TOO Cute Tuesday: Linky Par-Tay! #317

We hope that you had a very Merry Christmas and are enjoying

your holiday break! Have a fabulous New Year!!! We hope you get

to ring it in with those you love.

Now onto TOO Cute Tuesday!

What did you make this week that is TOO Cute??

Come link up!

Rules:

• Must be made by you.
• Link up to the specific post - not your main blog.
• No Etsy shops or giveaways please :)
• Please post the button or link back here so more people can join in the fun.
• Visit some of the other participants and leave them some LOVE!

TOO Cute Tuesday will be open Tuesday-Saturday.
On Saturday or Monday I'll highlight some of my favorites
and then we'll start over on Tuesday!


<a border="0" href="http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/search/label/Too%20Cute%20Tuesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/mormishgirl/Blog/TooCuteTuesdayNEW.jpg" /></a>

This post brought to you by:


 
I changed the linky party so that the most recently uploaded project will show up as number one. This way everyone gets a chance on top. So, look in the first spot for your project, not at the end. Thanks!!!

Lighthouse Bayview Cafe: Amazing Food and Views

Disclosure: We were hosted by Lighthouse Bayview Cafe in order to facilitate a review. All opinions are our own.

At least once a week all summer I haul the kids down to 15th street in Newport Beach
on Balboa Peninsula for a beach day with friends. And at least once a week I drove by
Marina Park as I cruise down Balboa Blvd. and I never knew that tucked behind the
beautiful community center there was an amazing waterfront culinary destination -
Lighthouse Bayview Cafe! It opened a year ago December 9th and and it has been
a favorite with locals ever since.

Grace and I had the chance to be hosted for lunch at Lighthouse Bayview Cafe and it

was such a fun experience. We ate out on the beautiful patio with the amazing view of the

23-slip marina which even has dock space for boaters to access it from the water.

It has a 180-degree harbor, city, and mountain views with access to the sand. It is just

a gem of a location and any table is a good table. The upstairs is only opened on

weekends for brunch. And if you want to have brunch, they suggest making a

reservation, as it is very popular.

There is nothing like ordering lunch with a beautiful view of the bay while your toddler

plays in the sand. It was picturesque and relaxing and we enjoyed every minute of it.

The lunch menu offers appetizers, salads, entrees and soups options that will have

thinking, "How will I ever choose?!" It was a hard choice, but we started off with the

HUMMUS DUO which features roasted pepper and edamame hummus, vegetable

crudite, and warm pita bread. It was delicious! I also thought Romanesco broccoli

was the coolest vegetable I have ever seen!

For my entree, I finally settled on the PULLED PORK CUBAN PANINI, because

YUM!!! It has ham, swiss cheese pickles, and spicy mustard on sourdough with french

fries on the side. It was the perfect size and it was delicious! I have never been a fan of

swiss cheese, but it created the perfect flavor profile on this panini. Chef Ryan is a genius

and I can't wait to get back to Lighthouse Bayview Cafe this winter to try more of his

winter menu offerings - especially the ALL GROWN-UP GRILLED CHEESE.

I was so glad there was a kid's menu for Grace. She is always happy with a good

chicken finger and french fries. She was especially happy with the two choices of

"beep" because she loves ketchup and ranch. She also loved that she could play on the

sand while mom snapped pictures of the food.

Lighthouse Bayview Cafe offers breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week and has

Happy Hour Monday through Friday. If you want to catch their amazing brunch menu,

then you'll want to make an appearance on Saturday or Sunday. Remember to make a

reservation, because brunch is VERY popular! I definitely need to get my mouth on the

beignets and the BANANA PECAN BREAD PUDDING FRENCH TOAST. You

had me at SALTED CARAMEL DRIZZLE, Chef Ryan!

TOO Cute Tuesday: Linky Par-Tay! #316

This weekend we went to Winter Fest at the OC Fairgrounds and we closed

the place down! The kids had so much fun playing in the real snow, tubing down

the hill, and looking at the 2 million lights in the Festival of Lights display.

It was really windy and frigid, so it was the perfect setting for a Winter Fest!

Now onto TOO Cute Tuesday!

What did you make this week that is TOO Cute??

Come link up!

Rules:

• Must be made by you.
• Link up to the specific post - not your main blog.
• No Etsy shops or giveaways please :)
• Please post the button or link back here so more people can join in the fun.
• Visit some of the other participants and leave them some LOVE!

TOO Cute Tuesday will be open Tuesday-Saturday.
On Saturday or Monday I'll highlight some of my favorites
and then we'll start over on Tuesday!


<a border="0" href="http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/search/label/Too%20Cute%20Tuesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/mormishgirl/Blog/TooCuteTuesdayNEW.jpg" /></a>

This post brought to you by:


 
I changed the linky party so that the most recently uploaded project will show up as number one. This way everyone gets a chance on top. So, look in the first spot for your project, not at the end. Thanks!!!

Mermaid Tail Blanket by Fin Fun Review

Disclosure: We received a Mermaid Tail Blanket from Fun Fin to facilitate a review. All opinions are our own.

Do you have a little one that loves mermaids and would love to be one in

real life? My little Grace loves her mermaids, but she's too little for the

mermaid tails you can wear in the pool. That's why this adorable mermaid

tail blanket by Fin Fun is perfect for her! It is cuddly and cute and she can

wear it and be a mermaid just like her dolls!

 

Fin Fun's Bikini Beach Cuddle Tail is made of plush minky and has a clamshell
bikini design - just like your daughter's favorite mermaid. It comes with a bonus
nylon carry sack for convenient storage. It is double-stitched with reinforced seams
for durability and is machine-washable for easy care. That is a big plus with me.
I know Grace will be using her Cuddle Tail all the time and it will inevitably get
dirty, so it's nice to know we can just throw it in the washer and be done!

The Bikini Beach Cuddle Tail comes in two sizes - toddler and kids. It only has one
color option for the clamshell bikini. I think it would be fun if they expanded the color
choices. It is really soft and cozy and I know that Grace will love it! If you have a big
girl, you'll want to check out their other mermaid options. So many great choices!



My readers get to save!
Check out www.finfunmermaid.com to order yours today!
Use code USFAMILY16 to save $5 Off Any Order!

Winter Wonderfest Returns to Discovery Cube OC #DCOCwinter

If you missed Winter Wonderfest at Discovery Cube Orange County last year, then
you are lucky because it's returning again this year!!! And if you did go last year for
the event's debut, then you'll want to be sure to grab your pre-sale tickets before they
disappear December 16th. All the fun of Winter Wonderfest is back - including 100 tons
of REAL SNOW!!! Real snow in sunny southern California? Yes!
 December 17th - January 8th Winter Wonderfest is back and it is bigger and
better than ever! Check out all the fun you'll have!

{1} TUBE DOWN A 75-FOOT RAMP!

JT is my daredevil and he loved racing down the ramp on an inner tube. I think he did
it at least five times. He told me this year he is going to try to do it ten times!! You
can go tubing as many times as your heart desires - you just have to wait in line each
time.

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO OF JT TUBING AT WINTER WONDERFEST!

{2} GO SLEDDING ON REAL HILL OF SNOW!

There are two snow sledding hills - one for the big kids and one for even your little
kids. My kids loved the snow sledding!  See below for a video of Grace enjoying
herself. She went sledding three or four times and was still asking for more!

{3} PLAY WITH REAL SNOW

The SNOW PLAY AREA was the favorite with all of my kids. My kids love 

playing in the snow at grandma and grandpa's house in Utah, but they don't love the 

13 hour drive. So being able to build a snowman and enjoy the fluffy stuff after a 10 

minute drive to the Discovery Cube OC was amazing!

Plus, it gave us an excuse to bust out our cute snow gear and look adorable for the
camera.We just took a quick trip to Idaho to visit my Grandma and Grace was in
heaven in the snow! So, I know she'll be thrilled to skip the plane ride (which she
didn't love) and have the chance to play in the snow again!

There are lots of tools for working in the snow, including some adorable pieces to
make sure your snowman is put together properly.
I think JT made four or five snowmen, because he liked deconstructing them just
as much as he building them. I really appreciate all the hands-on activities that the
Discovery Cube OC puts into all of their events and exhibits.

{4} THE SCIENCE OF GINGERBREAD DISPLAYS

While you're there for Winter Wonderfest, don't forget to take advantage of your
Cube admission to see the amazing 11th Annual Science of Gingerbread displays.
I loved the Peanuts entry last year! There was even a Death Star! The Science of 

Gingerbread will be at The Discovery Cube OC now through January 1st.

You can build your candy car and race it in the 2016 Gingerbread Derby.
You're provided with all the pieces to make a delicious car to race against your friends.
JT is a Cub Scout and participates in the Pinewood Derby each year, so he really loves
this part of The Science of Gingerbread exhibit.

Did you go to Winter Wonderfest at The Cube last year?

What was your favorite part?

If you didn't - hurry! Get your tickets before presale

tickets end on December 16th.

TOO Cute Tuesday: Linky Par-Tay! #315

We had a blast on our girls' trip this weekend to Idaho to visit

my Grandma. It was Isabella's first time on a plane and she was so

excited for the new adventure!

Now onto TOO Cute Tuesday!

What did you make this week that is TOO Cute??

Come link up!

Rules:

• Must be made by you.
• Link up to the specific post - not your main blog.
• No Etsy shops or giveaways please :)
• Please post the button or link back here so more people can join in the fun.
• Visit some of the other participants and leave them some LOVE!

TOO Cute Tuesday will be open Tuesday-Saturday.
On Saturday or Monday I'll highlight some of my favorites
and then we'll start over on Tuesday!


<a border="0" href="http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/search/label/Too%20Cute%20Tuesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/mormishgirl/Blog/TooCuteTuesdayNEW.jpg" /></a>

This post brought to you by:


 
I changed the linky party so that the most recently uploaded project will show up as number one. This way everyone gets a chance on top. So, look in the first spot for your project, not at the end. Thanks!!!

Holiday Adventures in the 2017 Mitubishi Outlander GT

We love the holidays at our house, but boy does it mean that the activity level picks up and there are so many more things to do and get done. I was so excited to get the chance to test drive the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander GT during the week of Thanksgiving. There were so many fun and exciting things to do and I needed a car that could keep up with our Thanksgiving week schedule.


As soon as I got the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander GT I took it out for a night on the town to see Mamma Mia!'s farewell tour at the Segerstrom Center for the Fine Arts. I loved the multi-view camera system! The parking garage can be a tricky place to get in and out of, especially with a larger vehicle. But this advanced system uses multiple cameras around the vehicle to create a composite, bird's eye view of the Outlander. It also has a wide angle view so you can see what is directly behind you. It was so cool! I was like, "How is it doing that?!" I could see all around the vehicle. It is such a great feature I haven't seen in other vehicles.

The next day it was time to do the Thanksgiving dinner shopping! The cargo space was perfect for grabbing all the food we needed and I still had space in the 2nd row for the girls to sit. If JT had been with us and I need to put up the 3rd row of seats, it has a 50/50 split, so I could still put up one seat and leave the other side for our pies, milk, and rolls that we needed for Thanksgiving dinner. I was really impressed with the all the passenger space and cargo space the Outlander has to offer.

On Black Friday we decided to skip any cooking and took the 2017 Outlander to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. Again, with the multi-view camera system it was a breeze to park in the tiny little parking lot behind the restaurant. We also used the Android Auto feature to navigate through construction. Since the app pairs with your phone, you can use Google Maps like you know and love on the home screen so you can keep your eyes up and on the road. I did miss the on-board navigation, but I also liked that I was used Google Maps, so it's a give and take with this feature.

We did some Black Friday shopping and I was impressed with how easily the 2nd row folded down so we could put in some big items. Make sure you check out my video review below so you can see just how easily the 2nd row of seats stows when you need that extra cargo space. I also love Rockford Fosgate sound system. It has nine speakers, including a 10-inch dual-voice coil subwoofer with Punch Control that deliversdeep, rich bass and crystal-clear highs. It was my favorite to turn up the punch when the kids weren't in the car and enjoy some amazing bass! You know I'm all about that bass!

We took the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander GT down to Carlsbad to attend the tree lighting at LEGOLAND and I loved all the safety features that kept us safe on our drive. The Adaptive Cruise Control uses radar technology to help you maintain a safe driving distance from the vehicle in front of you. 

The Forward Collision Mitigation uses both laser radar and camera technology to determine  if a frontal collision with a vehicle or pedestrian is imminent. It warns you with both audible and visual signals and, if necessary, automatically applies moderate to emergency braking to reduce the severity of the collision, or if possible, prevent the collision. 

The Blind Spot Warning and Lane Change Assist alerted me when a vehicle is in my blind spot. That is so helpful when you are traveling on the freeway. And if you try to change lanes while someone is in your blind spot, then you get a three-beep warning to let you know to stay put until the car is gone. The Lane Departure Warning keeps you in your lane using an onboard camera and warns you audibly and visually if you are leaving your lane unintentionally.

The home screen was bright and visually appealing and easy to navigate. I thought the interior was beautiful with the leather seating surfaces and the gloss black instrument panel. We enjoyed the heated front seats on chilly mornings and I loved the 8-way power adjustable driver's seat so I could get comfortable when driving. The hands-free Bluetooth technology kept us safe when I had to take a call when driving. And the power liftgate made it easy for the kids to get things out of the back when I dropped them off for school in the morning.

We had a great time with the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander GT and it is a good size vehicle for our family of five. Since it seats seven passengers, we had some wiggle room for either more cargo or a friend or two to join us on our adventures. One thing I felt was lacking in the 2016 Outlander was the pick-up speed when you hit the gas, that seemed to be addressed in the 2017 Outlander with its 3.0L V6 engine and 224 horsepower.

Check out my YouTube video for more interior shots of the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander GT and to see how easy it is to stow the 2nd row of seats!

The Holidays are Back at LEGOLAND California

The Holidays are back at LEGOLAND California Resort and you are going to love all

the fun they bring to your favorite LEGO amusement park! Now through January 1st

you can get into the spirit of holidays at LEGOLAND California with festive lights,

live entertainment, the world's largest LEGO Christmas tree, snow flurries and more!

I always insist on having a live Christmas tree in our home during the holidays, but

after seeing the amazing 30-foot tall LEGO Christmas tree I just might have to round

up a few Master Builders and get me one for next year! It is constructed out of more

then 245,000 forest green DUPLO bricks and is adorned with more than 400 LEGO

ornaments and 11,000 LED lights. It is amazing and you'll definitely want to take a

picture next with it and make sure your toddler does a sumo pose for good measure.

Heartlake City has been transformed into a beautiful winter wonderland! I know I said

I love the giant LEGO tree, but don't you just adore those "little" LEGO trees too?!

We took a lot of pictures with them because they are just so cute! The LEGO Friends

are back with a live holiday show that ends with a fun flurry of a surprise! Be sure to

check out the building activities in the Heartlake City stables and meet LEGO Santa

and the LEGO toy soldier.

The SEA LIFE Aquarium and LEGOLAND Hotel are also joining in the holiday

festivities. The SEA LIFE Aquarium has a special holiday themed dive show and

winter craft activities. The LEGOLAND Hotel is decked out in holiday decorations,

including its own LEGO Christmas tree! There are also fun holiday themed games and

story time at the castle that the kids will love! They can also take part in holiday themed

building contests and test their Master Builder skills.

If you're looking for a fun kid-friendly New Year's Eve party, then LEGOLAND has

just what you're looking for! The Resort's annual Kids' New Year's Eve party begins

with special musical performances on Fun Town Stage and Heartlake City. Then, the

party moves to San Francisco in Miniland U.S.A. where the huge LEGO brick drops

22 feet into 2017 and fireworks explode in the sky at 6 P.M. to end the night.

For more information and for tickets prices please visit www.LEGOLAND.com.
There are extended hours on specific dates and a special gift for guests!
Visit any day between now and January 1st and you'll get a return tickets for
another day from January 2nd and March 1st. Yay!