California: Busking on Hollywood Boulevard

One of Bria’s favorite things is buskers. It doesn’t matter if they are singing, dancing, or pretty much anything else, she is enamored. In this video, she is cutting a rug with a group of young men dancing on the sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard.

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California: Disney Soda Fountain in Hollywood

When “I’m hungry” took over while we were cruising around Hollywood, we popped into Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio in the El Capitan Theater for a treat. And wow, what a treat it was! This old-fashioned ice cream parlor experience is open daily on Hollywood Boulevard, and features lots of yummy goodies for every member of the family.

In addition to the soda fountain and the theater, there is a Disney store inside, where you can check out all of your favorite Disney icons. Prices were reasonable ($7.95 for a BLT with chips, $8.95 for the banana split you see in this photo), and I love any place I can score a Vanilla Coke!

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Utah: Hiking with Daddy in Zion National Park

The above is a short video of Bria hiking with Daddy in Zion National Park. Hiking doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking – when you are accompanied by preschoolers, you can just park at the trail head, grab a bottle of water, and head a few hundred yards down the trail to explore your surroundings!

On this particular hike, they found all kinds of neat things. With the bingo game from the Junior Ranger booklet in hand (she called it her “map”) they set off to explore. Along the way they found animal tracks, animal scat (two kinds), a beetle, and an animal hole. That’s a lot of discovering in just a very short distance!

There was a beautiful river, and the two of them climbed on some big rocks and watched the river become a water fall.

A hike can be a fantastic way to explore your surroundings. Where have you hiked lately?

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California: 16 Things To Do at Orange County Great Park

There is always something to do at Orange County Great Park, even when a big event isn’t happening. Need some ideas? (Many of these will work at any other park as well – get creative! Have some fun!)

1. Hide and seek or tag – this may come as a shock, but you don’t actually need THINGS to have fun. Think back to your childhood, really stretch, and come up with your favorite games on the playground. Now teach your kids. And play with them, don’t sit on the sidelines and watch.
2. Cartwheels – while you’re at it, do some cartwheels. They’re good for the soul. (And Hoag is just down the road if you happen to get carried away.)
3. Photography– whether you are wanting to update that family photo, take senior portraits, or just add snapshots to your Facebook page, the Great Park makes a fantastic backdrop. Well-manicured spaces, beautiful trees and careful architecture all come together to make this a photographer’s dream.
   
4. Picnic – pack up some snacks or make a stop at Subway on the way. There is something really special about meals eaten in the outdoors, they just seem to be the stuff of memories. There are plenty of tables available, complete with chairs and umbrellas, or pack a blanket and lay out in the grass.
5. Birthday Party – the amenities at the park are available on a first-come, first served basis, and small gatherings are welcome. Better yet, they are free! (Contact the park if you want to have a larger gathering, or plan to have a tent larger than 10×10, inflatable bounce houses, or barbecue grills.)
6. Kick a ball around – with world-class soccer fields and lots of just plain grass to play on, the kids will have a great time kicking a ball around. Rows of palm trees make great obstacles, too!
7. Play on the playground – Orange County Great Park has a wonderful little kid friendly playground, with educational opportunities sprinkled throughout. Check out the footprints to learn about different animals, climb in and on the caves, and much more.
8. Run with the dog – take your four-legged buddy out for a run. If you forgot your poo clean-up bags, you’ll find dispensers (and hand sanitizer) throughout the park
9. Toss a Frisbee – you always have one in the back of your car for times like this, anyway, right?
10. Learn about nature – there are lots of trees to identify, plants to check out, and more.
11. Treasure hunt – dash out a list on the back of a grocery receipt and set out on an adventure.
12. Fly a kite – wide open spaces to unfurl your wings are becoming fewer and far between. You’ll find plenty of grassy fields in the Great Park to dust off those kite flying skills in.
13. Yoga – bring your mat, and trek off to a quiet corner of the park to commune with nature. Fresh air is so going to feel so much better than the air in that stuffy gym, anyway.
14. Relay race – remember egg and spoon races when you were a kid? How about hula-hoop endurance competitions and sack races? For more ideas, check Mamas Like Me’sfun list of 20 ideas for relay races with the kids.
15. Journaling – if you seek a beautiful, quiet space to reflect with some fresh air and sunshine, you are in luck. 
    
16. Let them lead – open the car door, let the children out, and see where they go. There are always new trails to blaze, and we don’t get the opportunity to do that nearly enough. This is the perfect place for unorganized discovery and play.

The list of things to do at the park is as endless as your imagination. Have ideas that aren’t on the list? We’d love for you to share them below!

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