A day at the spa- Pacific Waters Spa @ Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

Two weeks I had an amazing evening with other mommy bloggers at the Pacific Waters Spa at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach. The hotel is stunning and the views of the Pacific Ocean are out of this world. It is a great place to walk around and take in the views.

From the moment I walked in to the Pacific Waters Spa I was able to relax. We were greeted by the friendly staff and escorted into the women's lounge/dressing area. The area is large and comfortable. Ther changing area is very comfortable and there are plenty of lockers. We changed in to a luxurious comfy robe, slippers and then headed to the relaxation room to wait for our treatments.

I could live in the relaxation room. It's a beautiful room with a fireplace, warm cozy blankets and the plenty of fun reading material. I could seriously stay in the relaxation room for hours just reading and relaxing. We were then treated to three mini treatments, massage, facial and a hand treatment. They were wonderful and I can't wait to head there again.

The Pacific Waters Spa has a 3 month membership that I hope my husband will buy me for Valentine's Day. The 3 month membership gives you three 60 minute treatments and unlimited use of the spa facilities. It also comes with free valet parking, 20% off spa services and use of the hotel's pools. I am hoping to have it this summer and hit the beautiful main pool with the kiddies. The best part is that you could bring a guest with you! It would be perfect to bring your husband , best friend or sister. It is also very reasonable!

Could I ask you for a big favor? The Pacific Waters Spa is having a contest for bloggers and I need your help. Could you become a fan of the Pacific Waters Spa on Facebook and write on their wall- I became a fan after reading Daytrippingmom. The blogger with the most fans to sign up wins a day at the spa. It sounds like a dream come true!

The best part is that if you become a fan on facebook, you will receive a 20% discount on a sixty minute treatment! It would be a dreamy Valentine's Day gift.

To learn more about the Pacific Waters Spa head here.

OC Parks Annual Pass for Regional/Wilderness/Beach Parking pass

Do you know about OC Parks Annual Day Pass for Regional Parks, Wilderness Parks and Beach Parking? I didn't until a couple of weeks ago and now I can't imagine not having an annual pass to OC Parks Regional and Wilderness Parks. OC Parks gave my family an annual pass for the year and I find myself using it at least on a weekly basis. I imagine we will probably use it on a daily basis once it starts to warm up.

The OC Parks Annual Combination Pass is $80 and gives you access to all of the regional and wilderness parks in the area. It also gives you beach parking to 4 of my favorite beaches- Aliso Beach(my absolute favorite beach), Capistrano Beach, Salt Creek Beach(gorgeous beach!) and Dana Point Harbor.

 I live about a mile away from Yorba Regional and have found myself going a couple of times a week(before the rain). The kiddos love the park grounds and before it started raining asked at least once a day if we could head over to the beautiful park. We are also huge fans of Irvine Regional Park. We easily spend an entire  day there. We pack a picnic, ride the train, walk the grounds, play, feed the ducks and then head over to the OC Zoo.   The Regional parks are gorgeous and the annual pass is an incredible deal.

As the weather warms up the parking pass for OC beaches will really come in handy. We head to Aliso Beach on an  almost weekly basis in the summer and this year I won't have to worry about parking! Wohoo! I can't wait.

You can find more about the OC Annual Parks by heading here and you can purchase your pass by heading here.

The annual pass is  a really good deal for families especially as the weather warms up. We are having a blast with our pass and I can't wait for the weather to warm up and really put it to good use!

Free Ice Skating and Rentals at The Orange County Great Park

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know that I love Free stuff. I heard about an amazing free event that is coming next weekend and had to share asap! From January 30th to Feb 28th, 2010 you can ice skate for FREE at the Orange County Great Park! This offer is even sweeter because rentals and helmet rentals are absolutely free!



Opening Day is also Snow Day!The Great Skate will kick off its first day with Snow Day on Saturday, January 30, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free and the only thing you will have to pay for is parking which is $8.



The Great Park Ice rink will be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only from Jan 30-Feb 28th from 11am to 10pm. Skating tickets will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Skaters must be present to pick-up their own tickets. Advance tickets can be requested on-site at the ice rink ticket counter beginning Jan. 31st. A limited number of advance tickets will be made available on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Visitors may request up to six (6) advance tickets per household, per weekend for one skate session time only.



Skate Sessions are as follows

11:00 a.m.–11:45 a.m.      3:00 p.m.–3:45 p.m.      *7:00 p.m.–7:45 p.m.


12:00 p.m.–12:45 p.m.      4:00 p.m.–4:45 p.m.      *8:00 p.m.–8:45 p.m.



1:00 p.m.–1:45 p.m.        5:00 p.m.–5:45 p.m.        *9:00 p.m.–9:45 p.m.



2:00 p.m.–2:45 p.m.         6:00 p.m.–6:45 p.m.



For additional info head here.

Dollar Movie Theaters- Repost

It looks like it will be raining for the rest of this week. I don't know about you but if it's not a weekend and I have bored kids I want to do something that is simple, fun and well cheap. The movies are usually a good idea but it can add up quickly. A night at the movies has become painfully expensive. With prices hovering over $10 a person, it can really put a dent in your pocketbook. Thankfully we have several dollar/bargain theaters in the Southern California area.

There are local dollar theaters in the Inland Empire, LA , Orange and Ventura Counties. I searched and searched and couldn't find anything for the San Diego area. If you know of one in the area , please email me so I can add it to the list. We love visiting bargain theaters because they're inexpensive and if the kids became bored and we need to leave, we are only out a couple of bucks. Family films are particularly popular at these type of theaters, so it's usually easy to find something for everyone. We've had a great experience and I'm sure your family will too!!
 As of January 2010-
: Los Angeles County
Academy Cinema - Pasadena - $2 before 6pm, $3 after
 Cinemark Movies - Lancaster- 75 cents every Monday with parties of 3 or more, $2 evenings  $2.50 weekends $1.25 all day Wed
Redondo Beach Cinema 3 - Redondo Beach- $3.25 all day
 Starplex Cinema - La Mirada -$2 everyday, $1.00 all day Tue

Orange County
Charter Center Theatre - Huntington Beach $ 3 all day long
 Starplex Cinema - Irvine -$2.00all day, $ 1.00 all day Tuesday
 PictureShow@Mainplace Mall - Santa Ana - $2 all day, $1.00 all day Tue
* Honorable mention- Cinema City - Anaheim Hills- Runs 1st run movies for $5 before noon and $6 before 6pm

 Inland Empire
 Regency Towngate 8 - Moreno Valley - $ 2.00 before 6, $ 3 after
Temeku Discount Theaters - Temecula - $3.25 before 6, $ 4 after
Cinemark Cathedral City - Cathedral City - 75 cents on Mondays for parties of 3 or more $2 $ 2.50 on weekends, $1.75 all day Wed

Ventura County
 Regency Buenaventura - Ventura- $3.00 all day

Free Admission at LACMA on Martin Luther King Day

I'm all about doing free things. I'm sure you all are too!! If you are looking for something to do on Monday to celebrate Dr. King's birthday ,why not try a visit to the LACMA(Los Angeles County Museum of Art).

 Thanks to a generous contribution from Target, visitors of all ages are invited to a free day at the museum featuring live performances, tours, and self-guided activities. The museum will be having special performances and family friendly activities. Make sure to check out the children's special audio tour designed specifically with your little ones in mind. I hope you can enjoy a day at the museum and remember that free admission at the LACMA will be held every holiday Monday. There will be activities from 12:30 to 3:30.

Snow play in Big Bear Lake

Happy Monday!  Excuse my lack of blogging during the past week. I've been blogging for over two years and this past week was one of the most frustrating weeks ever. I could not think of a single  thing to write about. Don't get me wrong, there are some very fun events coming up and a million places to visit, but I  just couldn't write. I think my writer's block is finally over!

We are coming up on a holiday weekend and a week with some cold weather. One suggestion for this holiday weekend is to head up to Big Bear Lake. One of my daughter's preschool teachers shared with me that she took an informal survey of the kiddos in the classroom  last week and only a handful of children had played in snow. That just makes me a little sad. We did not have much money growing up but my mom and dad made sure to bundle us up and take us at least once a year to the snow. My mom would pack a lunch and we would head up for some good old fashioned snow play.



We spent a couple of days in Big Bear Lake during the holiday and the kiddos had a blast sledding for hours. I loved that after some snowfall you can just pull off the road on the way up the mountain and partake in some good snow play. You really don't have to spend much money. Just gas up the car, check the road conditions , dress warmly and be prepared for a great time.  Snow is expected to fall on Wednesday of this week and Sunday night.

You can also inner tube at Big Bear Snow Play, which is open everyday. Big Bear Snow Play is made up of natural and man made snow which gives a great base for  inner tubing and fun in the snow. There are 7 different runs and the price for a full day of fun is $25 a person.

You can also bobsled at the Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain. Children 2-6 are free with one paying adult. A day pass is $25 a person.

If you have wanted to give skiing or snow boarding a try you can try either head to Snow Summit or Bear Mountain.  The ski resorts are open daily through the winter.

If you are still not sure on what to do this weekend, you might want to head up the mountain for some fun. Your kids will have a blast and Big Bear Lake is a fun place to explore. It's the perfect place to daytrip!

For info and weather conditions head here.

Our trip to the Moonridge Animal Park in Big Bear Lake

Last Saturday we had the opportunity to take the kids to the Moonridge Animal Sanctuary/Park in Big Bear Lake. It is located directly across from Bear Mountain Ski Resort. We had spent the afternoon sledding and decided to top it off by visiting Moondridge Park.

The Moonridge Animal Park is a wildlife sanctuary and rehab center. It is the only Alpine zoo in  the United States specializing in Alpine wildlife. The zoo is home to 160 orphaned and injured wildlife representing over 89 species.

The zoo is home to grizzly bears, black bears, mountain  lions, snow leopards, bobcats, wolves, raccoons, foxes, bison and a pair of  bald eagles.

My favorite animal was Hucklebeary, a three legged black bear. Huclebeary came to the park as a cub near death. His right front leg was injured, he was malnourished and suffered from a serious infection. His leg was amputated but he has recovered and he is a happy big guy. He was romping around in the snow and I could have spent hours watching him.

Everyday at noon, a zookeeper presents one of the Zoo's residents so park visitors can be up close and personal with one of the animals. At 3pm on weekends during the winter and daily during the summer, a zookeeper leads a tour around the zoo grounds.

We had a great time visiting the Moonridge Animal Park. We also loved that because we are members of the Santa Ana Zoo we were able to get in for free through their reciprocal zoo program(another reason why memberships pay off! ). If you are planning a trip to Big Bear Lake this winter (you really should! It is so much fun) you should definitely add this to your itenirary.

The zoo is open year round. Winter hours are

10am to 4pm- Monday through Friday

10am to 5pm on weekends

3pm Animal Feeding Tours on weekends

Summer Hours

Memorial Weekend(May) through Labor Day Weekend

10am to 5pm

Park Admission

11 to Adult $9

3-10- $6

Children under 3 are Free!

Moondridge Animal Park

43285 Goldmine Dr

Big Bear Lake, 92315

909-584-1299

For additional info head over here.

P.S - We always head to Big Bear on Hwy 38- It is a little slow but very scenic and not windy at all! Enjoy!

Winners of Monster Truck Jam

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year and that this year brings you many fun adventures! To start off the New Year I wanted to pick the two winners for the Monster Jam giveaway.
The first tickets go to
 Lindsay who said...


My son and my nephew would both love this. And my husband and I would, too!

and
Paula  who said...


My grandkids would love to see this.

email me at mom@daytrippingmom.com with your info. Thanks for all that you entered and stay tuned for another fun giveaway!