hopping on the big roller coasters. Perfect for a family day when you want to escape all of the hustle and bustle of December. My sister Tracey and her girls were there too, she talks about Making Memories with Snoopy on her blog.

As we look back on our day, I know that I will never forget the time she got to decorate cookies with Snoopy. This moment is definitely going down in the magical holiday moments hall of fame!

Warning: Your heart may melt once you see these photos and watch this video!

Fresh Tip: If you're looking for a great gift to give to your So Cal friends or family members, a Knotts Season Pass is only $66.99. For the whole 2013 year! Or you can break it down into payments of $11.16 if you buy online now through January 13th. So affordable right? That's the gift that keeps on giving the entire year!

Disclosure: I was not paid for this post. I was given passes for me and my family to attend a holiday media preview. Thanks to Knott's for inviting us! The opinions on this blog are 100% mine and 100% fresh!

Knotts Berry Farm hosts Camp Spooky Halloween Event

Knotts Berry Farm hosted Mom Bloggers and their families at their not-so-scary Halloween Event, Snoopy's Costume Party at Camp Spooky this past weekend. (Not to be confused with Knotts Berry Farms VERY scary event, Knotts Scary Farm aka Halloween Haunt) We were thrilled to attend and see all of the pumpkins, fall decorations, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts Gang dressed up in Halloween Costumes. You can join in on the fun weekends in October. Here's a look into all of the festivities from our treat-filled day at Camp Snoopy!

Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus are having a Halloween Party and everyone's invited! Kids are encouraged to dress up and upon entering the park they all get a bag for trick or treating. They are given a map that helps them to locate all of the trick-or-treat stations on the the Spooky Ookie Scavenger Hunt. They can walk through the "Creepy Crawly Critter Cave" where they can look at bugs on display. (My daughter was not a fan, due to her fear of spiders.) There are so many rides made specifically for little ones including a mini coaster, plane rides, a ferris wheel, huff and puffers and even a big bouncer! *Fresh Tip #1 - Don't forget to bring a change of clothes for your child. My daughter got hot running around the park and wanted to change out of her costume, so luckily we had shorts handy.*

They have a cookie decorating station and story time inside Grizzly Creek Lodge. It is a great place to cool off throughout the day. You can listen to some "Scary Stories at the Lodge" while decorating a kooky cookie, what's more fun than that? There's also the Great Pumpkin Hay Bale Maze - one of my daughter's favorite attractions! Snoopy and his friends put on a "Spooktacular Show" made just for Halloween in the Camp Snoopy Theater. With so many activities make sure to stay hydrated and what better way than to cool off with a beverage! *Fresh Tip #2 - Buy Snoopy's Souvenir cup - Totally Cute! (It's buy 1 get 1 free!) To save even more, buy the drink wrist band for only $5 to have free refills the rest of the day!*

Make sure to bring your cameras and take photos of your kids with their favorite Peanuts Character, as they walk around the park in their Halloween Costumes. My daughter opted to get her face painted like a cat. Meow! (Face painting is an extra charge, not included in your ticket.) That artist did such a good job, she was so excited to see herself transformed into a fabulous feline. The staff was very helpful and friendly, as a mom those are two qualities that we can really appreciate when it comes to people interacting with our children.

Before we head home from we alway have to take a ride on the train, Calico Railroad! You know the one where the outlaws hold up the train by "gun point." It never fails to make all of us jump, even though we know they're coming. It's our favorite way to finish up our Knotts Day! *Fresh Tip #3 - Them bandits love to pose for pictures! It makes for some good shots... stick em up!

Disclosure: Special thanks to Knots Berry Farm team for inviting my family and I to experience Camp Spooky! We had a wonderful day! All opinions are 100% mine and 100% fresh!

"Call Me Maybe" Carly Rae Jepsen FREE Concert at CityWalk

WHO:

Pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen will be performing her infamous hit single “Call Me Maybe” TONIGHT 4/14 in a FREE concert at Universal CityWalk! The first 400 customers to buy her new single will be able to get it SIGNED after the show! The concert starts at 8:00pm with Carly going on at 9:00pm.

“5 Towers” at Universal CityWalk Calls Fans to Attend Carly Rae Jepsen’s

First Debut Concert Performance Featuring her Hit Single “Call Me Maybe”

WHAT: 

 Universal CityWalk’s “5 Towers” concert venue to feature a FREE live concert by breakout pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen.

“Call Me Maybe” co-written by Jepsen, has sold over 700K singles in the US in just 6 weeks and is climbing the iTunes chart, already cracking the Top 5. The Canadian-born singer/songwriter is poised for stardom after signing to Schoolboy Records/Interscope run by Scooter Braun and multi-platinum Schoolboy/RMBG/IDJ artist Justin Bieber.

Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” received an additional boost with a homemade viral video featuring Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale and other young stars who filmed themselves lip-synching and dancing to the song. The video racked up a million views in 24 hours and has gone on to earn over 28 million views on YouTube.

*The first 400 customers to purchase Carly Rae Jepsen’s new single, “Call Me Maybe” on site will receive a wristband for a CD signing following the performance.*

WHEN: 

 Saturday, April 14

Live Entertainment Begins at 8PM

Carly Rae Jepsen Performance Begins at 9PM

WHERE: 

 “5 Towers” concert venue – 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608

PARKING: 

 Enter Universal Studios Blvd. off the 101 Freeway or Universal Hollywood Drive off Lankershim Blvd.

Accepted or Rejected?

Today is the big day. The day the school of our choice sends out a letter that will change the course of our daughter’s life. Forever. We have sent in all of the paperwork including application, teacher’s letters of recommendation, report cards and financial aid forms. We visited the school on numerous occasions. Attended the various Open Houses. Shook hands and smiled a lot at the meet and greets. And divluged out our inner most secrets at the parent interview. Our daughter did both small AND large group assessment. We’ve gone to the question and answer sessions with the faculty. We’ve toured the campus with current students as our guides. And most recently we attended a Diversity Breakfast. Now we play the waiting game… to see if all of our time, energy and hard work will pay off. No, our daughter isn’t a high school senior trying to get into Harvard or Yale, she’s 4 and we are trying to get her into private school Kindergarten in Los Angeles.

To some this process sounds bit absurd for a preschool child, but to parents of children that live within the LAUSD borders it sounds all too familiar. Our neighborhood school is (to put it nicely) less than desirable, and even though we live in a great area, there are good and not so good pockets on every other street in Los Angeles. If our daughter does not get into this private school, and we do not get picked in the various lotteries of other excellent local charter/magnet schools that we have applied to, we will be forced to move. We feel it is our only option, and last resort.

I grew up and went to school in Burbank where they have their own excellent school district so all of this is new to me. There was never a question about what school I would attend. Private school was never even a thought in my mother’s head. I mean why on earth would you pay for your child to go to school? We lived in a house across the street from a great elementary school, so we went there. After graduation, we went to corresponding middle school, and then high school. They were all good schools, and I had a great learning experience with excellent opportunities. I will accept nothing less for my own child.

So for the next few days forgive me if I seem on edge. I AM ON EDGE. I’m also distracted and nervous, which when blended all together, make a really lovely combo. Just ask my husband. The last few months have all been leading up to this moment, this one little letter of acceptance or rejection for our four year old.

A Medieval Night to Remember

Taylar turned 14 last week, and we went to Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament to celebrate.

It was was opening night of the all new show, and we were excited to be attending. I hadn't been there since before we had Kaia, and they've made a lot of changes since then. It's now a 2 hour show filled with more Rivalry and more Revelry! The lighting and the colors throughout were really vibrant, and helped bring the castle-inspired arena to life. There is more jousting, sword fights and horsemanship then ever before. And who says chivalry is dead, Taylar caught one of the flowers tossed by our Yellow Knight, which she immediately had to hand over to Kaia. (little sisters can be such a pain) They've enhanced menu options too, but still no silverware! They start you off with a hot cauldron of "Dragon Soup." (Tomato Bisque) The main course immediately follows with warm focaccia bread, oven roasted chicken, a spare rib and large herb potato wedges. (They also have a vegetarian option.) For dessert it's an apple pastry, pleasantly served warm. It was delicious especially with my decaf coffee. All of us (except my husband) took home to-go containers because it was a lot of food.

The most important thing to me is my family and I love making new memories with them, even more so on birthdays and special occasions. Last night was one of those knights (pun intended) for us. We were happy to make our daughter's 14th birthday a memorable one. Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament is a unique Los Angeles experience that takes you back in time, when Kings and Queens ruled, and knights were the thing to be. Thank you Medieval Times for allowing us to enjoy all of the new action, and excitement!

For more coverage on opening night, go check out my sister Becky's blog www.HappyHourMom.blogspot.com.
And see my "Fresh Tips" below on how to make the most out of your night.

Fresh Tips:

• Get there early and/or stay late. Before and after the show you can meet, greet and take photos with the cast. And moms, you do not want to miss your hand being kissed by one of these fine gentlemen. (Just ask my sister) Those knights sure are easy on the eyes! (I'm talking to you, Yellow Knight)

• Before the show make sure to visit the gift shoppe and purchase a flag for any of the younger members of your party. They cost next to nothing, but were priceless to us. Kaia was SO into the waving of the flags when it was our turn to cheer for our knight, she did it all the way home. (well half of the way, until she fell asleep in the car) FYI; the crowns are free!

• If you like, they will announce your special occasion over the loud speaker. Make sure to let them know ahead of time. It will make the birthday boy or girl feel that much more special when they hear their name spoken by the announcer (with Taylar turning 14, we were sworn to secrecy, and promised no funny birthday stuff - teenagers are no fun)

If you'd like to experience the adventure for yourself:

Medieval Times Website

Medieval Times Facebook

Medieval Times Twitter

Or simply call 1-888-WE-JOUST

Disclosure: I was not paid for this post. I was given passes for me and my family to attend a media preview. The opinions on this blog are 100% mine and 100% fresh!

Talk Nerdy To Me

One of the best parts about having an older sister is being able to wear their clothes. Since Kaia and Taylar are so far apart in age, they don't exactly wear the same size. Enter in the glamorous world of accessories! Kaia just loves wearing her older sister's glasses, mustaches necklace, and fedora hats. It sure is fun being a girl! And it's even more fun to be a girl in nerd glasses with a mustache, no? Wow times sure have changed! Heh. (photos taken on my iPhone and edited in Instagram.)

If you love these glasses as much as we do...

Hello Kitty Nerd Glasses from Sidecca.
(I couldn't find them online, but we bought them at the store in the Burbank Mall.)

Holidays at Disneyland: A Family Tradition

Going to Disneyland for the holidays is something that our family has done for a long time. It's a family tradition and in my family, ya don't mess with tradition!

It's something that we can all count on each year. We know that no matter how crazy things get, how hectic and busy our lives become that we will all come together and meet for a family date at Disneyland during the Christmas Season.

There's so much to see and do there that we actually have to go a few times during the holiday season just to get it all in. Thank god for annual passes. And even then, we still end up missing a few things - how is that even possible? But one thing we never miss is the Haunted Mansion Holiday, which is taken over by Jack Skellington and his friends! It's perfect for kids of all ages, and the whimsy of it all makes it a lot less scary.

This year was no different and we all planned a day to visit the Merriest place on earth. We attended the family media day and had some really special photo ops at the reception. The fact that our youngest daughter had quality one-on-one time with some of her favorite characters is absolutely priceless. I mean how many kids can say that they've played tag w/ Pinocchio?

It was an amazing day and we made a lot of family memories that I know I will treasure forever. That's one of the biggest reasons that moms love Disneyland, knowing that when you spend a day in the magic kingdom you're going to take with you a whole new set of moments. By the time we got to take our family photo at the ginormous tree on main street the youngest one was already asleep in the stroller. Oh well, looks like we will have to try again next year!

Holidays at the Disneyland Resort are not to be missed, so you must visit by January 8th to catch all of the festivities. For more info on all things Disney Holidays check out the WEBSITE. And when you visit the park, be sure to take one of those silly, crazy, awesome JUMPING pictures, like the one below! PRICELESS!!!!

Disclosure: I was not paid for this post. I was given passes for me and my family to attend a media preview day. The opinions on this blog are 100% mine and 100% fresh!