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!

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.

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.

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. 

Do you and your kids like bowling? What if I tell you that your kids can bowl for free until the end of summer?
Yes, you read it right. You can register and your kids can bowl for FREE until the end ofsummer and parents can get a really good deal too.

Kids Bowl Free has bowling centers all over the country with this offer. You can find out if there is a center near you here

Children are eligible to register for 2 free games a day, all summer long and parents can buy a pass to bowl with their kids. From $24.95 and includes 2 GAMES PER PERSON PER DAY. The Family Pass covers up to 4 adult family members. (The Free bowling and pass do not include the bowling shoes, so you might need to cover that expense)

Lakeshore is a store that I visit pretty often with my son, because they have everything that we need for educational crafts. They offer Free crafts for kids every Saturday morning.

Lakeshore store location near you.

For future dates you can see the calendar

Calendar of events for FREE crafts during July

Last week I posted about the Free Clinics offered at the store Lowe’s. Well, Home Depot also offers workshops for kids to learn how to build things.

Home Depot offers FREE workshops for kids ages 5 – 12 on the first Saturday of every month (9:00 am to 12:00 pm)

The kids not only get to keep their craft but also get an apron, a commemorative pin and certificate of achievement.

The calendar of events is available on their website

Para español leer después de la sección de ingles

Do you like bowling? I have great news for you and your family. Your kids can bowl for FREE this summer and parents can get a really good deal too.

Kids Bowl Free has bowling centers all over the country with this offer. You can find out if there is a center near you here

Children are eligible to register for 2 free games a day, all summer long and parents can buy a pass to bowl with their kids. From $24.95 and includes 2 GAMES PER PERSON PER DAY. The Family Pass covers up to 4 adult family members.

The Free bowling and pass do not include the bowling shoes, so you might need to cover that expense.

Our family decided to buy Bowling shoes online (as cheap as 12 per pair) and that way when we go, it is really free.

Happy Bowling.

VERSION EN ESPAÑOL

Te gusta jugar bolos? Tengo buenas noticias para ti y tu familia. Ahora tus hijos pueden jugar bolos GRATIS este verano, y los padres pueden encontrar una buena promoción también.

Kids Bowl Free se ha afiliado con centros de bolos por todo el país, ofreciendo esta oferta. Aquí puedes saber si hay un centro cerca de ti.

Los niños son elegibles para 2 juegos gratis diarios durante el verano, y el paquete para los padres, llamado pase familiar, está disponible desde un costo de $24.95 e incluye 2 JUEGOS POR PERSONA POR DIA. Este pase familiar cubre hasta 4 adultos en la familia.

Esta oferta no incluye los zapatos, así que ustedes a lo mejor tendrán que cubrir ese costo.

Nuestra familia compro los zapatos en el internet (a un precio de 12 por par) y de esa manera cuando vamos a jugar, nos sale gratis.

Felices Juegos.

My son and I enjoy visiting different places. We like variety. Our weekends are full of activities to have fun. I always make all our activities not only fun but also an opportunity for learning.

What a best way for learning that visiting the museum. We went to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History located in the beautiful mountains of Santa Barbara, CA.

It is a small museum, which is perfect to visit with your kids, that way you are able to finish visiting all the exhibits before they are tired.

For our visit the main exhibits were DinoMania and Butterflies Alive. Both exhibits were just perfect for my son that loves Dinosaurs and also has enjoyed before being able to walk around the butterflies and even have them land on him.

If you are coming to Santa Barbara try to stop by and visit the museum. It is really worth it.

Mi hijo y yo siempre disfrutamos cuando visitamos lugares diferentes. Nos gusta la variedad. Nuestros fines de semana siempre están llanos de actividades divertidas. Yo siempre trato de que nuestras actividades sean no solo divertidas pero que también nos permitan aprender cosas nuevas.

Que mejor manera de aprender que visitando un museo. Fuimos al Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History que se encuentra en las hermosas montanas de la ciudad de Santa Barbara, CA.


Es un museo pequeño, lo que es perfecto para visitar con los niños, porque se pueden visitar todas las salas sin que los niños estén muy cansados.

En esta visita, las principales salas de exhibición eran DinoMania y Butterflies Alive. Ambas exhibiciones fueron apropiadas para mi hijo al que le encantan los dinosaurios y porque también siempre ha disfrutado caminar en el salón lleno de mariposas que a veces hasta aterrizan en el.

Si visitas Santa Barbara, trata de visitar el museo. De verdad es maravilloso.

En Español después de la sección de Ingles

Cinemark Theaters – Summer Movie Clubhouse for $1.00 per show or $5.00 pass for the whole summer if purchased in advance.

Regal Entertainment Group – Summer Movie Express all summer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00am for $1.00 per person

There are other theaters that offer similar programs, so you might want to call them and ask.

Have in mind that the movies are not new releases and that theaters might be overcrowded.

VERSION EN ESPAÑOL

Cinemark – Summer Movie Clubhouse ofrece películas a $ 1.00 por persona. Tambien tienen un pase que cuesta $ 5.00 por todo el verano.

Regal – Summer Movie Express con películas los martes y miercoes a las 10:00 am por un costo de $ 1.00 por persona.

Hay otros teatros que ofrecen programas similares, si que de pronto quieras llamarlos para averiguar si el teatro local tiene este tipo de programa.

Recuerda que las películas no son nuevos estrenos y que los teatros pueden estar muy llenos.