Two weekends ago, we had an awesome opportunity to help volunteering with local organization – Act Together Ministries for the Back-To-School event – Tools 4 School Event at Christ the Shepherd Lutheran Church Alpharetta.

An Organization with Family Oriented Goals

Act Together Ministries is a christian based organization that aims to help change the plight of children living in distress in North Atlanta area. They focus their work on supporting children in distress by providing for children’s basic needs, giving children the opportunity to experience the joy of childhood and offering programs to strengthen family bond.

What I also like about Act Together Ministries is that they also inspire young generation to serve by providing service projects that are child friendly and making giving and serving fun for young children as well.

Tools 4 School Project: A Group Effort

The Tools 4 School is one of many service projects that Act Together Ministries have done in partnership with local organizations. This event was sponsored by Christ the Shepherd Lutheran Church in Alpharetta.

I signed us up as a family. Mr. Rojo and the kids signed up to help food service but he actually ended up as the volunteer to help gathering school supplies and the kids were there to play with other kids. I signed up to help blog about the event.

Tools 4 School provided children in need including foster children, military children, and children living in poverty with school supplies, hair cut, medical and dental check up.

As the families arrived and registered, volunteers helped them pick out the school backpack and started working on their school supplies check list.

The volunteers worked with kid one-on-one to help them gather their school supplies from the list.

Once they were done, the medical team of doctors, nurses and dentists were there to provide them with necessary medical and dental check up for school.

With the generosity of donors and volunteers, there were also a table setup with bags of groceries to help family start off their back-to-school with a healthy meal.

Once the families gathered their school supplies and finished with their medical & dental check ups, the children could enjoy free art & crafts or played game with volunteers.

I was truly impressed by the well-run and organized event by both Act Together Ministries and Christ the Shephard Church. After talking to a few volunteers who were also the church members, I found out that this was the first year that they have done this event. But I sure hope it will not be the last.

In the end around 125-150 children from single parent homes, foster homes and local shelters received new school supplies.

It was a really great experience and one that I hope we will continue to do as a family. The smile on the kids are priceless and show us that we are the ones who are on the receiving end in this.

If you are looking for way to help, you can sign up to volunteer with the events from Act Together Ministries or donate to help fund many more projects in the future.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Volunteer with Kids: Tools 4 School Event is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Last weekend, we were invited by Georgia State Park to attend their kick off event of Geo-Challenge.

Geo-Challenge is a new program by Georgia State Park incorporating Geocaching to 42 Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites.

You can pick up Georgia State Park Geo-Challenge passport or download it online. Then go to geocaching.com to get GPS coordinates for the caches location in the parks. Head out to the parks and start the hunt.

Once you find the cache hidden in the park, there will be a stamp (unique to each location) for your passport. Complete specific numbers of caches to get a custom geo-coin. Bring your stamped Passport into the park’s Visitor Center and receive a voucher for your coin.

If you are new to Geocaching like myself, there are many sites you can find out more information about. One of my travel blogger buddy, Tripping With Kids, has many posts with great information about geocaching.

Now, on to our first experience with geocaching with kids…

I’m glad that our first geocache attempt was with the Geo-Challenge. We went to the Fort Yargo State Park in Winder and checked in. Typically, geocacher will need a few equipments to start with namely GPS handheld unit (very important) and a few other hiking items.

We were able to borrow the GPS unit from the GA State Park along with a helpful experience geocacher – Ms. Linda. She taught us what caches might look like, how to read the GPS and when to follow the compass or not to follow the compass since sometimes the compass tends to take you on the most direct route. We have to use some common sense as well to not get ourselves in trouble.

Since this is the kick off event, there were 5 additional caches hidden in the park specifically for this event. We arrived a bit later than the starting time so we planned to just attempt to find one event-specific cache.

Our first cache took us on a walk along the nature trail to the wood. It was a beautiful day and a perfect weather for geocaching. We were lucky as we arrived at the location to find another family was there looking for the cache as well. The kids couldn’t be more excited to find their first cache.

As we walked back, we ran into another group putting another cache away. Well, it could be considered as cheating since we didn’t even have the coordinate of this cache. But I considered it as an incentive for a first timer.

With 2 successfully caches, we were ready for the real cache in the park. We loaded our GPS with the coordinate and headed back out on our own for the hunt of Geo Challenge cache. I’m happy to report that it was a success. We found our cache and stamped our passport. One down, 41 more to go!

This is definitely a great way to get kids engage and involve in a destination. Thank you for introducing geocaching to our family. We are hooked!

Do you have an experience with geocaching? Would you like to share with us?

Check out other traveler Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) GeoCaching with Kids: Our First Experience in Geocaching is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Over the weekend, I joined my mom group to do the volunteer work with our elementary school children at Horse Rescue, Relief and Retirement Fund, a local non-profit organization that work to the rescue and rehabilitation of horse and equine suffering from abuse and to the successful retirement of working horses and equine.

We were greeted by Ms. Deb who is a field trip coordinator who is a volunteer staff there. She gave us a quick orientation on what to expect and then we were off to tour the property.

We learned many new things about horses like what term do we use to call horses with multi-color (paint) and what we call their mark on their forehead (star). We met up with the regular residents there who were more than happy to greet us.

There are different area within the property for different types of horse. Mr. Z was so excited to meet horses that are smaller in size. It was wild to be able to walk up to them and touch these gentle souls. Remember, NEVER walk behind the horse!

A larger area is for bigger horses who need more space to exercise. We also learned a lot about how each horse came to the rescue.

After the tour, we then got to work. Since our kids were pretty young comparing to their typical volunteers. Ms. Deb gave us an easy task to help grooming two of their ponies. The kids did a great job!

Afterward, we were rewarded by a surprise treat. Mr. Z tried so hard to make him run. :) But he was a really good horse and didn’t even move a bit with many kids on his back.

It was a great experience and one that we would love to repeat again in the future.

If you would love to volunteer or plan a field trip, you can check out their website and contact them.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Volunteer with Kids: Save The Horses Organization is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

It’s not often for us who live in Atlanta to experience snow. But with the recent winter storm that swept through most the country, we got a chance to really enjoy snow in our own backyard.

It was a short experience indeed. As soon as the snow fell down and accumulated enough, we headed out to our backyard. Based on my past experience I knew we have to seize the moment. Otherwise, you won’t have any snow left to play with the next day.

Lucky for us, the next day was cold enough for us to enjoy a second round of Winter Olympic – Snow Sled in our backyard. I didn’t think Miss J will be a dare devil type kid. But she proved me wrong. She opted to slide down head first and even attempted to slide down with 2 lids. Oh! By the way, we didn’t have a sled so we just use the plastic container lid. Work like a charm!

And yes, we (or actually Mr. Rojo) were able to build a good size snowman. He was big enough to tower over Mr. Z and guard our backyard for a few days afterward.

The best part about snow in Atlanta is there is no clean up necessary. The heat took care of the snow a few days after. No snow shoveling to break your back.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Winter Olympic in Atlanta? is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Christmas and Holiday season is already under the way. I have to admit that it’s the time that I tend to lag in my blogging. I do hope that you guys will understand. What with lot of fun things to do around town, shopping and preparing for Christmas. And I still have a long list of things to do. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to blog. I do.. I do.. I have many posts I want to write about our recent trip. And yet, I couldn’t find a great motivation to sit down and write it up.

In the mean time, enjoy our day out in our little town. We had a blast over the weekend to 2 fun events.

Breakfast with Santa

First up, our kids’ school Breakfast with Santa.

I admitted that I was a snob in the past. I thought.. yeah.. Breakfast With Santa at school.. how fun could that be. Well, I was in for a surprise. The PTA at our school did an amazing job.

There were free photo with santa, the Christmas carol throughout the event, and various kids crafts and activities for them to enjoy.

Christmas Parade

Then, after a quick stop at home to refuel we bundled up and headed out to join my local mom group for our first ever Christmas Parade.

It was FREEEEEZING!!!

However, the kids had a blast. Typically, we were the spectators but this year we were in the float.

They loved throwing candies to other kids and waving and saying ‘Merry Christmas’.

Ah.. What a joy! Now, you know why I can’t write up any post. I’m still thrawing myself. :)

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Oh the Joy of Christmas… is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

A few weeks ago I won the free tickets to see Disney On Ice – Celebration. I have to admit that I didn’t plan to go see this show if I didn’t win the free tickets. I thought it will be one of those kiddies show for smaller kids.

I’m glad I have a chance to prove myself wrong. Both Miss J and Mr. Z were so into the show, they didn’t even move once during the show.

Just like other family shows, there will be a lot of opportunity for parents to drop their money even before the show starts. I have learned to just walk really fast so the kids will miss all those toys. :) Ok.. Ok.. I’m a mean mom but hey we gotta watch what we are spending. And really, why do I want to spend $15 for a mug when I can get it for 70% less in Disney outlet stores.

The show was centered around ‘Celebration’. We got to meet many many Disney Characters from princesses, Mickey and friends, Villains, old characters with upcoming movies like Toy Story casts to new characters with upcoming movies like Princess and the Frogs.

Another great thing I like about this show is it’s not just for girls. If you say Ice Skating, you will associate with girly show. But this show has something for everyone. Kids who are not into princesses will be excited to meet villains or Toy Story characters.

I’m also excited to meet Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from upcoming new Disney Movie – Princess and the Frog. This new movie brings a lot of buzz because it’s the first time that Disney introduces African American Princess. Bravo to them. I will say it’s about time! I also love that the show features New Orleans – one of the city that I really want to visit.

But I think this man might be one of my kids’ favorite person in the whole arena. Who could resist the man with many many bags of cotton candy.

And even being frugal parents, we sometimes have to give in. The show was almost 2 hours long so sugar might not seem like a healthy choice but the most suitable choice to give them little sugar boost.

I love the fact that the show also takes us to different cultures (as much as you can get for an ice skating show) from Hawaii, Japan, China to New Orleans.

So if Disney On Ice will be visiting your city, I would highly recommend this fun family-friendly show to anyone. I wouldn’t think it will be worth the ticket price but I was wrong. My kids didn’t move once!!! They were so mesmerized with the show the whole time. That’s something we don’t experience everyday here at the Q family. :)

Disclosure:

I won the free tickets from local blogger. But they never ask us to write about the experience in exchange of the tickets.

Check out other travelers’ Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Experienced Disney On Ice Celebration is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

How did everyone do on this Halloween?

It was very cold and wet for us but it didn’t bother the kids a bit. They were more than ready.

Mr. Z had been wearing his outfit for a few days already. We started out our trick-or-treating a day earlier. My office hosted a trick-or-treat event for employees’ children. We took them to walk around mommy & daddy office (Yes, Mr. Rojo and I work in the same office but different groups).

They had a blast and I think it was one of the favorite part that they look forward to every year.

Then, the day of was a bit of a let down. The weather was gloomy all day. And it was raining a bit in the evening. But it wasn’t as bad so we braved the rain and went out.

Our subdivision was fairly new at about 4 years old. Each year there are more and more kids. It’s what make trick-or-treating in our neighborhood fun. You will see the first wave of younger kids knocking and trick-or-treating.

Then the second wave would normally be bigger kids who were too cool to go out too early. Even with a lot of kids in our neighborhood, we still have WAY TOO MUCH candies!!!

Luckily, my group of friends are working on sending extra candies to our troop. I jump on to this great opportunity as we have Mr. Rojo’s cousin who is serving right now. The kids were so happy to send their candies to their uncle and his friends who are fighting for our country. So if you are looking for a way to get rid off those extra candies, find local family who has a family member serving. I’m sure they will appreciate this small gesture.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Sugar Overload is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

How was everyone Labor Day weekend? I hope everyone had a great time. There were so many things to do in Atlanta over the weekend I had a hard time choosing. However, being a nerd and bookworm by heart, I couldn’t pass up a chance to check out Decatur Book Festival.

This was a 3 days event book festival at downtown Decatur. I was hoping I could go on Saturday as there were many authors that I would love to meet. But we had other commitments like lunch with Thai friends and neighbor’s birthday party. So I settled with Sunday outing.

We arrived in the afternoon and found plenty of public parking.

The book festival is a great fun outing to introduce young kids to the love of reading. It is very family-friendly and pet-friendly as well. We found so many four-legged friends roaming around. I wished we bring our Java with us.

We knew that this will involve a lot of walking. So I came prepare this time. Everyone wore their most comfortable shoes and the kids each had their own Hydration backpack from REI. It’s a backpack that has a pouch for water. So they can carry their own drink and sip on those water whenever they want. It was such a big hit and we got several compliments on them. :) One less thing for us to carry around. I need all hands on deck to carry all the books we will buy.

The weather was perfect. It was sunny but not too hot. We walked around enjoying different activities for kids like making your own book mark, listening to the story teller, watching the martial art performance and creating their own story book. After a while, even with such a nice weather the little legs needed a break. So I went to our favorite treat for the whole family… I scream, You scream, We scream for Ice Cream..

With more energy from a little red energy bar (popsicle), the kids were ready for more walking and checking out books. Another reason I love going to the local fair and festival is the chance to get to know about local groups or businesses like Cooking for Monkeys – this cool mommy blogger who makes the coolest lunch box or Sheltering Arm – a great nonprofit eduational organization that helps bringing books to all kids.

We also stopped by local independent children bookstore – Little Shop of Stories. A cute bookstore that is perfect for kids of all ages and adult too. Mr. Z was so into reading. We had a hard time getting him out of the store.

Ok.. I admitted there is another reason I love festival and it is FOOD. I love festival food especially the Funnel Cake. No matter how full I am, I can always find more space for Funnel Cake.

Thanks to Mr. Rojo who reminded me to take the picture of this yummy Funnel Cake. Otherwise, there won’t be any evident that we had one..

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Bookworms On the Loose @ Decatur Book Festival is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

What kids wouldn’t dive head first for a chance to attend a Dinosaurs party with doughnuts as breakfast? Mr. Z’s reaction was just that when we walked to Georgia Public Broadcasting building and he saw the table full of boxes and boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. See..It was started from a couple weekend ago, we got invited by the Blogrollers for the special advance screening of Jim Henson’s brand new show ‘Dinosaur Train’ in Atlanta.

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous at first. This was my first event that I got invited as a blogger. I was so surprise that anyone will know about my blog much as inviting me to an event. As soon as we walked in, Mr. Z zoomed to the Krispy Kreme table. So much for being nervous, he felt at home with doughnut in hand.

Then we headed to the studio to get ready for a preview of the brand new show – Dinosaur Train. I have to say we have seen a fair share of kid shows in our household. I am pretty liberal in this department. My kids have grown up from Noggin to the Disney channel. So I was curious to see whether Dinosaur Train will be able to hold my short attention span 5 and 7 years old.

The verdict is: I LOVE the show. Love it, love it, love it!! I didn’t say that because I got free doughnuts or train ride. But the show was actually entertaining and educating at the same. It’s not one of those baby shows that teach you ABC and older kids can’t stand them. The show actually seems to captivate kids of all ages. Little kids will love Buddy and enjoy his adventure. Older kids will enjoy to learn about Buddy and his friends. I also love the fact that at the end they teach you (or the kids) about the dinosaur that they feature on the show. How cool!

After the show, Buddy made a surprise appearance for the kids to take their picture with him. But my kids had other things on their mind like doughnuts and train ride. So we headed out and waited in line to get on the train ride.

Miss J stopped by to get her face painted by a cool artist. See the art on her arm! Mr. Z wasn’t sure about face painting but he was very interested in making his own art. We had a great time there and it was worth waking up early on Saturday morning.

Thanks to Everywhere and Georgia Public Broadcasting for hosting such a fun event.

Parents stay tune for a fun-filled week of Dinosaur as GPB launch Dinosaur Week on September 13. Here are some of the fun GPB has ready for you.

• Dinosaur Train will starts Dinosaur week on September 13 with two special episodes at 9 AM and 10:30 AM (regular time slot weekdays at 8:30 AM).
• Other PBS Kids favorites Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Barney and Friends and Sid The Science Kid will run special dinosaur-themed episodes throughout the week.
• The popular IMAX attraction, “Dinosaurs Alive!” will air on Wednesday, September 16 at 8 PM.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Dinosaurs & Doughnuts – A Perfect Match for Fun Morning is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Last week, Mr. Z and Miss J attended the VBS program at our local church. This year the theme was Boomerang Express which involved train and Australia outback. It was a perfect theme for Mr. Z. When I first dropped him off at his classroom, this was inside his class- a life-size train where he could be a conductor. What can be better than this for a boy whose obsession is all about the choo choo train.

I’m so thankful for the things that the church provided in VBS program. All teachers were volunteers and we didn’t have to pay a dime. Kids came back with a lot of materials. It was a perfect way to spend a great Summer week for them.

At the end of the day, we checked out this large globe in front of the church. When I took a picture, I didn’t notice it but now I could see that Mr. Z stood in front of the Thailand & Australia map. :)

Check out other travelers’ Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Train, Kangaroo and Jesus is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This past weekend we took the kids to pick out our new camping tent. It’s our family first tent – Coleman Concept 8-Person 14′ x 9′ Tent. See! Mr. Rojo and I aren’t an outdoor type couple. If there is no internet access, most likely you won’t see us there. But lately, I have started to do things out of my comfort zone and I guess in turn force Mr. Rojo to oblige.

Today I’m dreaming of camping with my kids. I dream about packing up our car with camping gears like family tent, sleeping bags, cooler and other necessities.

I dream about settting up our tent at the tent site with the lake view like the one in Sawnee campground which is around the corner from our house.

I dream about playing all day long without any worries. I dream about sitting around the fire and making smores. I dream about sleeping under the stars.. Ah.. Hope that dream will come true soon. Next we have to go pick up a few more camping accessories.

Now that’s my dream. Check out other travelers’ dreams at Mother of All Trips.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Dreaming of: Camping with Kids is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

A couple weeks ago, we took Miss J and Mr. Z to see Thomas and Friends Live on Stage: A Circus Comes to Town show at the Fox Theatre. Ah.. I LOVE the Fox Theatre. It’s such an amazing venue. It’s just the history and character of the interior that just makes me feel like I have been transported back in time. Even with the kids show like Thomas and Friends, I still feel that extra special sitting in the seat.

I knew that the show came to town a while back but didn’t plan to go even though I knew that Mr. Z will really enjoy it. You see.. we are under the strict budget and it can cost quite a lot for a family of 4. But I think God is watching out for me because a few days before the show started, I won the tickets from Twitter promo by Cookie Magazine. How about that!

So we headed down to Midtown early and picked up our tickets from Will Call booth. It was HOT in Atlanta but as soon as we got inside the theatre the kids could feel the excitement built up.

Our first experience with the show at the Fox was the Nutcracker. So this time it was a completely different experience. As soon as the show started and the casts started to sing, Mr. Z turned to me and said ‘They talked!’. hehe.. Of course, then he followed by ‘I liked this one better than the Nutcracker’. Ha.. Well, at least I tried!

The show was very entertaining and engaging with kids. The performers were amazing! I have to say it’s exceed my expectation. I expected to see some cheesy Thomas and trains but the Thomas on stage looks exactly like the Thomas you can buy from Target except it’s bigger and it can talk!

With 15 minutes intermission, Mr. Rojo took Mr. Z to buy some drinks. Ah. It’s actually the marketing plan to allow parents more time to shop for their products. Well, we did so well. We didn’t buy anything but now we might regret it later since Mr. Z had been asking for his special T-shirt from the show. Mr. Rojo thought we could find them online.. Well, so far no luck. I hope Mr. Z will forget about the T-shirt soon!

The show lasted 90 minutes which might seem like a long time for little kids but with all the music and performance most kids were did very well. Now, if they do have any show for Star Wars, Mr. Z will be happy!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Thomas & Friends Live on Stage is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Since we are not an avid hiker but I want to do more outdoor adventures with my kids, I decided to start out with one baby step at a time.

We live in a small neighborhood – no fancy pool with slide, no 10 tennis courts, and not even a clubhouse, but we do have a nice nature trail wrap around our neighborhood. It’s a short trail but along the trail we can walk up to a creek.

So a couple weekend ago, I decided on a whim to take them out and check out the trail. We had walked this trail before when we first moved here but at that time we were under the drought condition. So no water for us. But this trip it wasn’t disappointed. We pack our little backpack with bottle of water and hat, then we headed down the street to the entrance of the trail.

The trail is fairly easy to walk. No climbing or difficult rock to climb over. We saw rabbits and birds. In the beginning, Mr. Z was so freak out. I guess too much of the city boy. He wanted to go home as soon as we started the trail because there are too many trees! Go figure! But once we climbed down to the creek, he was in his happy place.

We sat there and listened to the water flow. We took off our shoes and walked along the creek. We slid down the rock slide. We put our feet down and relaxed… Miss J even claimed that it’s the best day of her life! :) Kids! So easy to please.

When it’s time to head back, I promise them that we will try to do this more and next time we will bring our swimming suits so they can just let loose.

Adventure doesn’t have to mean you have to pack your backpack and travel 1000 miles away from home. Adventure is everywhere around you.

How about you? What other around-the-neck-of-the-wood adventure you do?

Check out other travelers’ Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Baby Step to Hiking – Backyard Hiking is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Looking for a fun sleepover for your family? Imagining sleeping under the sea and relaxing with the sound of the wave in the ocean? What could be better than sleep in the deep end with the shark in your favorite aquarium?

Most aquariums around the US offer group sleepover programs for field trips or church group. But there are several dates in the calendar that open to public so you can enjoy family sleepover under the sea. Or if you can’t make the date, why not make it a family mini vacation with your friends and family?

Here are the list of aquariums around the country that I would love to visit.

1. Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta GA – My hometown aquarium is not be missed. It’s one of the world largest aquarium. The aquarium offers different programs for different age group. Most of the dates are for Youth group. But look out for the date that allows family group to attend. The price is on the high range but it also includes aquarium admission, behind the scene tour, activities, 3-D show, dinner and breakfast

Price: $75 for member and $100 for non-member
Minimum Age: 7 years old

2. Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga TN – One of a great location aquarium sits along the Tennessee River with the best view in town. The Tennessee Aquarium Sleep in the Deep program available to group only but look out for special occasion family sleepover like July 4th. You will be able to celebrate America’s Birthday while you enjoy the Firework over the river. The price also includes admission to the aquarium, behind the scene tour, evening snack and breakfast. With the price half of the GA aquarium and only a couple hours away, this might be our destination next year when Mr. Z is old enough.

Price: $45 for member and $55 for non-member
Minimum Age: 6 years old

3. National Aquarium Baltimore, Baltimore MD - The Baltimore aquarium is one of my favorite aquarium. The Sleepover with the Sharks program will be a great overnight sleepover for the kids and the whole family. You will enjoy the guided tour to the behind the scene area, participate in hand-on activity, and dare to walk on the catwalk over the shark tank. Then you lay down your sleeping bag at the underwater viewing area where sharks are your sleepover buddy.

Price: $84.95 for member and $94.95 for non-member
Minimum Age: 8 years old

4. Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey CA – The Monterey Bay aquarium offers Family Seashore Sleepover program. It’s available once a month from June to September. So if you live in the Monterey area, you might want to check out availability and register as soon as you know your plan. The price includes aquarium admission, behind the scene tour, light evening snack and breakfast.

Price: $50 for member and $75 for non-member
Minimum Age: 6 years old

5. The Florida Aquarium, Tampa Bay FL – The Tampa Bay Aquarium offers only group sleepover. But if you can get together with your friends and family to have a group of 15 participants then you will enjoy your own private sleepover in the clear tunnels surrounded by sharks, rays and thousands of fascinating inhabitants. The price bases on the number of participants in your group.

Price: $42 per person (group of 15-19)
Minimum Age: 6 years old

6. Atlantis Marine World Long Island’s Aquarium, Long Island NY – The Long Island’s aquarium is one of the top 10  best aquarium for kids voted by Parent magazine. The sleepover program is offered only one time as a special event and this year is on July 7th. So mark your calendar and book your reservation for the unforgettable night filled with activities, movie and adventure

Price: Check with the aquarium
Minimum Age: Check with the aquarium

7. Oregon Coast Aquarium, New Port OR – The Newport aquarium offers both group sleepover and public family sleepover for Sleep with the Sharks program. The program includes hand-on activities, scavenger hunt, early morning behind the scene, pizza and light breakfast.

Price: $50 for member and $55 for non-member
Minimum Age: 4 years old

8. New England Aquarium, Boston MA – The Boston area aquarium offers once a year Family Overnights program so check out the date and make a reservation soon. This year there are 2 dates available for Family Overnights for Nov 7 and 21. There are plenty of activities to keep the little ones busy all night long.

Price: $45 for member and $50 for non-member
Minimum Age: 6 years old

9. Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach CA – The Long Beach aquarium offers fun family sleepover once a year and this year the date is set for July 24. So hurry and check if there is still any availability. This overnight program includes hands-on activities, a craft, pizza dinner, snack, cereal breakfast, and overnight T-shirt

Price: $45 for member and $50 for non-member
Minimum Age: 6 years old

10. North Carolina Aquariums – Both Pine Knoll Shores and Fort Fisher offer group sleepover with small size minimum so it’s possible to get together with a few families to meet the minimum

Pine Knoll Shores: Group minimum – 12
Price: $35 per person
Minimum Age: check with the aquarium

Fort Fisher: Group minimum – 10
Price: $45 per person
Minimum Age: check with the aquarium

There you have it.. Now let’s get packing for a fun family sleepover!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 10 Fun Aquariums for Family Sleepover is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Summer is the time for the fun in the water. When I lived in Florida, pool time was all year round so I wasn’t really appreciated it as much as when we moved here. Everyone anticipate the opening of the pool and it was such a great way to kick off our summer. But going to your little community pool everyday can be boring. I start checking out other water parks around the area to spruce things up for our summer fun day with our kids.

Here is our short list of water parks we have visited or would like to visit in the near future around the Atlanta area.

1. Lake Lanier Islands

As part of the Lake Lanier Islands resort, the Chattahoochee Rapid and Water park is a favorite for Atlantans. There are over a dozen rides and attractions for the whole family.

For family with little one, the kiddie pool will be your home based and you won’t be disappointed. The park planed with parent in mind, the Wiggle Wave and Kiddie Lagoon are situated near the entrance and the beach area so parents and kids can enjoy the relaxing day on the white sandy beach. For family with bigger kids, the fun has just begun. There are waterslides, wave pool and water fun area for them to enjoy. The price might be a bit on the high end but it’s well worth the visit.

You can also make it a weekend vacation by checking in to one of their resort rooms at Legacy Lodge and Conference Center.

Park Info:
Ticket Price: Adult $25.99 Child $15.99
Location: 7000 Holiday Road, Lake Lanier Islands, GA 30518
Contact: 1-800-840-LAKE

Tips:
- Look out for discount coupon if you can visit on the weekdays.
- Buy the season ticket if you know that you will visit at least 2 or more times and the ticket will pay for itself.

2. Six Flags White Water

Boasted one of the top 10 best Water Parks in the US by travel channel. We have yet to experience the Six Flags White Water in Atlanta. There are over 50 rides  for the whole family. Before you head out there, check their website for height restriction so you will be able to see how many rides your kids will be able to enjoy.

Park Info:
Ticket Price: Adult (online special) $29.99 Child (under 48″) $26.99. See sites for more update price
Location: 250 Cobb Parkway N #100, Marietta, GA 30062
Contact: 770-948-9290

Tips:
- If you can get a group of friends to have 15 tickets, you can get group rate for $23.02.
- To avoid the crowd, try to visit during the weekdays in Summer.
- Start from the furthest ride in the park.

3. Bogan Aquatic Center

Gwinnett county knows their water parks. There are several county parks that have great aquatic center that include indoor lap pool and indoor/outdoor leisure pool. Bogan Aquatic Center is located in Buford near the Mall of Georgia. When we went there, we were hooked. For the price of $5 per adult and $3 per kid, you can’t beat this fun, family-friendly water park. The indoor leisure pool is perfect for the whole family. There is a big slide to the lazy river for big kids and adults. There is a water playground in the beach entry for little one. The picnic tables are availabe outdoor next to the pool so you can plan your picnic for a full fun day at this water park.

Park Info:
Ticket Price: Adult $5, Child (4-10) $4, Child (3 and under) $2
Location: 2723 North Bogan Road, Buford 30519
Contact: 770-614-2063

Tips:
- Pack a snack in a cooler so you can take a break and save money from buying at the vending machine.

4. Sun Valley Beach

One of a few beach in Atlanta area with slides and kiddie play area. I can’t give my personal view on this one since we haven’t visited this place yet. But from the website and other reviews, it seems to be a great family day out. Don’t expect the same types of rides as in Six Flags but I guess the stretch of white sand beach might compensate the lack of other cool attraction.

Park Info:
Ticket Price: Adult $17.95, Child (2-11) $14.95, Child (2 and under) FREE
Location: 5350 Holloman Road, Powder Springs, GA 30127
Contact: 770-943-5900

Tips:
- Get there early so you can get good spot for your stuff.
- Bring cheap water toys that you won’t mind loosing. With lot of people and kids, things can be misplaced.

5. Bethesda Park Aquatic Center

Another great water park from Gwinnett county and this one seems to be the biggest one of all. I have never been there but I’m sure there won’t be shortage of fun. This family-friendly water park features indoor lap pool and indoor leisure play pool. The leisure play pool includes beach entry that perfect for little baby or toddler, the river channel, hydrotherapy benches that will be perfect for mommy and daddy after a long day chasing after our kids, water play struction, vortex and ceiling spray.

Park Info:
Ticket Price: Adult $5, Child (4-10) $4, Child (3 and under) $2
Location: 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville 30044
Contact: 678-924-6334

Tips:
- Pack a snack in a cooler so you can take a break and save money from buying at the vending machine.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Family-Friendly Water Parks In or Around Atlanta is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Pick you own or You-Pick farm has been one of our favorite activities throughout the year – one of the beauty of living in the Atlanta area. I have never done that before when I lived in FL. Maybe at that time, Miss J and Mr. Z were still too young to appreciate such activity or maybe I was so frazzled as a first time mom that the only thing I could think about was how to take care of them.

So check out some of our favorite farms for any season. Plan your weekend, go out and enjoy! You can also visit pickyourown.org to search for farm in your area.

Summer:

Strawberries Picking – The season typically starts from May – Jun. Our favorite is Washington Farm. There are 2 locations in the Atlanta area. One is in Loganville and another is in Watkinville. We have been going to Loganville for the past 2 years and we love it.

The Loganville location is closer but smaller in size. It’s a no frill farm. You go there, park, pick up the bucket or you can bring your own, learn the rule, and start picking. Then after you have eaten (shhhh.. you gotta taste the fruit somehow, right?) and filled up your bucket, you will go up to the stand and pay. I have never been to the Watkinville location so I can’t provide any first-hand experience. But my friend said that they do have small picnic area and playground for kids to enjoy.

Tips:
1. Bring wet wipe or diaper wipe for those little dirty hands.
2. Bring a cooler with ice if you have to drive for a distance to help keep the strawberries fresh
3. Do not wash the strawberries right away. Keep it in the fridge till you are ready to enjoy them.
4. Remove them from the tub and put them in shallower container so it won’t be crushed.

Blueberries Picking – The season starts right after the strawberries season. Last year we went blueberries picking at the Berry Patch Farm around July. The farm is not too far from Alpharetta. It was a really nice farm with small playset for kids to run off their energy. The blueberry picking is not as easy as strawberry. For one, it’s smaller so it will take you much longer to fill up the bucket. For another, the blueberry tree has some sharp branches that you have to be careful especially with small children.

Tips:
1. Watch out for the tape that mark poison ivy. If you see it, then move on and don’t go near it.
2. Head out early in the morning so it won’t be too hot for the kids.
3. Wear sneaker or rain boot. Since you will be there early, the  morning dew will still on the ground.

Fall:

Apple Picking – The picking season for the Apple orchard in North GA mostly starts around Sept till Oct. We went to Hillcrest Orchard up in Ellijay (the main Apple orchard city in GA) a couple years ago. It wasn’t what I envisioned for the apple picking. I dreamt about cold crisp air as we walked down the apple trees. I imagined the morning dew on the apple for the lovely morning. But what we got was 70 degree and we wore sweater. So needless to say, it wasn’t pleasant picking. But that’s no fault of the orchard.

The orchard is fairly big with more than just apple picking. They also have a nice shade picnic area for you to enjoy your break, a play area with big slide for kids, a stage with live-music during the weekend, a pig race for us to root for. So it’s not just an apple picking but a fun-filled day for the whole family. Next time, I just have to check the weather channel before we dress.

Tips:
1. Bring cooler to store your apples.
2. Fill up your cooler with snack and water so you can have lunch and enjoy a day out without spending too much money
3. Don’t forget the sunscreen and hat.

Pumpkin Picking – Who doesn’t like to carve the pumpkin, use your hand to scoop out those yucky stuff from the inside and enjoy the masterpiece after it’s done. Around the Atlanta metro area, I think everyone has heard of Burt’s Pumpkin farm. It’s one of the popular farm that sits right in front of the beautiful Amicalola Falls entrance. I think every school has a rule that they must have a field trip there. I could understand why.

Burt’s farm has a HUGE selection of pumpkins. I mean huge and a lot. You will be overwhelmed with all the selections available; big, small, tiny, funny looking, you name it. The pumpkin patch is not the only thing at the Burt’s farm. They also provide a hay ride. It was a fun ride through their farm with some funny prop. There is a creek running through the farm that you can setup and enjoy your picnic after a full day of choosing the perfect pumpkin.

Tips:
1. Try to visit there during the weekday. Weekend can be a challenge with a lot of visitors
2. Bring lunch or snack to enjoy a picnic by the creek.

Now, go out and enjoy this fun, family-friendly and affordable activity with your whole family.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Pick-Your-Own Farms Around Atlanta is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Summer is just right around the corner and one of the biggest challenge for all the parents are ‘what to do with our kids for the next 10 weeks’.

I am on the same boat. Last year, we signed them up for Summer camp for most of the Summer. But this year, we will have limited fund to do the same. So I have to come up with some creative and cheap activities for them to enjoy their Summer.

Here are things we have lined up in the Q family.

1. VBS school – This is a great way to engage kids in bible study without boring teaching. There are plenty of churches around our area so I am able to find a few weeks of VBS (with different themes). Most VBS program runs half day for a full week. Think of things you can get done in that timeframe. :) Plus the fun the kids will have. Last year, we went to First Redeemer Church and Bridgeway Church; the program and the planning was so amazing. It was a blast for them.

2. Family Movie Day at AMC – Every Wednesday during this Summer, kids can enjoy family friendly movie at participated AMC theatres for $1.

3. Free Family Move at Movie 400 – Every Tuesday and Thursday, Movie 400 in Cumming will show free family friendly movie. Plus you can get free drink if you bring a canned food for donation.

4. Fun Hiking with REI’s Passport to Adventure program – Introduce kids to hiking and challenge them to win prize with REI’s passport to adventure. Download the journal, check out your local hiking trail, fill out online form to get a certificate of completion and a special prize. Who doesn’t love free gift?

5. Summer Reading program with Barnes and Noble – Kids can earn a free book with they read 8 books this Summer. Join Barns and Nobel Summer Reading Program this year. Download or pick up the Summer Reading Journal to earn free book between May 26th & Sep 7th.

6. Pick up free movie from Redbox every Monday – Ok. Guess you will see a theme here at our household. Movies are big here. So how about one more day of free movie. But this one you can enjoy it at the comfort of your home. Every Monday, check out the Redbox code for free movie and you will be able to have Monday Movie night or Tuesday movie at home before you have to return it before 9pm on Tuesday. Did I mention that it’s FREE?

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The Terracotta Army from China is probably the second most recognized Chinese treasure after the Great Wall. Mr. Rojo and I were fortunate to visit China many moons ago but we didn’t have enough time to visit the Terracotta Army. And it’s probably almost impossible to make a trip to visit China anytime in the near future. So we were pretty excited when the High Museum in Atlanta had an exhibit of the Terracotta Army on loan from the British Museum.

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When you live in Atlanta metro area, you can’t help but see or hear about Coca Cola. After all, it’s the birthplace and headquarter of this mega company. The new World of Coca-Cola has been opened for quite sometimes. Until recently, we had a chance to visit on a nice sunny Saturday.

The new World of Coca Cola is conveniently located next to the Georgia Aquarium and the Imagine It! Children’s Museum. Across the street is the Centennial Olympic Park. So it’s a perfect location to have a full day of all Atlanta favorite tourist spots. When we got there, there were a few field trips but the line to get the tickets was short.

Once we got in, we waited at the lobby area and checked out the amazing Coke bottle artwork around the world. The detail and representation for each of this bottle is amazing. A short wait and then we were directed to see the short film ‘Inside the Happiness Factory’. It was pretty nice and fun short film to give you the glimpse of what Coca Cola wants us to know about their factory..

Then we walked to the Hub which we waited in line to meet the Coca-Cola Polar Bear. I think it was well planned that they timed the guests in group so there wasn’t a long wait and if you aren’t interested in the picture, you can head directly to the next gallery.

One of the things I always do when I go to the World of Coca-Cola is to hunt for the Coke sign in Thai. Coca-Cola is pretty popular in Thailand so I’m sure we are a pretty good customer. And they didn’t disappoint me when I found a sign in Thai language. It was amazing to see how globalize Coke is.. It’s everywhere!

My next favorite part was the Bottle Works. This is where we got to see a real bottling line and see Coke being made right in front of us. Having an industrial engineer background, I love to see all these machines come to life. We probably spent a good 20 minutes watching the Packaging Robot doing his job. And do you know he has a name.. ‘Fizzybot’ is his name..

We then headed to the 4-D theatre to watch ‘The Secret Formula’ show. It was pretty interactive and I don’t think small children will enjoy it much. The chair can shake pretty violently and I heard a few small kids cried. But Mr. Z and Miss J did enjoy them. The 4-D effects was really thought out.. the water, the air, the movement.. It felt like we were at one of the Disney ride.

After the theatre, we headed to the most anticipate room.. the Tasting room.. This was the room that the kids got to drink Coca-Cola products from all around the world. They group the drinks into regions.. Some were pretty good.. some were not so good (ok.. it was really bad). But you have gotta try them all, right?

Each guest can pick up a bottle as they headed out to the gift shop. It was one of those place that you have to visit once..

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A fun stop during our visit to downtown Atlanta at the Centennial Olympic Park new playground. This playground has a few unique structures that you won’t find them in typical playground. The kids love to slide and climb up on the pseudo rock climbing wall built for little one. They also enjoyed the rocking bench! The shade is a huge plus for a hot day in Atlanta.. The location is ideal for family who visit the Georgia Aquarium or the World of Coca Cola for a quick break.

Mr. Z had a blast climbing up and sliding down the slide. The cool feature is the standing slide that roll down make you feel like you are on the roller skate.. Fun time!

This post is part of Photo Friday hosted at Delicious Baby. Check out other participants here.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Afternoon Fun at Centennial Olympic Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This Christmas Miss J got a brand new American Girl doll. Ok.. I know.. I know.. American Girl doll is a bit (maybe a lot) expensive doll. For $90 per doll, it seems kind of excessive for a 7 years old girl. However, I love their concept of the girl with character. I really like how they tie history to a doll character with books. Maybe it’s my childhood dream to own one that push to get the American girl doll for Miss J this Christmas. I can’t be sure..

So a couple days ago we took her to the American Girl Boutique and Bistro for a night out with her new friend. It was so cute. She got matching outfits from Grandma and Grandpa. Her new friend had her own chair.. The bistro is nicely decorated with the modern style in there. It was very nice atmosphere. The menu is pretty much straight forward. The price is fixed per person.. At $14.50 per person, I think it’s way too expensive. But I guess most of the time, it’s for special occasion.. With that you gets the choice of one appetizer and one meal. The food is pretty decent but small in size. I guess they don’t expect girls to eat much. After the meal, she got to stroll around the store and checked out all other accessories. Now she just has to save up her money for those if she wants any.. :)

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Today we took Miss J and Mr. Z to the Fox Theater for the Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker show…

Ah.. It was such a great experience for both of them and myself. It was the first time for me to visit the Fox theater. What an amazing theater!! I was so in awe for the beauty of the architecture and details of the building. I didn’t know about the history of the Fox until to read it from their website. It makes the experience of the show even more magical. The history that has been preserved through time makes me feel like we have been transformed to the different time.

The show is no doubt fun and captivating. This will surely be one of our holiday activity from now on. Maybe next year I might invest in a better seat. :) I wasn’t sure how they will do with such a long show.. So I purchased the cheapest seat. To my surprise, we were almost at the front row but to the left of the theater. I guess next year we can try to get a seat on the middle section of the theater.

Miss J and Mr. Z got to enjoy the musician during the intermission on the front row.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

After a whole day of doing nothing yesterday, I felt horribly guilty so I decided to take the kids out on the cold day. We headed North to I.N.K. – it’s the kid’s hand-on museum that kids get a chance to pretend to live like us adults. There are multiple rooms to recreate the real world ranging from grocery store, bank, doctor office, restaurant, salon and many more. It’s not too far from our house and we have our reciprocal membership that we got from Chattanooga so we got in for free.

It is a small museum but is packed full of things for kids to do and run around. It was actually my first time but Miss J has been there a couple times with her school field trip and Mr. Z had been there once as well. So they actually showed me where things are.

Mr. Z didn’t waste anytime and ran straight to the train section. If I didn’t force him to come with us to other rooms or station, he would probably spend his whole afternoon there.

Then we backtracked to the mail room. We stopped to send mail to Santa. Hopefully it’s not too late. :) After that, we headed to the back room that has the airplane. What a cool room!!! I love it as much as the kid. How often do I get to sit on the small plane like that..

Miss J couldn’t get enough of the ATM machine. That’s the girl after my own heart! She knows where the money is. :) They gave us the real ATM card that works with Suntrust machine. She got to enter the code, select language, select transaction type.. The only exception is it doesn’t give out any money.

After a while, I just let them play on their own.. They didn’t seem to want to leave so I had to round them up and promise a return trip with daddy. After all, we don’t have to pay for the fee so we can go back as often as we would like. What a fun day we had!!

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I would like to think that we are the ‘City’ people living in the suburb of Atlanta. But the reaction of my kids when we drove to midtown made me realized that we are far from city people.

Mr. Z: “Mommy, look at that tall building!!”

Miss J: “Daddy, look at that sign!!”

Mr. Z: “Mommy! Daddy! Look!!!”

This conversation went on and on almost as soon as we approached midtown. I guess we haven’t been to downtown often enough.

This past weekend we had a little adventure to midtown. I wanted to get the Nutcracker tickets. I have learned from my friend and just noticed how expensive Ticket Master charged for the “Convenient Fee” I decided to make a day trip and went down to the Fox Theatre ourselves and buy our tickets in person.

We parked our car at IKEA and took a free shuttle bus to the Marta station. Then we got on the Marta to the North Avenue station. This was probably one of the highlighted for Mr. Z. We could have driven down there and park somewhere but then where is the fun. The Marta station isn’t that far from the theatre just a short walk. It wouldn’t be so bad. After we got our tickets, we headed back to IKEA and had lunch.

Typically, we don’t have much luck in checking them in at IKEA playland. They have very limited space but that day we were lucky. So we were able to walk around with no kids and .. well, I don’t know if it’s good or bad because we were able to pick up a few stuffs for our house.

I have found one of my favorite thing this season – Non Breakable Christmas Ornaments!!! I love it. When you have kids, I think it’s a must in every household. It looks just like glass ornaments but it doesn’t break when they drop it on the floor.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) A Day in The City is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Saturday Fun is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Pumpkin..pumpkin.. pumpkin everywhere… is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

A couple weekend ago we took Miss J and Mr. Z to Six Flags Over Georgia. It was our and their first time there. Fortunately, Mr. Rojo’s friend has a season pass so he was able to get us the discount tickets. We met them up at McD nearby to grap lunch and carpooled to the park. It helped to save the parking fee which costs $15.

Once we got there, the kids quickly took out the map to check out where they wanted to go. But we already knew where we would end up. Our main purpose to go there was to check out the new Thomas Town. So we started head toward the back of the park for Thomas Town. It was during the Halloween weeks so it was nice and spooky to see all the decoration with bones and skeletons. A quick detour to the kiddie free-fall ride was in order. I think Mr. Z wasn’t sure at first. I was worried that he would cry. But.. Nope.. He was a dare devil and giggled about it the whole time.

Once we got to Thomas Town, I had to say I was quite disappointed. I was glad we didn’t have to pay for the full price to get in. I would be really upset. It was just a big playground with Thomas Theme and a small train ride. I mean that’s it!!! So here is my warning to all parents with Thomas obsession kids, don’t waste your money there. Six Flags is for bigger kids or even adult. Thomas Town isn’t worth it if you want to bring your little kids there. However, we managed to spend a good hour there just for them to run around and ride on the train. I guess for them it was enough with a train ride with Thomas. I still couldn’t get the Thomas theme song out of my head.

Surprisingly, Mr. Z loved the go-karts race which was right next to Thomas. He was too young to drive by himself of course. But he could ride with Mr. Rojo. Man.. He hung on to his dear life during the race. :) After Thomas and go-karts, we started to walk around the park with no particular plan. Mr. Rojo did get on the Ninja ride with his friend. I was too chicken to go on any ride. hehe.. Then we went to the Dodge City Bumper cars. It was a downer for Mr. Z as he was only a couple inches too short to ride. I felt so bad for him.. He was crying and very upset.

So we looked for some other kid friendly rides for him. We headed to the Riverview Carousel. There we found the perfect ride for them, the Hanson Cars. It was so neat for them as they could ride the car by themselves. I think it was one of their favorite ride. Mr. Z and Miss J still talked about it from time to time. Then we went to the Wile E. Coyote Canyon Blaster. The ride would be a fun ride if we didn’t have to wait in line for almost an hour for a 45 seconds ride. I had to admit.. I could barely handle this ride. I think I scream as loud or louder than Miss J. hehe.. We noticed that there seemed to be busier than this morning. You would think that as the day passed, it would be less people. But I guess since it was the Halloween weeks and some people just came for the night time it made it busier.

Now it was dinner break. We dined at DeeJay’s Diner. Nothing food couldn’t cure. After a full tummy, we headed to the Railroad station for a nice, relaxing train ride. This was a great way to get to see the park without using your energy. It was getting dark and I knew that we would probably need to wrap up soon. We headed to the USA Games Area and played some games. Mr. Rojo won a basket ball! Before we headed out, we stopped by for the Dipping Dots for the kids and I was so looking forward to the Funnel Cake. But I wasn’t going to wait in line for another hour for a funnel cake. I guess I will just have to find it somewhere else.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Six Flags Over Georgia is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

A couple weekends ago we headed out to soon to be our annual activity for Fall, the Cumming Country Fair and Festivals. It was a great small town fair. We headed out late on Sunday evening. I don’t like heat so I purposely chose to go after the sunset. Well, what happened next show how competent as a parent we are!

After we parked, we found out that Miss J didn’t have her shoes on. I mean.. we trust her to be able to take care of herself to a certain extent. I haven’t dressed her since she entered Kindergarten. I don’t have to tell her to wear her shoes way before that.. Is it because of the excitement that she forgot her shoes? We will never know. But what would you do at that point. For us, Mr. Rojo had become her personal stroller. He carried her almost the whole trip. I said almost because at certain point we just let her walk barefeet. If you went to the fair and saw a girl with no shoes, that’s probably her!

We got to walk right to the fair without paying for any admission fees since it was about an hour before closing. This was perfect for us. I don’t know how much we will spend if we stayed more than an hour. The rides there were the same as last year. Mr. Z’s favorite was the worm roller coaster. This year I guess Miss J felt like she is bigger. She didn’t get on that ride with him. After Mr. Z first ride we walked around a bit just to check out everything. We didn’t do the petting zoo. I wasn’t gonna let Miss J go in there without shoes.

We stopped for a game for Miss J and Mr. Z to pop the balloon. They were very kid-friendly because eventhough they didn’t pop any ballon when they threw the dart, the gentleman there gave them a big stick to pop the balloon. They each got a small toy to bring home. After that, Mr. Rojo and Miss J got on the Ferris Wheel. Mr. Z was too short to get on the ride. Plus if we all go, we would use up all our tickets!! No one warns me that it can be very expensive at this fair. Each ride costed at least $3 each. That can add up pretty fast!

After a couple more rides, we took a little break. We sat down and watched the Xtreme Power sculptor. A bag of cotton candy did the trick to settle them down. By that time, the Sun already set so it was our signal to head home. I didn’t get to have my funnel cake though.. Bummer. Maybe next year!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Fair, Festival and Ferris Wheel is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

I did it!!! I completed my first 5K Walk. It was amazing! As I mentioned before that I signed up for the 5K Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk. On Thursday, we headed to downtown Atlanta for our walk. My company is amazing. Not only they sponsored the employees by paying for the registration fee if we signed up before the deadline but they provided buses to downtown.

We headed down there around 3:45pm. The race was set to begin at 7pm. Once we got there, we got some snack and water and started checking out other tents. There were so many tents and so many people. It was very exciting. We walked around and tried to judge who had the best t-shirt. My top three will be Chick-Fil-A, ING, and Buck consultant. Then we walked to the sponsor tents to check out the freebies. I got a bag full of sample and goodies. I think my legs were tired already and we hadn’t started the race yet!

Then we found our gold mine. A tent with free massage! We went ahead and waited in line. For about 30-35 mins we got our turn in the massage chair.. Oh.. Just what I need before the race started. After that, we went to take our team photo. Well, don’t expect to see me in the picture. I was a little speck there in the back and I don’t think anyone can see me there. Our company has over 300 people participated. So it was a good turn out.

At around 6:30pm we slowly moved to the walker starting line.. Oh..Mine.. They were a lot of people so needless to say we were almost all the way to the back. Note to self, next year I will get there earlier to be in the front. After the National Anthem, the race started. But we were standing still for a while before we got moving. By the time we turned on the main route, the first runner was heading back to the finish line! Amazing!! These guys ran 3.1 miles in like 12-15 minutes! I saw one lady who was up there with guys. I think she probably finished in the top 10. You go girl!!!

I walked with one of my co-worker and we did jog a little trying to take advantage of downhill. It wasn’t so bad walking. There were a lot of people so I think I actually walked more than 3.1 miles if you factored in the zig zag I had to do to get pass people on the course. By the time, we got to the finish line it was already dark. I don’t know my official time yet. But I think it should be less than 50 minutes. hehe..

All in all, it was a great experience and now I think I got the running bug. I will train myself harder and plan for 5K run next year. Actually, we plan to sign up for another 5K run this November. Stay tune…

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) My First 5K Walk… is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Fall is here. I love Fall season. The weather is cooler. The leaves change color. It’s time to get out my sweater and light jacket. There are so many things to do during Fall.. Here they are.

1) Pumpkin patch farm – I love taking the kids to the pumpkin patch farm and pick out their own pumpkins.

2) Corn maze – Another fun fall activity we did a couple years ago. I would love to do it again.

3) Six Flags Over Georgia – We want to take Mr. Z to see the new Thomas World in Six Flags. I don’t like to go to the amusement park during Summer. It’s way too hot for me. Right now, it’s perfect weather to be out and about.

4) Mini-vacation to Destin – It might seem weird to go to the beach in Fall. But from what I heard, October is a great time to go to Destin. The weather is cool enough to enjoy more outside in the Sun and warm enough to enjoy the beach. The crowds are gone so we don’t have to fight with long line in restaurant or traffic.

5) Camping in the backyard – Yeah.. we are not that adventurous yet to camp in the campground. So for now, I will take my backyard as a baby step for Mr. Rojo.

6) A trip to a cabin in Gatlinburg – Our first cabin trip to Helen was so memorable that even now Mr. Z is still talking about it. So I would love to take them to another cabin trip in Gatlinburg. Maybe we might even hike the trail in the Smokey Mountain Park.. who know?

7) Amicalola Fall – A day trip to the fall will be a nice change for this Fall. I’m sure we will get to see beautiful colorful fall up there in the mountain.

8) Sawnee Mountain Park – This brand new park is so close but yet we haven’t been there. Time to get off from our couch and do some fun stuffs there.

9) Cumming Country Fair & Festival – A small town fair that big enough for us. The kids loved it last year. We will go back again this year.

10) Visit Cabbage Patch Hospital – Because it’s so close and we just have to go there.

11) Biltmore Estate – A visit during Nov will allow us to see the Christmas decoration. I can’t wait.

12) Apple picking – We don’t have that many apple orchards for us to go picking. So I’m still up in the air on this one. The one we went last year, I wasn’t too impressed.

13) Halloween Trick-Or-Treat – I don’t know what they want to be this year yet. I’m not much into fancy dress or costumes. But I just love walking around the neighborhood with them.

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This past weekend we took the monkeys to see the Ringling Bros Circus. Thanks to Koala Brains for sending me the discount code. I wasn’t sure if we will go but I figured Miss J and Mr. Z have never been to the circus before. This will be a great experience for them.

We got there about an hour before showtime to check our All Access Pre-show. It was such a fun experience for them to get to see the performers up-close and personal. They got to try out the circus outfit, watched the performers by the ring side or even participated in some of the performance. They enjoyed it so much that I think if we took them home then they would be satisfied. hehe.. Time to get back to our seats for the real show. We practially got the whole row to ourselves. It was a short row with only 5 seats and we bought 4 out of those 5 seats. Sweet! The location wasn’t so bad either. It was closer than I thought considering it was the cheapest ticket (with discount).

After the show, I asked what they like the most. Miss J loves the acrobat on the rope. She was amazing and strong. Imagine climbing the rope without anything else. I loved when she swinged up there.. I was scared for her! Mr. Z loves the group of gymnasts at the end. They did do pretty wonderful twist and jump. For me, I loved the two acrobats on the swing wheels. Oh.. He was amazing to jump on the moving wheel on the outside. Almost gave me the heart attack!

All in all, we had a great time that night. It was fun for kids and they truly enjoyed the show. Now, I have to give you a fair warning that you might see some animal activists there. I will let your own view be the judge on that.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Circus Circus… is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 Things We Need for Soccer is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Miss J started her first Gymnastic class on Wednesday. I wasn’t sure if she will enjoy this activity. You see… Miss J is notorious for changing her mind and commitment every 2 hours. I know she is still a kid but I want to instill the idea of responsibility and commitment to her. So we want to make sure that if we sign her up she will finish her class.

I want her to involve in just one sport activity during the school year. So picking the right one is very important. We have tried several sports throughout the year.. Ballet (Can we call it sport? Ok..Maybe activity..), Soccer (which she hardly made it through the season), and Swimming. This year we decided on Gymnastic because I’m so sick of her climbing and flipping on the sofa. I figure at least I will have her in the safer environment to channel her energy and need to flip and jump.

What a perfect timing that the Olympic is on right now. I taped a few Gymnastic events mainly Women All-Around for Miss J to see. I was thinking.. she will get inspired and fire up about doing gymnastic.. Boy!! Was I wrong! She was scare to death. She didn’t want to go to Gymnastic anymore because she didn’t want to jump and fall. It took a good few talks to calm her down and reassure her that they will have the padding for her and the beam won’t be as high. Whew!!! Note to self.. Maybe next time I should choose the event like Floor exercise for her to see instead of Balance beam. :)

Well, how did she do her first day? She LOVES it! She asks to go back every week. Mission accomplished!! I don’t know if she will be the next Shawn Johnson or not but I know that for now she enjoys the activity. That’s what important to me.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Next Shawn Johnson… Or Not! is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thanks to Sarah @ Fiddledeedee about this upcoming free admission to nationwide museum.

The Smithsonian Free Museum day is coming up on Saturday – September 27, 2008. So mark your calendar and download your free admission card here. There are hundred of museums participated nationwide. Check out your local museums and plan your fun free family day with your kids.

I know I will.. I plan to take them to the Center for Puppetry Arts this year. We went to the High Museum last year. It will be fun! I can’t wait.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Freebie: Museum Day is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Yesterday was the first time since a really really long time that I sweat and had my heart rate pumped up.. Since I signed up with the Run/Walk event, I figured I need some training before the real event. After all, I don’t want to get left behind in downtown Atlanta at 8pm. Mr. Rojo has been running in our neighborhood for quite sometimes. He has all the distance down. So based on his information if I walk 4 and a half loop, it will be approximately 3.1 miles the same distance for the 5K Walk/Run.

After dinner, I set out to walk.. I must confess that I don’t like walking. I just want to get it done fast. I can’t stand just walk there. I’m so tempted to run and I did.. Oh! Boy! How out of shape I am. After one block of jogging, I need to come back to reality that I wasn’t ready for the jogging/running scene yet. So walking I did.. I didn’t make it to 4 and a half loops but I did 3 loops. And that was approximately 2 miles. Not bad for the first day.. I must say..

It was such a good feeling to exercise. I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner. Check back often to see when I will hit my 3.1 miles goal. Who know maybe after 51 days I might be able to run instead of walk!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) I Walked, I Ran and I Walked is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

The program is desinged to promote health and fitness among Metro-Atlanta companies and their employees while raising funds for the Atlanta Braves Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta. I consider myself a pretty fit person. Eventhough I haven’t been to the gym since.. ehh forever.

The Run/Walk will be on September 25 in downtown Atlanta area. We will start from Turner Field and loop back. Well, I have about 52 days to get myself ready. Time to get off my lazy butt (can I say that here.. oh well, I just did) and get active.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5K Run/Walk, Me? is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Ah.. July is almost over and it’s almost the end of the Blueberries season. I have been checking out various pick-your-own farm from pickyourown.org. This is a great website with list of farms that have pick-your-own fruits and vegetable. The site is updated regularly. So check them out for your own picking pleasure.

Mr. Z is a blueberries lover. He can eat the whole quart in one sitting if I don’t stop him. Funny thing is he loves to eat the frozen blueberries more than the fresh one. So picking our own blueberries and then freeze it will be a perfect thing to do.

The owner gave us the quick instruction and warned us about some of the poison ivy in the field. Hmmm.. poinson ivy? No one told me that there will be poison ivy. We just need to be more careful when we picked.

The ground was still wet from the morning dew. So it wasn’t very enticing for Mr. Z and Miss J.. They didn’t want to get their feet wet. Kids! There were plenty of blueberries for us to start picking and eating. Since they don’t spray their trees with pesticide, they said it’s safe to eat off the tree.. Yum yum… I have learned a few things about blueberries. For one, it’s not as easy as strawberries picking that we did a couple months ago. This is hard work people!! No wonder it costs so much for such a small container in the grocery store. The tree has sharp branch and you can’t really use any machine to pick it. You have to pick it one by one by hand… Imagine that!

We spent a couple hours there picking. Well, mostly Mr. Rojo did the picking. We ended up with over 2 lbs for the whole pick and the best part was it only costed us less than $5. Afterward, we let the kids play at the swingset they have setup near the entrance of the farm. It was a really nice day. When we left, there were a lot more people rolling in. So if you plan blueberries picking, I suggest plan to go there early. Otherwise, there might not be any berries left for you to pick.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Blueberries in Bloom is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Building Houses with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

What could have been more fun than to watch a movie under the moonlight and the stars. We did just that last Saturday. In our town, we had an annual North Georgia Film Fest which is a part of Georgia Movies in a Park series that was sponsored by Northside Forsyth Hospital. It was an outdoor family-friendly movie festival over a course of 3 days in Cumming. Each night was featuring a free movie on a huge 70 foot Airscreen inflatable movie screen. Along with various pre-movie activities like Clown Circus show, face painting, inflatables jumping slides and moonwalk. There were also various vendors on-site selling drinks, ice cream and hot dogs.. It was a really fun family night.

I have heard about this since last year. We didn’t make it last year. This year one of the movie was ‘Horton Hears a Who!’. We haven’t seen this movie so I thought it would be a great family outing. Plus it was on the Saturday night. Perfect!!

The pre-movie activities started at 7pm and the movie started at dusk. I *was* planning to get there by 7-ish.. But as typical, we didn’t make it there till 8:30pm. It was a little humid in the evening so I thought in hindsight it was good that we didn’t go there too early. Or we might have packed up and left before the movie even started. After getting the kids in their PJs and packed up our car, we got to the park. The parking lot was almost full. I packed a lot of candies, popcorn, snack and drinks. But I forgot the most important thing – Insect Repellent. So after we settled down, I went to get the kids their Slushee.. and then headed out to the drugstore to pick up Off!.

I got back just right in time for the movie to get started. The weather was so perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, not humid.. with breeze throughout the night. We enjoyed our popcorn, drinks and movie under the moonlight. What a perfect Summer night! Before we knew it, the movie was ended and it was time to head home. I was expected that Mr. Z would fall asleep as soon as the movie started. But he wasn’t. He stayed up and watched the whole movie. And after the movie, there was also a Guitar Hero competition. It seemed like a fun night for the teens to hang out as well.

It was a fun fun night. We will make this our annual summer activity. Maybe next year we will make it to pre-movie activities. Also note to self, don’t need to bring the whole pantry of snacks with me.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Movie, Moonlight and Starry Night is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This past Saturday we took Miss J and Mr. Z to Lowe’s Build and Grow clinic. It’s Lowe’s bi-weekly program for kids. It’s similar to our previous visit to Home Depot Kids Workshop. Lowe’s provides tool, apron and all parts for parents to work on a small project with their children.

We got there about a quarter after 10. There were a lot of people already there working on their projects. We handed the gentleman who supervised the whole thing our paperwork that I printed and signed online. Basically, it’s the waiver form just to make sure that we won’t sue them if we happen to bang on our own thumb. The gentleman then handed us the building kit, children size hammer and Lowe’s apron.. Gosh.. I love this. I wish I could get one for myself.

We found the empty space and started our project. This week project was the race car. It looked a bit complicate but they did have an instruction and model for us to follow.

Well, I’m not a handyman by trade so I made a small mistake by putting it one of the panel for the car off from the original plan. No biggie.. We were able to pull it out and started it over again. The project didn’t take long to complete. We got it done within 45 mins. I’m sure you can do it faster with bigger kids. But we just wanted them to do it themselves and enjoyed the process.

After we had finished, we (the kids) received their certification and badge for this week project. It would have been even better if the badge has self-adhesive sticker. Now I would need to sew it on their apron. Me and crafty stuff doesn’t really go well together.

So if you have no other plan on Saturday morning, be sure to check out Home Depot Kids Workshop or Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinics for low cost and fun activity for the whole family.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Handyman In a Making Part 2 is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

What a fun day we had this year! It might be something about living in a small town that make me want to participate and check out all these activities that they have to offer. We have never been to any parade when we lived in Florida. Don’t know why.. Maybe now that we have kids we want them to experience different things growing up. Or maybe the small town has its own charm that attracts us more..

We got there right in time to catch the beginning of the parade. I have had several tips regarding the noise and yup.. It’s L-O-U-D.. We didn’t get there in time to get the ear plugs. But we brought with us one of Mr. Rojo headset. It did help Miss J. Ironically, Mr. Z didn’t seem to mind the noise at all.

The parade was really long. I was amazed at how many steam engines participated. Each one has its own style. Some look so new. You will think they just roll it out of the dealership. Some look so old and you will think that they just come straight from the field. I think I enjoyed seeing it as much as the kids.

There were other types of engine in the parade as well. There were Golf cart, horse carriage, tractors and Firetrucks. One of the firetruck was an antique firetruck from 1937! How neat is that!

My favorite one has to be this pink engine. It’s not the steam engine but who can resist the pink tractor! We need more of these cute color tractors on the field. Imagine how the cows would react if they see pink tractor. :)

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What a busy long weekend for us. And we didn’t even go out of town this year. I admitted I’m such a newbie in watching firework in person. Actually, I have never been to the 4th of July firework in my life!! This is our first year ever as a family and a first year for me as well.

In our town, the firework actually was held on the 3rd. So yesterday we all packed up and headed to downtown Cumming for the annual Firework for the 4th of July celebration. I liked it!!! We live in a small town so it wasn’t too big and too crowd.

We headed there around 7pm and walked to the fairground. Along the way, we stopped to check out all the steam engines that will be part of the parade tomorrow. It was so neat to get to see these engines up close and personal. I could feel the heat from the steam engine. I couldn’t imagine how hot for the farmer back then to operate and run it!

Once we got to the fairground, Mr. Rojo met up with his co-worker. She showed us the best seat in town. And sure enough it was the best seat. I packed a little snacks for the kids to hold them down till the firework started. It was AMAZING!!! I mean it might not be as big and as extravagent as Disney World but it sure had its own style. The weather was perfect. No cloud. The kids really enjoyed the firework. Before we knew it, it was done!

This will be our new family ritual. It was such a fun activity to do as a family!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Firework Forsyth Style is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Outrigger Island is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Catch a Reading Bug this Summer is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Take Me Out to the Ball Game… is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We are going to our vacation in a few days… Woo hoo!! One would ask why do we need to go to a water park. Truth is we want to test our new underwater camera and also our snorkeling masks. Well, we got to test our camera but they don’t allow snorkel in the pool. So I guess we will test our masks in our tub then.

Since we are not officially in Summer yet, most of the pools are still closed. Fortunately, there are several in-door pool facilities (mostly in Gwinnett county) that have year round swimming pool. I have heard so much about Bogan Aquatic Center. This park is not too far from us. It’s in Buford and has indoor water park. Of course, you can’t compare with Disney Typhoon Lagoon but for $4 per child and $5 per adult I think it’s one of the best park for the price.

There is a playground structure in the kiddie pool area. It was a really fun structure. There is a small slide, a tunnel and various wheels for them to turn on and turn off the water. The water also falls from the roof of the structure. I’m gonna tell you a big secret here.. It’s the best massage in town. Just make sure you don’t ‘ohhhh… ahhh’ too loud. Otherwise, the lifeguard might escort you out for imappropriate behavior..

Don’t worry big kids, there is a big slide and lazy river for you to enjoy. Mr. Rojo is one of the big kid who isn’t afraid to try it out. He enjoyed not once but twice on that ride.. His excuse was that he wanted to try out the video capturing during the ride. He sure did capture it.. I would show it if I can figure out how to post it here.. :)

We spent a couple hours there but I’m sure if I packed lunch and dinner.. we will be there all day. The nice thing about this park is that there is an outdoor picnic area that you can enjoy your break throughout the day. The facility is nice and clean.. Miss J and Mr. Z can’t wait to go back. So I guess you can tell where we will be during hot Summer day…

Check out Gwinnett County website for more aquatic centers near you here.

The address for Bogan park is
2723 North Bogan Road, Buford 30519

Enjoy your swimming!!!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Water Park in My Neck of the Wood is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Spring time means an abundant supply of Strawberries. My kids love strawberries and I love the idea of picking your own berries. There is a farm about 40 minutes from our house that has Pick-Your-Own strawberries. The Washington Farms are family owned farms. There are 2 locations for their farms. The one that we went to is in Loganville which is a smaller farm near Lawrenceville . Basically, it’s just a strawberries farm for you to pick and that’s it. No gimmick, no fancy other stuffs for you to do. So if you want something more then you might want to head to the one in Watkinsville.

It was a beautiful Saturday for us. Clear sky, not too hot and no rain.. We got there around 10:30am and the parking lot was already packed. I was worried that there won’t be any strawberries left for us to pick. But I was relief to find that there were more than enough for us to enjoy. The process was rather simple. We headed to the booth and pick up our bucket. It costs $8 per bucket and if you have your own bucket to transfer the berries home then that’s it. But if you don’t then you can take the bucket with you for $1. Not bad..

Then we headed out and started picking. At first Miss J and Mr. Z weren’t sure how to do this.. Soon they got a hang of what to pick and how to pick it.. They went to town with the strawberries. Note to self, bring diaper wipe since eating strawberries can be messy for kids (or adults). We did enjoy fresh from the stem strawberries. It was a fun day out indeed!!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Pick Your Own Strawberries is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We were busy bees this Saturday. Not only we went to Home Deport Kids Workshop, we also went to the outlet mall, Discover Mills Mall. I love this outlet. There are so many great stores but so little time this trip. At this outlet mall, there is one particular that we have never visited, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World… It’s a really a whole new kind of store for us. We don’t camp (I’m working on Mr. Rojo everyday on this one). We don’t fish. We don’t hunt. So everything in Bass Outdoor World doesn’t seem to be appealing for us until now. We figured snorkeling is kinda outdoor activity as well. So we went in there to check out some of the snorkeling gears.

I visited Bass in Illinois a really long time ago. The only thing I remembered was we ate Bison burger. Everything else was a blur.. So I was in awe to see this two story waterfall in the middle of the store with Moose and Mountain Lion there. It was neat!!! And we didn’t even half way into the store yet. I can tell that this will be a fun store for the kids to just walk around and check out stuff. It seems to me that there are way more gadgets than in Circuit City.

Towards the end of the store, there is a freshwater fish aquarium with native Georgia fish. It was really neat for the kids to see the fish in the tank. We enjoyed watching different kind of fish swimming by and trying to identify what kind of fish he is. It wasn’t that hard because they have a sign with picture and fish name. It was fun and educational at the same time.

We got to follow the fossil footprints around the store and discover different type of animals displayed all over the store. We would have spent more time there if we didn’t have to rush home for a potluck. So I’m sure that we will be going back there soon.

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This past Saturday we took the kids to Home Depot Kids Workshop. It’s a great free activity that we just recently decided to give a try. I have heard about this workshop for a while but never managed to wake up in time or to remember to get there since it’s only offered once a month on the first Saturday of the month. This time around, I made sure to put it on my calendar!

We got there around 9:30am and it already looked pretty busy. The entry was fairly simple. We registered at the check-in table and then they supplied the kiddie apron (if you don’t already have one). Next, we go to any available space on the work bench. The package for the daily project should already be at the table with the tools needed. We were able to squeez in the last 2 seats and started working on our project.

This week project is the flower pencil holder. It’s fairly simple even for the home-improvement-challenge like myself… and Mr. Rojo… The wood was already pre-cut and pre-drilled. We just need to put it together with a little glue and a few nails. Mr. Z was doing pretty well hammering it away. Miss J was working with Mr. Rojo and they had fun time together. Then they got to decorate it with stickers. What a fun day to spend our Saturday morning on! In addition to the benefit of it being free, they gave us a certificate after we finished our project and we got a pin to put on our brand new apron.

The pin is perfect for a collector maniac like me. I’m hoping this mania will rub off on at least one of my children. It will change every month so it’s another way to entice me… err.. I mean you… to come back month after month. When I look at the pin more closely, I can see that the picture reflects the project that was built that month. What a neat pin! I think I go a little overboard with my enthusiasm for the pin… Reminder… It’s the children’s project and pin… not mine… not mine… not my precioussssss…

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Pizza in a Park on Friday is our family’s new ritual. It’s Spring time and it’s such a nice time to get out and enjoy the great weather. So, we decided to do pizza in a park on Friday. So far, we have been going to Windermere Park. A close second, is Central Park in Cumming,GA.

It’s a small park but it has everything we need. It has fenced-in dog park area and a big field with bike and jogging trails. Next to the doggie area, there is also a small playground for the little ones to run wild and burn off their energy. Afterwards, we hit the bike trail around the field for a couple rounds. Perfect for a Friday evening to help the kiddies and us have a nice restful sleep.

The park also has a small creek. I’m sure they will have fun playing in there when we allow them. But not now.. It’s too much work for me if they get wet and messy. One step at a time.. :)

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Pizza in a Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog