MOMS OF CONEJO VALLEY - MOMMAonFIRE

MOMS OF CONEJO VALLEY

May 04th, 2021

5/4/2021

Happy Mothers day to ALL my MOMS of Conejo Valley! I hope you are celebrated for all that you do this weekend, heck the entire month! If you know me, you know that I celebrate with FOOD so I wanted to share my FAVORITE Mothers Day spots in & around the Conejo Valley.

Wolfe Canyon Ranch has quickly risen to one of my TOP places to go. The scenery, the outdoors, the live music and the friends is FABULOUS! Check out their "Dads Night In" event coming up!

Wolfe Canyon Ranch

Slate Bistro- Camarillo
Slate is my hidden gem, shhhhhh, Don't tell everyone! Its amazing food from Brunch to Dinner and don't even get me started on their cocktails!

El Sancho Loco
Give me some Tacos & a Mango Margarita. If you've never had their Mango Margaritas, GO GET in the car NOW! This is the perfect spot for an easy brunch, lunch or dinner on their patio!

Finney's Crafthouse & Kitchen
We LOVE Finney's! Especially for a special occasion and or a midday snack! They have the best items to share & their cocktails are to die for! This is a fair warning, if you try your kids chicken fingers from here, you'll eat the ENTIRE thing..... Not kidding, these are my favorite chicken fingers around!

Finney's Crafthouse & Kitchen

Country Harvest, Newbury Park
This is our feel like its home cooked kinda place. They have something on the menu everyone likes AND a special Mothers Day brunch too! We love Country Harvest as our Mothers Day brunch spot! My favorite things on the breakfast menu are the Waffles, Eggs Benedict & Biscuits and Gravy too! Dont forget your Mimosas! Moms deserve lots of those on Mothers Day :)

Country Harvest Newbury Park

Tabu Shabu = Fancy Nancy Dinner!

4/9/2021

During the beginning of the pandemic it often felt like groundhogs day, every day the same thing... over and over and over again...... and If you know me, you know, I LOVE FOOD. All kinds of DIFFERENT food, all the time. I will research the best restaurants, ones I've never been to, specialties.... I am here for it. Well, during the Pandemic, we stayed in our little circle, I felt like we were going to the same restaurants over, and over again........Not that I don't love them, but we just needed to switch things up. When I found Tabu Shabu I was SO EXCITED! We got take out it was more than I imagined! First of all the kids felt like it was SO different & exciting, you saw the joy in their eyes from something NEW! I could smell the flavors filling up our home, the kids were cooking their own food and we were all laughing. For a minute, we traveled outside of our little walls and had some JOY! We will be visiting Tabu Shabu for at home special occasions and probably a few date nights in the future!

See our Insta Highlights here!

#SelfcareSeptember

9/10/2019

Self Care is taking care of YOU! We all know to be our best we have to eat our best, drink water & get the nutrients your body needs. Plan ahead! Prep your lunches and snacks.

Quick Tip- after your coffee has cooled off, stick it in the fridge for later. Viola, you’ve got iced coffee in the afternoon! If coffee in the afternoon isn’t self care, I don’t know what is!

Sometimes Self Care can be getting your life together. Take a moment, de clutter a space, clean out a drawer or empty out your purse. I cleaned off my desk!

Self Care : At Home
Face Masks, Hair Masks, Foot Peels, Manicures & Pedicures, Oh my!
This is a great way to practice self care.
There are so many options out there, here are some of our favorites!

Do something to help you grow professionally or find a cause that you can support in your community.
Getting to know your community is so important in creating a place to raise your family. Last week my friend Jess and I attended our local Chamber Breakfast. She is always super inspiring, always has an idea up her sleeve & truly motivates me to get involved and do more for my community. This act of self care gives you time to be you, find a passion and drive forward!

Go eat at a new restaurant! Last week my husband and I went to Chocolatine, a lovely French restaurant in Thousand Oaks. It was the perfect change of scenery to take a moment, step out of our reality and into a little cafe in Paris. We chatted, shared bites and enjoyed the view! This is a perfect way to practice self care!

Do you need a sitter!??

8/20/2019

Every parent deserves the best sitter for their children. Download the Bambino app today and get connected to your neighborhood sitters that are recommended by friends and neighbors!
With the school year just around the corner, we’re all trying to juggle a million things, don’t get stressed over a sitter!

Bambino Sitters

Feed me Las Vegas! Feed me!

7/17/2019

Oh Las Vegas.... you make my heart so happy with all of your culinary delight! So much to choose from, so many great choices. From famous chefs, to buffets to things I’ve never seen before.

Every year in July we get our one adult vacation we can’t count on. It’s like a 3 day summer break for parents. Pretty much like Adult Disneyland.

Shop this dress here: https://amzn.to/2L6IjPv

My favorite thing to do is find out where I’m going to eat! I’ve got 3 new ones for you this time!

Let’s start with late night street food.
After dancing, gambling or my favorite activity people watching and cocktails you need something delicious, but not sit down, and it needs to be quick. By this hour, most restaurants have closed. I mean sure you could grab a burger at McDonald’s or a sub from the 24 hour subway. But why not search out the best late night food in Vegas!? That’s what I did.
I bring to you, DIRT DOGS.
Flavorful, filling, piled high with goodness.
Choose a hot dog, elote, or a few other fried goodness options.
I chose the Elote, and it did not disappoint. I had on a fancy pants dress on so I chose the cup, and gosh darn it, it was amazing!
We sat at the bar across the alley and they delivered it to me there.

Dirt Dog Las Vegas

Next up, dinner.
It’s important! You only have so many dinners on vacation. Just a few options to have the most delicious food ever! With no kids. I scoped it out, looked at the amazing steakhouse, Italian restaurants, there are definitely some options, but something different caught my eye! I chose Best Friends, located inside the MgM Park hotel. Chef Roy Choi has pulled out all the stops to make you feel like you are walking into LA. From the low riders on the wall, the waiters in their green track suits, the music playing, you have stepped directly into the heart of LA.
The menu is filled with flavorful Korean dishes with a bit of LA street food inspiration.
And Adult SLUSHEES. ADULT SLUSHEES. Like real slushees.
We chose the shrimp, pork tacos and veggie plate. It. WAS. SO SO SO good.
Oh! And the best part.
I almost forgot, the HAWAIIAN ROLLS. Any restaurant that serves me warm, sweet, hawaiian rolls at the beginning of my meal gets 5 stars immediately.
The people next to us even joked “Don’t look away or we might steal those!”

Best Friend Las Vegas

Next up: Eataly
Walk yourself over to Park MGM and walk into Italy!
That’s right, you heard me. Really. Italy.
We’ve visited Italy half a dozen times, I’m pretty much a self made Italian food professional spotter.
This place has it all, from pasta, charcuterie boards, fish, Italian wine, Italian cookies, you name it, if it’s from Italy you can probably find it here.
You can fill your own cannolis. Did you hear me? FILL YOUR OWN. There is a restaurant plus individual bars, pizza, pasta, cheeses, wine set up in a large market place.
We settled for the restaurant with the patio at front that offered most of the items at the individual bars.
It had a great patio for people watching too! Which is a plus is Las Vegas, because people watching is my favorite!
I got Pasta and the Master got Pizza. This pasta. Thick. Perfectly cooked. If you’ve had pasta in Italy you know the texture. It was SO good! This is a great lunch spot or place to spend the afternoon trying all the different choices!

Eataly Las Vegas

No more bored kids, here’s a new activity!

7/3/2019

With summer in full swing I feel like I’m constantly looking for “new” activities to keep them from saying THOSE words: I’m BORED! It’s a constant battle between not over exhausting them to the point of melt downs and keeping them active so they aren’t burning down the house.

Patriot loves building things, stacking things & putting things together.

I came across this straw constructor pack. It includes 300 pieces and a bag to keep them in.

He can build, build AND build! I figured with my Captain Destructo the straws weren’t going to last very long, we’re going on almost a month! I tried different straws and most worked! WIN!

This is definitely an activity that will keep them busy!

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Swimsuits we LOVE!

7/2/2019

Summer is here & it’s bathing suit time!

When we were buying our home, my husband had one demand. It must have a pool and spa. We are in the water ALL the time so I’m constantly on the lookout for great suits! Here are some of my favorites.

Red Bathing Suit
This is one of my all time favorite suits! Especially when you’re chasing kids.
It has amazing tummy control and keeps the girls held up and in! This suit has full boot coverage and does not ride up!

Bikini with Strappy Front
If you’re in the market for a bikini don’t pass this one up! It a bit risqué, with the front criss cross but holds everything in. The bottoms to this bikini are a bit cheeky so beware if you’re looking for something with more coverage.

Black Bathing Suit
SEXY! This bathing suit may be a one piece but the deep “V” and tie top make it the super sexy. This is more of a “laying by the pool relaxing” not a “chase the kids” around suit. This bathing suit has full booty coverage.

Black Fringe
It hides it all! This is the perfect suit when you’re feeling a bit bloated because it hides it all and has great booty coverage. I ordered the navy and black, they are my go to!

Blue Tie Dye
Cupshe! Cupshe! Cupshe! Gets it right! This comfy suit has full coverage. It’s a great suit for chasing the kids around or water activities! This bathing suit has moderate booty coverage.

Keyhole Bikini
I wasn’t sure about this suit, but I love it! The top ties around the neck and has a keyhole. Beware of tan lines on this one especially on top. The bottoms are very cheeky and have a strap that goes around your hip below your waste.

Back To School in the New Year, how to roll into the New Year like a MOM Boss!

12/30/2018

Sometimes going back to school in January can be harder than going back to school in September.

We’ve all got comfy at school, our kids have started to get the school blues, homework battles have commenced, sports have ended and started again & you’re suppose to make the next year better than the previous.

But HOW!?
You’re a busy lady.
Work & home.
Husbands & co-parenting.
Homework & Sports.
Time for yourself & play time with them.
Friends & Family.
Life can be busy.
Every year most of us start the year with goals.
Make life easier.
Spend more time with the kids.
Eat healthier.
Make time for yourself.
Get a promotion.
Keep your home cleaner.
Whatever it may be, you’ve got something you want to achieve this year.

We’ve come up with some easy ways to prepare for daily life with kids to allow you the ability to grow and achieve what you set out to! The goals you set are the goals you get.

Make a list. What do you want to do this year? What are your goals? Are they realistic? Can you measure how close you are? What are the steps to get there?
Plan your year. What vacations are coming up? Do you plan on doing any home improvements? It’s important to think ahead about things that can affect your finances. Life doesn’t get so stressful when you can save for expenses.
Plan your months out ahead of time. If you have a partner, communicate with them what you have going on. Write it down or use your smart phone, but get yourself in the habit of knowing your schedule a month ahead of time.
Plan your weeks, confirm appointments and add in any events that have popped up. Use your planner or digital calendar. This is a great place to write down a checklist for yourself, go back to your yearly goals and make sure you have items that are keeping you on the path of Achieving your goals.
Be prepared!
As a mom, it’s not just you that you have to prepare for the day, you’ve got one or more other people to dress, feed and of course remind to potty. These little people need you to help to prepare them for life, make them feel special, loved and confident. Mornings can be tough, with two little ones in our home, we might have a bit of yelling going on. So make it easier on yourself with these simply steps.
Set clothes out for the next day. This is HUGE at our house. We have fashionista disguised as a 6 year old, and we’ve recently started letting her pick out her own clothing. Which as you can imagine can be very colorful at times. So I have her pick out her clothes while I pick out our 3 year olds clothes at night. If she chooses something that doesn’t quite match, it’s much easier to discuss/argue with her in the evening as opposed to a crabby patty in the morning.
Pack lunches & fill water bottles, if you eat breakfast on the way to school (like we do! Just bein real) or at school, pack that too if you can! This makes it easy to grab and go in the morning. Fill water bottles with water so you don’t have any extra tasks. My kids are also big milk drinkers so I also fill their morning milk cups so I can just grab them!
Set everything by the door! Don’t run around the house like a frazzled hot mess looking for watches, homework, chargers, etc. have everything you need sitting by the door. I have a purse and a “day bag” which is pretty much a carry on piece of luggage. It’s like my “working moms” briefcase. I use it for my calendars and work documents, make up case, charger case, lotion, body spray, random diaper and a few ninja turtles too ;). But it’s easy to throw stuff that needs to go with us and easy to carry.
PROGRAM YOUR COFFEE POT. For the love of god woman, set your coffee pot so it’s just like a “Folgers” commercial as you awake to the lovely smell of warm caffeine! Set your coffee cups by the coffee pot if you’re a to-go drinker.
If you allow your kids to watch tv as you get ready (no judging) make them get dressed and do hair before turning it on. We have a rule in our house that whoever wakes up and is dressed first, gets to choose what show to watch that day. It’s usually an all out brawl, but their dressed!
Set and alarm on your phone for a 20 minute “pack it up” alarm. This gives me enough time to pack everything and everyone up in the car for the day and I don’t feel overly rushed.

The New Year can leave us all a little bit of a Hot Mess. We have goals we’re trying to achieve, move forward, but then we’ve got a ton of everyday tasks that can bog us down holding us back from getting those goals!
Change this year with our steps to make life just a bit smoother!

Planners we love!
-Erin Condren
-Plum Planner
-Happy Planner

Here’s the Digital Planner our family LOVES!

Cozi is a family organizing app that I use and love. It's free, try it. http://www.cozi.com/friends

Catering in the Conejo Valley

12/20/2018

It’s your kids birthday. Decorations. Party favors. Dessert Tables. Balloons. And on and on and on.
And then there’s food. A lot of food.
Feeding that many people is hard and let’s be honest, the task can be daunting.
Not only is it quite the task it can be super expensive!

We’ve put together some of our favorite catering options for you in the Conejo. Whether it be for a birthday or another event, these are great choices!

El Sancho Loco Taqueria -Not only is the owner Joe always willing to donate to a good cause, the food is incredible! We used El Sancho for my daughters birthday last year and it was a hit! We did Bean & Cheese burritos (her favorite!!) for the kids which they loved! For the adults I did chicken and cheese enchiladas, rice, beans and salad. It was easy to re heat and the best part is I didn’t have to cook anything!
Roma Deli- My son LOVES spaghetti so this is my go to for his birthday and our events at the studio (We used Roma for our Black Belt Testing this year. There was plenty of food and he let me choose two different sauce options). Roma has an awesome chicken, pasta, salad, and bread meal deal. It’s great for big groups!
In & Out Burger - did you know!? Yep! It’s true, you can do In & Out for a party! When I ordered I called a few days ahead of time and let them know I’d be placing a big order. They ask me to order the day of but would make a note. So at 10am the day of the party I sent the hubby off to order Burgers, Cheeseburgers and Grilled cheese sandwiches! When he ordered he asked them to make all the burgers and cheeseburgers plain with lettuce, tomato, onion, spread, and ketchup. He ordered 50+ at 10am, and told them what time he’d come back. Viola! I sent him back just before the party and not only was it ready but it was all separated (including condiments) in their cardboard boxes which I served everything in. EVERYONE was happy!

Welcome to the world of a Threenager.

6/27/2018

Let’s talk 3 year olds for a minute.
They are busy little people with lots of energy! Keeping them on a schedule and entertained while doing all the 92847464849 tasks you need to get done can be challenging. We’ve come up with a few quick reminders and tips to help you!

What things should a 3 year old do everyday?

🛁Hygiene
From morning to night this is an important one! When we get up in the morning, we head straight to the bathroom (also to avoid accidents!), potty & wash our hands. Before we leave the house you’ll find us brushing our teeth & hair, getting dressed. Sometimes we let them pick out their own outfits, yikes... and sometimes we change, A LOT! We talk about clothes matching and appropriate attire. We help them to make decisions on what they should were. Why do I do this? Because all day long we tell them what to do, and this is my chance to let her choose, let her be in control and have her own style.
During the day we’re constantly reminding them to wash hands, and of course wiping messing faces! We also keep LOTS of wipeys & hand sanitizer handy!
Our kids are in daycare & camp, and that means germs! So once we arrive home we change, well, some of us do and then there’s Patriot. You can usually find him in a diaper. Clothes go in the laundry room too! After dinner it’s bath time. We don’t wash hair everyday. Why? Lice freak me out, and I’ve heard they like clean hair. So. We wash hair 2/3 times per week depending on the week.
After bath its lotion (we’ve got one with ezcema, so this is a step we cannot miss!), teeth, and pajamas.
And one more time before bed, potty and wash hands!

Read
Every.Single.Day!!!! We just started reading boxcar children with our 5 year old and I AM so excited! It’s one of my favorites and brings up so many discussion topics. Our 3 year old loves the ABC book right now, it has a bunch of pictures for each of the letters and he loves saying what they all are.

Art
Color, Paint, Chalk, just get them creating! We run a summer camp and today we made shields out of cardboard! We painted it and decorated it with leftover craft supplies like jewels, feathers & stickers! You can use any medium you’d like, just color their world! Our kindergartener absolutely loved talking about the color wheel in school this year, she constantly talks about what color makes best and loves to mix them and make her own colors. We started incorporating mixing colors with our 3 year old, and to see the sparkle in his eye when he makes green is amazing!

🤸🏼‍♂️Large/Small Motor Skill Activities
Running, rolling, throwing, sorting, pouring, stacking, riding, climbing- tire those little energizer bunnies out! Work on hoping on two feet, one foot, backward, forwards, zig zag running, bear crawling! Choose a different motor skill to work on each day and watch your child to see where you need to adjust regularly!

👭👬Socialization
Talk & play!
Go on a play date, sign up for a class, meet a friend at the park, head to a free indoor playground, or just simply have a conversation during a meal!

Eat!
This is the time when our little munchkins can get very picky. Make sure to switch up your child’s meals. Don’t get stuck on the Mac n Cheese, chicken nugget, banana diet. Try new foods, put new foods on their plate. Give them the options to try them!
If you’re having trouble eating meals, try your best to cut down on the snacking.