Family Shopping + Holiday Hours at Waikele Premium Outlets

Disclosure: I have received compensation or other consideration from Simon in exchange for this post.  All opinions are honest and entirely my own.

As the holidays are just around the corner, we were thrilled to partner with Waikele Premium Outlets to showcase family shopping! After all, Waikele is where kama'aina families shop for amazing deals at over 50 brand name outlets. For back to school shopping, holiday shopping, or just treating yourself, you're guaranteed to find great values.

My son's feet are growing at a crazy speed. He needed new basketball shoes so our first stop was at Famous Footwear. We can always count on them to find great athletic shoes for the whole family. I also love the instant gratification of shopping in person since he can try on the shoes right away versus getting the wrong size in the mail and dealing with the hassle of returning them. 

The first pair he tried was too small. This one was perfect.

Ready for his next game!

Our next stop was French luxury skincare and beauty brand, Clarins. I've recently noticed my hands looking exceptionally dry and was looking for a remedy. The very knowledgeable salesperson recommended Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. While she wrapped up my sale, she gave my teenage daughter samples from their vegan line for younger skin. The brand has lines for everyone in the family, including the men! Not only do they carry great products, Clarins has a recycling program where you can bring back empty bottles (even other brands) and they will recycle them for you.    

Clarins has products for face and body as well as makeup and gift sets.

My son lives in t-shirts, but once in awhile he needs something dressier so we stopped by Tommy Hilfiger Kids. They have a great selection of shirts, polos, and denim in the classic American style that is synonymous with the name brand. We got a very nice polo for him that was 30% off!

This polo is great for a brunch or family dinner.

Now that my daughter is a teenager, it's fun that we can shop together in the same store. We checked out Saks Off 5th, a huge department store with over 800 designer brands for the entire family at up to 70% off! She found two cute tops that were just her style and I fell in love with a bright pretty dress. 

Stopped to admire the window display at Calvin Klein.

The cute floral dress I found at Saks Off 5th.

Lauren loved this top with lace details on the sleeves and back.

Get a head start on your holiday shopping! Waikele Premium Outlets just announced their holiday shopping hours. They will be open from 6am to 10pm on BLACK FRIDAY, 10am to 9pm on Nov 27, and 10am to 7pm on Nov 28.  They will also be open on Christmas Eve from 9am to 6pm so you can get your last minute holiday shopping finished. Don't forget to pick up a VIP Coupon Book for even more savings! Simply text VIP281 to 74666 to sign up for the free VIP Shopper Club.

Waikele Premium Outlets
94-790 Lumiaina St.
Waipahu, HI 96797

 

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Lion Coffee's Limited Edition Holiday Flavors

Disclosure:  Complimentary products were received for review purposes. 

Lion Coffee and Royal Kona's holiday flavors makes gift giving festive and fun! 

I know it’s not even Halloween, but I have a great holiday gift idea for your family and friends!  Lion Coffee!  Lion Coffee has released three limited edition holiday flavors: coconut caramel, gingerbread and frosty vanilla in special holiday packaging.  The limited edition flavors, as well as all their coffees, are easy to ship to long distance loved ones making gift giving this holiday season convenient and fun.  The special flavors are available only in the Lion Café & General Store and online (LionCoffee.com and HawaiiCoffeeCompany.com). 

Since my husband and I both enjoy coffee, we were very excited to try the holiday flavors!  The first thing we noticed was the contemporary new packaging.  I wanted to try the gingerbread flavor first because I love the sweet smell of gingerbread.  The coffee did not disappoint.  It had a great nutmeg smell and I enjoyed the taste because it was not overly sweet. 

Lion Coffee’s parent company, Hawaii Coffee Company, has also released their Royal Kona holiday flavors: Pumpkin Spice, Mele Kalikimocha, and Coco-Nutcracker.  My husband thought the Mele Kalikimocha sounded fun so we tried it next.  The Mele Kalikimocha is a 10% Kona coffee blend and we enjoyed the flavor notes of chocolate, cinnamon, and spice.  I speak for all coffee drinkers when I say these coffees would make great gifts!    

About Lion Coffee: Lion Coffee was voted “Hawaii’s Best” local coffee brand in 2017 and 2018 and is a favorite among locals and visitors alike. The coffee is roasted in the 55,000 square foot Hawaii Coffee Company roastery located in Kalihi and the packages are sealed to ensure freshness upon opening. The quality blends and local flavors make perfect gifts for your family and friends on the mainland who miss the local flavors of home.

Lion's Coffee recently rebranded and released their new stylish packaging!

Royal Kona's Mele Kalikimocha!  Photo Courtesy of Lion Coffee.

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Mother's Day Gift Ideas!

Now that I am a mother, Mother’s Day has become my second favorite commercial holiday, right behind Valentine’s Day.  But every year I struggle with Mother’s Day gifts for my mom and moms-in-laws so this year I decided to brainstorm with friends.  I also queried them on their Mother’s Day wish lists.  Here are the results from my very unscientific survey. 

Gifts to our mothers typically fall into one of two categories: gifts that pamper and gifts that are sentimental.  The gifts that pamper Mom include gifts of massages, pedicures, lunches, dinners and pretty things like flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and handbags.  Sentimental gifts cover photo books of the grandkids and handmade cards and gifts.  An honorable mention goes to the gift of patient tech support provided with no complaining.    

If your significant other is a mother, pay close attention.  Almost all moms wanted one thing:  TIME.  It was, however, split on how they wanted that time spent.  Half of moms wanted quality time with their families via a picnic, brunch or staycation.  The other half wanted time alone, be it at the spa, shopping or surfing.  Also highly wished for were handmade items by the children and material items like gift cards, jewelry, and tech items, specifically an iPhone 6 or an Apple watch. 

I personally have hoped for breakfast in bed for the past three years.  Once I realized it was not going to happen, I have been booking my family at a staycation over Mother’s Day weekend to ensure that I will get my breakfast in bed (dammit).  Of course, my family gets breakfast in bed too, but I wouldn’t be an awesome mother if I let them starve. ;)

Have a great gift idea?  Comment below!  Hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day!    

Special thanks to my friends/awesome moms for their input. 

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Visit Phoenix: Holidays at The Wigwam

Our family spent the holidays out of town for the first time, and thankfully our stay at The Wigwam provided us with a number of activities and events to make our holiday stay a magical one!

The grounds of the 400-acre resort were beautifully decorated with holiday lights, trees, wreaths, and ornaments, both inside and outside!

Such a large, beautiful tree

Stunning lobby

Love the decorations!

Another beautiful tree

Whenever we could, we'd stroll through the Wigwam Holiday Lights.  The decorations really delighted the kiddos!

Holiday Lights at The Wigwam

The Candy-Cane-lighted pathway to our suite

Walking through the grounds to view the lights

Even during the day the displays were fun to look at

More decorations - the sparkling tree was right outside our suite's window

During the holidays The Wigwam also offers a variety of fun activities (some for a fee), such as Breakfast with Santa, Snowball Toss, Cookie Decorating, Elf Tuck In, Gingerbread House Workshop, and Ice Skating!

 

My kids really had a blast ice skating under the Arizona sky in the chilly outdoors. It was my kids' first time ice skating and they sure had fun!

Ice skating!

The Wigwam also offered special holiday dinners, a holiday tea, and S'more fun.

Lights throughout the resort grounds, and a skating rink too!

I truly loved how festive the resort grounds were and how many events and activities there were at The Wigwam to create such a jolly atmosphere for all those staying at or visiting the resort.

 

A stay at The Wigwam during the holidays was truly memorable, and one that our family will never forget.

The Wigwam
300 East Wigwam Boulevard

Litchfield Park, AZ 85340
(623) 935-3811

Thank you to The Wigwam for the ice skating vouchers. 

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