The Charter Oak
Early birthday lunch celebration at The Charter Oak Restaurant with my besties. Thank you so much for the great food and company. I love my tribe!
BottleRock 2016 - Napa Valley Food, Wine, and Brew Music Festival
Saturday I was invited to my second BottleRock in Napa and had a great time as a VIP. Latitude 38 Entertainment put on another great music festival with performers such as Ziggy Marley, Florence and The Machine, Michael Franti, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. I was also happy to see so many top restaurants from the Valley providing their best dishes to the crowd but I wanted to try something new so I went with San Francisco-based food truck MeSoHungry. I had their slider and they were delish! My new favorite station was the Nordstrom trend and photo booth where I won a $20 gift card!
Here are highlights from this year's festival. If you plan to visit Napa Valley next year during Memorial Day weekend, get your tickets for BottleRock 2017!
Boho Lifestyle Napa Valley
Downtown Napa has changed so much in the last few years, and it's not all about wine and food, we are also getting more retail and speciality stores. If you plan to visit, you must stop and shop at Boho Lifestyle. Whether you are looking for an outfit to wear for a date night or a chic, casual stripe top to add to your wardrobe, your can find it here. I love that they support local designers and most of their products are locally made and are reasonably priced. The store is conveniently located next to a Starbucks so while you shop you can have your husband or partner take advantage of free WiFi while enjoying a cup of coffee. :-)
Spring Break in Napa Valley
We decided to avoid all the busy places for our kid's spring break. I found a great deal on Groupon to visit Calistoga's Sunburst Hotel. I love the idea of not driving too far, but still feel like we are away. Below are some photos of our stay. The kids did not want to leave the 90 degree mineral water pool!
Napa Valley is much more than wine and romantic getaways for adults, it's also a great place for families. If you want to find more family friendly things to do and places to visit in Napa, the Chicago Tribune recently wrote a great piece here.
Spring Break!
My hot date.
SONNET JAMES dress.
A wonderfully warm two-foot pool for the kids to frolic.
Kids in the pool means mommy gets to read.
But mama…I don't want to go..
Heading to Boskos Trattoria for lunch.
Dinner at Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery. Oscar: I'm hungry! where is my food?! - Mya: Stop it you guys! You are acting too cheesy. Leah: Texting her agent (a.k.a Knuffle Bunny) about the casting schedule/ Mommy and Daddy: Happy!
A stop at Scoops & Swirls for Ice cream...a perfect ending.
Photography by Doug Zimmerman
DiscoGem: Lileds, a Sweet Reward from an Unexpected Source
Finding an undiscovered gem is one of the joys of exploring local neighborhood haunts. Once discovered, my husband likes to call them DiscoGems, short for 'discovered gem.' Last summer he surprised me by taking me to Lileds in Vallejo, CA, a DiscoGem for ice cream, chocolates and candies. The minute I entered the colorful shop it reminded me of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. I love the old school vintage feel and their ice cream is made on site with fresh ingredients. My favorite flavors are pineapple coconut and peach, which is only available in summer. Lileds was established in 1936 and Yvonne and her husband Vaughn Hardiman took over in October 2005. They are the fifth shop owners to run this wonderful creamery and confectionary.
Here with Yvonne Hardiman.
Photography by Julie Angold
Staycation
Last month we took the kids to The Claremont Hotel in Berkeley for a weekend getaway. If you love Spa treatments this is the place to go. But we didn't come here for that, we came for a staycation. My kids think they are on vacation when we stay at a hotel room and order room service. They also get to jump on the bed as much as they want! The Claremont Kid's Club offers 2 hours of free childcare if you are guest at the hotel. This is great if you want a little time by yourself or with your partner. We had a great time and can't wait for our next adventure! To find affordable staycation around the Bay Area there are many deals on Groupon.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!
The Claremont Hotel. My kids think it's The White House :)
A sweet moment with my youngest.
Sibling love.
All smilles sans kids for 2 hours :)
Me time.
Catch me if you can.
Peaceful moment with my vino.
Hello again! Cheers!
They did not want to leave the kid's club.
Perfect ending.
// Anthropologie dress - Gap hat (similar here) - Steve Madden riding boots - J. Crew tote (similar here) //
Photography by Doug Zimmerman