Red Robin

This was a good night. I really liked the new Wise Guy Burger. The chocolate milk and the cokes were a bit weak, could have been a bad night or a cost cutting measure. So many TVs, the kids love the TV in the bathroom (no we cannot get one in our house).

The kids love the fries and if you ask for an order as soon as the waiter takes your order, then you can start shoving food in their mouths early.

Free balloons when it is over, and they are very pleasant about getting a kid their favorite color.

McDonalds - Waypoint

Sorry, I haven't been active lately, but I am back on track. Currently the McDonalds that are not free still have waypoint. If you ask the manager for a coupon, most will give you a free hour coupon. That was very helpful when I lost my home connection and had actual work to do online.

Giant A+ School Rewards

"Budgets being what they are..." is a phrase I am tired of hearing. The state hasn't passed a budget yet, school funding is dropping. I heard that in my in-service and Back-to-School Night at each of my 4 kids schools. In this recession, giving is down and funding is down and public school funds, while never plentiful, are even harder to find.

Giant Food Stores have had the A+ School Rewards for several years. They donate a portion of your total grocery bill to up to 2 schools of your choosing. So no fund raising, just free money for your schools. If you haven't already registered your school, then just click the link and register. If you don't have kids in school, then you can still register any school you wish. The school you live in, your kids went to or even the one you graduated from. Budgets being what they are...now is the time to help them out.

Personal Post

Buried Granddad today. I have no posts today. It rained before and after and sunny while I was playing taps. He will be greatly missed by us, but is welcomed by Granny in heaven.

Infinitos

http://www.infinitospizza.com/ is the new pizza buffet place in Union Deposit, where Lone Star used to be. It is spacious and the staff is very attentive, the best this is that I can feed the entire family (6) for s smidge over $30. There is a large variety of pizzas, drinks and a salad bar.

The family's favorite varies from the buffalo chicken pizza, cinimon buns, to the chocolate chip pizza. My only complaint is while there is a large variety - 8 or more - they don't change. I might like a sausage and mushroom, but they don' t have it .

Harrisburg (East) Mall

The Harrisburg Mall, which used to be the Harrisburg East Mall, which may change again since they were sold at auction is actually pretty cool for the kids.

Ok, this is just about the free play area and free WiFi. What an awesome combination, though when I whipped out the laptop, most people looked at me like I was nuts, but they do have free WiFi, though slow. I had an Excellent connection, but only 11MPs (not 54) speed. Not sure why they are doing that, but at least I can post this while here.

The playground is more an imagination playground, no real moving parts, but the kids can run and everything is padded. Most kids get bored after awhile and can get a bit rough, especially those kids that are dropped unsupervised, while the parents shop. I am not that callous yet toward the well being of my kids, even after 4, so not sure what that is about.

The Super McDonalds

It seems this is the week for McDonalds' posts. I just stopped at the McDonalds on Paxtang, near the Harrisburg (East) mall. It has the superhero theme. It looks like they remodeled it since I was there last. It seems less crowded. They have a station with 3 places to play video games and NO FREE WiFi. They have Waypoint, which seems to confuse the employees.

They also have no playplace, though they do have the cool graphics and the video consoles. While I am ranting, the McDonalds in the food court of the Harrisburg (East) Mall charges $0.52 for refills. Who has heard of a McDonalds charging for refills since the 70's? So I will now make a complete search of the area looking for free WiFi.