It's A Smorgasburg (smorgasbord) in LA!

If you are EVER in Southern California and you're lookin' for somethin' fun to do, you NEED to go to Smorgasburg LA! It's an outdoor market for food (and LOTS of it), shopping and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that's open only for a few hours on Sundays in downtown LA. We had never been, so when my cousins were in town from Hawaii and wanted us to meet them there, we made that one-hour drive from the Inland Empire to go hang out and enjoy some good food.

First off, I recommend going when the weather is NICE. Like 70 degree NICE. With the sun out and not a cloud in the sky. The day we went, it was super freakin' cold. I believe it was in the 50s with a cold chill in the air. Us Southern Californians aren't used to that kinda cold but we have been getting ridiculous amounts of rain this Winter. Luckily for us, it did not rain that day. But that didn't stop us from dressing up like Eskimos going out into the snow.

Also, plan to go on an empty stomach. This place is not called Smorgasburg for nothin'. There's ALL kinds of different foods from different cultures. The prices aren't too bad and the portion sizes are perfect. I think it's pretty obvious I went there for the food. I had a Musubi from Mama Musubi and then had a craving for some tacos. Found a vendor named Tacos 1986 and ordered a carne asada taco and 2 adobada (pork) tacos. Oh my gosh were they delish! My cousins tried foods from Lobsterdamus, Goa Taco, and got some dessert from Ensaymada Project. Daniel had some vegan sandwich but I can't remember where from. By the way, there were many vegetarian/vegan options too!

And even if you're not much of a foodie, I say just go for the ambiance and experience. There's plenty of outdoor seating, some major people watching opportunities, and if you're an Instagrammer like me, there are a ton of photo opportunities - walls, architecture, you name it!

So who wants to go to Smorgasburg LA? I'm totally planning my next trip out there!

Tags: #smorgasburgLA #thingstodoinlosangeles #losangeles #downtownla #socal #southerncalifornia #foodvendors #outdoormarket #sundaymarkets #mamamusubi #lobsterdamus #california

The Happiest Place On Earth

So we totally did a thing. We used Everly's 1st Birthday as an excuse to take a family trip to Disneyland.

Yup, you read that right.

When you are a California resident and you have a 3 year old who's obsessed with Minnie Mouse, and have some relatives fly in from Hawaii for vacation, AND you also have a baby who just turned 1, the only logical thing to do is take a family trip to Disneyland. Right? I mean, it's the perfect reason to finally take my girls to The Happiest Place On Earth!

So that's exactly what we did. And I'm not ashamed about it!

Let's be honest... 1st birthday parties (actually ALL birthday parties) are exhausting - from planning to execution. When Ella turned 1, we had planned 2 birthday parties for her. The first party was in Hawaii with my family because we decided to vacation in Hawaii for her birthday. And then we had a 2nd party here in Southern California with our family and friends we have here. These parties weren't HUGE, but still... it was A LOT of work. So this time around, I just said "forget it!" Call it #secondchildproblems, I don't care. I just didn't wanna deal with the whole party planning thing again so we said "off to Disneyland we go!" At least when Everly gets older, she can't say we didn't do anything for her 1st birthday, right? I mean, we may not have thrown her a huge party but we still did cake & ice cream with family to celebrate on her birthday and that following Saturday.

So there. 2 mini parties + Disneyland = THE BEST 1ST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!

Anyway, Disneyland did not disappoint. However, I will say, it was a completely different experience this time around. Before kids, it was all about getting in line to ALL the favorites: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Thunder Railroad, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Carribbean… just to name a few. With kids, it's ALL about standing in lines to meet Mickey & the gang. We spent our entire morning on Main Street waiting to say "hi" and take pictures with all the Disney characters.

And then after that, it was off to find all the Disney Princesses in Fantasyland.

Then after THAT, it was off to Toon Town to stalk Minnie at her house.

I think we only did 2 rides. That's it. I didn't even get to go on Peter Pan because Ella just wasn't feelin' it and was on a mission to find Rapunzel who, by the way, was not available for a meet & greet because according to Ella, she was "too busy singing and dancing to talk to me." Rapunzel happened to be performing in a show and Ella was a bit upset that Rapunzel did not make time for her. *sigh* #threenagerproblems

getting on It's A Small World

Oh! But we did get to hang out in Tarzan's Treehouse. Well... Ella and Daniel did that. I just stood down at the bottom because Everly had fallen asleep and I was just too hot to do any kind of climbing. (Yeah, I seriously played that card that day haha).

Overall, our trip was a success! Even though it was hot AF, and there were some tears and epic meltdowns here and there, Ella & Everly were total troopers. And we are definitely entertaining the thought of finally getting annual passes because we can't wait to take the girls back!

Tags: #disneyland #southerncalifornia #disneyfamily #disneybabies #magickingdom #mickeymouse #minniemouse #disneyhalloween #1stbirthdaypartyideas #thehappiestplaceonearth

Conquering Mt. Rubidoux

Living in the Inland Empire has its perks. We have easy access to hikes and trails galore. I've lived here for more than 10 years and I've only had the opportunity to explore a few. The "easiest" one for me is Mt. Rubidoux. And when I say easy what I really mean is it's the closest one to me AND it's a paved trail all the way up the mountain. Which makes it easier to push strollers up. But that's about as easy as it gets.

The walk from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill up to the entrance to this trail itself is up a pretty steep grade. Daniel and I were already huffing and puffing by the time we reached the beginning part of the trail. Which goes to show just how out of shape we both are. Just a few short years ago we were both fitness junkies and in the best shape of our lives. But in our defense, we were pushing a double stroller (that weighs 29.5 lbs by itself) carrying a 27 lb. toddler and an 18 lb. infant. Plus a diaper bag. And that was NOT easy!

Anyway, once you actually get to the top of the hill to the start of the trail, it gets a little easier.

There are 2 trails you can choose to go up. The left trail is a shorter and faster trail to travel. However, it's a pretty steep climb. Much like the one we climbed to get there. And the trail to the right is longer but not as steep. Wanna guess which trail we chose?

Yup! You guessed it. The one to the right.

When Ella asked if she could walk instead, we didn't protest. We were hands down thrilled we didn't have to bribe her to get up and get some exercise with us old fogies.

The last time I hiked up this trail was when Ella was maybe around a year old. We used to come here pretty often for a mommy and me playdate with a fellow mom-friend and her daughter. I almost forgot just how pretty this hike was. And the views of Riverside is just so gorgeous.

Of course this gem made my Ella Bella want to explore it up close and personal.

She said it was her castle. And she was the princess.

I love how new places and things excite her. I cannot wait till we take her to Disneyland for the first time. If she loved this castle so much, I can only imagine just how crazy she'll be about Sleeping Beauty's castle. Oh to be a kid again!!!

Anyway, where was I? Oh that's right... Mt. Rubidoux. When we finally made it up to the top, we took a little rest break. To enjoy the sights, to get a drink of water, to just be in that moment.

It was windy as heck. And it got chilly as the sun started to set. But it didn't seem to faze the babies at all.

So we stayed a little while before we made the trip back down the hill.

I couldn't tell you how long it took us to get up and down the mountain but I will say it was such a great workout. I definitely felt it the next day, that's for sure! We'll have to hike another trail soon.

Got any suggestions on which hiking trail we should conquer next?

Tags: #mtrubidoux #workouts #hiking #inlandempire #riverside #california #southerncalifornia #hikingtrails