The Autry

If you are looking for something fun to to this weekend, you might want to give the Museum-Free-For-All weekend a try. The Museum Marketing Roundtable will host the Free-For-All’ Saturday-Sunday, January 28th and 29th, 2012. The museums—presenting art, cultural heritage, natural history, and science—will open their doors and offer admission Free of charge.

Here is a list of Participating Musems

• The Annenberg Space for Photography – Both Days
• The Autry National Center – Both Days
• California African American Museum – Both Days
• California Science Center – Both Days
• Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles – Both Days
• Fowler Museum at UCLA – Both Days
• The Hammer Museum – Both Days
• The Getty Center – Both Days
• The Getty Villa**- Both Days
• Laguna Art Museum- Both Days
• Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial
  (Both Hollywood & San Pedro Locations)- Saturday, January 28th Only
• The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) – Saturday, January 28th Only
• Museum of Tolerance – Sunday, January 29th Only
• Museum of Latin American Art – Both Days
• Pasadena Museum of California Art – Both Days
• Santa Monica Museum of Art - Saturday, January 28th Only
• Skirball Cultural Center*** – Saturday, January 28th Only
• Zimmer Children’s Museum – Sunday, January 29th Only

For additional info head here.

Credit: Desiree Eaglin

Monster Jam is here! Monster Jam is here! If you love high action, high energy and high-octane speed then you know you love Monster Jam!  Brought to us by Feld Motor Sports, Monster Jam is the most popular touring family entertainment sporting events in the world. At Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam shows, the larger than life monster trucks face off in 2 different kinds of competition- high speed racing and the best of freestyle. Of course, fans love the freestyle where the monster trucks show off with donuts and wheelies!

My favorite aspect of the Monster Jam is the themed trucks. A monster truck that looks like a dog with a wagging tongue? Hilarious! My 5 year old son is in love with the Grave Digger, just like so many other boys his age. Did you know that the most celebrated monster truck icon the ‘Grave Digger’ is celebrating its 30^th anniversary of Monster Jam with a year-long celebration? Well, lucky for us it is! The year-long anniversary celebration will kick off in January and will consist “Party in the Pits” opportunities, special edition merchandise, 3 new specially designed Grave Digger monster trucks, plus more!
Die-hard fans can get up close to newly designed versions of Grave Digger at Monster Jam pre-show “Party in the Pits” events. There will also be exclusive vintage attractions and the all new K’NEX life size model toy truck to view and tons of other really cool stuff. The “Party in the Pits” experience will be on Saturday February 11^th at Angel Stadium and again on February 18^th at the Dodgers Stadium from 3pm to 5:30pm. Tickets to the “Party in the Pits” are $10 each and can be purchased at the stadium.

Monster Jam tickets are on sale NOW!
Monster Jam will smash into Southern California for 4 high-octane nights. It be in at the Anaheim Stadium on:
January 14^th at 7pm
January 28^th at 7pm
and again on February 11^th at 7pm
Then it will be at the Dodger Stadium on February 18^th at 7pm.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please log on to Monster Jam.

Desiree Eaglin is a high-octane seeking adventurer that is always up to have some fun. You can read her personal blog Sarcastic, Funny Brutally Honest or you can follow her daily DayTrippingMom activities on Twitter.

Credit: Maribel Reyes

Did you know that Balboa Park will be celebrating the centennial of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in 2015? Amazing isn’t it?It’s interesting how many people visit Balboa Park on a yearly basis (official city numbers are 12 million people a year) and who wouldn’t with 16 Museums, 16 Gardens, 8 different attractions including the world famous San Diego Zoo? Balboa Park was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

Parking is always free and it does not matter if you park near or far from where you plan to be for the day because Balboa Park has its own tram with 7 different stops. Since its first day of operation on April 13^th 1991 it has carried more than 3,816,074 passengers!

There is so much to do and see, enough to keep you entertained for more than a couple of hours and best of all it is excellent for families of any age. It can also be budget friendly. On any given Sunday you will see families enjoy a day at the Park, having a picnic in one of their beautifully kept gardens.

The Timken Museum of Art is a very special one, with its world-class collection of American, Dutch and Flemish, French, Italian and Russian Icon paintings, it is exquisite! Among the artists represented are Rembrandt, Rubens, Fragonard and one of our favorites Albert Bierstadt. Admission is always FREE.

Credit: Maribel Reyes

One of our favorite places to visit at Balboa Park is the Botanical Building; it is one of the most photographed places in the Park. In it you will see cycads, ferns, orchids, palms and my kids’ personal favorite the Venus fly traps. There is also a section with several different aromatic plants for guests to touch and rub between their fingers and smell among those is my personal favorite Lavender. In the Botanical Building you will feel relaxed and serene so make sure you visit it next time you are in Balboa Park.

Balboa Park always has special events that are fun and a learning experience for more information head here

Maribel Reyes and her family visit Balboa Park at least once a month; they enjoy taking walks around the park. To learn more about Maribel and her adventures you find her on her personal blog: Stroller Adventures or follow her on Twitter: @strllradvsocal

Enjoying his Shave Ice

I love making little traditions with my family. One of our little traditions involves minimum school days. My daughter is in 1st grade and every Wednesday she gets out an hour early from school. On these days we do something special. We usually head over to 7-11 to get a slurpee or grab some frozen yogurt. A new shop has opened up near our home, Oahu Shaved Ice and we can’t get enough. We now head over after school on Wednesdays for some Shave Ice. It’s something the kiddos look forward to and so do I! Do you have “little traditions”?

For more Wordless Wednesday fun  head over to Angry Julie Monday.

I would love to feature your photos of your outings on Wordless Wednesday. If you have any that you would like to share, please send them to mom@daytrippingmom.com

I’m excited to introduce the first of our new contributors Syreeta! She recently had  the opportunity to head down for a fun day with the family in San Diego and shares all about it.

Credit: S Morales

I’m always looking for new and exciting things to do with my little buddies, and this weekend was no exception.  We jumped in the mommy mobile and headed south to visit the San Diego Model Railroad Museum.  The museum is located in historic Balboa Park which is chock full of beauty, art, and culture.  Parking is free, but it’s a bit of a nightmare, so wear your most comfortable shoes, leave your car out on the street and walk into the park.

Credit: S Morales

The SDMRM is located on El Prado Street between the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and the Museum of Photographic Art.  The cost to enter the museum is $8.00 for adults, and the best part is that kids under 14 are FREE with a paid adult admission.  Luckily, I found a great deal on Living Social to get our tickets for $4.00 each.  If you live in San Diego County, the first Tuesday of the month is free.

Credit: S Morales

When we first entered the museum, my kids ran straight for a small replica of an American steam engine train from the 1830’s.  And that was just the beginning of their intense amazement at this awesome place.  The models were built using several different scales, with their descriptions printed in the windows.  One awesome thing is that they allow you to go upstairs where you can watch some creators painting and working to complete new models.  It’s pretty cool to see them in unfinished status.  The intricate detail that goes into these model towns is amazing.  One model town even had an old school McDonald’s and kids sledding down a snow covered hill.

After spending quite some time marveling over every billboard and cop car with flashing lights, we made our way down to the star of the museum since Thanksgiving: the Holiday Lego Train Exhibit brought for our enjoyment by the Southern California Lego Train Club.  If you’ve ever been to Legoland, you will immediately recognize the outstanding level of creativity in every piece of work in the Lego display.  There was a train track and real moving train surrounding a town filled with busy occupants.  The club created a list of Lego items for you to search for in the town, and my kids had an absolute blast looking for things like a cat burglar and a porta potty.

The San Diego Model Railroad Museum is a great place to spend a couple hours with your kids exploring these impressive models.  To learn more about the museum, head here

Syreeta is  mom to two very busy boys, ages 3 and 10.  She works full time as a loan processor at a local credit union, and part time as a finder of fun!  She loves to take her  family out on new adventures all over Southern California.  Disneyland is her  favorite place to make memories, but she  also enjoys other amusement parks, museums, zoos, exhibits, and anywhere else there are good times to be found.

Last Saturday, we had planned to go whale watching with Dana Wharf and Sportfishing, however, due to the stormy weather and not the ideal boating conditions, we decided to reschedule to next Saturday (post coming soon).  I had two kiddos that were very disappointed that the weather had thwarted our plans. We decided to have some fun even if we might get a little wet. We decided since we were already on our way to the beach to head to Newport Beach to explore the Sherman Library and Gardens.

Sherman Gardens

The Sherman Library and Gardens, located in Corona del Mar is a museum of living plants and fun to walk around with the kids. I would recommend that if your kiddos have cameras,to bring them along.  I let the kiddos borrow my iPhone to capture whatever they found interesting and it really put a fun twist on our outing. The kiddos loved getting up close with the plants and trying to learn as much as possible about the different plants. It was downright beautiful and peaceful. The kiddos and I were both “zenning” (I just made that word up) and taking in the beauty of it all.

Love all of the different colors!

Smelling it all in

We had a great time at Sherman Gardens but we were still itching to do some exploring and we decided to head further down PCH. Next stop, Ruby’s Shake Shack. I’ve passed the Shack so many times but it’s usually crowded, but not this time. We stopped in for some shakes and ice cream and boy were we in for a treat. The views are spectacular and the kids and I took it all in.

Taking it all in

We sat down and watched the waves crash down. The kids couldn’t stop talking about the view and the waves. It was breathtaking.

"Look at those waves!"

After we watched the waves, we were wanting to go down into the sand so we traveled further down PCH to Aliso Beach Park (it’s not technically in Newport but close enough). We played in the sand for an hour and a half. The kids ran around having the time of their lives and I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear!

Playing their heart out

It was a beautiful day

The kids and I had the best day. We finished it all of by sitting on one of the nearby benches, all snuggled up and watched the sunset. It was a simple day, yet so magical all at the same time.

Our view of the Sunset

Our unplanned day trip turned out to be an unforgettable one. We had so much fun and made some incredible memories and we hardly spent a dime. I hope you can jump in the car and just head down somewhere fun. No planning, simple fun and incredible memories!

Fin Whale - Credit: Desiree Eaglin

A record number of the endangered Fin Whales have been spotted in our California coast waters this winter. Last month alone, over 45 sightings of Fin Whales were spotted. Larger than normal amounts of Orca’s or “Killer Whales” have been seen too. Not to be outdone, the Grey Whale is also being seen in record numbers, sightings are the highest in 28 years according to the American Cetacean Society. So far, there does not seem to be a clear understanding as to why there have been record amounts of whale sightings; however one idea has been proposed that Alaska may have an abundance of food available in their northern waters and the magnificent creatures are making their way up north to take advantage of that.

Orca's (taken 12/11) Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific

What does this mean for us? Breathtaking whale watching experiences where you are almost guaranteed to see something amazing! I went on behalf of the DayTrippingMom team on my own excursion last week to see these magnificent creatures up close and personal for myself. It was truly a one-of-a-kind experience! Along on my journey was Sarah Auerswald from MomsLA and she took video of the Fin Whales-you can log on here to watch that video. The Aquarium of the Pacific took video of a trip earlier in the morning  as well, you can log on here to see it. It goes without saying that I now have the urge to get my own camcorder so that I may take video for ya’ll as well-haha.

Stadium style seating - Credit: Desiree Eaglin

DayTrippingMom is dedicated to bringing you the best ideas of what to do and where to go in Southern California with your family. What better Southern California DayTrip experience is there other than whale watching?
The Aquarium of the Pacific invites everyone to embark on their own 2 ½ hour long whale watching adventure through their Whale Watch Combo. On this adventure-you can explore the Long Beach coast aboard the Harbor Breeze Cruise whale watching boat alongside Aquarium experts that are available to answer any of your questions.  After all that fun, you still get to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific to meet over 11,000 ocean animals! Prices are $44.95 per adult (12+); $29.95 per child (under 11); $40.95 per Senior (62+). Whale watching excursions are held daily at 12pm and 3pm (weather depending).

For more information and to purchase whale watching tickets, please log on to The Aquarium of the Pacific.

Share your whale watching pictures with us! Desiree@DayTrippingMom.com

Desiree Eaglin is a sea-faring adventurer that is always up to have some fun. You can read her personal blog Sarcastic, Funny Brutally Honest or you can follow her daily DayTrippingMom activities on Twitter.

Getting organized!

With the New Year, I think many of us have made resolutions to be better about something in the New Year. I’ve made resolutions about getting healthier and the other all center around getting organized. I really do feel that if we are organized, life runs smoother and that’s a must when you have young children. The folks at Simon Malls gave me a challenge I couldn’t resist ; Get organized at the Brea Mall.

First stop: Pottery Barn

My first stop was Pottery Barn, I love the store and I always get some great decorating ideas whenever I stop by. They had some perfect baskets that are great for organizing the living room and also the bathroom.

Love these baskets!

Love the hand towel and magazine baskets. I think I'm going back for them.

I loved the ideas but after some thinking I decided that one of the first places I wanted to organize at home was the kitchen and headed to Macy’s Home Store to see what they had to offer.

Decided to start my organization with the kitchen and nothing says kitchen like Martha Stewart

I love Macy’s Home Store and after debating back and forth decided that I should focus on the kitchen first. I love Martha Stewart’s kitchen line and decided to give their products a try. I was given a $50 card to the Brea Mall to see how far that would take me and It went pretty far! I bought Martha Stewart’s 12 piece glass storage set, a Martha Stewart Cereal container, a Martha Stewart sugar container and a Martha Stewart Flour Container. It’s one of those purchases I’ve been wanting to purchase for a long time but never got around to. In total i spent $50.39 and I’m on my way to getting my kitchen organized, one step at a time.

Disclosure: This is not a compensated post. A gift card was provided to assist in review.

Dino Dan

I’ve shared with you about how Daytrippingmom and the Ultraluxe Anaheim Cinemas at the Gardenwalk are hosting a super fun and FREE Family Movie morning  and we will be screening Barbie: A Mermaid Tale. I know not many boys are into Barbie and we shared that with Ultraluxe and they have graciously added a screening for the boys! You can watch either Barbie or Dino Dan!

All you have to do is register at this link and you are ready to go! I hope you can join us on Saturday, February 4th. The Daytrippingmom Gang will be there including Desiree and hopefully Maribel and our new contributors(I’m working on getting their bios up). We will not be having refreshments but we will be having some fun goodies for every family that comes!  I hope to see you there!

Credit: Battle of the Dance

I’ve tried this before but failed, this time I’m going to give it a better shot. Date nights are tough in our family. My husband and I both have very busy schedules and it is really difficult to schedule a night out where it is just the two of us, add to it that it can be expensive and difficult to find a babysitter and well date night’s are almost non existent in our family. I’m pretty sure you can all relate, because having a young family can be tough on couple time. Well this year, we’ve decided to make more of an effort and two weeks ago we went on a super fun date night to Battle of the Dance Dinner Show in Anaheim.

Battle of the Dance is the newest dinner show in Southern California and features an amazing international dance crew that dances everything from Flamenco to Celtic Dancing.  The show begins with hors d’oeuvre and a fun pre show before you are led to your seats. You are then led to your seats and this is where the fun begins.

The show features dancing from the entire globe. You will find yourself mesmerized by the sights and sounds of Bollywood to an Argentine Tango. You start off with dinner(we had the Gold experience which included dinner and pretty decent seats). You can either choose the Gold Experience or the Platinum Experience which offers the best seats in the house and also a larger selection of entrees for dinner (The Gold Package features chicken or fish. We picked the chicken and it was delish!).

The Irish Dancers

The show was very entertaining and the dancers were very talented and really were a joy to watch. We had a great time on our night out and I would definitely recommend the show to anyone that needs a good night out with your significant other. I have to admit that the show actually went by pretty quickly! Sometimes dinner shows seem to drag on but this was definitely not the case with Battle of the Dance.

Check out their Facebook page, because they currently have a discount code for a Buy one Get one Deal. You can’t beat Buy one Get one Free! To learn more about the show and to purchase tickets, head here.

Disclosure: No compensation was received for the post. Complimentary tickets were offered to aid in the review.