Credit: NASA/JPL

Since we are on the subject of science this is one event you won’t want to miss, it only happens once a year so mark those calendars. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will be hosting their annual open house on June on Saturday, June 9th & Sunday, June 10th from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This year’s open house  theme is “Great Journeys”. The public will be invited to learn about NASA’s work through high-definition and 3-D videos, live demonstrations, interactions with scientists and engineers, and a first look at JPL’s new Earth Science Center.

It is an incredible event and like I said it only happens one year and you don’t want to miss it.

JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena, off the 210 (Foothill) Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit. Parking is available near the Oak Grove main gate and the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible from Windsor Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway.

For additional info head here.

Coctel de Camaron Estilo California

I’m prepping for a very exciting weekend. I decided to go back to school a few years back and will be finishing my second degree this Saturday from Cal State Fullerton. I am super excited and am planning for a little get together with my family on Saturday afternoon. I grew up eating the most amazing Mexican Food from my mother and it is always a part of our gatherings. You can’t really mention Mexican Food without thinking of Avocados de Mexico. Haas avocados from  Mexico are a staple in our culture and food. They are incredibly tasty and did you know that they grow year round? Haas Avocados from Mexico are handpicked year round since they bloom four times a year.

Avocados from Mexico is hosting the Aguacate Lindo y Querido Recipe Contest”! All you need to do is create an original Mexican-inspired recipe using rich and creamy Avocados from Mexico, take a few shots, name your dish, and enter your recipe using the form here. Your recipe could win $500 and a trip to Houston in September for private cooking classes with Mexico’s renowned Celebrity Chef Aquiles Chavez.

I decided two kill two birds with one stone. I decided to put my own spin on a Shrimp Cocktail and created a dish called Coctel de Camerones estilo Camerones. A spicy and tasty Mexican Shrimp cocktail.

The ingredients

To make this spicy dish that works great as an appetizer you will need

• 1 to 2 pounds cooked shrimp
• 1 32 oz bottle of clamato juice
• 1 16 oz bottle of ketchup
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 3 stalks of celery
• 3 Haas Avocados from Mexico
• 2 fresh Jalapenos
• 1 small onion
• 3 lemons

Use a Large side bowl and add the cooked shrimp to bowl. Set aside. Chop tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, onions, celery and avocados into very fine pieces and add to the bowl. Mix well. Now add ketchup and clamato juice. Mix well. Squeeze lemons and mix well again. Serve chilled with Tortilla chips, tostadas or saltines. It’s perfect as an appetizer or as a main dish.  I promise it’s refreshing, easy to prepare and you are going to love it!

This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Avocados From Mexico. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Have a kiddo that is a bit of a mad scientist? Have a future rocket scientist in the works? If you do or if you want to expose your family to some fun, you have to check out Discovery Science Center’s Rocket Launch taking place this Saturday, May 19th from 9am to 2pm at the Boeing Company in Huntington Beach.

This family friendly event includes various hands on activities for the family including making your own rocket from a 2 liter soda bottle  and launching it, all you have to do is bring your own bottle. Some of the highlights of the event include:

If you have little ones that love the red, furry and absolutely adorable Elmo, you won’t want to miss Elmo Makes Music Show coming to to different venues in Southern California including, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks and Ontario. Join Elmo and the gang including Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and all their Sesame Street friends as they take the stage to share their love of music!

Elmo Makes Music will be playing at

The Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center from 5/24 to 5/27

Ontario Citizens Bank Arena from 06/01 to 06/03

Nokia Live Los Angeles06/08 to 06/10

Long Beach Terrace Theater 06/15 to 06/17

Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster or at the Box Office, however I received an email from Goldstar and found tickets for $15. Head here for additional information.

Two Saturdays ago I had the opportunity to attend the What to Expect When You’re Expecting press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Before I even became pregnant with my first born, I bought the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting. It was my go to pregnancy guide and I think I read it from cover to cover a at least twice while I was pregnant. When I heard that they were making a film about the movie, I tried hard to visualize what this film would look like. I kept thinking how are they going to make it work? Well I watched it and let me just say if you have ever been pregnant, adopted or been around someone who has, you will definitely love this film. It’s funny, touching and fun to watch. I’ll share my review with you later this week but I wanted to share about what we learned about making of the film.

We were able to listen to the majority of the cast, the men and the women, share about their experience filming the flick. One thing we learned is that the movie was filmed in 10 day sessions and most of the film’s stars didn’t get to meet until the day of the conference. There are a few story lines and it makes perfect sense once you watch the film.  We were able to listen to Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Wendy Mclendon-Covey and also the Author of the Book, Heidi Murkoff(who I had the chance to meet and is an absolute sweetheart!).

The ladies were asked to share about their experience filming and how they could relate to the movie/motherhood. It was refreshing to hear the women, especially Jennifer Lopez share about bloating and what it was like the first few days after coming home from the hospital. There was nothing held back during the interview and the women shared all about their experiences from Elizabeth Banks, who just recently became a mom by surrogacy, and how she sometimes wants to “eat her baby to pieces”, Who hasn’t felt that way sometimes with our little ones, to Jennifer Lopez sharing how she balances it all. It was a great opportunity to learn about the film and also about these women as mothers.

The film is great and I can’t wait to share what I think of it later on this week. The film opens on Friday, May 18th. You won’t want to miss it!

Credit: Robert O'Connor

Spring is in the air, and to capitalize on it I took my daughter to The Dragonfly Shops and Gifts in Orange for an extra special garden craft for her to make.  First off, The Dragonfly Shops and Gifts in Orange is must see destination for anyone with a green thumb or even those like myself who are shall we say “horticulturally challenged”.  They offer a wide array of flowers, plants, shrubs, fountains and everything that your garden may need.

Credit: Robert O'Connor

What drew us to The Dragonfly Shops and Gifts on this particular day was their popular event, “Kids Fairy Garden Craft”.  My daughter likes nothing better than crafting,  and if she can play with dirt while she does it, we then that is her idea of heaven.  On the first and third Saturday of every month at 9am is when they do the kids craft.  The cost is $20 per child but I felt it was a good value.  The craft time was a full hour in which each child got to paint their own ceramic pot and decorate it with different types of stickers and other types if “bling”.  Also included are potting soil, two small plants, a mini arbor, pebbles and most importantly, “magic fairy dust” to sprinkle on the finished product.  To the naked eye the  magic fairy dust may appear to be regular glitter that you can find at craft store, but the staff assures me that this was special glitter with a secret ingredient that makes it MAGIC fairy dust.  My daughter begged them as to what the secret ingredient was but the staff would not disclose what it is.  It was really charming how the staff made it entertaining and informative for the kids.

Credit: Robert O'Connor

FAQ’s

*Cost is $20 per child for one full hour, everything that is needed will be supplied.

*the paint uses on the pots does not come out of clothing easily, so wear old clothes or bring an apron.

*The Dragonfly Shops and Gardens is located at 260 N. Glassell in Orange one block north of the traffic circle in The Orange Plaza.

*there  are many antique shops and places to eat within easy walking distance from The Dragonfly.

*for more info  head to www.dragonflyshopsandgardens.com.

714 289-4689
I also had the opportunity to head over to Dragonfly Shops & Gardena few weeks ago and can’t wait to share about the different classes we had to sample. The kiddos had a blast just live Ava and Robert did. Thank you Robert for sharing. Can’t wait to head back again.

Considering a visit to a location you’ve never been before? Wondering how safe you’ll be if you’re working late in an unfamiliar part of town? Thinking of a move for your family? If any of these scenarios are in your future, you may want to explore crime statistics before you act, and enhance your personal safety. Learning about crime rates will help you make an informed decision about areas to avoid, and areas that you need to be more careful in when visiting. You can analyze the benefits and risks of taking public transportation, and parking safety.

There are several easy ways to obtain information on crime statistics in areas you’re not familiar with. As with many information searches today, start with the Internet. On line you can compare a variety of differing data sources and quickly achieve a thorough look at crime rates in the area you are planning to visit, work, or move.

Crime background can be discovered by reading local newspapers as well as magazines and on line blogs that report crimes. Some publications will also publish police stats that will provide an immediate look at crimes that have happened recently as well as the history of crime in specific areas and what risks have been resolved or have not been resolved.

Another good place to look for information is through crime mapping sites, like SpotCrime.com. This site reveals recent crimes, placing them on Google maps, and offering savvy researchers a clear and easy, complete source of crime information. While not associated with law enforcement agencies, SpotCrime provides a strong overview of areas visitors may want to avoid.

Of course, local law enforcement resources are also available on line. You can search for local police department web sites world-wide. These sites utilize law enforcement’s own data to compile, analyze and map crime information. In the U.S. you can find this information on line and in depth, for free.

More in depth research on line can take you to nonprofit victim assistance organizations, that will field information on safety as well as crime stats that remain unreported to police.

Visitors will also find excellent sites such as corporatetravelsafety.com, which updates news reports and individual travel accounts about world-wide problem areas. Robberies, areas to avoid, hotel safety and the like will all be reported on this site.

In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports features data compiled from thousands of U.S. law enforcement agencies who contribute their data to the FBI. You can use this site to compare and classify crimes in a variety of different locations. This site is a virtual one stop shop for up to date information that’s verifiable and easy to analyze.

Other on line resources includes CrimeMapping.com and CrimeReports.com. These sites present information about U.S. locations with round the clock updates from local law enforcement agencies. Actual mapping of crime locations can prove very useful when planning a visit to a specific location.

Outside the U.S., check travel.state.gov/travel, for a look at international hot spots and crime activity.  Here you can search for statistics worldwide as well as looking for safety tips by country or region. Prudent travelers will take the time to research crime statistics, and learn more about their destination. Making informed decisions based on simply obtained safety information should be the first step in making travel plans.

In short, no matter where you’re planning to visit, travel, or move, the Internet is the place to turn for data, crime mapping, and research before you go.

Madison Parker is a home security expert whose passion for helping families develop better personal security standards has led to the creation of her blog – Pay a visit to her blog here!

Disclosure: This a sponsored guest post

1. Take your children to parks and open spaces as often as possible
Sounds easy enough right? By getting the kids out you can discover birds and bugs and all sorts of fun things.

A curious butterfly at the Butterfly exhibit at the Natural History Museum

2. Take your children to museums
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is the perfect museum to take children too. It is open, bright and cheery and the new dinosaur exhibit is exceptional. The seasonal Butterfly exhibit is also going on now until September 3rd. It’s a cool place where kids can see over 50 different types exotic butterflies in a natural environment.

3. Do at home science experiments with your kids.
Check out this super cool website that is full of ideas.

4. Cook meals with your children.
The act of measuring and mixing to create food is quite fascinating for young children! You can even “cook” up something fun to play with.
Here is a super easy recipe to make home made playdough!
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
food coloring (or koolaid!)
scented oils (I’ve made some with an orange oil and it was so yummy smelling!)
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients (except food coloring) in a medium saucepan under medium heat. Stir constantly until a ball forms.
Remove from heat
Knead in food coloring
Allow to cool and have fun!

I hope this helps get you up and out and exploring all that Southern California has to offer with your children! Email me some pictures too: Desiree@DayTrippingMom.com

Desiree Eaglin is a daytrippingmomma of two. You can find her personal blog at Sarcastic, Funny and Brutally Honest. You can find her on Twitter too.

Credit: Cirque du Soleil

Last week I had the opportunity to attend Opening Night of Cirque du Soleil’s Totem under Grand Chapiteau at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. I love Cirque du Soleil and Totem lived up to my expectations. It was a delight for the eyes.  The show is inspired by the evolution of man and explores the progress of humankind.

Credit: Cirque du Soleil

I don’t know what it is about the Del Mar fairgrounds but this is the second time I’ve watched a Cirque du Soleil show there and it was a magical experience. There is something about watching a Cirque du Soleil Show under a tent and near the beautiful Pacific Ocean that is unlike anything else.  The show featured some amazing acts and the live music was breathtakingly beautiful.

Credit: Cirque du Soleil

The show featured aerialists, a  trapeze duo, a super quirky and fun unicycle and bowl act that was definitely one of the highlights. There were many amazing acts in the show but if I had to choose one or two it would be an amazing roller skating duo that had a gravity defying act that wowed the crowd. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. There was also a metal perch act that had us all the edge of the seats. Totem is really something that has to be experienced with your own eyes. It is an amazing show.

Credit: Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil Totem will play at the Del Mar Fairgrounds until May 27th. You can learn more about this spectacular show or purchase your tickets by heading here. If you are still looking for a gift for Mother’s Day or if you would like a special Mother’s Day treat this would be it.

Disclosure: This is not a compensated post. I did receive complementary tickets to aid in the review of the show.

Pretend City is one of our favorite places to visit and they have an exciting event going on Monday, May 7th. Imagination Celebration is taking over Pretend City Museum Monday evening from 1pm to 5pm. There will be a hopping celebration for the entire family and you and the entire family can get in for Free by just bringing a ROCK you have found on one of your family adventures. That’s all you have to do for an evening of fun. Hurry and get there early because it might get a bit crowded. If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit this fantastic museum this would be a great afternoon to visit! For additional info head here.