Tax Day Freebies

It's Tax Day again. While some dread the annual IRS deadline, others rejoice in the goodies and discounts offered by restaurants and retailers to take the sting out of the date. Here's a quick list of those participating (I'll add to the list as I become aware of deals):

Hot Dog on a Stick is offering one free turkey or veggie dog to customers today only. Call ahead to make sure your location is participating.  No additional purchase required, although I'd definitely purchase some of their fresh lemonade!

Planet Fitness is treating folks to a free HydroMassage when they visit this link, complete a short form and print a coupon. No membership required.

Office Max is offer offering five pounds of free shredding with this coupon good through the end of the month.

Arby's (if you can find one) is offering a free order of curly fries at participating locations.

Kona Ice is helping people across the country chill out by offering one free Kona Ice to customers today at participating locations. Click the link to find a truck near you.

If you've got a Sonic near you, stop in for half priced cheeseburgers, no coupon required.

Downtown Burbank Arts & Animation Festival

This weekend, April 14th and 15th, the Downtown Burbank Arts Festival returns to San Fernando Boulevard for its 15th year! My family and I love strolling the boulevard from Orange Grove Avenue to Magnolia Boulevard, taking in the works of  over 200 artists. It's a great opportunity to discover the works of local and world renowned artists in various forms.  

Don Wallace Multi-Use Trail in Calabasas

Great news for hikers, horseback riders, and bicyclists! This Friday, after years of planning, L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Department of Parks and Recreation officials will officially dedicate the Don Wallace Multi-Use Trail Connector in Calabasas, California. The trail is named for Don Wallace, a retired firefighter and outdoor recreation advocate who campaigned for its creation. It will be the first in L.A. County to enable safe passage under the 101 Freeway, and will eventually provide connectivity to Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority trails, the Las Virgenes Creek trails, as well as the Malibu Creek State Park system. The dedication ceremony will take place at 11:00 am on April 15, 2018 behind the Starbucks at 26531 Agoura Road, Calabasas, CA 91392.

Jurassic Park 25th Anniversary Celebration at Universal Studios Hollywood

I remember seeing the original Jurassic Park at Citywalk when I was.... younger. What I cannot believe is that it's been 25 years. I've watched the moviewith my own children and it still holds up as an action packed thrill ride. But this? This is huge! Literally and figuratively...

Magnolia Park Welcomes Target Burbank West!

It's official! Magnolia Park in Burbank has a new neighbor and I couldn't be more thrilled about the new addition. Anyone that knows me knows that I can spend hours wandering he aisles of a Target store. And now I have one within walking distance of my home. Dreams really do come true! For months I have been driving past the former piano store, eagerly anticipating the opening of Target Burbank West. Admittedly, I had wondered how they were going to make it work. From the outside it looked like such a small space. Regardless, I couldn't wait to see it from the inside. 

Do I Need Nike SF AF-1s?

I'm a big time window shopper. I fill my online (and sometimes real life) shopping baskets with all of the wonderful things my heart desires but my wallet laughs at. So lets play a little game called What's in My Basket! It's interactive. You can be my virtual voice of reason and tell me why I really don't (or do) need said item. It'll be fun, I promise.

I've had boxing gloves for about a decade and they're finally starting to fall apart. So, technically, this is a need rather than a want. But I'd like something with a bit more personality to replace my pink Proforce gloves that won't break the bank. I found these floral 12 ounce gloves online for $26.99 which is about what I paid for my other pair. I'm fairly certain no one in my class will have a pair like these which is a major selling point. I'm also pretty sure my 12 year old won't try to steal them. 

What's Hoppening Easter Weekend in LA

It's Easter weekend and if you're anything like me, you've procrastinated on making plans for Easter brunch and/or egg hunts and are now scrambling to find something festive to do this weekend. No worries! I've got you. I've compiled a list of the best Easter brunches and egg hunts in and around the L.A. area. Some of which have been booked for a few weeks now but may be accommodating walk-ins or may have a waiting list they can add you to, so definitely give them a call:

The Malibu Cafe at Calamigos Ranch  

How I Wash and Go My 3C Curly Hair

I used to tie my hair back tightly in buns, ponytails, and braids. I still hate my hair down straight or in my face, but the older I get, the less I want to manipulate my fine, 3C curly/wavy hair. I much prefer to let it kind of do it's own thing unless I have someplace to be. So after experimenting with countless natural hair care products for curly hair, here is what I use almost daily to achieve my wash and go. 

Favorite Finds: International Mermaid Day

In honor of International Mermaid Day (it's a thing and I'm here for it), I'm dedicating Favorite Finds to all things mermaid. Anywave, without further ado, feast yer eyes on the these finds I'm shore you'll love...

Because I love make up and because my inner mermaid loves shiny things, this 16 piece set of golden make up brushes caught my eye while I was perusing Etsy, like I do. Find them here for $24 (free shipping within the US). 

Ready Player One Challenge

When I heard that there was an actual maze based on the Ready Player One in Hollywood, there was no way I was going to miss it! The challenge consists of props from the movie, live characters, and lots of Instagrammable photo ops.

Siren Mermaid Museum

I have always loved mermaids. My kids will tell you, some of their earliest memories are of me singing Under the Sea while bathing them when they were little. Further back, I used to force my little cousin Nicole to reenact scenes from The Little Mermaid (I'm pretty sure she still knows Part of Your World by heart). So when my friend and fellow blogger Nic at Sixth N' Pink told me that Popsugar and Siren had created a pop up Mermaid Museum to promote Siren on Freeform (starts March 29th), I was so freaking there.

Spring Break 2018 Part 2: California Adventure

Part two of our spring break adventure started with a Magic Morning at Disney's California Adventure. We woke up early and arrived to the park at 7:00 am, heading straight for Cars Land (my favorite part of the park) to ride Radiator Springs Racers with virtually no line! It was a fun, adrenaline-filled start to our morning that woke us right up. We stuck around and rode Luigi's Rolickin' Roadsters (formerly Luigi's Flying Tires ride), and got to meet Lightning McQueen for a PhotoPass photo op all before the park opened to the public. Once the park started to fill up, we headed back to our hotel to pack up and check out. 

Goofy's Kitchen

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Goofy, so when I planned our trip to Disneyland over spring break, I had to include a visit to Goofy's Kitchen character dining experience at the Disneyland Hotel! In a nutshell, Goofy's Kitchen is a fun, family friendly environment with a pretty good variety of buffet style food options. We came here for breakfast after our Magic Morning early park entry. I made our reservations in advance for an 11:15 seating on day 2 of our spring break adventure so that once the park got crowded we were able to go sit down and eat outside the park in the Disneyland Hotel (i.e. refuel and recharge). You pay on arrival and they include gratuities in your total so everything's taken care of up front. No flagging down a server for your bill, calculating a tip, or waiting for your card. Excellent! 

Spring Break 2018

Spring has sprung and I couldn't think of a better way to spend spring break with my little guy than at the happiest place on earth. I booked a stay at the Paradise Pier Hotel, one of the Disneyland Resort properties, so that we could take a break from the action and recharge our batteries in middle of the day. One of the nice things about staying at a Disney property is that we got to visit the park an hour early on Magic Mornings even on our check in day- we just arrived to the hotel around 6:30 to complete preliminary check in, collected our room keys and tickets and we were off! This allowed us to get on some of our favorite rides with minimal lines before the park opened to the general public. 

Festival Glamping at Base Camp in Indio

Hitting the Coachella music festival ranks pretty high on my bucket list.  Every year I plan to go and every year, for one reason or another, I miss out.  But I'm left with lingering fantasies of lounging around in the desert while being serenaded by my favorite bands, old and new.  I can only imagine how incredible the vibe really is in person.  Don't cry for me.  I'll make it one day...