The Great Big Game Show + Promo Code!

Have you heard of the Great Big Game Show? Located in Ala Moana Shopping Center, it's an hour-long interactive entertainment experience where you compete as contestants on a TV-style soundstage complete with your very own gameshow host! You only need 2 contestants to play and each group will be split into two teams to compete in various mini-games. Every game show includes 5 or more mini-games and with over 17 rotating mini-games, it'll be a different experience each time you visit.

For our group of 11, we decided to play girls versus boys. Sora was our amazing game show host and explained the rules of each game. She kept our games super fun with her high energy and enthusiasm. The hour went by quickly thanks to all the fun we were having, and Sora captured all our best moments in a Highlight Reel we received the next day. That gift was a very nice touch and so fun to watch. Our group had the best time with one of my friends calling it five-star fun! Definitely recommend for groups that enjoy a little competition.

Co-host Chip 

Rolling to see who goes first

Ready Bet Go

Puzzles to solve in Letter Roll

The Great Big Game Show recommends their games for ages 6 and up. A paying guardian (18+) must participate with anyone 14 or younger, and anyone under 18 will need an adult to sign their waiver. Children ages 4 and under are welcome to tag along free of charge, but call them before booking as each game has a maximum player capacity of 14 contestants. Currently they are running a $35 ticket (regular $45.99) Back to School promotion with code BTS35. Offer ends 8/31 and play by 9/30/26

Thank you to the Great Big Game Show for hosting Hawaii Mom Blog! All opinions are honest and entirely my own.

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YMCA Healthy Kids Day April 18 and Upcoming Events!

Mililani YMCA

Healthy Kids Day: Run, play and hop on over to the YMCA of Honolulu’s annual Healthy Kids Day which makes its return Saturday, April 18, at all YMCA of Honolulu branches island-wide. The free community event is open to individuals and families of all ages and invites the public to enjoy a wide range of interactive, family-friendly activities designed to promote healthy living, youth development, and community connection. Attendees are encouraged to get their free tickets online in advance. To learn more and register, please visit bit.ly/ymca-healthy-kids-day-2026.

Leeward Y Martial Arts: Leeward Y’s martial arts program, offered monthly on Mondays from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Thursdays from 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Fridays from 4-5 p.m. and 5-6 p.m., and Saturdays from 1-3 p.m., provides teens and adults with a fun, structured way to build strength and discipline. Participants learn a blend of techniques—from striking and grappling to balance and ground skills—while improving coordination, self-defense and overall fitness.

Nuʻuanu Y Youth Aikido: The Nuʻuanu Y's aikido classes, held monthly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 3-4 p.m., offer a unique approach to self-defense that emphasizes harmony, discipline, and personal growth. Open to participants ages 6 and up, the program helps build confidence, focus, and mind-body coordination while fostering respect and awareness through the practice of “ki,” or universal energy.

‘Ōpio Summer Membership: Teens ages 13-18 can stay active, safe and connected through the ‘Ōpio Summer Membership program, offering up to 815 free memberships from May 30-August 2. With access to seven YMCA locations across Oʻahu, teens can enjoy gyms, pools, fitness centers, group classes and more — plus opportunities to make new friends, give back through community service and connect with caring mentors.

Summer Day Camp: Keiki can join Summer Day Camp for a variety of fun experiences, including outdoor play, weekly field trips, arts and crafts, and more, with options that include overnight camp at Camp Erdman for eligible ages. These programs help keiki thrive through exploration, friendship and learning all summer long.

Y Teen Club: The Y Teen Club is open to students who have completed grades 6-7 and Summer Junior Leadership is open to students who have completed grades 8-11. Both are free this year and offer activities that build confidence, connection and leadership skills.

Summer Challenge: An annual event designed to motivate and engage members through fun, goal-oriented activities that encourage healthy habits and community connection. We will share more details on this once it is finalized.

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YMCA of Honolulu November Promotion!

This November, the YMCA of Honolulu is offering a special promotion when you join; they will give your first month free and waive the $99 joiner fee! When you become a member of the YMCA, you will have membership to all Oahu YMCA locations and 2,700+ participating Ys across the United States with no contracts (cancel anytime) and no annual fees. 

Here's what's included:

• Family-friendly environment with programs for all ages and skill levels

• Heated pool, fitness center, and pickleball courts

• Access to 350+ in-person classes weekly and 1,500+ livestream and on-demand classes

• Free YMCA’s teen programs (6th to 12th grade) including academic support, enriching activities, island-wide adventures and more!

Family memberships also include free Child Watch for ages 3 months to 12 years, so you can enjoy your workout while your keiki are cared for!

Outdoor basketball and pickle ball court at the Mililani YMCA

Treadmills and fitness equipment

Stairmaster and elliptical machines 

Weight machines

Free weights 

My family has been enjoying our trial membership at the Mililani YMCA for a couple of weeks now. You will find me in the airconditioned fitness center 2-3 times a week catching up on Netflix while Cade works out in the weight room. At first, I was worried that he would be working out alone, but the weight room is staffed with an attendant so now I have peace of mind. 

We have been enjoying our sessions and it's great to see so many members of the community visiting the YMCA whether it be for swim lessons, karate, group fitness classes, or a workout.   

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Dave & Buster's New Ala Moana Location

Prize from Human Crane Game!

Dave & Buster's Honolulu has a new home at Ala Moana Shopping Center, first level, across from Foodland Farms. The new location has a larger midway of over 120 games and VR experiences. Featured games include Godzilla VR, Wicked Tuna, life-sized versions of Hungry Hungry Hippos, Minecraft Dungeons Arcade, and the thrilling Human Crane experience.

Also new is a 49-seat state-of-the-art sports bar and a self-serve beer wall; six interactive  private Game Suites where guests can book their own dedicated space with a game choice of either High Tech Darts or Digital Shuffleboard; A VIP Room; and "The Arena" - two immersive rooms featuring interactive digital floors, walls, and ceilings. 

One of the dining areas

Basketball and Football Games

New games

Dining spaces

Pepperoni Flatbread

Southwest Salmon Bowl

Game Day Grub Sample Board

Strawberry Shortcake

S'mores Cheesecake

After attending the media event, I returned with my son a couple of weeks later to play games. It was very busy with a long line of people waiting for tables, but if you are just looking to play the midway you can access one of the many self-service kiosk to load your power card. What I was most excited to see was that you can redeem your tickets for dessert! We are definitely doing that next time when it's not as crowded.  

Be sure to check out their website for the many promotions including Half-Price Games Wednesdays and College Night Thursdays where College students receive a free $10 Power Card with a valid student I.D. (Thursdays, 9 p.m. - close, 18+ only). Military members and first responders receive 15% off food and non-alcoholic beverages with valid I.D. 

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Visit Maui: Molokini Crater with Kai Kanani

 

Visiting Molokini Crater on Maui has been on my bucket list for some time so I definitely wanted to make it happen on a recent trip to Maui. I researched the many tour companies that go out to Molokini and I am happy to report Kai Kanani Sailing surpassed all our expectations! Here’s why we chose their Sunrise Deluxe Snorkel: 

1. They welcome all ages! Infants 1 and under are free and children 2-12 are charged a discounted rate. They also offer 15% off for kamaʻāina with a Hawaii drivers license or state ID. 

2. They leave from Maluaka Beach in Makena, which was just 15 minutes away from our hotel in Kihei! Even better if you are staying in Wailea since they provide a shuttle service to and from the check-in location. 

3. It is a short 3 mile cruise out to Molokini Crater. This was super important to me as I am prone to sea sickness. 

During the short ride, we receive our snorkel gear

4. They are the first snorkel boat into Molokini in the morning. We had about 45 minutes of solitude in waters with up to 200 feet of visibility. It was amazing. As we left, the other tour boats started coming in. 

Water was warm!

Clear visibility

First boat out to Molokini made for a better experience

5. They visit Turtle Town! It was so fun to snorkel up close (but 10 feet away) with the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles.

Our snorkel selfie

6. They provide a three-course breakfast! The cinnamon rolls are delicious and one of the best things we had our entire Maui vacation.

Best cinnamon roll!

We enjoyed our hearty breakfast!

7. They have an open bar. It was nice to have a drink after a morning of snorkeling while we leisurely sailed down the Makena Coast. 

Cheers to a beautiful day in Maui!

8. The entire tour is just 3.5 hours. We arrived back at the beach by 9:45am and still had the whole day still ahead of us. 

This was the first time snorkeling for many in our group and the staff at Kai Kanani were amazing and really took great care of us. They offered floatation devices as well as boogie boards in the water and all snorkel equipment. Reef safe sunscreen is also provided and there are restrooms aboard the catamaran. The only thing you need to worry about is bringing your own towels. 

The snorkeling was so fun and seeing the many fish and turtles in crystal clear waters was a pretty amazing experience. As a mom, it's always so great seeing the kids learn something new and seeing them enjoy snorkeling and having so much fun jumping off the boat over and over again made for such a great memory.

Lauren had to give me some encouragement to jump off the catamaran.

We loved our snorkel adventure with Kai Kanani!

Kai Kanani is family-owned and operated and has been in business for over 30 years. The Kai Kanani II is the only commercial catamaran that lives in South Maui, moored off Maluaka Beach in Makena. The tours they offer are the Sunrise Deluxe Snorkel, Signature Deluxe Snorkel, Adventure Sunset Sail, Adventure Whale Watch, as well as private charters. Kai Kanani features fresh island foods, all curated by Wailea’s The Market, a chef-inspired deli and café using locally sourced and house-cured ingredients. Their bar features Maui’s Organic Ocean Vodka, Kula Rum, Fy Gin, and wines from MauiWine in Ulupalakua. 

Thank you to Kai Kanani for the media rate. All opinions are entirely my own.

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Visit Alaska- Ice Fishing

While planning our trip to Fairbanks, Alaska, I checked out viator for excursions and activities in the area. I came upon ice fishing which is something I knew my son would love. Better yet was that it was ice fishing in a heated cabin! Something I knew the rest of us would love.

Our excursion was provided by Rod's Alaskan Guide Service and it was excellent. We arrived at one of their two cabins and were paired with a couple for our 10am to 2pm time slot. Our guide Mike thoroughly explained everything to us including safety measures and also helped us with our fishing poles and bait. We were fishing right away and within the hour we caught a salmon! The kids caught two more which really made our day. The guide will grill whatever you catch so it was a good thing we had 3 between the 4 of us to share. If you don't catch anything, they will still feed you reindeer sausage. The sausage is a mix of reindeer with beef and pork so it tasted just like a hot dog.

Patiently waiting for a bite.

Lauren caught one!

It was a nice day so they even drilled some holes outside the cabin so we could try our luck outside. It was a great and memorable experience for us and I would highly recommend it!  

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Visit Alaska - Borealis Basecamp

Seeing the Aurora Borealis in person has always been on my bucket list so I began researching the best places to see it. Turns out Fairbanks, Alaska is one of the top listed locations and many travelers recommend a stay at Borealis Basecamp. Located just 25 miles north of Fairbanks, Borealis Basecamp offers 28 rooms (cubes and igloos) with prime aurora viewing on 100 acres.

Each room can fit 3 people maximum so my family had to reserve 2 rooms and we chose the 2 night package that included transportation to and from Fairbanks, a one hour dogsledding tour, and a one hour snow machine tour. We added on a 45 minute Reindeer walk and a photography session for the family. Breakfast is included.

Our experience at the Basecamp was amazing and nothing like we have ever experienced. The staff is great and the excursions were excellent. We had so much fun and were so lucky that the aurora came out both nights that we were there. It was magical and I'm very thankful I got to experience it with my family.

Keeping warm in a Borealis Basecamp Igloo.

Dogsledding. We took turns sitting and standing.

A learning reindeer walk. Absolutely my favorite!

Snowmachine experience was very exciting. Drivers need to be 16.

Snowshoes are available for fun in the snow! 

Right outside my igloo! An amazing experience!

Borealis Basecamp
2640 Himalaya RD
Fairbanks, AK 99701

 

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Visit Maui: Discover New Exhibits at the Maui Ocean Center

Touching sea creatures in the tide pool is a perfect way for little ones to learn.

It's been a minute since my family visited the Maui Ocean Center. In fact, I wrote a post here from 2015! Earlier this month, I attended a media visit to the Maui Ocean Center to see all the updates and changes they have made in the recent years.

The Maui Ocean Center is so much more than an aquarium. In addition to the many amazing ocean life exhibits, they also offer cultural practitioner presentations and storytelling including iʻa (fish) net weaving, traditional Hawaiian mea hana (tools), niu (coconut) weaving, wood kālai (carving), lei making, hula, and more. They currently have two ongoing Hawaiian cultural exhibits: Hawaiians and the Sea exhibit and the Kahoʻolawe exhibit. 

Also new to the ocean center is the the Humpbacks of Hawaiʻi Exhibit & Sphere.  The sphere is the first-of-its-kind in Hawai‘i, offering a 3D experience that allows guests to connect with humpbacks in their world by integrating 4k imagery and a 7.1 surround sound system. Definitely do not miss this experience included with your admission. 

The center also offers additional experiences like a 90-minute Hawaiian Culture & Plant Tour led by a dedicated naturalist showcasing the ecological and cultural connections between land and ocean in Hawaiian culture and an after hours yoga class called Aquari-OM.  

The Hawaiian Culture & Plant Tour is a multi-sensory experience.

The tour includes a  hands-on experiences with kalo (taro root)

The Aquari-OM yoga class was unique and fun!

Don't miss out on one of the best views of Māʻalaea Harbor at Seascape restaurant where they serve daily fresh-caught fish from the very same harbor. The restaurant prides itself on sustainable dining and is a Platinum Certified “Ocean Friendly Restaurant” which means every dish they serve is environmentally friendly. The menu is crafted by award-winning Executive Chef Enrique “Henry” Tariga.  

Kalo Poke Nachos

I'a Chef's Fish Poke Bowl 

What was most impressive to me in this visit is that I learned about the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute, a non-profit, and its commitment to coral reef restoration and sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation. The institute operates one of only four land-based coral nurseries in the US and also rehabilitates sick and injured sea turtles in Hawaiʻi. 

Truly, my recent visit to the Maui Ocean Center was eye-opening and gave me a new appreciation for Hawaii's surrounding sea and local culture. It was such a unique experience and definitely a must-visit in Maui.

Maui Ocean Center

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Visit Chicago: Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary

We had some time to kill before checking in to our hotel, so we walked through Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary.  

It's an easy stroll along the paved paths throughout the bird sanctuary, where you can see a variety of foliage.

We did see a few birds as well, but most of them were flying high above and hard to see within the trees.

The area was originally the location of Army barracks, and certain plants were grown to hide the barracks from view.  These plants attracted hundreds of birds.  After the Army left, more shrubs and trees were planted.

We saw hundreds of wildflowers and, as usual, I was drawn to the colorful plants.

The paths continue on to the shore, where you can get a nice view of the city.

The Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary was a nice way to spend some time outdoors in Chicago!

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