Magnolia Mamas

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

San Francisco: Day 2 {Alcatraz}

To read about day one of our trip click HERE.

When I started talking to people about our trip to San Francisco everyone told me to make time for Alcatraz. I knew I really wanted to visit this attraction and get the full experience of the tour and learning all of the history. Lucky for us on Day 2 the group we were with had planned for a night tour and party on Alcatraz.

We spent the day switching hotels, having lunch, and walking around a bit because we were scheduled to leave late afternoon from our hotel. We took the ferry over and the views were so beautiful. The sun was setting and seeing the city and the bridges all lit up was such a treat.

When we arrived on Alcatraz we were met with some of the park rangers that gave us a little history and then we were broken into groups to get our night tour.

I was fine walking around and learning about the history. Even seeing some of the cells was OK, but then they started talking about how the prisoners escaped it started to get creepy. They had their cells set up the way they looked when they passed the guard inspections each evening while they were planning their escape and that was pretty creepy. Then some of the park rangers showed us how the guards opened and closed the cell bars and that loud clanging that repeatedly happened was what put me over the edge! I got chills and was ready to get outside and get some fresh air. Yikes! It was pretty spooky, but I did love learning about the history!

Next we were guided down the other side of the island and saw more gorgeous views as we were taken to the party. They had set up the industrial building (where the prisoners worked on the island) for a dinner and concert.

There were tons of food stations set up and we loved the tacos and pasta stations best. After dinner was a real treat...Randy Houser giving an acoustic concert! We love him and love his hit song, "We Went" right now so I was so excited to see him perform. Little Boo-Boo loves that song so I videoed and sent it to him. :-)

There weren't a ton of country music fans there so we were able to get right up front for a close-up view of the concert. As soon as he sang a Garth Brooks song though, the place all broke into song! It was so fun!

Finally it was time to head back to the mainland so we boarded the ferry again. This time on our way back we saw fireworks as we were coming into the pier, which was the perfect way to end the night!

Monday, February 15, 2016

San Francisco: Day 1 {Wine Country}

As promised last week during my Friday Favorite's post, I said I would be sharing lots of details about my trip to San Francisco. We flew in late on Wednesday evening and grabbed a quick dinner before heading to bed. We were beat because of the time change and wanted to be rested for our busy day the next day.

We woke up bright and early ready to explore. While we were on the west coast and so close to wine country, I really wanted to visit some wineries and got the Mr. to agree. We hired a driver that specializes in wine tours and he planned the whole day for us. Because we had limited time we opted for Sonoma instead of Napa, but loved our time there.

First up though was crossing the infamous Golden Gate Bridge!

Our first stop was at Petroni Vineyards. It's a family owned and run winery and it was my very favorite stop of the day. We were greeted for our private tour and tasting and were given a quick tour of how the wine is made.

Then we were led into the cave system where they store their wine barrels and where the tastings take place. It was a cave dug into the hillside and it was absolutely amazing!

Then we were shown to our tasting room and the gentleman explained each of the wines and told us a little more about the winery's history.

The next stop for us was La Rochelle. This was a much smaller winery and had a very quaint feel to it. We sat outdoors for our tasting and enjoyed the gorgeous sunny day. There were chickens running around the yard and we over looked the vineyards.

Our last stop was at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. This location had a much more commercialized feel to it, but the wine was still great and the grounds were beautiful. It over looked rolling hillsides and the building had a Tuscan feel to it.

In addition to the wine tasting, they also had a wide variety of flavored olive oils to taste.

After our busy day of wine tasting we made our way back to downtown San Francisco and took a quick nap before getting dressed and ready for dinner and a little party that eventing. It was a fundraiser event and we weren't really sure what to expect, but it ended up being a lot of fun.

There were a ton of NFL superstars there, but most of them I didn't recognize until someone pointed them out. Then all of the sudden we saw Vince Vaughn and I was totally star struck. We love him and all of his movies, so seeing him so up close was so fun.

He didn't really want to take pictures with anyone, which we understood, but as he was walking behind us at the bar my friend and I snapped a quick selfie with him in the background!

It was a really long, but fun day for the first day of our trip and I couldn't believe how much fun we packed in to one day. Be sure to check back later this week for more pictures from the rest of the trip!

Friday, February 12, 2016

Friday Favorites: San Francisco Trip

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind and thank goodness today is FRIDAY!!! Last week the Mr. and I jetted off to San Francisco for a couple of days and had the VERY best time. It was my first time visiting this iconic city and I literally loved every second of our time there. Next week I'm going to share a lot more details about our trip, but for today I though I'd link up with the gals that host Friday Favorites and share my favorites from our amazing trip!

~ONE~

On our first day in San Francisco we headed out of the city and up to wine country. My favorite place we visited that day was Petroni Vineyards. They have a cave system that is literally dug into the mountain side (under all of the grape vines) where they store their wine barrels and do wine tastings. It was the neatest setting and so very pretty!

~TWO~

Because of the Super Bowl, there were celebrities everywhere. From past NFL players to movie stars and recording artists, it was so much fun. At one party we attended, Vince Vaughn was there. I could not believe it and was totally star-struck. He took a few pictures with some football players and then kind of wanted to keep to the group he came with, but at one point we realized he was going to be walking right behind us at the bar so my friends and I all leaned in for a selfie just as he walked by. It was priceless!

~THREE~

Alcatraz was on my must-do list and from everyone I talked to about San Francisco, they all suggested we make time for it. Well, the group we were with took us on a private night tour of Alcatraz. It was spooky and creepy, but so much fun and such a great history lesson.

While we were there Randy Houser put on an acoustic concert. There weren't a ton of country music fans there, so we were able to get right up front!

~FOUR~

We spent one day exploring the city and doing all of the big touristy things, including Fisherman's Wharf. It was such a busy, full of energy place and I loved it! From the music of street performers to the fresh seafood served outdoors at little walk-up spots right beside the bay, this was definitely one of my favorites.

Sitting by the water, eating Lobster Bisque in a giant bread bowl...yum, yum, yum!

~FIVE~

And last, but certainly not least, getting to attend the Super Bowl was an amazing favorite from our trip. There are so many parts of this day that were super cool and it was a great experience.

I can't wait to share more about our trip next week so be sure to come back for my picture overload!

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Children's Book Club: Ten Little Kisses

February always has us thinking about hearts, kisses, and all things love. Last year we shared our little ones favorite Valentine's Day books, but this year's selection is full of counting fun (and edible sugar goodness). Enjoy this fun book at home, or it's a great idea for anyone who has to help with a Valentine's mystery reader or class party activity.

FEBRUARY'S SELECTION:

Ten Little Kisses by Russell Jillian

FROM THE BACK COVER:
Join the baby farmyard animals as one by one they catch the little kisses in this enchanting counting book.

ACTIVITY: Candy Heart Fun!

Have a little number, color, and letter fun with these adorable candy heart printables.

Who doesn't love conversation hearts? And as mom's at least we can have a little less mom guilt when the candy is put to good educational use.

The kids will have a blast while working on their early math skills, and wrapping up with a yummy treat. :)

ADDITIONAL FUN:
And since we are on the topic of children's books, we have to share something that we have absolutely fallen in love with. Has anyone heard of Usborne Books & More? Well one of our really good friends, Sarah, recently became a consultant with Usborne books and we've gotten a chance to peek at some of the amazing books they offer. There is everything from board books for babies to chapter books for bigger kids. There is a search option on their website that is super helpful when looking for books with certain topics and that is what helped me to find some absolutely perfect books for my girls. Can you believe I found an all-star cheerleading chapter book series for Little Mama and a beginners/easy chapter book for Blondie that is all about a girl soccer superstar?

I couldn't believe it and they were SO happy when the books arrived. They have been reading them every chance they get without me even having to force, beg, and plead with them to read. That right there made my purchase worth every penny. I can't wait to order some more for Blondie because she wants so badly to read chapter books, but still needs some super simple ones that are a good transition and there is a whole series of these Bille B. Brown books. (And, if you are looking for something similar I would definitely recommend these for a girl or the counterpart series for boys called Hey Jack.)

I'm hosting a party that starts today and ends tomorrow night at midnight with Sarah and I would just LOVE for everyone to at least take a look at the amazing books. Don't forget about Easter coming up soon! Nothing would be better than some new books to add to your kiddo's Easter baskets. :-) If you would like to be added to my Facebook party send me an email and I will do that right away. Sarah will be sharing all sorts of information about Usborne and she is great about making suggestions for us, too. If you want to go ahead and take a look at the books that are offered and place an order you can do that HERE. Also, if you have any questions or want suggestions about anything you can email Sarah HERE.

CHILDREN'S BOOK CLUB 2016

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