SoCal Savvy Mom

Mar 12
2015

Vista Easter Egg Hunt & Pancake Breakfast

The Vista Optimist Club’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt and Pancake breakfast is only a couple short weeks away. Tickets for the event are only $5, for $5 you will receive the delicious pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon as well as the Easter Egg Hunt for the kids. The Easter Egg Hunt begins at 10 a.m. with over 10,000 eggs~!

On Sunday, March 29th 2015 be sure to stop by to have your picture taken with the Easter Bunny or any of the other fun activities at the fun event. The event is for children 11 years old and younger, don’t forget to bring your baskets or a bag with you. The Vista Optimist Club is located at 600 Optimist Way, Vista, CA, more information may be found on their website here.

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Mar 12
2015

Allied Gardens Spring Egg Hunt

by Nicole Connerley

Allied Gardens Community Park will host the annual Spring Egg Hunt beginning at 11:00 a.m. and coming to an end at 2:00 p.m. There will be crafts, jumpers, fun for the kids and food available for purchase. The egg hunt times are set by age, the first to begin at 11:30 a.m. with children 2 years and younger. At 12:30 p.m. children ages 3 and 4 will be on the look out for eggs. Children ages 5 to 7 will race to find as many eggs as they can at 1:00 p.m., and children 8 years and older will begging at 1:30 p.m.

The Spring Egg Hunt will be held on Saturday, March 28th this year. As every year there will be a Golden Egg you can exchange for prizes. There will be one Golden Egg per age group, and one prize per golden egg. Do not forget to bring your own basket or bag to scoop up all the fun eggs.

For more information on the Allied Gardens Spring Egg Hunt visit the City of San Diego’s website here.

Mar 11
2015

Regal Summer Movie Express 2015

by Nicole Connerley

To find the city nearest you and all dates and locations see Regal Summer Movie Express 2015 here.

Regal movie theaters just announced the list of summer movies for the summer of 2015, the $1 movies will run throughout the summer at select theaters. The movies are all rated PG, and are great for kids of all ages. It is only $1 per person to attend. All of the movies begin at 10 AM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the summer. Every week there are two different movies playing for you to choose from. The start date for movie theaters vary, Regal has just released which theaters will host the Summer Movie Express and when the start dates will be. Information below will be updated as it is released.

If you become a Regal Crown Club member (free to join) there are great perks and discounts. A great discount we always take advantage of is $2 popcorn on Tuesday’s for all Regal Crown Club members.

To find the city nearest you and all dates and locations see Regal Summer Movie Express 2015 here.

Regal Oceanside 2015 list may be found here.

Edwards San Marcos 2015 movie list may be found here.

Week 1

Nut Job & Annie

Week 2

Earth to Echo & The Boxtrolls

Week 3

Paddington & Turbo

Week 4

Rio 2 &How To Train Your Dragon 2

Week 5

Mr. Peabody & Book of Life

Week 6

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb & Penguins of Madagascar

Week 7

The Lego Movie & Dolphin Tale 2

Week 8

Muppets, Most Wanted & Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Week 9
Teenage Ninja Turtles & (last but not least) The Spongebob Squarepants Movie

Mar 11
2015

Rancho Valencia in Rancho Santa Fe

by Nicole Connerley

Rancho Valencia is a beautiful resort set on 45 acres of gardens and olive groves, in Rancho Santa Fe, a 20-minute drive north of San Diego. A few years ago the property underwent a 45 million dollar renovation, and there is not one stone that when unturned. Most recently Rancho Valencia was voted #1 resort in the U.S. by U.S. News & World hotel rankings. It is no surprise as everything at Rancho Valencia is 5 star down to the heated toilet seats, and all is perfection. The resort features a spa, fitness center with exercise classes, sports facilities (including tennis, croquet and bocce ball), 2 heated pools and hot tubs (1 adults-only), 2 restaurants and a wine bar, plus complimentary use of luxury cars.

Rancho Valencia really does stand apart from most 5-star hotels, you will find everything has been perfected. There are no resort fees, no parking fees, complimentary WiFi, and waiting for you in your room are delicious snacks and drinks to enjoy during your stay at no extra charge. In the morning any newspaper you would like will be delivered to your door along with fresh squeezed orange juice. Enjoy coffee on the private patio, while reading the newspaper.

Suites feature flat-screen TVs, stereo systems and private patios, plus high-thread-count linens, espresso machines, designer toiletries and 24-hour in-room dining. My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at Rancho Valencia during this trip. The resort knowing it was a special anniversary celebration for us, had a bottle of wine and an artisan cheese plate with dried fruits and nuts upon arrival.

After we were settled in, we hopped down to the Pony Room for a drink by the outdoor fireplaces while watching the sunset. For dinner we decided to opt for in-room dining and we ate out on the private patio. The patio hosts an outdoor fireplace, and a two person hot tub, perfect for a romantic getaway.

After dinner we took a stroll around the property and found the beautiful brick lined Wine Room. The room is perfect for an intimate birthday dinner or just nice dinner for a small group of friends. The wine cave has over 250 of some of the finest bottles of wine I have ever seen, the sommelier has to be one of the best in San Diego. With wines from France, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, South Africa and of course California you will be able to find a perfect wine for the occasion.

For breakfast we went to Veladora, one of the two restaurants on property. Veladora is beautiful and refined without being over the top, although can you really have too much luxury? We enjoyed latte’s and fresh pressed slow juices, as well as the famous fresh squeezed orange juice. My husband ordered the crab Benedict with vine ripe tomatoes, grilled asparagus, country bread with a chipotle hollandaise. I ordered the California breakfast panini with free range eggs, smoked bacon, avocado, white cheddar and herb roasted potatoes, it was divine! The only problem with breakfast is we couldn’t finish it all, but they were nice enough to box it up for us and had it waiting for us to pick up after we dined.

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa is offering an exclusive offer right now of 15% off room rates. During the summer and during Del Mar Race season the resort will be booked solid, don’t wait make a reservation to visit this beautiful resort now!

Accommodations, meals, and spa treatments were complimentary, all thoughts and opinions are my own. See full disclosure policy for more information.

Mar 10
2015

San Marcos Walnut Grove Park Egg Scramble

by Nicole Connerley

San Marcos will host the annual Egg Scramble and breakfast with Peter Cottontail at “The Williams Barn” in Walnut Grove Park. The park is located off Twin Oaks Valley Road on the corner of Olive and Sycamore in San Marcos. Bring the whole family to enjoy this early morning chow-down of pancakes & sausage prepared by the bunny’s helpers. Tickets can be purchased at the door. The cost is $5 for adults, and $4 for youth (10 & under).

Immediately following the breakfast at 10:15 AM, toddlers through 5th graders are invited to the community “Spring Egg Scramble” where eggs with prizes will be well hidden by the bunny himself! Come early to have your picture taken with Peter Cottontail and enjoy carnival games and party jumps. Bring a bag or basket for each child. $5 donation per family. All the fun will be held on Saturday, April 4 at the Walnut Grove Park, for more information visit the City of San Marcos website here. The full list of all of the Easter Egg Hunts in San Diego will be up soon!

Mar 9
2015

Easy, DIY, Marshmallow Easter Treats

by Nicole Connerley

We had so much fun making these marshmallow treats last night. Not only are they very easy to make, it is a blast making them!

We used white chocolate chips and melted them in the microwave at 30 second increments until it was melted. I added a tbsp of vegetable oil to make it easier to work with, my son wanted to add food dye. The colors he chose didn’t turn out so pretty, I would recommend just sticking with the white melted chocolate and not adding color.

After putting the marshmallows on sticks, pretty self explanatory there, we dipped them into the melted chocolate. Right after dipping in the chocolate we dipped in the sprinkles. We tried different color sprinkles but because it needs to be fully covered for the finished look none turned out that great.

After dipping into the chocolate and the sprinkles, set on wax paper to dry for about ten to fifteen minutes. Be careful with the finished product because the sprinkles like to fall off.

After the treats have set, and are firm to the touch, wrap in any decorative wrap you may have. I found this really cute duck paper at Michael’s for $0.25 a roll a few years back and was able to grab a few rolls of it. Always check Michael’s clearance area, I believe I found it in the middle of summer.

The perfect finishing touch, put in a basket and add a little rubber ducky to pull it all together. I plan on taking these to my mom’s chemo nurses tomorrow, they loved the Valentine’s Oreo treats so much, I hope they like these too!