HipMamaB San Diego: Get $10 off SD Magazine's Best of San Diego Party!

Ahhh San Diego.... Before I get too deep in rehashing the amazing time I had in New York City, I'm first going to tell you all about my home town, America's FINEST city. 

Those of us who live here do so because we truly LOVE this city. From Chula Vista to Carlsbad to everything in between, this town takes our breath away with its views, weather, food and general laid-back vibe.

This August, San Diego Magazine is celebrating all that we love about our city with its annual "Best Of" issue. But instead of just talking about it, on Friday August 17th they are bringing some of these highlights together for the annual Best of San Diego party. 

This year’s party will feature 80+ restaurants from the June "Best Restaurants" issue and August "Best of San Diego" issue. Along with delicious eats, you will also find 20 breweries, 15 wineries, some of the best live entertainment in the city. Additionally, a portion of ticket sales will go towardsThe New Children’s Museum. The big bash will be held at Liberty Station, known to locals as the former Naval Training Center.

“This is our biggest and most anticipated party of the year,” says Jim Fitzpatrick, CEO and Publisher of San Diego Magazine, “With so much to celebrate in San Diego, this will be the ultimate way to sample the best food, beer, wine and local entertainment in the city.”

Personally, I can't wait for this party. And since I really want to share a Stone beer or Bardot ice cream bar with you - I have a promo code to save you $10 off your ticket. 

Buy today and SAVE $10 off your ticket when you use the code:  HIPMAMAB

See you there!

*please note the event is 21+

*disclosure: I received tickets to this event in exchange for writing this post

Hurts So Good: Why I Love The Dailey Method

You may remember me talking about The Dailey Method in Carlsbad in a post or two. You may have noticed the ad over the right here and thought "God, I want shoulders like that." Or you may have seen my multiple, check-ins on FourSquare to their Carlsbad studio. You may have wondered, "What is The Dailey Method?"

What it is, quite honestly, is one of the best workouts I've ever done. 

Last fall I was introduced the newest barre workout class to hit San Diego and was immediately hooked. I loved watching the transformation in my legs and arms. I loved watching myself grow stronger and stronger and rocking those 60 second planks. And it was a proud, proud moment when I mastered the amazingly challenging seated pretzel. More than looking good - I felt good. My back pain was gone and every part of my body was stronger and able to handle things better.

There are a few of us who started when the gym first opened, and we've become friendly over the months - bonding during seemingly impossible sets of seat and thigh work. Ask anyone of us and we all say the same thing "There is some different, something addictive, about this workout." We love it.

And I normally don't LOVE working out.

Alas, I've fallen off the wagon (or, if The Dailey Method is my addiction, am I ON the wagon?). The month of May kicked my figuratively booty. With work, the kids and Jason's knee surgery, my schedule took a backseat to taking care of everyone else. 

And I felt it. Literally. 

Image from The Dailey Method WebsiteMy body craved the crazy hour-long classes, and when I started up again, it knew exactly what to do. My muscles remembered each feeling, each motion, and this time I've paid more attention to exactly how every movement feels.

And yes, it hurts. But that is why I love it. Just at the point you don't think you can do another leg lift or hold your body in a high C-curve another second, the movement changes and you've done it. You've made it another minute and your body readjusts and pushes you through. 

Maybe I'm masochistic, but I love laying in bed the morning after a particularly hard class and clenching muscles to see if any hurt. Every time I cringe walking down the stairs after a lunge-heavy class I know my booty's a little higher and a little tighter. I know I will never have a body like Samantha or Shelie (the owners of the Carlsbad studio) but I also know that if I keep myself motivated I will walk a little taller, be a little leaner and overall feel better about myself. 

*disclosure: While I've been paying to attend classes at Carlsbad studio for months, I was offered free classes in exchange for blog love during the month of July. All opinions stated in this post are my own. 

I bought a shirt off the back of a van, and I'll do it again. Mobile Shopping with It's a Luv Thing

Imagine having the cutest boutique in the universe 1 mile from your house. 

Imagine what it would be like if one of your girlfriends owned this hot pink palace packed full of fun tops, comfy pants and locally made jewelry at affordable prices. It would be a dream. A dangerous dream.

When I first stumbled upon Kamie and It's a Luv Thing 6 years ago in Leucadia, I thought I had died and gone to shopping heaven. The cutest, sweetest woman owning and running a store packed full of everything I want to wear. Her store became my second closet.

When I was 5 months pregnant and needed a cute outfit to wear to Jason's birthday dinner, they styled me up in a Pucci-print maxi and red sandals. If I needed a top to wear on a girls night, a dress to wear to a baby shower, a present for my sister-in-law or just a new pair of the most perfect leggings ever, all I needed to do was hop down the street. As my dream turned into an addiction, I even traded social media/marketing services with her for clothes. At one point over half my closet was from Kamie's store. 

Alas, one wakes up from dreams. I moved, she moved...but we never broke up completely. 

The past few years have been rough on retail businesses of all sizes, but the smaller stores in my area have been hit hardest. High rents in coastal San Diego mixed with people pinching pennies have forced many businesses in my area to shut their doors. Also, the competition is stiff. National retailers such as H&M, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie have moved into the area - not only taking away dollars from locally owned stores, but also offering similar clothing at drasticly reduced sale prices. The small boutique, no matter how many loyal shoppers it has, has not been able to survive...without a little creativity, that is.

Kamie started her career as a Nordstrom buyer. From there she went on to build out the Juniors label at Rusty. She has an eye for trends and the best damn t-shirts you can find. She wasn't going to close up and walk away - she was going to take it with her. Enter the Luv Bus.

These days you can get a gourmet meal off the back of truck, so why not some great clothes? Kamie's Luv Bus is an bright red 1971 VW Bus with a custom hot pink fur interior - inside, it's stocked with adorable t-shirts, jeans, jewlery and dresses. She does local farmer's markets, street fairs, and pulls up in front of friends' spas and exercise studios. Having a fashion emergency? She's even been known to meet ladies to hand-deliver a new pair of skinnies or sparkly sweater. She carries favorite labels such as Gypsy '05, Wildfox and Chaser LA, and being that she's small and personal, she always has new clothes you can wear today - not when the season changes. 

Growing up in LA, my mom always joked "You know its a good day when you spot Angelyne's pink corvette!" Honestly, these days that's how I feel when I spot Kamie's Luv Bus rounding a corner or stopped at a light. Walking out to pull the car around after Jason's knee surgery, Kamie just happened to be passing by; stopping momentarily to give me a hug and a chocolate kiss, she made my day. 

So if you are driving through Encinitas and see her red bus - honk and wave. Celebrate the small businesses doing something unique. Celebrate those of us who are doing what they can to live their dreams. Or better yet - just stop and pick up a really cute top for dinner tonight. 

Find out where Kamie is! Like her on Facebook, Follow her on Twitter, or shop online at: http://itsaluvthing.myshopify.com/

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was just written out of luv. :)

Help Make ME A Style Setter for Fashion Valley Mall!

You know I'm a mall rat, right?

Maybe it's the OG 1980's/1990's Valley Girl in me, but I think I may have spent a good quarter of my life inside various malls. Between working at malls in High School and College to working across from them and working-out in them, I seem to always be going to or coming from one mall or another. And now it may finally pay off!

Yesterday I was notified that I'm a finalist for Simon Mall's Style Setter of the Fashion Valley Mall. If you know San Diego, you know that this is THE mall of the city. All the top stores from Tiffany and Co. to Louis Vuitton to Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Macys AND Nieman's calls this mall their home. If you are looking for premiere shopping in San Diego - this is your heaven. And I may be the blogger chosen to get special perks, previews and inside information on all things shopping and style. 

{{SQUEAL}}

Yes, opportunities like this make me giddy. 

While it's not the final decision, they are asking for some voting love from my adoring fans... (ahem). So here is where I ask oh so politely if you would please mosey over to the Fashion Valley Mall Facebook Page and vote for me. 

You can vote as many times as you would like (hint, hint) voting ends May 31st. 

Wish me luck! 

HipMamaB San Diego: The "Cirque" is in Town! *Promo Code For Cirque du Soleil #Totem

If you've driven on the I-5 corridor recently, I'm sure you've seen the massive blue and gold striped "Grand Chapiteau" in the parking lot of the Del Mar Fairgrounds; it's pretty hard to miss the 80 ft tall mast heads. Your children (or you) have probably squealed with delight at the thought of what is going on inside that tent...and hopefully you've already gone/gotten your tickets to go before they pack up and head out. 

The latest Cirque du Soleil show to come to San Diego, Totem, written and directed by Robert Lepage, is a "journey of the evolution of mankind." This particular show first debuted in Montreal in April 2010 and is currently touring North America. Cirque du Soleil calls this particular show a "hybrid show", meaning that it is the first of the shows to be created to be performed in the Grand Chapiteau and also inside various arenas. 

While I haven't seen the show yet (I'm taking the kids this Friday), I was lucky enough to be part of a private behind the scenes tour of the Grand Chapiteau a few weeks ago. And if you think what the public sees is amazing, backstage will blow your mind. 

The ramp from backstage to the stage...

When we think about traveling circuses, our minds probably flash back to the early-mid 1920's train car circuses ala Water for Elephants. But not this crew. The tent travels by truck and instead of camping in train cars, this company of 180 + gets to stay in rented apartments.

And if you have a fantasy of packing up your kids and running away with the circus - that is a distinct possibly with Cirque du Soleil. In addition to the cast and crew, they have 26 children travelling with the tour ranging from just a few months old to 17 years old. The kids even get to go to school on the Cirque campus. And just like you would expect, we got to see these kids learning how to ride unicycles during a break from classes. 

Now if you've seen any performance of Cirque du Soleil, you know that you need to have some serious talent to be part of that crew. With a database packed of thousands of possible performers, the average Cirque show takes years of preproduction work, using and developing the talents of their performers. So when you see an amazing team of acrobats working together, they probably have been working together for years, forming their bond of trust that allows them to dangle 30 feet in the air just holding each other's hands.

The tour we took was overwhelming with the details. Did you know they are truly a "green show"? Backstage you will not find little bottles of water headed for the landfills; the performers all have their own mugs to drink from.

Additionally all of the costumes, designed by Kym Barrett, are hand made in Montreal. All the beads, accessories - all specially crafted for Cirque. Barrett's designs come from documentary-based research, and the performers can be anything from a butterfly, Amazonian frog or Cosmonaut. Seeing the costumes up close, the detail is astonishing - I can only imagine what they will look like onstage. 

Cirque du Soleil Totem is only in San Diego until May 27th - and after that the Grand Chapiteau won't return to San Diego for another two years.

Tickets are still available - and if you join Cirque Club, you will get all the information on tour dates and any promotions they have available. 

*updated: Promotional Code Now Available!

2 Great Ways to Save on Tickets to TOTEM!

Click here to save up to 30% on select price levels and performances May 15^th – May 27^th

For more information visit http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/totem

*20% available on price level 1  for all performances May 5^th – May 27^th and price level 4 May 5^th – 14^th .  30% available on price level 2 & 3 for all performances May 15^th  – May 27^th.  Restrictions may apply. Subject to change.  Applicable to select price levels. Convenience fees and delivery fee will apply. Prices shown online during the purchasing process already reflect the above offer where applicable. Cannot be combined with any other offer.