Welcome to GSOFamilies!

Welcome to GSOFamilies - the all-inclusive resource for families in the Greensboro, NC area. Any information shared on our website, twitter page, Facebook page, or Facebook group may also be included on our website! Please see a full listing of our social media and community groups here: http://www.gsofamilies.com/p/gsofamilies-social-media-and-community.html
We’re glad you’re here!

Sunday, March 31, 2013

GSOFamilies Egg Hunt

Just wanted to give a quick THANK YOU to all of the families who attended the first GSOFamilies Egg Hunt!

We started with a Welcome Table, complete with sign-in sheet and a place to drop the filled eggs for the hunt, as well as the non-perishable food donations. The kids were able to play in the front yard with bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and participate in a PEEPS toss by tossing the marshmallow chicks into a bucket. During the time, the "helpers" hid the eggs in the back yard.

The kids had a few rules for the egg hunt - the eggs were all outside (not in the storage building or in the house), to help out the younger kids so that everyone could find a 12 eggs, and to search for a giant gold egg for a special prize. The final and most important rule? To have FUN!

I am so happy to say that the kids all did great. No horror stories of kids being trampled or not finding any eggs here :) We had 11 families in attendance, and about 40 people total. We collected 35 food items for donation to a local food pantry, and overall it was a great time.

If you want to see photos - check out our facebook album: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.591212960890865.1073741826.426686060676890&type=1&l=9063ebe43f

Look for more fun activities in the future!

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Choosing Local - Auto Care

We are faced with choices every day. Sometimes they are inconsequential, sometimes they are significant. I have always been a strong supporter of local businesses and encouraged others to shop local, eat local, spend local, and enjoy local activities. It is part of why I founded GSOFamilies! I want to help encourage local families to connect to our community. Greensboro offers such amazing opportunities, and I learn more about local businesses and local activities every day.

My car is almost 2 years old. I bought it from Honda, and I've always had it serviced at Honda. I don't even know why it never occurred to me to "buy local" when it came to my car maintenance. This past week, however, I took my car to Honest-1 Auto Care on Spring Garden near Aycock for an oil change.  It appealed to me because it claims to provide eco-friendly auto care.

What did I find when I arrived at Honest-1 on a Thursday morning?

  • Incredibly friendly staff. The gentleman at the counter greeted me directly, discussed with me my options, and really just made me feel like a valued customer.
  • Extremely comfortable waiting room. Leather couches, TV (and I was provided with the remote to change the channel), free coffee bar with K-cups, and a clean restroom.
  • I didn't have my kids with me, but there is a separate play area for kids. My children would have LOVED this space. It is enclosed with a half wall and a baby gate, and adjacent to the lobby. 
  • Competitive pricing.
  • They have a free shuttle service too. I did not utilize it, but it's a nice feature!
Let's be honest. I'm a woman. I have a car. I truthfully don't know much about cars, and wouldn't know how to service it myself. Walking into a car place, I am the stereotypical person that would be taken advantage of. I don't feel that way about Honest-1. They showed me the filters, explained the service options and pricing, and even told me that one of my filters didn't need to be replaced yet. That tells me that while they are obviously running a business, they are not out to do unnecessary work to make a few extra bucks. 

The best part? The owner of Honest-1 happened to come into the shop that day, and we chatted for a bit. I mentioned GSOFamilies, and that I was working on a series about local businesses. I asked if I could mention Honest-1on the website. He not only agreed, but offered a discount for GSOFamilies. How great is that?!

You can download the info from this link - it is a scanned version of the printout, so I apologize for the poor quality!


Here is the text (note: there is also a $10 gift certificate on the actual document!):


GSOFamilies 
As the owner of Honest-1 Auto Care next to UNCG in Greensboro, l am pleased to announce a new benefit for members of GSO Families. Starting immediately, a discount as outlined below is being made available to GSOFamilies members desiring high-quality, attentive automotive service, at sensible prices.  
My wife, Jennifer and I opened Honest-1 Auto Care in June of 2012, as a top-notch alternative to the typical lower class automotive repair shops that you normally encounter and we are very eager to share this new venture with you. Here are ways in which we stand apart! 
  • We are the nation's only ESA-certified Eco-friendly auto care center. 
  • We use 100% recycled oil that is biodegradable and made in the USA. 
  • We recycle everything possible including paper waste, used oil, used antĂ­freeze, used car parts, engine oil filters, and transmission fluid. in addition to our motor oil being 100% recycled, we also use 100% recycled antifreeze. Even our facility is a recycled former shop! 
Honesty and Integrity are values that we were raised to follow, and therefore are cornerstones for our new business. When you bring your vehicle in to Honest-1, you are not a number. You are truly a part of the family and will be treated as such with amenities including: 
  • Complimentary Shuttle Service plus Free Roadside Assistance 
  • Large Tiled Lobby with Leather Seating Area, Cable TV, and a Clean Modern Restroom 
  • Internet CafĂ© with Coffee Bar 
  • Large Kids' Play Area 
We are not a money-driven company. Our passion and drive come from enjoying what we do and in helping our customers  the ideal solution to their automotive needs. As a part of this, in addition to the benefits outlined above, Honest-1 Auto Care in Greensboro is proud to Start Offering a 10% Discount on labor to all GSO Families members. As well, if you desire service for your vehicle but are unable to arrange a time to bring your vehicle in, give us a call and we will work with you to arrange pickup and drop off of your vehicle by our staff.  
lt is a pleasure to be able to offer you this discount and we look forward to seeing you at Honest-1 Auto Carel  
Sincerely,
Erik R. Rhyne
Owner
Honest-1 Auto Care
1616 Spring Garden Street
Greensboro, NC 27403
www.Honest1Greensboro.com
greensboro@Honest1.com
336-373-1616

Monday, March 25, 2013

GSOFamilies is GROWING!

GSOFamilies has experienced such rapid growth, that I have had to change the gameplan (again) for our website. My goal is to make it as easy to use as possible, while still providing the function and information that I originally intended.

Please look around, and see what you think. I'd love to hear your feedback. The Best of Greensboro category is still being tweaked with, as is the Travel Blog page, but all the information is here.

I also adjusted our Community Forums to correspond with our Meetup group. In order to participate in the discussion, ask questions, and connect via the forums to other local Greensboro families, you will need to register a FREE account at Meetup, and join the Greensboro Families group (www.meetup.com/GSOFamilies). It is FREE to join, there are no membership dues! Hopefully this will allow communication and participation, as well as providing an easier way to showcase our events and calendar.

As always, thanks for your participation, contributions, and support! Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or feedback!

Becky
gsofamilies@gmail.com

Monday, March 18, 2013

Bunny Day at the Greensboro Science Center

This past Saturday (3/16/13), I took the kids to Bunny Day at the Greensboro Science Center (they changed the name from the Natural Science Center of Greensboro about two weeks ago!). This is the second year we have attended this particular event, and it was PACKED. Apparently everyone else with kids in Greensboro was there to see the bunnies too! However, the staff at the Science Center do a really good job of putting on a great event for the kids, at no additional cost other than regular admission price (or free with membership). They had face painting, bunny crafts, a large room of all different breeds of bunnies to meet and pet, faberge eggs, several games for the kids such as a ring toss, egg toss, and ball toss, and of course all of the normal fun activities at the Science Center. Definitely a great event for families in Greensboro!

 bunnyday

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Myrtle Beach overnight

I had a Groupon for a stay at Prince Resort in North Myrtle Beach. This is turning out to be a great way to travel for a reasonable amount of money! Due to work schedules, my friend and I couldn't head out of Greensboro until late Saturday afternoon, so we didn't even arrive at the hotel until after 7:00 pm. I'd review the hotel, but it wasn't great - and I don't want to get into a negative review at this point. We will not stay there again, however.

After checking into our room, we headed out for dinner. We found Duffy Street Seafood Shack and ordered a steam pot and some steamed oysters. Nothing compares to the steam pot I had in Ocean Isle a little over a year ago! Duffy St was still good though, and the oysters and crab legs were particularly delicious.

steampot

20130309_204921

When we learned the breakfast buffet at the hotel was quite pricy, we decided to had down the road and found Hot Diggity Diner where we loaded up on coffee, eggs, sausage, french toast, and more coffee. The service was good, the food was great, and it is a place we'd return in the future.

Sunday we drove down to Barefoot Landing and Broadway at the Beach, did some window shopping, and decided to pick up some fresh seafood to take home to Greensboro for dinner. We stopped at Flying Fish Market and picked up some shrimp and scallops. It looked like a great restaurant, but was not quite what I had in mind for a fish market!

In the end, the overnight to Myrtle Beach was quick and relatively uneventful. The best part was being able to watch the sunrise over the ocean from our hotel room (thanks to Daylight Savings Time taking effect!). We always make a point to eat seafood while at the beach, and this was no exception. It was a nice little getaway during the end of off-season at the beach!

sunrise

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