Friday Family Fun - Battleship U.S.S. North Carolina

Happy Friday one week later! Hope you have had a stellar week as I have. It is amazing to me how quickly the time can go. It was just Tuesday when I started thinking about my fun place to be and thought to myself, no problem, Friday's 3 days away! Then I blinked, and whalla, it was Friday yet again.

I am projecting a couple of weeks into the future, for those of you close to the North Carolina coast who may not have plans for the 4th of July celebration yet. This week we're heading to Wilmington, NC to the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Museum.

Here's the event:
Battleship NORTH CAROLINA proudly presents the 2010 4th of July Celebration. At 9:05pm the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA hosts the 14th Annual "BATTLESHIP BLAST" fireworks spectacular. Bring the entire family and enjoy an explosive evening! Primary viewing for the fireworks will be from Downtown Wilmington. The entire Battleship complex on Eagles Island will be closed at 6:00pm and all vehicles will be required to leave by 6:30pm. Therefore, come early and visit the equally impressive Battleship NORTH CAROLINA before the activities in the evening. There are sponsorship opportunities available. Please call 910-251-5797 for information.

What a great idea! I must do that some year, but not this one. Just wanted to let you all know that it is there! There are ship museums throughout the country, so there is probably potential at many of these awesome places for some great history & a spectacular show over the water!! Happy B-Day early, the great U.S.A!!

What are some of your favorite museums? How about your favorite traditions for Independence Day?

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Race For The Cure!

Mark your calendars for next year: The Susan G. Komen 5K in Raleigh, NC is a very moving, fun & awesome family time. My wife CarolinaMama ran it, the Tigers & I were logistical and moral support! I am not a runner, so if I am to do this sort of thing, I will have to walk it. My boys are definitely ready to run it, they will smoke their parents!

One of the runners on a team CarolinaMama helped put together was pretty hot & sweaty, and mentioning it was hard to catch your breath that morning because of the humidity. I commented that there is a reason that I am the support crew!! It was awesome, I held 3 bags for some team members, and the Tigers held our bags!

So well organized, a lot to do. They had a kid's zone that was awesome. Lots to do for the entire family. A record breaking 25,000 people participated in the race!! Awesome Research Triangle of NC area! Let's keep up the good work supporting this awesome cause!

How about you, do you like running 5k's? What are favorite things to do on a weekend?

Frito Lay Father's Day Giveaway!

Most of us are familiar with Frito Lay company and their products. Here are a couple of tips about these products that we all love and have known as part of the party for years:

Pair your favorite chips with nutrient-rich dips such as veggie-packed salsa or guacamole. Try serving a simple and better-for-you dip below at your Father's Day grill out! This recipe is from the Registered Dietitians of Teaspoon Communications.

There are a now a few companies that produce and sell compostable and biodegradable plates, utensils, cups and serving ware! Just Google “biodegradable utensils” and you’ll get a variety of companies to choose from – all for around the same price as the disposable tableware you find in your local grocery store!!

Mediterranean Dip: A European twist on a Mexican favorite! Pair with Tostitos Scoops tortilla chips for less than 170 calories, 9% of your daily fiber needs and a yummy way to sneak in 5 veggies!

Enjoy the magic:

Ingredients:
· 1 cup canned corn, drained and rinsed

· ½ cup roasted red peppers, chopped

· 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

· Salt to taste


Directions:
Mix corn, chopped peppers and balsamic vinegar together in a small bowl. Refrigerate
for 30 minutes (or longer). Serve with Tostitos Scoops tortilla chips. Makes 8 appetizer servings

Nutrition analysis: 27 calories per 2 oz. serving, 0.3g fat per 2 oz. serving, 123 mg sodium per 2 oz. serving, 5.5 g carbohydrate per 2 oz. serving, 0.7 g fiber per 2 oz. serving, 0.8 g protein per 2 oz. serving.

Here's hoping you learned something new today, and here's 2 ways to enter!
Tweet it out on Twitter or leave a comment below! The contest closes Friday at 10 PM, EST.

Friday Family Fun Day (ALL READY?!)

Another week has gone by. I am thinking today (Thursday), oh, it's only Wednesday, plenty of time for our next fun-filled location! Whoa, where does that time go?! So without further ado, we are traveling to Washington D.C.'s Udvar-Hazy Center this weekend. This is part of the National Aerospace Museum located in Sterling, VA right next to Dulles Airport.

You will need at least half a day to take in all the sights. The Boeing Hangar has a huge collection of planes from the oldest to some of the very latest aircraft. I'm talking from gliding to one of the Space Shuttles, the Enterprise (actually in a hangar of its own!) Parking is $15 per car, but admission is free! This really is a bargain for all the displays and activities that you can participate in. For those of you who live really close, parking is free after 4pm. This really rocks for their extended hours during the summer months.

One of my favorites was going in to a mock control tower that overlooks the runways of Dulles Int'l Airport, and you see how operations are run at an ATC (Air Traffic Control) Tower at many of the airports of the world. Be sure to check into it today if you are in the Washington, D.C. area! Get out and enjoy history at its' finest!

How about you, big plans for the weekend? What are your favorite things to do on the weekend? Father's Day is one weekend away!! Big plans for that? Let me hear from you!

Friday Family Fun Again! Pilot Mountain, NC

Happy Friday to all! For those of you in the central North Carolina area, check out this fun-filled park. Pilot Mountain is an easily accessible park with a lot to offer. Hiking & horseback trails, canoeing and cycling are just a few of the activities one can do here.

Want to camp for the weekend? That is an option, along with a good many options for those like me who want to make a day trip of it. It is a very doable day trip from the Raleigh-Durham area, Greensboro and Winston-Salem areas of North Carolina.

There is a six-mile woodland corridor that connects the two sections of the park that can be ridden on horseback or the old-fashioned walking method of transportation. In other words, hiking!

What do you enjoy on the weekends? Big plans for this one?
Let me hear from you.
Let's get out, get fit, and enjoy the outdoors in a number of different ways!

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Brita Helping Me Go Green?!

Using a Brita water pitcher or system (2 gallon system find out what ours is), one filter saves 330 plastic water bottles. In the US alone, we threw away enough water bottles in one year to stretch across the earth 109 times!! I had never really thought about the Brita that we use as helping with the environment. We just love the cold, fresh water that comes out of it. Now that it is warming up again, I think I refill our 2 gallon container w/ filter almost once a day!!
A couple of things on that:
1) Make sure these plastic water bottles are going to the recycle bin.
2) Get some reusable water bottles from your local sporting goods stores.
Polar Bear makes a great one that is insulated and keeps the liquid cooler for longer!

We have taught the Tigers that their is nothing to quench that thirst like water. Even in the winter time, I refill our 2 gallon dispencer once ever 2 to 2.5 days! So let's start doing a very small, easy changeover to help reduce some of those water bottles going in the trash! Got to run, I need to refill my Brita dispenser:)

Awesome Company to Go Green With

Brame Specialty Company is a company that I have discovered while staying at Ocean Isle Inn. Check out this family owned/run business that is in the business of supplying more environmentally products to a large customer base in the Carolina's and Virginia. This company is a wonderful example of being responsible, yet building a profitable business that is all about leaving less of a footprint.

Ocean Isle Inn uses a variety of Brame Specialty products . The other fantastic thing about Brame is they donate a portion of their proceeds to the Sea Turtle Hospital Topsail Beach, NC! This is a great partnership, and I just wanted to let you know about an awesome place to stay and a fantastic company!

Brame Specialty Company has been in business for 86 years, started by one man in one house!! Check this awesome company out today, and get on down to Ocean Isle Inn at Ocean Isle Beach, NC today! Ocean Isle Beach is a great place to go anytime of year!