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30
Apr, 2012

Knott's Berry Farm Mother's Day Brunch! OMG!

With one of my best mom friends, Bernadette. She's the one on the right.

I was lucky enough to be invited down to the world famous Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant yesterday to preview their May 13th, Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch. All I have to say is Oh. Em Gee. It was soooo good.

I hadn’t been down to Knott’s Berry Farm since, um… well, circa 1976? Yeah, it’s been a while. I’m happy to report that a lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same such as Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. This is where the whole thing began in 1934 and it is known for its homestyle dishes, comfort food and of course, the fried chicken.

Don’t expect the Ritz Carlton – this is real food for real people who like to eat in a casual, family dining atmosphere. The brunch is buffet style and everything was delicious. The most amazing thing, to me, was the variety and amount of dishes to choose from. Everything from breakfast staples like eggs, bagels, fruit, sausage and bacon, biscuits, cheese blintzes and more, to salmon, shrimp cocktail, enchiladas, Spanish rice, mashed potatoes and gravy, apple stuffing, steamed veggies, soups, fresh carved meats, cold salads, rice pilaf and MORE MORE MORE. It kind of blew my mind.

Ice swan on a pile of shrimp? Check.

I ate some of this fruit to pretend I was healthy

Included in the price of the buffet are your beverages – coffee, tea, sodas and unlimited champagne 🙂

And then there’s the dessert table. Or tables… plural. I smuggled an adorable Snoopy cupcake to Aubrey and sampled a few too many chocolate eclairs, fruit tarts and of course, I had a slice of Mrs Knott’s famous boysenberry pie. Yum.

Yummm

SO CUTE!

The service was great, the employees were all very friendly and we even got a visit from Snoopy. I love Snoopy and was kind of overly excited to have my picture taken with him.

My new boyfriend

Now here’s the best part – since you’re reading this here blog of mine, if you mention “MOM BLOGGERS DISCOUNT” when you make your reservation for the Mother’s Day Brunch, you will get 10% off!

Also, Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant is located just outside the main gates of the Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park, so you can park for free for up to three hours instead of paying the $15 amusement park parking. After you finish gorging yourself (Trust me, you will and you should if you’re a mother. You’ve earned it.), if you’re able, you should stroll around the Marketplace Shops! There is a wide variety of stores, from Snoopy and Peanuts paraphernalia, collectors items, clothing, an awesome candy store, a bakery, souvenirs and more.

This Mother’s Day, I will be flying home from a week on the road, otherwise I might actually be tempted to drive back down to Buena Park to chow down again.

The end of the road

To all of my mom friends and readers – Happy Early Mother’s Day! I hope you get some fried chicken too!

 

Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant: Mother’s Day Brunch
Sunday, May 13, 2012
9am – 2pm
Adults: $29.95
Seniors: $22.95
Children: $16.95
Call 717.220.5055 and be sure to ask for the MOM BLOGGERS DISCOUNT for 10% off!!

 

I was not paid for this post, but the fine people of Knott’s treated me to a fabulous brunch and a gift certificate to the Marketplace shops where I oddly bought my daughter a Disney toy. It was a really fun and delicious morning and that’s my honest opinion. So there.

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28
Apr, 2012

Chihuahua Bliss

Bob Barker and I are both, definitely, California girls. Today it is sunny and almost 90 degrees and on a day like this, Bob Barker likes nothing better than to sprawl out on the toasty driveway and soak in the sun. If there’s a human around, she will ask for a tummy rub to complete the perfect scenario.

What a life.

We hope you’re having a great day too!

xo Amy & BB

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28
Apr, 2012

A Two Wheeled Milestone For Aubrey

Today was a day that will go down in Aubrey Anderson-Emmons history and one for my books as well. Today, she mastered her 2-wheeler bicycle. Her big girl bike! WOOHOO!!

I made a little video to show her off. I’m so proud of her, but especially thrilled that she got it on the first try sans training wheels! Not because she’s an athletic whiz… trust me, she’s not, but because she rode a balance /running bike for several months leading up to today.

 

For anyone teaching a little one how to ride, I truly believe this is the way to go. If you’re interested in how Aubrey learned, watch the video and read the steps. I swear by it and have heard many other parents sing the praises of the balance bike!

When I was around 5-6 years old, I vividly remember attempting to learn to ride a 2-wheeler for days on end, by myself. Falling over and over and over on the little hill at the top of our driveway. I remember getting so frustrated and actually throwing the bike down on the ground over and over, tears streaming down my face. I really didn’t want bike riding to start out as such a negative experience for Aubrey and all the research I did paid off.

When Aubrey was a baby, I saw a kid riding a balance bike at the park one day. It looked intriguing because it was wooden (they make metal ones too) so I went home and Googled it. A balance or running bike is a 2-wheeled bike without pedals/chain. Essentially a scooter bike. Imagine a Razor scooter, but in the form of a bike. The child propels and stops the bike with their legs and feet and once they get the hang of it, coasting down hills and zooming down trails is a blast!

It seemed like the way to go. I got one for Aubrey and continued to watch a lot of YouTube videos about how to teach the balace bike when I was first teaching Aubrey to ride, so I thought I’d list the steps we took for my fellow parents & care takers who might be researching too:

1) Gain the confidence to balance on 2 wheels with a balance bike. This took Aubrey several months. Around a year for Aubrey, actually, but on and off at first when she was three. Also, she didn’t have it at her dad’s house, so it was inconsistent learning. I think most kids may catch on a little quicker.
2) Once they master the balance bike, get a bicycle w training wheels as close to the same size so feet can touch the ground from seated position, like the balance bike
3) Ride the new bike leaving training wheels on until kid can pedal and steer simultaneously with confidence
4) Keep practicing on the balance bike in between
5) Loose the training wheels on the regular bike and go to town!

As you can see on the video, when she got wobbly, she was able to put her feet down and keep coasting/balancing confidently because of the experience on the balance bike. This momentum enabled her to put her feet back up on the pedals and also kept her from falling down and hurting herself.

Good luck to the new riders out there and happy trails!

Love, A & a

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