Austin. Mom. Blog.

We really enjoy visiting the Chuck-e-Cheese on Mopac and have been there twice in the last month. When my son and I visited on Thursday it was really enjoyable. We arrived at 9:30 a.m. and we were the first ones there. We had the whole place to ourselves for thirty minutes. I bought a 100 coins and I usually don’t have time to count or worry about if the 100 I received was correct. Usually the boys want the coins so fast they are gone within a few seconds. Since we had time Thursday morning I decided to count them. Guess what? I only counted 76. I counted it two more times to make sure. It still was 76. We will still continue visiting Chuck-e-Cheese, but from now on I will count the coins before the boys start grabbing.

What a day! I must say I love Texas and I especially love Austin. It’s crazy how we can go from 72 to 35 in two days. We are really enjoying it. The boys were so happy to see the snow and play in it. My husband and I enjoyed it as much as they did. We spent several hours making snowmen. It was a fun snow day.

Since I love to shop people usually think I’m heading to the Lakeline Mall to do that, but for the past year it’s either to visit Build-a-Bear or go to Inflatable Wonderland. We often go to Inflatable Wonderland on a Tuesday or Thursday. Their prices are half price. That makes the price $5.50. I think it’s totally worth it. Considering the boys ages I wouldn’t pay full price. I believe after a good two hours they are done. That’s what makes the half price days worth it. Inflatable Wonderland consists of several inflatables with age limits on each of them. Adults are not allowed to play on the inflatables with their children. That makes it a little hard for parents that have small children. Fortunately there is a small designated area for toddlers. They have some toys and large blocks laid out. For some reason my four year old loves the toddler section. He really isn’t allowed in this area because of his age, but likes to sneak over when he has the chance. I’m not sure exactly how many inflatables they have, but I know at the least they have eight. It definitely keeps the boys running to and from each one. They also have a snack bar with reasonable prices with a variety of snacks. It includes hot dogs, a variety of popsicles, chips, drinks, and slushes (my boys favorite). They probably offer more, but that’s all that comes to mind. One of my favorite things about Inflatable Wonderland is their washing station. I love the fact that they have several sinks, soap, and towels in an open area to get your hands clean. They even leave out step stools for the kids that can’t reach. I’m that mom that always carries hand sanitizer wherever we go. It’s nice to not have to carry it here. We always have fun here and try to go when we can.

Our family has been to the Katherine Fleischer Park several times, but we went again for a party last weekend and loved it. Out of all the parks we have been to, I personally believe it is the best park to have a party at. It was a little cold the day we went, but with my boys high energy it didn’t phase them. This park has many areas of interest. It includes soccer fields, a baseball field, a swimming pool, a volleyball court, tennis courts, a playscape area that includes a large wooden house the kids can climb up, swings, a sand area, a trail for either walking or biking, and a creek my boys love to jump over or throw rocks into. There is a lot of open space throughout the park to run your legs. It’s perfect for my energetic boys. The party we were invited to had a pavillion they rented. My friend told me she only paid twenty dollars to have it for the whole day. It included picnic tables and a large grill to barbecue on. I’m considering having my oldest son’s birthday there in April. My sons already want to visit the park again so if the weather is nice over the weekend I will take them. It’s a really nice park and I know why they want to visit again. I highly recommend Katherine Fleischer Park to anyone with or without kids.

Well, it’s only four weeks until Spring Break vacation and we still have no plans. Time is going by fast and we need to make some. Believe it or not, I actually had the nerve to call my travel agent to see if we could get on a Disney cruise during spring break. Everything, and I mean everything was booked. I guess when the time is right, we will go on the Disney cruise. We’re looking into going to Houston and purchasing the city pass. It’s a discounted pass that allows you to go to six different attractions. It’s $39 for adults and $29 for kids. The main attractions that interest me are the NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the Children’s Museum. I thought it might be fun and not so far to travel. I would also like to stay one night in Galveston since it’s so close to Houston. These are just some ideas and I will post soon what we have decided and then comment later on our experience. Wish me luck!

This morning I had the opportunity to take my youngest son Collin to Pump It Up in Round Rock, Texas. It’s a place that has inflatables. I always thought this was a place that only parties were held, but I was wrong. They have a time frame that has open play time. The time frame was 9:30 to 11:00. The cost is $6.38. That includes the tax. I think it was worth it. During the open play time they have one room that is open to use and consists of four inflatables. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but for the amount of time you are there it’s plenty. I was impressed on how clean everything was and how I was able to keep a good eye on Collin. Since this was our first time there, I’m not sure on how busy it gets, but this morning there were only four of us parents there. It was nice to not have a crowd and have the kids fighting their way through. We will definitely like to go again.

We have been out a lot, but for the past few days I have been ill. As soon as I feel better I will post as much as I can. One thing to quickly mention is that we went to the Austin Children’s Museum. My boys always enjoy it and love when we take them. On Wednesdays from 5 to 8, it is entry by donation. The only downfall is parking. Once you finally find the parking space, it’s fun from that point on. It’s a nice family place that our family really enjoys.

In the past week our family has been to two Chuck-e-Cheese locations. We went to the one located in Round Rock and the one located on North Mopac in Austin. By far, we enjoyed the one on North Mopac a lot better. We visit the Chuck-e-Cheese in Round Rock a lot more since it is closer to our home. After visiting the location on North Mopac, we will try to visit their location more. Each time we have visited Round Rock, there are broken games. On North Mopac there was not one machine broken. Also, we have to continue to get staff to check out why the tickets aren’t dispensing or why a machine took our coins. That wasn’t the case at the North Mopac location. The whole time we were at North Mopac, we saw an employee checking the machines and walking around to make sure everything was in order. Overall, we had a pleasant and fun experience at the North Mopac location a whole lot more than the Round Rock location. We won’t stop going to the Round Rock Chuck-e-Cheese, but we definitely prefer the North Mopac Chuck-e-Cheese.

Today both my boys were invited to a party at Jungle Java in Round Rock, Texas. I need to start off with saying that my sons had a great time. However, if we weren’t invited to the party, there would be no way I would take my kids there on a Saturday. It was pure craziness. I’m the kind of parent that likes to be able to see my kids while they are playing. There were certain points I couldn’t even tell who my kid was. Overcrowded would be the best word to describe the place. In my opinion, Jungle Java is a huge playscape with different obstacles to overcome. They have several slides, a zip line, a small basketball area, and different levels to go up and explore. Jungle Java also has a menu with a variety of items. It’s not your typical chips and a coke. They have items from a muffin to coffee. We have been there before this party and had a much better experience. We went when it wasn’t crowded. I would recommend going there at least once to get your feel for it. I would just try to go during the week on an unbusy day.

Austin Nature & Science Center is one of Austin’s hidden treasures. I honestly didn’t know it existed until six months ago. We were looking for something different to do and came across Austin Nature & Science Center. To get there, you really need to have directions. It’s located on Stratford Drive and if you aren’t looking for it, you might pass it by. Once we finally found the Center it was worth the confusion. First, I must say it’s totally FREE. There are several animals to see. Our boys’ favorite was the raccoon. There’s also a cute little fox. Keep in mind this isn’t a zoo, so don’t expect to see a lot of animals. The next area we went to was the Dino Pit. The boys loved it. There’s four areas with sand, shovels, and buckets that the kids can play with and uncover bones. This is where we spent the majority of our time. To clean the sand off, there’s a small stream you can get your feet wet and rinse your hands. Our boys always seem to have fun when water is involved. You might want to pack extra clothes in case they get too wet. The center also has a naturalist workshop. Their motto is “please touch.” You can touch anything from snake’s skin to fossils. The boys enjoyed looking through a microscope at different slides. On certain days you are able to bring in one of your findings and trade it for something else. When the weather is nice and not so cold we plan to visit again.

Recently we ate at Tokyo Steakhouse in Round Rock. It was not only fun, but the food was also good. I can’t say it’s out of this world delicious, but it was good and the show was excellent. We went for dinner and the prices ranged anywhere between $20 to $30 a meal. It adds up for a family of four. I honestly would recommend everyone to try it at least once. It’s a fun dining experience. First you order your food. The soup comes out first and then the salad. After you finish those courses, the chef comes out to prepare your food. You have the option to sit at the grill or sit at a table to not see a show. I believe the best part is the show. There are eight seats surrounding the grill to see the chef cook your food. After the chef cooks your food, he then serves it and tries to shoot food in each of the guests mouths. I’m not sure if every chef does that, but each time they have with us. Our chef had us entertained the whole time. Our oldest son Andrew claims this is now his favorite restaurant. Lastly, we get served ice cream. That definitely puts icing on the cake for my boys. Tokyo Steakhouse has lunch specials so we might try that next time. With it being Andrew’s favorite restaurant, I know we will be back.

Today we asked our oldest son Andrew what he wanted to do for his last day of vacation since he goes back to school tomorrow. He told us he wanted to go to Dave & Buster’s. We enjoy going there as a family, so off we went. We arrived at 12:00 and stayed until 3:00. During that time we not only played a lot of games, we also ate lunch. In my opinion, the food is pretty good. I usually order the grilled chicken quesadillas and I haven’t been disappointed yet. I enjoy eating there because if my youngest son starts to get restless I take him over to a few games before the food arrives. I used to think Dave & Buster’s was focused more for adults, but now I see a lot more famililes there. They have a ton of games for my boys to play. I believe the selection is better than Chuck-e-Cheese. I guess I say that because my boys are getting bigger and have outgrown a lot of games at Chuck-e-Cheese. The only downfall is Dave & Buster’s games are a whole lot more expensive than Chuck-e-Cheese. Dave & Buster’s games aren’t one token games. The games are fun, the prizes are cool and different, and the food is good. My son, Andrew had the right idea.

We had the opportunity to enjoy San Gabriel Park twice this week. We went once and enjoyed it so much that we went again. San Gabriel Park is located in Georgetown. I believe the best part of the park was the exploring my boys got to do. There was a huge trail with natural springs, playscapes, a place to feed the ducks, restrooms, and even vending machines. For a park I didn’t think the restrooms were in bad condition. It was clean and actually stocked with toilet paper. On a more pleasant note; the boys loved picking up acorns, going around formations of rock, and throwing rocks and sticks in the river. Time passed so quickly that we didn’t realize we stayed two hours. Our appetites made us leave. We will definitely make the trip again.

We wanted to try something different today so we went to Mel’s Lone Star Lanes in Georgetown. From friends, I heard it was a nice family bowling alley. They were right. Usually my boys have to wear socks in order to bowl, but Mel’s had shoes for them. Also, the bumpers can be put up for each bowler. Every lane was full, but fortunately we got there at the right time and a lane opened up. They had a package that was called “mom and tot” or “dad and tot” that cost $13 which included one game for two to bowl, shoe rental for two and 10 tokens to play in their arcade. Mel’s let us buy this package for both boys to bowl. I thought the price was right. The whole time I was worried my youngest wouldn’t bowl, but he did great. Both boys did. They bowled the whole game and loved it. Afterwards, the 10 tokens we received were perfect to end the outing. They played 5 games each and got some prizes to take home. Fortunately, they actually had 1 game token machines. That’s pretty rare. The only place I know that has 1 game token machines is Chuck-e-Cheese. Mel’s had food to purchase, but we ate lunch before we got there. The menu looked inviting. We will definitely drive the miles again to enjoy Mel’s. Our family had a great time.

We went to Galveston on the 20th and 21st. We stayed at the Moody Gardens hotel and loved it. We have stayed at the hotel before so we weren’t surprised on how kid friendly the hotel was. The hotel had a room set up as “Santa’s Workshop” where the kids could do multiple Christmas crafts. We got to enjoy writing a letter to Santa, making gingerbread necklaces, Christmas door hangers, cookie decorating, and playing several board games. The hotel also had a heated pool. We enjoyed the buffet breakfast in the Terrace Restaurant (which did cost) in the morning. It was a little pricey, but for a kid friendly hotel and the walking distance from the hotel to the Moody Gardens resort, it was worth it. We paid approximately $150, which included taxes. We stayed at the hotel because we were aware of the activities it offered for kids. We knew we wanted to enjoy the Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens. The lights were really nice and we had plenty walking room through the trail. We weren’t inching our way through like we were at “The Trail of Lights” in Austin last year. Last year it was too crowded for us and instead of looking at lights we were just fighting our way to get through. At the Festival of Lights there is a fee of $5.95 a person, but I believe it was worth it. They had an ice skating rink you could have paid to use, but our boys are too little for that. Also, there was plenty of concession stands you could buy hot dogs, nachos, hot chocolate, kettle corn, drinks, and even smores. We got each of our boys a smore kit and they had sticks where you could roast the marshmallows over a large fire pit. The boys really enjoyed it. The cost was $2 per kit. After the lights we had the option to enjoy the aquarium($5 a person), enjoy the 4D theatre Polar Express film ($5 a person), or go sit on Santa’s lap, but we decided to call it a night. We used to have Moody Gardens season passes a few years ago and enjoyed it back then. I would recommend Moody Gardens to any family looking for a small vacation. The weather was so nice over the weekend that we also got to enjoy the beach both days. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect small mini-vacation.

It is only a week away from Christmas and my boys keep insisting they want a puppy for Christmas. My husband came up with the idea of going to build-a-bear workshop for them to build their own puppy. I thought it was a great and cute idea. So, we headed over to Lakeline Mall today for them to pick out a puppy. They each picked out something that was not a puppy. As long as they were happy, it was fine with me. My oldest son picked out a longhorn. He put a Texas Longhorns shirt on it and named it Longy. My youngest son picked out Alvin the Chipmunk. Alvin was already dressed so we didn’t need to pick out any clothes for him. At Build-a-Bear workshop the concept behind the experience is to get your own little pet stuffed animal. First you pick out which animal you want. Next you pick out a heart to put in the animal while it’s being stuffed. I’m not sure if every employee does it the same way, but the lady who helped us told each of my sons to tap the heart on his head to make him smart, to tap the heart to his stomach to make sure he doesn’t go hungry, to close his eyes and make a wish, and finally give the heart a kiss. The heart then goes into the animal. I thought it was all so adorable. After this process you take your animal to the washing station to get it clean. There’s a scrub provided and the kids pretend to wash him or her. Then you pick out any clothes you might want. There are items that include shirts, shorts, pants, outfits, hats, shoes, and accessories. Finally you go over to a computer to name your animal and a birth certificate is printed. At the register you receive the birth certificate and it goes in a large box that holds your animal which is  supposed to represent the animal’s home. I really think the whole process is fun for the kids. We might be able to do this build-a-bear workshop once or twice a year, but not much more than that. The price can really add up. For each animal it was $22 and then we only added the one shirt. Our total ended up being $55. So, it was pricey, but for once a year I would do it again. Also, maybe, just maybe, this whole “puppy” thing might go away.

I won’t be able to say enough about amazon.com. I absolutely love this site. I was able to do almost all my Christmas shopping on amazon.com. I didn’t have to leave the house. I didn’t have to fight the crowds. I didn’t have to wait in the lines. I didn’t have to pay tax on the items I bought. I simply love the convenience of amazon.com. On this site there are numerous items for sale. I only purchase the items that are sold by amazon to get the free shipping. There are outside parties that are able to sell through amazon, but I haven’t went that route yet. I like the free shipping that you are able to get with a $25 purchase. So far the best deals have been on amazon. I always do the comparison shopping through pricegrabber.com and look to make sure I am getting the best price. So far I have. I totally recommend amazon.com for anyone who likes convenience, best prices, and the items being shipped directly to your door.

I thought it would be fun to make gingerbread items with the boys.  I picked out a house for my five year old and a train for my three year old.  The first part was pretty easy.  We just iced the sides together and let it dry.  The next part was the tricky part.  We had to decorate our creations with candy.  It was easy for my five year old to resist the candy, but not my three year old.  From every angle he was popping a candy in his mouth.  It was fun, but beware on the candy.

I got informed of an event on December 4th.  It’s a free family event. The event is called McDonald’s Lights of Love 5K.

It’s at Mueller Hangar at 5:00 p.m. The event is a 5K run, walk, or jog benefiting Ronald McDonald House. You do not have to participate in the run to enjoy the event.  First, it’s for a good cause.  Second, we won’t be cooped up inside.  Third, why not?  We will definitely be there.

December 4, at the open-air Mueller Hangar. It is a totally family friendly event.

We went to Sea World in San Antonio on Friday and had a blast.  I’m already in the Christmas spirit and going to Sea World enforced it more.  We first went to see the dolphins and fortunately it was feeding time.  We paid $5 for four fish.  It was worth it.  When feeding the dolphins you are able to pet them in the process.  The boys’ expressions were priceless.  Next we went to the show of “A Sesame Street Christmas.”  When the sesame street characters came onstage I got teary eyed.  I was overwhelmed on how much our little family was enjoying this.  The boys didn’t move once.  They were mesmerized.  Near the end, my oldest (he’s 5)  finally said he was too old for this, but he hung in there.  We then headed to a huge play area with sand and rope climbing.  My oldest did the rope climbing and my youngest played in the sand.  Fortunately both my husband and I were present so we could split up for this.  When going to theme parks,  I never venture out alone.  Next we went by alligator alley where we saw several alligators surrounding a pond.  They had a .25 cent machine to feed the fish which we took part in.   The boys were aiming for the alligators so they would move, but they had no luck.  We then went to the show “Deck the Halls with Clyde & Seamore.”  This was a show full of sea lions acting out a skit for Christmas.  Once again the boys were mesmerized and didn’t move once.  This time my oldest didn’t ask to leave.  Sea World had a 4D showing of Polar Express, but unfortunately we didn’t make it in time.  We stood in line, but the theater got full before it was our turn.  We got to see a 4D showing of Polar Express when we went to Moody Gardens in Galveston and from what I remember it was awesome.  On our way out we saw the world-famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales and the boys got to pet one.  We really had a lot of fun.  There was still so much we didn’t get to see because we were short on time so I’m hoping we will make another trip back.  If you have a chance to go to Sea World for the Christmas Celebration, I totally recommend it.