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Beach at Oceano

Oceano is a quieter beach town than neighboring Grover Beach and Pismo Beach but it is still part of Pismo State Beach and visitors are catching on to the this little gem in San Luis Obispo County. It is actually where the famous dunes are located but many visitors would often mistakenly think they're still in Pismo Beach, when in fact, the Oceano Dunes are located well, in Oceano, California.

There's a mix of the old and new. It's trying to change but there is a bit of hesitation. I like hanging out at beach here when the evening is nice, we also have a bonfire here. Here's a picture of one of the nights when we had a bonfire in Oceano.

However, you really have to be careful with people driving on the beach once you get out of your vehicle to walk on the sand, especially with little ones! Nonetheless, it's a gift to be able to drive or ride on the beach. It is the last beach area in California where you can pay to drive on the beach. (You can also drive on the beach from the Grover Beach entrance and into the Dunes as well.) Moreover, you can actually camp on the beach here for only $10 a night! See a video of some cars on the beach while we were camping at Oceano.

See My Short Video of My Drive on the Beach Entering from Grover Beach and Driving Through Oceano Below

See My Short Video of the Velella Velella, By-the-wind Sailors, When They Made Their Appearance in Oceano

However, beach aside, I really want to highlight on the places in Oceano that you can visit as a visitor. I spent a morning with my kiddos there and took some pictures of Oceano's neat places.

Oceano Depot

Oceano Depot is a community museum where you can go inside the visitor's center and get some brochures. There is a bit of a courtyard in the back where you can see some stationed collections. It's a nice place to stretch your legs a bit and learn some history. Oceano Depot Address: 1650 Front St, Oceano, CA 93445

The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville

One of the most unique things about the beach town of Oceano is there is a very professional theatre located on Front St. called The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville or just Melodrama Theatre for short. It has the traditional vibe of a theatre that reminds me of San Diego. One of the most coolest things about this place is when there is intermission, the actors themselves also run the concessions! My kids are still too antsy to sit still through a whole theatre show so my husband and I went on a date here when my mother-in-law was in town to watch the kiddos. It was a unique way to spend time with him and it's probably one of my favorite dates with my husband. Melodrama Theatre Address: 1863 Front St, Oceano, CA 93445

Elk Lodge

Whenever you drive towards Oceano Beach, you'll notice Elk Lodge. I don't think it's actually a place for the public but it's memorable. They have events there for fundraisers, but it still seems like a member-only type of place. However, the building is unique so I took a picture of the place. They seem to occasionally have public events like a Halloween event every year! Elk Lodge Address: 410 Air Park Dr. Oceano, CA 93445

Deltina Coffee Roasters

Deltina (formerly Quintessa) Coffee Roasters is a coffee shop that roasts their own coffee! They have a little courtyard in the back for you to enjoy your coffee and do some reading. I ordered a latte and really enjoyed the great quality of their coffee! Deltina Coffee Roasters Address: 1945 Front St., Oceano, CA 93445

Oceano Community Center

I've taken advantage of the Parent Participation Program here and they've hosted many free community events for kids at the Oceano Community Center over the years as well. I think it's a really good place to look into for finding free events throughout the year for the kids. It's a pretty building with one main large community space for activities. Oceano Community Center Address is 1425 19th St, Oceano, CA 93445.

Reading Suggestions:

• Read about my staycation at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.
• See my other blog entries and pictures of other beaches in San Luis Obispo County.

Popular Things To Do with Kids in San Luis Obispo County

• Central Coast Zoo (Formerly Charles Paddock Zoo) -- Read my blog review
• Hearst Castle -- Read my blog review
• The Ravine Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• Mustang Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• San Luis Obispo Children's Museum -- Read  my blog review
• Central Coast Aquarium -- Read my blog review
• San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum -- Learn more
• Paso Robles Children's Museum -- Read my blog review
• Exploration Discovery Center -- Read my blog review
• Museum of Natural History -- Learn more
• Avila Valley Barn -- Read my blog review

Update: The Kindergarten in Training Program that I blogged about below is no longer active. The City of Arroyo Grande has discontinued the program. However, you're welcome to continue and still read about our experience. 

It was two years ago when my older son was in the Kindergarten in Training program, K.I.T. for short, that's run by the City of Arroyo Grande but I hadn't had the chance to write a review here about my thoughts of the program until now. More things in San Luis Obispo County are starting to open up, including preschools, so I thought it would be helpful for other parents out there if they are looking for a review on preschools.

When I had enrolled my son in the K.I.T. program, he was turning 5 years old and we had just moved here from the East Coast. I was hunting around for a preschool program for a few hours a day for a few days a week and found this program by the City of Arroyo Grande. It's an afternoon program for Mondays, Wednesdays & Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and it was exactly what I was looking for.

We went on a tour to make sure he liked it and I enrolled him in February. I think because he was starting after Spring semester had already started, there were hurdles already lined up for him. Not only had we just moved here from the East Coast just a month before, he was also the "new kid" for the program. Whereas, maybe some of the kids in the class have been friends from the semester(s) before, he was the stranger there in more ways than one. However, I knew that keeping him at home would cause him to feel more alienated and may cause him to have a harder time to adjust to kindergarten the following semester after that. I had to brave it, and so did he. Well, on the first day, he did great! Then, the second day, not so great. There were tears, probably from feeling like an outsider while some kids group up during play time. 

In all honesty, if it were me, I would have a hard time even if I try to not show it. Cliques start so early and being that new kid in a classroom full of unfamiliar kids who are not starting on the same foot, is scary. Although there were many bad days, to the point where I feel like they rather not have my kid there because he was crying so much, we made it to the end and he went to his K.I.T graduation! It was a lesson to learn but I was so proud of him. And now, two years later as a first grader, he doesn't remember ever going to the K.I.T. program by the City of Arroyo Grande so that confirms to me that it didn't traumatize him going there as the new kid from a different coast. Furthermore, he passed everything during his tests at kindergarten round-up, something that many school districts in SLO county have for incoming kindergarteners to test their academic level, and I attribute a lot of it to us having him go to the K.I.T. program there.

If you're interested in the City of Arroyo Grande's K.I.T. program, I'd recommend it, even if my son didn't have a perfect time. Academic-wise, he had something to show for it. 

Read my other preschool reviews for San Luis Obispo County.

Not ready for your little one go to preschool? See a list of Mommy and Me type programs in San Luis Obispo County.

In the past, the City of Arroyo Grande had planned Kids Night Out in this very same building at Elm Street Park and my kids really had a great time. See a list of Kids Night Out or Parents Night Out options in San Luis Obispo County, where you drop off the kids for a few hours and pick them up later.

I've been in a granola mood today and thought to myself, I've never made my own granola before. I don't have any plain oats at home, just the instant oatmeal packets so I started digging online to see if there are recipes that used instant oatmeal packets. After comparing a few recipes, I decided to concoct my own using the ingredients I already have on hand. I made a small batch and here's how it turned out!

(My finished granola using apple & cinnamon instant oatmeal packets, flax seeds, table syrup, olive oil and solar-dried banana)

They turned out excellent and I'm so happy! It was crunchy, sweet but not overly, and flavorful! Here's my ingredients list and instructions below. I only used 5 different ingredients for my granola!

Ingredients list:

• 4 instant apple and cinnamon flavor oatmeal packets (4 packets was equivalent to about 1.15 cup, just a smidge overflowed when I was measuring it with my 1 cup measurement)
• 1/4 cup of flax seeds
• 1/8 cup of olive oil
• 1/8 cup of table syrup (I used a packet from one of my to-go food orders that I had lying around)
• 2 pieces of solar-dried banana. The exact brand I used is: Jiraporn Solar Dried Natural Banana Flat Shape 240g (Pack of 2)

 (We made these colored eggs with emoji stickers that came in our Easter egg coloring kit.)

Instead of ham this Easter, I am cooking a whole chicken in a crock pot today. I've done it before in the past and am not sure why I haven't cook my chicken this way more often. I think it's because it takes a long time and requires a bit of planning. 

RECIPE & QUICK INSTRUCTIONS
For the whole chicken, I am seasoning with fresh garlic, 2 lemons, dried oregano, salt and pepper. I crushed a whole garlic and halved every clove. For my lemon, I cut 1 in half and another one in quarters. After cleaning my chicken and slicing to the bone around the drumsticks, I season my chicken with 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/3 teaspoon of pepper. Then, I brown the chicken in 1.5 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 halves of lemon and my garlic. After that, I transferred my chicken into the crock pot and add 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon, 1/4 cup of water, squeezed the wedges of lemon from the other lemon I sliced and mix them while the pan is still in medium heat. Then, I transfer all that yummy liquid, the halves of lemon, to the crock pot and drizzle it all over the chicken. Now, I'm setting the timer for 3.5 hours on high heat. I have a pretty hot crock pot. I always find that I always need to cook less time than recipes I've found online by a half hour or hour, depending on the setting or else my meat gets too dry. My chicken is about 5 pounds. I got it for a really good deal at Aldi for $4.80!

Whole Chicken Crock Pot Ingredients List:

• 4 - 5 lb chicken
• 1.5 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 lemons
• 1 whole garlic
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• .5 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 teaspoon of pepper
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of chicken bullion granules

Now, during the first hour, you may be tempted to add more liquids but don't! Within the second hour, you'll see the juices from the chicken come out as you know many of the chickens in the market nowadays have added water too.

I'm going to be serving this chicken with a side of steamed asparagus and whole boiled sweet potatoes. It's going to be healthy and hearty.

Happy Easter, everyone.

See family-friendly things to do in San Luis Obispo County.

Earlier this month, my family decided to celebrate our son's birthday by planning a surprise staycation at the Madonna Inn! Madonna Inn is a famous California boutique motel property where every room has a different theme, meaning no two rooms are alike! 

Now that the stay-at-home order has been lifted and back to a tier level, we felt that our son deserved something extra special. He missed traveling like we used to do when things were more normal and had always enjoyed staying at hotels so when Madonna Inn was advertising their weekday specials, we took advantage of it! We stayed at the San Francisco Room. The walls and ceilings were burgundy! Not pictured here were also 2 twin-sized beds that were perfect for my sons. Those were closer to the bathrooms. Therefore, there were 3 beds inside of the San Francisco Room.

We checked-in on a Sunday because it was my son's actual birthday and coincidentally, he had a school day off the following day because his school was closed for Lincoln's Birthday! We're grateful for the good timing. We also took advantage of their pool area as well! Even though it was a bit windy, the hot spa kept us comfortable.

Walking towards the pool's pathway, we got to take a nice stroll around and see more of Madonna Inn's beautiful architecture. 

As a guest here, parking at the hotel was free, which is so nice. Many cities don't have the luxury of not charging hotel guests for parking. There are so many perks for living here in SLO county; and for travelers as well.

We also ordered from the Copper Cafe, Madonna Inn's famous Cafe and Bakery, twice during our stay. Since it was such a short walk within the property, we would just order ahead on the phone for take out and then walk there to pick it up. We mentioned that it's my son's birthday night so they gave us a free dessert. My son loves chocolate so we went with the Black Forest slice of cake. It was delicious and definitely big enough to share! We blew candles earlier that morning from a whole cake so I think he was just caked out. He had a few bites and was done so my husband and I devoured the rest! 
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We were being rebels and ate dinner on the bed of the San Francisco Room as a family. My husband also stopped by the cellar that was downstairs from Madonna Inn's restaurants to pick up a bottle of Madonna Inn wine for our dinner as well. I really love their logo.
 

The next morning, we ordered breakfast to-go from the Copper Cafe and ate on the bed again. Their breakfast portions were huge, even the kid's portion! Then, we checked out and upon check out, they let us pick a postcard to keep for free. Of course, we picked the San Francisco Room postcard for keepsake.

See Room Rates for Madonna Inn

This is one of two staycations that I enjoyed at the Madonna Inn. Read about my staycation experience for a different room: Room 111 Antique Cars at the Madonna Inn.

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

Read About All of Our Travel Adventures and Reviews:

• Birthday Weekend at LEGOLAND Castle Hotel Review and LEGOLAND California Amusement Park Review


• Birthday Celebration at Great Wolf Lodge in Southern California


• Universal Studios Hollywood Family Trip During Spring Break


• Ensenada Cruise on Carnival Cruise for 3 Days


• Ensenada and Catalina Island Cruise on Royal Caribbean for 4 Days


• Alaska Cruise on Princess Cruise for 11 Days


• Moon Palace The Grand Family Summer Vacation in Cancun for 5 Days


• Cabin Trip in Monterey


• Staycations at the Iconic Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast of California: Madonna Inn’s San Francisco Room Review OR Madonna Inn’s Antique Room Review


• Staycation at the Granada Hotel & Bistro in Downtown San Luis Obispo


• Staycation at La Quinta Inn in Downtown San Luis Obispo


• Staycation in Atascadero at The Carlton Review