Fun & Frugal Things to do in L.A. with your family!

 Here is a list of Frugal (& Free) Things to do in L.A. area! Me and my family will be going there so my Husband can go through some training for 2 whole weeks! When I get back I will give you my own review of some of these places!:) Because sometimes places say "kid friendly" or seem like they would be fun with little ones but then turn out to not be too great for smaller children or not as fun for older children! So look for my review the middle of August and if you have anywhere you would like to share or have a review of any of these places please comment below!

Most of my information came from the following links:

•  http://discoverlosangeles.com
• http://www.uptake.com/california/orange.html

1. Go to the Beach--Laguna Beach, North Star Beach & Newport Beach
Point Fermin Park and Lighthouse
Perched above the Pacific Ocean, Point Fermin is often overlooked by visitors. But the 37-acre park and its coin-operated telescopes offer some of the best views along the coast, while the 1874 lighthouse makes for picture-perfect photo-ops. Picnic, go for a jog, or just sit and lose yourself. 500 West Paseo Del Mar

2. Visit a Garden or Park-- 
Beverly Gardens Park:
Beverly Gardens is a 22 block, 1.9 mile linear park stretching from Doheny Drive to Whittier Drive along the north side of Santa Monica Boulevard.
Other features of the park, many of which are historic, include:

• Cactus Garden
• Rose Garden
• Wilshire Electric Fountain
• Doheny Fountain
• Decomposed granite jogging and walking path
• Arbors

 
Coldwater Canyon Park:

This park has two small picnic areas with two tables each.  The Park also has two play areas, a water feature, and shaded arbor.  Picnic areas may be reserved for use seasonally.

For more information, call (310) 285-6820
Coldwater Canyon Park
1100 North Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Grijalva Park

• 368 North Prospect, Orange, California, United States
• Playground park

Hart Park

• 701 S. Glassell, Orange, California, United States
• Oldest but not outdated! Huge!

Orange County Zoo

• 1 Irvine Park Road, California
• Phone:

  +1 714 633 2022, 7146332022, +1

  Website:

  www.ocparks.com

  Located in the Irvine Regional Park, the Orange County Zoo is home to a variety of species of animals that are indigenous to the southwest including mountain lions, foxes and black bears. It's just $2 for admission for visitors two and older, but don't forget an extra few dollars for the parking at this Orange, California regional park. 

    

  Irvine Regional Park

  • 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, California
  •  Irvine Regional Park, nestled in a grove of Heritage Oak and Sycamore trees, houses a variety of wildlife.Santiago Creek divides the park, and a pond with stone-work waterfall and foot bridge is at its center.

  
  
   

Belmont Park

• 4536 East Via Escola Ave., Orange, California, United States
• A beautiful park designed by Venture 2 consultants, where Anthony Mendoza was the lead Landscape Architect on the project. This park is located in the hills of Orange in a very affluent neighborhood. Playground

Point Fermin Park and Lighthouse
Perched above the Pacific Ocean, Point Fermin is often overlooked by visitors. But the 37-acre park and its coin-operated telescopes offer some of the best views along the coast, while the 1874 lighthouse makes for picture-perfect photo-ops. Picnic, go for a jog, or just sit and lose yourself. 500 West Paseo Del Mar

HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART COLLECTIONS, & BOTANICAL GARDENS $$$
1151 Oxford Rd.
San Marino, CA  91108
Phone: 626.405.2100
Fax: 626.405.9211
www.huntington.org
An oasis of art and culture on 207 acres. Explore breathtaking gardens, new Children’s Garden, Tropical Conservatory, Chinese Garden, four art galleries and a library, showcasing collections of rare books. Bookstore, English Tea and group tours.

Summer Hours

Monday	10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday	Closed
Wednesday	10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Thursday	10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Friday	10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday	10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday	10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

	Weekdays	Weekends
Adults	$20	$23
Seniors (age 65+)	$15	$18
Students (age 12-18, or with full-time student I.D.)	$12	$13
Youth (age 5-11)	$8	$8
Children (under 5)	free	free
Groups (15 or more)	$11 (per person)	$14 (per person)
Members	free	free

Kind of pricy but if you can get tickets for the free day or get a membership if you live close then I'm sure it's well worth it! 

Free Day

Admission to The Huntington is free to all visitors on the first Thursday of every month with advance tickets. Hours on Free Day are 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

3.  Museums!--A List of FREE ones here!

Children's Museum at La Habra

• 301 South Euclid Street, La Habra, CA, 90631
• Phone:

  +1 562 905 9643

  Website:

  www.lahabracity.com

  La Habra Children's Museum Children's Museum on S. Euclid St in La Habra, CA is in the Beach California section(s) Museums and Other General Government Support. The map of La Habra Children's Museum Children's Museum shows the approximate ... more on Beachcalifornia.com 
   Admission
  Children & Adults              $8
  La Habra residents           $7
  Children under 2               Free
  Members                            Free
• Hours
  Tuesday -  Friday, 10 am - 4 pm
  Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm
  Sunday, 1 pm - 5 pm
  Fridays open at 9 am for CMLH Members
  
  Target Free First Saturdays
  On the first Saturday of every month admission is free from 10am – 5pm, sponsored by Target.
• Eating Facilities
  There is no restaurant at the Museum, however snacks and water are available for purchase. The Museum is located in Portola Park, which features picnic tables and a playground. There is an array of restaurants within driving distance of the museum. Ask your friendly admissions clerk for a list of local eateries in the area.

4.Visit a Zoo--

Orange County Zoo

• 1 Irvine Park Road, California
• Phone:

  +1 714 633 2022, 7146332022, +1

  Website:

  www.ocparks.com

  Located in the Irvine Regional Park, the Orange County Zoo is home to a variety of species of animals that are indigenous to the southwest including mountain lions, foxes and black bears. It's just $2 for admission for visitors two and older, but don't forget an extra few dollars for the parking at this Orange, California regional park.

Santa Ana Zoo

• 1801 E Chestnut Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92701

Phone:

+1 714 953 8555, 714 / 953.8555

Website:

www.santaanazoo.org

The Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park is a place to play, a place to learn and a place to spend time with your family.

5. Visit an Aquarium--

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

• 3720 Stephen White Drive, Los Angeles, California

Phone:

+1 310 548 7562

Website:

www.cabrilloaq.org

Both children and adults will enjoy viewing sea creatures of the ... more on TripAdvisor 

Aquarium HoursTuesday through Friday - 12 noon to 5 pm
Saturday and Sunday - 10 am to 5 pm
Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas

They have a tide table for Cabrillo Beach on there site.

The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is open year-round and operates on a suggested donation of $5 for adults and $1 for children and seniors.

 

Summer Fun in the Sun!

Whether your child is 10 years or 10 months old there are many ways to enjoy the outdoors! But don't forget your Sunscreen and hats!

Here is a list of fun things to do with the whole family! 

1. Visit your local Zoo--Google where your local Zoo is.
2. Community Events--Look at your towns Chamber of Commerce webpage. They usually have lots of summer events and places to see a lot of times for free!
3. Visit a local garden--If you have a College or University near you alot of times they will have greenhouses or gardens you can visit. Either for free or a small fee.
4. Go to a local park---There are water parks, city parks, state parks, and national parks all around you! Many you may not have even known about! So go online and search for your local parks and rec!
5. Play a game! Here is a great website with TONS of ideas for games indoors and outdoors for the whole family! Family Fun
6. Want to do something fun indoors? Try doing a craft together. There are tons of ideas online HERE and all over Pinterest and the web!
7. Anything with Water--Seems like just about every child and adult loves to beat the heat by cooling off in the water! Find a creek, river, public pool, or water park near you or get a cheap little kiddy pool or sprinkler at your local store to throw in the backyard to help beat the heat! 
8. And no activity would be complete without good food and good company! You can grab some great recipes all over the internet for refreshing lemonades, fruit creations, light salads, grilled meats& chilling desserts! So grab your family or a friend and enjoy the summer! :)

Fundraising!

School will start before we know it and with that comes fundraising for your schools, sports teams, cheer leading squads, churches or for a good cause! Jordan Essentials can help! They have fundraising using our best selling and most unique product the Lotion Bar! If you would like more information on how you can do this great fundraiser for your group or cause please message me!

Jordan Essentials Review

Okay, so I know I'm a Consultant, but I wanted to share my opinion anyway! 

I just have to say, I LOVE my Jordan Essentials! I actually look forward to washing my hands and my 5 min get away from the kids in the shower is now like a day at the spa! Seriously! The sea salt exfoliate just puts the whole thing over the top! And boy does it make me all silky smooth! Cleanse with the Shower Gel, exfoliate with the sea salt scrub, and even use the yummy smelling shampoo& condition! Then hop out and pamper my skin more by moisturizing with either the body lotion or shea butter and seal it all in with the lotion bar and mommy stays baby soft all day& night & i don't have to re apply lotion 5 times a day! Best of all I can use it on my babies too! I don't have to go through the moisturizing with them 3 times a day! What time I save just adding 2 mins into my day! And I didn't even mention the awesome Aluminum free deodorant and awesome hydrating good smelling body spray (which I don't have to worry about my kids breaking out from me holding them so I can smell like a woman instead of a mommy again!)! I just love there products! I want to try all of them! I hear the face mask is to die for amazing! Who knew using natural products could be so pampering!OH! Did I mention the lotion bar does wonders for my feet! (The Exfoliate smooths my scratchy heels too!)I have these shoes that always hurt when I wear them, but because the lotion bar has a waxy kind of seal it helps lock in moisture and protects my feet from blisters! I was shocked and amazed! My feet are saved from heals now yay!:) Not only is it safer for me and my family but it's an awesome company too! That's why I decided to join the team! And by becoming a JE Consultant I get the opportunity to not only make a little extra money but to get free product AND pamper all of you! So this mommy is a happy girl!:)
Because of all the awesome products I will be featuring a new product each month! So come back and check it out!
You can check out some of the products yourself here:
www.myjestore.com/jessicamoore

You can also visit me on FACEBOOK

JE June Special!

Go online today to check out all our amazing products! www.myjestore.com/jessicamoore

Thirty-One Gifts

Thank you for visiting my blog! As you prob saw on my last post I am a Jordan Essentials Consultant! I'm very proud to be providing all natural products to everyone! 

Well, I am also very excited to tell you I am also a Thirty-One Gifts Consultant!

Thirty-One Gifts is a Christian based company with amazing products to help you organize you life at home and on the go! From organizing your car, to toys, to your craft room! 

They have awesome Customer Monthly Specials as well as great Hostess rewards! 

And you can have an online/catalog party for those who are too busy or may be far apart to have a party!

 (My Kit all set up for my 1st party)

(My Market Thermal Tote shown in Circle Spirals Print! Love at first site!):)

If you check out the amazing products and love them as much as I do, and want to get paid to share something you love, then please consider joining my team and becoming a Thirty-One Consultant!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions! 

So go ahead and get started on your next organizing project and check out Thirty-one today!
***Click on the logo below to visit my direct site. If you would like to visit the corporate site please go to www.thirtyonegifts.com***

Jessica Moore

Jordan Essentials

I'm very excited to announce I am now a Jordan Essentials Consultant!

Jordan Essentials are Botanical based, all natural products for the everyday family! From Children's soaps and lotions, to adult lotions, soaps,deodorants, pampering sets, mineral make-up, and even Men's products! 

I love that my little ones can even eat the soap and I won't have to worry about them eating any harmful chemicals! They also show just what's in their products so you aren't guessing if it's safe or not! 

And if you are finding you want a lot of the products please take a look at Hosting a party so you can get free and half price items! If you are long distance consider just doing an online/catalog party! I can send you catalogs and order forms and you can hand them out and let your friends and family order online or with an order form and you can still reap the benefits of a regular party! A great way to share the great products without the pressure of a party! :)

If you'd like to share these awesome products with others and get paid to party then please take a look at Joining my team! I am the only Consultant in this area so it is wide open for all! 

So take a look at my website below and please feel free to contact me with any questions! Just click on the Logo Below!

Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Jessica Moore

$75 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

Check out this $75 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway HERE

HUGE Giveaway!

http://contestchest.com/contests/huge-giveaway-2-canon-rebel-cameras-100-visa-gift-card?referred_by=39694

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Travel Jewelry Holder Tutorial

HERE IS THE TUTORIAL YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

You want to make your own? 

Travel Jewelry Holder Tutorial

For Personal Use Only! Not for Reproduction!

Materials Needed:

• 1 outside fabric piece—23"x9"

• 1 inside fabric piece—23"x9"

• Batting piece—23"x9"

• Fabric Necklace Pocket-- 12”x12” (12”x6” when folded in half) 

• Binding— At least 68” long whether bought or made.Double Fold kind if bought and about 2” wide if made. 

• Bios Tape for clear pockets and middle-- 3 pieces 11” long and 1 piece 9” long 

• 2 Clear Pockets—11”x2¾”---The “plastic” is 
  clear vinyl tablecloth material. You can pick it up at Joann's,Michaels, Walmart and other craft stores. Mines a little thicker gauge but you can use what you want. You can also just do fabric pockets if you want but I like to see my earrings.

• 8 ribbons for the loops---5” long--Grosgrain works best but you can use any kind. The 1 inch wide works good. As long as your velcro is the same width you should be fine. 

• Velcro—apx 2” total—each piece about ½” long and as wide as your ribbon 

• Outside Ribbon—26” long

See the Full Tutorial in PDF below!
***Sorry for those who opened up this file and it didn't work! I have attached a new file! IF it still doesn't work please let me know and I can try and post it in a new format or send it to you directly! Thanks!***
  
Jewelry Roll PDF 

If you're having trouble with the above link try this:
travel jewelry holder.pdf

I linked up on:

Travel Jewelry Holder PREVIEW

So here is a teaser preview of the Travel Roll up Jewelry Holder Tutorial I will have up on here soon!

I'll just leave you with these 2 teaser pictures;) Don't worry I will reveal the whole thing soon enough!

Smurf Blanket

So my daughter got attached to the same blanket I slept with for nearly 12 years! So it is pretty warn to say the least! So I decided to make a new one (which by the way she won't use because she's way too smart to be fooled)! It turned out that the fabric that was used was actually a piece of a now vintage bed sheet! So I hunted it down and here are my before and after pictures:)

 BEFORE

 AFTER

Note that my Mother also helped me with this one...lets just say A LOT! It would have taken me 3 days what she did in a couple hours!

Yard Sale Finds

We go garage/yard saleing a lot during the summer. It not only saves money but we can often make a profit on things as well. I can often find kid's clothes and toys for a steal! If you're looking for something in particular you can also try your local ads or craigslist.org. They also have a great site you can sell your items as well www.yarsellr.com. 

Here are a few yard sale finds we found this week:

Doughnut Holes

So I have really been wanting to make glazed doughnut holes and I figured "how hard can it be" right?! So I search for a recipe. I found cinnamon/sugar ones, chocolate covered, even lemon glazed! But no reg glazed. SO I found a good glaze recipe that was for cupcakes (it worked out great!) and set out to make them! So problem 1: It takes FOREVER to make dough! At least when I try and do it!:/ So I gave up on that and instead found some pre-made pizza crust dough (and some quick pretzel dough but I haven't tried that)! The Pillsbury pizza dough in the can thing worked perfect!! I just rolled them into tiny balls and threw them in some hot vegetable oil in a pan (med heat) and you've got donuts all ready to coat! If you make bigger balls flatten them and they will rise/round up in he pan & cook more even! If not you will have raw dough in the middle FYI! So just use a spoon with holes and pull them out when they are golden onto a plate. Then coat them in glaze (let glaze harden) then you can put another coat of glaze if you like! Let glaze harden again and you're good to eat! If you prefer powdered sugar or cinnamon & sugar coating then just do that instead of glaze. If they cool a little before you coat them that's fine they will still coat beautifully! Maybe even better! Anyway, I will attach pictures and the glaze recipe when I get to it! Just thought I'd share my experience! Oh, I also added a note for my hubby that said, " DOUGHNUT you know I love you a HOLE bunch" too:)
I think I have pictures somewhere....

Blanket?

So I Attempted to make a small blanket for the car seat for Sophia but the Minky fabric I was using was well....impossible. SO, after seeing the whole thing be one big pucker I decided it would be best as a pillow instead. So we have a really cool pillow now!:) I used the stuffing from some old messed up, flat pillows and well...my pictures are with my phone so they are horrible but ya...Check it:

 The girls love it! In fact Sophie was just napping on it and Alli kept wanting to lay by her:)

Rag Quilt/Rug Tutorial

I have mentioned before how brilliant my Mother is! She recently got featured on someone's blog for this tutorial and I thought I should at least feature my own Mother for heaven's sake! Anyway, my Mom is an awesome Quilter, organizer, cook, seamstress, etc. Usually I start a project and my mother ends up finishing it because I get too frustrated (I'm kind of a perfectionist). I design she sews:) I usually take all the pictures too. And I'm her computer tech if something goes wrong. Anyway, she's awesome! And this is her brilliant idea she came up with for a rag quilt/rug! It's so easy even someone like me, who didn't inherit my mothers sewing talent, can do easily! It's pretty hard to mess up. So here is just one of my mother's many talents:

Rag Quilt Tutorial

By: Becky Groll 

over at I Dream of Quilting

 P.S. Those are my kiddos crawling all over the project! You will prob. see them in alot of pictures because they love to be in the middle of everything:)

Go check out all my mothers lovely ideas and projects over at I Dream of Quilting

DIY Dishwasher Detergent

I made some homemade laundry detergent today! I have to say I'm way excited to have clean dishes again! It didn't take me very long to make!

All it took was 
3 Ingredients (which you can find at your local Walmart):

*3 cups Borax
*3 cups Washing Soda (NOT baking soda look in  the laundry detergent isle!)
*1 cup Lemi-Shine Powder (Must be powder not liquid! Look near dishwasher rinse aids)

Mix it all together in a bowl then put into whatever AIR TIGHT container you desire. It only takes 2 tbsp per load of dishes. This makes 7 cups of detergent.

Note: I've seen people add lemon essential oils to it as well, but the lemi shine smells nice and essential oils can be expensive!


Now, one reason I decided to start making my own detergent was because my store bought stuff just doesn't cut it! I end up having to do a load with just white vinegar after I've already washed them! And another reason is to save money!! One lady already did the math on how much it saves:

"In the end, you’ll wind up paying around $3.09 for 6 cups worth. Since each load only requires 2 tablespoons, you’ll have enough for 48 loads. That’s $0.06 per load! Compare to $0.15-$0.30 per load with the store bought varieties, which means you’re paying around 1/3 the price. If you do one load per day you’ll end up saving at least $40 per year by making it yourself. " 


Now that's a lot of savings!

Echo Vessel Giveaway

Over at Erickson and Co she is having a sweet giveaway! Check it out Here I love their sippy cups too!

Kid Friendly Organization---The Craft Room

So lately me and my (BRILLANT) Mother have been working to not only combine but to organize all our craft things! Sense I have 2 very busy girls we have had to get creative in the way we organize (hide) all our craft materials. These are some of the ways we have made the craft room a little more kid friendly. Without breaking the bank!

1st: Plan it out!Get all your containers and organizing tools for all the things you need to hide away. Use Pinterest.com or bhg.comb
It doesn't have to cost much! Use things you already have, recycle, shop craigslist or other local ads, dollar stores, walmart, clearance sales, check out the garage sales and thrift stores and even check out your local junk yard.

2nd: Make sure you label things so they are easy to find!
3rd: We find things with lids, latches, zippers, or locks are best with kids. But if it's not "sealed" make sure it's up high so little hands can't easily access them.

Now some people just do one form of crafting. Whether it's sewing, stamping, scrapbooking, beading, etc. Well, we pretty much do it all around here! So we have to come up with lots of different ways to stash things!

I used this roll away 3 drawer container I've had for years to help organize the hard to store things. I organized things within the drawers as well. 

Then to make sure I know what's in there I used these printable labels from bhg.com(see below)!

Source: bhg.com via Jessica on Pinterest

 These containers we got on sale at Target or something like that. We've gotten some at Kmart, Target, the Dollar Store, etc. Just look for the sales:) Inside this container we have our scraps by color (and labeled) in gallon ziploc bags. We could just throw them in there but then we would have scraps all over the place (we learned this from experience). 

Here again my brilliant Mother came up with this idea:

Source: idreamofquilting.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

She used paper towel rolls to roll her fabric on. You can also cut wrapping paper rolls to size as well. She found this label to wrap around the rolls to hold them in place and put what size the fabric is. Brilliant right!

 

 Another thing we use to keep our fabric nice and organized are cardboard fabric inserts/bolts. You can get them at any place that carries fabric. they just throw them away so you can usually pick them up for free. We got ours from a fbric store that was going out of business.

We stored these bolts inside a cabinet (which we picked up on craigslist for cheap--3 of them actually) and on bookshelves (which we picked up at walmart years ago).We cut the cardboard inserts so they fit on shelves.

We were going to sell our old, cheap walmart entertainment center but decided it was best used in the craft room under our lifted table:

We also use plastic containers to keep our fat quarters and laying cakes all neat.

For our ribbon we used this idea for all the smaller ribbon and ones that didn't have much on the roll:

Source: bhg.com via Jessica on Pinterest

We also plan to use this method:

Source: grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

That way we can see them, they're organized and the little hands can't get them.

For my beading materials I use tons of different containers I have picked up at Ikea, Joanns, Michaels, etc. on sale of course!

For our knitting/croqueting stuff we use shoe and sweater closet organizers:

 You can also see our wrapping supplies.

 I know it appears to be a bit cluttered and non child friendly but all this stuff is tucked behind closet doors so the kids can't access them as easily. Out of site, out of mind right:)

Want to save some more money? Cover diaper boxes with fabric:

Source: designsbymke.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Or cover milk crates:

You can also clean out your ice cream buckets! These are very nice because they have handles and lids and are easy to label:)

You can also make your own containers!

Source: skiptomylou.org via Jessica on Pinterest

To keep the iron cord up and safe we made one of these:

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessica on Pinterest

Very clever!

 We are currently using this container for remotes in our living room but you can also use them for craft supplies. We got it for $1 at the Dollar Tree.

 As you can see we have used many forms or organization throughout our craft room.

 Jars for our buttons

and baskets for fabric

 Vases and cans for scissors, etc.

 We are still in the process of organizing and moving things around so sorry about the mess! We are constantly working on craft projects and better ways to stay organized:)