Five Finds for Friday - Mommy & Money Blogs

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.

13 Family-friendly Things to Do in Destin

Oh.. Destin.. The famous white sugar sand beaches and brilliant emerald-green waters in Florida. I'm so looking forward to visiting there. Here are things we can do as a family in Destin. Of course, beach time will take up most of the time we will be spending there. But whenever we have a break, here are some of the things we can check out in this area.

1) Enjoy the beach - I mean why would we drive almost 7 hours there if we don't go to the beach, right? This will be my primary activity.. Beach time. Pick a spot, put down your towel and let the kids lost themselves in building the sandcastle while you soak in the sun. There are various public access beach areas. Then at night you can go crab hunting with your kids for the experience that they will cherish forever.

2) Check out Airforce Armament Museum - Kids can check out this extensive collection of weaponry and interactive displays including vintage military aircraft. Best of all it's FREE admission.

3) Gator Beach - Enjoy the fun family adventure and the opportunity to feed live alligators. They also offer educational alligator shows. You can take a stroll through the educational wildlife exhibit area that is FREE to public.

4) Emerald Coast Science Center - Take the kids to enjoy science at this science center. Kids will have fun and learn more about science at the same. The admission is also very reasonable. $5 for adults and $3.50 for kids (3-12). Also check out 2 for 1 price on Sunday.

5) Florida's Gulfarium - Explore this beachfront park and enjoy 3 live marine shows.

6) Village of Baytowne Wharf - Take a stroll in this quaint village in Sandestin and enjoy the live entertainment throughout the year.

7) Track Family Recreation Center - For the one stop family activities, the Track has something for everyone. You can enjoy mini-golf, bumper ride, go kart or kid town for your little one and thrill ride for the mom & dad.

8) A trip to Seaside and Beaches of South Walton - A short ride from Destin and you will be in the South Walton beach area including Seaside, the white picket fences town that is made famous by Jim Carrey's movie - The Truman Show.

9) Fishing at the Okaloosa Island Pier - There is no need to rent a boat to go out fishing. You can test your fishing skill at this pier at more afforadable price. Even if you are not a fisherman, you can still enjoy watching others catch a big one there.

10) Shop at the Silver Sands Outlet - Our trip won't be complete without a visit to at least one shopping mall. But if you have one of the best factory stores here, it will make the trip even better.

11) Visit Florida Caverns State Park - This is one of the few state parks with dry caves and is the only Florida state park that offer cave tours to the public. Cave tour lasts approximately 45 minutes and there are other outdoor activities for visitors like camping, swimming, fishing, picnicking, canoeing, boating, hiking and bicycling. Cave tour fees are $8 for age 13 and up and $5 for 3-12.

12) The Zoo - Northwest Florida - Get up close and personal at the Zoo with more than 1,300 animals. The best feature is you can take a ride on the Safari Line Limited Train which winds through more than 30 acres of free-roaming wildlife. The admission fees are $11.50 for adults and $8.25 for children (3-11).

13) Big Kahuna's Water and Adventure Park - For the day that you want to take a break from the beach, Big Kahuna is a perfect family adventure park suits for the whole family. Make sure to check the calendar as this park opens seasonally. I have seen mixed reviews on this park due to staffs and service. So do your research before buying tickets as it's not cheap.

Wordless Wednesday: Koh Pan-Yi (Floating Muslim Village)

This is the floating muslim village in Krabi. This village is built entirely in the ocean. It's one of the tourist attraction (stop) for people visiting Phi Phi Island and Krabi area.

The Tooth Fairy was Here

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.

Walking In The Rain

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?

The Next Shawn Johnson... Or Not!

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.