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

As we say good bye to 2009 and give a warm welcome to 2010, I can’t help but look back at our family adventures that we have done through out the year.

I have to warn you that it will be a long post so why don’t you go grab a cup of coffee, get yourself comfortable and come back to join me as we walk down the memory lane together.

March – Gatlinburg, TN

We start the first quarter with our last minute trip that we planned with a group of friends. That was the first time we ever vacationed together but it won’t be the last for sure. 5 Families, 10 adults and 11 kids in one house for 2 days was a great fun. The only thing I wished we could change is to stay a bit longer. Kids had fun Snow Tubing down the Ober Gatlinburg and we had a nice and a bit scary scenic drive along the Great Smoky Mountains.

April – Washington DC

During Spring break, we went on a road trip to Washington DC. A full week in our capital city allowed us to enjoy introducing the kids to great history. We hit the ground running the first night checking out the Cherry Blossom along the Tidal Basin at night. The next day, we covered 2 museums in one day!!! The Natural Museum of American History was a big hit even though we only spent a couple of hours in there.

Yes, there are more things to do and see in DC BUT I couldn’t help planning a day trip to Baltimore. The Port Discovery Children’s Museum was a perfect escape from all the museums. It let them loose and be kids once again.

Back to DC, we had a little mishap to visit Capitol Hill so we just took it in stride and enjoyed our DC by Foot tour. By far, it was one of the highlight for me. A visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Lincoln Memorial gave me the sense of  deep appreciation for this country.

Another break from our museum visit was called for the next day. So we hopped on the Metro and checked out many little (or not so little) furry friends at the National Zoo.

The last day was not at all the least memorable. We spent time checking out the Air and Space Museum.

May – Disney World, Orlando, FL

At the beginning of Summer, we headed down to the land of Mouse to celebrate Mr. Rojo’s Birthday. There was no other places he would rather be than Disney World.

We had a great time in Disney’s Animal Kingdom even with a rain storm at the end of the day. Our friends came up to celebrate with us and we enjoyed our hot Florida day at Disney’s Water Park.

Orlando is not all about theme parks so we spent a leisure day wandering and shopping at the Downtown Disney.

July – Outdoor Adventures

We stayed close to home in the midst of Summer. But we did challenge ourselves to new adventures. We started off slow by hiking closer to home.. really close to home. Then we took another step out of our comfort zone to plan a camping trip. Camping in the backyard was another baby step before the real off-site camping. We did it and it was a blast. We also learned a few tips for our first endeavor.

September – Camping by the Lake

We did our first off-site camping at the campground by the lake nearby our house. Kids were a trooper in helping out in the camp and they enjoyed fun activities. Mr. Rojo got over (just a tad) his camping phobia.

September – Asheville, NC

What a month of stepping out of my comfort zone! After a camping trip, we headed North to Asheville for me to attend my FIRST Blogging conference. I was nervous! Asheville was such a beautiful town to visit. Good food.. no.. GREAT food!!

We continued our outdoor adventure by hiking up the Chimney Rocks. Then a quick visit to Biltmore Estate confirmed that I want to go back there again.

I enjoyed learning from and meeting new bloggers. And oh.. yeah.. we took the kids with us. So I learned a few things along the way to have a great business/family trip combo.

November – San Diego and Los Angeles, CA

We ended our 2009 adventures with the most memorable trip for the whole family to the West Coast. It was our first flying trip in a couple years. With all the changes in TSA that going on daily, I was very nervous.. Alas, we made it without lost child.

Mr. Z couldn’t stop talking about his visit to Legoland. I still have several posts I will do for our visit.. We didn’t even scratch the surface yet.

Whew, still with me? What a year we had!!!

As I look forward to the New Year, I don’t know if we will be blessed to be able to afford that many trips again. We already know we will go back to Thailand next year. I still would love to add a couple trips within the US if we could manage. Who know?

Hope you guys will stick around to see what adventures we will get ourselves into. :)

Happy New Year 2010! Have A Great Year Ahead!!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Our Family Travel in 2009 is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

You might have noticed a break or a rather long absent on my blog. It’s the same time every year that I tend to check out and unplug from the Blogosphere and focus on family holidays.

I hope everyone has a great time with their family and friends during the Holiday season.

I really don’t want to do the year-in-review to sound like a broken record. But I couldn’t help to look back at my accomplishment this year.

Plus, January will be a mark for my 2nd year for The Q Family Adventures Blog. Happy Birthday to ME!! :)

Why I Blog

I first started blogging purely for  my own selfish reason. I want to find a way to document our family vacation trip.

The first year in blogging was in no specific direction. You will find me talking about our grocery saving, 5K Walk or even our fun day outs. I was just out there by myself with no sense of community or friendship.

What a Year

Then this year, after a quick break in the beginning of the year I started blogging again with more direction. I setup my goal to focus my posts more on family travel and activities around town and to be a great resource for other families who look for ways to travel with kids in a budget.

This time, I ventured out to the world of travel bloggers. I have met (online) so many great travel bloggers with different travel styles from Adventures travelers, RTW travelers, Family travelers, Solo travelers and many more. I have found a great community that embrace me as who I am. It might sound so cliche but I have found my tribe.

Later this year, I even attended my first Blogging conference. There I have found and met other fabulous bloggers friends IRL. It was a great conference where bloggers from different niches (travel, food, money, mommy, music.. or whatever you want to call yourself) got together and learned from each other.

I have also seen a lot of dramas played out over Twitter and Blogosphere. BUT what I have seen more is how bloggers rally together to help each other or people who is less fortunate from a mom who is fighting for her life to a group of blogger raise fund to build a school in Cambodia.

Looking Forward

It has been a year of many many first for me. And I’m looking forward to next year.

I’m looking forward to meet many more blogger friends who I have stalked for a long time.

I’m looking forward to share our travel stories and tips to our readers.

Most importantly I’m looking forward to get to know more and hear more from my readers.

Hope You Have a Great NEW YEAR!!!!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Happy Holidays and Happy Anniversary 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

I have drafted this post a while back as soon as we know that we are going to San Diego in Winter. But I didn’t have the chance to finish it till now.

It’s not because there is nothing to do in San Diego. But it’s the opposite. There are so many things to do in San Diego. My head is spinning trying to find out what can we fit into our schedule. And no, I still don’t know for sure.

I have to say I’m a real type-A traveler. I have to plan everything to the hours. I’m weird that way. But I think I’m getting better. I think…

This trip I will probably have a list of things to do and leave a few days as  free days so we can explore at our own pace.

Without further adieu, here are list of things to do in San Diego that we will try to fit into our trip.

1. San Diego Zoo – It’s one of the top attraction for San Diego. So I don’t have to have a lot of reasons, do I? Kids love to go to the Zoo and this one will probably give them a good work out for a day.

It just likes all the stars align for my trip planning. A couple weeks ago, Carolina @ Kids Go West wrote a post about The Best of San Diego Zoo picked by her kids. What a perfect post for me. I didn’t have to do any research. I will just print out her post and my to-see for that day will be done.

2. Sea World San Diego – I haven’t been to Sea World in Orlando for ages. My kids have never been to Sea World ever. So Sea World is a must on our list. We love aquarium in general and I love to watch live show.

Blogosphere is my friend again when a couple weeks ago (seem to be the theme here) Jamie @ Travel Savvy Mom wrote about 5 Things she learned at Sea World.  Her fun post gives us the general idea of what to expect.

3. Legoland – My son will disown me if we skip Legoland. I mean this boy has a serious issue with Lego. A few days ago he announced that he is no longer interested in Thomas the Tank Engine. He is now a Star War Lego fan. How about that!

For this stop, I know I can rely on Bridget @ Family Adventure Guidebooks. She published ‘The Unauthorized Legoland Guidebook’ so that should probably say a lot about her knowledge of this amazing amusement park.

4. La Jolla Beach – Visit Children’s Pool to check out the seal and enjoy the relax beach vacation North of San Diego. As Mudslidemama @ Traveling Mamas put it on her visit “I’m so glad I did! La Jolla is indeed lovely, with cliffs that overhand the Pacific in ways reminiscent of the more rugged views in Northern California.”

After that, we can enjoy watching hang gliders navigate the wind at Cliff Hanger cafe. That’s something we don’t see everyday in Atlanta.

5. Balboa Park – Home of the San Diego Zoo. The country’s largest urban cultural park also houses other museums, performing center and open-air theatre. Even though Mr. Z announced his separation from Thomas, I’m pretty sure that he will run to be the first to ride the Balboa Park Miniature train.

6. Mission Beach – Technically, there will be more beaches in San Diego than you can choose. But at Mission Beach, kids can enjoy the beachfront amusement park at Belmont Park. With free parking and free admission, it’s a good outing for a family.

7. USS Midway Aircraft Carrier – I love taking our kids to visit places or sights that we don’t normally see in our own hometown. The USS Midway is one of such place. It’s not often that we will be in the area that we can visit and explore the US Aircraft Carrier. Ok.. This one is for me, Ok? I want to see the inside of the carrier and learn about life at sea.

Now. This is probably not a complete list of what San Diego has to offer. So have at it… What else should I consider while soaking up the Sun in the South Cal?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Things to Do with Kids in San Diego is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Today is the first day of school here and my baby is off to school on the bus as a kindergarten.

It’s a bittersweet for me. On one hand, I’m excited to the next stage for him. He will join his big sister on the school bus, eat in a big cafeteria, learn about reading, writing and art. On another hand, it just gives me a pause at how fast time flies.

Congratulation Mr. Z on embarking into another chapter of your life. Enjoy and have a great day at school!

Miss J will have a sibling in school. I don’t know how this will play out with her. But I know that she will be a great big sister showing her little brother around and helping him out.

We had a fun ice cream party with a few of our friends in our backyard to celebrate their first day. It was hot so ice cream was welcome by everyone. It’s a good thing that everyone ate so quickly because the ice cream was melting almost as quickly. Now I just have to adjust to this early waking hour..

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) And They are Off.. First Day of School 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

I’m sure I’m not the only mom of a boy who loves train. Any kinds of train rides bound to make Mr. Z happy. Even a subway ride is one of the highlight of his trip anywhere no matter where we go. So I have been looking at different scenic train rides around the country for some cool, affordable and fun train ride. Here are my 5 fun and family-friendly scenic train trips in America.

1. Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, North Carolina – With 53 miles of track, 2 tunnels and 25 bridges, the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad will provide fun, exciting and breathtaking landscape of Western North Carolina. The railroad provides many excursion including special events throughout the year.

Departure City: Bryson City, NC
Fee: Starting from $34 Adult, $19 Children
Contact: Great Smoky Mountain Railroad 800-872-4681

2. Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, Georgia – Take a 23 miles round trip scenic Blue Ridge Railway along the beautiful Toccoa River and into the rush Chattahoochee National Forest. Then take a 2 hour layover to visit Copperhill/McCaysville – a town with 2 names lie between the state line of GA/TN.

Departure City: Blue Ridge, GA
Fee: Starting from $26 Adult, $13 Children
Contact: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway 877-413-train (8724)

3. Grand Canyon Railway, Arizona – This is not just another train ride but the ride back in time. The Grand Canyon Railway trip might fall into our typical affordable budget but it’s well worth a ride. Kids will enjoy the 1950s era passenger cars with musicians roaming the car to serenade them or the passenger service attendant answering and providing history and fun knowledge about Grand Canyon.

Departure City: Williams, AZ
Fee: Starting from $70 Adult, $40 Children
Contact: Grand Canyon Railway 800-THE-TRAIN

4. Alaska Railroad, Alaska – When you talk about Alaska, there is no doubt you will think about amazing, breathtaking landscape. There is no better way to enjoy the beauty of Alaska with children than a train ride. This is probably not one of the affordable train ride but it’s one of special experience that will last a lifetime.

Departure City: Multiple Cities, AK
Fee: Starting from $59 Adult, $30 Children
Contact: Alaska Railroad 800-544-0552

5. Skunk Train, California – Ok. You have to admit the name already made you wanna ride this train. The Skunk line runs 40 miles from Fort Bragg on the coast to Willits on US Highway 101. Along the way, the tracks cross some 30 bridges and trestles and pass through two deep mountain tunnels. The half-way point of Northspur is popular lunch spot, giving passengers a chance to snack before continuing to Willits or heading back to Fort Bragg.

Departure City: Fort Bragg and Willits, CA
Fee: Starting from $35 Adult, $20 Children
Contact: Skunk Train 866-457-5865

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5 Fun Kid-Friendly Scenic Train Trips 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

When you tell anyone you are going to Orlando, they automatically assume that you will spend your entire vacation in the Theme Parks. Who can blame them when there are more theme parks than you can visit in one week in Orlando. However, we have been to Orlando countless times and I start to feel Disney-burnout.. Surprise surprise!

Our recent trip down to Orlando for a 5 day vacation trip, we had decided to choose only 1 Disney park and 1 Disney’s Water park. The rest of the time there we enjoyed spending with our friend and another non-theme park favorite location – Downtown Disney.

Downtown Disney is a destination within itself that I think a family with kids will truly enjoy without breaking a bank. It’s very conveniently located right off from I-4. There are plenty of parking and the best of all it’s FREE.

It has various shops and restaurants situated around a lake in the outdoor setting. We loved to go there and enjoy a nice day out in Orlando. A few of our favorite spots are:

1. Once Upon A Toy – A fabulous and unique toy store that offers fun for the whole family for hours. We enjoyed our visit to this store and couldn’t get enough of them.

2. Lego Store – It might be not Lego Land but it is a perfect fun place for lego fan alike. There are plenty of stations that allow kids to explore and play with lego. The creations are also amazing to see.

3. Disney Store – It won’t be Downtown Disney Market without a Disney Store. A mega Disney Store has sections for the whole family from baby, girl, boy, man, woman, and home goods. I think the most popular one is the Disney Princess Salon. Girl will be transformed to a princess with all the pamper from Disney staff.

4. Waterfront Theater – This open-air waterfront theater has events throughout the year. Last year we caught the magic show. This year it was raining. It was right in front of the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop. Grab an ice cream for kids and a cup of coffee for yourself and enjoy people watching.

5. T-Rex Restaurant – Ok.. We didn’t get a chance to go but it looks so cool that we will have to try. It’s the concept restaurant that similar to Rain Forest Cafe. When we went there, the restaurant just recently opened so the line just to get your name on the waiting list was already longer than some of the ride in Blizzard Beach. So maybe next time…

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Five Family Favorites at Downtown Disney Market 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

I’m pretty much a newbie in Twitter world even though I have my account for over a year. At first I just don’t get how to use Twitter. But now I know that Twitter has a lot of benefits if you really know how to use it. For example, a couple weeks ago I saw a lot of tweets about crazy cheap airline tickets from the US cities to Europe.. I mean really low price. Within 24 hours the price had been adjusted. Turned out Delta made some boo boo on their pricing system and forgot to add the airport fee of $200. Oops for Delta but good for any twitters who jump on that deal.

Then a few days later, I saw another cheap ticket from Atlanta to Honolulu for less than $300 from United. And this deal didn’t even last a whole day. So I learn now that if I see any deals on Twitter, act fast.

Well, last week I saw the tweet from Cookie Magazine asking the first 5 people in Atlanta to reply to their tweet will get free 4 tickets to Thomas & Friends show. I didn’t know if I will make it but I tried anyway. And who would have thought, I was the 4th person and snatched the tickets for my Thomas fanatic son. So this past weekend we took the kids to the Fox Theatre to enjoy the Thomas & Friend Live on Stage: A Circus Comes to Town complimentary of Cookie Magazine.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a twitter account. Oh! By the way, you can follow me @theqfamily. :)

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) This is Why Everyone Should Tweet 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

This is the shot of the White House as close as we could get. We went to DC during Spring Break which coincided to the Cherry Blossom festival and added that to the new president who just recently moved in, we competed with a lot of people to secure the ticket to visit the White House and luck wasn’t on our side. But that didn’t discourage us to make our final destination on our last day in DC to be the White House.

First we stopped by at the White House Visitor Center. We were a bit late to watch the free video about the White House history. But there are plenty of other interesting things for you to see. The exhibits throughout the room show the history of the White House. Kids could sit down and enjoy some game or craft. Parents can shop the White House souvenir like jigsaw puzzle of the White House.

Then we continued along the 15th Street NW to check out the exterior of the White House. I was determined to get the most famous pose with the White House front lawn. Unfortunately, the access to that section was closed that day. So we continued our walk to the Lafayette Square to get the backyard shot of the White House. The square was a nice area with only foot traffic so it’s perfect for kids to roam around. After we fueled up at Old Ebbitt Grill, we walked all the way to the Tidal Basin for one last shot of the Cherry flowers.

Adios DC, till we meet again.

Check out other travelers’ Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Washington DC With Kids: The White House from Afar 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?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Fun Free (Cheap) Things to Do with Kids this Summer 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! :) Washington DC with Kids: DC on a Budget is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The China’s Terracotta Army in Atlanta is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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

That’s a million dollar question, isn’t it?

Well, I’m still kicking and living here in the C-Town. :) But I just have been too busy reading. That’s right my friends.. I read for a change instead of tuning to the TV.

It all started when I picked up Twilight book and can’t stop since..

Well, we have been busy planning a few trips as well. So I promise to update as soon as I can put my books down.

So far we have several trips in the work.

- Last minute ski trip to Gatlinburg
- Spring break trip to DC
- Maybe.. Disney trip to Mr. Rojo’s Birthday

Till then…

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Ah.. The year end review.. I don’t like to look back in the past but rather focus in the future. But there is one thing that I don’t mind looking back often. I love to review our travel trips from the past to relive the fun and treasure all the memories we have created with all those trips.

At the beginning of 2008, I have made a list of Top 10 Weekend Trips that we could do from our homebase in Atlanta.. How did I do..

We did take a trip to Helen for our anniversary. It wasn’t the romantic getaway that we were planning for but nonetheless it was the fun family trip that my kids are still talking about.

Then in September, we took a day trip to Chattanooga for the fun full day at the Creative Discovery Children Museum and Tennessee Aquarium.

And to celebrate my birthday in October, we went to Destin for a few days.. Oh!! This will be one of my annual trip as long as we can afford it. The beaches are gorgeous.

So we managed to check off 3 out of 10 from our list. Not too bad. In between, we also went to the Carribean on Carnival cruise. It’s yet another one of our favorite vacation type. I already start planning for the next cruise.

I can’t wait to start planning for 2009 trips.. So far, one is already in progress.. Stay tune for our next adventure.

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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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I was planning to write up this long post about how proud I am of myself to celebrate my first Blogniversary. But I just don’t have it in me today to do so..

So to me, Happy 1st Blog-niversary. I have enjoyed my journey and met several new friends. I hope this year journey will be more fun and greater than last year.

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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

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

Last night we had a small Christmas eve dinner with friends. Nothing big just us and their family. It’s my first Christmas eve dinner that I cooked and prepared everything myself. I’m pretty proud of myself. Bonus for a small gathering is everyone gets to eat at the dining room.. Ah.. What a treat!

Santa has arrived in Atlanta at 11pm. Look what he brought with him to the Q house!

I was so touched this morning as we woke up to Christmas day. Miss J and Mr. Z saw what Santa brought for them and the first thing Miss J said was.. ‘We have to pray to God and thanks him for Jesus’. That’s what Christmas is all about!!!!

Someone was asking for American Girls and guessed she has been good!

A bit OCD??? Mr. Z lined up his toy in a perfect line. That’s just how he likes it.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) It’s CHRISTmas!!! 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! :) Wordless Wednesday: Merry Christmas 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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Ah.. Till the season.. This year it seems we have been busier than usual. Maybe because we stay in town instead of heading South to the land of Mickey and Minnie.

Last week we had Miss J’s holiday party at school. It was nice to get to see other parents and see how she is in the class. Her teacher is amazing. We were on the mad dash to finish 3 crafting project and 1 snack. It was quite accomplishments for us to make 2 ornaments and one goodie bag home.

Then the next night we had Mr. Z’s holiday party at his Pre-K school. His class performed 3 songs.. It was so adorable. They sang, danced and enjoyed the party. Mr. Z, however, didn’t really like to sing in front of a large audiences. He did dance when they sang Rudolph though.. Here is my little Rudolph..

We also attended our first playdate with my local mom group. Typically, I had to work so I hardly join in the playdate. But I was able to clear my schedule to take them to Ginger Bread cookie decorating playdate. My friend is an amazing baker!! She can do the kind of cookies that you don’t want to eat but just to look at. We had fun on our sugar binge and decorating.

Then last night, we planned to take them to see Magical Night of Light at Lake Lanier. However, the traffic was so bad we had to improvise. Instead, we headed to McD for a fun dinner out and went to see the light at John Creeks area (which is free). So we will probably try the Magical Night of Light later and plan our trip better to avoid the traffic.

Whew.. It has been a really busy week so I’m sure y’all can relate and forgive me for not updating my blog more often.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Holiday Parties 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! :) Wordless Wednesday: Just Follow Us is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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

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The poor snow man after only a day in Atlanta last year snow surprise.

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My first pumpkin carving that’s worth showing. Ok.. Not the real first pumpking carving but the first one that is really not a 3 triangle pumpkin face. I think I’m doing pretty alright. What do you think?

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

Recently, we just took a quick trip to visit Amicalola Falls in Dawsonville. It was about 45 minutes from our house. The trip was a really pleasant drive in the mountain with blue sky and colorful trees along side of the road. I was glad Mr. Rojo did the driving so I could enjoy the scenary. We went there with a couple of families friends. At first we stopped by at the pumpkin patch. After that, we headed to the Falls. We planned to picnic there and do a little hike to enjoy the leaves color in the mountain.

After a while, we packed up and decided to check out the Falls. We drove up to the West Ridge Falls access trail.. Ok.. We cheated, ok? We had 4 kids and 1 baby so we needed a little bit of an easy trail. This trail is perfect for any family as the trail is built with recycled tire. It was very easy to walk. There was pretty much no elevation at all.. We could even push the stroller on this trail. The trail was pretty manageable for small kids as well. I think it took us about 10-15 minutes to get from the parking lot to the viewing point of the Falls. Maybe next year we can try to hike from the base.. hehe..

Then we went up to the top of the Falls to check out the Lodge. It was a great place to stay in the park. It has an amazing view and a great restaurant with reasonable price buffet. We didn’t plan to eat there but it was too good to pass up. But before dinner, we found out that the park had the Hayride every 15 minutes for free.. Did I hear someone mention ‘Free’? Without hesitation, we all headed out to wait in line for the hayride. It was pretty neat ride. The ranger took us on the trail off road. The kids got a kick out of the bouncing up and down on the tractor and the fallen leaves.

Back from the hayride we headed down to check out the amazing view from the Lodge. Then off to dinner.. Food was great, friendship was even better.. We truly enjoyed our day out with our friends. It was one of the fun weekend trip we have had this year.

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

Check out other WW participants at WW Hub or 5 Minutes for mom.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Wordless Wednesday: Help! I’m stuck! 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

We are part of the iNation. :) Mr. Rojo got me an iPhone several months ago courtesy of Uncle Sam with the stimulus check. Anyway, with the new upgrade that allows us to be able to use third party applications, it makes me love my iPhone even more.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 Applications on my iPhone 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! :) Wordless Wednesday: Look I'm underwater! 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

Check out other WW participant at WW Hub and 5 Minutes for Mom.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Wordless Wednesday: Somewhere Over the Rainbow 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

This week, I haven’t been around blogosphere much. Here are the carnivals that I participated in this week.

1) Delicious Baby presented Carnival of Cities: The best way to get to travel around the world without leaving your house.

2) Living Almost Large presented Carnival of Money Stories: The Cartoon edition is very clever and fun. You have gotta read all the cartoon. It will lighten your day from all this financial crisis news.

3) Fix My Personal Finance presented Money Hacks Carnival #33th: The Octoberfest edition is filled with goodies for your finance, investing, saving, retirement and career. Just drink responsibly.

4) Dollar Frugal presented Festival of Frugality #146th: The Benjamin Franklin edition has great round up for overall financial advice from wall street to main street.

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Mr. Pretzel at the Braves VS the Phillies game last year.

Check out other WW participants at WW Hub or 5 Minutes for Mom.

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

Last week I was featured in a few money carnivals. Each carnival has such a great post. It took me a while to check them all out. Sit back, relax and check out all the posts.

1) The Financial Blogger presented Money Hacks Carnival # 32: The Have You Ever Edition featured my Coupon of the 21st Century.

2) Funny About Money presented Carnival of Money Stories #78: With the delay, you get twice the stories this week. So it’s a great place to read about various money stories ranging from trying to have a baby, buying a house, getting rid of the house and living on the road, cooking on your vacation and even green cleaning products.

3) Value For Your Life presented Festival of Frugality #145: The Gratitude Edition has a great round up and provides a new perspective during this turmoil time, to be greatful with the positive things in your life.

4) Trip Delivery presented Carnival of Cities: I love this carnival. It gives me a chance to go around the world without even leaving my house. Check out trip from Chicago to Washington DC down to Atlanta. Then cross the Atlantic to London, Amsterdam and around Europe.

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

We are on the national news for the gas shortage. It’s mind boggling to think that we will be in this situation when we are no where near where the Hurricanes went. But here we are running out of gas. So here are some ways to help save these precious black gold during this crazy time.

1) Consider carpooling – In Atlanta, not only you will save money on your own gas, you might get a chance to win free money each month.

2) Combine trip to avoid excessive driving.

3) Clean up your car especially your trunk and remove all the junk that causes more weight on your car.

4) Check your tire pressure regularly.

5) Maintain your car with regular maintenance and tune up schedule.

6) Fill up your gas tank during the coolest time of the day.

7) Don’t top of your gas tank. Too much gas will leak out.

8) Buy regular grade gas when possible. Only buy premium if it’s required by car manufacturer.

9) Utilize cruise control on a long distance driving. Maintain steady speed will help minimize the gas consumption.

10) Slow down… Driving too fast will consume more gas.

11) Travel smarter by checking out your route and look for the shorter, safer, straighter route.

12) Watch out for the heavy foot. Slowly accelerate will help save gas.

13) Bigger is not better. If it’s time to get another car, look for more fuel efficient car. Smaller car will cost less in overall.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 Ways to Save on Gas is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Check out other WW participants at WW Hub or 5 Minutes for Mom.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Wordless Wednesday: Are you my mommy? is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Last week, I just received the item from Pamper Chef that I ordered from my friend’s Pamper Chef party. I have to say that it has quickly become one of my favorite thing to use in the kitchen. It’s not the tool that can do it all like Kitchen Aid. It’s just a small little tool that make sandwich prettier. It’s the Cut-N-Seal. Kellie was talking about it at Busy Mamas blog on how great it will help prepare lunch for your kid.

The verdict is… drum roll please… It’s amazing. I like that it seals the sandwich so there is no mess and no falling cheese or jelly from the sandwich. Miss J now loves to bring PB&J to school. It will make my lunch packing routine much easier. I can just prepare it all in bulk and freeze it in the freezer. The best part is I can do a lot more than just PB&J. I can make Ham and Cheese sandwich, Sausage and Egg sandwich, Turkey sandwich or anything your kiddies love to eat.

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

Nope. Not in church where we normally are but waiting in line to get gas for over 40 minutes.

This morning as I woke up, I started to call around to see if there is any gasoline in any gas stations nearby. No such luck. Until I searched Google and found this website, Atlanta Gas Prices. I’m sure a lot of Atlantans already knew about this site. It’s a user-based website that people log in to update the gas price for the area. After a quick search I found that Kroger has gas. So I woke up Mr. Rojo and we headed out. On the way, we saw a Chevron station also has gas and they were closer. So we made a u-turn and got in line.

Hmm.. The line was deceiving. It was like we were at Disney World except instead of waiting for a ride we waited for gas. From the street you won’t see the line but as soon as you turned to the station you will see that the line didn’t end there. It wrapped around the parking lot. The gas station staffs are very helpful and organized. The line was long but orderly. So it wasn’t such a bad experience considering other altercations I have heard from my friends and the news. The station also asks that we fill up for $30 worth of gas. They didn’t enforce it but we obliged. At least that what we can do to help each other out. We did saw one car who ran out of gas that they needed to push the car to the station.

So if you really need gas, you might want to check out Atlanta Gas Price before you head out. Make sure to call the station before hand as well. Today we will be homebound. I hope the situation will help opening up for awareness to look for alternative energy resource and for us to start living with less waste energy and resource!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) This is how we spent our Sunday morning… is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Normally, I don’t post about my grocery shopping trip since I figured I’m still a newbie in this coupon thing and it will be boring. But tonight I just have to share my best shopping trip yet.

Publix has a really great sale this week! Mr. Rojo has been asking for his oatmeal for a really long time. Poor man, he can’t have breakfast till I can find sale and coupon. :) So here we go.

Purchase:
- 8 Green Giant Frozen Veggie ($1.00 ea)
- 2 Campbell Select Harvest Soup ($1.20 ea)
- 2 Dannon Yogurt ($0.50 ea)
- 8 Quaker Oatmeal ($1.90 ea)
- 2 Pillsbury Cake Mix ($0.85 ea)
- 8 Hamburger Helper ($0.80 ea)
- 4 Chex Mix ($1.28 ea)
- 2 Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta ($0.90 ea)
- 1 Back to Nature Granola ($2.50 ea)
- 1 Tomato Cherry Vine ($2.50)
- 1 Asparagus ($1.91)
- 2lb Apple Gala ($2.44)
- 1 Donut Glaze ($4.49)

Coupons Used:
- 2 x $0.60/2 Green Giant (IP)
- 2 x $0.50/2 Green Giant (Sunday coupon)
- 6 x $1.00/1 Quaker Oatmeal (IP)
- 2 x $0.50/1 Quaker Oatmeal (Sunday coupon)
- 2 x $1.00/1 Chex Mix (IP)
- 2 x $0.50/1 Chex Mix (Sunday coupon)
- 2 x $0.40/1 Pillsbury Cake Mix (Sunday coupon)
- 2 x $1.00/1 Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta (Sunday coupon)
- 1 x $0.50/2 Campbell Simple Harvest soup (Sunday coupon)
- 8 x $1.00/1 Hamburger Helper (GM Peelie)
- 1 Free Back to Nature WYB 2 Danon (Publix coupon)
- 1 x $1 off 1lb Apple (Target coupon)
- 1 x $5 off $20 purchase (Walgreen coupon)

Total OOP: $14.46
Total Saving: $85.34

I have to say this was also one of the most stressful shopping trip for me. The cashier was not so friendly at all. When I handed her a stack of coupons she sighed so I knew that I might have a hard time. Sure enough, she refused to take Target coupon with manufacturing coupon. So I asked her politely to ask the manager. The manager confirmed that they can’t do that. So I don’t want to fight that battle. Plus Mr. Rojo started to move away from me further and further. I was afraid he will just go wait in the car. hehe.. I just help them sort through the coupons and pulled back Target coupons that I planned to use. But if they did take all my coupons, I will be paying less than $10!!!!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) I just have to share 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

Recently, I have been sharing my little knowledge about coupon with my friends. Whenever, I found a great deal I was too excited to keep it to myself. I’m not a coupon expert by any mean. I consider myself a beginning couponer. These are my top five go-to place whenever I plan my shopping for the week.

1) Fiddledeedee – Yes, I chose her for my money and mommy blog a few weeks ago and I chose her again. She has a great easy-to-follow list of Publix deals(my favorite grocery store).

2) Southern Saver – I just discovered her site recently. She has all the stores that I shop regularly including Kroger, Walgreen, CVS and Publix.. All in one!

3) Hot Coupon World – I think most of the mommy saving moms out there know about this forum. The master of all coupons. I have learned a great deal from this site. The information can be overwhelming but if you just pick one store and take it slowly you will learn it eventually. I’m still learning of course.

4) A Full Cup – Another coupon/deals forum with great resource. The information is similar to HCW however they do have printable coupon for Food Lion which is considering competitor to Publix. So you can save even more using their coupon in Publix.

5) Taylor Town Preview - A great site to show you what Sunday insert coupons you will get for each Sunday. You can check before the weekend to help you determine whether you want to buy the newspaper that week or even if you want to buy extra copy that week.

I hope this will help you in saving on your grocery shopping. Let me know if you have your favorite sites that I haven’t discovered yet.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Five Finds for Friday: Coupon Sites 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.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 Fall Activities I love to do is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We don’t look too bad, do we? :)

Check out other WW participants at Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes For Mom.

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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. Will we go back to see the circus again? Probably.. But we probably would love to go see the show that doesn’t involve animal show. I wasn’t too impressed with the animal show. And on the way to the Arena we saw a group of protesters from PITA protested Ringling claiming that they abused the animal. I don’t know if it’s the truth or not. But I wouldn’t want to take the chance.

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

The Fall TV season has started.. oh.. I can’t wait for all the shows to come back, old or new. Here are my 13 shows I am watching or will be watching this season.

1. Lost

2. Heroes

3. Fringe

4. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

5. Grey’s Anatomy

6. Brothers & Sisters

7. One Tree Hill

8. Gossip Girl

9. Prison Break

10. Army Wifes

11. Burn Notice

12. Desperate Housewifes

13. 24

Can you tell I’m a TV junkie? So tell me, what are your shows?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 TV Shows I'm watching is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This art is inspired by a trip to Helen that we took in March.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Wordless Wednesday: My Favorite Cabin Trip by Miss J is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Coupon as we used to know is a bunch of paper coupons from Sunday newspaper. Then we have Internet Printed coupons from various website. Recently, I have seen a big promotion for Cellfire which is yet another way to help you save money. Cellfire is the coupon on your phone. Basically, you register on Cellfire with your cell number and you will be able to save coupon on your phone via text message or application for web-enable phone like iPhone. I don’t really know how it works on non-iphone. But I can only tell you about my own experience from iPhone point of view.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Coupon of the 21st Century is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

I have been featured in a fews of the great carnivals this past week. Each of them has a great list of posts. It’s worth to check them out.

1) Living Almost Large is hosting Money Hacks Carnival #29, The Food Haven.. Check them out after your lunch or dinner. Otherwise, you might be drooling all over your computer.

2) Frugal Babe is hosting Festival of Frugality #142. Check out posts ranging from food, recession, saving, shopping, frugal living and everything else in between.

3) Family Travellogue is hosting Carnival of Cities. A great carnival with a lot of great posts of 2 weeks worth. Give you a chance to travel around the world from US cities like my submission of Chattanooga trip to Pattaya, Japan and London.

4) Georgia On My Mind is hosting Georgia Carnival #44. If you are Georgia blogger or plan to visit Georgia, this is a place to check out. Great round up of anything Georgia.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Around the Blogosphere 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

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Wordless Wednesday: No Paparazzi! is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

During the Labor day weeken, we took a day trip to Chattanooga. After a fun time at the Creative Discovery Museum, we headed out to Tennessee Aquarium which is right around the corner. It was way past lunch time so we needed to fill up our tummy tank before getting in. After a few undecided minutes, we ended up at the Genghis Grill. It’s the Build-Your-Own-Bowl Asian stir-fry restaurant. The food was alright but then I can’t blame the restaurant since I put all the ingredient myself. So I guess I can only blame myself. They actually do have recipes for you to follow if you want a certain dish. It was quick and easy. I wouldn’t mind going back there again. The kids enjoyed watching the grill masters cooked up the food with long wooden sticks.

After lunch, we headed out to get our tickets. While Mr. Rojo waited in line to purchase our tickets, I took Miss J and Mr. Z to walk around the small creek area in front of the Aquarium. Big note to self – DO NOT forget the bathing suits next time!!! I knew that there is river area that kids can enjoy especially on the hot day. I completely forgot to pack extra clothes for them. Well, I let them walk around anyway (against my better judgement). I figured if I told them not to get wet, they won’t get wet!! Must be lack of sleep on my part. It was going so well. No major wetness… until … Mr. Rojo was done and headed our way. While I was busy calling him and packing my camera, I heard Mr. Z cried.. And yup.. He fell down and totally soaked!! Sorry. No picture here as I was too occupied trying to figure what we were gonna do. We hadn’t even started in the Aquarium yet. We walked around trying to find any clothing stores. Why don’t they sell pants in the gift shop!!!! No luck. So we figured we could go to the bathroom and hope that the bathroom has the hand blower.

We started our journey at the River building. First stop – rest room. Well, it would be too easy if they have the hand blower, wouldn’t it? So I was in the bathroom and paintakingly squeezed his pant using the paper towel. It was still damp but he said it was ok. So we headed to the first exhibit which is the Seahorse. After the seahorse, we headed upstairs to really start the River Journey. The escalator took us all the way up to the top floor and we were greeted by the outdoor setting of mountain top. It was so neat! I really liked it here. I love the top floor that showed the waterfall to teach kids where the river comes from. Walking through there was so peaceful and so nice. Eventhough it was a hot day, the trees and the mist helped mask the heat.

Going to the Aquarium with young children was like taking a speed train through the whole thing. They bounced off from one exhibit to the next. We hardly had time to read about it. But from what I can grasp, the Aquarium has 2 buildings. One is mainly the River journey. This was where we started. First we started off with River in the area- mainly Tennessee River. Then we walked through River around the world. It was a great learning experience not only for children but us as well.

The Ocean Journey started off at the top floor as well. The view of the Tennessee River was amazing. I could just sit here in the rocking chair and let them run off. The first exhibit was the Penguin. There were several penguins but they didn’t move much. Guess we came in after their dinner time.

After the Penguin, we headed to the Tropical Cove. Again.. my favorite for the outdoor feel and a touching tank. Kids could touch sting ray and shark in this tank. Unfortunately, the tank was a bit too deep for Mr. Z. Poor boy, he was trying so hard to chase the sting ray for a chance of touching him. But he was too small. We probably need to dunk him in there to be able to touch them. Mr. Rojo got a few underwater pictures of someone else touching the shark. I did touch the shark though. His skin was very rough. It was totally opposite from the sting ray which the skin was so smooth almost like velvet. Next to the Tropical Cove was the Butterfly. It was so neat to get to walk through and see the butterflies up close.

Then we headed down the escalator for the Ocean Journey. Mr. Z really enjoyed his quiet time with his pal. I can see we will be taking many more trips back to the GA Aquarium soon. Last year we went 3 times! My lack of preparation wasn’t stopped at just no spare clothes. With our luck, our camera batteries were dying. And we brought 2 cameras with us. Go figure! So by the time, we walked down to check out several sharks and with so many photo ops, our cameras were dead in the water!

I was able to get a few shots of the sharks and it wasn’t even that good. Oh! well, I tried! At the end of the journey, we were all pretty wiped out. We were there so late that the gift shop was already closed. Guess it wasn’t meant for us to spend money on souvenir there.

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

Hello is a very common and widely use word for greeting. Today I want to explore how people around the world say ‘Hello’.

1) Sa-Wad-Dee : This is Hello in Thai – my native language

2) Kumusta : Hello in Tagalog – where Mr. Rojo’s parents came from

3) Hola : Hello in Spanish

4) Ni Hao : Hello in Chinese

5) Guten Tag : Hello in German

6) Ahn Nyeong Ha Se Yo : Hello in Korean

7) Selamat Pagi : Hello in Indonesian

8) Yia Sas : Hello in Greek

9) Bonjour : Hello in French

10) Konnichiwa : Hello in Japanese

11) Aloha : Hello in Hawaiian

12) Buon giorno : Hello in Italian

13) Namaste : Hello in Hindi

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On Saturday, we took a day trip to Chattanooga. Mr. Rojo has wanted to go to the Tennessee Aquarium for a while now. So we decided to take a day trip during a long weekend. Originally, I planned to stay overnight and make a side trip to Huntville to check out the Space Center. But with our up-coming beach trip, we decided to just do a day trip.

Chattanooga is about 2 1/2 hours from where we live so it wasn’t so bad for the drive there except we took a local highway instead of state highway. But we still got there at the same time.

We got there right before noon. It wasn’t that busy when we got in. The fun began even before we got in the door. There is a huge bubble making that allows you to get inside and pull the ring up. It was a great challenge to see if you can put your whole body inside the bubble. I wish I would have tried it. Maybe next time.

The first stop – River Play. The kids just ran there without waiting for us and stayed there for a good 30-40 minutes. It was a really neat water play for kids. They got to learn about how the water is used. How the dam is built and what is the impact when you build the dam. Good thing I was quick to ask them to put the rain coat on before they started playing. Some kids got soaked. I think the part they love the most is the water shooter that 2 kids can play together and see who got the most power to make the wheel spin.

Next to the River Play was a play structure that teaches about the Wind. The structure is big enough that adult is allowed to go up there. It was so neat. I didn’t think I want to leave that play structure yet. But then we realized that there were more to see and do in the museum.

We walked inside and they zoomed right past the craft table. Guess my kids are not that into crafting. We stopped by the clinic. They can pretend to be a doctor, check out the nose (big fat nose with hair nonetheless), look at the x-ray and measure themselves. Miss J was very fascinating with all the organ on display including a big skeleton.

Then we went to the inventor room. Mr. Z was busy playing with the remote control car that other parents had built it. It was so neat. If we have any time, we might try to build one ourselves. Then they were off to Music and Art room. It was very interesting in each room as they had a lot of hand-on activities for children to try on. The Music room had different kinds of intruments for them to try their hands on. The Art room had different station for them to create their own art ranging from painting, priting and self-portrait.

Last stop on 1st floor was the Dinosaur room. With a big Dinosaur greeted us, they went right pass him to the dig area. Basically, it was a big sand box with dinosaur bones buried underneath. I think they could literally spend the whole day in that room. Mr. Z tended to dig too hard and throw his sand all over himself and anyone who was near him. I had to keep reminding him to do it gently.

Then we found out that there was more than 1 floor. Duh!! So we headed upstair for the special Clifford exhibit. It was a really nice treat as we are currently reading Clifford books at home. They had a chance to check out Clifford’s house, his library, the playground and climbed on Big Red Dog himself.

Then we took a short walk up to the top floor to check out the downtown view and see the bee colony on the rooftop. On the other side of the building, the outdoor fun was there awaiting. The rooftop fun had several structures for them to play with. The best one has to be the lifting chair. Children can sit on the chair and buckle up then they can lift themselves off the ground. It was pretty hot that day so we didn’t stay long outside.

By the time we knew it, it was almost 2pm. So it was time to wrap up as we still had one more place to go – the Tennessee Aquarium. This was a really great Children Museum. We like it so much that we purchased the membership. The national membership will allow us to also visit other children museum around the country.

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

I haven’t done Five Find for Friday for a while but I will get back to do it more often. I have found several or ton of new blogs since I started blogging. But one of the blog that gets me started in this blogosphere is the mommy & money blog.

Here are my finds of those mommies who give us all the tips and tricks to save more money for your family.

1) Money Saving Mom – No need to say another word. This is one of the most popular money blog out there. Crystal has great information for grocery and coupon shopping. She also provides useful article on saving, living frugally and spending wisely on the regular basis as well.

2) The “Cent”sible Sawyer – Another great money blog with all the details for deals and freebies. I check her blog weekly.

3) Fiddledeedee - I love Sarah’s blog because she focuses on Publix. I love to shop at Publix. Also she has a lot of deal for organic shopping which is what I am trying to do.

4) Penny Pinching Parent – I just recently discovered this blog. I love that she gives weekly deals on kids stuff like diaper will detail break down to price per diaper. A great info indeed.

5) Common Sense with Money – Another great money advice site. She provide not only grocery deal but various tips about saving money! I truly enjoy reading her blog.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Five Finds for Friday – Mommy & Money Blogs is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This past Friday when I picked Miss J up from the bus stop, she gave me a huge smile. I immediately noticed that something is missing.. Something.. TWO space between her bottom front teeth are empty.

As you all know that we have been waiting for her wiggling teeth to fall out. I was too chicken to pull it out myself. Miss J told me that they came out during lunch time while she ate her cheese stick.. Ok.. That will be on my list of things to give her to eat on her next wiggling tooth. Unfortunately, she lost both teeth. No biggie. I told her that the Tooth Fairy will know whose teeth and she will return to the right owner.

Well, thanks for all the suggestion about how much to give her. I really love JoJo’s idea about Quarter collection. But I didn’t prepare anything for that. Actually, I was so unprepared that I forgot to put the money under her pillow when she went to bed that night. The next morning, I had to lure her to my bed and had Mr. Rojo kept her in our bed while I ran downstairs and got $2 to put under her pillow. Well, luckily I had $2. :)

So now only 20 something more teeth to go.. I hope it will be as easy as these two.

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

Rain.. Rain.. Come again..

We have been so disappointed in Fay. She seems to be focusing her energy in Florida. I’m sure the Floridians would love her to move a bit North. Today we got a bit of rain from Fay tail.

Mr. Rojo and I went walking in the rain.. Oh! What a fun day! I don’t remember when was the last time I got to play in the rain. When we were young, my mom always told us to get inside since they were afraid that we would get sick. So today it was my chance to enjoy the rain.. It’s really liberating!

So what other childhood activities you long to be able to do now that nobody can tell you what to do or what not to do?

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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

Inspire by Money Saving Mom I have come up with my own 13 Painless Ways we save $100 this year.

1) Pack our own lunch: We have cafeteria in our office but that still costs a lot more than packing our own lunch

2) Pack Miss J lunch: Last year I had Miss J bought lunch at school. But after a few months, I decided that I can give her better lunch and I can also see how much she eat. Plus packing her lunch has saved $$$ along the way.

3) Join CVS game: Before learning the CVS rope, we typically spent close to $800/month for our grocery and Health&Beauty products. But now we have saved probably more than $200 from learning and utilizing CVS program

4) Cut coupon for grocery shopping: Cutting coupon not only help reduce the cost of grocery but I think it forced me to be more vigilent in our spending habit. I admitted that in the past I don’t even look at the price of the products we bought for our grocery. But now, I will only buy if it’s really on sale and I have coupons for them.

5) Change our life insurance and save $1000/year: We have had our term life insurance for several years now. But lately I read that the life insurance price has come down. So I figure I will try to see what kind of the quote we will get. Surprisingly even though we were older (than when we first got the first policy), we pay less for the same exact coverage. So I spent about 30 minutes online to fill up the form for both Mr. Rojo and myself and now we saved $1000/year.

6) Drive our smaller car more often: We have 2 cars. The Hyundai Sonata is our regular car that we used to use on the daily basis. And we also have Totota Corolla. Lately, we have been using the Corolla more because it has better gas mileage. Sometimes I will miss my leather seat in the Sonata but I think the saving is worth it.

7) Change Blockbuster Online plan: After reviewing our entertainment budget and how often we watch the movie, we decided to switch the blockbuster plan to a cheaper plan but still allows us a few movies per month.

8) Use water filter pitcher for water instead of buying bottle of water.

9) Get books from library instead of buying books

10) Use homemade cleaner (aka vinegar) instead of buying chemical cleaner for general purpose cleaning

11) Make my own pancake: Ok… I’m not that good to make it from scratch yet. I still use Bisquick for pancake but it sure saves us a lot more money than buying Eggo frozen waffle. If I can do it, anyone can too.

12) Start herb garden: Well, I can’t really take a full credit on this one since anyone who knows me know that I can’t keep any plant alive. My MIL has been a big help in getting us started. I bought the seed and she nurtured them and now we enjoy our own basil on the patio.

13) Read all saving blogs to learn about deals/freebies.. I can’t thank you all money saving bloggers out there enough how much they have helped me save hundreds by posting about deals they found.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 Painless Ways to Save $100 is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Miss J front teeth are wiggling for the past couple weeks now. This will be her first time and our first time to deal with baby teeth coming out. Now what is the going rate from the Tooth Fairy? This is rather critical as it will set us up for the next 20 something teeth to come.. Any idea?

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

Say ‘Hi’ to my new walking/jogging partner.. the New Balance 767 For the Cure Running shoe.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Hello New Friend! 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 Uses for Vinegar 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

I know I’m late updating my Carnival around the blogosphere from last week. In the past 2 weeks I was features in a few Carnivals. Here are the rundown.

1) Stop the Ride presents Carnival of Money Stories: Check out the ABC’s of Money carnival. After all, you will leave with 25 new ideas about money.

2) Student Scrooge presents Festival of Frugality: This is a great edition for Festival of Frugality #136 – Summer school Edition. A really great round up with over 60 posts of great tips and story about how to live frugally from Philosophy, Environment, Geography (Travel) to Extra Credit. And don’t forget to check out the Honor Roll.

3) Can I Get Rich on a Salary presents Money Hacks Carnival: The 23rd Edition of Money Hacks Carnival features great round up

4) Georgia On My Mind presents Georgia Carnival: Check out posts about Georgia or from Georgia bloggers. It’s nice to read my neighbor bloggers.

5) Credit Card Low Down presents Carnival of Money, Growth and Happiness: The Carnival of Money, Growth and Happiness Edition #52 is up. Make sure to check it out. There are 26 great posts out there.

6) Tip Diva presents Carnival of Tips: The edition has over 30 great tips ranging from Finance, Home, Relationship, Travel and Technology.

7) Quiverfull Family presents Carnival of Family Life: See what’s going on in the family life around the blogosphere.

8) Not The Jet Set presents Green It! Carnival: This is the first time I have joined this carnival. I’m honored to be part of this great Carnival. I consider myself not-yet-green mom but trying to be as green as possible. It’s such a great roundup that I enjoy reading other posts and learn a few more tips along the way.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Around The Blogosphere 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

My snapshot of the blueberries. My attempt to take a closeup photo.

Check out other WW participants here.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) WW – Blueberries 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

There are a lot of people including myself that thought or still think that going green equal spending a lot of money. But recently, I found out from my own experience that going green is actually helping to save your green bill in your own pocket. Here are 13 ways to go green and save your money.

1. Go for more fuel efficient car – Well, without having to explain it I think this one is a no brainer. Not only we help reduce the pollution but we will also help our own wallet. We sold our mini-van about 6 months ago and opted for a smaller and a bit better gas mileage. Oh.. how we glad we did that even before the gas price rises up to over $4/gallon.

2. Increase A/C temperature by 2 degrees – We use fan at night and set our thermostat to 78 degrees. In the beginning, I am afraid it might be too hot. But so far no one complains. Our electric bill remains the same even though the unit price has increased.

3. Wrap up our water heater – With the investment of about $15 for the water heater blanket, I will be able to save on our energy bill for that amount within a few months. Lower energy means less pollution and also saving on our high energy bill.

4. Change to CFL light bulbs – We started off with the most used room like our kitchen table, bathroom and laundry room. The saving has also shown. We still have a few more rooms to change as soon as I can get it together to do so.

5. Brown bagging with style – Packing your own lunch by far the most recommended way to save money. But if you want to pack your lunch with style why not bring your own utensils as well. Not only you will feel better eating from the real spoon and fork but you will help reduce the plastic consumption as well.

6. No more bottles of water – We bought Brita water filter pitcher. Just fill up with our water and put it in the fridge. Voila.. We have our own water without wasting on the plastic bottle. If we want to go out, we fill it up to our reusable bottle.

7. Forget the gym.. just run – After a few months of paying the gym membership that we haven’t used, it’s time to pull the plug. Mr. Rojo started running instead. With an investment of a great running shoe that costs about the same of one month of the gym membership but it sure will last longer than one month. We have saved on the gym membership and gas on driving there. I guess now I need to get my runnin shoes out and join Mr. Rojo.

8. Use cold settting for washing machine – We hardly use hot setting for our regular loads of laundry anymore. I find that our clothes are just as clean with cold setting. Plus it will use less energy when we forego hot water.

9. Don’t buy books. Use the library card – I admitted I have never been to public library before in Florida. Until recently I didn’t know how to get a library card. But now we check out children books from the library all the time. Not only we save money from buying the book, we are reusing the books so less trees will be killed to make those books.

10. Going slower – Gasp.. This will be one of the thing that Mr. Rojo probably never thought I would have done. Driving at speed limit. I have the thing for getting to my destination with the less amount of time possible. But lately, the gas price that clocks in at more than $4/gallon really got me rethink my driving. So I tried to drive slower.. really slower.. at around 65 mph. And guess what it does help me to get more miles from my car.

11. Grow your own organic vegetable – With the increase in the awareness about organic food, you can easily find organic herb and vegetable from the home improvment store. So it’s not that hard (for people with green thumbs at least) to have your own organic vegetable garden. I did try and I think if I would have bought those plants instead of seed I would be more successful.

12. Use reusable grocery bag – If you shop regularly at Whole Food, you might already know that not only you will help the environment by using your own reusable grocery bags but you will get some money for using it as well. Whole Food gives back 10 cents for each bag your bring when you shop there. Not bad.. If the bag cost $0.99 it will only take 10 trip for it to pay for itself. What are you waiting for.. Go get your own bag. :)

13. No more birthday invitation card – I recently have been using evite for the kids’ birthday invitation. It has so many benefits that I don’t think I will ever go back and use typical invitation cards anymore. For one, it’s Free. And we don’t be wasting the paper to send the card. Also we typically get better response whether they will be able to make it or not. And it has so many designs that I can pick from.. What not to love!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 Ways to Be Green and Save your Green ($$) 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

I have started buying more organic food for several months now. I know.. I am one of those people who like to follow the trend especially if it’s a good trend. So here are food that I have replaced with Organic items.

1. Milk – This was my first priority when we started out. Since the kids drink a lot of milk.

2. Egg – I originally went with Cage Free eggs but then my more-informed friend told me that it wasn’t that much different between Cage Free and non-Cage Free since the definition of Cage Free means chicken get certain hours of cage free. So I decided to go all the way Organic instead of paying premium for Cage Free.

3. Strawberries – Miss J loves strawberries! And it’s one of the top Dirty Dozen list of fruits and vegetables.

4. Grapes – I admitted sometimes it’s hard to find organic grapes. But whenever I found one, I grap it.

5. Apples – Apples are great for lunch box. And again it’s one of the Dirty Dozen.

6. Salad – I bought Organic salad from BJ. A large box for $4.79 isn’t bad. The price is very comparable to normal salad bag from Publix.

7. Pancake – I made pancake in a big batch from organic flour. It’s actually cheaper than buying frozen pancake from Eggo.

8. Pasta sauce – I scored a good buy from Big Lots for Organic Pasta Sauces. It is a good quick and easy dinner for us.

9. Blueberries – I bought a big frozen blueberries from Costco and used it for pancake. Sometimes Mr. Z just munched on it like a snack..

10. Frozen Green beans – Costco has such a great selection of organic food and one of my favorite is frozen green bean. I swear it tastes better than conventional one.

11. Strawberries Jam – Ok.. I admitted I bought this on a whim at Whole Food Market but I think it’s a good buy. Since strawberry is on the list, I figured the jam will be too. Plus we don’t use it a lot so one bottle last us for a while.

12. Chicken Broth – The price for conventional chicken broth vs organic one is very comparable. I think it’s worth the investment.

13. Diced Tomato – With great coupons and sale, I stocked up on Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomato. We used that in a lot of our recipes so it’s a really good buy. After all, I paid less than buying conventional diced tomato.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 Organic Food We Eat 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. :)

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Celebrating the 4th of July is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog