A Big Boy Bed…

June 30, 2008 By 1 Comment

Mr. Z has been sleeping in his big boy bunk bed for the past 3 nights now… What a big accomplishment for us! I know that compare to typical kids his age, he is probably too big to be sleeping in our bedroom. But quite frankly I don’t really mind them sleeping with us. They will be young only for so long.

A few weeks ago we bought a Twin over Full bunk bed from our friends who moved to other state. I have been looking to get a new bed for Mr. Z so that he can move to his bedroom for a while.. (like maybe 1 year?.. ) But I have never been able to pull the trigger to spend money on mattress and bed. And this was just like a really great deal. We got the bunk bed including mattress for $150.. Thanks the W family!!! :)

Mr. Rojo set it up last weekend and now Mr. Z has been sleeping in his own room since. Being a kind and loving big sister, Miss J volunteered to sleep with him so he won’t be scared.. How nice!! I knew that she would want to sleep with him. It was such a nice big bed. Heck! I want to sleep in his bunk bed too…

Filed Under: Family

The Outrigger Island

June 28, 2008 By 2 Comments

No.. It’s not our new vacation destination nor the next one. It’s the VBS (Vacation Bible School) that Miss J had been attending this past week. What a blessing!! Today was the closing ceremony at Bridgeway Church in Alpharetta where I signed Miss J up for a week of VBS. I am so thankful and grateful of all the teachers and volunteers who spent their summer with her.
The Outrigger Island is a theme base VBS program by Lifeway Christian Resource. They provide the curriculum and all the necessary material for a great, attractive, talk-to-kids type program. Heck.. I even wanted to join her myself.

This year motto is ‘Know the Truth! Speak the Truth! Live the Truth!’ Each day was organized into several activities – Bible Story, Memory Verse, Wave Action (music), Snack, Craft and Outdoor activities.

The ceremony was a simple ceremony with the director of the VBS program at Bridgeway talked about what they have learned this past week. Then they sang the songs they learned each day. The music is amazing!! I bought a CD and now Mr. Z learned a few word from the songs already. :) After the music performance by all the kids, they served us pizza!! I mean not only they don’t charge us anything for help taking care of my kid for a whole week but they also fed me!! It can only be the grace of God!

With the Aloha inspired theme, it’s easy enough to make me feel like we are on a great summer vacation!

Thank you all the staffs and volunteers at Bridgeway Church.
Filed Under: Activities, Family

WW – Amsterdam Canal at Night

June 25, 2008 By 8 Comments

The Amsterdam canal at night in front of Ann Frank house.. During my little brother worldwind tour in Europe with my mom.. Oh.. I’m so green with envy!!
Filed Under: Travel in Europe

Around the Blogosphere

June 23, 2008 By 1 Comment

This Monday I want to do a quick round up on my participation in the Carnival around the blogosphere.

Georgia On My Mind presents Georgia Carnival Edition #38.

Perceptive Travel presents Carnival of Cities. Check out cities from Seattle to Beijing.

Credit Card Lowdown presents Carnival of Money, Growth and Happiness #49. With 22 posts participated in this carnival, you will learn great saving tips perfect for this economy.

Mrs. Nespy’s World present Money Hacks Carnival #17. A geat post with the Music of the ’80s theme. Very great round up from Money Hackers around the blogosphere.

Mrs. Micha present Carnival of Personal Finance #158. The Vampire Slaying edition is a great carnival for Buffy fan and non-fan. Lots of great posts here about saving, frugality and money in general.

Here we are people. My round up for this past week. Thanks for including my post to these carnival. How about you? Have you been on any carnival this past week?

Filed Under: Blogging, Saving, Travel Tips

WW – Pancake by Mr. Rojo

June 18, 2008 By 9 Comments

Mr. Rojo does know how to make food more fun for kids and adults of all age. Can you tell that we are a Mickey fan? :)

Check out other WW participants here.

Filed Under: Family

Catch a Reading Bug this Summer

June 17, 2008 By 2 Comments
Summer reading is one of the best and most frugal way summer activity we can do with our kids. All we have to do just go to the library and check out books for them to read. Now, the summer reading is not only good for their brain but will also be good for their pocket. There are several programs out there that created to motivate more reading for young children by providing incentive like free book or free pizza. Now how can they not read!

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading
B&N has launched this year Summer Reading. Kids can earn a free book when they read 8 books this summer. The program is as easy as 1-2-3. One read any 8 books. Two use the Summer Reading Journal to write down their favorite part of each book and have parent signs. Three bring back the completed journal to B&N store between May 29th to Sep 2nd. They will get a coupon for a free book!!! Check out more detail here.

Half Price Books
I found this on Money Saving Mom blog. Another great summer reading program for kids. Half Price Books has Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program for all their participating stores. Kids ages 10 and under can earn $3 Half Price Books shopping card or a Free Kid’s Buffet at CiCi’s Pizza! We don’t have Half Price Books in our state but we sure have CiCi’s Pizza. The nice thing about this program is you can do it every week! This can help our Pizza Friday night in our family.

Forsyth County Library
This is a local program in my neck of the wood. Forsyth County Library has ‘Catching A Reading Bug’ program this Summer. When you sign up your kids to the program, they will give you a log book. Just setup your own goal on how many books you want to read this summer and return the log book by the end of the summer to receive $5 certificate toward your book purchase at your school. Check out your local library for similar program.

What a great way to have a great Summer!!
Filed Under: Activities, Saving

I won… I won…

June 16, 2008 By 3 Comments

I won An Island Life Giveaway gift that is.. I have never won any giveaway on the blogosphere before. So I was so thrilled to receive an email from Kailani informing me that I won her Salty Chix giveaway.

Diane – the owner of Salty Chix – was so wonderful. She contacted me almost immediately and shipped my lovely, super soft, super chix t-shirt to me within a few days. Not only I won a t-shirt for myself, to my surprise when I opened the package I also received a hat to match my cool shirt and a toddler t-shirt. My daugther eventhough she is no longer a toddler is a very petite girl. So the shirt fits her perfectly. See how happy she is to get a matching t-shirt with mommy!

The shirt comes in a nice pouch that my daughter now claims it for her little treasure. The fabric of the shirt is supersoft. The cutting is very good. It fits me perfectly. The design is so chix and so beachy. I can’t wait for our next beach trip. Living in Atlanta, I know how hot and humid it can be. So I know that this shirt will be perfect for my summer wardrobe.

Thanks, Diane and Kailani.. I love my Salty Chix shirt!
Filed Under: Shopping

Take Me Out to the Ball Game…

June 13, 2008 By 5 Comments
Take Me Out to the Crowd…

We did just that last weekend. It was the Braves VS the Phillies game. And it was the HOT-HOT day. We bought the ticket over a month ago so I couldn’t ask my crystal ball on the weather forecast. Who would have thought it will be this hot in June? Did I already mention that it was HOT?

We went to the Sunday game. The game started at 1pm. I don’t even know what was the temperature at that time. I don’t think it’s really matter. Buying the ticket online with parking ticket has it benefit. The parking fee is cheaper than paying at the gate. Also we got to park in the Green zone which is pretty close to the main entrance.

One thing that I like about Turner Field is the Cartoon Network area. They know that ball game is a family event and kids need place to release their energy. I think if your kids can sit through the whole game, you should contact a doctor for a check-up. Seriously! This game was the third game in a serie and the Phillies already won the first two games. So Mr. Rojo was in a much relaxing mood. He even told us to check out the Cartoon Network first before we got to our seats. Sweet!! Well, after a few minutes Miss J complained about her shoes. She happened to pick a pair of shoe that she hardly wears and it hurted her feet. So we went out and checked the store for some socks. Braves sock – checked. Not sure if Mr. Rojo will want us to keep it after today. He is a die-hard Philly fan, you see.

We bought the cheapest tickets available and we paid for it. It was up at the nose-bleed section. Don’t lean or sneeze near the rail or you might fall over to the ground. The view was really nice though. Got the whole Atlanta downtown city skyline there. For a minute, I thought we could do this.. It wasn’t bad. There was breeze.. We could do it. I sent Mr. Rojo to get some frozen lemonade and soda. No healthy food here at the ball game. It’s illegal! I did pack a couple of the water bottle fan. It was sure a big hit for the kids. Only .. they sprayed to the front row (no one there).. Kids.. you won’t feel cool if you spray the water to the air!

After the third inning, I started to look around for more shade area. And the kids started to fall apart. Mr. Rojo didn’t admit it at that time but he didn’t feel good either. See! We are not an outdoor type family!

Time to pack it up.. We headed down to the Cartoon Network area again. The kids got to run around. The slide was a big hit. I couldn’t keep track how many times they went up and down. But I was a bit stressed out with the amount of kids running around and there was no security check at the entrance. So anyone could come and grap your kids anytime.. Not so comfortable about that. I was glad we had only 2 kids. I couldn’t imagine how I would do with more.

Right before we headed out, Miss J asked for cotton candy. Oh.. sure.. why not. One more load of sugar won’t do any harm. So we headed to the other side of the stadium with a mission – Cotton Candy. It was nice to walk around. We found the Braves Museum.. Guess what.. It has AC.. We were debating whether we wanted to spend 1 token to get in.. But we could just stay in the front area for free. Well, after a few minutes we felt that we should head out.

Finally, we found cotton candy and blue snowcones. Nothing save the day like sugar on ice!

Here is the picture to show where we sat. It was by the smaller yellow pole second row from the front. See how high we were!
Filed Under: Activities, Day/Weekend Trips, Family, Travel in North America

Carnival Cruise – Day 6 – Orcho Rios

June 12, 2008 By 3 Comments

Welcome to Jamaica. It’s our final port on our 7 nights cruise. Oh.. I couldn’t believe that we had been on this big, huge ship for over 6 days already. We took the Jamican Irie attitude to heart. We woke up late and grapped our breakfast. No rush here.. We booked the Bamboo Club excursion which basically a beach club. I knew from some of the cruise forum that the beach club is just a stone throw from the pier. So we weren’t that worry about being the first one off the ship.

:: Getting Around ::

We knew that first thing we had to do was to get my Hard Rock Cafe pin. We missed it in Grand Cayman and I wouldn’t want to miss it again here. We got off the ship and checked out the excursion tent to find out what we need to do. The lady there from Bamboo club told us that she would prefer us to go directly to the beach club. But after we insisted that we really wanted to walk around first she said she will wait for us. We headed out the pier area and walked to Hard Rock Cafe. I have heard about how Jamaicans are very persistent in offering you their service. I can totally understand that. It’s their livelihoods. I have no problem with that.. A big smile and a polite ‘no’ will do. We walked a good 10 minutes to the cafe and picked my pin. Mr. Rojo got a teddy bear. Yes.. that’s right.. Teddy bear but he is so cute.

:: Things To Do ::

Then we walked back and checked out the Island Village. Basically, it’s a compound with a lot of stores in a nice setting. We walked around and got a few more shopping here. I think we made the most damage here than any other ports. :) I guess it was the last port and we missed out on the shopping in Grand Cayman so we felt obligated to shop to make up for the missing opportunity. We were also looking for a place to get Miss J hair braid. But believe it or not, we couldn’t see one. We got approached by one lady but she wanted us to follow her to her place.. Ehhh.. No. Thank you! Guess she will be one of a few kids who didn’t get her hair braid in the Carribean. Well, we can’t get everything we want in life. Good lesson here, heh?

After about an hour and a flat wallet, it’s time to head to the beach. When we got back to the excursion tent there wasn’t that many people left and the lady from Bamboo beach wasn’t anywhere to be found. No problem… Another lady showed us how to get there. It was really easy. We signed in and they quickly found us a host to take care of us. The food and the drink weren’t as good as what I expected. Basically, you had 2 choices of drinks (lemonade and rum punch) If you want something else then you would have to buy it from the bar including soft drink. Doesn’t make sense too me.. I would think soda is cheaper than alcoholic drink. Maybe not. Food was some chicken and pasta.. It wasn’t that great.

No worry.. The staffs were so friendly and nice. So food wasn’t a big deal for us. Plus we weren’t that hungry anyway.. I mean.. come on.. After 6 days of all-you-can-stuff-in-your-face food.. we could possibly stay for a small meal for one day. The entertainment throughout the day was great. The DJ had the music on pretty much all day. I think if you love to party, this is the place. Also if you love to watch people dance and do funny things, this is the place as well. But some of the dance move could be non-kid friendly. Luckily Miss J was spending much of her time in the water and Mr. Z was busy building his sand castle.

I have said this before and I will say it again that I won’t judge Jamaica with just my one small trip to a beach next to a pier. I know I can’t expect much from that. And I’m glad I didn’t. The water was murky and had a lot of algae in there. It’s hard to not compare with Grand Cayman or even Cozumel. How could I not.. Either way, the kids still enjoyed the day there. We also enjoyed the music and had fun watching other groups danced. We spent a few hours there before heading back to the ship.

:: Back on The Ship ::

We went up to our regular hang out in the Lido Deck after we took a quick shower. Soft serve yogurt couldn’t taste better. We sat at the back of the ship with the view as the ship pulled away from Ocho Rios. It was a nice day and certainly a place we need to come back. I know there are more that this place has to offer but right now our kids are too young to do any adventure activities. But next time we might leave them on the ship.. Well, not in our room of course. This is one of the benefit with cruising. You can drop your kids at the Camp Carnival and enjoy a day at port for any adults activities.

It was a formal night and this time we were smarter. We just realized that there were several photo session setup throughout the ship on Promenade and Lobby decks. Mr. Z was so hyper that he almost pulled down one of the background. Boy! I thought the guy was gonna throw him out. hehe.. We took only 2 sessions. I’m glad we just only did that two. I thought we migh have to take a loan to get those pictures.. Gosh!!! $20 for an 8×10 picture. Come on!!!

After walking in the high heel for a while, it was time to change to my comfy outfit. We headed back to our cabin and was greeted by our lovely monkey. We changed and dropped them off at the Camp Carnival. They had face painting and color bookbag. I got to do some laundry. I know.. I know.. I’m crazy that way. I like to get my laundry done on the ship. This way it won’t be too smelly. Plus it wasn’t as much as what I had waited for me at home.

This was the night I was looking forward to. The Midnight Gala Buffet. I wasn’t sure if *WE* will be up at that time. Well, I sure did. But after stuffed ourselves for the past 6 days, even the most tempting chocolate and cake couldn’t even get Mr. Rojo to eat after midnight. I was able to get in line to take pictures just to show that I was up! Maybe next trip we will eat less (yeah.. right..) and can enjoy the midnight buffet. ;)
Filed Under: Adventures & Vacation, Beaches, Carnival Cruise, Jamica, Travel in Caribbean

WW – Lunch by the Beach in Phuket

June 11, 2008 By 10 Comments

This was the view from the restaurant that we had lunch in Phuket. We went there a few years ago before the Tsunami hit. It was such a nice relaxing time. I can’t wait to go back again with the whole family.

Check out other WW participants here.
Filed Under: Beaches, Thailand Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Carnival Cruise – Day 5 – Grand Cayman

June 8, 2008 By 2 Comments

Here we were in Grand Cayman. We woke up early than usual today. I had packed what we need for the excursion today the night before. I knew that we would have little time to prepare. I’m glad I did. After quick breakfast, we headed down to get our tender ticket. It was so easy. I thought we might have to wait for a while. But we got the ticket and they told us to head down there right away. The time zone was a bit confusing for me. I didn’t bring my brain to work during vacation. But basically, Cayman Islands is 1 hour behind the ship time.

When we got of the tender ship it was around 8am ship time. So it was still 7am local time.. Way too early for anything to open. I had booked an excursion with Captain Bryan. The meeting time was at 10am local time.. We had about 2-3 hours of free time. So I had to change my plan. Originally, I was planning to go on excursion first and then check out 7 miles beach afterward. With so much time on hand we decided to go to the beach first. I’m glad we did.. I will tell you why later..

We took a short walk to check out where we were supposed to meet and then headed back to the port area to catch a taxi to the beach. The ride was quick and not that expensive. $4 per person. They dropped us off at The Reef Restaurant. We walked to the beach area and were in awe. The beach is so beautiful and it was so peaceful. Got there early enough we felt like we own this private beach. In the beginning, the kids were afraid to get in the water. They just played with the sand and the wave. But soon enough, we all were in the water trying to catch some waves. The sand was soft and fine.. We could have stayed there all day. Next time, I wouldn’t bother book any excursion.

After about 2 hours, we packed up with a lot of resistence from the kids. I was sad to leave as well but was also excited for our next adventure to the Sting Ray City. We rinsed off at the restaurant and caught a taxi back to the meeting place. Now that we got accustomed to the time, we started to worry if we would get back on-time. The schedule for this excursion was from 10:30am-1pm so it means we would get back 2pm (ship time).. Very close to the last tender time of 3:15pm.. I was glad we did the beach first since I don’t see how we can fit the beach time after the excursion. So they were several fellow cruisers who were worried about the timing as well. They were talking about leaving earlier so we could get back sooner.

We got on a bus around 10-ish and headed to the pier. I guess it was the loading/landing site for all boats to Sting Ray City. The reason we picked this excursion with Captain Bryan was for the sail boat. And he didn’t disappoint us at all. The crews were very nice. The boat ride took about 30 minutes. It was a nice relaxing ride. Once we got to the Sting Ray location, we saw several boats from various companies. At first we planned to just take turn going into the water. But the water was shallow enough that we took the kids down with us. We still had to hold them but it’s manageable. Miss J was afraid in the beginning. But later on she felt clamer. I got to kiss one of the sting ray. They said I will have good luck for 7 years. We will see about that. :) The sting rays swam all around us. It was an amazing experience. So much fun.. The skin was as soft as velvet. It wasn’t what I expected. After 30 minutes in the water, we headed back on the boat and headed to the snorkeling sites. The excursion included 2 snorkel sites. I wasn’t too impress with what I saw though. There weren’t as many fish as what we saw in Cozumel. I guess it was more for diving than snorkeling.

Then it was time to head back to town. Mr. Z felt asleep on the way. I would have done the same way if I didn’t have to hold on to him. It was so nice. We had such a great time there. The water as blue as the clear sky above.. We got back on the bus around 1:30pm local time which means we had about 45 minutes to get back to the port. The bus ride was very stressful for us since we kept checking our time. The bus arrived at 2:14pm.. Got 1 minute to spare. But when we saw the line for the tender boats, we started to feel panic. We didn’t know if we will make it to the boat. But then we realized that most people in line were also on the Victory. We made it! But we didn’t get a chance to pick up any souvenir at all.. Not even rum cake or my Hard Rock Cafe pin. Well, guess we have to come back.

Once we got on the ship, we took shower and planned to take a quick nap before dinner. Guess what.. We all slept till the next morning. We were that tired.. We didn’t even make it to dinner that night. What a fun day in Grand Cayman!
Filed Under: Adventures & Vacation, Beaches, Carnival Cruise, Cayman Island, Cruising, Travel in Caribbean

Carnival Cruise – Day 4 – Another Fun Day @ Sea

June 6, 2008 By 3 Comments
Day 4 on our trip .. We got another Fun Day @ Sea. We took it easy today. Slept in and had late breakfast. Oh.. this is what I call V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N.. No set plan. After breakfast, we got ready to explore and enjoy the ship. We started off at the swimming pool. I found that the pool in the morning hours were more child-friendly. There were more kids in the pool than drunken adults. I guess they still hung over in their cabins.
After a good couple hours in the pool, we dried up and picked up a set of putt-putt ball and clubs. We didn’t get to try it on the first day. It was very busy. Mr. Rojo thought he was in a real golf course and felt the need to show golfer etiquette and wanted to let another group ahead of us. I had to remind him that.. it’s a putt-putt.. Plus we were on the ship.. what’s the hurry.. Also the group in front of us wasn’t gonna be any faster than us.

We dropped the kids off at Camp Carnival after the golf game and headed to our cabin for some power naptime. Mr. Rojo went to visit his familiar faces in the Casino. He did pretty well in the casino. We are not big gambler. We set a limit of the money we are willing to loose and that’s his fun money. It’s just like purchasing another ticket to an excursion. :)

After dinner, we went to the Bingo game and Magic Show. It was a fun night. We didn’t win anything but the kids enjoyed the show. The guy was pretty funny. After that we headed back to our room and was greeted by Mr. Dino.. A big day ahead of us tomorrow. Grand Cayman!

I know there were a lot of activities at night that we could join. But for me, that’s the beauty of cruising.. You can do as much or as little as you want. There is no rule.

Check out what we have done so far on this cruise here.
Filed Under: Adventures & Vacation, Carnival Cruise, Cruising, Travel in Caribbean

13 Countries I Have Visited

June 5, 2008 By 8 Comments

This week Thursday Thirteen is all about the countries that I have visited. I don’t list it in any particular order. Enjoy!

1) China – I went there during a couple of business trips with the company I used to work for. What a great experience! We got to see the Great Wall, Forbidden City and shopping at Silk Street. If we have a chance, I will go back in a heartbeat.


2) Hong Kong – We went there a couple years ago during our family trip back to Thailand. It was like a family reunion trip with my mom, my sister, my brother and my cousin. We had so much fun there. What a lively city and the food was incredible and exotic.


3) Mexico – Our recent cruise had a stop in Cozumel. We only spent a day there. So I know that I will have to go back there to experience and explore more of this beautiful country.


4) Cayman Islands – Love it, love it, love it!!! Another port of call on our recent cruise trip. Oh what a beautiful beach! I think I can just stay there by the beach all day long.


5) Jamaica – Colorful and interesting country. We didn’t get to explore much this trip. But I know that we will find another opportunity to go back and be more adventurous next time.

6) England – I went there about 10 years ago with my mom and my brother. Big Ben, London Bridge, Trafalgar Square and Harrod’s.. Too little time, too many things to do. I need to go back there before my friend moves away.

Picture by fraise

7) Switzerland – On the same trip to London, we also went to Switzerland. Checked out watches and stayed in a beautiful B&B. What a beautiful country!!

8) Germany – I couldn’t believe it has been 10 years already from that trip. We stopped by Heidelberg. Checked out the castle and enjoyed lunch at the town square.

Picture by mattwyn

9) Italy – Rome.. what can I say.. No need to explain. We have to go back. One trip is not enough for this country full of history and great architectures.

Picture by RZen

10) Scotland – A business trip took me to this lovely country. We got to check out the Edinburg castle and visited Glasglow in Ireland. Very peaceful place. I would love to go back there with Mr. Rojo.

Picture by sZelee

11) France - Shopper heaven.. Not so much for me at that time. As a poor student, I didn’t get to enjoy all the brand name stores. But who can forget your experience in Paris. There is no other city like it.

Picture by idreamofdaylight

12) Bahamas – The Carribean paradise. Our first visit was for our honeymoon and followed by our first cruise. We had a great memory there for blue ocean and great snorkel.

13) Singapore – Another great oppotunity from my ex-company. We got to live there for over a month. What an experience!

Picture by travellingzenwolf

Since a handful of the countries I visited were from way before the digital camera era, I didn’t have the digital copies of those pictures. Thanks to the internet I am able to find great pictures from other flickr users.

Check out other TT participants here.

Filed Under: Travel in Asia, Travel in Caribbean, Travel in Europe, Travel in North America
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