Let a robot serve you lunch at Big Bang Pizza!

My son just completed his first year of high school, so yesterday we went out to celebrate!

I saw Big Bang Pizza on Good Day Atlanta several months ago, and put it on my list of places to check out.  So glad we did!

Located at 3043 Buford Highway in Brookhaven, the building is in the back of a parking lot, sort of behind another building.  We missed it the first go round and had to u-turn and go back.  When we walked inside, we were greeted by a small robot named Pepper.  She is adorable, and you can choose different things for her to do from the tablet on her chest.  She can tell you a story, dance for you, or even take a selfie with you!

Order at the counter, and then pick a seat and put your number on the table.  A few minutes later, one of the larger server robots will deliver your food on a tray right to your table!

The dining room is large and bright, and they play fun, upbeat music.  If you order a fountain drink, Jones Soda Company sodas will be your choices!  David got Berry Lemonade and I had Root Beer.  For our lunch, I chose the pizza with a side salad, and he just got pizza. 

My pizza had meatballs, pepperoni and green olives and it was so perfect! Crispy crust, just the way I like it.  My side salad was loaded with veggies and had creamy Italian dressing.  David had cheese pizza and proclaimed it to be amazing! 

Before we left, we refilled our drinks and purchased ice pops from a little freezer by the door.  We both got the Oreo pops and oh my goodness were they ever refreshing!  It was a great lunch at a fun little place!! I hope we can go back again this summer!

Giveaway ~ Atlanta JapanFest "Cooler Japan" 2016 tickets!

Want to learn about Japanese culture?  This year’s JapanFest “Cooler Japan,” offers an electric combination of cool tech-advanced modern Japan with a traditional twist.  It promises to be a fun weekend for the whole family!

JapanFest Weekend will be held on September 17-18, 2016, from 10 am to 6 pm (Saturday) and 10am to 5pm (Sunday) at the Infinite Energy Center (located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097).

We make Japanese culture COOL in our Children’s Area! Children will be able to make paper puppets and enjoy Kamishibai, a form of Japanese theatrical storytelling that uses paper puppets. They can also learn Japanese calligraphy, try on traditional Japanese clothes, make kites, color in Japanese coloring books, fold origami figures, and play with traditional Japanese tops and paper sumo wrestlers! For our modern counterpart, children will get to play with Samurai Borgs (Japanese fighting robots), Beyblade (modern Japanese tops), Hyper yoyos, and Kendama (modern cup and ball game).

Kids will also be given the opportunity to let their creativity shine. This year we will be featuring a 3D pen that will make their art literally stand off the page! And with our 3D aquarium, they can bring their art to life! Children will draw their fish, and after scanning it, they will be able to see their fish swim around our 3D fish tank. Everyone in your family will find something to enjoy at JapanFest!

If you need a pick-me-up from all the fun, JapanFest Konbini store and Japanese grocery store, Tomato, are providing tasty and unique Japanese snacks!  My son is looking forward to this!

Love music? JapanFest will feature a variety of musical performances sure to suit all ages and interests, including taiko drumming, J-Rock and J-Pop, and classical music. The festival will also feature Japanese dance performances, a kimono fashion show, and kabuki theater.

Want a selfie taken in Tokyo without the jet lag? Take a virtual trip to Japan with our Magical Photo booth. Take a picture in famous Japanese locations such as Mt. Fuji, Harajuku, or even a photo with a sumo wrestler! Other photo ops include the cute Japanese mascot Domo-Kun, who will be at the festival.

This will be our second year collaborating with anime convention, MomoCon. The Anime village is a section of the festival completely dedicated to anime products, anime viewings, and gaming. Keep Momocon is also sponsoring a Pokémon Go! Meetup. Capture and boost a gym, claim resources from Poke Stops and build your team, all factions welcome!

For fans of more traditional fighting methods, rather than Pokémon battles, there will be demonstrations of virtually every Japanese martial art in existence, including aikido, karate, kendo, kyudo, and sumo.

Shoppers will love the amazing array of Japanese goods available. Ginza-dori, organized by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia and named after Tokyo's famous shopping district, will feature Japanese ceramics, traditional Japanese clothing and accessories, and fun items such as masks and toys. For those who want to try on a kimono, the Konnichiwa Club will dress them in the latest kimonos from Japan.

Attendees are encouraged to purchase  tickets online to minimize waiting at the event entrance, as additional entrances are provided for pre-purchased ticket holders.  Individual tickets are available for sale until the day before the event (Though Infinite Energy Center ticketing system, AXS).  http://www.infiniteenergycenter.com/events/detail/japanfest-2016 .  The deadline for our corporate ticket package is August 10th for e-tickets https://japanfest.formstack.com/forms/ticket_package  (60 tickets and above)

Tickets are $10. Children age 6 or younger free. Teachers can bring students to JapanFest for free by applying online at www.japanfest.org. Larger organizations can purchase ticket packages online.

No pets other than guide dogs are allowed inside the convention center. For more information,  call 404-842-0736 or visit www.japanfest.org.

Sponsors:
Platinum-Delta, Gold-Aflcac, Coca Cola, Silver-Fisher-Broyles, Kumon North America,  TV Japan/NHK Cosmomedia America Inc., WSBTV-Channel 2, Bronze-American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Power Equipment Division; LeafFilter; Miura America Company; PriceWaterhouse Coopers; Sapporo USA, Inc; Temple University, Japan Campus; TOTO USA Inc; Fuji-Dexerials America Corporation, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport,  Inside Gwinnett Magazine, Panasonic Automotive Systems, Yamaha Motor Corp.U.S.A, Sakura-Atlanta Parent Magazine; Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC; Ernst & Young LLP; Global Atlanta; Gwinnett Daily Post; Holiday Inn Gwinnett Center; Creative Loafing; Honda Precision Parts of Georgia; KPMG; Nidec Elesys Americas Corporation; Toppan Printing; Ume-Atlanta Braves, Kuraoka Clinic, Machida Family of Duluth

Doesn't JapanFest look awesome?  I can't wait to take my son! This will be a fun, educational experience for us both.  

Local friends, I'm giving away a four pack of tickets to JapanFest! Enter via Rafflecopter below! (Must live in metro-Atlanta area to be eligible to win)

Travel - Florida's Blue Spring State Park #VisitWestVolusia #WestVolusiaFL #LoveFL

One of our favorite places we visited in Florida earlier this month is Blue Spring State Park.  It's only a few minutes from our hotel in DeBary, FL.  As a state park, you'll pay a fee to enter for the day.  We paid $6 for our car.

In the winter, more than 200 manatees come to stay.  The park has over 2400 acres, and includes a north-flowing river, a lagoon, a 1/3 mile boardwalk, and much more! Stop by the visitors center to watch a short interpretive video about the manatees that come to Blue Spring each winter.

In the summertime, you can swim, tube, snorkel or dive in the 72-degree waters of the spring.  There is a lawn area for sunbathing, picnic and BBQ areas are close by too.   There are also 3 covered pavilions that you can rent for reunions or get-togethers.

The park has cabins and 51 campsites.  Want to really get away from it all?  There is even a 4.5 mile hiking trail that takes you to a primitive campsite near the St Johns River!

If swimming isn't your thing, you can rent a canoe or kayak, take a kayak tour or a 2-hour river cruise. The water is clear and beautiful in the spring.

There is gift shop offering food and beverages near the Spring as well.   We saw some baby wild hogs (see them in bottom left pic in my collage above) near the restrooms the day we visited, and also had time to talk with one of the rangers about the park.  He told us that manatees had been spotted in the spring the day we visited!  David wanted to get in, but the water was still a little too cool for him. (It was a chilly day)  The park is absolutely beautiful and very well-maintained.  It would be a great place for a picnic on a hot summer day, followed by a dip in the spring!

A little more about Blue Spring ~ it's a first-magnitude spring that sends 104 million gallons of water daily into the St Johns River.  In 1971, an episode of the Underwater World of Jacques Cousteau was filmed at Blue Spring, called "The Forgotten Mermaids" - the manatees of Blue Spring.   It is a habitat for at least 15 threatened or endangered plants and animals.  Among the creatures you may see at Blue Spring State Park are the Florida Scrub Jay, black bear, gopher tortoise, herons, gar, sunfish, swimming turtles, and alligators!   We saw lots of gar in the spring - I thought they were logs until they started moving! Those fish are BIG!  Click on my collage above and you can see them in the middle picture on the left side.

We enjoyed visiting the Park and the spring, and next time we are there I hope to finally see a manatee!

Blue Spring State Park is located at:

2100 West French Ave
Orange City, FL 32763
(386) 775-3663

Hours are 8 am until sunset, 365 days a year!

You can read more online at www.FloridaStateParks.org and the West Volusia Tourism Bureau's website.

Next up: Green Springs Park  & DeLeon Springs Park - check back soon!

Travel - Fun things to do in Kissimmee: Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory!

If you will be in Orlando, you are probably visiting the theme parks. But what else is there to do in Kissimmee?  We were very happy to find this family-friendly ice cream shop that has a great play space, too!

Last month David and I went on an amazing trip to Disney.  We signed up for this Disney Youth Series trip with a new friend who is also a GCA mom.  She organized everything so well! We were able to purchase discounted tickets that allowed us to stay longer than I normally could have afforded.   We rented a nice big house in a resort community to hold us, my aunt, my sister-in-law and her four kiddos, plus her friend and her daughter.  I have some fun things to share about this trip over the next months, and hope that some of these tips, ideas, etc will help you in planning your next trip to Florida!

Today I want to share a fun little dessert spot that we visited twice during our week in Florida. Located in downtown Kissimmee, it's a must see!

Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory  is a unique ice cream shop.  Instead of  scooping out your favorite flavor, they use liquid nitrogen to instantly freeze your ice cream right in front of you.  They take fresh ingredients, add your mix-ins, and abracadabra.....you suddenly have ice cream!  It's a fun "magic" show that both kids and adults will enjoy.

I took David on Sunday to get some ice cream and bring some home to Aunt Anne.  I got the Mocha Madness - it is divine!   We also went back on Tuesday after a trip to the former Downtown Disney, now known as Disney Springs.

There are plenty of toss-in options, and they also have some Suggested Combinations listed on the menu board.   The small size that we all chose was actually pretty big - it was more than enough ice cream for each of us. 

My son loved watching them add the nitrogen and then quickly scrape everything into a frozen concoction. 

Here is a video I took of the process.  

They also sell pizza and other foods.  There is a nice little arcade in the building while you wait for your ice cream.  

After we paid for our ice cream, we enjoyed our treats out back, where there is plenty of covered seating and several bounce houses and playground equipment for the kiddos to enjoy.  It's a perfect stop along the way in Kissimmee!

If you will be in the Kissimmee/Disney area,  I highly recommend you check out this fun ice cream shop.

Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory is located at: 520 N Main Street, Kissimmee, FL 34744

What is your favorite thing to do (besides the theme parks!) in Florida? Please leave a comment below...

Fun Fall, Y'all! at Jaemor Farms

Yesterday David needed to get out and have some fun, so we decided to take a drive up 985 to Jaemor Farms in Alto, Georgia.  We LOVE visiting their farm market and getting some delicious produce and homemade goodies.  Yesterday didn't disappoint.

We always get fresh produce here.  Right now there are peaches, sweet potatoes, melons, peppers, plums, corn, onions and apples, to name just a few of the pickings.   We just got a couple of things: sweet potatoes, gala apples, and avocados.   Then we wandered around the crowded market and picked up a few more items - Cheerwine for David, some apple cider doughnuts, and a small loaf of cheddar jalapeno bread. Yum!  Then made our way to the concession stand at the back for David's favorite - a cup of homemade strawberry ice cream.

This mama got a fried sweet potato pie.  Didn't need it, but I sure did want it! It was delicious.  They have a bunch of other flavors - apple, peach, cherry, blueberry, and chocolate cream.  Try one, they are good for the soul!

Here's a peek inside our bag. Including our snacks, I paid less than $15 for everything!

With Fall fast approaching, Jaemor Farms has their Fall offerings schedule to put on your calendar. 

Starting Sept. 12 they will offer these attractions:

Corn Maze (open 9/12-11/8), Hay Rides, Pumpkin Train, Petting Zoo, Duck Races, Farm Slide, Apple Cannon, U-pick pumpkins (in October), Farm Skee Ball, Concessions and more! 

September hours are Saturday 10 am - 10 pm, Sunday 1 pm - 6 pm 

October/November hours: Friday 10 am - 10 pm, Saturday 10 am - 10 pm, Sunday 1 pm - 7 pm 

The maze and u pick pumpkin patch will be open Monday - Thursday 10 am - 6 pm October 12-29  

 (last ticket sold one hour before close) 

There is a $14 all access pass for ages 3 and up that includes the corn maze and all attractions! 

This is Jaemor Farms 10th season of Fall Fun, so check them out! 

They are located at 5340 Cornelia Hwy Alto, GA 30510.   

770-869-3999

www.jaemorfarms.com 

Here are a few more pics from yesterday.  I didn't take any inside the market - it was packed!  And I almost forgot - you can get applewood smoked BBQ while you are there.  Make sure you go hungry! (Click on pictures to see larger view)

Mystery Room is the best place for date night or family night!

Last Friday the kids and I spent the morning defusing a bomb! No, really, we did! Actually, we didn't defuse the bomb, but we did manage to open four locked boxes to get all of the clues that could have helped us. We just didn't pick up on the right clue for the bomb.  But we had an awesome time trying! Want to solve your own mystery? Keep reading......

Mystery Room is a brand new, interactive real world detective adventure! It's located inside Sugarloaf Mills (formerly Discover Mills) in Gwinnett County, right off I-85.  You can either park and enter the Mall at Entrance 1, or go through Bass Pro Shop to get to Mystery Room .

In our family, we like to play a few of those games on Facebook - you know, the ones where you have to escape from a room, or find hidden objects, solve a mystery or puzzle.  Mystery Room is the real life version of those games! It didn't disappoint!  It is a fun place to take your family (with kids, probably 10 and up is best), or your girlfriends for a fun and unique Girls Night Out, or even make it a double date with your best friend and her guy.

It's such a great concept and so different from anything else you can do around here. Everything you need to solve the mystery is in each room - but you will have to work for it! This encourages teamwork, thinking outside the box, and it's a whole lot of fun, too.

There are six rooms for you to choose from.  You can pick a Detective Room - Sherlock's Room, Special Agent Room and Black Ops Room, all hold up to 6 people; or an Escape Room - Hollywood Room & Royal Room both hold up to 10 people, and Sports Room which holds 6 people.

Trust me when I say that you want to go with a group, and the bigger the better! In each room there is much to see, many clues to uncover, and codes to decipher. Oh, did I mention there is a lot to look at? It's not easy! So bring your friends or your kids and help each other solve the mysteries at Mystery Room.  Everyone can work together looking for clues, and also bouncing ideas off of each other to figure out the mystery.  Next time we visit it will be with more people - I think we could have defused that bomb for sure with one more person helping!

David chose the Black Ops room for us and it was much more difficult than I expected! Not gonna lie - I thought we'd be able to solve it pretty fast! But once you begin, you have 45 minutes to solve the mystery, so there is no time to waste.  There are definitely things in there to throw you off - it's very challenging trying to decide what is important and what isn't!

My daughter got a little frustrated early on, but she rallied at the end!  David was our helper, emptying things out and helping to sort through all of it, and writing down clues. The friendly and helpful staff at Mystery Room will let you know when you are about halfway through your time, and you can even buy a clue to help you out if you need to.   Whatever you decide - just have FUN with it!

If you are lucky enough to solve your room in the allotted 45 minutes, you will get your picture on the Wall of Fame!

They change the rooms on a regular basis, so you can revisit every few weeks and solve a new mystery! It was a really fun experience for my kids and me, and all the way home we kept talking about the clues that threw us off, and that last one we missed. We are definitely going back and trying another room!

They offer Corporate Team Building Events & Birthday Parties at Mystery Room, as well.

Mystery Room is located at:
Sugarloaf Mills
5900 Sugarloaf Parkway
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Phone: 678-847-5002

Mystery Room can be found online:  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  & Trip Advisor.

They are open 7 days a week, so get going and solve a mystery!  Tell them you heard about Mystery Room on Just Kidding Around Atlanta, please!

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Please share your experience in the comments if you've been - I want to hear what you think about the other rooms! (Trying to decide our next room to try!) Or tell me which one you plan to solve first!



Disclaimer: We were given free admission to visit Mystery Room to facilitate this review.  All opinions included in this review are my own.  No other compensation was received.