Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium in Tucson!

 

We recently took a mini vacation down to Tucson to check out some of the local attractions they have to offer, one of the places we decided to stop was the Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium. We always have a great time when we visit the Arizona Science Center so we were looking forward to visiting a new science center together to see what they had in store for us. It is located at 1601 E University Blvd Tucson, AZ 85721. This science center is part of the University of Arizona so it is on the same grounds as the school buildings & does not have any designated parking so you will have to get lucky and score on of the free street parking spots or parking in a close parking garage. They have maps on their website that shows where parking is available near the center. The building for the science center is smaller than our local science center but you can hardly tell as there are so many fun things packed into the two floors of the center that you'll be entertained the entire time you were there. Along with the science center they have a Planetarium that runs shows through out the day, we had a few other places we wanted to visit during our trip so we skipped the planetarium show until next time we visit.

The first floor of the science center features a large exhibit on sharks with life sized recreations of how big their tail fins are, interactive quizzes, digital boards where you can build your own shark, real taxidermy shark eggs, bones and more. There is also a large area featuring the Wild World of Bugs where they have more interactive spots, plenty of educational information, some dead bugs on display along with some live bugs you are able to hold upon request. My son & husband were able to hold one of the beetles they have available to touch, it was so cute and seemed pretty used to being held. Last but not least the first floor also has a section dedicated to the solar system with some pretty neat information & a wall that has a bunch of cans with various weights in them to show you how much they would weigh on the different planets. 

After you've looked at everything on the first floor you can head downstairs to visit another level of hands on activities and exhibits. The bottom floor has tons of fossils & minerals plus tons of fun puzzles you are able to sit down and complete, some you are able to work on by yourself & some were meant for two people so you can have fun together. Some of the puzzles were a challenge so you might find it best to work together as a team to complete them & if you need any help a staff member is always in the area to lend a hand or ask questions. 

We enjoyed taking our time looking at everything this science center has to offer, in total we spent a little over an hour and a half at the center doing puzzles, reading the educational materials, and looking at cool things. On your way out you can pop by the gift shop if you want to pick up a souvenir. The Flandrau Science Center is $12 per adult & $8 per child ages 3-15, the Planetarium is a separate cost however they have a discount if you buy the two combined & if you are an EBT/SNAP card holder you can show your card along with your ID to receive your tickets for just $3 each. If you are looking for more adventures in Tucson type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" (You can also click the link) in the search bar of my blog, I have several more fantastic animal attractions and more in Tucson to share with you & when all done within a few days it makes for a action packed vacation. 

**This is not a sponsored post, my family & I decided to visit the zoo while we were in the area and paid to visit the zoo. I enjoy sharing some of the fun places we've been & things we've seen with my readers so they can enjoy it too if they get a chance.**

Family Friendly Events coming to Arizona!

It is the start of a new year which means a bunch of the early events will be back soon! Here is a list of some of the events coming to Arizona within the next few months that you & your family may want to check out. You can visit each events website directly by clicking on the name of the event.

Monster Jam - 

March 31st- April 2nd in Tucson,AZ
April 15th in Glendale,AZ

Tickets start at $25 at either location, Pit Passes are available. Even if you aren't a huge Monster Truck fan, this show is a lot of fun to be at. Seeing these massive trucks race around a track, jump into the air & sometimes even crash will get your adrenaline going. You can check out my review from the last time they were here, by clicking on this link.

Harlem Globetrotters - 

March 3rd in Prescott Valley
March 4th in Phoenix
March 5th in Glendale

Ticket prices in Prescott start at $40, Phoenix & Glendale start at $20. Honestly, I have never been a big sports fan but I absolutely loved their show the last time they were here & we were able to see them. The show is very energetic, they get the crowd involved in the show and it is fun for the whole family. You can check out more from the last time they were here by clicking this link.

Arizona Renaissance Festival - 

Open all weekends February 4th until April 2nd in Gold Canyon. 

Tickets are $33 per adult & $21 per child. This event is fun for the whole family, come as yourself or come in costume either way there is a ton for you to do. You can catch one of a few dozen shows, visit the petting zoo, take a photo with a unicorn, watch the Knights, grab some food or visit some of the many shops they have to offer. I've visited several times as a child & as an adult and love it every time, you can check out my review from last years event by clicking this link. 

Super Motocross -

April 8th in Glendale 

Tickets start at $15 for the 12pm show & $20 for the 6:30pm show. I haven't been to this event since I was a kid, but it was always a fun high-paced environment for those to be in who love dirt bikes/motorcycles and seeing them race and perform stunts. 

AEW (All Elite Wrestling) Dynamite/Rampage - 

February 22nd in Phoenix 

Tickets start at $29. This is the first time AEW will be in Arizona so it is an exciting opportunity for fans of AEW to see their favorite wrestlers live and in person. 

WWE Monday Night Raw -

March 27th in Phoenix 

Tickets start at $20. Another great event for wrestling fans to see the show live & in person. 

33rd Annual Phoenix Chinese Culture & Cuisine Festival -

January 21-22nd in Phoenix

This event is free to the public, there will be live entertainment, a children's area & more. There will also be food for purchase along with vendors to check out.

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There are also a ton of musical acts coming back to AZ, plus a lot of your local favorites such as the Phoenix Zoo have their yearly events coming back. FEBRUARY 22, 2

New Ninjago 4D movie @ The AZ Legoland Discovery Center .

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions are used (both good and bad), they are solely my own & they may vary from others. I received four passes to the center to see the newest Ninjago 4D clip for promotional purposes. It was provided by The Arizona Legoland Discovery Center & The Encore Agency for the review free of charge.**

Did you know that the Legoland Discovery Center locations have a small movie theater inside of them? I knew they had the movie area but until now I had never been inside of it and I was quite surprised how many people fit into the theater.

What is the difference between a 3D movie and a 4D movie? 3D movies are just a visual that make it seem as though objects on the screen are popping out and are close to you. During a 4D movie you get the same experience except they add in extras effects to make you feel like you are in the movie which can range from wind gusts to smells.

Normally on a regular day you can buy a Legoland Discovery Center pass and they show different 4D shorts through out the day and you get to see as many of them as you'd like. For the preview night we attended they were showing just the Ninjago short so we decided to go into the second showing a play with the Lego brick bins while we waited.

 

The short was about twenty minutes long which is close to the length of the Ninjago show so the kids were pretty happy. My kids have never been in a 3D or 4D movie before so they were both blown away, in fact my son kept trying to grab the objects that were popping out from the screen. What 4D effects did they add? During one scene they have snow that spreads out across the screen so they had two bubble machines pumping a small amount of bubbles into the room to make it look like it was snowing. They also had wind and some light water misting going on to match up with the short. Ticket prices into the center are $20 walk in or $15 if you buy them online before going. 

New Wildflower Bread Location in AZ!

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions are used (both good and bad), they are solely my own & they may vary from others. I received a tour and was able to test out several food items from their menu for promotional purposes. It was provided by Wildflower Bread & Bridges Media Group for the review free of charge.**

I was recently invited to an opening event for the company Wildflower Bread at their newest location in Gilbert located at 75 East Rivulon Boulevard Suite 101 Gilbert, AZ 85297. It officially opened on Tuesday and is in full operation and ready to offer you a unique environment for a meal. I was invited to a media night to come and see the new location and to try out some of the food, I was pretty excited because I had never been to one of their locations and the food they offer looked appetizing. 

Wildflower Bread is a bakery and a restaurant, you can come in to sit down and enjoy a meal or you can simply stop by to pick up some freshly baked bread and goodies. Everything is handmade by the company, each loaf generally takes four days to properly make and it shows in the quality of their products. They mix the dough and let it rise at a facility outside of the bakery before they deliver it to the store and bake it fresh in store.

During our dinner we had the pleasure of meeting the owner who spoke about the company, his life and the menu which was a neat and fun experience. As we were all talking the staff who are known as Bread Heads were coming around with samples of menu items for the media staff to try and test out. We were able to try six different menu items, three desserts and were offered wine, beer samples and lemonade,/tea/soda depending on our preferences. I will go over the food items below, in order of how we tried them out and will include the description on the menu. (Note we didn't try an entire plate of food, their portions are large yet affordable so we received about a quarter of a portion to try.)

  Chorizo Frittata - cheddar,potatoes,roasted belle peppers,scallions,avocado,cilantro & salsa. $8.69

This is one of their breakfast items and both my husband and I loved this. It came with toast and potatoes that were seasoned perfectly. I enjoyed the fact that they added salsa and avocado to the top of the frittata it really brought out the flavors of the dish. This is a menu item I would get again on another visit to Wildflower.

Chopped Salad - Wild Alaskan salmon arugula, pearl couscous, feta, red peppers, dried sweet corn, dried cranberries & toasted sunflower seeds with presto vinaigrette. $9.69

I am normally not a big seafood fan, I will eat salmon and shrimp from time to time but I generally don't go out of my way to eat fish products nor am I a fan of feta cheese. That being said I absolutely loved this salad! It had a slight fishy taste to it because of the salmon but it all came together rather well. My husband is the one who is more into seafood but oddly enough he didn't really enjoy this salad and didn't finish it, he was surprised I liked it so much and that I finished my portion. I really liked how well the sweet corn, cranberries and sunflower seeds went with the salmon for a balanced salad.

Reuben Sandwich - corned beed brisket,caramelized onion,sauerkraut,Swiss cheese & thousand island dressing on Marble Rye bread. 


This is not a regular menu item, it is seasonal and will appear around St. Patrick's day until early June. My husband is a huge Reuben fan and this ranks as one of the best Reubens he has tried. The meat was tender and juicy, some corned beef can be a little stringy but this was perfect. The toast was a little well done but that wasn't a big issue, we both loved this sandwich and plan on going back to buy another before it is out for the season.

V12 Kale Salad - roasted Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, red peppers, eggplant, red onion & tomato; carrots, celery, jicama, zucchini, petite peas, dried sweet corn, feta & toasted sunflower seeds with Mediterranean Vinaigrette. $9.69

Sadly neither of us were a fan of this salad, not because it wasn't made well but simply because there are several food items in it that we don't like. For my husband he didn't like the amount of eggplant in it and stated he didn't really taste anything but the eggplant. When it came to my dislikes it was the feta, celery and eggplants they aren't things I enjoy eating and I usually tend to avoid them. However if you are a fan of all of these ingredients this salad is jam packed with nutritional goodness and is quite a filling meal.

Mac and Cheese - cavatappi, three cheese sauce, Mama Lol's peppers & bread crumbs. $7.99

This isn't your typical mac and cheese, it has a bit of a kick to it and is made with thick swirled pasta that is very filling. The three cheese sauce is thick and creamy and with the added handmade bread crumbs on the top it gives it the perfect texture consistency when eating it. This dish comes with a side of yummy garlic bread. They also offer a kid friendly mac and cheese that does not have the peppers.

Pesto Chicken with Linguine - linguini, feta, roasted red peppers, spinach, pesto, parsley & grated parmesean $10.29


We enjoyed this creamy and delicious pasta dish, unfortunately by this point we were so stuffed we weren't able to fully finish this dish otherwise we would have ate the whole plate. The chicken is cut extremely thin, to the point where I was confused where the chicken was until I realize that the green of the pesto had given the chicken a bit of a green hint. The pasta and chicken mixed with a side of garlic bread was a nice way to finish off a lovely dinning experience.

Desserts - For dessert we were able to test out three different treats, we ended up trying them at home though because we had no more room after all the food we tested out. The three desserts we were able to take home was their new sea salt brownie, their carrot cake and cheesecake. My personal favorite was the brownie, the sea salt really brings out the delicious and moist chocolate flavor of the brownie. My husband on the other fan didn't like the salt which meant more brownies for me! Both the carrot cake and cheesecake were moist, didn't have too much or too little sugar and were delicious. The cheesecake reminded me of my great grandmothers cheesecake recipe.

Drinks - All of the wine and beer they offer are made and sold by local breweries and vineyards. My husband tested out the wine and highly enjoyed it because it didn't leave a harsh after taste. Wildflower also offers a coffee bar and they have sofa plus different teas and lemonades. My favorite was the Blackberry Orange Lemonade, I have four cups there and I took one home! I think I am love with it and wish I could buy it my the gallon.

I really enjoyed Wildflower Bread, it had a very warm and welcoming feel. They take pride in their customers, community and employees and it adds to the atmosphere at each location. We don't go out to eat often but when we do I can see this being a place we stop at often, especially since there is a location just up the street from our home. Wildflower Bread has fifteen locations state wide with another opening around June.

Before we left we were given a Thank you goodie bag with the goodies you see above. My daughter claimed the hat as hers and we were lucky my husband and I both received bags because both my daughter and myself wanted the cup.

Kids Fest at the Odysea Aquarium!

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions were used, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. I received four tickets to the Kids Fest + a gift card to Sugar Drop from the Odysea Aquarium in exchange for the promotional post below featuring the event.**

My family loves to get out of the house so I am constantly on the search for events and activities in our area that are family friendly. At the moment the OdySea Aquarium out in Scottsdale is hosting a Kids Fest event which started on March 10th and runs until March 25th. The event is included in the cost of admission into the aquarium (note that Butterfly Wonderland, etc are separate experiences and are not included with the aquarium ticket). My family and I had the chance to go see not only the Kids Fest but the aquarium as well yesterday morning and it was quite a fun experience. 

When we went we had a few family members meet up with us that wanted to check out the aquarium as well. We ran into a tiny problem at the ticket booth but the employees were very helpful and resolved everything quickly so we headed into the aquarium. The kids got a big kick out of the bathrooms when you first come in on the bottom floor because there was a view into the shark tank! (sorry no photos, I was at the ticket booth and didn't know about the sharks until after we left, but the kids went with their grandma to see them). From the time you enter the front lobby of the aquarium until the time you leave there are fish to look at and things to do along with plenty of space to view everything without feeling crowded or uncomfortable. 

The scavenger hunt for the Kids Fest began in the first aquarium room with clue #1 being shown on a projector screen near the Sturgeon touching tank. Speaking of touching tanks they also had opportunities for the kids to touch other sea creatures as well and they provided both hand sanitizer and hand washing stations. There were other activities as well along the aquarium tour for all the kids to interact with including a big projector showing touch ap games on the floor that the kids could run/walk across to pop bubbles and such. One of the things I was excited about was being able to see a penguin paint a picture! It was very adorable and a unique experience that everyone should try out at least once. They also had Elsa come visit the kids to take photos and do meet and greets.

Along with different touching stations and activities they had not only a wide range of wish to see but they also offered bugs, otters, tropical birds and there is a toe-toed sloth (for a limited time as part of their ambassador animal program). We sadly didn't get to see the otters this time as they were all in the back corner of the enclosure but we hope to see them next time. I've already gone over quite a bit, but there couldn't be more could there? Oh yes there is! Everything I just described was on the second floor of the facility, you eventually reach and end point where you have to take an escalator or an elevator back down to the first floor. If you have the escalator you'll be taken through part of a over head tunnel where the fish swim above you. 

Moving along the tour you'll walk through a second tunnel of fish where you can stop and watch them swim from one side to the other directly above your head. Towards the end of when the aquarium walk through comes to a finish you'll end up at the OdySea Voyager! If it currently is on a sea adventure you'll have to stand in line for a short trip before boarding the ship. What is the OdySea Voyager? It is a neat auditorium room that is stationed on a track and it rotates a full 360 degrees stopping at different "stations" along the way, the entire experience takes about twenty two minutes and you'll see four different aquarium tanks with different sea creatures such as sharks and sea turtles. Following the voyage there will be another short walking distance of tanks before reaching the end where you'll go back up to the second floor and pop out in the gift shop. 

We were all amazed at how many shops & restaurants were on this property along with all of the experiences offered. The newest addition to their shopping area is a candy shop called Sugar Drop and they have a lovely selection of sweets and other fun trinkets for purchase, even I saw several things I wanted to get. My kids both ended up picking a large rainbow lollipop with a stuffed animal attached and I grabbed a cow tail and a few circus candy canes. All in all the entire experience was a lot of fun and it wasn't even everything they have to offer there! They also sell tickets for behind the scenes tours of the Shark bay, Penguin feeding/meetings, and more which we hope to check out in the future. If you are in Arizona you should come check out this event and aquarium it is well worth the trip!

Kidtopia 2018!

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions were used, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. I received four tickets to the Kidtopia 2018 through Entercom Communications in exchange for the promotional post below featuring the newest section of this center.**

Sometimes in the morning on the way to work if I am not listening to my MP3 player I enjoy listening to 94.5 Kool FM and for the last week or so I've been listening to them more and heard them talking about an event catered completely to kids for kids. My kids were very excited when I told them we were going to be headed out to the Kidtopia event today March 10th! The event was held at the Gilbert Civic Center out in Gilbert,AZ so it was about an hours drive for us but the kids didn't mind. The event was outside and the weather today was absolutely perfect for this event.

Once we started getting closer to the civic center the event was very easy to spot because they had a long row of giant inflatables and amusement park rides set up so we knew exactly where to go. The parking lot was easy to manage and we found a spot right away which was nice since we arrive about an hour after it started. Entrance was a breeze as well, they did a bag check and a wand check then we were on our way to having fun. They had dozens of sponsor tents set up for local businesses and brands that signed up for the event, some had crafting tables, others had spinning wheels where you could win prizes. My kids had a lot of fun with the spinning wheels because you never know what you might win!

Along with some smaller craft tables they also had one big crafting area, a dance zone, selfie galleries,  food trucks, games and more for the kids to enjoy. A few special guest starts such as In Real Life and Evie Clair stopped by to perform for the crowd and everything was set up pretty well allowing plenty of space for everyone to move around while enjoying the festivities.

I really like that they made this event suited for kids of all ages, there was something for each age group to do and enjoy plus they had some fun characters there (Spiderman & Elsa) visiting with the kids and taking pictures. It was also nice that all of the rides and activities were free to do with the entry ticket instead of having to pay to get in and then paying again for rides and games. Everyone was really friendly and helpful if you needed anything, I thought as a whole this was a great family related event to attend. I hope they decide to do another Kidtopia event next year and I look forward to seeing what it has to offer!

Candlewick Press Book Review!

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions were used, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by Candlewick Press for the review free of charge.**

Even though I may not have as much time to read as I used to, I am still a huge bookworm at heart so I always love finding new books my kids will enjoy reading and it is a bigger bonus if it is a book we can enjoy together. Candlewick Press offers dozens of books that are great for all ages and I have a few of them to share with you here! The first is a classic and one that my husband and I both loved when we were kids.

Where’s Waldo? Destination: Everywhere! Retail: $19.99

This Where's Waldo book features twelve classic scenes like you've never seen them. The book celebrates thirty years of Where's Waldo so the creative team behind the book has taken Waldo on a trip to re-visit his most amazing adventures but with added games and searches. My favorite thing about this book is that I only recognize one maybe two of the scenes otherwise a lot of the scenes pictured are new for me as well which means I get to have fun looking for Waldo too while thinking about summers at my grandma's looking through Where's Waldo books. I also like that the cover of this book is part fabric and has "Where's Waldo" imprinted into the cover.  This book says it is great for ages 5-9 but it is really great for any age because it is always fun trying to look for the hidden images and just at the images in general, it is even better if you are trying to race someone to see who can spot Waldo first.  

La La La: A Story of Hope (Trailer) Retail: $17.99 

This book is not really a book that you read, there is only a single word written numerous times through out the pages which is "La" otherwise this book leaves your mind to create the story. The description of this book as stated on the inside dust sleeve is as follows: "La La La . . . La A little girl stands alone and sings, but there's no response. Gathering her courage and her curiosity, she skips out into the world, calling to the trees and the pond and the reeds - but will anyone sing back? Dejected, she falls asleep, only to be awakened by an amazing sound . . . . She has been heard. At Last.

Conveyed nearly wordlessly through two-time Newberry Medalist Kate DiCamillo's simple narrative and Jamie Kim's extraordinary, transcendent images, this luminous story is a gentle reminder of how powerful we can be when we dare to reach out to one another."

This book has beautiful imaginary and colors which help set the mood for the book and story line. This book is recommended for children ages 4-8 years old.

Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki Retail: $27.99

This is another book in the three that I was excited about even before it arrived because I've always been interested in learning more about Norse Myths along with Greek mythology so this was right up my alley and something I thought the kids would eventually enjoy as well. This is a pretty thick book offering 240 pages full of myths, tales and images of everything relating to Norse Myths. The imagery shown is far from the well known lovable Avengers Thor & Loki most people are used to, instead the imagery is darker and gives you the feel of how you might picture them if you were being told these tails and myths as if learning of the characters for the very first time. Some of the images are a little creepy but it adds to the mystery and charm of the book. The back of the book also includes a Glossary which goes over many of the characters, places, etc. This book is recommenced for ages 10 & up.