Hard Hat Tour at the Great Wolf Lodge near Disneyland! | #GWLSoCal @GreatWolfLodge

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Erin

Hard Hat Tour at the Great Wolf Lodge near Disneyland!

By Erin

Get ready SoCal! Great Wolf Lodge Southern California is a first-class, full service, indoor water park resort that is in the works to open its doors in early 2016. The other week I was invited to participate in the Hard Hat Tour at the Great Wolf Lodge as it is currently under construction. We even had a very special tour guide… 😉

Located on Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove, it’s just down the road from Disneyland. I am very happy to report that it is on schedule to open in February 2016. The first indoor water park resort in Southern California, it is designed to impress with a 105,000 square f00t water park including over 4,000 feet of water slides exclusive to resort guests in woodsy-themed rooms (some with bunk beds) sleeping anywhere from 4 to 8 guests.

What can you expect during a stay at the Great Wolf Lodge?

Accommodations:

Family Suite – Sleeps up to 6 guests. The Family Suite features two queen beds and a full sofa sleeper.
Double Queen Suite – Sleeps up to 4 guests. The Double Queen Suite features two queen beds.

Wolf Den Suite® – Sleeps up to 6 guests. The Wolf Den features a queen bed, full sofa sleeper and a themed Wolf Den, complete with a set of bunk beds.
KidCabin® Suite – Sleeps up to 7 guests. The KidCabin suite features a queen bed, full sofa sleeper and a Great Wolf Kids-themed KidCabin complete with bunk beds and a twin bed.

Grizzly Bear Suite – Sleeps up to 8 guests. The Grizzly Bear Suite features two private bedrooms, one with a private master bedroom with a king bed and full bathroom and a second bedroom with two queen beds.The main area includes a full sleeper sofa and a second bathroom.
Grand Bear Suit-Sleeps up to 8 guests. The Grand Bear Suite features a private master bedroom with a king bed and a full bathroom. The main area includes two queen beds, a full sofa sleeper and a second bathroom.

Great Bear Suit- Sleeps up to 6 guests. The Great Bear Suite features two queen beds and a semi-private living room complete with a private master bedroom with queen bed.
Great Bear King- Sleeps up to 6 guests. The Great Bear King Suite features two queen beds and a semi-private living room complete with a private master bedroom with king bed.

Indoor Waterpark

*Great Wolf Lodge Southern Califormia’s 105,000 square foot indoor water park is exclusive to resort guests.*

Fort Mackenzie® – Multi-level tree house water fort that combines suspension bridges, treetop slides, swinging cargo nets and spray stations. The park’s signature tipping bucket dumps one thousand gallons of water every four minutes.
Totem Towers – Five three-story body slides attached to Fort Mackenzie.
Wolf Tail™ – 360-degree thrill ride with a vertical plunge through a trapdoor into an enclosed tunnel.
Howlin’ Tornado™ – Six-story funnel slide.

River Canyon Run™ – A 476 foot long family raft ride.
Alberta Falls® – Two four-story enclosed tube slides.
Coyote Cannon – Pipe-style spiral flume ride with a 40’ drop.
Mountain Edge Raceway® – Four-story water slide with body surfing mat allows riders to race one another as they slide down the hills.

Whooping Hollow – Kiddie slides exclusively for guests under 48” tall.
Slap Tail Pond® – Gigantic wave pool complete with waves reaching up to three feet in height as they roll through every five minutes.
Chinook Cove – Water playground for children of all ages featuring basketball and floating obstacles.
Big Foot Pass – Unique water obstacle challenges kids and adults alike to balance on floating logs and lily pads and hold on to hanging nets as they try to get across the pool.
Crooked Creek – Winding lazy river.
Cub Paw Pool – Zero-depth entry children’s pool with water fountain features and spray-and-play adventures.
Raccoon Lagoon® – Zero-depth entry pool extends the water park fun outdoors.
Wolf Rider Wipeout – Double indoor surf simulator with ocean-like waves that reach five feet; perfect for knee-boarding and surfing.

Dining

It’s no secret that I enjoy checking out new places to dine at! I can’t wait to try all of these!

Lodge Wood Fired Grill® – Full service a la carte restaurant open for lunch and dinner with delectable shareables and unique signature items to create the perfect place to eat.
Hungry as a Wolf® – Family meals on the go for lunch and dinner featuring fresh made pizza, sandwiches, salads and pasta.
Bear Paw Sweets & Eats™ – Confectionary that offers a variety of treats, such as fresh-baked pastries, ice cream, lodge-made fudge and more.

*Fresh made fudge from Bear Paw Sweets & Eats and Donuts from Dunkin Donuts. Yum!*

Buckets Incredible Craveables® – Located inside the water park, the casual menu offers burgers, hot dogs, French fries, cold beverages, ice cream and more.
Loose Moose Family Kitchen – Open for breakfast and dinner, this buffet style restaurant has options for the entire family.
Grizzly Jack’s Bar and Grill – Located by the outdoor water park and with a variety of food and drinks to choose from, this is the place to refuel for more fun in the sun.
Dunkin’ Donuts® – America’s favorite all-day stop for coffee and baked goods, right in the resort.

Attractions and Entertainment

Character Appearances – Daily appearances with Wiley® the Wolf and Violet® the Wolf.
Story Time – The entire family gathers in the Grand Lobby each evening to hear a story about the Great Wolf Kids characters before bedtime.
Wolf Walk™ – Learn about the many animals and wildlife living in the Northwoods, and make an origami wolf to take home.
MagiQuest® – Battle dragons, befriend a pixie and wave a magic wand in this live-action adventure game throughout the resort. The games features three unique chapters, each with their own challenges and quests.
The Great Wolf Kids® Program – Daily activities for kids that take place around the resort, including dance parties, face painting and games such as Wiley bingo, character floor memory and character trivia.
Howly Wood® XD Theater – This motion thrill ride transports riders directly into the movie action with every effect amplified creating an unforgettable experience.

Howl at the Moon™ Mini Golf – 9-hole themed indoor miniature golf course.
Northern Lights™ Arcade – More than 100 interactive video and redemption games that allow guests to redeem points for prizes.
Scooops® Kid Spa – A unique spa created just for kids complete with ice cream-themed manicures, pedicures and more. Each service also includes a real ice cream treat.
Ten Paw Alley™ – Family-style bowling with pint-sized bowling balls.
Clubhouse Crew – Interactive scavenger hunt through the resort starring the Great Wolf Kids characters. Perfect experience for the resort’s youngest guests.
Lazer Frenzy – Exciting arcade-style game with the latest in touch and LED technology. Players can see who is fastest as they dart between the “laser beams.”

Shopping

Buckhorn Exchange™ Gift Shop – Remember a Great Wolf Lodge adventure by taking home the perfect souvenir.
Bear Essentials™ Swim Shop – From flip flops to swimwear, Bear Essentials has it all and is conveniently located in the water park.
Great Wolf Kids® Store – Find a Great Wolf Kids character on an assortment of apparel, toys, drinkware and more.

Conference Center

*Featuring over 20,000 sq. feet of meeting and banquet space with 12 separate and configurable meeting rooms.*

Seasonal Events

*Month-Long Seasonal Events*

Howl-O-Ween™ – October
Family-friendly Halloween celebration all month long featuring:

Trick-or-Treat Trail
Spooktacular Story Time
Daily Costume Parade
Monster Bash Dance Party

Snowland® – December
The resort is transformed into a winter wonderland complete with:
- Daily snow showers in the Grand Lobby
- Special appearances by Santa Claus
- Dine in the life-size Gingerbread House
- North Pole University

For more info on Great Wolf Lodge– Garden Grove, CA click here

12681 Harbor Blvd. | Garden Grove, CA 92840

Reservations: greatwolf.com/southerncalifornia | 888.960.9653

I can’t wait until February to check the place out when it opens! The food, the waterpark, the rooms, glow golf, there are so many fun things here to look forward too! 🙂

Albertsons Stock Up Sale & Fall Harvest Trail Mix #AStockUpSale #Albertsons

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Erin

Albertsons Stock Up Sale & Fall Harvest Trail Mix

By Erin

This shop has been compensated by Albertsons. All opinions are mine alone. #AStockUpSale #Albertsons #CollectiveBias

It’s Fall! Which means everything pumpkin spice and everything nice, right? In order to make some of my favorite fall treats though, I need to do some shopping to stock up! Luckily, Albertsons is almost my next door neighbor and is my go-to store for all of my favorite snacks. Right now they are having a special Stock Up Sale through 10/13 that you won’t want to miss. I was able to stock up on all of my favorite General Mills products to make one of my all time favorite fall treats, a Fall Harvest Trail Mix! Albertsons made it easy for me to stock up to make this most delicious treat.

I love making this! It’s the perfect snack to make to share at the barn, for a special after school snack, after the gym, a boy or girl scouts meeting, or if you play a team sport and need a snack to fuel up that the whole team will love. It is just so festive and fun to eat!

Some of the specials to stock up on include: Honey Nut Cherrios 12oz box- $1.88, Cinnamon Toast Crunch- $1.69 and Nature Valley Crunchy Oats N Honey Granola Bars- $2.48.

Once I had everything I needed from the store, I was ready to get the party started with this trail mix!

Here’s everything you’ll need to make yours! The best thing I love about it is that you can add whatever else you like or take out whatever you want as your taste buds and needs desire. You can also play around with the amounts of each item that you are adding as well if you need to make a larger or smaller batch. It also does not matter too much the order in which you add each ingredient into the bowl, I’d just recommend putting in the larger items first as the smaller ones (like the sunflower and pumpkin seeds) will sink to the bottom and not mix as well if they are added in first.

Fall Harvest Trail Mix

Honey Nut Cherrios- 1 1/2 cups

Cinnamon Toast Chrunch- 1 1/2 cups

Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars- 1 pouch (2 bars)

Jet-Puffed Candy Corn Marshmallows- 1 Cup

Pumpkin Spice Chips- 1 Cup

Pumpkin Seeds- 1/2 Cup

Pretzels- 1 Cup

Sunflower Seeds- 1/2 Cup

Yogurt Raisins- 1/2 Cup

Candy Corn- 1/2 Cup

Reese’s Pieces- 1 box

Festive bowl or bags to package them up in.

*Makes about 8- 1 Cup Servings*

First pour the Honey Nut Cherrios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch into a large bowl. Then take the Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars and crumble them up into the mix like shown above.

Mix in all the other ingredients and then you are ready to serve into a cute party bowl, pumpkin, or package up to go into some festive bags! Doesn’t it look yummy?

Here are some super cute ways to present this festive afternoon snack!

In a pumpkin shaped bowl. This one holds the entire batch I just made and is ready to go! You can find bowls like this just about anywhere this time of year and for under $10.

Or if you need something for on the go, in the car, to pass out as a snack at a meeting, after a game or practice for the team, then get some fall or Halloween themed bags (they’re super affordable, I got a package of 20 bags for just under a buck!) and fill them up! I used mine as an after school snack and to pass out as a special treat at the barn!

How adorable is this?! One last way I packaged up my Fall Harvest Trail Mix was into these cute Halloween Bat Coffins. They easily fit a one cup serving with room for more. Now it’s time to enjoy this tasty after school snack! Yum!

What’s your favorite treats to include in a Fall Trail Mix? Be sure to stock up on them all at the Stock Up Sale going on now! 🙂

Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour: A Magical Place to Eat at & Celebrate!

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Erin

Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour: A Magical Place to Eat at & Celebrate!

By Erin

*Special thanks to Farrell’s of Buena Park for their hospitality and willingness to create this magical Disney experience for us!*

The other week, we were finally able to let the little person in on our big secret…. That we were going to DISNEY WORLD!! Back in March, I got the golden ticket from Disney Social Media Moms to attend their conference at Disney World that is happening next week. Now, we needed to come up with a magical way to make this announcement to a special little 7 year old girl. When I found out that her most FAVORITE place EVER to go to was to Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour I knew what I had to do. I just HAD to see if I could connect with Farrell’s and get something grand in the works with them.

Go BIG or GO HOME! Right? So we went to Farrell’s.

I love the decor and energy at Farrell’s. If you aren’t in the mood to celebrate and have some fun, you will be once you enter the front doors. Even if you don’t have anything in particular to celebrate, you can just celebrate along with whatever everyone else dining around you is celebrating as you will hear a lot of singing throughout your visit.

Just a tiny glance of the menu. They are made to look like old newspapers. They have a ton of choices to choose from. You can see what section caught my eye first! Gotta love the variety of ice cream sundaes to choose from!

While you wait for your food and other goodies to arrive, there is plenty of entertainment around you for the kids, both young and old alike to enjoy. Since they were in on our Disney surprise, they made all kinds of Disney jokes and references throughout our visit. They even made a cool Minnie Mouse ears hat for Chey.

Now, no one at our table ordered this… but someone else nearby us ordered a Quadruple Dare Burger! Four patties, oh my! They make a fun announcement anytime someone orders this, right before delivering it to its rightful owner who will attempt to devour it all in one sitting.

If you’re looking for something a lot lighter than that Quadruple Dare Burger…. there are plenty of salads to choose from, like the Harvest Salad. Fresh mixed greens, crisp sliced apples, sweet strawberries, mandarin oranges, toasted almonds, and tossed with white balsamic vinaigrette. We had grilled chicken added onto ours. You can also order it with bleu cheese crumbles.

Now, if you have not had these before, you must try them. Fried Dill Pickles. These are Farrell’s famous pickles, lightly breaded and seasoned then deep fried to crispy tangy perfection. Served with creamy ranch dressing.

One of Farrell’s most popular burgers is the Old Macfarrell’s Burger. Just like the name states, you pretty much have the whole farm here on your burger. Topped with two strips of crispy bacon, a freshly fried egg, melted American cheese and Farrell’s sauce. You get the whole barnyard. No produce comes with this burger. This is one big burger, but it is also very tasty and a bit messy. All part of the fun though, right? 😉

This was the burger I enjoyed greatly. It’s called Talk of the Town, and with good reason. It is their most popular burger. Bacon, melted American cheese, fresh produce, pickles and Farrell’s sauce. I ordered my burger with some garlic fries, which I also highly recommend you do.

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Hard Hat Tour at the Great Wolf Lodge near Disneyland! | #GWLSoCal @GreatWolfLodge