More Free or Cheap Stuff to do with the kids: Orange County

I found some things to do for FREE or cheap in the Orange County area. Now the BEACHES are always a good way to go, they are free (outside of nominal parking).  Take the kids, enjoy the waves, soak up the sun and let them burry you in the sand! There are also lots of parks in the area, just beautiful!

• If you check on line at www.ocparks.com/lagunacoast/ They offer a lot of activities and some JUST for us, no kids! Now personally its far and few times that I dont have the kids. However there was one activitiey that listed a walk and yoga (adult) The fee was $2.00!!  Thats a steal!! 

• They also have activities with kids. They have an upcomming event Sunday May 20.  Families are invited to come play, explore, listen and connect with nature and each other. LCF volunteer naturalist and nature mentor Kimberly Leeds will guide you through nature activities and games to enliven your wilderness awareness. Bring your curiosity! Wear long pants and closed-toed shoes. Hats and water are a must! The terrain will be uneven and steep in some areas; be prepared to get dirty, and get up close and personal with nature!

Event Fee: $2.00 donation

Parking Fee: $3.00 per vehicle

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park
18751 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949)923-2235 or (949)923-3702     

Special Instructions: The walk will be a maximum of 1 mile round trip. James Dilley Preserve (east side of Laguna Canyon Rd/SR-133, just north of 73 Toll Road). For questions call: 949-497-8324.

• Dont forget to check your local parks and rec for July 4th activities!

• There are many many Museums  in Orange Co.  They usually have a family day or just nominal prices for entry. Make sure to pack your own lunch and snacks as that will drasticly cut down on the amount of money spent.  I usually will get my kiddos something special for the days like this so that they feel the lunch is as special as the activitiy. and you still wont spend as much as if you would to buy from the consession stand or go out to eat.

a couple museums: 

Discovery Science Center
2500 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92705

PHONE: 714-542-2823

Prices vary from $15.00 for adults and down. They do have some discout programs, check online to see if you qualify for one of them. http://www.discoverycube.org/visit/hours-prices/

Bowers Museum http://www.bowers.org/index.php/visit/hours_and_tickets 

Prices are $12.00 and less depending on age.

Kids 6 and under are free. 

with paid admission you can go to the

Bowers Kidseum for FREE!!!

The Bowers Kidseum http://www.bowers.org/kidseum.php/aboutus/directions Looks fun, not sure how old the kids can be and still enjoy it. Price for this museum alone is $6.00 for children 2 and up, however if you buy tickets to Bowers Museum, you get admission to the Bowers Kidseum FREE!!!

If you come accross things to do in your area PLEASE email me! I would LOVE to add to the list! With the economy the way it is, every little bit helps! enjoy your day and go nibble your kids ear! 

***PLEASE CALL AHEAD TO ANY OF THE EVENTS OR PLACES THAT I HAVE POSTED. I DO TRY MY BEST TO HAVE ALL ACCURATE INFORMATION HOWEVER I AM NOT TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.

~Hugs,

Nicole

Free or Cheap Things to do in the Inland Empire!

Here is a list and links to things to do in the Inland Empire. Some Free but most have a nominal fee.

Moreno Valley ~
Parks and Rec dept. will be putting on a movie! Every Thursday starting at dusk. This will be lots of fun for the kids! Take a blanket, picnic dinner & they'll have a blast! They say that space is limited so I would get there early if  you want a seat! NO umbrellas, popups or alcohol allowed.
Conference and Recreation Center
14075 Frederick Street
Moreno Valley

Harkins Theatre has a very inexpensive pack of movies to attend for $4.50. They have early show times which is my only grunt about it, but how can you pass up 10 different movies for $4.50. Tickets went on sale in April. I'd run and grab some if your interested!
www.harkinstheatres.com/smf

Jurupa ~

The Cove. A local water park. This is awesome and my TOP thing to do in Riverside. Prices for a season pass are $60 for non jurupa residences and $48.00 for Jurupa residences. Prices do go down from there depending on height of child.  The Cove opens for the season on May 26th.

The Cove – Jurupa Aquatic Center
4310 Camino Real
Riverside, CA 92509
951-360-1974

Lois Rubidoux Nature Center. A fun local nature center that occasionally has activities for usually under $5.00, pp. some of the past have been a butterfly day, basket weaving, jewelry making.  They have trails that lead down and around a cute little stream. A beautiful place to have a family day. Nice area for a picnic also. 

Louis Robidoux Nature Center
5370 Riverview
Jurupa Valley, Ca 92509
(951) 683-4880
parks-web@rivcoparks.org

Rancho Jurupa Park. A beautiful local camp ground that has play equipment for the kids, tent camping and RV camping areas, and also cute little cabins that can be rented out. It has a convenience store, a kids soak park, climbing rocks with sand and mini golf (golf does charge extra).

Rancho Jurupa Park
4800 Crestmore Road
Jurupa Valley, Ca 92509
(951) 684-7032
parks-web@rivcoparks.org

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center.  This is a neat park that has tours at 9am, 12pm and 2pm on Saturdays. The cost is $8.00pp  They do rock/mineral collecting. There is a tour of the nursery and an earth science museum. They do allow family tours during the week on a limited basis. Please call ahead for information. 

Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center

7621 Granite Hills Drive, Riverside CA 92509

(951) 685-5818

(951) 685-1240 (fax)

Now our favorite is camping and The Cove. We will be sure to do this right when summer starts!  I hope this has been helpful and if you know of something low cost to do in Southern California PLEASE let me know and I can post it to that blog page.   Enjoy your summer and kiss your kiddos!

~Nicole

Free STUFF to help with the little things! (LA Area)

Free is always good!!  I love free. I have found some free things (and inexpensive ones too!) to do in the Los Angeles area.  I thought I would share them with you.  Making memories is among the little things that I feel are so important... and this free stuff is sure to help with memory making! 

Los Angeles has some of the best places to visit and so many of the tourist areas are FREE! Yup Free!!  Our world renown beaches for one. They are great! Parking fees are nominal (or free if you are disabled or have a disabled child WITH AN BLUE DISABLED PARKING TAG). Take a picnic lunch and spend the day building sand castles with your kiddos and basking in the sun. Psst... don't forget the sunscreen! This can be an all day event ending with smores over a camp fire. FUN!!

Speaking of Beaches, Venice Beach Walk is definitely a must do if you are in the area. It surely brings out the individuality of people. This is a people watchers paradise! Also local artist and crafters display some of there goods. You can often times get souvenirs inexpensively.

I bet it has been years since you have stopped by and looked at all the stars foot prints and hand prints outside of Grauman's Chinese Theatre! See how your little ones (or not so little ones) hands measure up to some of there idols!

Close to Graumans Chinese Theatre is the Hollywood Walk of Fame! A great place to stroll down Hollywood Blvd and see all the stars and even people watch. Hollywood has its own type strolling down the street its just a hoot to watch and enjoy!

While your still in the area be sure to get a great glimpse of the HOLLYWOOD sign. There is a viewing area at the Hollywood & Highland shopping Center and Entertainment complex next to Graumans Chinese Theatre.

One of my favorite memories was seeing a sitcom being taped... it was Silver Spoons. OH MY that just aged me. But still a GREAT memory.  TV taping is always free. Make sure to call ahead and plan this as its often difficult if not impossible to get in last minute and be sure to check the ages allowed.

The Getty Center is another great place to visit, I personally have never been but hear great things about the building and of course the view, as its on a mountain top.  Entrance is free however they do charge for parking.

Olivera Street is such a fun place to visit. It has great architecture, lots of vendors selling items and the food is fantastic. 

The California Science Center is a perfect place for adults and kids. Entrance is free however you do need to pay for parking, the IMAX theater and any special events that may be going on.

You can also take the Metro Link to most of the places, weekend passes are relatively inexpensive and if you have a special person with disabilities they get a companion ticket free!

Please be sure to check back, I will be posting for the Inland Empire, Orange County and San Diego too!

I'm off to help with homework and begin dinner. Actually just to oversee it, Bubba is cooking tonight! Enjoy the rest of your day and go kiss those kids!

Hugs,

Nicole

The Little Things

I cant believe how time is flying by! Summer seems to be upon us (well one day and then the next its raining and then back to 90 degree days.. and back to raining...). I love summer. I love the memories of my summers as a child. The hot weather... summer trips to the beach, even though mom hated the sand! Times spent in Utah, one of my favorite places of all times. I think mainly because of the memories. In summer I love the lack of a schedule! I am so much more efficient with a schedule and a list (as Im am seeing lately.. I NEED a list!) But summer.. the lazy days of summer. We have 25 days of school left. For my two munchkins this means tests! Sissy is being assest for a learning disability (possibly a processing disorder) and Bubba has his tri-annual IEP and that consists of many different tests to see how he is progressing. I think sometimes, for some disabilities, this means qualifying for the IEP for the coming year, however bubba is blind or visually impaired, however you want to phrase it.  So he will still be on this IEP next year. So I titled this "The Little Things" as thats what I am seeing that is SO vitally important and so easily lost in the hustle bustle of our days.  So for todays little things...  Sissy and I came up with a recipe last night. Today Bubba and I browned the meat and cooked the pasta. Once Sissy got home she and I sauteed the onions, mixed the sauce and meat together and put it all in the casserole dish. I had to run Sissy to girl scouts so I fixed the oven and showed Bubba how to operate it. I put stickers on the ON button and on the BAKE button. He can feel them and know what buttons to push! :) Lets hope tonights dish is far better than last nights mini meatloaf mush! Tuesdays are our busy days. We have both boy scouts and girl scouts! Im sure hoping I am making positive memeories for my children. What are some of the little things you do to help capture this time that is flying by.