April Fools

Happy April Fool's Everyone!!! I love having fun and especially playing pranks on other. Every wonder how April Fools began and how other countries celebrate the day? I did some research and found that the earliest recorded association with April Fools dates back to 1392!! I think having a good laugh is always needed, and when it's at another person's expense....well sometimes that just makes it even better. Us Americans love getting a good laugh through others and some do it all year long. In England jokes are only played in the morning, the victim of the joke is called a noodle and it was considered to be bad luck to play a joke on someone after noon. While in Portugal, April Fools falls on the Sunday and Monday before Lent. In their celebration many people throw flour at their friends. Now that does not sound too bad......throwing flour at each other! Kind of fun and an opportunity to just let loose, but can you imagine what a mess that would make?


Then there are those that no matter what you do they will not budge - meaning that they just do not get the holiday. They are grouchy, unhappy and get mad when you try and play a trick on them. Seriously, that actually just makes it all more the fun!! LOL!!!

Wordless Wednesday

While we were out eating last week on our vacation - we had the servers bring our youngest son a surprise for his birthday. There was an elderly couple sitting next to us who over heard and started to talk with us. They loved the kids and said how much they missed their grandchildren. On their way out they gave Christian a dollar for his birthday, and gave our daughter one also. She had walked around the table, I was not sure what she was doing - then looked down to find two pieces of dollar bill in front of me. I asked her what she was doing and she said that she simply wanted to "share her money" ......... she was giving everyone a piece :)

Fiber One Yogurt

**Disclosure: The opinions below are of my own, your opinion may vary. The VIP coupon, giftcard, information and additional gift card to give away were all provided by Safeway and Fiber One through MyBlogSpark.


Best selling author and food expert Lisa Lillien, AKA Hungry Girl has given her "seal of approval" to the new Fiber One Yogurt, the only leading nonfat yogurt with 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber (20 percent of the Recommended Daily Value). This was my first time trying Fiber One. It was rich and creamy, but did have that after taste of the sugar substitute or what it tasted like anyway. Maybe it's because I am not use to it and it is one of those tastes you have to get acquainted to. The serving size was just perfect for what I needed. After about a week of eating Fiber One, the taste did seem to grow on me, but the after-taste was just not something I would be able to acquire. I loved the flavors and the creaminess of the yogurt. I am not a breakfast eater and usually will only eat a bowl of vanilla yogurt mixed with sliced almonds and some chocolate chips to get my chocolate fix. When on hand I also mix in some bananas and strawberries.

Looking to add some extra fiber in your diet or maybe get the fiber that you've been missing? MyBlogSpark, Safeway, Fiber One has teamed up together to give one of our readers the same gift pack they provided me for this review. Head on over to our giveaway page for your chance to win a Safeway $50 giftcard!

Red Roof Inn

During our planning process for our vacation, we were looking for an affordable, family friendly motel chain that had locations throughout the state so that we would only have to make one reservation. I love vacationing, so also kept in mind that you pretty much get what you pay for and that maybe paying a little extra might just be worth it in this case. I am very picky when it comes to where my children and I will sleep - which I am sure most mom's are. The Red Roof Inn seemed to provide just what we need - a comfortable, clean place to sleep and shower. After all we are on vacation and wouldn't be spending much time in our room except for just that. Did you know that Red Roof Inn had suites in some of their hotels?? Below are some pictures of our room. It was perfect with the kids and even had closing doors that separated the rooms - with a TV in each room. It had it's own little kitchen area with a refrigerator, microwave, sink and coffee maker. I have to mention the towels - these were actually soft and big enough to fit around me!! LOL! Most towels at most motels have been washed so many times that they are so rough and tiny too. The only downside I found at this chain is that only one of the three we stayed at had laundry facilities. We ended up getting back in our room late that night and had expected to do laundry - then found out they had not laundry room so ended up having to go to a coin operated wash. Other than that it was a great affordable stay!

The Red Roof Inn has been around since 1973 offering guests a clean, comfortable room at an affordable price and trusted by trusted by many. You can be sure to find one along your route with 345 properties in 36 states. The Inn seems to run many promotions from time to time. We took advantage of the Denny's Promotion they were running throughout the month of March which allowed us to receive a coupon for a buy one get one free Grand Slam at Denny's. You can also sign up for their RediCard where you'll enjoy special member-only benefits. You can visit www.redroof.com for rates and more information.

**Disclosure: Our family was provided a room at no charge. This did not affect our review or outcome of this feature. All opinions are of our own and your opinion may vary.

Henry's BBQ

When I am out of town I do not like to eat at everyday, normal places I can eat at home. I like to try and find the hole in the wall places, the places the locals go to eat. The tourists spots can get quite pricey - so I'll usually stop people to ask where is the "hot" spot to eat. We had just spent a few hours at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and were starving!! We drove around a bit but there did not seem to be much going on, either that or we just could not find the "local" spot. We had some RedBox DVD's we had to return, so stopped at the local grocery store. While we were there we asked the cashier where the spot was.....we drove by and it did not seem happening so ended up driving around a bit - which seemed like another half hour we wasted. We ended back at Henry's BBQ and so happy we did - this has to be the best BBQ food I have every had!


The first night we ate dinner there. The kids and I had the BBQ chicken. The bbq sauce had a little kick to it, maybe a little too much for the kids - but I loved it. The chicken itself was very moist with a nice crunchy skin. My husband got the double burger. Just looking at it, I had to try it - there is nothing better than a good juicy bbq burger! I took one bite and it literally melted in my mouth. This was the perfect burger! For the french fry lovers these were pretty good fries! They had a seasoning on them that made them even better! We enjoyed this place so much we had to go back for lunch the next day!

Henry is there most of the time cooking most of the main meals on the outside bbq, with a smaller bbq indoors to reheat the food. They even grind their own beef their daily. The prices are very budget friendly with a burger and fries setting you back only $6.50 and even includes a side of beef and bean chili. This is a must stop if going through Monterey Bay!!

Henry's BBQ

www.henrysfamousbbq.com

401 Lighthouse Ave.

Monterey, CA 93942

Ronald McDonald Care Mobile

Did you know that tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease today (source: Oral Health America) More than 51 million hours of schooling are lost annually due to the lack of dental care among children. One of our stops along the way to San Francisco was a visit to the Dental Ronald McDonald Care Mobile in Richmond, CA. We were so amazed at our visit to the Ronald McDonald House a few months ago that we were eager to visit the mobile care unit! Not receiving dental care can lead to a more serious illness, and not only effect your health but your self-esteem as well. The first thing that most people notice is your smile and not having confidence about your smile can lead to low self-esteem and depression. There are only two Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Dental offices in California - this one in Richmond, and one in Santa Clara.

Once inside, we were amazed at how it looked just like an actual dentist office - maybe even a bit better looking than some I've seen..... They do more than just an exam here - they can do a full cleaning, x-rays, and even some minor dental work for those that need it. If it's major work that needs to be done they will refer the patient out to a children's specialist. Many of the patients seen here have not seen a dentist in a very long time; and some not at all. Lack of dental care has a profound impact on not only the patient, but the community as well. It can lead to lower educational attainment, reduced family income, lost worker productivity, and a strained national and world economy.

A big thank you to the Ronald McDonald Charities, John Muir Health & Chris for taking time out of their busy schedules to talk to us a bit about the amazing work they continue to do everyday with the Ronald McDonald Mobile Dental Care Unit.....it's like a dentist on an 18 wheeler!

Seagulls.....

The Sea Gull v.s. My Son

This is now our least favorite bird!! Today we spent the day at Fisherman's Wharf in South San Francisco. At one of the piers there are sea lions that lay and swim near the docks. It is a major attraction - a big part of the wharf. So we took the kids down to see the sea lions. On our way there, we noticed Ben & Jerry's was giving away free ice cream cones today, so stopped and each got an ice cream cone. Once we got to the area where the sea lions were, we stopped to watch them. There was a huge crowd, as always. We were all eating our ice cream and all of a sudden this sea gull swooped down and grabbed my son's ice cream cone right out of his hands and flew off to one of the docks and swallowed the whole thing - paper and all.....I felt so sad for my son! That was so mean - it's like stealing candy from a kid on Halloween - it's just not right!