Mother's Day Adventures: Tortilla Snacks

I registered Thatkid and I for the Minions race, not even realizing that it was Mother's Day weekend.  Which meant I got to spend my Mother's Day away from home.

We headed up to Universal Studios on Friday night and after picking up our bibs at Universal City Walk, we stayed for dinner.

After the race, Thatkid and I went back to the car to change into regular clothes and met up with Thatboy and Thatbaby, who had taken the shuttle from our hotel to the park.  

We got discounted tickets to the park with our race entry, and they also included an early admission.  So we headed right in to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

This was HUGE for Thatkid, who is reading the series right now.  He loves everything Harry Potter.  And getting early admission meant that we could walk right on to rides and attractions.  Our first stop was Olivander's, to pick out wands.  Or rather, to have wands pick you.  

At Olivander's Wand Shop, you enter in a small group and one person is picked to have a wand fitting with Mr. Olivander.  I researched and found some tips on how to get picked and passed them along to Thatkid.  It worked!

Getting to have his wand specially picked for him was a really special moment for him, and definitely played into the magic which surrounded the attraction.  He had to try several different wands until finally, he found the right wand. "Aha," said the wizard, "I think this wand was waiting for you."

After the show, we moved into the general store so Thatbaby could pick out a wand too.  All day he kept whispering to me - "Mom, I think this wand was waiting for me."

They tested out their wands all over Hogsmede, and then, as the park opened and it started to get crowded, we grabbed a butterbeer and headed out to explore the rest of the park.

I had talked to a friend before we went about what was kid friendly at Universal Studios, and she told me it was really hard.  They definitely aim at an older audience.  Even cuddled between Thatboy and I, Thatbaby was not a fan of the Studios Tour, with dinosaur attacks, floods, and car chases.  It was too scary for him.

After the tour, I knew he was getting a little tired.  This, friends, is why we bring the stroller with us to theme parks, even though we hate lugging it around.  

Stick him in the stroller and he's out.  Thatkid was the same way.  And this is especially helpful at theme parks, because naptime is the perfect time for Thatkid and Thatboy to tackle the bigger scarier rides.

And when he woke up, I had him already parked and ready to play in the most kid-friendly portion of the park.

After a couple more rides we headed back to Hogsmede to grab dinner at the Three Broomsticks.  We closed the park down and then headed back to the room where Thatkid and I collapsed after our especially long day.

The next morning, we packed up and headed down to Anaheim.

As you can see, Thatkid was in a bit of a mood.

Thatbaby, however, was living it up.

So why the stop in Anaheim?  Well, I decided to take control of Mother's Day a bit.  I decided I wanted to go to the House of Blues Gospel Brunch, and the House of Blues in Anaheim is much closer to Thatmom than the one in San Diego.  And since we were already in Los Angeles, it didn't seem like it would be difficult to stop in Orange County on the way home.

And so we met up with Thatmom so we could celebrate Mother's Day together.

Thatmom was a little wary of what the brunch was going to be like, but it was wonderful and we both really enjoyed the food and the entertainment.  We were up on our feet, dancing.

And then we parted ways and we headed home.  We headed out for Mexican for dinner that night because the best way to top off Mother's Day is with a margarita.  Which my kids have figured out.  When Thatkid had to fill out his "all about mom" sheet at school he wrote that my favorite food is "Mexican."  Which isn't true.  Anyone who knows me, knows that my favorite food is popcorn.   But Mexican food is one of the few cuisines I never tire of.  And I do love margaritas.  And how easy it is to interpret Mexican cuisine in your old home.   Like these little tortilla snacks.  Everything is pre-prepared so it's just a matter of heating and stacking.  They make a great afterschool snack, but they're also filling enough for a dinner if you have a couple.

Tortilla Snacks

small tortillas (around here we get the "street taco" size)

1 can refried beans

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

salsa

1. Heat the tortillas over an open flame until crisp. 
2. Heat refried beans in a saucepan until they're bubbling.
3. Heat shredded chicken until warm.
4. Top each tortilla with refried beans, chicken, and a spoonful of salsa.