Family Guide to Holidays at Universal Studios

As a So Cal natives, my family and I are familiar with
Universal Studios in Hollywood, CA

We spent an entire day there during spring break a few years ago-

 read about it HERE 

We have never visited during the holidays and
had no idea what we were missing!

This year we were invited to experience 

Grinchmas 2011 at Universal Studios Hollywood

  

Play in a winter playground of real snow or sing along

with the Whos as Whoville comes to life on the Backlot.

Then gather around for celebrity readings of Dr. Seuss’

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Then witness the lighting of the one-of-a-kind

Grinchmas™ tree.

(Click here for the celebrity schedule) 

*The Grinchmas holiday celebration is included with Universal Studios Hollywood park admission daily from

 December 17, 2011 through January 1, 2012.

Be sure to check in with Jess (my sister) from  FreshAngeles.com 

for her take on the days activities

A special thank you to Universal Studios for hosting my family and I this year, we had a blast.

Below is quck glimpse of each of our favorites and some helpful hints for you and your family.

MOM'S PICK:

Studio Tour -

Comedian Jimmy Fallon is the new video host of the Studio Tour. The star of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" introduces entertaining clips seen on HD monitors in the trams to augment the live Studio Tour guide narration.

DAD'S PICK:

Terminator 2: 3D

Flash forward to the future to the chilling, machine-controlled world of the Terminator.

BOY'S PICK:

Revenge of the Mummy -The Ride

If you dare, face heart-pounding special effects and unexpected twists at every turn as you escape the Mummy's revenge in life-like horror. It WILL change you ... forever!

5 Helpful Hints To Plan Your Day!

(recommended by Universal Studios)

1. Start your day on the 'World Famous' Studio Tour

2. See the 1st showing of  WaterWorld,

for best seating at their #1 rated show

3. Visit the Lower Lot early to avoid longer wait times

4. Save money with the 'All You Can Eat Pass'

(Visit select restaurants 11am-noon to avoid crowds)

5. Ask any employee about your favorite character appearance times

(Full Disclosure: This is an unpaid post. My family and I were invited to Universal Studios Hollywood and gifted tickets to the park with Front of the Line Passes) 

Ticket Giveaway and Fabulous Food at the L.A. County Fair

UPDATE:

Winner from my blog: Rita 

Winner from DayTrippingMom: Jenn

Cogratulations and have fun at the Fair!!!

Giveaway Time!

I'm joining with the awesome team at DayTrippingMom

for a L.A. County Fair Ticket Giveaway

You can win a family 4 pack of tickets on both of our sites. Enter on both=more chances to win! 

Enter below then click over HERE and enter again!

Entry Requirements

1. Leave me a commet below, what is YOUR favorite fair food?

2. "Like" HappyHourMom page on Facebook.

Want extra entries? You got it!

1. "Like" DisneySisters page on Facebook.

2. Follow my blog with Networked Blogs (left column)

3. Add me as a Friend with Google Friend Connect (left column) 

4.  Follow @TheHappyHourMom on Twitter.

Terms and Conditions

Winners will be selected randomly. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. PT Monday, Sept. 26,2011. Winner will be contacted by email shortly after contest closes and must respond within 24 hours or a new winner will be selected. Open to residents of the U.S. with a valid street address.

Fabulous Food at the L.A. County Fair

It's that time of year again! Let's go to the fair and pig out on fabulous food. I was invited to sample all the food at the fair seriously, I'm not kidding.... what a treat that was! I wasn't easy (sarcastic tone) but I was able to pick my favorites to share with you. Check out the list below and head over to the L.A. County Fair SEPT. 3 - OCT. 2, 2011 Click here for hours and parking info. Check out my Fair Flashback.

*Did you know the Fair is on Facebook?

HAPPY HOUR MOM'S FAVORITE BITES:

Food Trucks:

Crepes Bonaparte - Try the Nutella Crepes, Yum!

Piaggio Gourmet on Wheels - Porker Sandwich is the best!

Vendors:

Chicken Charlies - Yep, this is the place to get Fried Kool-Aid!

 

Bubba's Bad to the Bone BBQ - They know BBQ!

 

Old Thyme Ice Cream - The Frozen Cheesecake is my #1 dessert pick!

Other Top Picks:

Thai Cuisine

South of the Border

Indian Fry Bread

Cornucopia

Are you a Foodie?
Jump over here for an indepth look at all things food from
SouthBay Foodies.

Disclosure: This is not a paid post. I was invited to the media Food Preview and given tickets to attend the fair with my family. Thank you to our sponsors for providing the giveaway to my readers free of charge. 

Giveaway Now Closed

The L.A. County Fair Is Pure Fun For Everyone!!!

   

 Family Fun at the Fair

2011 L.A. County Fair opens Labor Day Weekend!

My family and I have been going to the fair since my son was a little guy, I hope you enjoy our

 "L.A. County Fair Flashback" and make your own memories at the Fair this year! 

The L.A. County Fair is pure fun for everyone!

  

 Our favorite family time at the Fair every year,

is feeding all the barnyard animals at FairView Farms!

   Zuckerman's Nursery meeting the baby animals

Stay tuned for...

"Fabulous Food at the Fair" and Ticket Giveaway

 ~coming soon~

iParty With Victorious - Don't Fret The Sweat - The Giveaway - WINNER!

We have a winner!!!!!!

 Kayla won the Don't Fret The Sweat Giveaway on

 HappyHourMom's blog with the following daily tweet:

            @Disney_Kayla

Kayla Did you know? @TheHappyHourMom is where 2 go for hip things to do with your family http://t.co/6asp3qi Please RT!!
31 Jul via web 

 
 

Congratulations!

Thank you to all my friends and new friends for playing,
 I will be doing more giveaways very soon, so stay tuned!

iParty With Victorious - Don't Fret The Sweat - The Giveaway

iParty With Victorious:



iParty With Victorious? Oh yes I did!



Victoria Justice

and the whole cast of Nickelodeon's show

 VicTORious

 gave a free walmart soundcheck concert at the Avalon in Hollywood on May 26, 2011.

Don't Fret The Sweat:

• Have you heard about the new "Don't Fret The Sweat" website? It helps kids navigate some of the sweaty situations that happen while going through tween and teen years. Check it out and more importantly share it with your favorite tweenager- You can even "like" them on facebook! 
• My favorite feature about the website is the "Matchmaker" feature. It's almost like a game you can have your tween explore it. Have them click through the questions and violia the perfect product for your indivdual tween or teen appears.
• Want advice from the experts? Don't Fret The Sweat website provides a section called "Perspectives On Parenting". There are articles on all things parenting and your chance to comment or ask your own questions.
• For more on the Victorious Concert we attended, follow the link to facebook and "like" Walmart Soundcheck to find out when, where and who will have the next Free concert.
• Click on over to Fresh Angeles (my sister's blog) to see more photos of Victorious stars in concert.

  The Giveaway:

The Prizes

Here are the goods (valued at $137)

•Exclusive Don’t Fret the Sweat beach bag

•2GB iPod Shuffle

•$25 iTunes gift card

•Beach ball

•Beach towel

•Reuseable water bottle

•Coppertone SPORT Sunscreen (SPF 50)

•Vaseline Daily Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Body Gel

•Assortment of 3 Unilever deodorant sticks

Entry Requirements

For a chance to enter and win, please complete the 3 following requirements and leave a separate comment for each on this post.

1. Follow @TheHappyHourMom on Twitter. (If you're not on twitter, follow my blog see left column)

2 ."Like" Don't Fret The Sweat on Facebook and HappyHourMom on Facebook.

3. Visit  http://www.dontfretthesweat.com/, check out the site and then leave a comment on this post letting us know what you liked most about the site.


*For extra chances to win.... tweet up to 3x a day leave a comment for each tweet (include links to your original tweets)
 Tweet one or both of the following:

Did you know? @TheHappyHourMom is where 2 go for hip things to do with your family http://bit.ly/qAM2gX  Please RT

GIVEAWAY! @TheHappyHourMom Enter 4 chance 2 win an ipod, $25. itunes gift card, & Don't Fret The Sweat Beach Bag Swag! http://bit.ly/qAM2gX  PLS RT



Terms and Conditions

Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. PT Friday,  August 12. Winner will be contacted by email shortly after contest closes and must respond within 72 hours or a new winner will be selected. Open to residents of the U.S. and Canada with a valid street address.




 

(Full Disclosure: I was not paid or compensated in any way for this post. This event was free and open to the general public. I was invited to the event & given a swag bag.  The original thoughts expressed on this blog are 100% mine .)

Southern California Hotel Staycation Series - Shorebreak Huntington Beach

The car is packed, let the road trip begin...
Staying local just got better!



Are We There Yet: The Shorebreak Hotel is just 1 block north of Main and the Huntington Beach Pier. They offer hotel guests valet parking for $24 a day. 

The Shorebreak Hotel is located on Pacific Coast Hwy & 5th



Lobby Love:  The Shorebreak on the strand is a Joie de Vivre Hotel. This ultra hip lifestyle hotel projects a nonstop show of surf movies on the wall of the lobby.

Hang Loose

Hit The Snooze Button: Enjoyable rooms, mattresses are Serta plush and the linens, oh so luxurious. Portable cribs are also available upon request.

Feels Like Home



Get Ready, Set, Surf:  Once you've unpacked, you are just an elevator ride away from grabbing your board and hitting the surf. The lobby posts the daily surf reports along with the times of low and high tides.

Too Cool For School



Pier Pressure: Huntington Beach is famous for a wide beach and their pier. Any time of day or evening you can actually see plenty of people fishing off the pier. We like to enjoy a morning stroll to the end and get a coffee at Ruby's Diner... who am I kidding, we also love the milkshakes and burgers!

P.S. No Skateboarding Allowed



The Huntington Pier

 

 Dogs Days And Nights: The Shorebreak Hotel welcomes man's best friend as part of the family! Pet-friendly through and through located a mile away from Dog Beach, one of the few beaches in Huntington Beach where dogs can run free.

 

Cheers: Raise a glass and make a toast during the daily complimentary wine hour located in the lobby.

Belly Up To The Bar.
Ask for Dennis, tell him HappyHourMom sent you!



Good Eats: Zimzala Restaurant & Bar has a sunset view that's hard to beat (sit on the patio). The menu offers coastal Mediterranean cuisine. I had the salmon.... delish! The 2011 Golden Foodie Award winner.

Casual Outside Dining



Salmon For Dinner



All Hands On Deck: "The Deck" is a private courtyard for hotel guests with 3 fire pits- perfect for a little romance or family fun s'more making. You can bring your own or purchase a complete s'more kit for two at the front desk for $5 bucks.

Campfire Stories All Around

 One Of Three Fire Pits On Property





 









S'more Fun





Paul Frank's Academy Of Awesome Tour

Want some "FREE" fun this summer ?

Get ready to party "Paul Frank" style

Julius and his friends are hitting the road this summer for the

 Paul Frank's Academy Of Awesome Tour



Come hang out with us at Paul Frank’s Academy of Awesome Tour! Enjoy some AWESOME activities including: Creation Station art contest, ping-pong, silk screening, Paul Frank Mobile Museum and of course, Julius!

 Paul Frank on Facebook

"Paul Frank Academy of Awesome Tour"

Like what you see?

Shop Paul Frank Online

Paul Frank's Academy of Awesome Tour is coming to a city near you!

Tour Dates and Locations

Los Angeles, CA

Pacific Design Center
June 25, 2011      5PM – 9PM    

Contest: Puppy Prom

Palm Springs, CA

Ace Hotel
June 26, 2011       12PM - 6PM

Contests: Creation Station

Scottsdale, AZ

W Hotel

July 2, 2011       12PM - 6PM

Contests: Creation Station, Battle of the Bands

Austin, TX

First Thursdays on South Congress

July 7, 2011        2PM - 10PM

Contests: Creation Station, Battle of the Bands, Puppy Prom

Houston, TX

Hotel ZaZa

July 9, 2011          12PM - 7PM

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station

New Orleans, LA

Riverwalk

July 10, 2011       10AM - 6PM

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station

Memphis, TN

Graceland

July 13, 2011  Time TBD

Atlanta, GA

Atlantic Station
July 17, 2011              1PM - 5PM

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station, Puppy Prom

Myrtle Beach, SC

Myrtle Beach Boardwalk - Oceanfront Pavilion

July 21, 2011                12:30PM - 4:30 PM

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station, Puppy Prom

Virginia Beach, VA

Beach Street USA - Atlantic Ave

July 23, 2011        Time TBD

Contests: Creation Station

Washington DC/Silver Springs, MD

Downtown (916 Ellsworth Drive)

July 26, 2011   1PM - 5PM

Contests: Creation Station, Battle of the Bands, Puppy Prom

Philadelphia, PA

TBD Piazza @ Schmidts OR Love Park
July 27, 2011     Time TBD

Contests: Creation Station, Battle of the Band, Puppy Prom

New York, NY

DUMBO Brooklyn

Powerhouse Arena

July 28, 2011       Time TBD

Contests: Creation Station, Battle of the Bands

Chicago, IL

Kidzapalooza

August 5 - 7, 2011

West Allis, WI

Wisconsin State Fair

August 9, 2011       Time TBD

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station, Puppy Prom

Minneapolis, MN

Nicolette Mall

August 11, 2011

11Am - 7PM

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station

Denver, CO

Civic Center Park
August 17, 2011        1:30PM - 5:30 PM

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station, Puppy Prom

Sun Valley, ID (Ketchum)

Ketchum Town Square

August 21, 2011      11:30AM - 3:00PM

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station, Puppy Prom

Portland, OR

Pioneer Square

Morrison Corner

August 23, 2011        12:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station, Puppy Prom

San Francisco, CA

TBD

August 28, 2011        Time TBD

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station, Puppy Prom

Las Vegas, NV

Paul Frank Store

September 3 - 4, 2011      Time TBD

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station, Puppy Prom

San Diego, CA

TBD

September 6, 2011    Time TBD

Contests: Battle of the Bands, Creation Station, Puppy Prom

Summer at SeaWorld

Summer at SeaWorld

And because......... once is never enough!


Summer is for making memories with family, do you have a special place that you go every summer? Do you have family memories of summer vacations when you were growing up?
Share your favorite summer memory with me! 

My SeaWorld Sisters:
Tracey Clark
Jessica Fuselier

SeaWorld Summer in San Diego

This summer at SeaWorld, along with Shamu's debut of
One Ocean comes another very special story.

 “Turtle: The Incredible Journey.”



Turtle: The Incredible Journey - Trailer from Save Our Seas Foundation on Vimeo.
The film is directed by National Geographic Explorer’s Nick Stringer and narrated by Academy Award nominee Miranda Richardson. Stringer’s documentary team follows the loggerhead turtle on an adventure of more than 9,000 miles guided only by instinct. The crew spent two years following loggerhead turtles on their trips across the ocean, and have captured on film the remarkable life cycle of a beautiful creature that struggles to survive in an increasingly unforgiving environment.

The film does what our parks have been doing for more than five decades: inspire, enrich and entertain. Helping bring this film and its powerful message of the fragility and beauty of our oceans to the public is what SeaWorld is and what we have always been about.

The film will be released to theaters in both standard theatrical formats as well as 3D in selected locations starting June 24. This is the the same week as the opening of SeaWorld San Diego’s Turtle Reef, a new attraction that showcases this extraordinary species in a 300,000-gallon aquarium with a massive underwater viewing gallery.


Last time my family and I were at SeaWorld, we were so thankful to be treated to a SeaWorld private tour which included feeding turtles (from a distance) it was really neat to learn about them. 

 Feeding Time

 

Thank You Susie!

I was invited to SeaWorld with these fine bloggers:

my sisters

Tracey Clark - Shutter Sisters   and   Jessica Fuselier - Fresh Angeles

along with friends

Ciaran Blumenfeld - Momfluential

 Donna Schwartz Mills - SoCal Mom

 Marsha Takeda-Morrison - Sweatpantsmom

 Rebecca Woolf - Girl Gone Child