Disclosure: I received complementary tickets for Knott's Soak City, but all opinions are my own.

My son loves the pool. He enjoys the slides, just swimming but his favorite is the Tidal Wave Bay. So last Sunday when we were to Knott's Soak City he had so much fun. It was all fun under the sun.

We got there early and got a welcome from the park representatives. They gave us a goody bag with water toys, a towel and some snacks. They also provided us with access to the Cabanas. And if you are going to be at the Park all day that is the way to go.

Let me show you in pictures all the fun we had. My favorite is the Lazy River. I just enjoyed relaxing during the ride. My son loved the Tidal Wave Bay. But there is a little bit of something for everyone and people from all ages will have fun at Soak City. Even if you do not get in the water (my husband was injured) you will still have fun.

We had a very yummy lunch that included healthy options and my fellow bloggers surprised me by singing happy birthday and giving me a cute Snoopy cupcake. 

The service at all times was great. Safety is a priority at the Park as Cathy the supervisor explained to us. The park offers life jackets free of cost and the lifeguards are trained really well.

I want to thank Knott's Soak City for the invite and I can say it was a great way to celebrate my birthday.

You still have time to buy the Season Passes, before price goes up on May 27th. Hurry up and do not forget the sunscreen!

While searching the web for more exciting things to do with my son, I discovered the EAA Young Eagles Program. A program that started in 1992 that provides kids ages 8-17 an opportunity to fly in a general aviation plane for FREE. 

It is easy to book a fly and when the kids get there this is what they experience:

1. The pilot tells the kids everything about the flight. Things such aero dynamics, charts of the flight, they teach them the parts of the plane and do a pre-flight inspection.
2. They get on the airplane, talk about the interior of the plane, the instrument panel and they buckle the seat belts.
3. During the flight they learn more about their flight. The flight last around 20 minutes.
4. The kids are able to ask questions.
5. The kids receive an official Young Eagles logbook
6. The kids receive a certificate and their names are added to the Young Eagles logbook (The Largest in the world)

It is pretty easy to get your kids to experience this. Go to the Young Eagles website, find the closest coordinator, call, schedule the flight and be ready to take-off.

Enjoy your flight!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. My son was able to flight for free and I am just passing along the information for this awesome program.

Disclosure: I am not being compensated for this post. My family and I were invited to celebrate Mother’s Day at the park and received complementary tickets. All opinions expressed are my own.

Mother’s Day, that special day that in my opinion should be celebrated every day, but I am happy at least we get recognized and celebrated once a year. For this year, my mother’s day celebration was perfect. My family and I got to visit Universal Studios in Hollywood and experience part of the VIP tours the park offers. I can tell you now not only I was happy but my son was super excited. And if you are a mom, you know that seeing your kids smile is the best present. So I can tell you my day was perfect.

We met with the wonderful people of Universal Studios Publicity department. They welcomed us and they gave us  a mother’s day goody bag present and introduced us to Nataly, our VIP experience guide

From there we went to The Simpsons ride, a simulator that makes you feel you are in a roller coaster. How cool is that? According to my son, it is super cool. And you know the best part? No lines, no waiting. Being part of the VIP experience allows you to go in front of the line so you do not miss any rides or shows.

From there we went to Jurassic Park. This was my first time riding Jurassic Park and the experience is unique. It is just like at the movie. It is amazing. My son was a little scared to ride it, but after he was telling his friends about how exciting this ride is. You do get wet, so I am glad Nataly our VIP tour guide had some ponchos for us.

It was time for the ride my son has been talking for months. We had been at Universal Studios just before they opened Transformers 3D, and it is has been my son’s dream to ride it. My son a true transformers fan manipulated the tour at this point. He knew the whole story line and characters. We had the opportunity to meet Juan Ledezma, Manager of operations of the ride, that gave us a very personalized tour and explained (with the help of my son) what was happening. The ride is by far one of the best rides I have ever been on. 

We also got to the ride the Mummy. So glad for the friends that stayed with Nico while dad and I went on the ride. But in case that you have little kids that do not want to ride the biggest rides, Universal Studios has rooms for parent switch, that allow parents to ride while the other one watches the kids and then switch without having to make the long line again. 

Then off to lunch we went. And lunch was in a private restaurant only for VIP experience pass holders. It is an all you can eat buffet with great food prepared by award-winning Executive Chef, Eric Kopelow. Lunch included” Shrimp, seafood, veggies, soups, fruit and so much more. The flavor was really good and the service was great as well.

After lunch we got to experience the park on our own. But thanks to the Front of the Line passes, we were able to skip the lines and see the rest of the shows and enjoy the rides.

The Studio Tour is one of the most popular rides. You get to go by the studios were shows as The Voice get filmed. You also see famous buildings such as the one from Back to the Future, Bates Motel (from Psycho) and the streets of Wisteria Lane (Desperate Housewives)

The park has so much to offer like Shrek 4D, Animal Actors Show and even playgrounds for the kids. If you are looking for something fun to do this summer with the kids, I recommend you take them to Universal Studios. Also, since lines might be long, consider buying the front of the line passes or even better the VIP experience.

So get your comfy shoes ready and start your Universal Studios experience. Both you and your kids will love it. And I hope your Mother's Day was as exciting as mine!

Disclosure: I am not being compensated for this post. My family and I were invited to celebrate Mother’s Day at the park and received complementary tickets. All opinions expressed are my own.

Disney’s PLANES releases in theaters everywhere on August 9th!

Like Disney’s PLANES on Facebook 

Follow Disney’s PLANES on Twitter 

Visit the website: www.disney.com/Planes

Summer is almost here and the last day of school is approaching. Kids will be at home, with no homework and a lot of energy. You know you want to take them out of the house to do fun staff but things are expensive. So take advantage of the summer movie programs. They have fun movies at a great price.

You can enjoy some movie family fun this summer. Here are two movies programs one from Muvico and one from Cinemark. It is a refreshing way to spend a hot summer day.

Muvico had a free summer movie program for 2013 is called the Muvico Free Summer Film Fest. The Muvico Free Summer Film Fest starts showing their free summer movies at 10:00 a.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning, from June 11, 2013 through August 15, 2013.

Here's the schedule of the free summer movies being shown at Muvico Theaters this summer:

·         June 11-13 - Despicable Me

·         June 18-20 - Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

·         June 25-27 - Rise of the Guardians

·         July 2-4 - The Smurfs

·         July 9-11 - Hotel Transylvania

·         July 16-18 - The Lorax

·         July 23-25 - Clifford's Really Big Movie

·         July 30 - August 1 - Happy Feet Two

·         August 6-8 - How to Train Your Dragon

·         August 13-15 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cinemark has also a movie program called  Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse. You can purchase tickets to 10 movies for $5 at cinemark.com or in advance at the box office. 
Tickets purchased at the box office on the day of the show are $1/ea for both children and adults. 

Each theater has a different schedule so make sure you check the schedule for your local theater for movies showing there.

Enrollment time for the Pizza Hut Book it Reading program for the year 2013-2014 is open

Either ask your teacher to enroll your kids or you can enroll them if you homeschool them. It is a good opportunity to motivate kids to read.

This is not a sponsored post. I have received complementary passes to visit the park on opening weekend.

It feels like summer now. The heat and sun have arrived and my family is always looking for ways to have fun while staying cool. What a best way that going to Knott’s Soak City that will be opening May 18th.

Knott's Soak City is one of the favorite things to do in Southern California. One of the best things about the park is that you can find entertaining for everyone in the family.

The ride such as Banzai Falls is my son favorite. He loves the thrill of sliding down from a 41 feet high. I love seating and relaxing by the pools or just cruising around in the Sunset River.

With so many rides and fun, your family will be hungry. You can take your own snacks, or you can also enjoy good food at the park.

And for a more enjoyable day make sure you keep your family safe:

1.    Follow are the rules. Some rides might require that kids use a life west.

2.    Remember that it is slippery around pools. Avoid running. Just walk.

3.    It is going to be hot. Drink plenty of fluids to avoid heat stress

4.    Take your sunscreen and apply it often

5.    Take an umbrella and stay on the shade as much as you can

For more information you can visit Knott's Soak City website  and also be sure to get the Knott's Soak City season pass before May 27, 2013 - because that's when prices go up.

It is time to find the perfect swimming suit and have FUN. You can enter below and win two tickets to Soak City to visit the part with your family. See you at the park!

This is not a sponsored post. I have received complementary tickets to visit the park on opening weekend. All opinions expressed are my own.

Open only to U.S residents 18 years or older. Only one winner per household. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of prize. 

Cinco de Mayo. No, it is not Mexican independence day. It is actually the Battle of Puebla and it is not a common holiday celebrated in Mexico.

However good food, drinks and fun are a reason to celebrate and I have some cool recipes here for you.

In commemoration of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, the talented chef, Isa Souza, created the “Cinco de Minion” salsa recipe.It was especially prepared to celebrate the release of Despicable Me 2, which will be released in theaters July 3, 2013.

“Cinco de Minion" salsa recipe:

Ingredients:

3 yellow bell peppers (2 chopped and reserve the 3rd to serve)

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 tablespoons of sour cream

2 teaspoons of salt

3 tablespoons of olive oil

½ teaspoon of ground cumin

½ teaspoon of ground black pepper

Preparation:

Heat a medium-sized pan at high temperature.  Add the olive oil, followed by the garlic and onion, stirring constantly.

Add yellow bell pepper. Reduce the temperature and season with salt, pepper and cumin. Mix well and let it cook for about 15 minutes on low heat. Stir constantly.

When the yellow bell pepper is well cooked, remove from heat.

Add the sour cream. Pour all into a blender and mix. It will form a thick sauce.

Cut the top of the reserved pepper to serve as a container for the salsa . Remove all seeds.  Pour the salsa in the yellow bell pepper and use the top of the pepper to decorate.

Lately the traumatic events that have inundated the news have increased. It is almost impossible to keep your kids away from all the bad things happening and to be truthful I rather tell my son, that let him learn from others and maybe get wrong and confusing information. So how do you discuss traumatic events with young children? Although these may be difficult conversations, they are also very important.  Here are some tips to help in difficult times:

1. Acknowledge and validate your child's thoughts, feelings, and reactions. Let them know that you think their questions and concerns are important and appropriate. 
2. Give children honest answers and information. Children will usually know, or eventually find out, if you're “making things up.” It may affect their ability to trust you or your reassurances in the future.
3. 3.  Be prepared to repeat information and explanations several times. Some information may be hard for them to accept or understand. Asking the same question over and over may also be a way for a child to ask for reassurance. 
4. Remember that children tend to personalize situations.  
5. Children learn from watching their parents. They are very interested in how you respond to local and national events. They also learn from listening to your conversations with other adults. 
6. Don't let children watch too much news coverage with frightening images. The repetition of such scenes can be disturbing and confusing.

Fortunately, most children are quite resilient. However, by creating an open environment where they feel free to ask questions, we can help them cope with stressful events and experiences, and reduce the risk of lasting emotional difficulties.

Adapted from the research done by David Fassler, M.D.

David Fassler, M.D.is  a clinical professor in the department of Psychiatry at the University of Vermont College of Medicine  

En la vida, los padres se enfrentan a el desafío de discutir eventos traumáticos con sus  niños. Aunque estas conversaciones pueden ser difíciles, son también muy importantes. Aquí incluimos algunas claves para ayudar en tiempos difíciles:

1. Reconozcan y validen los pensamientos, sentimientos y reacciones de sus hijos. Déjenles saber que ustedes piensan que sus preguntas y preocupaciones son importantes y apropiadas.
2. Den a sus hijos respuestas e informaciones honestas.  Los niños eventualmente sabrán, o descubrirán si ustedes están inventando algo.  Esto puede afectar su habilidad de confiar en ustedes o en sus afirmaciones en el futuro.
3. Estén preparados para repetir informaciones y explicaciones varias veces. Alguna información puede ser difícil  para ellos aceptar o entender. Preguntando  las mismas preguntas una y otra vez puede ser la manera de que un niño quiera reasegurarse de lo que se le está respondiendo.
4. Recuerden que los niños tienden a personalizar las situaciones.
5. Los niños aprenden mirando a sus padres. Ellos están muy interesados en la manera como ustedes responden a los eventos locales o nacionales.  También aprenden escuchando sus conversaciones con otros adultos.
6. No deje que sus hijos miren noticieros con imágenes aterradoras. La repetición de esas escenas los pueden perturbar y  confundir.
7. Una lectora del post de Ingles tambien recomendo que se haga nota de los positivo del mundo mas que lo negativo.

Afortunadamente, la mayoría de los niños son  bastante resistentes. Sin embargo, creando un ambiente abierto, ellos se sienten libres para preguntar y nosotros podemos ayudarles a superar eventos y experiencias estresantes, y reducir el riesgo de dificultades emocionales duraderas.

Adaptado de David Fassler, M. D
David Fassler, M. D., es un profesor clínico en el departamento de Psiquiatría en la Universidad de Vermont College of Medicine