San Diego, CA
San Diego Moms: Easter Gift Guide 2025
Overview:
Scrambling to find unique and fun Easter basket gifts for your little one? Check out our annual guide.
Easter is a few weeks away and you may be thinking about how to fill your kids’ baskets with unique and fun items. Check out our annual guide for affordable gift options that will keep your little ones smiling and busy.
For the littlest bunnies
For the youngest Easter fans, we love the offerings from GUND. The brand offers snuggly cuddle toys that are also fun to engage with! Check out the Peek-a-Boo Flappy the Elephant, an animated plush elephant, with floppy limbs for on-the-go fun, the Oh So Snuggly Cow, a premium-soft plush with a quilted security blanket and the Disney Knit Collection that are perfect for any fans. We also love GUND’s Sustainably Soft Ring Rattles.
Bring warmth to your little one this Easter with Warm Pals. These clever plushies feature internal packs that can be either warmed or chilled to provide soothing comfort for achy days. Simply snuggle up with a refreshingly cool Warm Pal to instantly calm bumps, bruises, fevers, and insect bites on summer days.
For the school-aged bunnies
Hop into spring with the new Littlest Pet Shop Springtime Fun. Choose between the sweet Bunny or the charming Rooster, or collect both for double the fun! Each set includes one adorable pet with their signature bobblin’ head. If your little one loves the “surprise fun” trend, check out the Mini Surprise Plush Pets. Open up to reveal one of 12 snuggly pets, including a Panda, Cat, Pig, Cow, Bunny, and more.
A Moriah Elizabeth fan? Check out the Limited-Edition Easter Plush Collection. There are 6 different characters to collect, including Easter Pickle, Easter Derp, Easter Cathy, Easter Lemon, Easter Chicken Chicken, Easter Poopy! Each plushie comes in a blind box for surprise unboxing fun.
Get interactive with the Knotz Animal DIY kids’ toys. Unwind the yarn-ball blind capsule to find everything needed to create 1 of 12 soft pals with lots of personality. Follow the included step-by-step instructions to knot, twist, and style a cute animal out of bendable faux fur stems and accessories.
The endless fidgety fun Lite-Brite Touch Mini is a portable twist to last year’s award-winning Touch! This compact Lite-Brite lets you light up your imagination with just a simple touch – featuring 25 light-up buttons in seven different colors.

The new Bluey Hide and Seek Game makes finding lovable Bluey a challenge and that’s all the fun. Start a lively game by hiding Bluey anywhere inside and starting the “Hide and Seek” timer. Every few seconds, kids hear Bluey’s voice giving them clues and giggles as they race to reveal her hiding place.
Get up and be active with Skip It. This revamp of the 90s toy has all the fun of the original – but with the addition of sounds, lights, and a digital counter! Slip the padded ring around the ankle. Flip the on switch and press the button to start a new game.
Encourage imagination with SpinMaster’s new CrystaLynx Dragons. Inside each crystal mystery egg is an articulated dragon with stunning colors & highly flexible joints that make it easy to twist, bend and pose it in various shapes like a fun fidget toy. Plus, you can mix & match joints from other dragons to create your very own unique creature.
Get those young brains moving and grooving with a quality puzzle! Mudpuppy offers an assortment of fun puzzles to engage little minds. We love the Springtime Puzzle To Go, Bunny Bouquet 48 Piece Scratch & Sniff Shaped Mini Puzzle and Garden Bunnies 25 Piece Floor Puzzle with Shaped Pieces. Also, check out Mudpuppy’s Bow-Wow Bunny Board Book.
The Master of Disguise Kit is your passport to a world of secret identities and endless fun. With over 40 accessories, you can create countless unique disguises and let your creativity soar.
Inspired by latte art and designer cookies made in stylish coffee shops and social media videos, Art Café introduces this pour & pull paint technique to arts and crafts. Beautiful designs emerge in magical transformations with this simple pour and pull technique.
Embark on a delightful bidding adventure with Strawberry Shortcake, a lively card game filled with charm and excitement. Engage in fun bids for cards featuring beloved characters and items, and use straightforward placement rules to craft lucrative collections! Fun for the whole family!
The Rainbow Mini Pack from CONNETIX introduces STEAM learning through a vibrant selection of magnetic tiles in various shapes and colors. This pack enhances creativity and building potential, allowing users to create a wide range of designs, from rockets to mandalas, while benefiting from stronger magnets and a signature bevel design.
For the tween and teen bunnies

Flipslide is a fast-moving, electronic handheld matching game! Master the moves to beat the blocks in this addictive, fast paced puzzle game of skill. Flip to find the color and slide to match the lights.
Based on The New York Times bestselling Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, the Worst-Case Scenario Card Game is perfect for a game night among family or friends. Players must ask themselves how they would compare living through a pandemic to being chased by a gorilla, losing your memory, or being lost at sea.
Bring some affordable adventure to your kid’s world with Sky Viper drones. The Sky Viper Dash Nano Drone is a 2-inch compact sized drone that is great for flying indoors. This ultra-durable drone features auto launch and land, and one-touch stunts. Or, light up the room with the Sky Viper Aura Drone, which features eight pulsating LEDs on its spinning frame to project kaleidoscopic light patterns on the ceiling and the floor at the same time.
Have an artist? The Buddha Board is a long-lasting gift that will inspire creativity. Or bring some more color to your artist’s world with the POSCA markers and Uniball pens.
Snag some great puzzles for your tween or teen with Galison. The brand offers an assortment of quality, engaging and truly beautiful puzzles. We love the Michael Storrings Easter Candy Shop 500 Piece Puzzle, Michael Storrings Easter Egg Hunt 1000 Piece Puzzle and Michael Storrings Easter Parade 500 Piece Puzzle.
Do you have a content creator? Check out the Podcast & Vlog Kit from Studio Creator, which brings your video and audio quality to the next level. The kit includes everything you need: a fold-up tabletop tripod with a smartphone holder, LED light, and microphone. The compact design makes it so easy to record digital content at home and on the go!
Finally, welcome Spring with Everyday California’s collection of vibrant outdoor essentials! The local brand offers the perfect Sundaze Towel for beachside picnics or poolside gatherings and other springtime adventures.
Have a suggestion for the Easter Gift Guide? Tell us about it in the comments section.
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San Diego Moms is published on Saturdays. Have a story idea? Email hoaq@timesofsandiego.com and follow her on Instagram at @hoawritessd.
San Diego, CA
San Diego shelter hosts adults-only camp, featuring wildlife, wine and puppies
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Rancho Coastal Humane Society is hosting an adults-only animal camp in February where you can get up close to wildlife, drink wine and play with puppies.
The shelter is a frequent guest on our FOX 5 Morning Show, where they bring in their adorable, adoptable dogs of the week.
The day full of activities takes place Feb. 7, with the option to purchase tickets for each event or a bundle.
The day starts with puppy yoga at 1 p.m., where you get to stretch and relax while rambunctious little puppies run around on your mat.
If you choose to stick around for the entire day of fun, you can then enjoy a wine glass paint-and-sip class.
Next on the agenda is a wildlife presentation, where you get up close and personal with furry critters and learn more about them from wildlife experts.
You can then end the day with animal trivia at 4 p.m. and a happy hour from 5-6 p.m.
Tickets for the painting class, wildlife presentation and animal trivia are $35 each. The happy hour is $25. You can also choose to buy tickets for all four in a bundle for $100.
Since the puppy yoga is anticipated to be very popular, tickets are limited and have to be purchased on their own for $35 each.
All of the proceeds from the day go toward benefitting the animals at the shelter.
San Diego, CA
MTS to boost trolley service for Wild Horses Music Festival crowds in San Diego
Anticipating large crowds for Saturday’s Wild Horses Music Festival, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System will provide enhanced trolley service before and after the event.
The festival — headlined by Grammy Award-winning Mumford & Sons — will be held at Petco Park and will feature Americana, country and modern folk artists including Lord Huron, Sierra Ferrell and Lily Meola.
“To keep the concert crowds moving smoothly, MTS will increase trolley service before and after the festival to help riders travel safely and conveniently,” officials said in a recent statement.
Regular trolley service will arrive at stations every 15 minutes or better, officials said.
Post-concert MTS services
According to MTS, post-concert service will include:
— UC San Diego Blue Line: Trolleys departing downtown to San Ysidro every 15 minutes until 12:07 a.m., with four additional trips to UTC until 11:40 p.m.;
— Green Line: Trolleys departing downtown every 15 minutes, with additional trips from Gaslamp Quarter Station until crowds diminish;
— Orange Line: Trolleys departing downtown every 15 minutes after the festival ends until crowds diminish; and
— Copper Line: Trolleys departing every 15 minutes in both directions, with added trips until 12:25 a.m.
More information is available at https://www.sdmts.com/rider- info/events/wild-horses-festival-featuring-mumford-sons.
MTS also encouraged festivalgoers to avoid costly parking by using free Park & Ride lots throughout the trolley system. Convenient locations include:
–Old Town Transit Center, Green Line and UC San Diego Blue Line North, with over 400 spots, with an overflow parking option across the street at the Caltrans District 11 office (4050 Taylor St.) that features over 300 spots;
–Morena/Linda Vista, Green Line, with 200 spaces and most parking available off Friars Road;
–Grossmont Transit Center, Green Line and Orange Line, with 220 spots; and
–El Cajon Transit Center, Green Line and Orange Line, with 400-plus spots.
A full parking lot list is at https://www.sdmts.com/transit- services/transit-station-parking.
In a related matter, the MTS customer service office and Transit Store was closed on Christmas Day; all support services will reopen Friday.
San Diego, CA
Whether it’s on the O-line or hitting the lanes, San Diego State’s Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli eager to go bowling
The New Mexico Bowl represents a full-circle moment for San Diego State center Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli.
The senior has spent the past five seasons at SDSU. He redshirted as a freshman in 2021, mostly watching as the Aztecs won a school-record 12 games capped with a win over UTSA in the Frisco Bowl. Ulugalu-Maseuli started as a redshirt freshman in 2022 on a team that lost to Middle Tennessee State in the Hawaii Bowl.
Saturday’s bowl game against No. 23 North Texas is a fitting finish to his career.
“I didn’t realize how fast it was going until it’s, like, senior night (against San Jose State), our last game at Snapdragon Stadium,” said Ulugalu-Maseuli, who was born in La Mesa and grew up in Spring Valley. “I’m not looking too far into the past, just waiting for this next game and finish off the season right. …
“It feels like the team that I came in knowing. It feels right. It feels like the SDSU I knew growing up. So it’s nice to have that feeling again.”
SDSU turned things around with nine victories this season. A win over the Mean Green would give the Aztecs the distinction of being only the 10th team in the program’s 57-year Division I history with double-digit wins.
Ulugalu-Maseuli, selected a team captain before the season, has been right in the middle of it.
A four-year starter who has played both guard positions as well as center, Ulugalu-Maseuli earned first-team all-Mountain West honors this season. He was the glue on a much-improved offensive line.
SDSU went 4-8 and 3-9 the previous two years. The only bowling Ulugalu-Maseuli did was at a bowling alley. He is, in fact, a two-sport standout. Bowling has became more than just a pastime. It’s a passion.
Ulugalu-Maseuli and former teammate Rambo Mageo became regulars three years ago at the 12-lane on-campus alley. It’s a great deal for students, who get two free games and pay only $1 for any games thereafter.
The center enjoyed an even better deal on Christmas Eve after the Aztecs landed Wednesday afternoon in Albuquerque, N.M., ahead of the bowl game. The players and coaches were treated to dinner and activities — including arcade games, laser tag and bowling — at Main Event Entertainment.
“When football’s not too crazy, I might bowl five or six games in one day,” said Ulugalu-Maseuli, whose competitiveness on the football field follows him into the bowling alley.
Soon enough, it wasn’t enough to throw the house balls provided behind each lane. Ulugalu-Maseuli got a couple of custom-made bowling balls — one ball for strikes and another for picking up spares — and had his own shoes, a bowling bag on wheels and a special towel to rub the lane oil off his ball.
At 6-foot-4 and 335 pounds, Ulugalu-Maseuli is a massive presence when he steps to the line. Bowling requires more than just power, though. Precision is necessary to pick up spares. Knowledge is needed to adjust your game to lanes that could be oily, dry or somewhere in between.
Ulugalu-Maseuli said he averages 215, which is elite. Only 10-15% of league bowlers average 200 or more. Members of the general public are fortunate to break 150.
Even more impressive: Ulugalu-Maseuli has bowled a pair of perfect games, rolling 12 straight strikes to reach 300. How much pressure did he feel stepping to the line for that final throw?
“I mean, you can’t feel more pressure than in the fourth quarter with 20 seconds left (for a game-winning drive),” Ulugalu-Maseuli said. “Pressure doesn’t affect me too much. You work best when you’re under pressure. At least I do. It’s something that I had to deal with and something that, you know, it just comes.”
As a true freshman in 2021, Ulugalu-Maseuli was on the scout team. He had to look across the line at guys like Keshawn Banks, Jonah Tavai and Cameron Thomas, players who were all-conference talents as well as pro prospects.
“They made me the player I am today,” Ulugalu-Maseuli said. “You never realize how valuable (the) scout team is until they’re gone, and you’re up next, and you’re going up against players who aren’t the same as they were.”
Life in the trenches has taken its toll on Ulugalu-Maseuli, who has had three knee surgeries during his college career. His coaches and teammates helped him push through the pain to stay on the field. His 40 career starts for the Aztecs are more than any other player on the team.

“The love that the coaches always showed me, the players, everybody was always reaching out to me,” Ulugalu-Maseuli said. “And it’s just, like, I knew I wasn’t in it alone. But I also knew I had to push hard to get back in time for the next season. That’s all it was. I just love ball.”
Ulugalu-Maseuli, like all of his teammates, hopes to have an opportunity at the next level. Regardless, the memories and relationships acquired the past five years will last a lifetime.
“I have a whole bunch of guys that are like my brothers now,” he said. “There are guys that have left that I still talk to every day. Jonah Tavai is one of those guys. I’m on the phone with him every day, every week, and it’s just like, you know, the bonds and relationships that I’ve built here. Even outside of football, there’s relationships that are set in place. It’s just nice having the brotherhood that SDSU builds, and that’s what I love most about it.”
New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State (9-3) vs. No. 23 North Texas (11-2)
When: 2:45 p.m. Saturday
Where: University Stadium, Albuquerque
TV: ESPN
Radio: 760-AM
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