Today on Meet the Locals we are getting to know one of our contributors, Ashley C., from Freckleberry Finds. We love her here at East Valley Mom Guide, and I’m sure you will love getting to know her better too.

Tell us more about your site, you, and your family.

Hi! I’m Ashley. I blog over at Freckleberry Finds. What started out as a simple review and giveaway site has morphed into a blog dedicated to weight loss, health, and fitness. I blog about my daily struggles and triumphs, and my dreams of becoming a better runner! I am married to my high school sweetheart, Andrew, and we have three kids 5 and under – Emma, Micah, and Maisy.

What is your favorite local  restaurant?

Eggs T C in Queen Creek. If you have never been, order a breakfast burrito, but be prepared to take ¾ of it home with you! It’s the size of your forearm!

What is your favorite vacation spot in Arizona?

We have only lived in Arizona for about 10 months, so we haven’t had the opportunity to vacation much yet! I would love to visit the snowy mountains!

What is your favorite type of food?

BREAKFAST. Pancakes, eggs, cereal – I don’t discriminate!

What is your favorite section on your site?  What are a few posts from that section that you love?

My weight loss category. So much blood, sweat, and tears went into it, and I’m so glad it’s all documented! My favorite posts are How to get Weight Watchers for free, my post about all of my before and after measurements, and my recap of The Color Run!

What kinds of posts do you do a lot of?  What are your favorites?

Aside from weight loss updates, I do occasional recipe posts for healthified food. My faves are my BananaEgg Pancakes, Whole Wheat Pancakes (I told you I love breakfast!), and Creamy Tomato and Tortellini Soup.

What is your favorite season and why?

Fall! I love the cooler (kinda) temps, and the anticipation of the holiday season.

ASU or U of A?

My sister in law is an ASU alumna, so I will go with ASU. BUT my allegiance is to the University of Nebraska! Go Big Red!

Thanks for sharing with us Ashley! Make sure you look Ashley C. up on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

My hubby recently decided to take the day off from work and we went on a date.  We love to explore new restaurants when we have time together.  This time we found a tiny place called Essence Bakery Cafe located at 825 W. University Drive in Tempe.  It is close to everything and easy to get to. The cafe got some great reviews online so we thought we would give it a shot.

Essence Bakery Cafe might be a little place but that its size is the only thing little about it. The taste of their food is HUGE! Wow! They take pride in the food they serve and the flavors burst out of it.

When you walk in you can see a modest display of what they offer from the bakery. You can also order breakfast or lunch off the menu and Essence also offers a variety of beverages. They serve many organic items and try to buy locally as much as possible. To get an idea of how local, green, and environmentally friendly Essence is, check out what this list from their site:

• All remodeling was done “green”;
  i.e., paint was low VOC (volatile organic compounds emissions),
  the counter is made of recycled glass and concrete,
  the cabinetry and shelving are covered in natural bamboo,
  the Marmoleum floor is biodegradable,
  the overhead menu board is made from pressed sorghum stalks.
• We purchase from as many local farmers and vendors as possible.
• We serve as many sustainable and organic products as possible.
• We serve grass fed beef and free-range chicken.
• All menus are printed on 100% recycled paper.
• Take out cups for cold beverages are made from corn oil and are biodegradable.
• All to-go kraft paper packaging is recyclable.
• We recycle.

We tried Essence at breakfast and my hubby got an iced vanilla coffee and a croissant.

I got an almond croissant and a macaroon (which is what they are famous for). The top of the croissant was full of almonds and powdered sugar. Seriously, it does not need anything else. It has that perfect light sweet taste and the flakiness of the croissant all in one.  I wanted another one after I was done, but alas, I still has the macaroon. They are hands down THE best macaroons around.  I got the Dark Rum and Vanilla Bean Macaroon. It literally melted in my mouth. The light cream inside the macaroon and the sweet dome shaped cookie just melded SO well together.  Don’t like the flavor of the one I had? No worries, they have about 6-10 other flavors to choose from.

I did not try any of their cafe menu items as were too full after having the croissants and drinks. I would go again in a heartbeat. I did think the prices were a little high but I am not normally an organic person so it might be right in line with organic foods We got two croissants (one with almonds), one macaroon, an iced vanilla coffee, and an organic orange juice, and that total came to $17.50 approximately.  Honestly though, considering the pride they take in their food, the  flavors, and the fact that they buy locally, I think it was well worth the money.

Try it yourself and see what you think. I bet you will not be disappointed.

Located at:

825 W. University Drive

Tempe, Arizona

Phone: (480) 966-2745

Hours:

Monday – Saturday: 7:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m. Closed Sunday

Click here for their website

For a limited time you can relive your childhood by heading on over to your local Target® store’s cereal aisle, as Big G cereals have brought back their “Retro” themed packaging. To help celebrate the event, Big G has team up with Hasbro®, offering a $5 coupon on Clue® Vintage, Scrabble® Vintage, Parcheesi® Vintage or Risk® Vintage board games at Target!

Join in the fun by getting your Big G cereal packages at Target and also your Hasbro Vintage game coupon Hurry! Your chance to collect all five limited edition Retro packages and a $5 Hasbro® board game coupon ends soon.

Your gift pack will contain:

• 2 boxes of participating Big G Retro cereal
• $10 Target gift card
• 1 Hasbro Parcheesi® Deluxe Vintage board game

TO ENTER:

~Leave a comment saying which cereal is your favorite or why you want to win!

~Optional entries: Follow EVMG on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Etc.  Leave a separate comment for each that you do!

Hurry…giveaway ends 4/28 @ 9pm PST…18+, USA only.

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Summer comes early in Arizona so like most of your fellow desert dwellers you are probably ready to get wet and stay cool.  Here is the 411 on some of the valley’s best places to make a splash and cool off.

There are three major water parks in the Phoenix area: Wet n’ Wild, Big Surf, and Golfland Sunsplash.

Golfland Sunsplash 

Sunsplash opens up for weekend play on May 11. See their full schedule here.

Admission:

General Admission (48 inches & over)          $28.99

Junior Admission (Under 47 inches)              $19.99

Senior Admission (Ages 65 & over)               $19.99

Children age 2 years and younger                $3.00  

Night Splash admission (Friday and Saturday nights in June and July 6 pm-10 pm)

A season pass is $69.99 per person. See the full pricing list here

Big Surf

Big Surf, an Arizona tradition, opens May 4 for weekends only until Memorial Day.  See there full scheduled here.

Admission:

2 years of age and younger                  $2.95 

3 years of age to 48” tall                              $19.95 

General Admission/All others         $27.95 

Senior Citizens– 62 and older               $19.95 

Active Military, Fire or Police           $19.95 

Twilight (3 – 6 p.m.)                                  $15.95 

Season Tickets                                           $49.95 

Check their full ticket pricing schedule here.

Wet n’ Wild

Wet n’ Wild is open weekends from 11 am- 5 pm until May 23 when they open for regular summer hours. You can see their entire schedule here.

Beginning in June they will have Dive in Movies every Friday running through the second week of August.

Admission:

General Admission (42 inches & over)          $38.99

Junior Admission (Under 42 inches)              $29.99

Senior Admission (Ages 65 & over)                 $29.99

Children age 2 years and younger                FREE

The park also offers passes which vary in prices. You can see those prices here.

Please welcome Melissa, from The Dizzy Mom, for our next Meet the Locals spotlight.

Tell us more about your site, you, and your family.

I started The Dizzy Mom just after my second child was born last year. I needed an outlet for creativity and a chance to write and express myself. Our family and household are crazy, loud and fun. Raising to young boys (1 and 2.5) has been a big adjustment and not without its ups and downs. I write my blog in hopes of bringing moms together so they know they are not alone.

What is your favorite restaurant in Arizona?

My favorite restaurant is Sauce. It’s a great place to take little ones because the noise level is already high! You can get great, gourmet style food and not have to pay a babysitter!

What is your favorite type of food?

Mexican food. Enchiladas, tortilla soup, tacos….I’m so hungry now.

What is your favorite section on your site?  What are a few posts from that section that you love?

I love the “mom” section of my site.

My favorite posts include:

• Let them see you
• ABC’s of Mama Survival series
• On Guilt

What kinds of posts do you do a lot of? 

I do a lot of Mama posts (ways to take care of yourself, things that live inside our Mama brains, etc).

What are your favorite Arizona events to attend?

I enjoy all of our awesome farmer’s markets and street fairs!

What is your favorite season and why?

My favorite season is SUMMER. Sound crazy? I love the heat. I love it when you burn your hands on the steering wheel in the car or when it’s 100 degrees at 10:00 at night!

ASU or UofA? U of A!

Thanks so much for joining us today Melissa. You can connect with her via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and of course on her website!

Rapunzel dropped by and charmed the audience. Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies so I was excited to see it in the show.  I wish this segment would have been longer, though. My favorite part was the lanterns which swayed in the air and bobbed up and down, looking very authentic.

The Lion King segment was one of the longer numbers. Nala and Simba’s ice dance was simply spectacular. I also loved the stampede scene and this picture does not do it justice. The skaters who were portraying the wildebeests were very fast and wore amazing costumes that made them look like several animals in one. I was very impressed.

Who doesn’t love Alice in Wonderland? This number was very fun, even if the cards were a little creepy. The cards had a face on either side and created a bit of an optical illusion as they skated around.  It was very fun and successfully recreated the confusion that this scene is supposed to entail.

Peter Pan played out before our eyes.  In this picture Captain Hook is meeting his end (tick tock, tick tock). The Peter Pan number was very exciting and even included a battle with cannons.

No Disney event is complete without Mickey Mouse! I loved that the show was hosted by classic Disney characters. Honesty, I wish I could see more of them!

The girls really loved the show (even though Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella only made cameo appearances). They were full of anticipation waiting for the show to start and they were definitely not disappointed.

See the link at the bottom if the page for more information on the show, including future dates and times.

I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events. All opinions belong to this mama!

Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove

We are excited to introduce Chrissy from A Lil Dash of Diva for our next Meet the Locals spotlight.

Tell us more about your site, you, and your family.

I’m Chrissy from A Little Dash of Diva! My blog offers a look at my life in general; from photography to my struggles with infertility and PCOS as well as my love of makeup and all things girly, pink and sparkly. I talk about my family and I try to keep things as real as possible. I love linkups and blog hops and you can expect a few reviews and giveaways sprinkled in along the way. I’m a SAHM to one beautiful 8 year old daughter and a 3 year old Boxer. my husband and I have been married for 9 years now.  As a family we love to travel, hike, go on photo walks, and just be together.

What are your favorite places to visit around the valley?

One of my favorite parks is Rio Vista in the West Valley, there are so many different things to do there that it’s just a great place to meet up with friends and family.  My favorite restaurant is Carolina’s Mexican Kitchen.  So good!  As for craft store, is there anything better than Hobby Lobby?!  They just opened one a few miles from my house so I’m loving that!

What is your favorite vacation spot in Arizona?

I love Sedona.  It’s not too far out of Phoenix but it is so different than being in the Valley that it has always been one of my favorite places to get away to.

What is your favorite type of food?

I love Mexican food and Italian food but, my favorite comfort food is mashed potatoes.

What are some of your favorite posts?

• My Top 3 Reasons I love Arizona
• Stuff My Husband says
• His and Her Q&A

You also have a list called 40 by 40.  Why and which ones are you working on next?

The big one that I’m working on is losing weight and getting fit and healthy.  I’m just at the point in life where I need to do it to be healthy and not for how good I will look.  Another big one that Hubby and I are working on together is getting out of debt.  We’ve made a lot of progress and have cleaned it up a lot so we just are going to keep plugging away at that.  Our hope is to get to the point where we can buy a house.  The last big one that I’m hoping to accomplish this year is getting to a blog conference.  I want to grow my blog and I think I will have more success if I can surround myself with people who know more than me!

What are your favorite events to attend in Arizona each year?

There are generally not a lot of big events that we go to every year.  We do love Glendale Glitters so we try to make it out to that every Christmas.  We also really like the APS Light Parade, again at Christmas time.

What is your favorite season and why?

I love fall in Arizona!  I love when the temps are finally cooling off and it’s time for college football and having the windows open in the house.  I love the sweaters and boots and jeans, the hot apple cider and getting ready for the holidays.

ASU or UofA?

ASU if I have to pick out of those two!  I’m a big Notre Dame and Iowa Hawkeyes fan!

Stay connected with Chrissy via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and of course on her website!

It’s that wonderful time of year…the sun is shining, the temps are going up, and you realize your house needs a good cleaning.  I don’t always do a full Spring Cleaning marathon, but I know I probably should.  I try to stay on top of things throughout the year, but if I’ve let something slide, I always make sure to get it in my day of Spring Cleaning.  For me, Spring Cleaning is also a time to really disinfect the house from all those nasty winter germs and bugs that have taken up residence in our home.  Here are some of my Spring Cleaning Tips:

1. Do your spring cleaning on a week where you can have your windows open and your fans blowing.  It helps move the air that has been stuck inside for the past several months.

2. Don’t let spring cleaning overwhelm you, just take it one room at a time and stock up on products that will help you to get the job done effectively.  You will need plenty of paper towels, sponges, garbage bags, and lots of LYSOL products.

3. Know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting! Both are important…did you know that killing germs on commonly touched surfaces can lower the risk of spreading bacteria and viruses between members of the family.

4. Start with the basics – wipe down easy to reach surfaces and then move onto the little nooks and crannies. Make sure to start at the top of the room and work your way down to the ground.  And don’t forget to dust around wall art, photographs and woodwork.

5. Use a disinfectant product, like LYSOL Disinfecting Wipes, to help ensure you’re killing germs as you clean, and think beyond the usual places. Be sure to clean even the smallest surfaces, such as light switches, door knobs, cabinet handles, and telephones.

6. Get your kids involved.  Give them a wipe and have them clean their toys.

7. Remember to practice proper hand washing as well after you clean, either with soap and water for 20 seconds or a hand sanitizer. Hand washing is the single most important thing you can do to prevent illness, according to the CDC.

LYSOL is introducing the new concept of Healthing – an idea centered on keeping families as healthy as possible.  Not just by looking at cleaning , but ensuring that the proper steps are taken to stay well.

LYSOL and television personality Giuliana Rancic have partnered together to visit YMCAs in select markets across the country to demonstrate Healthing in action. At each of the YMCA locations, LYSOL will give attendees hands-on education about the products and steps needed to practice improved hygiene habits in their own homes. In addition to providing educational information and disinfecting products to the local YMCAs, they will donate a one-year membership to a deserving family.

To learn more about how to take part in LYSOL’s Healthing Initiative visit their website, facebook page, or check out their guidebook.

Disclaimer: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for LYSOL^®. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

It’s that time of year again!  We usually prank our kids, but my daughter came to me a couple weeks ago and wants to get her dad.  Since I was coming up with some ideas for her, I thought I would share them with y’all! These April Fool’s jokes are for kids to play on parents…that means you or their other parent with your help.  Have fun!

Younger Kids:

1. Put a rubber band around the sink sprayer and let your parents wash their hands. Stand near by to watch their reaction. But beware of cleaning up the water that didn’t get them!

2.  Put a rubber band around the push button of the spray nozzle (the kind with a hose) so the button stays down. Point it forward. When your parent uses the sink they will get a wet surprise!

3. Set parent’s alarm clock for the middle of the night and hide it somewhere in the room where they will have to get up and scramble around to turn it off.

4. Move the time on your parent’s clock up an hour.  Best done after your parents have gone to bed.

5. If your parents have a traditional phone with a hook that presses down when the handset is in the cradle, tape it down. When they answer a call it will keep ringing.

6. Take a piece of tape and place it over the eye of your parent’s optical mouse. When they try to use their computer, the cursor won’t move.  (Note if they have a standard mouse, you can perform the same trick by taping a piece of paper over the ball underneath the mouse.)

7.  Make a sandwich for your parents, but don’t remove the wrapper from the slice of cheese. When they bite down they’ll get a chewy surprise.

8. Stuff some cotton into the toes of your parents’ shoes. They will think their feet grew or their shoes shrank.

9. Take all the cereal in the house, remove the plastic bags from the boxes, and switch them around. When your parents try to eat breakfast they will do a double-take when the wrong cereal pours out.

10. Get up a bit earlier than your parent and take the cell phone and tape it underneath their chair at the kitchen table.  Then, when they are eating breakfast, call their cell phone and watch the reaction.  They will look everywhere for that phone and will not think of looking under the kitchen chair!

11. Sneak into Dad’s  underwear drawer and safety pin all of his undies together side by side. When he pulls out one pair, they all come out!

12. Take a screenshot of the desktop on Dad’s computer, and leave the image open. Let him freak out for a few minutes, believing the computer is frozen.

13. Swap out sugar for salt and watch Dad put it in his morning cup of coffee. (Be nice and have a second, non-salted cup ready to go though).

14. Get some clear plastic wrap and completely cover a door way. Be sure your around to see the face as your mom or dad walks into it.

Older Kids (Teens):

1. Clean the house and do the dishes. Fill the car with gas and wash it.

2. Cover car with hundreds of post it notes.

3. Take the top sheet off parents’ bed, and tuck the bottom end under the top end of the mattress. Pull it down and then fold it back up so that the top end is where it would be if the bed was made normally. Replace the pillow, blanket, etc., and make up the bed like it was before. When your parents get into bed, they’ll be surprised when they can’t slide their feet all the way down to the bottom of the bed!

4. Buy a package of “hair extensions” that match your parent’s hair. (Look for inexpensive ones in the hair accessory section of a drug store or grocery store.) Snip some strands about the length of your parent’s real hair and spread it around on their pillow while they are asleep. They will wake up to a real fright!

5. Buy a pack of underwear that matches those that your parent usually wears, but make sure they are one or two sizes too small. Wash them a few times so they don’t look new. When your parent puts them on, on April 1st, they will think they’ve put on a few too many pounds.

My grandparents used to keep a trailer up at Roosevelt Lake when I was a little girl. It was the perfect place to stay when we were visiting the lake, which was often. Some of my fondest memories are from our trips up to Roosevelt.  My sisters, cousins, and I used to love to run around the area and explore whatever we could find. One of our favorite places to hang out was the Roosevelt Cemetery Trail. That might sound creepy, but it is a pretty neat, not to mention historic, place.

Roosevelt Cemetery is the burial site of around 75 people, both local settlers and workmen who died building Roosevelt Dam. Most of the original grave markers are gone but some remain and many of the grave sites are marked by white crosses these days. If you look closely you might see the remnants of the original markers hidden behind those crosses.

There are two graves that I most remember from my childhood excursions. The first belongs to the stone cutter John Loser. The inscription on the grave says:

In memory of John Loser, a native of Germany. Killed April 25, 1908. One of the unforeseen costs of the Roosevelt Dam. Erected by fellow workmen.

The other grave I remember from my childhood cemetery visits belongs to Aiden Murphy who died in 1906 at the age of 13. He is buried next to Moses Murphy who died five years earlier and could be his father. I always thought this grave was so sad since Aiden was so young when he died.

The path to the cemetery is easy at 250 yards and depending on the time of year, it is quite pretty and can be very green.

I have a lot of memories at Roosevelt Lake and many of them revolve around the Roosevelt Cemetery and its trail. Check out this picture of me at the cemetery sometime around 1984.  Wow…look at the terrible sunburn!

Roosevelt Cemetery is located off of  HWY 188 directly across from the Roosevelt Lake Visitor Center.

Take State HWY 87 (Beeline Highway) north for about 60 miles to the junction of State HWY 188. Turn right and follow HWY 188 for 26 miles. Turn into the Lakeview Mobile Home Park and the cemetery parking lot will be on your right. Please note that the mobile home park is supposed to close this year since the US Forest Service is not renewing the 40 year old park’s lease and plans to turn it into a KOA campground. This should not affect the cemetery but might change it’s access point.

If you visit, stop by the Roosevelt Lake Visitor Center. They usually have a self-guided tour brochure for the cemetery.