Upland Labor Day > back to school in Upland > fun things to do

Upland Community pick for back-to-school fun and children’s fun things to do on Labor Day weekend:

John’s Incredible Pizza Co.
5280 Arrow Highway
Montclair, CA  91763
p.  (909) 447-7777

Summer is my favorite season.  It’s incredibly hot, but we get all of those extra daylight hours. Perfect for late afternoon dips in the swimming pool and evening walks with the dog. I remember being excited about school starting again in the fall, but wishing summer could last just a bit longer.

Most kids these days are going back to school already at the end of August. As a parent, I feel like summer just started. When I was at Target today and I was not prepared for the huge Back-to-School section with all the supplies you’ll ever need, many of them on sale. While you’re there, be sure to see if they have a grade-appropriate checklist available to make your purchase selection easier. Another idea is to make Back-to-School goodie bags for your child’s late summer birthday party. A friend of ours filled pencil boxes with school supplies one year and the kids all loved it.

Fortunately, there is a chance for one last hurrah in summer fun department. Even though school starts at the end of August, kids and parents can look forward to a long holiday weekend that Labor Day brings. This helps ease the transition and gives the kids something to look forward to during their first week at school. Particularly if your child has some apprehension (first day jitters) or difficulty adjusting to the new routine, providing her or him with a fun-filled holiday weekend may be just the thing to keep them going.

For many families, going out on vacation over Labor Day weekend isn’t an option. Gas prices are still high and with the economy faltering most folks are looking for ways to save money, not spend it hand over fist. Besides, if you’re anything like me, the thought of driving in traffic on the freeways and fighting crowds is not my idea of fun family time. We prefer to say close to home and find something the whole family will enjoy.

An outdoor barbeque is a great way to spend Labor Day weekend together. We are fortunate enough to have my folks close by, so we spend the majority of holidays with them. They have the perfect backyard for hanging out, grilling, swimming, and plenty of room for the kids to run around and have a good time. But in the midst of a Southern California heat wave, even a good amount of shade and a cool dip in the pool aren’t always enough.

Sometimes we need to find fun things to do with the kids indoors. Somewhere that is air-conditioned and conveniently has everything we need in one place. The whole family has a great time at John’s Incredible Pizza Co. complete with their all you can eat buffet, wine and beer for adults (2 drink limit), special themed dining rooms, and a huge game and rides room. John’s Fun World side has the feeling of an indoor amusement park. They even have the frog hopper, bowling, bumper cars and a really good dancing bear (mouse over-click play inside box)!

The all-you-can-eat buffet includes pizza, pasta, salad and even a dessert bar with lots of goodies like soft-serve ice cream.  Be sure to try one of their unique pizzas….you will be glad you did.

The themed rooms are really cool and provide an atmosphere for any mood from cartoons to the more laid back cabin fever theme.  Each room is the size of a standard restaurant.

The game room is simply huge.  If you’ve never been to John’s you can check it out here.

For additional information, visit www.johnspizza.com. Be sure to check our their “John’s Rewards” section for incredible ways John’s helps motivate kids to succeed in school with their incentive programs!

Upland Community pick for back-to-school fun and Labor Day kid’s activities:

John’s Incredible Pizza Co.
5280 Arrow Highway
Montclair, CA  91763
p.  (909) 447-7777

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IN Upland 4th of July fun things to do > fireworks activities > frozen yogurt treat ideas

4th of July fun >fireworks:

Colonies Crossroads Shopping Center
Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt
1902 N. Campus Ave.
Upland, CA 91786
p.  (909) 985-1625

There are many fun things to do this 4th of July weekend.  Many people will stay home light up the barbeque and enjoy the outdoors but remember temperatures are predicted to rise again by July 4, close to 100 degrees so plan accordingly.

The 4th of July falls on a Friday this year so you have the entire weekend to plan fun events.  We’ll likely have the standard bbq with some swimming pool fun but undoubtedly, the kids will want to get away from the house for a bit.

A great idea that is also free is to head over to Victoria Gardens mall in Rancho Cucamonga.  Although their concerts in the park and movies in the park won’t be happening that weekend there are still some fun things to do for the kids.

Our favorite has been the outdoor water fountain where the kids can run through and cool off during hot days but another idea is to head over to the Cultural Center.  It’s cool and relaxed there plus the kids can read books for their Summer reading programs.  They also offer wireless internet throughout Victoria Gardens though we feel it has the best signal inside the Cultural Center.

The stores are great at the mall too of course, including the restaurants so consider Victoria Gardens this holiday weekend.

There are many fireworks shows within driving distance to Upland.  The City of Upland fireworks are being held at the Upland High School football stadium.  They begin at 9:00pm.

Rancho Cucamonga fireworks will be held at the Rancho Cucamonga Epicenter & Adult Sports Park.

If you’re like us and not a big fan of crowds there’s a neat place to watch about 12 fireworks shows all at the same time.  We discovered this by accident last year when our daughter was only a couple weeks old.  There were a few families there at the time so apparently the word was out a bit.

We frequent the Colonies Crossroads shopping center right on the border of Rancho Cucamonga and Upland, primarily for our frozen yogurt habit.  Behind this shopping center, which includes an Albertson’s grocery store there’s a small area overlooking a man-made lake.  From here you can see numerous fireworks shows all at different distances, none of them very close but still a really neat experience if you’re looking for something more private and convenient.

This year Golden Spoon is staying open July 4 until 9pm, which is right when all of the fireworks shows start.  Perfect for us!  We’ll take the kids shopping for a while then head over to Golden Spoon for frozen yogurt before the shows start.  There’s also a Coffee Bean next door that works perfectly with frozen yogurt.

If you haven’t tried Golden Spoon you’re in for a treat.  It’s the best frozen yogurt by far and even rivals the taste of your favorite ice cream without the fat and calories.

My personal favorite has been a mix of strawberry and vanilla with fresh blueberries but a close second is their mint.  The kids love strawberry-banana with fresh strawberries on top while my wife is a fan of about 5 flavors ranging from strawberry to cake batter.

Going to a fireworks show is fun, we’ve done it for years but if you’re looking for one of those hidden gem type places to watch multiple shows head over to the Colonies Crossroads shopping center.  Get your coffee and frozen yogurt and the family will be ready to go!  Remember that all of the shows are at a distance so it’s quite an experience.

4th of July fireworks and fun:

Colonies Crossroads Shopping Center
Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt
1902 N. Campus Ave.
Upland, CA 91786
p.  (909) 985-1625

How to gain muscle fast > burn and lose fat > what to eat > Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Cucamonga weight loss > muscle gain products and program pick:

Parrillo Performance

http://www.parrillo.com/

p.  (800) 344-3404

Over the years and after training and counseling hundreds of people on diet, nutrition and exercise we’ve learned that everyone wants one of two things.

We don’t mean to over simplify this but each time a new client came to us we asked them what it is they wanted to achieve.  Overwhelmingly men wanted to gain muscle fast.  Women wanted to lose fat fast.

The funny thing is we put them on pretty much the same diet in terms of ratios and similar workout programs.  In the end they both got what they wanted.  The men quickly gained muscle and the women lost fat.  Actually they both were losing fat and gaining muscle but sometimes it’s best to keep the details secret and let the results do the work.  There’s a reason for this.

Men often come in and want to gain overall weight.  They want to be bigger and stronger so the mere mention of their scale weight coming down could sap motivation.  Again, we let the results take care of the motivation.

Women, on the other hand, typically are not interested in gaining muscle.  There is a perception that they will begin to look too big or masculine so the desire to look “thin” is more desirable.  Again, we use results for motivation and in the end they’ve gained muscle, lost fat and look fantastic.

Now that we know where 99% of people come from when approaching a weight loss or muscle gain program we can get started with how to achieve these goals…quickly!  Remember, it’s not who trains the hardest but the smartest.  Here’s what you need to do:

Diet: A weight (fat) loss diet is the same as a muscle gain diet and yes…you can absolutely gain muscle while losing fat.  This diet really isn’t a diet either.  Mention the word “diet” and most people automatically go to this mindset that they’ll be eating dry tasteless food for a period of 6-8 weeks.  This isn’t accurate.

Diet, weight loss programs, muscle gain programs and even eating plans for people with diabetes have really come a long way.  Now the food tastes great and even the supplements are the best they’ve ever been.  Did you ever think you’d be able to eat ice cream and lose fat?  Read on.

So the eating program isn’t that difficult.  It consists of lean proteins, lots of healthy vegetables, and complex starches.  Fat is in here too but only the healthy kind like evening primrose oil and caprylic triglycerides.

Many weight loss programs during the low carb diet boom convinced people they could eat as much fat as they wanted and still lose weight.  People did indeed lose weight, unfortunately much of it was water and muscle ultimately leading to even more weight gain.  Remember when eating lots of fat you’re just going to have to burn it up later.  Do you really want to be on the treadmill all day?

We’ve studied many weight loss and muscle gain programs.  We’ve also had clients come in seeking help after being unsuccessful on one or more programs from packaged meals to liquid diets even to the extent that some would go in for shots.  There’s one program that has worked for all of our clients over the years.  It’s safe, effective and fast.  Most important, it makes complete sense and is logical, something many programs and supplement companies have a problem with.

We began using the Parrillo eating program in 1988.  At that time we used it primarily for amateur and collegiate athletes many from The Ohio State University and surrounding colleges.  But it’s important to remember that you can easily cater the program to your lifestyle.  You don’t have to be a bodybuilder or compete on a sports team to use Parrillo, it works for everyone and at any age.  For these athletes it was very intense because they were looking to gain muscle fast while maintaining speed and other aspects of strength.  It obviously worked well for them too and that’s why many athtletes over the years have turned to Parrillo for advice and supplements.

Exercise: After diet comes exercise.  There is a wide range of exercise you can do because everyone has different goals and is at a different level.  Parrillo has always specialized in helping athletes at the highest level but those same techniques have been adjusted and are just as successful on everyday people looking to put on muscle and lose fat.  We had tremendous success with Moms looking to lose their baby weight, Dads wanting to get in shape again and even people with diabetes.

A very good start to any program would be to read the Parrillo Sports Nutrition Guide.  It can be a bit technical for some so an alternative would be to browse the Q&A section.  This will provide you with a very good idea of how the program works.

Supplements: For over 20 years we have tested every brand of supplement imaginable either directly or through a variety of case studies and focus groups.  We also owned a diabetic food company for 9 years where we had the opportunity to really test blood sugar results.  When working with people who have diabetes there is no room for error in labeling.

In all of that time, we only had one company consistently say that food came first and supplements second.  It also was the only program that worked for everyone.

Supplements do come second to a good nutrition program, but there are a few that will be a perfect start for anyone.

Protein is a big part of the diet.  It’s difficult to consume enough protein in food alone so a high quality protein powder is recommended to supplement.

We also recommend essential vitamins and minerals, which should be taken with meals throughout the day.  In the Summer it’s of particular importance to maintain your electrolyte balance.  Recently in Southern California temperatures have reached 115 degrees in some areas.  If you are dehydrated and your electrolytes are out of balance you can easily tear a muscle or get cramps.

Muscle aminos are comprised of the three major amino acids your muscles need to grow.  It’s a supplement that we’ve used consistently with our clients to great success, particularly during intense cardiovascular exercise.

If you are looking to gain muscle fast or lose fat just as fast we suggest the Parrillo program and supplements.  It is the only company we know 100% for sure that you will not only get results but also that the products are the quality advertised.  And if you’ve forgotten about the ice cream we mentioned you’d be able to eat on this program you won’t have to wait much longer.  Our sources tell us it’s coming soon.

Rancho Cucamonga weight loss muscle gain products and program pick:

Parrillo Performance

http://www.parrillo.com/

p.  (800) 344-3404