Disneyland Recap – Day 1 Laguna Beach

At last, here’s the recap of our three night/four day vacation to California/Disneyland that we took in May. Yes, we just took Mia to Boston in March when it was cold, but we couldn’t pass up this Virgin America deal to LA. What I thought would be a warm beachy vacation turned out to be a Princess trip, thanks to Doug (who’s never been to Disneyland or Disney World). The fact that Mia is only 2 ½ years old and does not require a park ticket definitely helped in the decision to go on this trip. That’s a $188 dollar savings on park tickets and an additional savings on the character meals!

These two CPAs never travel without a deal, so here’s what the costs came down to:

$178/ticket for round trip airfare from ORD-LAX – Thank you very much Virgin America sale. We also are pack masters travel light and didn't incur any luggage fees. Mia called it the purple airplane. Doug on the other hand, thought the swanky music at the gate, purple uplights and black leather seats reminded him of sex.

$0 in hotel stays – For all three nights, we used points for both Marriott and Hilton hotels in Anaheim, which were near the Convention Center and not in the Disneyland Park. Both hotels looked updated and were right across from each other, so switching over and transporting our luggage one time was no biggie. Catching a $2/pp shuttle to the park was also easy peasy.

$40 shuttle – to take us from the hotel to the airport (LAX) on our last day.

$350 park tickets – for two adult 2 day park hopper tickets. Kids under 3 are freeee!

$75 1 day car rental – Since we wanted to make our first day a beach day, we rented a car from LAX, immediately found the nearest In N Out, drove down Pacific Coast Highway, stopped at Bristol Farms for a bathroom break and to pick up some picnic foods and made our way to Laguna Beach to hang out and have dinner. We then drove 30 minutes to our hotel in Anaheim where Doug returned the car nearby.   

Mia’s first encounter with sand. As expected, she was not a fan. I am so glad I took this picture. J

Nothing some juicy watermelon can't fix. And the fact that she did not move from my belly/the towel afterwards.

We didn’t get in the water since we didn’t have more than a few hours to play, but I did dip my toes in and basked in the warm California sun. There seemed to be a bit of seaweed washed up on the sand (which you can see here), so not the cleanest beach I’ve seen.

Mia enjoyed the nearby swings. She didn’t want to go on the actual playground though because it had sand.

Dinner at The Deck – We had a 5pm dinner reservation (given our two hour time difference with a 2 year old). They had a high chair for us, but if it were later in the evening, I probably wouldn't feel comfortable with a child here (not because it was rowdy, just because there were no other kids). I was craving a fruity beach drink to kick off my vacation, but the mango margarita was not good. To eat, we had mango shrimp ceviche, crispy mahi tacos and chorizo, shellfish, chicken paella which were all just ok. The main selling point here is their view, which really is right up against the water. At least there was also live music to improve my overall dining experience.

More on Disneyland tomorrow!

DIY Mickey & Minnie Mouse Ears

mmk back to Disneyland...from two months ago! Before we left, I told some jerks friends that I’d be making mouse ears for me, Doug and Mia to wear at breakfast with Minnie Mouse and friends. They all laughed at me! Shocked that I would let my family wear “bootleg” ears when dining with the characters at Disneyland. Ummm…excuse me! I’m pretty darn proud of my three pairs of ears that cost $5 total, and are super adorable! They certainly cost more than a few bucks if purchased at the park. I saved us $40 to be exact! And with $90/day/person park passes and $35/person meals with the characters, I was just fine with my cheap DIY Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears. I mean, just look at those smiles! I don’t think “real” ears would’ve made this little girl any happier! Hmph! And we actually got compliments on our ears! J

Here’s an easy step by step (5 total!) tutorial on how to DIY your own Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears for Disneyland, Disneyworld, birthday parties, Halloween or just for fun when playing dress up…

Time: 5 minutes

Supplies/Cost:

1 sheet stiff black felt (~$1)

Black headband (~$3)

Optional: red & white polka dot ribbon

Fabric Glue or Hot Glue Gun

Cost: less than $5!

Instructions:

1. Trace a circle with rectangle tabs onto felt. Repeat for another ear. The tabs don't need to be as long as in this picture:

2. Cut along both circles and tabs. 
3. Place your ears on your headband for placement.

 

4. Wrap one tab around headband and glue in place. Repeat for other ear.

5. Optional: Tie a bow and glue to ears.

How cute is that?! I love Mia’s mini sized Minnie Mouse ears! She still plays with them around the house too J

 

Chicago Lakefront Bike Rentals

Ooooeee! It’s hot out there! According to my trusty weatherman Jerry Taft, Chicago’s had 30 days of 90 degree weather this year! Compared to 10 at this time last year. Despite the heat (and going out the night before), we decided to go on a family bike ride along the lakefront this past weekend. It was questionable if Doug and I would survive considering the amount of alcohol we consumed the night before (one bottle for myself was a great idea!) from his boss's rooftop deck. BBQing with good company and an amazing view of the skyline from Bucktown, how could we say no? Thanks to my parents, this little lady had her first sleepover.

We don’t own bikes, so we rented two and a child seat (comes with helmets) from Bike and Roll Chicago’s Foster Beach location.

2 hours and 12 miles later (which definitely made me sore that evening!), we made our way from Foster Beach down near Oak Street Beach and back. We didn’t make it all the way downtown in our two hours. Next time we’ll have to rent from their Navy Pier location so we can take Mia to see Buckingham Fountain.

Similar to our 3 hour, 6 mile kayaking adventure, on the way back we were tired and borderline miserable.  Rather than coasting at a leisurely pace with the breezy lake by my side, I had a few mental pep talks (similar to when I run) as I pushed myself through the burn in my legs to race back before our 2 hour time was up. But, for smiles and views like these…

...it was worth it J

We knew we’d relax at the beach after our bike ride, so we stopped on the side of the bike path at Fullerton Grill to pick up hot dogs, corn on the cob and beans and chips to eat back at Foster Beach. The Grill offers Rub BBQ Company items, which I overheard, won North Center’s Ribfest recently. I was way too hot and sweaty to order any BBQ though. Take note, they don’t have plastic bags if you want to pack up your food to take somewhere else.

While it wasn’t a cheap family day out ($60 for 2 bikes for 2 hours + a child seat and $20 of food), it was another Chicago activity to check off our bucket list. And it could be a free day if you actually owned bikes J

A dip in the lake (which was unusually warm) was just what we needed to cool down after our sweltering bike ride. Foster Beach is our preferred Chicago beach because it’s not too crowded, not so ghetto, not full of drunken 20 some-things, is family friendly, the pay box parking lot is close to the beach entrance and there is an area to rinse the sand off.

Unfortunately, Mia always leaves the beach crying because she doesn’t want to get out of the water or go home! She even peed on Doug as he carried her back to the car. Take note parents, swim diapers do not hold pee in!

MCA Chicago - Tuesday on the Terrace

Since we're on the topic of things to do around Water Tower...last night my girlfriends and I spent the warm summer evening enjoying wine and live music at the Museum of Contemporary Art. I've actually never been to the MCA before, so I was excited to check it out.

Dang, my dad was always right about my scrunchy nosed mousy smile.

Tuesday on the Terrace at the MCA is a free event that takes place every Tuesday (5:30-8pm) through September 25.  Jazz musicians perform outdoors while city goers mingle over drinks and food. It's similar to Jazzin' at the Shedd (which I also recommend!) on Wednesday nights, but isn't free.

We don't get out much. So when we do, we like to dress up J

We opted for burgers at a high boy table. Get in line early to buy food and drink tickets, which are sold separately.

You can bring a blanket to comfortably sit in the garden. But no outside food or drink is allowed.

Or you can reserve a table for the $24 per person dinner buffet. If you're anything like me, you always check out the menu before going out to eat, which is available (and sounds delish) here.

How did I get this aerial shot you ask?? Well, afterwards (security will promptly hustle you out at 8pm), we headed up to a friend's friend's place to have some more drinks atop an amazing Penthouse rooftop with breathtaking views of Chicago's iconic skyline.

*sigh* Not a bad way to spend a random Tuesday evening if you ask me! You should check it out! There are still plenty of summer nights to be enjoyed, which will be gone all too quickly. I think I'll bring Doug next time for a "date" night. And perhaps actually check out the museum instead of booze the night away, whoops!

linked up here: 

Pinkalicious - The Musical

Yesterday, I mentioned how we saw a show near Water Tower. Can you guess what show it was?

If you can't guess from our outfits, the title of this post gave it away, duh!

It was Pinkalicious - the Musical! And yes, I DIYed her Pinkalicious star wand from fabric, chopsticks and ribbon right before the 10am show.

We were introduced to the Pinkalicious books when a friend gave Mia Silverlicious for her birthday. Then when I sent Doug and Mia alone to Barnes & Noble to pick out a book, they came back with Pinkalicious. Since Mia's done well with other shows, we thought we would treat her to another.

As you can tell from the very empty theater, there weren't many people at the show. The Broadway Playhouse Theater at the Water Tower is small so any seat would be good.

Overall, the one hour show was just ok and pretty silly. And not in a creative, innovative, value added kind of silly, like the other children's book turned musical we saw. We definitely liked Good Night Moon - the Musical better.

Granted, the whole idea of a girl turning pink from eating too many cupcakes is a silly story in itself, it just wasn't worth the full price tickets we paid. And to top it off, the week after we saw the show, I get an email that tickets are now $3.65. FOUR DOLLARS is definitely NOT what we paid to see this musical.

PS - Peter turned out to be our favorite character!

I bet Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier would be a better musical. But, it's only here through August and I think that's a bit too soon to go to another show. We don't want to spoil this little girl too much!

Anywhoooos, afterwards, we took a long hot walk to Yolk in Streeterville. Where the wait was nearly an hour (obvi, for a Saturday afternoon).

But luckily my two hungry, tired and hot babies bought a giant Slurpee to tide them over until lunch.

If it weren't so dang hot and humid, eating outside probably would've been more enjoyable. Despite the heat and tired/cranky baby, we enjoyed our chocolate strawberry pancakes (topped with strawberries, chocolate sauce and whipped cream) and the spicy "Hey Ricky" (spanish omlette with avocado, chorizo, jalapenos, onions and melted jack and cheddar cheeses.) FYI it's BYOB, so bring your own champagne for mimosas!

Within minutes of leaving the restaurant, Mia was knocked out! It was a fun family day in downtown Chicago J Minus the crying and screaming the entire way home because someone was woken up when being transferred to her car seat. 

Good Night Chicago - Water Tower

Don't worry, I didn't quit blogging. We've just been busy enjoying every. minute. of summer! But since my friends (and even my mother in law!) are calling me out on the lack of postings, here's a quick one...

If you don't remember, my sister in law gave Mia this cute little board book, Good Night Chicago. I'm going to remake this book into a photobook for Mia, with her cute little face at all the historic Chicago landmarks. Just like the book! J Recently, we saw a show near Water Tower (more on that soon) so we checked one more page off the list!

 Hello historic Water Tower on the Magnificent Mile.

Only 4 more pages to go!

Good morning, Lake Michigan. (There's a lot: May 2010, May 2011, July 2011, and many more not blogged about!)
Good morning, Chicago Harbor Lighthouse. Are we ready for a wonderful day? (Not sure this will ever happen.)

Greetings, Navy Pier and Ferris Wheel.
Greetings, Chicago River and bridges.

Hello, great Chicago buildings, reaching up into the sky. or here

Hello, kids and kites in Lincoln Park.
Hello, fantastic fountains.

Good afternoon, gorillas. Isn't it fun to visit the zoo?

Good afternoon, sharks, fish, turtles and mammals at the aquarium.
Wow! Look at those dinosaur bones at the Field Museum of Natural History.
Choo! Choo! There go the model trains at the Museum of Science and Industry.
It's nice to see you, art.
Hello, historic Water Tower on the Magnificent Mile.
Good luck, Chicago Sports Teams, you can do it. (If the Cubs didn't suck, maybe we'd have more motivation to go sooner.)

Just listen to those blues and jazz musicians. (This'll be something new for Doug and I, too!)
Good evening, star gazers at the planetarium. Have you ever wished upon a star?

Goodnight Chicago, sleep tight. Thank you for a wonderful day!