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The Habit Burger Grill Continues Fight to Help End Childhood Hunger in America

September 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The Habit Restaurant, Inc. (Nasdaq: HABT) is continuing its commitment to help end childhood hunger in America by partnering with No Kid Hungry for a fourth year.

One in six kids in the U.S. lives with hunger. The Habit Burger Grill, together with its loyal guests, is committed to changing this. Now through the end of September, The Habit will be collecting donations for No Kid Hungry. Guests who donate $2 or more to the No Kid Hungry campaign will receive a free Charburger with cheese certificate, good on a return visit through October 2, 2018.

To help raise awareness about childhood hunger, No Kid Hungry is launching the Hunger Can’t Wait tour, which will travel to five cities across the country, hosting special events from August 28 to September 17. The Habit will kick off the tour on August 28 with an event at its El Segundo, Calif. restaurant.

Over the past four years, The Habit has raised over $1 million for the No Kid Hungry campaign, providing millions of meals for kids across the country.

“The sense of urgency around childhood hunger remains high, and that’s why it’s important to us to support No Kid Hungry. We are proud to have helped provide millions of nutritious meals to kids in need,” said Russ Bendel, CEO of The Habit Burger Grill.

Since 2010, No Kid Hungry and its partners have provided children across the country with more than 775 million meals. For more information, visit NoKidHungry.org. The public can join the conversation on social using #HungerCantWait.

And, if you rather have salad then you just have to try the Habit’s hand-breaded Golden Fried Chicken Salad. Inspired by the Golden Fried Chicken Sandwich, the Golden Fried Chicken Salad features the Habit’s golden chicken, hand-dipped twice into house-made seasoned flour and buttermilk, before being fried to perfection and custom made to order for both the salad and the sandwich.

I had the opportunity to try this one and I loved it! It’s fresh and I love the golden fried chicken!

About The Habit Restaurants, Inc.

The Habit Burger Grill is a burger-centric, fast casual restaurant concept that specializes in preparing fresh, made-to-order chargrilled burgers and sandwiches featuring USDA choice tri-tip steak, grilled chicken and sushi-grade ahi tuna cooked over an open flame. In addition, it features fresh made-to-order salads and an appealing selection of sides, shakes and malts. The Habit was named the “best tasting burger in America” in July 2014 in a comprehensive survey conducted by one of America’s leading consumer magazines. The first Habit opened in Santa Barbara, California in 1969. The Habit has since grown to over 230 restaurants in 11 states throughout California, Arizona, Utah, New Jersey, Florida, Idaho, Virginia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Washington and Maryland as well as four international locations. More information is available at www.habitburger.com.

About No Kid Hungry

No child should go hungry in America. But 1 in 6 kids will face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty. Learn more at NoKidHungry.org.

Self Disclosure: I received a Media comp to try out the new salad. No other compensation was received.. Information and images were also provided. 

Filed Under: Featured Services

6-Year Old Entrepreneur Creates Skincare Treatment For Kids + Teens

September 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Jordan Canepa was just 6 years old when she started experiencing acne breakouts. She went to a number of drug stores and pharmacies but never found any safe options for her younger skin. Jordan decided to create her own solution… Enter Kidskin (www.kidskin.com)!

With a team of chemists and dermatologists, Jordan, possibly the youngest entrepreneur in this industry, formulated easy-to-use Kidskin together with her father Michael, specifically their signature acne kits, safe for children 6-17 years old. Kidskin is the first ever skincare line designed by children for children. With certain products focused on the 6-11 age group, and others more so on the 9-14 age group, they have the based covered in the tween and teen world to prevent unwarranted acne and break out issues. WATCH Jordan speak about her struggle with acne and the Kidskin mission:  https://youtu.be/GBu7XlZ445w

All products have been dermatologist approved and are products that Jordan uses to care for her own skin. Kidskin products are all paraben-free, fragrance-free, sulfate-free and cruelty free.

The Kidskin 3-step acne kit consists of T-blast foaming cleanser, Z-blast clarifying serum and a calming moisturizer. Each active ingredient is chosen for its effectiveness and is safe for all skin types. The cleanser features tea tree oil that will kill bacteria, fungus, and infections. Salicylic acid in the serum will reduce redness and inflammation and the white tea leaf extract in the moisturizer will help soothe the skin and clear imperfections.

Kidskin Line:

Calming Moisturizer with White Tea Extract All Skin Types – $19.99

Gentle Skin Cleanser (Sensitive Skin) w/Tree Bark and Amaranth – $19.99

T-Blast Foaming Cleanser with Tea Tree Oil for Oily Skin – $19.99

Z-Blast Serum with 2% Salicylic Acid for Acne and Blemishes – $11.99

Kidskin 3 Step Acne Kit for Kids and Pre-Teens (Tween Acne) – $39.99

I love that these products are great for Kids and Pre-Teens! 

Self Disclosure: I received free samples to facilitate this post. Images were provided. 

Filed Under: Featured Products of the Week

Three Penguin Chicks Make Public Debut at the Aquarium of the Pacific!

September 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Photo Credit: Robin Riggs/Aquarium of the Pacific

The Aquarium of the Pacific’s Magellanic penguin chicks hatched in May and made their public debut and joined their parents, siblings, and other birds in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat on September 13th.

Two of the chicks were born to parents Roxy and Floyd. Roxy, the mother, came to the Aquarium from Brazil. She was rescued and deemed non-releasable to the wild. She and Floyd are also parents toSkipper, Lily, Heidi, Anderson, and Gatz. Kate and Avery are also the parents of a chick this season. Kate and Avery are both rescue penguins from Brazil and are also the parents of Jayde and Fisher. This is the sixth year that penguin chicks have hatched at the Aquarium, and with the three new chicks the total number hatched is now thirteen.

Magellanic penguin chicks hatch with a downy layer of plumage that is not watertight. After about twenty-one days the Aquarium’s penguin chicks were taken to a behind-the-scenes nursery, where they lived until their down was replaced by watertight juvenile feathers, a process called fledging. During this time, the chicks also learned to take hand-fed, whole fish.

In celebration of the baby birds, the Aquarium is offering the opportunity to adopt a penguin chick through its Adopt an Animal program. Those adopting a penguin chick at the $100 level or higher before September 30, 2018, will have a chance to help name one of the female penguin chicks. The winner will go behind the scenes with the penguins.

Magellanic penguins are a temperate species native to the coasts of Argentina and Chile in South America. It takes between thirty-eight to forty-three days of incubation before a Magellanic penguin egg will hatch. The parents take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks after they hatch.

 
WHEN:

 

 On exhibit starting Thursday, September 13, 2018. Aquarium opens to public at 9:00 a.m.

 

 
WHERE: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802

Credit: The Aquarium of the Pacific,

Filed Under: SoCal City Kids News

3 Ways to Stay Active with Your Family

September 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment

I’m sure you’ve heard, we are currently living in the golden age of television. Never before have we had such a choice of mind-blowingly unmissable shows to watch. If it isn’t Game of Thrones or Making a Murderer it’s something else.

With all that temptation it can be very difficult to motivate yourself to get off the couch and go outside sometimes. Then when you do get outside you remember you have a smartphone and you can just stream all your favorite shows anyway. There’s no escape. Argh!

People the future is here, we’ve seen it and it’s really unhealthy. We have to fight against it with everything we have. Especially if you have children. At least we adults have memories of a time before technology’s omnipresent grip , our youngsters don’t.

As parents, you are at the vanguard of the resistance. It’s up to you to help your family stay fit and active when all the odds are stacked against you. But how I hear you cry? Well, don’t despair just yet below are three ways I found to be extremely effective.

Gamify your family’s exercise

You may have heard of the term gamification. It’s a technique adored by the boffins in Silicon Valley. In basic terms, it’s the process of turning something ordinary into a game.

For example, you may have on your phone a running app that awards you points for completing so many miles a week. You receive awards for going out every day. There may even be a leaderboard where you can see how well you’re doing against your friends or just randomers. That little app has turned a regular old exercise like going for a jog into a game.

I recommend using this same technique for your entire family. Draw up a leaderboard and stick it on the wall somewhere in the house, maybe the kitchen. Add all the family members and when anyone does some kind of healthy activity award points. Little Timmy cycled his bike for an hour after school, that’s 10 points. Jane went to cheerleader practice, 10 points. Dad drank a six pack of bud, minus 20 points.

Turn it into a fun activity, use the carrot approach much more than the stick. Set targets and at the end of the month total up everyone’s points, see who won and give them a prize. Top tip, make the prize something healthy that everyone can enjoy – like a camping trip.

Prioritize sleep

It may sound counterintuitive to suggest a good way to keep your family active is to get them to sleep more but bear with me and I’ll explain. Diet and exercise are often seen as the two pillars of good health, quite rightly, what is missing from that equation, however, is that good sleep is the foundation on which these two pillars stand and fall.

If your family doesn’t sleep well then it is highly unlikely they are going to be active. Think back to the last time you had a bad night’s rest – I’ll bet you won’t have to think for too long – now I reckon it was a struggle for you to just get out of bed let alone drag yourself to the gym.

If you improve how well your family sleeps you will see the desire and capacity for exercise surge. More activity will in turn lead to better sleep. A win-win if ever I’ve heard of one.

Knowing you should get better rest and actually being able to do so are two very different things. If you do find yourself struggling to improve your family’s slumber, head over to the www.sleepadvisor.org blog for a few handy hints and helpful tips.

Make exercise exciting

Trying to persuade your son or daughter to come for a run around the blog with you might be something of a fool’s errand. Firstly they know what the block looks like and secondly, they probably don’t want any of their friends to see you and them together. Remember, parents equal embarrassment.

You’ve got to think bigger. Kids love adventure, so why not give it to them. Take the family on hikes into the mountains. Go camping in a national park. Trick them into being active. The country is full of an unbelievable natural bounty, utilize it. Go swimming in rivers and kayaking in lakes.

I’ve found it much easier to get kids enthusiastic about such trip if you involve them at the planning stage, get maps out, get them to choose where you go (within reason of course). Allow them to be responsible for various aspects of the planning (within reason of course).

If you’ve taken my advice from above and turned your family’s exercise into a game then choosing the destination of the trip could be the perfect prize for the best performer.

Well, there you have my friends – three top tips on how to improve your families activity levels. Get better rest, turn everything into a game and make exercise more fun. A simple recipe for success really. Good luck!

 

Filed Under: SoCal City Kids News

Dana Point Celebrates Coastal Clean Up Day September 15th!

September 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment

DoubleTree Doheny Beach

Dana Point takes pride in its beaches and works diligently to ensure they are clean for all beachgoers!

In fact, OC Register put Dana Point’s Harbor Youth Dock on this past year’s honor roll to recognize its year-round cleanliness. In addition, Dana Point’s Salt Creek Beach, South Capistrano Bay Beach, Marine Science Institute Beach and Dana Strands Beach all received the highest marks throughout the year.

However, there is always more to be done. This year, volunteers are encouraged to join the September 15 cleanup at Doheny State Beach. This event is one of the largest volunteer events in the country, as people travel from all along the coast in effort to keep California beaches pristine for all to enjoy.

Photo Credit: DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Doheny Beach – Dana Point.

Filed Under: SoCal City Kids News

Musicians Band Together To Raise Money for Detained Children Hold Tight, Shine Bright

September 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Hundreds of immigrant and refugee children are still being held in federal detention centers around the country. In response, 33 of the top artists in family music have banded together to create Hold Tight, Shine Bright, a compilation album of 27 songs with a basic goal in mind — the preservation and promotion of love, hope and family. Hold Tight, Shine Bright is available today via iTunes. All Proceeds of this album will benefit the legal aid initiatives of RAICES Texas.

The dozens of children’s musicians, artists, collaborators, and contributors on this album believe that families seeking refuge in the United States of America need to remain together. The compilation album was produced by The Hold Tight Shine Bright Project: Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis (Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band), Polly Hall and Andrew Barkan (Andrew and Polly), and CJ Pizarro (Mista Cookie Jar), along with Dale Edward Chung. Album art is by Micah Player (Lately Lily).

Co-producer Diaz says, “We believe that unification is paramount and that children should be treated as such—children.” Diaz, who notes that his parents were immigrants from Mexico, wants to spread the positive feelings that come when a musical community comes together for good.

The first single, “Shine Your Light,” was released on Bandcamp in July, and the track (featuring the producers) is in daily rotation on radio shows around the nation. Proceeds from this single and  “Hold Tight, Shine Bright” will all go RAICES, Refugees and Immigration Center for Education Legal Service in Texas. RAICES is currently providing free and low-cost legal service to underserved immigrant children and families. “We believe these services are crucial in making a real difference,” notes Hall and Barkan. “Like RAICES, our goal is to join others in the effort to #ReuniteEveryChild,” adds Pizarro. “Having been raised by Filipino immigrant parents, the value of family was emphasized and instilled in me at a very young age. Family is light. Family is valuable. We want to spread this light into the dark corners, raise awareness, and promote family unification.”

The Hold Tight, Shine Bright Project is about keeping families together. All Proceeds of this album go to RAICES Texas: https://www.raicestexas.org/

 

Credit: Sugar Mountain PR.

Filed Under: Media Reviews

Evan and Mitchell, Sept. 13th Pets of the Week!

September 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The research firm of Evan and Mitchell say that evidence points strongly to the idea that orange cats are special. Here are two of them submitted for your approval. Evan is a 6-month-old lad who looks like the class valedictorian in his photo, but don’t let that fool you. He’s as playful as a kitten (which he still is). His pal, Mitchell, is 9 years old and would be a perfect lap cat, but he can do “kitten” when he feels like it! Come test the data for yourself—meet them on the shelter side of the Companion Animal Village at 7700 East Spring St., (562) 570-PETS. Ask for ID#A610448 for Evan and ID#A566417 for Mitchell.

Courtesy of the Companion Animal Village.

Filed Under: Pet Corner

ALL-NEW Steam & Steel Attraction Dives Deep Into the Depths of the Legendary Queen Mary

September 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The Queen Mary, is pleased to unveil its newest attraction, the ALL-NEW Steam & Steel Tour, now open, offering guests the opportunity to descend into the depths of the legendary Queen Mary approximately 25 ft. below the water line. Offered daily year-round, guests are invited for a deep dive into the legendary Boiler Room, Turbo-Generator Room, Water Softening Room and the Aft Engine Room to discover the story and history behind powering the massive ship.

DETAILS:

This hour-long adventure takes guests deep into the vast cavernous spaces of the Queen Mary to discover how the historic vessel steams to life. Guests will tour the Water Softening room,  revel in Boiler Rooms 1-4, make their way through the Aft-Engine Room, and continue to the propeller room to uncover the hidden mechanics that have kept the iconic ship in tip-top shape since 1934.

WHEN:

Tours are approximately 1 hour in length and offered daily 11:45 a.m.  – 5:45 p.m.

WHERE:

The Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802

TICKETS:

Credit: The Queen Mary.

Filed Under: SoCal City Kids News
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