Our Trip to the Zoo! (With Wonderful Halos Mandarins)

(This post is definitely in partnership with Wonderful Halos, but all ramblings and citrus inhaling are my own. We coo?)

Halos! Raise your hand if you bring one or 40 of these bags home from the grocery store every week? (I’m raising both hands. And legs.)

I remember growing up what a PAIN peeling an orange was. I never ate them because while trying to get to the actual fruit, I’d end up foaming at the mouth, losing all fingernails, wearing my fingers down to nubs, thus losing every last fiber of patience within me. Which wasn’t much to begin with. So.

But these Wonderful Halos mandarins are a totally different story. I think the actual hidden translation is life hack. A juicy, citrusy, perfect snacky life hack.

I’m not late to the Halos party! Oh halo no. I’ve been buying these beauts since the gremlins were just barely able to feed themselves. Luckily for me they fell hard for them, and the obsession hasn’t even begun to slow down. Holla! I mean Halo.

So, last week we took the grems (and a wagon full of Halos) to the zoo. FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. And it was super windy. That’s why my hair looks like a ferret landed on my head and started a new life colony.

One thing about day adventures with kiddies (and I know you know this, <“They don’t know that we know they know we know.” – name that show>) is that you have to go in geared up, armed and slightly dangerous. And by that I mean SNACKS. All the snacks. Snacks for days. Snacks snacks snacks.

Enter HALOS, baby.

I especially dig Halos mandarins because a) they’re RIDICULOUSLY EASY to peel. You basically look at them and the peels fall off. Plus it makes the kids feel super accomplished when they get the whole thing stripped naked and ready to devour.

Also, and this might sound crazy, but I love taking them as an on-the-go snack! If you bring a little paper bag for the peels, it gives the kids something to DO, something else to FOCUS on. #momtrick

Look at those weird monkeys!

The animals in the trees are cute, too.

I love citrus all year round, but espeeeeecially in the winter/spring months, when noses runneth, mouths sneezeth, and little baby gremlin faces turn into ponds of snotteth. They don’t realize they’re snacking on nutrition. I love swindling!

Also, it’s vitally important to your health for your clothing to match the fruit you’re eating. Don’t quote me on that.

Nat, I don’t think penguins eat mandarins. But you’re sweet to offer.

They were ENAMORED with the penguins. You see how part of the window is under water and you can watch them swim? Terrifying.

Oh look! My ferret head has multiplied by at least 80. Awesome.

We were crossing this enormous bridge over into Africa (I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN AAAAFRICAAAA. No I didn’t sing that at the top of my lungs the entire time we were at the zoo, why do you ask?) and this massive, deafening train came charging under the bridge, honking his horn so loudly, I screamed, nearly fainted and fell off the bridge.

I showed my dad the video and he said, “You know that engineer on the train was blowing for you! He doesn’t have to blow going under a bridge. And that is not the horn blowing pattern that is used when you approach a crossing. If he was blowing simply because he was approaching a crossing it would be a series of long held notes. Then when you get to the crossing there’s a bunch of short notes. (spoken by a true railroad nerd!)”

That’s my dad. It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?

The kangaroos were all locked behind this big fence, due to construction, so this was as close as we got to a kangaroo that particular day. Apparently they ROAM FREELY. Just bouncin’ and pouncin’ around, all freak show-like. I would have cried and barfed simultaneously.

Another thing about Halos that I dig – the flavor! Duh. They’re sweet. And seedless! Hello, zero hassle. Which, if you think about it, is another genius swindle move right into your kids’ mouths. Mine just funnel funnel funnel. That is, when they’re not high tailing it away from me.

YOU’RE NEVER MOVING AWAY SO DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

Perfect little sweet treats! (p.s. there’s a huge giraffe to our right, so my knees were pretty much caving in at this moment.)

Would you believe we started with something like, 15 Halos mandarins at the beginning of the trip? So, let’s see – 15, times whatever percentage of vitamin C is in each one, equaaaaals . . . I dunno. All the fist bumps.

This is what my hair is going to look like if I don’t wash it PRONTO.

Also, this is what my front yard is going to look like this summer if I have anything to say about it. Aaron so hates me right now.

Overall, I’d say it was a successful first jaunt to the zoo! Thanks to a bunk ton of Halos mandarins, flawless temperatures, giddy gremlins, and my constant jumpy yips and scaredy-cat shrieks. (you know who I am, don’t you?)

Now, the halos over their heads? That might take a little bit more work.