Our Braces Journey with Surfside Kids Dental

Ever since my kids were toddlers I've been told by dentists that they would need braces even though their tiny baby teeth grew in perfectly straight and evenly spaced. As they grew older, the doctors were right and their adult teeth did in fact come in with little room and out of whack. To ensure proper jaw growth and development we decided to invest in our eldest son, 12, first set of braces at Surfside Kids Dental. With this commitment, it was super important for my family to choose an orthodontist that we trusted and whom was financially accommodating.

This post is in collaboration with Surfside Kids Dental.  All opinions are 100% honest and my own, as always. 

Having been to a few Sacramento dentists over the course of the years it has been a real challenge finding a practice that my whole family has loved. Personally, we've gone through many trial and error experiences to lead us to the right place. I am happy to say though we have finally found a dental home perfect for us! 

Here are some tips I suggest when looking for the best dental office for your family: 

1. The vibe. I know it may sound silly but when you are going to be spending a lot of time in a place it is necessary that you feel comfortable, your kids enjoy the environment and everyone feels at ease from start to finish. That includes not only the visual atmosphere but also the energy that the people in the office create. 

2. The doctor and assistants.  Being that these are the people in direct contact and treating your child, it is so important that you educated throughout all steps of an appointment and comfortable talking to them. Additionally, observe how the team interacts with your child, it's imperative that your child feels good and trusts them in their care.

3. The front office staff.  No matter how much you may like the doctor or assistants, if you don't vibe with the front office staff that is a red flag! These are the people whom assist with patient scheduling and whom deal with your personal information. As the front office staff are who initially set the tone for your visit, I encourage you to pay attention to how you feel when communicating with them. Personally, I look for professional etiquette with friendly, warm and relatable conversation. As organization is really important as well, I am always grateful when the office handles my insurance and billing matters with care and in a timely manner.  

We first went to check out Surfside Kids Dental after many of our friends sung their praises.  Upon entering, my kids loved the decorative beach themed office! There were many things for the family to indulge in the lobby like toys, TVs showing cartoons, computers, and video games.  They also have an area for complimentary water, coffee or tea. Oh, and we can’t forget about the massage chairs for the parents. The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable while being warm so that the kids are at ease. A small detail I loved is that the office has your child fill out a fun facts form to get to know them better. 

At our Elk Grove location orthodontic consultation, we had Dr Plewe as the orthodontist. He is a very calm and reassuring man. My older children do not like a bunch of fake friendly or hyped up energy.  Dr Plewe was friendly and made sure to get to know both my sons and never was abrasive or over the top. Another thing that really impressed me was that even though we had both of our sons checked out, Dr Plewe told me assured me that we were fine to wait on my younger son’s treatment and that believed in his case, everything may correct itself over time. I appreciated that we were not immediately pushed into a treatment case.  I felt like Dr Plewe wanted what was best for us, and not just to put braces anyone who may be interested. 

Surprisingly, putting braces on only took about 1 hour after the consultation and paperwork.  It was not a huge ordeal and they do it right in the office with all the other kiddos getting their teeth cleaned and check ups.  My son was able to watch the movie that was playing on the ceiling TV and wear headphones during the application.

Here is a video of our process:

Afterwards, they set us up with an electric toothbrush, flossers, toothpaste and aftercare papers.  My son was sore for the first few days after as he adjusted to having the braces in his mouth.  He should wear the first set of braces for 18-24 months depending on how well he takes care of them and how his teeth respond. 

I'm so happy that we got them done at this tween age before he had to consider possibly what his peers may think, or care too much about his appearance. From a mother's perspective, I felt so much ease that I was doing the best thing by getting him in easy for an orthodontic evaluation and moving forward a treatment that was best for him and his oral health. I can't wait to see what his smile looks like when we are done! 

If you'd like to keep up with our journey, I will be sharing a bit on my Instagram Stories. Follow me there to see our check-ups and any other dental related stories we might have for you!

An orthodontic consultation is always free of charge at Surfside, be sure to tell them “Ashley Newell said Hi” if you make it in! 

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Snow Day for Non-Snow People in Apple Hill

I love the idea of snow but if I'm honest, it scares me.  Growing up in the Sacramento area, we never got snow.  I don't know how to drive in snow.  I'm actually not all that great at even walking in snow.  But of course, my kids love snow even though my daughter had never seen snow in person before.  Last Monday, we had a short and sweet snow day that I wanted to share with anyone like me who is slightly anxious about snow.

This post is NOT sponsored.  I have no affiliations with any of the places or companies mentioned.  This an affiliate link, if you purchase from the link I earn a very small commission.  I wrote this post just in case you were someone like me who wanted in their heart to take your kids to the snow but got very anxious driving in and being in lots of snow.  I hope this can be helpful to you!

I talked to my husband's cousin after she posted that it snowed in the town where she lives.  Unfortunately, she told me that the snow was melting but recommended I go to Apple Hill to see snow.  Why have I never thought of this?!?

Wanna know if there's snow in Apple Hill right the second you want to go?  My tip?  Check Instagram!  You can go to either Apple Hill's page, a page of one of the orchards like Boa Vista, or you can check out posts from random people under the Apple Hill geotag.  The day I looked, I found photos posted within the hour with snow on the ground.  I tried checking the weather app and it only told me the current weather which was about 42 and did not tell me if there was snow on the ground.  The weather app will most likely only tell you if it's currently snowing, raining, etc...  That was not helpful to me.  I wanted to know if there was viable snow to be played with.

The beauty of going to Apple Hill in February is that it is not nearly as crowded as October.  LOL!  We went on President's Day which is always a Monday.  We did not hit any traffic.  There was NO snow or ice on the roads.  We went up HWY 50 and took the directions that our phone gave us.  There was snow on the sides of the road but NONE of the actual highway or streets.  This was really important to me since I didn't want to buy chains for the car.  (I did see online that people experienced traffic on the weekends.)

We decided to stop at Boa Vista Orchards since I knew from being there in the fall that they have a large open lot across the street that they normally put their pumpkin patch in.  They are open all year so I was also excited to buy some baked goods while I was up there!  It was really easy to park in their parking lot and cross the street to the snow.

There were a few inches of snow on the ground it was was perfect for playing while not having to worry about my tiny daughter sinking into a large area of snow.  Since it was just a couple inches, we were mostly fine in our sneakers and regular winter boats without needing snow boots.  In fact, it wasn't all that cold so some gloves, a jacket, and a hat was all that was needed.  The boys didn't even wear hats.

When we got too cold and needed a break from the snow, we headed across the street to Boa Vista's bakery and got hot chocolate and hot apple cider to warm up.  We also got some still warm donuts and it was basically bliss.  They have a small fire place where you can warm up a bit too.  They also have hard cider and wine for the 21 and up.  I suggest bringing a little spending money and taking some apples, baked goods, and drinks home with you too!

Things I Wish We Had:
1. Plastic Sled (this is an affiliate link, if you purchase from it, I earn a small commission.) for going down the hill they have.
2. Things to decorate a snowman ie carrot nose, charcoal eyes, etc...
3. Waterproof gloves.  We brought the cheap knit kind.
4. Waterproof shoes.  We wore regular shoes and mostly did ok but we did get our feet a little damp.

We spent a couple hours and the kids got their fill of snow.  It took about an hour to get there and an hour to get back.  I'm glad my daughter finally got to see the snow.  It wasn't anything ground breaking but it was a nice, fun time and inexpensive!



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Disney on Ice:100 Years of Magic Media Night

Disney on Ice is back in Sacramento from Nov 1-4 for their 100 Years of Magic show at the Golden One Arena.  We were lucky enough to get invited to a media event before the opening and to see the opening show.  As per usual, Disney does not disappoint.

This show boasts 14 classic and modern stories.  There are 50 characters in the show and there are 30 songs.  We really loved Aladdin, Mulan, and The Lion King.  We don't recall seeing any of these songs in previous shows.  We also really enjoyed the Finding Dory number with the turtles, it felt different from the last time we went to Disney on Ice which was in February (you can read about that HERE.)  The entire format of the show changed which is great for people who go multiple times a year.

Of course, my daughter and I loved seeing all the Disney princesses and their princes.  Disney on Ice allows children under the age of 14 to dress up and my daughter wore her Snow While dress for the evening.  She was most excited to see Snow White since they matched!  Personally, I wish they would shorten the Frozen section of the show but I understand that all the little girls are still crazy about it.

Some frugal tips:
1. They have a $10 bottomless refillable soda.  If you are going to have a soda, buy it early and get those refills!
2. If you are on a budget, look at for the $10 opening night tickets.  They usually do them every opening night.
3. Gift your child a souvenir at home.  The gift items at the event can be expensive, picking up an item from a dollar store is a great alternative.
4. Look online for parking.  A lot of the garages will list the price and you can pick accordingly.
5. If you want to make a whole day of being downtown, check out the Downtown Ice Rink right across the street.  Opening day is only $2 to skate.  They even have a Princess and Superhero day this coming Saturday!  You can read about our experience with the ice rink HERE.

I recommend going to the show if you love Disney or ice skating.  It's just one of those classic things that doesn't get old.  We love singing along to the songs and seeing the magic.  I remember going to Disney on Ice as a kid and it still holds the same magic for me.  Actually, it holds more magic as I watch my baby girl's eyes light up with joy watching the show.

You can still purchase tickets from Ticketmaster.

As I mentioned before, we got to attend a media event before the show.  Honestly, every single day of my life and I am grateful for what blogging has brought to my family.  Somedays I'm a little more grateful than others.  Last night was one of the latter.

Disney on Ice invited our kids to come to the media event.  They were able to decorate cookies and color.  Then, they were able to meet Mickey and Minnie!!  My daughter ran up and gave Mickey the biggest hug.  I'm so sad I don't have a photo of it since I already gave my phone to the attendant taking photos.

Daddy helped her make a Minnie

She gave it an artistic spin

Fellow bloggers Jessica (read about her SPECIAL experience) and Janel (read about her gluten free experience)

The attendant told me they would only be taking family photos (no individuals) but my girl would not leave so I snapped this fuzzy pic.

Huge thank you to Disney on Ice for giving my daughter an experience she'll remember forever!



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Sacramento RiverTrain: Pumpkin Train

We are constantly looking for new and fun things to do with the kids so we can make new memories. Recently, we heard about the Pumpkin Train from Sacramento RiverTrain and it fit the bill just perfectly!  It's hard to find things that all my kids will like since my oldest is 6 years older than my youngest.  They all loved the Pumpkin Train!

*** This post is a collaboration with Sacramento RiverTrain.  We received tickets in exchange for an honest review, as always all opinions are my own and 100% honest.  *** 

The Sacramento RiverTrain is based out of West Sacramento.  It is a local family owned business and their rail line is 14 miles long.  The train goes from West Sac to Woodland.  The train goes 10-15 miles an hour for a leisurely experience.

We arrived a few minutes early for the Pumpkin Train and easily found parking.  They told us what train car we were in and we were able to get a lovely booth.  All the seating was next to windows so you could enjoy the view from the train.  Our tickets included a soft drink from the concession stand and we purchased a couple snacks to enjoy.  NOTE: the concession stand only accepts card, no cash or check.




The ride to the pumpkin patch takes about 45 mins.  In that time, we enjoyed our snacks and sodas while watching the river and farm land views.  We also got up and walked over to the open air cars at the front of the train and checked those out.  In one of the cars, they had story time.  They also had a person doing face painting and caricature drawings.  My kids also got some ballon animals from a gentleman who was doing balloon twisting.  PRO TIP: bring along some small bills for tips.  We only brought $5 in cash so I only allowed my kids to get balloons.  I didn't realize there would be so many different things offered on the train.

The pumpkin patch was a private patch set up exclusively for the Pumpkin Train.  This was awesome because it was not too crowded.  The little patch had a variety of different pumpkins to choose from.  They had big pumpkins, little pumpkins, orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, green pumpkins, etc... The pumpkin patch had a covered area with picnic tables and there was complimentary self-serve lemonade and water.  There was cute decorations that were good for photo ops.  They also had a supervised bounce house and corn hole set up.  We spent about an hour at the pumpkin patch and then it was time to go back to the train station.

On the ride back, there were a few fun things to do.  They had a bunch of stickers out so people could decorate the pumpkins.  My kids at first were reluctant since they wanted to carve their pumpkins but we figured we could just peel the stickers off later and still carve.  They had another story time with a different story.  An employee also went through the train and offered the kids some complimentary masks that they could take home and color.

Overall, we had an AMAZING time on the Sacramento RiverTrain and will be going back.  Since it is a ticketed event, there was a limited amount of people.  I have a son who gets really overwhelmed by crowds and lots of commotion.  He had a GREAT time on the train since it wasn't overly crowded.  He could do the craft, the pumpkin picking, and bounce house without being overwhelmed and for us, that's a big deal.  He loved the experience and was smiling ear to ear!  The other kids loved it too but they are more easy going so I wanted to note this for any parents who have a sensitive child.

You can find out more information or book your train HERE.  They offer lots of different themed trains like a zombie train, murder mystery train, beer train, and soon they will have Christmas themed ones!

All photos by Maddy Eccles Photo courtesy of Sacramento RiverTrain.




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Things to do for Spring Break in Sacramento Collab with Blog About It All

Hi all!  Today, I'm doing a collaboration with Jessica Briggs from Blog About it All.  We are sharing ideas for Spring Break!  We have all different ideas so be sure to check out both posts!  Also, Jessica has four boys so her list will be different than mine since only my daughter will be on Spring Break.  My boys already had a break in February.

I met Jessica through blogging, Instagram, and Facebook.  We are both from the Sacramento area so it's been fun to get to know about local mom blogger.  Jessica covers subjects like family life, budgeting, and marriage.   She does super fun stuff with her kids like go on trips and make yummy treats!  I always love seeing what they are doing over there!

As I was saying, this Spring Break is a bit different for us.  My kids have different school schedules since my boys are on year round school and my daughter is not.  My boys already had a long "off track time" so it will just be me and my daughter this Spring Break.  I'm looking forward to it since coming next school year, she will be on the same schedule as the boys.  This will be the last time we get Mommy/Daughter break time so I want it to be special.

First up, some of our tried and true favorites:

1. Imagine Play Elk Grove.  My daughter still loves Imagine Play!  Since we've last gone, they have added a brand new pirate ship.  She'll be so excited to go back to play pirates and mermaids!  Plus, she loves the hourly activities they have for the kids.  We usually bring a lunch and try to get as many hours in as possible.

Photo from Imagine Play of my daughter

2. Mani/Pedi time.  She got her first professional nail painting a couple weeks ago but she hasn't gotten a pedicure yet.  I'm not sure what all the pedicure entails for a kid but I think she'll get a big kick out of it!

3. Tuesday Discount Movies.  We love seeing movies but they are so expensive to see in the theater.  Luckily, many theaters around us have special discounts on Tuesday.  You can usually see a movie for $5 or $6 per ticket.

4.  Color Me Mine.  We've only been here once together.  Avery loves to paint so we definitely need to go back again.  The first time, she painted a plate and it had to have a self portrait on it since it was for the multicultural festival.  When we go next time, I'll get her pick her own piece and go to town.

5. Folsom Zoo Sanctuary.  This sanctuary is a cute little zoo where they have animals that would not survive in the wild due to health reasons.  They have chickens and peacocks that roam around freely.  They have a raccoon exhibit.  It's just a fun and quirky little place to hang out.  They also have a park next to the zoo where you can picnic and play at the playground.

Things we've never tried but really want to:

6. Art Beast.  This is a studio with different rooms where children can explore art.  This is gear from children under 6.  They have both indoor and outdoor areas.  They also have drop in classes where an instructor will lead the children in either music, art, or sometimes both at the same time.

7. Afternoon tea.  We've never been to a real tea house and gotten high tea.  I think my little girly girl would love to get dressed up and have a nice tea with little finger sandwiches and desserts.

8. Jelly Belly Factory.  None of the kids have been to here.  Hubby and I went once while we were dating.  They have a tour and you even get a free small bag of jelly beans on the tour.  It's fun to see all the candy and hear how it's made.

9. Daffodil Hill.  This is a ranch where there are up to 300,000 daffodils in bloom in the spring.  It's in a mountain setting and there are even animals on the ranch to see.  This year, due to odd weather conditions, I'm not sure it will be open for us to see during spring break.

10. Ice Cream.  My daughter's favorite thing in the world is ice cream!  There are so many local shops that we haven't been to yet so exploring some of those would be so fun.  Some places we have not been are Vic's, Gunther's (though we've had Gunther's ice cream at other places), and Sweet Puffs.

What will you be doing for Spring Break?  Do you have any fun ideas for us?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Here is a direct link to Jessica's post.


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Disney on Ice, Golden One Arena, and Light Rail Review

Tonight, we got to go to Disney on Ice at the Golden One Arena in Sacramento.  It was our first time going to the Golden One.  I was lucky enough to get some press tickets for the show.  This was also the kids first time seeing Disney on Ice and riding the Light Rail.

The Show

I'll start with the show.  Disney on Ice was more magical than I remember from childhood.  How often does that happen?  I feel like technology has taken things a long way.  For example, they project snow all over the audience during the Frozen scenes.  The scenery pieces and skaters who played background pieces were really amazing as well.  What took my breath away the most were the aerial stunts done by some of the skaters.  I don't remember them doing anything like that when I was a kid.  It was crazy to see people flying in the air on just a piece of fabric!

I also really liked that they started the show on time.  We walked in at 7:04pm which is 4 minutes after it started due to going to the wrong area at first and there were already skaters on the ice.  Another really cool thing is that we got to see Inside Out and Finding Dory which made their Disney on Ice premier this show.  These numbers were great for keeping the attention of my boys.  I also found out that one of the skaters from the Inside Out scenes is a Sacramento native named Justine Wong.  I thought that was really awesome!

Overall, Avery LOVED the show!  She really liked the interactive number and of course seeing Anna and Elsa from Frozen.  At 5, she is the perfect age for Disney on Ice.  My son Parker is 8 and he seemed to really enjoy the show.  He would put his hands up when the characters said to do so and he was clapping for the numbers.  He did get a little bored during some of the princess numbers but overall, I think he enjoyed about 90% of the show and that's pretty good.  My 10 year old son didn't complain at all during the show and he did perfectly fine.  He said he liked it.  I'm pretty surprised by that.  It was a great night out with the whole family which is usually hard for me.  There are still tickets available for $20 each.  If you go to Raley's or Bel Air, they had coupons to get tickets for $15 each but I'm not sure if they still have them.

The Golden One Arena

The Golden One is obviously a lot bigger than the Arco Arena.  I don't even know if that's what it's called anymore... but I think you know what I'm talking about.  I found the outside layout a little confusing.  We needed to go to the box office and struggled to find it.  There are so many doors yet so few you could actually enter.  It is a beautiful structure and the art around it is lovely.  

We sat in section 118 row S which is on the main floor without being an up close seat.  We were toward the back on the main floor, I imagine it starts with row A.  The seats were great.  The chairs themselves are comfortable.  There are cupholders on the back of the seat in front of you for drinks.  I really liked how there were lots of aisles with a railing going down the stairs.  It was really easy to get to your seat without trying to step over tons of people.  We, including my littlest, could see just fine from our seats.  I would come back to the Golden One.  

TIPS!  

1. I had my Swell bottle confiscated since you're not allowed to have water bottles.  I carry it in my purse at all times and did not think to take it out.  They would not place it in the lost and found nor let me pay check it.  Boo!  

2. Tell your kids you will buy them treats a different place or time.  Popcorn was $12 for bagged popcorn and a small soda was $5.  Ask me how I know.  They also have people walking up and down the aisles during intermission trying to sell stuff.

3. Get there early and take a trip to the bathroom.  My daughter was SO sad to have to go to the bathroom during the show.  She said "I don't want to miss anything!"  I felt so bad for her.  

4. I also heard you aren't allowed to have weapons and usually they consider pepper spray a weapon so any ladies who are trying to be safe instead of sorry cannot.  :(  They should really offer lockers outside of venues for this reason.  Walking downtown in the dark can be risky.  

Light Rail

We decided to take the light rail into downtown Sacramento because we thought it would save money on parking and stress on driving in traffic.  In retrospect, I would not do this again.  First off, you have to give yourself 45 mins to get downtown no matter what time of day it is because the light rail has to make a bunch of stops.  Second, it was not cost effective for a family of 5.  The tickets were $2.75 each person for a one way ticket.  To go to downtown and back, it was $27.50 plus $1 to park our car in the light rail parking lot.  I'm pretty sure I could have parked near the Golden One for about that cost.  I might have even been able to Lyft or Uber for that price depending on if we were at a surge rate or not.  Third, we missed our train twice.  The first time, we were trying to figure out how to pay for parking which was not information given in the parking lot.  (That's dumb!)  We had to wait 15 minutes for the next train since it was 5:45pm and it was during commute hours.  We missed our train coming back home too.  We were across the street when it pulled up and didn't have time to get there on time.  This time, since it was 9:15pm and not commute hours, we had to wait 30 minutes in the cold and dark for the next train.  Fourth, on the way, there were a lot of young people on the train talking really loudly to each other using swear words.  I'm guessing that's par for the course when school is getting out and commute times.  

While the kids thought it was kind of cool to ride the train, they did not like the waiting and how long it took to get to our location.  With the cost and the extra time we had to add onto our day, I would not do this again.  Perhaps you could plan it out better and not miss your train but if one kid needs to go potty, that whole plan is out the window.  

Hope you found this post helpful!  If you have tips for us on Disney on Ice, Golden One, or Light Rail, I'd love to hear them!  

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Imagine Play in Elk Grove - Play Place for Children

On October 22, Imagine Play open it's doors in Elk Grove.  A local family wanted to create an indoor play place for imaginative play so they opened up Imagine Play.  I've been excited for this place to open since Elk Grove doesn't have many indoor play places and I don't think any that cater to imaginative play.  My littlest (almost 5 years old) is the queen of imaginative play so I was super excited to bring her to Imagine Play!

***This post is a collaboration with Imagine Play, as always all opinions are my own.***

We arrived at 10:30am last Thursday.  It was a little hard to find since they don't have a big sign on the building yet.  They have a large poster in the window with "Imagine Play" on it with a photo of kids playing.  It is a few doors down from NewSongs School of Music which is right on the corner.  You enter into a lobby area where you sign in by the door.  There is a waiver you have to fill out before your children can play.  You also leave your shoes in the front area which is great so you know people aren't tracking in dirt into the area where little ones crawl.  You do need socks!  If you don't have socks, you can purchase a pair for $2.

I was a little weary when I walked in because the play area didn't seem that big to me.  The whole space is about the size of your average boutique type store.  Boy, was I wrong!  I had to beg Avery to leave at 1:10pm because I didn't pack a lunch.  We were there for almost 3 hours and she never got bored!  She did ask me to play with her a couple times since there weren't other kids her age there all the time.  I would suggest going with a friend so that your kid has someone to play with and you have someone to chat with while they play.

Other than the baby area, we spent a little time playing in each area.  This place is very thoughtfully designed!  Here are the areas, sorry if I'm not good at describing them:
~ Small grocery area with shopping carts, play food, register with conveyor belt
~ Teepee for kids who like confined spaces.  (I have a son who does better in small spaces when he gets overwhelmed so this is amazing!)
~ A bin for fishing.
~ Ice cream cart and bakery table all Melissa and Doug Toys
~ A play "house" area with a table and chairs, kitchen, cleaning supplies (mop, broom, etc...), and there's even a painting on the wall that resembles a window looking out onto nature.
~ Dollhouse and train table.
~ A BIG castle with a slide and areas to go inside.  They also have princess dresses hanging up that can be borrowed for dress up.
~ Pirate ship with dress up items and accessories.
~ Lemonade stand with a cute lemon tree on the wall where you can "pick" lemons.
~ A table with puzzles.
~ A board with learning magnets.  One side has gears and the other side has shape magnets that can be used for building.
~ White board with PVC pipes to build courses to roll a ball.
~ Sensory table with rice.
~ Baby area with soft blocks to crawl on, toys, and ride ons.
~ Table with Little People toys.
~ Chalk cylinder for drawing.

Every hour on the half, they have an activity hosted by the staff.  The first one we just missed because we were filling out paper work was a fan with a tube on it that blew scarves around.  We've seen similar activities at other discovery museums and it's always a hit.  The second activity was a parachute.  I'm bummed Avery didn't want to do it because I think it's SO fun!  The third activity was making necklaces with candy, pretzels, and cereal.  This was not only fun and edible, it helps with hand eye coordination and Avery even made a pattern!  Lots of sneaky learning happening!

Imagine Play also has a snack bar where you can purchase snacks, juice, and water.  Everything is $1 plus tax.  They have healthy options and treat options.  They have a COMPLIMENTARY coffee and tea selection for parents with a Keurig.  There is a large sitting area with tables and chairs for parents to sit and chat or work.  There is also an area where you can purchase Melissa and Doug toys.  They have multiple restrooms.  There are also party rooms for hosting birthday parties.

Avery is almost 5 and I could see her loving this place for at least another year if not two years.  I would not bring my boys (ages 8 and 10) here because they would not be interested in these play stations and they would be SO big in the space since there's lots of darling toddlers walking around.  Imagine Play is perfect for toddlers and pre-school aged children!  It's safe, clean, and everything is sized to fit a small child.  

While the price point might seem a little high, we did play for 2 hours and 40 minutes.  She would have played longer if I had packed a lunch.  For me, that amount of playing is well worth the $14 for the experiences she had!  You can also buy membership deals and I've even seen Imagine Play on Groupon so look into those if you want to save some money.

We can't wait to go back to Imagine Play!  We had a great time!  Next time I'll definitely bring a friend along for Avery and maybe I'll bring my computer to see if I could get work done while she plays for hours.  And I'll pack a lunch.  (Note: they are a nut free facility.)  I will be hosting a giveaway for 2 free 1 day passes to Imagine Play on my AshleyNewell.me Instagram account very soon.  Please follow me there if you're interested!

***Giveaway is live HERE: https://www.instagram.com/p/BbK3DEzhadB/ ***

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Pumpkin Nights in Auburn, California

Tonight, our family got to experience a Media Night preview of Pumpkin Nights in Auburn, CA.  This is the first year that Pumpkin Nights has come to California.  They started in 2016 in Twin Cities, Minnesota.  This year they expanded to Salt Lake City, Utah and Auburn, California.  Pumpkin Nights is an outdoor Halloween festival featuring over 3000 hand carved pumpkins in different displays.  It is spread out over a half mile walk.

We arrived at Pumpkin Nights about 7pm, it was already dark.  Do not go into this event thinking you're gonna get a ton of cute pictures of people unless you're a really skilled low light photographer. (I am not.  I am a bright light photographer.  Low light is not my jam.)  You will however get great pictures of the fun scenery and the kids had a blast.  We brought the kids in costume which was fun but hubby and I opted not to wear costumes.  Other adults wore costumes and they were adorable!  Do you!  I do advise to bring sweatshirts or jackets because it does get chilly at night.

In case you don't know, my kids are 4, 8, and 10.  This is a hard age range to work with since preschool things are "too babyish" for my oldest and my youngest is too little to do most "big kid" things.  Pumpkin Nights worked perfectly for our family.  My youngest loved it!  It was definitely not too scary for her.  My boys loved it too!  There was enough for them to do and the displays were engaging enough for them even though my oldest is "way too cool for everything.  Ugghhhh!"  (You know the age.)

We really enjoyed the intricate cravings of the pumpkins!  There were a few different areas with different themes and I enjoyed how the lighting and the music matched up.  I will say that we are not really Halloween people.  We like it just fine.  We put up a handful of decorations, get the kids costumes, go trick-or-treating, etc... We are not obsessed with Halloween.  If you are OBSESSED with Halloween, you should definitely go to Pumpkin Nights.  It's just an awesome experience.  (I'm not going to post too many pictures because I don't want to spoil it for you.)

Our favorites:
~ Hay Bale Maze!  All my kids loved this and spent at least 20 minutes running through it.  My 4 year old daughter could easily navigate it.  It's definitely not complex and small children/toddlers will do fine in it.  I think there's something about it being nighttime and all the fun lights that made it extra fun.
~ Movie screen with Harry Potter.  They have hay bales out for seating but there's also a couple benches over there to sit on.  It's showing every night at 7pm.  You could plan to watch the whole thing if you wanted to.  We liked taking a little break and watching for a bit.  You could even grab your food and head up to watch as you finish eating.
~ Pumpkin Galaxy which leads into the maze and movie area was our favorite themed area.  The kids loved dancing to the music.  There were fun lights that flashed around.  Don't miss what someone called the "car wash" area to the right of the main Pumpkin Galaxy display.  It was metal spinning thingies (I know, very scientific) covered with pool noodles and the kids had a blast running through it.
~ Pumpkin carver.  He was super cool to watch!  He moved so fast and the music in the area was great too!  We sat down and watched him while enjoying a snack.

Auburn is about an hour drive from our house so it's a bit of a trek.  We ended up spending about an hour and a half at Pumpkin Nights.  We might have been able to stay longer but it is a Thursday and the little one has school tomorrow.  If we were to go again, I would have tried to make a day out of it.  I probably would have tried to meet up with some friends, plan to eat dinner there, and then hang out until we were exhausted.  I would also look for deals on tickets.  On their website, they have a list of discounts.

Our family had a really great time!  The outdoor atmosphere works really well for the kids.  The freedom to be able to run and express their excitement is always a plus for my kids.  It was actually really relaxing for me which I can't say a lot because I'm so high strung.  (TMI?)  We walked, we ohh'd and ahhh'd, we laughed, we danced, we took pictures, and it was a great night of family fun!

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