SoCalSavvyMom | SoCal Savvy Mom

Dec 10
2013

Breakfast with Santa @ Renaissance Sports Club!

SoCal Savvy Mom is excited to invite you to join us at Breakfast with Santa next Saturday, December 21st at 10:00 a.m. or on Sunday, December 22nd at 1:00 p.m. at Aliso Viejo Renaissance Sports Club! Bring your camera to snap pictures of your little one with Santa, and of course any letters they want to give to Santa. Breakfast will be the traditional faire with a few extras for the little ones. You will not want to miss this fun event!

Tickets are $24.95 for adults and $15.95 for children (ages 3-13) 2 and under are FREE. Must sign up before Friday December 13th! To sign up for Breakfast with Santa at Renaissance Sports Club simply call 949-330-5560. We look forward to seeing you there!!!

breakfast with santa

Dec 9
2013

Giveaway $50 to Whole Foods – Special Dressing Rehearsal in Encinitas 12/12/13

by Nicole Connerley

Join us at Whole Foods Encinitas this Thursday 12/12/13 from 6-8 pm. for a special event to get ready for the holidays! The event will host beer & wine parings and sampling, yes sampling! Whole Foods will also show off some of the amazing premier party dips with more samples! My favorite I already know is going to be the holiday cheese board and how to create a perfect one for your holiday party. There will also be coffee and seasonal treats as well, I almost died and went to heaven looking at the holiday treats in-store today!

Whole Foods asked me to share one of my favorite holiday recipes with all my items from my shopping trip today. I decided to make my goat cheese endive spears, always a HUGE hit at my parties. The recipe is very simple and so delicious everyone will think you spend hours preparing it.

4 oz. goat cheese
1 tbsp. honey
1/2 ts. black pepper
1/4 ts. thyme (fresh or dried)
2 heads endive
1/4 cup walnuts
On a baking sheet sprinkle walnuts and roast for 10 min at 350 in the oven. Once goat cheese is softened mix with honey, pepper, and thyme. Let the cheese sit in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes. Once cheese has chilled spoon onto the endive spears and add a toasted walnut on top.

Incase you are wondering what exactly is an endive spear and what it looks like…
Love that you can buy nuts in BULK!

All of the ingredients needed to make the goat cheese endive spears.

The finished product!

Why I love Whole Foods…let me count the ways… there is an organic option for nearly every single item you can imagine, love the huge selection of items that you can’t find at most stores. My favorite thing about Whole Foods would have to be the staff, the staff that goes over and above any other store I go to. Everyone is so friendly, not to mention ready and willing to help you with anything. I always lose count of how many times I was asked “may I help you find something?” simply amazing!

Whole Foods has you covered if you are going to a holiday party and want to pick up a nice bottle of wine…There is a top ten list of wines all for under $25! Don’t forget to pick up some tonic and sparkling water to mix your drinks with as well!

I thought you mentioned a $50 Whole Foods Gift Certificate? Yes, yes I’m getting to that! To enter for the Whole Foods $50 gift certificate simply leave a comment on this post why Whole Foods is your favorite store!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Whole Foods Encinitas, all thoughts expressed are my own.

Dec 6
2013

Holiday events in San Diego December 7-8, 2013

by Nicole Connerley

Saturday, December 7

Holiday Parade @ Encinitas – Thousands of people will be on floats and in bands with tens of thousands more cheering them on as the 2013 Encinitas Holiday Parade rolls along Coast Highway 101. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. and it is preceded by a 5:00 p.m. tree lighting ceremony a the Lumberyard (near Starbucks coffee). For more information click here.

Santa by the Sea @ L’Auberge Del Mar – The Del Mar Association and L’Auberge invite you to join them for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting in the amphitheater at 5 p.m. Directly after the tree lighting will be a special screening of the movie Elf. Bring your own camera for pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus and your little ones, and enjoy the music by the Original Dickens Carolers. Other hightlights of the night are a Holiday Photo Booth, Snow, Holiday Cookie Tasting, Hot Cocoa, Cake Walk, Dance Performance, Hot Cocoa, Passport to the North Pole, Special Prizes, and Letters to Santa. For more information click here.

Holiday Open House @ Cedros Avenue – Support your local community and shop close to home this year! The Cedros district is hosting a Holiday Open House from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm. with live music, raffles & giveaways, refreshments, balloon animals and face painting, and fun in-store festivities and specials! For more information click here.

Sunday, December 8

Weekend with Santa @ Flower Hill Promenade – Enjoy children’s holiday activities Saturday & Sunday at the Flower Hill Promenade from 10:00 a.m. to noon. There will be make and take holiday crafts, photos with santa and yummy holiday treats. There is also a breakfast with Santa both Saturday and Sunday at Sea & Smoke for a small fee. For more information click here.

Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival @ La Jolla – The parade begins at 2 p.m. and the Holiday Festival will begin at 3:30 p.m., photos with Santa will be held at the Recreation Center at 3:30 pm. as well. The day comes to a close with the Christmas Tree Lighting at 4:30 pm.

Parade of Lights @ San Diego Bay – The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is held two consecutive Sundays each year in December. The Parade begins at 5:30 p.m. and proceeds from Shelter Island past Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village, and Ferry Landing in Coronado.

Dec 2
2013

Holiday Events in San Diego this week!

by Nicole Connerley

Wednesday, December 4

Holiday Festival @ Hotel Del Coronado – On Wednesday, December 4, The Del will feature a special event for the whole family – “Holiday Festival…A Family Celebration” from 4-7 p.m. for the Coronado community. In addition to the outdoor ice rink, kids of all ages can visit with St. Nick and his elves at Santa’s Village and enjoy holiday booths with games and prizes. There will also be hot cocoa, libations and fireworks.

Thursday, December 5

West Village Holiday Open House @ West Carlsbad – Start celebrating the Holidays at the West Village Holiday Open House, enjoy food and drinks along with Santa, Mrs. Clause and Elves! Free face-painting, cookies, gingerbread decorating, roasted chestnuts and wagon rides. Please bring an unwrapped gift to support Toys for Tots. For more information click here.

Saturday, December 7

Holiday Parade @ Encinitas – Thousands of people will be on floats and in bands with tens of thousands more cheering them on as the 2013 Encinitas Holiday Parade rolls along Coast Highway 101. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. and it is preceded by a 5:00 p.m. tree lighting ceremony a the Lumberyard (near Starbucks coffee).

Santa by the Sea @ L’Auberge Del Mar – The Del Mar Association and L’Auberge invite you to join them for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting in the amphitheater at 5 p.m. Directly after the tree lighting will be a special screening of the movie Elf. Bring your own camera for pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus and your little ones, and enjoy the music by the Original Dickens Carolers. Other hightlights of the night are a Holiday Photo Booth, Snow, Holiday Cookie Tasting, Hot Cocoa, Cake Walk, Dance Performance, Hot Cocoa, Passport to the North Pole, Special Prizes, and Letters to Santa. For more information click here.

Sunday, December 8

Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival @ La Jolla – The parade begins at 2 p.m. and the Holiday Festival will begin at 3:30 p.m., photos with Santa will be held at the Recreation Center at 3:30 pm. as well. The day comes to a close with the Christmas Tree Lighting at 4:30 pm.

Parade of Lights @ San Diego Bay – The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is held two consecutive Sundays each year in December. The Parade begins at 5:30 p.m. and proceeds from Shelter Island past Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village, and Ferry Landing in Coronado.

Nov 20
2013

Encinitas Fall Festival – Sunday 11/24/13

by Nicole Connerley

This Sunday is the 23rd Annual Fall Festival in Encinitas, there will be over 450 booths to visit, perfect to get a start on your Christmas shopping. Don’t forget to stop by your favorite Encinitas retailers too, here’s a perfect opportunity for all of your holiday shopping. Enjoy music and dance performances at two stages.

Don’t forget to stop by the Kids Zone: North County Health Services presents our first Fall Festival Kids Zone in The Lumberyard at I St. Children of all ages will enjoy a wide range of interactive booths and activities, including a giant slide and a skate park.

If you are brining your four legged kids stop by the Dog Park: Thanks to Hill’s Ideal Balance, here’s where your canine companions can take a break from the bustling festival. Our dog park in The Lumberyard at I St. will have over 1300 square feet of turf and an agility course provided by Zoom Room.

Don’t drive take your bike and check out the Bike Valet: Cyclists can leave their bike at either end of the festival, at D St. or J St., thanks to this free valet service provided by BikeWalkEncinitas.

Listen to some great music at the Lumberyard Courtyard Stage Sponsored by Yelp The Weis Guys Jazztet (11am) ~ The Bayou Brothers (1pm)

Tons of fun dance and musical numbers at the Community Stage Sponsored by Uber Ecke Dance Expressions (11am) ~ Prodigy (11:30am) ~ Dance Connection (12pm) ~ California Music Studios (12:30pm) ~ Janice Lee School of Ballet (1pm) ~ Church’s Martial Arts (1:30pm) ~ All Star Dance Company (2pm) ~ La Costa Canyon Band (2:30pm) ~ Zumba & Latin Dance (3pm) ~ Kehulili O Kailani (3:30pm)

As we all know parking is a pain so try Getting There using: The Coaster and NCTD buses all stop right in downtown Encinitas, just 1/2 block from the festival. View schedules online. We’re teaming up with Uber so you can ride with ease to and from the event! To get $20 off your first Uber ride, sign up online, or download the app, and enter the promo code FALLFESTIVAL. Questions? Contact supportSD@uber.com.

If you are going to drive the best Parking: Coast Highway 101 will be closed from D Street to J Street starting at 4:00 a.m. There’s parking in several lots on Vulcan between D and F Streets, including City Hall and the Coaster/NCTD stations, and at Moonlight Beach.

Have fun and be safe, for more information click here.

Nov 16
2013

Tiny Prints Holiday Cards $50 Giveaway

by Nicole Connerley

SoCal Savvy Mom has partnered with Tiny Prints this holiday season to introduce you to all of the new and adorable holiday cards they have to offer. Tiny Prints is so awesome they are offering $50 gift card (plus free shipping) to one of our readers! Tiny Prints has adorable photo gifts which are perfect for grandparents, aunts and uncles and well anyone who wants a cute photo gift of your children! To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment on the blog, or on SoCal Savvy Mom’s Facebook page, for extra entries share the post with your facebook friends. Good luck!

Tiny Prints has tons of new cards to choose from this holiday season. We love all of the new trim options this year with square, rounded, bracket, ticket and scallop.

tiny prints christmas

Another favorite of ours is the rounded card that can be made into a Christmas ornament for your tree. There are many different colors and picture options to choose from as well.

tiny prints christmas

Many of the cards are bright and colorful and whatever style you like Tiny Prints has you covered. Contemporary, done, classic, done, vintage, done, how about all that glitters? No problem they have that too!

tiny prints christmas 3

One of my favorite cards I found was this tri-fold card where you can add tons of cute pictures of your family. You may personalize it with as many or as little pictures as you wish.

I love the scalloped edges to this card and the mint green polka dot back. It is simple yet elegant at the same time. I think I know which hard I will be choosing this season. Don’t forget to check out all of the matching return labels as well, just when you think it can’t get any cuter it does!