Kids Eat Free

There are several restaurants that offer free meals for kids. It is always nice to get a free meal when you are dining out, especially since kids usually don't eat their whole dinner anyway. See a few of the restaurants listed below.

1. Denny's has free meals for kids on Tuesdays with each adult meal.

2. IHOP is now advertising free meals for kids from 4-9 pm for each adult meal as well.

3. El Torito lets kids eat free on Wednesdays with each adult meal.

4. Applebees has had 99 cent dinners for kids on Tuesdays as well. But, I am not sure if this is still the case. Check with your local restaurant.

5. Sadie Dey's Cafe - Kids eat free every night from 4-8 pm. They have a nice menu of sandwiches, salads and pasta.

Kids Eat Free Guide also lets you enter your zip code for any other free offers for children.
Kids Free Guide also gives you some information on free eats for kids in your area.

Art and Soul Festival in Oakland - 2009

The 9th Annual Art and Soul Festival in Oakland will take place next weekend, August 15 and 16. This date is a change from Labor Day weekend in years past, but there will be just as much food, art, music, vendors, kids'activities and family fun! The location is Downtown Oakland so that you can simply take BART without the bother of driving and parking.

Reviews for the Festival:
Many believe this is one of the best Bay Area festivals. For latest reviews on yahoo, click here. For the reviews of years past in yelp, click here.

Kids Program:
For the kids, there is a Family Fun Zone with carnival rides and bouncers (at an extra cost) along with interactive art, hands-on mural painting, face painters, a fire truck and more.
The festival takes place from 12 noon to 6 pm and the entrance fees are $10 for adults, $5 for 13-17 and 12 and under are free! So, not only do you get music, dance, art and food in once place, but it is really reasonable for a family to attend!

For more information, visit the Art and Soul homepage.

Hope to see you at the festival next weekend!

King Tut at DeYoung Museum in SF

From June 27, 2009 - March 28, 2010, King Tutankhamun's treasures will be on display. I saw many of these artifacts years ago in Southern California, but somehow, I am enticed to see it again as an adult. His popularity is partly due to the fact that it is the most complete Ancient Egyptian royal tomb ever found. Dr. Carter made a spectacular find in 1922 of which many have seen and continue to see. For more info, see deYoung museum. Tickets can be bought at Costco for a discount which includes the audio tour and is definitely worthwhile!

For books for the entire family on ancient Egypt, check out some of these:

Young Readers

(5-8 years)
Tut's Mummy Lost...and Found - Donnelly
In an Egyptian City - Eldash
Muti's Necklace - Hawes
Tutankhamen's Gift - Sabuda

(9-12 years)
The Mummy's Curse - Dixon
Cry of the Benu Bird - Greger
Curse of the Pharaohs - Hawass
The Akhenaten Adventure - Kerr
Casting the Gods Adrift - McCaughrean
Ancient Egypt: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of Egypt's Past - Rubalcaba

Advanced Readers

(ages 12 and up)
Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt - David
The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt - Dodson
King Tut: The Treasures of the Tomb - Hawass
Realm of the Pharaohs - Hawass
Akhenaten and the Religion of Light - Hornung
Red Land, Black Land - Mertz
In the Valley of the Kings - Meyerson
Nefertiti - Tyldesley
The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt - Wilkinson

Amusement Park Discounts

Amusement parks are a great way to round out the summer. And, there are discounts out there for these oftentimes expensive destinations. However, there are ways to get discounts.


1. AAA has discounts for many amusement parks including Great America, Vallejo Discovery Kingdom, Disneyland and Legoland. Check their web site for more details.

2. If you have a contact person at your school's PTA, they often have coupons for Legoland, SeaWorld and Great America. The front office will have them too, but obviously, schools are closed until the end of August so you would have had to plan ahead. Check the PTA web site for any additional info on discounts.

3. Many amusement parks have online discounts. Gilroy Gardens has an online discount of $29.99 for everyone. That is a $3 discount for kids and a $13 discount for adults. A family of four could save $32 on admission! Six Flags Discovery Kingdom also has an online ticket special of $29.99. That saves a family of four $30 on admission. Great America now has an online deal of only $99.99 for four tickets which is less than $25 per ticket! Great deals out there! Go get 'em before the summer ends!

Wiggles Coming to San Jose!

The Wiggles are on tour again and coming to San Jose! They will be at the San Jose HP Pavilion on Wednesday, July 22nd at 3pm and 6:30 pm. Ticket prices vary. For more info, check out the HP Pavilion events page. Get Wiggley!

Target sponsors cultural events

Target is always supportive of the schools and cultural events. There are several concerts it is sponsoring and many museums you can visit for free because of their support. Whether you are in your home town or visiting others in different parts of the country, you can check out the programs on Target's art and culture web page by simply choosing the city of your choice. Have fun everyone!

Movies for Free!

Most everyone has heard of Netflix, the revolutionary DVD lending company that is based in Los Gatos and started the idea of receiving and returning DVDs through the mail without any late fees. Well, I am a big fan of Netflix and have been a loyal customer for many years. They have treated me well too - lowered my fees as a loyal customer when their fees overall went down. How many of you can say that about any other company? Most companies give the best rates and deals to the new customers, not the loyal ones...well, enough about that. The latest and greatest from Netflix is that you can watch movies for free! With your monthly subscription, you get access to the Netflix library of movies to watch instantly and without any additional charge on your computer! The other night I watched a movie for free! Wow! That is a nice thing in today's economy...free movies! Check it out!