by Amy @ The Q Family on August 20, 2010
During summer, we took Miss J and Mr. Z to Six Flags Over Georgia using their free tickets from their school reading reward program and with the current promotion of adult pays child ticket, we were able to save quite a bit in tickets admission.
Our First Time Experience was 2 Years Ago
We haven’t been to Six Flags in a couple years. Our first visit to Six Flags Over Georgia was when they were still pre-school and I found that it wasn’t much they could enjoy. It was more of a hassle to have to explain to them why they couldn’t get on the ride because they were too short or too young.
Now that they were older and hopefully more reasonable, we took a chance.
A Different Game Plan and Approach
After talking to a friend of us who recommended us to go to the park in the afternoon and stay late instead of going early in the morning to escape the heat, we decided to head there after lunch.
It might seem weird to go there late but it worked out pretty well. The park during the summer time close at 10PM so even when we arrived at 2PM we still had a full 8 hours in the park. This approach however might not work with a family with younger children who have early bed time. For our kids, they could easily stay up until midnight if we let them.
When It Rained, It Poured
Well, we thought that would give us plenty of time to explore the whole park. Unfortunately, the mother nature didn’t agree. It was raining for a good hour while we were there. So after the rain, a lot of rides were close and we spent time walking around trying to find a ride. Mr. Z was pleased to hop on the Railroad and enjoyed the preview of many rides in the park that he hoped he could conquer.
Small People Area: Spanish/Bugs Bunny World
For us, even though they are now in school, their sizes are still small comparing to their peers. So there were still many disappointment when they couldn’t get on several rides they hoped for.
We decided to head to Spanish/Bugs Bunny World – the area mainly for younger kids. This area provided us with an insurance that they would be able to enjoy every single ride and with less wait time as well.
By now, we were all hot and sweaty. It was time to head to the back of the park for some water fun.
Water Fun in the Park
When we visited Six Flags Over Georgia last time, the Skull Island was already closed. So this time, we were looking forward to it.
I think we could have just come to the Skull Island and they would be VERY happy about it.
But as a parent, it was very stressful to have to keep an eye on your kids running around in the slippery and wet area. No matter how many times you tell them not to run, they just couldn’t easily contain their excitement.
We spent the rest of our time in the Skull Island. In hindsight, I think we should have come to this area sooner. They had so much fun that I think we might have to visit Six Flags again before they close for the season.
So if you have the little dare devil in your household, I think this is a park that they will absolutely enjoy. Mr. Z is working hard to grow himself a few more inches so he can enjoy most of the roller coaster rides. Check out Six Flags Over Georgia tickets page for various deal and ticket combination.
Family Tips:
- Bring extra change of clothes and towel for Skull Island water fun.
- Check out the ride restriction so you can plan your visit accordingly.
- We purchased bottomless refill drink to enjoy cold drink throughout the day. Yes, it’s soda but it’s only for a day. :)
- Purchase ticket online to avoid the line at the entrance.
Check out other travelers stories with Photo Friday from Delicious Baby and Spotlight Thursday from Trekaroo
by Amy @ The Q Family on August 18, 2010
Finding family friendly food to eat in Bangkok is relatively easy as there are many choices ranging from upscale Thai restaurant, familiar Western fast food chains to street stalls. Thailand is known as the land of smiles. But we are also known for an array of food choices that accessible 24/7.
However, when we first arrived in Thailand, it’s very advisable to be cautious at where you eat. As much as I want to chow down on the first street food I ran into, we had to ease ourselves slowly to the food scene in Bangkok.
Street food is definitely my favorite place to satisfy my Thai food craving BUT my family especially Miss J and Mr. Z were not quite ready for that type of adventure yet.
Safe and Great Food Options in Bangkok: Mall Food Court
The next best option is the shopping mall food court.
Well, before you scoff at the food court option because you think it’s the typical fast food chains similar to the United States then you might want to hold that thought.
The food court in most major shopping malls in Bangkok is huge and abundant with different types of food from Thai noodle dishes, rice dishes, fruit smoothies drinks, snacks and fresh fruits. Typically it will be either on the ground floor or the top floor of the mall. This is where you can get relatively cheap food without sacrifice the quality.
Our Family Pick: Siam Paragon Food Court
Our family favorite food court in Bangkok so far is the basement floor of Siam Paragon. With the convenient location at the center stop of Bangkok BTS and the home of Siam Ocean World, the Siam Paragon had become our regular stop for lunch and dinner.
The table top aquariums scattering all around the food court area are a great option for family with children. While I took my time deciding what to eat, Mr. Rojo and the kids could wait and enjoy spotting different fish in the tank.
The Training of Food Adventurer
For kids who grew up in America with mac & cheese and spaghetti meatballs, eating in Thailand can be intimidating. But with a little bit of encouraging and compromising, they could have a great experience trying new food.
I ordered Thai noodle soup with fishballs (Kuay Tiew Nam) without much of the veggie or garnish per Miss J’s instruction and it had become her new favorite dish.
My favorite dish? Too many to list but that day I settled for boat noodle soup (Kuay Tiew Ruea) and followed by seafood in red bean curd soup without noodle (Khao Lao Yen Ta Pho Talay).
Does this make you hungry for more food? Then check out other food post from around the world at Wander Food Wednesday.
by Amy @ The Q Family on August 17, 2010
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.
by Amy @ The Q Family on August 13, 2010
During our summer trip to Thailand, we have visited many places in the span of 3 weeks. However, one afternoon with no plan to do, no place to go just a float and family was what remains etched in the kids’ mind and reminds them how perfect their vacation in Thailand was.
We took a short trip outside Bangkok to Saraburi to stay at a newly opened boutique hotel which was once a Thai house that has been remodeled for a perfect getaway for a family.
I will write more about our visit to this lovely and unique stay soon.
To check out other travelers Photo Friday, head out to Delicious Baby.
by Amy @ The Q Family on August 11, 2010
Would you be able to guess where is this place by looking at the menu?
Probably a typical Italian place maybe?
Nope. Not that.. It’s McDonald
Yup! This is a McDonald in Orlando that is also advertised as the World Largest McDonald Play Area.
How did we know it’s the World Largest McDonald Play Area and get sucked into this place? Well, that happened when your kids now learn to read and request to have input on the dining choices!
When we first walked in, we were overwhelmed by the decoration and choices on the menu. It seemed like we were walking into a twilight zone. It’s so NOT McDonald.
The food selections are so different from the typical McDonald menu that it took us a while to decide what we want. The food selections range from breakfast items like Belgian Waffle, Breakfast Enchiladas to pasta and ice cream.
Miss J ended up with Ravioli that took way longer than we hoped for. And Mr. Z was not swayed by all these choices and remained a faithful chicken nuggets fan.
So if you are looking for a semi-fast food that has more selections than your typical burger and fries, then this McDonald might be a good stop after a long day of Disney Parks or Orlando attractions.
However, just a warning that this place does have a huge play area that your kids will probably want to spend time and money in games. So it might not be as fast as you want. Also it can get crowd even with the huge space!
Today I participate in Wander Food Wednesday. So head over to Wander Food for food fun around the world.
