Joie De Viv

finding the joy in every day

Girls’ Date: First Time to American Girl Cafe!

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Today I was able to check off an eagerly anticipated first, a meal and a girls’ playdate/luncheon at the American Girl® Cafe!  We’ve dabbled in visits to the American Girl store, picking up a small item here and there, but so far, it has been little amuse bouche bites of the American Girl experience.

Let me preface our trip with some history on our own experiences with American Girl® dolls.  Unbeknownst to me prior to having kids, was this magnetic world of American Girl dolls.  I had never heard of them growing up, and most CERTAINLY never had one myself.  As a child of very strict and frugal immigrant parents, these classic and collectible dolls were never on my radar.  Of course, as soon as I joined the web of mommy boards online, I was introduced to the brand and like most others, sealed my fate by buying Kaitlyn a Bitty Baby™ for Christmas before she turned 2.  Baby Baby, her beloved doll, has been around the world with us ever since.

At age 4, I purchased an 18″ doll for a friend’s 5 year old, which drew large, widened eyes with awe.  She asked politely and regularly, if and when she could get a “big American Girl doll.”  With that, I set out to find a doll to match her looks and heritage, just to find out that a Chinese doll/character, Ivy Ling, had been retired.  I had to find one on the aftermarket, which I was able to with the help of a couple of friendly folks!  Ivy came in mint condition, still pristine in her box!  “Santa” brought Ivy on Christmas Day and Kaitlyn only recently had begun to play with her more often.  With pre-K graduation completed, and a short Summer break, this was the perfect time to plan a trip to the American Girl Cafe!

Ivy got a new hairstyle at the store!

 

PLANNING YOUR MEAL/TRIP

Due to the size of our group, I made reservations a week in advance.  The online reservations were quick and simple.  I also had a question later on and called to speak with a representative who was extremely helpful and sweet!  They followed up with emails, a phone call, and texts.  I was able to update our reservation twice without any issue.

On the day of our meal, we let the hostess know we were already in the store shopping, and were advised we could be seated as early as 10 min prior to our scheduled time.  This was nice since we had a later lunch time of 1:30pm.  Looking around at the cafe at that time, it was pretty empty.  Knowing this, I would easily pop in to see if the cafe was free for walk-ins in the future!

DINING WITH DOLLS

If your child or other children attending the meal do not have a doll with them, they are free to choose and BORROW a doll (or two) to accompany them at meal time!  I think this was one of the best add-ons to the whole dining experience for both child and parent.  Especially for younger kids who may only have a Bitty Baby or none at all, to be able to hold and play with an 18″ AG doll for the meal.

Each doll (yours or the cafe’s) is set up with a high chair next to the child for the meal.  The server gives each doll a plastic saucer and branded teacup, served complete with real pink lemonade!  This MADE the day for Kaitlyn and her friends!  They couldn’t stop “feeding” their babies with fake sips of lemonade and tiny crumbs of the appetizers. The saucer and cup are takeaways for the kids, a most special treat that Kaitlyn cannot get over!

SET MENU & PRICING

Everyone in the party is subject to the set menu of $24/per person (regardless of age) for lunch or dinner.  You may check with your specific store for details, but on our trip, we were told even our youngest gal (1 y/o) would be charged for a set menu OR a $10 sitting fee.

The food was so so good!  We started off with the American Girl® tradition of mini cinnamon buns.  Followed by an appetizer tray of crudites, hummus, dip, and pita. All of the entrees sampled amongst our party were unanimously agreed upon as delicious.  Dessert was just so adorable, but I was too full to finish. Our server was also great!  He was so patient and played along as my daughter made requests for everything from refills on her doll’s lemonade, to more little AG flags for her food.

As you can tell, it was such a memorable day for all the moms and daughters, and even Kingston expressed jealousy after seeing our photos.  I will probably bring him along one day, they do have boy dolls on loan as well!




Have you ever been to an American Girl Cafe?

SoCal Kid Spot: Great Wolf Lodge & Tips

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A couple of years ago, Great Wolf Lodge opened a new location in Garden Grove, CA, JUST down the street from Disneyland! We have just spent our second “staycation” at the resort, and I hope I can share some of our experiences and tips we’ve found with other families who are considering this super fun family attraction!

The 105,000-square-foot indoor water park is exclusively for hotel guests and boasts over 600 suites. Our first trip was for Kaitlyn’s 4th birthday. We booked a standard suite and invited family to come along. We were able to purchase guest visitor passes for $50/pp and kids with 4 little toddlers, 3 of whom did not require a wristband. Despite their young age (3 under 3), the kids all had a blast! This year, we booked 2 suites for both families and the kids (5 under 5!) – and again all throughly enjoyed the park!

For the toddlers, we’ve always packed their Puddle Jumpers, because they are all familiar and comfortable with them. The resort does provide complimentary life vests and suggest all children under 48″ wear them.

The water park itself is indoors, heated to a comfortable 84F, with water temp at 82F. Fresh, dry towels are limitless – my how this was important with so many kids! The large number of employees and life guards on watch was reassuring as well.  With our group’s young ages, we typically spent a lot of time in the Cub Paw Pool.  Even our littlest (10 months) enjoyed the shallowest of waters, with a beach style-slope entry, water fountains, water tables, and the tiniest of slides.  The older toddlers also loved the slides in the Cub Paw Pool and overall semi-freedom of being able to bob, walk, and paddle in the shallow waters.  Our toddlers also LOVED Fort Mackenzie and all the water slides it offered. Even our 2 year olds could slide down solo, with a parent waiting at the bottom.  The lazy river and wave pools were also a huge hit with the older toddlers, accompanied by adults of course.  The adults took turns supervising little ones and going on the big slides for some thrills as well.

We made a point to attend their famous Bedtime Storytime in the main lobby. We had missed it on our first trip because we were still playing in the water. Plan accordingly if you want to attend this FREE nightly event. We set enough time to get up to the rooms, shower, get the kids in PJs, and scope out good seats. The kids got a kick out of going downstairs and seeing everyone else in their jammies as well. The stage involved moving characters, screens, a live storyteller, and a large character for meet-and-greet afterwards. If your child is timid, it may be better to choose a spot further back from the stage.

To save some serious dough, book a weeknight stay. The second best alternative, as we have done both times – book a Sunday/Monday stay. Groupon also regularly has deals for Great Wolf, so be sure to check it out. You are allowed to use the waterpark as early as 1pm on the day of your stay, with check-in typically around 4pm. You can also pre-check in and they will send a text to let you know when your room is ready. For the day of checkout, check out is at 11am. You may pay an additional fee for a later check-out if space is available. You are also able to use the water park the FULL day until closing, on your check out day. Plan ahead and pack a change of clothes and toiletries. There are showers and changing rooms in the water park.

We have yet to try the interactive MagiQuest game that is a huge hit with the resort, but we did see many groups throughly enjoying it! Be warned though, if you decide to partake, from my “interviews in the elevators”, the game requires a lot of elevator trips, and approximately 6 hrs to complete in entirety. It is also not free. I heard it cost about $40 ($20 per wand, and $20 for the game). It was conclusive by all participants we saw, that they thought it was completely worth it! When our kids are old enough to enjoy, I am sure it will be an activity we do as a family!

Additional Tips:
* A refillable souvenir cup for drinks can be purchased for $14.95 plus tax and includes free refills for the duration of your stay.
* Dunkin Donuts (on main lobby level) also has a refillable coffee cup for $9.95 plus tax.
* Guests celebrating birthdays can request a special “wolf ears” headband, as long as available. Our first year, they were all out. All children guests receive complimentary wolf ears.
* There is a Target within 1/2 mile down the street for anything you may need or forget.
* McDonald’s is across the street.
* The Great Wolf “story” and an accompanying episode can be found in animated version on the in-room tv station.
* There is a refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker in the room. We also received a couple of free bottles of water.
* Though the signs state no outside foods can be brought in, we never had any trouble with the snacks and milk we packed for the kids.

* GWL provides a limited number of complimentary shuttles to and from Disneyland Resort.

 

Years ago, we never would have thought we would have needed or found a reason to stay locally at an indoor water park.  However, Great Wolf Lodge really has become such a treat that we’ve all fallen for.  Have you stayed at a Great Wolf Lodge?  Please feel free to share any of your tips as well!

***ALL OPINIONS AND TIPS ARE MY OWN.  NO COMPENSATION WAS PROVIDED FOR THIS REVIEW.***

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Review: Disney On Ice “Follow Your Heart”

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Last night was a most magical and memorable evening!  I got to take Kaitlyn, my sister, and my niece, H, to Disney On Ice to watch the new Follow Your Heart show!  It was a first for H and my sister, and the looks on their faces were worth the drive in L.A. rush hour(s) traffic!  Kaitlyn and I went to our first Disney On Ice show last year, and it is likely a new favorite tradition!  The show was also completely different, so we were mesmerized by all the different acts.

The beginning of the show focused on the character, Riley, from Inside Out.  The girls were SO excited to see the emotion characters, especially fan favorite, JOY.

2017 was the year of Beauty and the Beast in my humble opinion. Oh what fun to see “Be Our Guest” enacted right in front of us, especially as Kaitlyn has been very fond of Lumiere recently.

It was incredible to see how Disney On Ice was able to bring us under the sea with Finding Dory, and to see our favorite sea life characters come to life!  I especially loved the voice of Baby Dory and the realistic “kelp forest” scenery.

There was a portion for almost each princess, and a program featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  The MOST incredible parts of the night included aerial feats performed by Princess Ariel, Princess Rapunzel, and Flynn Ryder.  I was definitely in awe!  Pure Disney Magic! (You can see a couple of video clips on my Instagram!)

Of course the girls were ecstatic to see Arendelle brought to life with the mid-show scene from Princess Anna, as well as the duets with Queen Elsa.  The finale was electrifying!

The girls were up way past bedtime, but the experience was so memorable and special.  They kept thanking us for bringing them and saying it was “the best day ever!”  Talk about thawing a frozen heart!

A few additional notes:

  •  We watched the 7pm showing and got out around 9:30pm.
  • Parking at L.A. Live/Staples Center parking was $30.  Cash or CC.  I found the extra $ worth it for not having to walk too far with the little girls at night.
  • Strollers need to be parked at stroller parking areas designated inside the arena areas (walkways with food counters and restrooms).
  • No foods or drinks are permitted.  You can however bring your own beverage containers and there are water fountains located outside of restrooms.
  • Medium to Large bags may be denied and/or subjected to additional screening in a separate room.
  • The areas gets pretty chilly with keeping the ice cool.  We made our girls wear a couple of layers, as well as coats.
  • There will be plenty of vendors selling food, drinks, snacks, and merchandise.  There will also be photo booth stations, for a charge ($25 on the night we went).
  • Many of the little girls in attendance came dressed in princess or Disney garb.  Our girls love dressing up, so it was a no-brainer for the special night!

The holiday season has become synonymous with Disney On Ice for us now. It’s a tradition we will look forward to for years.  How about you?  Have you, or will you be attending a show this season?

Shows run in the Greater Los Angeles Area from December 14 through January 8, 2018 in Los Angeles (STAPLES Center), Anaheim (Honda Center), Long Beach (Long Beach Arena) and Ontario (Citizens Business Bank Arena).Tickets and show date information can be found on Disneyonice.com!  Don’t forget to use code MOM20 for 20% off on select dates!

 

 

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