Happy 2015!

Oops, 3 weeks late! Is it already mid-January?? I think the holidays along with my parents anniversary wiped me out, and I've been in recovery mode. Here are some photos over the past few weeks.

Snow day at Kidspace! Photo by Joy Cho

This year we've had 4 new babies join our lil' group! (1 not pictured) Photo by Bob Cho

Checking out the new Tomato Pie in South Pasadena

No wait at the Din Tai Fung at South Coast Plaza!

We had a very cool opportunity to film a commercial with the whole family!

Warm days in LA calls for some frozen yogurt at Menchie's! Photo by Bob Cho

Her new trick: "Oh no!" Photo by Bob Cho

Spending the MLK holiday riding ponies and trains. 

She loves her sister so much!

I hope everyone is off to a great start in 2015!

Foodstirs: Brownie Cupcakes

Leah finally got the chance to bake her Foodstirs kit with my mom. She had so much fun and loved every second of it. She has been really into helping Matt and I in the kitchen, so she wanted to be actively involved in every single step. The first kit in our series was the Brownie Cupcakes. They were so delicious! We ate them with a scoop of ice cream, and they didn't last long! We're looking forward to our next box!

Remember you have until 12/31/14 to get $5 off using the code KELLYKRONICLES! Happy baking!

Holiday Gift Giving Ideas 2014: Foodstirs

It's that time of the year again! I tend to over think what kind of gifts to give my friends and family because I want them to be fun, meaningful, and useful. I want to share some things I found recently that I think would make great gifts! A couple weeks ago, I attended Club MomMe Family Fall Fest. If you've never heard of it, I encourage you to attend one of their events. There's food, giveaways, fun activities for the kids, and best of all you get to discover so many cool companies. One of those companies that grabbed my attention was Foodstirs.

The past couple months, Leah has been interested in "helping" me cook in the kitchen. I will let her stir the bowl or pour ingredients into the pot, and she loves it. When I saw the Foodstirs table, I knew this would be something fun for our family. Foodstirs is a "food crafting" kit designed for kids 5-12. You can choose an individual kit or subscribe to a monthly series. Each kit provides everything you need to create super cute edible projects like brownie popsicles, gingerbread people, and more! Foodstirs designed these kits to teach cooking skills, encourage kids to expand their palate, and best of all create fun memories. I encourage you to visit their website to learn more!

Foodstirs is giving readers a $5 discount on purchases using the code KELLYKRONICLES through 12/31/2014. Have fun making yummy treats with your kids and get them as gifts for their little friends! I wanted to post photos of Leah making her first recipe, but I wanted to get this post out ASAP so you can take advantage of their kind offer! 

*Photos by Foodstirs. No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are my own.

Anaheim Packing House

We visited Anaheim Packing House for lunch one afternoon after Disneyland. It's such a cool space filled with over 20 merchants. Most of the vendors serve food and desserts, and there was such a big variety that it took me awhile to figure out what to eat! There's coffee, juice, Indian, hot pot, Ramen, Vietnamese, poutine, beer and waffles, custom made popsicles, and so much more! There's indoor and outdoor seating, and there's a mini stage where they play live music on weekends! I will definitely be coming back!

Pizza Making!

Photo by Bob Cho

Photo by Bob Cho

Photo by Bob Cho

We had such a fun weekend filled with swimming classes, birthday parties, and pizza making! Our good friends own Tomato Pie Pizza Joint and so graciously put on a little pizza making class for a couple of their son's little friends. They got to play with dough, put toppings on, attempt to toss it, and eat the final product! The adults had a ton of fun too. Leah continues to talk about it a couple days later.  Hopefully, we'll get to do it again! Thanks Tomato Pie!

Disneyland!

Over pictures by this point and wants to get on the rides!

Leah started the week off well by getting to go to Disneyland on Wednesday.  We need to take advantage of our annual passes! My parents joined us, and of course, we had tons of fun. My mom agreed - an instant smile comes across your face the minute you pass through the gates. 

She doesn't look like she's having fun, but she's just too focused on her surroundings!

Having an annual pass is really nice when you have young kids. We got there, went on 4 rides, had lunch, and left. We didn't feel obligated to spend the whole day there to make up for the $87 1 day ticket price. After every ride, Leah clapped her hands! It was cute to watch, especially since some of those Fantasyland rides can be a little on the scary side. 

When we got on the Peter Pan ride, it actually ended up stopping! The lights went on, and they announced they were having technically difficulties. It was cool to see some of the behind-the-scenes work. Those clouds you see during the ride look like they're made out of trash bags! The staff were super nice and asked if we were okay. I was nervous Leah wouldn't be able to sit still that long, but she did great! After about 15 minutes, they had us safely back to the starting point. 

Grandpa celebrating the end of tax season with his granddaughter.

After we were done with the rides, we headed to Downtown Disney for lunch at Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria. The restaurant was super kid friendly, providing Leah with crayons, a small bowl of fruit , and milk in a cup with a lid. We headed home after lunch, and Leah passed out by the time I exited the parking lot. 

Did I mention how much I love Disneyland??? :)

The Weekend in iPhone Pics

My little monkey

I'm obsessed with pigtails.

This weekend was another blur spending time with another cousin from Hong Kong. Saturday, after the boys played golf, the family got together for dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill.  I'm not always a fan of these big chain restaurants, but I must admit, they are usually awesome at creating a family-friendly environment. I have a new appreciation for crayons and table cloth made of paper. 

Spring Street Smoke House: This photo does not do this place justice

Sunday, the family came up to our house for lunch and to watch the Laker game, which was a big disappointment. I made shrimp tacos from this post, and it was so easy to make for a larger party! I don't think I can ever get tired of looking at these pics of Leah and my niece. They really have so much love for each other! Leah also tried to give lots of hugs to my baby nephew, but I was too busy making sure she wouldn't smash him that I wasn't able to get a photo. After the game, we headed to Spring Street Smoke House to give my cousin a taste of some BBQ. 

Monday, I dropped my cousin off at the airport, and Matt and I headed to Redondo Beach for the soft opening of Rita's Ice! I guess Rita's is a Philly favorite, and since Matt lived there for a few years, he was excited to hear about this opening. The combo of the ice and the custard is delicious! The tanginess  of the fruity ice is such a complement with the creaminess of the custard. 

And on a totally different note: Have you watched Fashion Star on NBC? I'm totally addicted and already bought two items.... oops. 

Mom Meals: Pot Roast

Pot roast is one of Matt's favorite dishes. While it can take up to 4 hours to make, with a little help from Trader Joe's, you can significantly decrease the time. When I don't plan ahead, I just throw all the ingredients in a pot over the stove and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Since I did plan for this post, I used a slow cooker to let the juices get extra flavorful!

Pot Roast

Serves 4

1 package Trader Joe's precooked Pot Roast

1 package Trader Joe's Teeny Tiny Potatoes {perfect size for little hands}

4 Carrots, peeled and cut in 2 inch pieces

1 pound Green Beans

2-3 cups Beef Stock

1/2 cup Red Wine {optional, but it gives the sauce a richer flavor}

1. Place potatoes (including the rosemary in the package), green beans, and carrots in a slow cooker

2. Place pot roast on top

3. Add in beef stock and red wine

4. Turn slow cooker on low, cover, and heat for 2 hours. Break the meat up 30 minutes before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste

5. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

What a weekend! 

We started it off with a visit to the Easter bunny at Americana in Glendale. As you can see, Leah didn't really enjoy the bunny too much. haha She did, however, LOVE walking into the Tiffany & Co store over and over again. Future boyfriends... take note!

Saturday, we headed down to Orange County for lunch with the family and an egg hunt. This was Leah's first time egg hunting, and she had a blast! She picked up the concept quickly, and it was so fun watching her! The big kids were sweet and left the low eggs for her to find. 

We came back home and had a date night at Red O and The Groundlings. The Groundlings is an improv & comedy theater with some amazing alumni like Will Ferrell, Kristin Wig, Maya Rudolph, and Lisa Kudrow. This was our first time there, but definitely not our last!

Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Afterwards, Leah decided she wanted to do some dusting.  :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!