Random Pix
04
Oct, 2010
Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland!
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| Aubrey’s First Time to Disneyland December 2008 Pretty exciting. |
I’d like to start by saying: AHHH!!! So much fun! I’ve only been to Disneyland a few times. Once as a very young child in the 70s. Another time in 2001 when I first moved to Los Angeles. It was only a couple weeks after 9/11 and the park was like a ghost town so I got to ride EVERYTHING! Then I went again a couple years ago when my daughter was a toddler. I got to ride NOTHING, but Aubrey had a fun time sitting in a circle cut out on a wall by the rest rooms (see above) and eating a hot dog in Toon Town. I won’t go into the story of how my family (6 people in a rental car) tried to drive to Disneyland from Arizona, circa 1976 and when we got there, it was closed. You think I’m kidding? When the movie National Lampoon’s Vacation came out in 1983, we were thinking of suing for stealing our family story.
Needless to say, now that my daughter is three, we need a little more Magic Kingdom in our lives. From the time I was in 4th grade through college, I had a pen pal from Glendale, CA. His name was David Driskill and I’m still trying to find that guy. Anyway, we sent letters back and forth from Excelsior, MN to Glendale, CA for approximately 10 years and he used to tell me how he and his sister would go to Disneyland on the weekends! Like it was going to McDonald’s or something. I grew up thinking Southern California must be some kind of magical kid paradise to live in where you can just go to Disneyland whenever you feel like it. Now that I live here, I can confirm that in many ways, it is! Phooey on “high standard of living” in the midwest! We are fortunate enough to live only 50 miles away from the Mouse, himself so I’m making a point to Disney indulge as much as I can and Aubrey and I are just beginning to explore and discover Disneyland together.
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| Disneyland at Halloween!! |
This past Friday, I was lucky enough to attend a special event at Disneyland with Aubrey – Mickey’s Halloween Party. While getting into the park was a bit of a hassle with long lines and crowded waiting areas, we knew we were in for something great.
We started our evening on Main Street taking photos with Disney characters dressed up in Halloween costumes. Here’s Aubrey with Minnie Mouse. In case you were wondering, Aubrey is dressed as a chef. She just didn’t want to wear her matching hat. We also saw Pluto and Donald Duck!
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| Pretty darn cute, huh? |
Then on to the rides and the Halloween decorations in New Orleans Square! We LOVED the Haunted Mansion (my three year old sat that one out with our nanny) and Pirates of the Caribbean which we stupidly took the three year old on, having forgotten how scary it was. Oops. I get to hear my daughter talk about pirates and skeletons for the next several months. Live and learn… but the grown ups still had fun.
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| Aubrey pretending not to be terrified. She’s such a trooper. |
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| Ahhh… The Teacups!!! |
After accidentally horrifying my poor child, we hit the Mad Tea Party teacups and Dumbo the Flying Elephant rides for Aubrey and she still can’t decide which one she liked best. I think the teacups! After a bite to eat at the Hungry Bear it was time to head to one of the highlights of Mickey’s Halloween Party – the Halloween Screams Fireworks Spectacular. It really was one of the best fireworks displays I’ve ever seen even though it also scared my child. I’ll spare you the photo on this one. Once again, the grown ups still had fun.
Shortly after that, we caught the end of the Character Cavalcade which was also scary for Aubrey… starting to sense a pattern here? Seriously though – it’s just my kid – no one else’s three year old seemed to be screaming and crying and it you ask my mother, there is a famous Anderson family story of a young girl named Amy who screamed her head off all the way through It’s A Small World, so maybe it’s genetic.
A ride on King Arthur’s Carousel pepped her right back up and overall, the night was truly magical for us all.
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| She stayed awake until park close at midnight! The walk to the car was the end of an exciting night. |
Some of the other highlights of Mickey’s Halloween Party that DIDN’T make my daughter cry were the trick-or-treating throughout the park (both with candy AND healthy treats) and the dance parties (Aubrey LOVES dancing and jammed with some really groovy space ladies in Tomorrowland while we took turns going on Space Mountain.
Mickey’s Halloween Party is a separate ticketed event with prices ranging from $49-$59 and children under age two are free. The party is happening every Tuesday and Friday night and Halloween night from now through October 31st and everyone is encouraged to dress up in a costume! Just remember, even though the scare factor is Disney-Mild, there are a few things that may be a little intense for preschool aged children.
Just do as I say and not as I do and check before you go. There is a lot to do at Disneyland and you can’t cover it all in one night. I think it’s a great idea to research online and make a game plan for what you want to tackle in the amount of time you’ll be there and what is age appropriate for your crew. You’ll have a blast and make memories to last a lifetime!
To buy tickets now and print them at home CLICK HERE or call: (714) 781-4400
Happy Halloween everyone and I hope you can make it to Disneyland soon! And if anyone knows my old pen pal, David Driskill formerly of Isabel Ln in Glendale, CA, a white guy with wavy hair and in his mid 30s, let him know I’m looking for him.
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Tags: Disneyland • Dumbo the Flying Elephant • Halloween • Haunted Mansion • King Arthur’s Carousel • Mickey’s Halloween Party • Pirates of the Caribbean • SoCal family activities • Space Mountain
24
Sep, 2010
So... Did Amy Put Out For Blogger Prom?!
I know it’s hard to believe, stunning, charming and engaging as I am, that I NEVER went to prom. Or any school dance or party for that matter. No prom, no homecoming, no jr high mixer, no Sadie Hawkins. I did ask two boys out in high school. One for Sadie Hawkins and one for, I think, senior prom, and both turned me down. Excuse me while I go carve the word “why” into my forearm and rock back and forth slowly to the St Elmo’s Fire piano theme song…
OK, I’m back. Honestly, I don’t feel too bummed about missing out on that part of the teenage experience. It really wasn’t my scene (read: I was a total dork and miserably unhappy in my teens). But when my friend, Marsha, aka SweatPantsMom invited me to the 2010 Blogger Prom at Yamashiro in Hollywood, well I got all tingly inside and promptly began to practice writing my new name in cursive: Mrs Amy Sweatpantsmom.
Seriously, I checked the box “YES” and threw the note back to her and it was official: I scored a date to Blogger Prom. No small feat as Blogger Prom invited, I’m guessing, 100 or so of the hottest bloggers in SoCal to attend this shindig. I was told there were 220 people expected to attend which included dates, like myself.
This year’s theme was old Hollywood glamour and I was impressed at the way people really got decked out – boas, long gloves, fedoras, oh my! I threw on a dress that I bought for a friend’s wedding a few years ago. It looked a little more “dress I bought for a friend’s wedding a few years ago” than Hollywood glam, but it was nice. My shoes were really cute, so there. You can visit the Blogger Prom blog (how appropriate) to see some photos of the great outfits!
It was a really fun night of drinking, eating and drinking and eating… and of course, networking and socializing. Being a mother and a former LAMomsBlog contributor, I’m usually invited to “Mommy Blogger” events and while I did see some of my mom blogger friends there, it was a refreshing change of scenery to see and meet so many other types of bloggers. Bloggers who have never changed a diaper or spent their Friday night at Mickey’s Magic Show and considered it a BIG outing (yes, that’s where my boyfriend and I are taking my daughter tonight. It’s a family night “date”.)
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| Sweatpantsmom gets her taco! |
My favorite consumptions of the night were the Pinky cocktail made with Pinky Botanical Vodka. Strong and yum! This amazing thing called “Cheese Sex” – creamy, salty cheese spread on a slab of peanut brittle? I shit you not. And the world’s cutest cup of carnitas on rice that I’ve ever had. There was so much to eat, I didn’t get to it all, but I left Yamashiro stuffed like a gyoza.
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| That’s the Cheese Sex, in the middle & that’s my Pinky cocktail right next to it!! |
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| See! Super cute (the carnitas, not me)! |
The BEST part about Blogger Prom 2010, however, was the charity recipient, Operation Frontline L.A. The good folks there are fighting hunger and teaching low income families to shop for and prepare low-cost, healthy meals. 100% of the proceeds for Blogger Prom went to this worthy cause and you can read more about it here.
A huge thank you to the Blogger Prom committee for a super fun evening! And I didn’t even have to take my dress off! I’m happy to report that Sweatpantsmom was a complete gentleman.
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Tags: Amy Anderson • Blogger Prom • Blogger Prom 2010 • Operation Frontline • Sweatpantsmom • Yamashiro
21
Sep, 2010
Follow Your Heart & Chow DOWN!
Hey SF Valley friends… Just a quick note to let you know about this awesome Screamin Coupons deal that is on sale now!
This is one of my favorite restaurants and I’m not a vegetarian. It’s a vege restaurant in Canoga Park (next to Woodland Hills) called FOLLOW YOUR HEART and they also have a great little natural food and health products store in front.
The specialties are their made from scratch soups, Mexican plates and amazing milkshakes!
And if you haven’t signed up for Screamin Coupons yet, here’s an additional deal. Sign up with my special link and get a $5 credit, so that will be only $5 for $20 worth of food. You can use the credit for something else if you want and it is free to register.
Screamin Coupons works just like Groupon, but it’s better because it’s a local company and they give back 5-10% of their profits to local schools and non-profits. Even cooler? You get to choose a local recipient when you register so you know the percentage of YOUR Screamin Coupons purchases goes to a school/non-profit that you designate. Such an easy way to give back to your community while saving some money on things you love!
Have a great day and maybe I’ll see you at Follow Your Heart. I’m going to buy my coupon right now!
Tags: Canoga Park • dining • Follow Your Heart • groupon • restaurants • San Fernando Valley • Screamin Coupons • SF Valley • Vegetarian • Woodland Hills
