Wordless Wednesday – Little Boys on Big Rollercoasters
We took the boys to Legoland for their birthday. This was their very first “big” rollercoaster…well…as big as Legoland does (they are fabulous for little kids rides). Here is my series of shots from the ground, in order from top to bottom (zoomed in of course).
I love that Gabriel is the only one smiling and happy the whole time…everyone else is in varying degrees of horror throughout the dip. You can definitely see which one is my daredevil.
Octopus Gargen at Sea Life Aquarium Finally Open!
Last week I was invited out to a grown up blogger meet and greet at the Sea Life Aquarium. Besides the fun and networking and getting to meet other local San Diego bloggers, we were supposed to be introduced to the new Octopus Garden exhibit. Unfortunately, the stars of the exhibit hadn’t arrived yet!
I’m not sure exactly what happened, but the Octopus’, cuttle fish and other sea critters had not arrived in time for our preview. Of course, we still had a fabulous time!
I got to hang out with the always fun, Lucy from the Post Partum Illness blog. I’ve gotten to know Lucy recently and am so glad to call her my friend. She’s even going to meet us at Legoland for the twins’ upcoming birthday.
I also got the pleasure to meet Meryl from Blogmedaily.com. I was driving right past her house so I was able to pick her up and have some fun conversation on the drive to Carlsbad.
It was really a lot of fun. Snacks and cocktails while hanging around the tide pools. And the best part was NO KIDS!
We did get to see this very BIG octopus just hanging out waiting to move into his new enclosure. It was really pretty creepy looking!
So all of the Octopus Garden critters are finally in their homes and they are waiting for you to go check them out. If you’ve never been to Sea Life Aquarium, it is right next door to Legoland in Carlsbad, CA. It’s a smaller, more intimate aquarium and I think it is a lot of fun.
Shark’s Revealed at the Sea Life Aquarium
The boys and I were recently invited to the Sea Life Aquarium in Carlsbad, CA. It’s conveniently located right next door to Legoland and makes for a great family fun activity. We were invited down to get a look at their Shark’s Revealed exhibit and some new shows. Since Anthony was in school, it was a great little outing for me and the twins.
While I had been to Legoland before, I had never actually made it into the aquarium.
SEA LIFETM is designed to be a child’s first interactive guide to the life of the sea, combining active, hands-on learning with fascinating educational talks, and opportunities to have up close and personal encounters with a variety of sea creatures. A visit to SEA LIFE is an experience like no other!
SEA LIFE has recently added a 3.5 foot long scalloped hammerhead shark to their display along with three new shark shows. The scalloped hammerhead shark is not on display at any other Southern California aquarium! I was really excited to see this creature, but it eluded us. I kept hearing people say “oh, look! There it is!” But, I was always too late in turning my head. I think the two enthusiastic three year olds were diverting my attention.
The new shows include:
Shark Talk which (I hear) is a fun and interactive puppet show appearing daily at noon and 3pm. Again, I missed this one. I actually got lost (haha) and couldn’t figure out how to get back to the staging area. It was at the end of our time there and this big ole preggo girl was tired. I didn’t have the energy to make another circle around. The little ones were disappointed about missing the puppet show, but they got over it with some soda.
The Daily Dive Help our exploration diver and Professor Proof uncover the secrets of the Lost City of Atlantis. The show uses a special dive mask that allows the diver to talk to guests for a fun, interactive and educational experience. Daily @ 11am.
Shark and Ray Adventure Do you think you have what it takes to become a Shark Biologist? Give it a try with help from Johannes Thunder as you take field notes while observing the sharks and rays of the Ray Lagoon. Thursday – Tuesday @1pm/Wednesday @ 2pm.
The little brothers and I had a great time exploring the Sea Life Aquarium. I loved the kid friendly, hands-on activities. It’s a very affordable adventure for the family, and paired with a trip to Legoland, it’s awesome.
FTC Disclosure: Thank you, Sea Life Aquarium for inviting us into your facility. They provided complimentary passes as well as breakfast and shark puppets for the boys. The opinions on the park are always my own.
Company’s You Should do Business With (part 1)
For the last several weeks, I’ve not done much but work on Penny’s auction. It was a lot of hard work. I had NO idea what I was getting myself into when I thought, “wouldn’t a little auction be fun?” But I would do it again in a heartbeat because 1) it helped my family and 2) I learned that there is still amazing kindness in people.
I only actually “pitched” a few companies at first. When I emailed them explaining our situation, I offered some ad spots here on mommy23monkeys.com if they would donate for me. I quickly came to realize that I would not be able to give ad spots to over 50 sponsored prizes! My sidebars just are not that big! So I decided I would do some “thank you” posts instead. I’ll break it up so that this one post doesn’t take 20 years to read. But here are some of our amazing sponsors that donated, without question, without expecting anything in return. They donated because the company heads are generous and caring people. People that care about the fight of a little girl they had never even met. These are the kinds of business’s I want to do business with…and so should you!
The Surf Diva Surf School in La Jolla, CA. They were actually introduced to me by the La Jolla Mom. They offer surf clinics and camps to the women of San Diego. They have been the #1 surf school for women for over 12 years! I really would love to learn to surf. Too bad you won’t be catching me in a bathing suit anytime soon.
The Pretty Peacock. OMGosh! The Pretty Peacock offers stunning handmade artisan jewelry. I could not have worked with a more generous and amazing woman than, Ana, the owner. In addition to donating a beautiful pendant to the auction, she has activated a FREE SHIPPING CODE on orders placed through The Pretty Peacock website. Order something online and enter the code PENNY. Any time someone uses this free shipping code, The Pretty Peacock will donate $5.00 more dollars to Pennies4Penny! Just in time for Mother’s Day Shopping!
aden + anais specializes in beautiful newborn swaddling blankets made of muslin. Their store offers blankets, bibs, towels, washcloths and more. All made of muslin and ready for your newborn to snuggle into.
Collagist is an online store for all your collage, photo and canvas print needs. Collagist creates a unique product just for you. They also have a Facebook Fan page that you can join here http://www.facebook.com/collagist
Build a Bear Workshop specializes in bringing your Teddy Bear to life. They offer parties in store or you can custom order your furry friend online. The people at Build a Bear created a unique Lamb just for Penny’s auction.
Legoland California donated EIGHT passes to Penny’s auction! That’s nearly $800 in value. I am not generally mentioning the value of the prize, because I don’t really think it matters, but in this case it was exceptional. Legoland is a FUN place to visit here in Southern California. Unlike any other amusement park. This summer they are opening up a brand new water park, too that I can’t wait to visit. If you are in the area looking for something to do…this is it!
Alright, so there is my first 6 companies you should do business with. Please be on the lookout for more recommendations this week!
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