The Q Family Adventure

Celebrating the 4th of July

2008-07-04T19:37:00.011-04:00

Happy 4th of July!!

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..

Today we woke up earlier than our usual routine for a holiday. We headed out to downtown Cumming again. This time it was for the 4th of July parade. And it wasn't just a typical parade. It was the Steam Engines parade. Anyone who knows Mr. Z knows that he is obsessed with steam engine. He would have a blast here.

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. :)

If you ask my kids what they did on the 4th, they will say.. getting a lot of candies.. Candies were thrown almost constantly. Make sure you look and duck when you see it coming. These little piece of sugar are a real weapon. Mr. Rojo got hit a few times. :)

By 11:30am, we were done. It was a great day in Cumming. We were tired and ready for a nap. But.. no.. we didn't nap.. We headed out again to the Outlet mall for some shopping therapy. I wouldn't think we were in retail troubles seeing how many people shop there. Must be tourists!

So how was your 4th of July? Let me know what fun things you did with your family.

Firework Forsyth Style

2008-07-04T19:19:00.008-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

WW - Night Life in Macau

2008-07-02T10:29:00.002-04:00

The Sin City of Asia - Macau. This is the famous Casino Lisboa. I was told that half of the casinos here own by only one man!

Check out other WW participants here.

Attention Organic Shoppers!

2008-07-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

I have been shopping for organic food for a while. I think it started when I picked up coupons and see that the saving I have on my grocery budget allows me to be able to buy more organic food.

I learn a lot along the way on how to shop organic without breaking the bank. Here are a few tips I have learned.

Shop even at the unexpected place

If your area has Big Lots, I suggest you at least check it out. There are several organic items on sale consistently. Keep in mind that Big Lots is like Marshalls of all things. What you see this week might not be there the next week. Also check the expiration date before pick it up. I have found Organic Mac & Cheese that won't expire till 2009. For $1 per box of Organic Mac & Cheese, you can't beat that price

Check out online source for coupons
You don't need to be a price expert to know when it's a good price. Just let your finger do the work for you. Check out online forum or blog ranging from Hot Coupon World, Organic Grocery Deals, Fiddledeedee, Money Saving Mom, The Centsible Sawyers.. These are my main site that I check each week to see what deals are out there. They have done a great job in compiling all the information for you. Then match those deals with your coupons and head to the store to stock up on sale items. This week I paid $1.50 for a half gallon Organic Valley milk. That's $3/gallon for an organic milk.. You can't even buy that for a conventional milk.

Don't buy only brand name
With the push for more Green and Organic products, grocery stores come out with their own generic brand of organic food.. Good news for you! Look for those products when you can't find coupon for national brand.

Wait for sale and stock up

This week the organic milk is really a good deal for my area. I am experimenting in freezing my millk. I will let you know the result later.. If you have frozen milk before, please let me know.

You don't need that Organic Lollipop

It will be nice if we all can afford all organic in our pantry. But the fact is it's too expensive. So shop wisely and don't get caught up in all organic for those junk food. I mean come on.. do you really need that Organic Lollipop? If you can only afford one organic item, then pick the one that you eat the most like Milk, Bread, Poultry, or anything from the Dirty Dozen list. It will be different for each family so you should be able to take the list and see which one your family tends to consume the most.

How about you? What are things you know or learn along the way shopping organically?

A Big Boy Bed...

2008-06-30T10:06:00.000-04:00

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

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

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

The Outrigger Island

2008-06-27T21:32:00.009-04:00

No.. It's not our new vacation destination nor the next one. It's the VBS (Vacation Bible School) that Miss J had been attending this past week. What a blessing!! Today was the closing ceremony at Bridgeway Church in Alpharetta where I signed Miss J up for a week of VBS. I am so thankful and grateful of all the teachers and volunteers who spent their summer with her.

The Outrigger Island is a theme base VBS program by Lifeway Christian Resource. They provide the curriculum and all the necessary material for a great, attractive, talk-to-kids type program. Heck.. I even wanted to join her myself.

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

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

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

Thank you all the staffs and volunteers at Bridgeway Church.

WW - Amsterdam Canal at Night

2008-06-25T12:42:00.003-04:00

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

Around the Blogosphere

2008-06-23T09:52:00.000-04:00

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

Georgia On My Mind presents Georgia Carnival Edition #38.

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

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

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

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

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

WW - Pancake by Mr. Rojo

2008-06-18T01:49:00.002-04:00

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

Check out other WW participants here.

Catch a Reading Bug this Summer

2008-06-17T09:17:00.005-04:00

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

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading

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

Half Price Books

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

Forsyth County Library

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

What a great way to have a great Summer!!

I won... I won...

2008-06-16T08:33:00.000-04:00

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

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

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

Thanks, Diane and Kailani.. I love my Salty Chix shirt!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

2008-06-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

Take Me Out to the Crowd...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is the picture to show where we sat. It was by the smaller yellow pole second row from the front. See how high we were!

Carnival Cruise - Day 6 - Orcho Rios

2008-06-12T15:40:00.007-04:00

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

:: Getting Around ::

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

:: Things To Do ::

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

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

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

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

:: Back on The Ship ::

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

It was a formal night and this time we were smarter. We just realized that there were several photo session setup throughout the ship on Promenade and Lobby decks. Mr. Z was so hyper that he almost pulled down one of the background. Boy! I thought the guy was gonna throw him out. hehe.. We took only 2 sessions. I'm glad we just only did that two. I thought we migh have to take a loan to get those pictures.. Gosh!!! $20 for an 8x10 picture. Come on!!!

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

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

WW - Lunch by the Beach in Phuket

2008-06-11T10:07:00.004-04:00

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

Check out other WW participants here.

Carnival Cruise - Day 5 - Grand Cayman

2008-06-08T07:59:00.000-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

Once we got on the ship, we took shower and planned to take a quick nap before dinner. Guess what.. We all slept till the next morning. We were that tired.. We didn't even make it to dinner that night. What a fun day in Grand Cayman!

Carnival Cruise - Day 4 - Another Fun Day @ Sea

2008-06-06T09:58:00.010-04:00

Day 4 on our trip .. We got another Fun Day @ Sea. We took it easy today. Slept in and had late breakfast. Oh.. this is what I call V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N.. No set plan. After breakfast, we got ready to explore and enjoy the ship. We started off at the swimming pool. I found that the pool in the morning hours were more child-friendly. There were more kids in the pool than drunken adults. I guess they still hung over in their cabins.

After a good couple hours in the pool, we dried up and picked up a set of putt-putt ball and clubs. We didn't get to try it on the first day. It was very busy. Mr. Rojo thought he was in a real golf course and felt the need to show golfer etiquette and wanted to let another group ahead of us. I had to remind him that.. it's a putt-putt.. Plus we were on the ship.. what's the hurry.. Also the group in front of us wasn't gonna be any faster than us.

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

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

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

Check out what we have done so far on this cruise here.

13 Countries I Have Visited

2008-06-05T13:57:00.023-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Picture by fraise

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

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

Picture by mattwyn

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

Picture by RZen

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

Picture by sZelee

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

Picture by idreamofdaylight

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

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

Picture by travellingzenwolf

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

Check out other TT participants here.

WW - Would You Eat This?

2008-06-04T08:26:00.003-04:00

This is an Elephant Trunk Clam we saw in Hong Kong seafood village. Does it look appetizing?

Carnival Cruise - Day 3 - Cozumel, Mexico

2008-06-01T22:38:00.021-04:00

I hope everyone still enjoys our journal for our trip on Carnival Cruise. Now that we were on 3rd day of our trip, it was the day at port of call - Cozumel. I had planed today excursion to be at Chankanaap Park. We woke up a bit earlier than usual but still not early enough to see the ship arrived at the port. We got off the ship around 8-ish.. if my memory serves me right. This is one of the reason I want to start our blog.. Gosh.. where did my sharp as a knife memory go? I can't even remember what I had yesterday. Anyway, off topic.. back to Cozumel..

::Getting Around::

Once we got off the ship, we realized that we had forgotten to bring our floating strap for our underwater camera that we bought specifically for this trip with us. So Mr. Rojo had to run back to the cabin and fetch it. The port is connected to a small shopping plaza. Basically, it is a tourist trap, just perfect for us. hehe.. We almost caved in and rent a Jeep to drive around the island. But being an obessive, compulsive, controlling person, I didn't feel right renting without knowing the fact beforehand. And I would not know how much the rent should be and I could see rip-off report in the near future. So against our temptation, we decided to stay with our plan. We walked to the end of the strip mall and got on the taxi. I was so afraid that we wouldn't be able to communicate. This excursion was the only one that we would be on our own. No tour, no Carnival guide.. but.. There is no need to fear, Underdog is here.. oh.. wait.. It's not the movie.. Anyway, it seems everyone can speak good English for communication. Heck better than some South Floridians I met in the Miami mall.

::Things to do::

We hopped on the taxi for $10 and headed to the park. Using the coupons I printed from their site, we saved an extra $4 for all 4 of us. The entrance fee were $16 per adult and $8 per kid. Money saved here means more for our shopping.. yeah..

We arrived to the park fairly early. We didn't have any problem finding a chair to sit. Actually, it was kinda lonely.. Just us and probably another group at the beach at that time. We settled down and tested out the water. I sent Mr. Rojo to the water first. Well, lucky him.. He found that his snorkel didn't work properly. It was a new one and did I tell you that we hardly snorkel. So we couldn't figure out what wrong with it just that it didn't take in as much air as it should.

We took turn getting into the water for an offshore snorkeling. It was really nice. I was amazed at how many fish I saw. And I didn't even have to swim too far. The kids were just playing right there by the entrance to the snorkeling area. I was worried a bit that they would get swept away by the wave. Next time, we will buy a floaty vest for them. So we don't have to rent it there. We went to the diver shop there to rent fins for us and floating vest for the kids. They only had one kid size vest! One! How could that be? Don't they know that most of the time there will be more than one child in the cruise.

After about an hour at the snorkeling site, we moved to the small beach area so Miss J and Mr. Z could really enjoy some beach time. I wasn't impressed with that area. It was just a rope-off area with stagnant water near the restaurant. However, they did enjoy their time there building sand castle (not so much a castle but a lump of sand) and floating in the calm water. I understand that this park is more about snorkeling and swimming with the dolphin so I wouldn't say that Cozumel doesn't have nice beach. We just didn't have a chance to check it out this trip. There will always be a repeat trip. :)

Later we moved to the pool area. I really like it. It's next to the dolphin area so you could enjoy the show. The pool was really nice with the bar right there that you can swim up and enjoy your drink. It wasn't busy at all. It was a nice way for us to rinse off our salty feeling from the beach. I wouldn't mind stay there for a whole day. But Mr. Rojo was hungry and we didn't want to mess with hungry man. :) We headed for lunch.

::Place to eat::

We had lunch at the restaurant there. La Laguna Beach Grill was right on the beach. The service was great. Along with music. Mr. Rojo couldn't resist requesting La Bamba.. tourist! I had Fajitas which I think it was delish! Maybe I was too hungry or maybe it was the place.. Either way, it was paradise meal. The breeze and the food was so nice. I didn't want to move.

::More things to do::

Before we headed out, we walked the botanical garden. We didn't really slow down to see all the plant. The heat was too much for us. Yup.. even us. So we caught another taxi back to the pier.

We decided to head back to the ship and had quick shower before headed back to town.

There were a few places that we had in mind.. First I needed to check out Hard Rock Cafe to get my pin. I was rather disappointed at the pins collection this time around. I loved to get guitar pin of each city I visited. They had a good design that really capture the city. But this time, I didn't see anything that give me Cozumel feeling. So I was on the fence about getting the pin there. Mr. Rojo suggested that we should check out another HRC in town which is about 10 blocks away.

Then we walked around the plaza a little bit before decided to walked to check out another HRC about 10 blocks away. If we had more time, I think it would be really neat to head to town and really experience the town.

Then we headed to Starbucks. Mr. Rojo couldn't resist order coffee in the 90 degree weather. Crazy man! He got his Cozumel Starbuck mug for his collection. It was a long day.

We got back on board and waited for the sail away. We were able to find a hidden door to access the front of the ship on a few decks. Unfortunately, the best one is reserved for crew member only. No chance to post for Titanic moment on this ship.

The day was over but the night was just begun. We washed up again and got ready for dinner. The next day would be Fun Day @ Sea so it was a great schedule. We had a break from a long day in Cozumel. Next trip we will definitely look into snorkeling tour or renting a Jeep. Adios.

13 Fun (Free) Things to Do This Summer

2008-05-29T13:53:00.007-04:00

This week edition of my Thursday Thirteen is up a bit late. But better late than never..

Here are list of things you can do with your kids during Summer for free or very affordable in and around Atlanta area.. or even other states. Since we can't just live by the beach all Summer long.. :)

1) Free Family Films Festival @ Regal Cinemas - Check out Regal Cinema for your local theatre for a free kids friendly movie all Summer long. Movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday from Jun to July.

2) $1.00 Movies for Charity with AMC Summer MovieCamp - It's not free but it's for a good cause. For a dollar, you get to watch movie with your kids at AMC theatre. Their shows are on Wednesday at 10AM. Check AMC website for your local participation theatre.

3) Free Family Films @ Movies 400 - This one is closer to home. It's in Cumming area. Every Tuesday & Thursday at 10AM all Summer long you can watch free movies with your kids. You can also get good discount during the show for $1 popcorn and $1 drink. Or bring a can of food to support their food drive and receive a free popcorn. Check Movies 400 site for schedule.

4) Free VBS class at your local church for one week - Check out Lifeway VBS Outrigger Island program for the free one week VBS program at your local church

5) Go to your library - Most library will have Summer reading program with story telling. At Forsyth county, they offer a program every Thursday at 10AM and 1:30PM and also every Saturday at 5PM and 6PM (for some of the week). Check out the website for event of the day.

6) Swimming at your local park - We live not too far from Gwinnett county. I have to say I'm impressed with their Park and Recreation area. The aquatic center there is a little water park by itself without the same cost of the high price water park. We did it recently and will be going back there again all Summer long.

7) Pick your own strawberry - It's the season of picking berries. Check out this site for your local pick-your-own farm. The Washington Farm that we went was fun and we wouldn't mind going back there again.

8) Fishing at Rainbow Ranch Trout - I have never been there but got the information from my friend. I drive pass by it all the time. It looks like a fun day out. There are picnic tables that you can enjoy your lunch and a little fishing. Your kids won't be disappointed as fish there is quick to bite the bait. Check out their website for direction and pricing.

9) Dairy Tour at Mayfield Dairy Farm - For a short drive go to Braselton, GA to tour the milk operation. But if you are an ice cream lover, you might want to check out their Athens, TN location. Check out here for direction.

10) Hiking to the Amicalola Falls - Just a short drive from downtown Atlanta and even shorter drive from my house. I haven't been back since last year to see if the water has come back yet. But the trail is easy enough and there are several entry points to accomodate different level of hikers. Then you can enjoy a picnic at the park or drive up for a lunch buffet at the lodge.

11) Water Tubing in Helen - With less than 2 hours drive from Atlanta, it's the perfect day trip for a quick change of scenary and fun summer day. The water tubing is one thing that we didn't get a chance to try when we went there recently. This Summer it's high on our to-do list.

12) Picnic in your backyard - Pack things up and trek back to your own backyard and enjoy a nice day out in the backyard.

13) Visit Miniature Petting Zoo @ Tanglewood Farm - Kids will love to see over 100 miniature farm animals and enjoy the trip back to the past. Located in Cherokee county it's a fun day out for the whole family. Visit their website for more detail.

Carnival Cruise - Day 2 - Fun Day @ Sea

2008-05-29T05:42:00.009-04:00

This day was a fun day at sea. It was a day to explore and totally relax. Lots of you guys should try this sometimes on your vacation. DO NOTHING. It's really enjoyable and addictive. We woke up not so early today. I decided last night to order room service for breakfast. It wasn't such a good idea. Our family needs meat for breakfast and continental breakfast from the room service didn't have any eggs or bacon.

After breakfast we made our way to the Camp Carnival. We didn't get a chance to register the kids yesterday. The registration process was fairly simple. They gave you a cellphone that we would keep for the entire week and we would need to show that whenver we pick them up. Off they went... At last.. Time alone..

Mr. Rojo and I looked at each other with disbelief. We were alone. What were we gonna do by ourselves. First stop, we checked out the casino. It's one of the to-do list for Mr. Rojo. Being New Jersey boy, he had spent countless hours during his college years in Atlantic City. So casino was one of the pro for the Carnival cruise over Disney for him. I walked around and tried to play some slot machine but they looked too confusing to me. Plus the smoke was unbearable for me. So we decided to take a quick nap. Then it was lunch time and we picked the munchkins up from the camp carnival. I anxiously waited to hear the verdict from them.... They LOVED it!

After lunch, we walked around and checked out other areas like the gift shop. It's nothing much just a typical gift shop. I was hoping for more stuff. But I guess I should be thankful. :) Otherwise, our expense might get even higher. I spot the ornament that I will get later for my collection. Checked one off from my list.

Then we headed back to Camp Carnival for a build-a-bear workshop. It was a family activity that we got to do with them. This wasn't a Build-A-Bear company but a Carnival version. You bought a bear and a set of outfit. Then they gave you an extra Carnival outfit. Then you stuff the animal with your kids. Mr. Z picked a fireman outfit for his pal. He named him ..whatelse.. Thomas. Miss J picked a girl sailor outfit and named her Faley. I have no idea where she got that name from. But it's cute name. After the workshop, we dropped them off there for another hour. Then we promised them the pool time afterward.

The Pool... hmm.. Don't expect the Olympic pool size here. There are 3 pools on Lido deck. It's not fancy pool. I think the time to go to the pool is also important and should be taken into consideration. After a few days we noticed that the pool in the morning had more kids and less rowdy. The afternoon time in the pool could be rather rowdy from adults who had worst behavior than kids. They enjoyed the whole afternoon with some break of frozen yogurt.. Oh... The frozen yogurt... We lived on them for the whole week. Now we are going through the withdraw phase of frozen yogurt. It's that good!

Then it was dinner time. Tonight was a formal night. So Mr. Rojo needed to run to self-service laundry room for a quick ironing. We didn't know about all the different props Carnival setup in the Lobby deck and Promenade deck. Maybe it's a good thing! That's how you ended up spend your child college fund from cruising. Each picture can cost up to $20. And sometime you are so into a moment that you forgot to even ask how much till they ring up the total. We almost made that mistake..

I didn't want to bore everyone to death with what we eat every single night on the cruise. But tonight was special night. It was Lobster night. My poor husband now allergics to shell fish. He loved to eat lobsters. We think his quota for lobsters in this life is up. He has consumed all the lobsters allowed for life so no more. NO LOBSTER FOR YOU!.. Well, being a good wife I couldn't NOT order lobster. I just wanted him to know that he didn't miss out much. And I wasn't exaggerated. The dish looked good but the taste was so salty even my can-eat-anything-and-everything taste bud couldn't stand it. So I was only ordered one dish. No repeat for lobster like I was originally planned.

After dinner, it was nice to get back to the room that had been clean up before bed. That's one of the thing that I will miss the most. Better service than a hotel in my humble opinion. They clean up your room twice a day. Plus we loved to see what animal will make its way to our room.

We were too wiped out to even venture out for the show that night. That's one thing that we didn't take advantage of that much, the nightly show... You can call me snob but I just didn't feel like watching it after seeing Disney production on Disney Cruise. I'm sure it will be a great show. But sometimes and somehow I rather sleep in.. It's my vacation.. so I can do what I want, right?

Wordless Wednesday - Caribbean Paradise

2008-05-28T14:54:00.003-04:00

I'm still in the vacationing mode even though we have been back for a few days now. It's just the kind of feeling that I would love to treasure it as long as it lasts.

Check out other WW participants here.

Carnival Cruise - Day 1 - Port of Miami

2008-05-28T05:54:00.000-04:00

Good morning, Miami.. We got up real early today and drove down to see our friend who generously (with no choice) agreed to let us park our car at their house and drove us to the port. Once we got to their house, we spent about an hour talking and catching up. Then off we went.

We got to the port right around 10:30am. The security check-in was painless. We got through within 10 mins. Then we went up to the terminal and checked-in at the Carnival counter. I already did all my paperwork online (Fun Pass and register for Sail & Sign). So basically, I just handed them our passports and 2 minutes later we were done. We got our boarding group # at number 4. Mr. Rojo thought we should have been here earlier and we might get group #1. Oh! well, I think it's good enough.

We waited around in the terminal for about an hour. The kids were running around and enjoyed the excitement of the cruise. By 11:45am, they started to board the VIP and wedding group. Then the boarding continued. I have to say it was fairly easy and I'm glad we decided to follow one of Mr. Rojo's coworker to get there early. We boarded the ship by noon. Perfect time for lunch!!!

Once we got on the ship, we headed to our stateroom just to see where it is and see if we will be in luck to put our carry-on there. We found it but no such luck on the room to be ready yet. No problem. We were on Verandah deck just one floor down from the Lido deck which is the restaurant and pool deck. What a perfect location! We headed there and found a table by the window. A quick lunch and our vacation was officially begun.

After lunch, we just wandered around to get a hang of the ship and location of different places like Children playroom aka Camp Carnival. My first impression was not good. The room looks much smaller than Disney. But I promised myself that I won't compare the cruise. Otherwise, it will ruin my fun. So I gave it a benefit of the doubt and would wait and see how the kids took it.

Before we could sail, everyone had to attend the drill. Our room was assigned to Muster Station G. Note to any future cruisers, looked at the sign on the boat. It will point you to which direction you have to go for your Muster Station. Well, we didn't. So we walked all the way to the front of the ship and found that our station was in the back right on top of our room. Duh!!

After the drill, we headed back and went up to the Lido deck for the sail away.. Woo hoo!! Bye bye Miami.. See you in a few days..

Then we just enjoyed the view at the back of the ship. This soon would be our favorite spot to just sit there and relax. Our luggages hadn't arrived yet and it was time for dinner already. So we just headed there without changing.

We had early sitting in Pacific Dining room. Our servers were from Indonesia and Phillippines. They were very nice. The food was ok. Nothing to write home about.. Really.. I'm not a picky person. I can pretty much eat everything. But these are not something that are memorable in my opinion. But on the flip side, if you don't like what you have, just ask for different dish. That's the beauty of cruising. I always ordered a couple starters to try it out.

By the time we got to our room after dinner, the luggages were there. So I started to unpack and put everything away. After shower, we were too tired to even wander out. We went to bed at 9pm!!! We asked our steward to setup the room with 2 twin beds and 2 bunks. But we quickly found that it wasn't a good setting. So the next day we asked him to change it to one king bed. By the way, the bed does feel comfortable here.

OH.. as far as the ship itself. I will have a separate review later on what my thoughts are on this ship.. To be continued...