Austin. Mom. Blog. » boys

MegaMind

Dianna — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:52:34 +0000

We went to our favorite theatre (City Lights Theatre in Georgetown) to watch Megamind. My boys are still terrified to watch movies in 3D so we watched it in 2D. It’s been a few years since we had the opportunity to watch a movie in 4D or 3D. My two sons experienced 4D at SeaWorld and ever since then they associate 3D glasses with the 4D experience. The 4D experience has special effects during the movie. It consists of wind blowing, water being sprayed on you, shaking, and awesome sound effects. My boys did NOT like the 4D experience. Megamind was a good movie. It wasn’t great, but worth watching. The movie is about a villian defeating the hero and being bored afterwards. He tries to invent a new hero, but that goes terribly wrong. Megamind (the villian) ends up having to defeat the new hero to have peace restored within the city. My four year old and six year old stayed entertained the whole time. I had hoped for more comedy. I would recommend to watch Megamind, but only at matinee prices.

Alpha and Omega

Dianna — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:14:23 +0000

We haven’t been to a movie in a while so I jumped on the chance to take the boys to see “Alpha and Omega” when it got released. We went to a ”new to us” theatre in Georgetown called City Lights Theatres. We were very impressed with the theatre. It was clean, comfortable, and enjoyable. I say enjoyable because my two boys were in awe of how cool the theatre was. The entrance to the theatre was overwhelming with pictures of movie posters, a man who greeted you with a suit and top hat, and a very large selection of menu items. Unfortunately we only bought a kids movie meal that included popcorn, a drink, and a fruit snack. We ate lunch before we went. I can’t wait to go on an empty stomach to order a hamburger or fried mushrooms. The reason we chose this theatre was because it was the only one showing “Alpha and Omega” in 2D. My boys do not enjoy 3D movies since they will not keep the glasses on during the entire movie. The movie was really good. It wasn’t awesome, but it captured my two sons’ attention. The storyline consisted of two wolves who loved eachother, but couldn’t be together due to family obligations of uniting other wolf packs. I believe it was a little too mature for my 4 and 6 year old, but it was animated and they seemed to really enjoy it.

City Lights Theatre in Georgetown

Despicable Me

Dianna — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:51:27 +0000

We watched another good movie. “Despicable Me” was great. When I first saw the previews for the movie, I was not impressed. I told my husband he will be taking the boys to see it. He agreed, but when it started showing at the theatres I couldn’t resist from taking them. It was one of those rainy days where I wasn’t sure what we should do, so I took them. It was one of the best decisions I made. I loved it. The boys sat through the movie. They didn’t toss and turn in their seats and I know my oldest had to use the restroom, but he held it. The movie was entertaining from beginning to end. “Despicable Me” also had a unique storyline. It was based on a villian character turning soft after he adopted three girls. My boys’ grandma asked them what their favorite movie of the summer has been and they both replied “Despicable Me.” I would definitely recommend the movie to anyone and everyone.

Hoppin Hippo in Hutto, Texas

Dianna — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:14:04 +0000

Wow! I am sorry it has been so… long since I have posted anything. I thought I would start off with Hoppin Hippo since it was a fun and clean place to visit. I was really impressed with the whole facility. The first thing to keep in mind is that both parent and child must have socks. I was not aware of that when I went. Hoppin Hippo has socks you are able to purchase for $2.oo. The whole wearing socks thing is a great idea. It sounds a little harsh, but I think it might prevent people from getting any fungus or nasty disease. Overall the facility was clean and inviting for kids to play. When my boys first walked in they immediately went to the wooden clubhouse, climbed the stairs, and put on a costume. There were buckets full of costumes the children were able to play with. After running freely like they were the actual character both boys went into an inflatable giraffe. It was the kind of inflatable that you enter through one side, crawl through, and then end up on the other end. The giraffe was their favorite. Next they jumped on a bouncy house and went down the slide attached. Hoppin Hippo also had a large playscape with a ball pit, another inflatable next to it, and a small plastic playscape in the middle of the facility. I’m hoping the pictures I post will give it more justice. Hoppin Hippo’s website states that it’s recommended for ages 0-7. I believe that’s the perfect age group for this place. A child over 7 would probably think it would be too kiddie. Since my two sons are 4 and 6, it was perfect. We’re trying to make some time to visit again, but our summer keeps getting shorter. We will definitely try one day.

The Clubhouse

The Inflatable Giraffe

Large Playscape

Bouncy House with Slide

San Antonio Zoo

Dianna — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 04:04:11 +0000

Zoos are definitely busy in the summer. I haven’t found one day out of the week to go when they aren’t busy. We visited the San Antonio Zoo on a Thursday. We arrived at 11:00 and the first parking lot was full so we had to park in a second lot. The walk was quite far, but we were about to take a long walk through the zoo, so we didn’t mind. Fortunately the parking is free. The zoo included animals like bears, elephants, tigers, giraffes, monkeys, and the newest exhibit included hippos. The zoo had a really cool kids section. Inside an air conditioned building there was a set-up of fishing poles with magnets to pick up fish. It also included a little playhouse for pretend play and small tunnels like caves the kids could go through. Not too far from the designated children’s area is a petting zoo. The boys got to feed and brush several goats. Any interaction with animals are fun for our boys. It took us three hours to walk the zoo. We were heading to the car, but Collin (my 4 year old) saw some train tracks. We couldn’t pass up the chance to let Collin ride the train. It’s going on two years that he loves trains. Andrew (my 6 year old) at first passed on riding with us, but decided to go at the last minute. It was $3.00 for adults and $2.50 for children. It was worth the money. The train ride was actually pretty long and enjoyable. There were several areas surrounding the zoo we had never seen before. So, the train ride concluded our trip and we all had a great time. When I asked the boys what they liked best Andrew said the hippo at the zoo and Collin said the train ride. Typical!

Andrew in front of Giraffe Exhibit

Boys Pretend to Fish

Petting Zoo

Riding the Train

Interstate Lanes in Round Rock

Dianna — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:02:39 +0000

I’m not sure how we got the information about “free bowling,” but today we tried it out. Interstate Lanes in Round Rock is offering a free game of bowling for kids ranging from pre-k to 12th grade. The kids get one free game each day from May 15, 2010 until August 31,2010. The shoe rental is not included. The fee is $1.50. This offer was totally worth the drive for us since our two boys only last one game. On Interstate Lanes’ website there is a summer fun card that must be printed out to bring for the free game. We had no problem using the print out copy of the card. Mondays are discount days so this might be a routine on Mondays for the summer. We all had a delightful time and look forward to going again.

The KidFish Experience

Dianna — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:41:26 +0000

Saturday morning I woke up the boys early so we could be at Lake Pflugerville by nine. I wanted to be there when it first started because I didn’t know what to expect. When we arrived it wasn’t too crowded. We turned in our registration form and then proceeded to get poles and bait. KidFish provided both. The bait was chicken liver. We weren’t allowed to start fishing until nine. The objective was to catch a fish, bring it to their measuring station and then hope your fish would be the biggest one at 12. We stayed for almost two hours and didn’t get one nibble. Unfortunately noboby did either. I’m not sure how the rest of the day played out, but Andrew had a blast. He wanted to stay until 12, but Collin got restless after two hours. I am very pleased Collin lasted that long. We all had a great time and will definitely go again the next opportunity we get.

Free Family Summer Movies

Dianna — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:07:03 +0000

Last year I was informed of free family movies during the summer. Fortunately, Regal Entertainment Group is providing the same this summer. On specific dates Lakeline Cinemas, Westgate 11, and Arbor @ Great Hills are offering families to attend free movies at 10 a.m. It’s a great way to fill in the calendar with things to do. The movies are not new releases, but it’s a great way to try out the theater experience with the kids. That was my thought last year. I wanted to see if my boys would sit still through a movie. Collin (which was 3 at the time) had a hard time. I had to bring reinforcements. I brought a lollipop. We only went once last summer, but plan to try out more this year. So, if you’re like me and want to get out of the Texas heat every once in awhile, this whole “free movie” is worth it.

Shrek Forever After

Dianna — Sun, 30 May 2010 19:41:58 +0000

Thursday afternoon the boys and I went to see “Shrek Forever After.” I was hoping the last movie would be as good as the first. I was wrong. Andrew, which is six, sat through the whole movie. Collin, which is four, did not. The movie did not hold Collin’s attention. It was an o.k. movie, but not a great one. With tickets and movie meals, it ended up costing $35.00 total. I wish we would have waited to see it at the discount cinema. I’m hoping Toy Story 3 doesn’t disappoint me. I’m really looking forward to taking the boys to see that. In all fairness, Andrew and Collin liked Shrek Forever After, but we all didn’t love it.

Deutschen Pfest

Dianna — Wed, 19 May 2010 02:20:02 +0000

On Saturday we went to the Deutschen Pfest in Pflugerville Texas. The boys and I had a great time. The only reason we left after a few hours is because I ran out of cash. I will keep in mind to bring more next year. We started Saturday morning by joining the Children’s Parade on Main Street in Pflugerville. We only walked four blocks with other children, but it was totally worth it. The boys thought it was pretty cool to be waving to onlookers. I pulled them in our red wagon and we all wore our t-ball Dodgers shirts. I wasn’t aware that the kids get ribbons. Every participant got a green ribbon. They also judged the parade and to my surprise we placed second and also got a ribbon for that. Way cool! After the Children’s Parade we stayed on the side of the road and watched the Main Parade come through. The boys got tons of candy and even received a popsicle. The popsicle was a huge hit since it was hot and humid. We headed to the festival afterwards. I thought it would be a good idea to check out the booths for something to eat so we ate in the festival. The boys ate hot dogs. Each one was two dollars and they were so overwhelmed with everything around them, they only ate half of it. So, for next year I will try to feed them lunch before we go into the festival. We went directly to the children’s activities after lunch. There were inflatables (free), a petting zoo that cost $2.00 for ten minutes per person, a train ride that cost $3.00, horses to ride for $3.00, face painting (free), and a clown making balloons (free). My boys still had the same interests as last year. Andrew’s favorite was the petting zoo and Collin’s favorite was the train ride. Since I only had a few dollars after all the activities, I allowed for each boy to pick one game to play. They both chose the paintball game. For five paintball shots it cost $1.00 and then they got to choose a prize. There was still so much we could have done, but my cash flow ran out. There were plenty of food booths that had ice cream, funnel cakes, kettle corn, cotton candy, fajitas, hamburgers, barbecue, and so much more. A funnel cake kept crossing my mind. The Deutschen Pfest also had carnival rides and games. I didn’t even walk that way with the boys since the cash was out. I definitely know for next year to bring a lot more cash and to make sure my husband is off of work to enjoy the festival with us. We had such an entertaining time and can’t wait to go back next year.

Andrew Holding a Rabbit at the Petting Zoo

Collin on the Train Ride

Deutschen Pfest in Pflugerville

Dianna — Fri, 14 May 2010 19:11:57 +0000

There’s an annual festival in Pflugerville called the Deutschen Pfest this weekend. We plan to go if the weather permits. We went last year and the boys had a lot of fun. My youngest son Collin loved the train ride and Andrew (my oldest) liked the face painting the most. The petting zoo (which I hope they’re having) is always a big hit. For the first time we will participate in the Children’s Parade. We will walk with other families on Main Street in our wagon. I’m really hoping the weather will clear out overnight. Rain or shine, the festival will still go on. I’m just not sure if I want to take the boys in rain. We will just have to wait and see how this Texas weather pans out.

Mother’s Day

Dianna — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:12:47 +0000

I’m hoping every mom had a great Mother’s Day. I certainly did. My two sons covered me with cards, hugs, and kisses throughout the whole day. With the boys getting older they have a better understanding of what holidays are about and it is truly special to see it through their eyes. We relaxed for the first part of the day, but from 2 to 4 my oldest son (Andrew) and I got to enjoy a Mother’s Day Workshop at Young Chef’s Academy in Round Rock. My youngest son Collin is very active and I didn’t foresee him sitting through a two hour class. Once the workshop was over my predictions were absolutely true. Fortunately Collin had a great time with his uncle and aunt while Andrew and I cooked sweet potato bread, truffles, and strawberries dipped in white chocolate. Young Chef’s Academy went out of their way to make us moms feel special. When we first arrived they made each mom a large construction paper hat with a flower to attach. Afterwards we went into their cooking class rooms and made delicious sweets. Not only was it fun, but we got to eat everything we made. To my surprise the academy had a small plant pot to decorate for our dipped strawberries. It was a unique keepsake. I’m hoping to do the workshop again next year with the whole family. After the workshop we celebrated with my mom’s family and we always have a great time with them, so the day ended in pure bliss. I’m truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and treasure being a mom.

How to Train Your Dragon

Dianna — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 01:53:10 +0000

With the boys both in t-ball we haven’t had the chance to run around town. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to watch “How to Train Your Dragon” on Saturday. For the first time I tackled taking both boys to the movies by myself. Before the show we had a long talk on how we have to stay seated and whisper. I stressed that mommy was by herself and if we have a great outcome, we could do it again in the future. The boys did great. It helped that the movie was very entertaining with a lot of action. I believe with Collin being four it was a little too much violence, but he handled it well. During the movie he sat on my lap the whole time and I explained the scenes. After the movie they were very thankful for me taking them and of course that made my day. They wanted to see the movie again. Luckily, we had dragon McDonald toys in the car they could play with. I would definitely recommend “How to Train Your Dragon” to everyone (even if you don’t have kids).

Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas

Dianna — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:11:46 +0000

Our family loves Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. We have been there a total of four times now. Our last visit was this past Thursday and Friday before Easter. The lodge was 75% full. We have been when it’s 100% full and 20% full. We absolutely loved it when it only was 20% full, but even when it’s full capacity the lodge can handle it. We don’t have to wait two hours to ride something. It’s the perfect vacation for our two boys. Andrew is five and Collin is four. Great Wolf Lodge’s main attraction is an indoor waterpark with tube rides, waterslides, a wave pool, and a huge treehouse with water overflowing each way you look. Since I’m a huge water fan myself, I also love it. There are several places you can dine at when you visit. They include Pizza Hut Express, Bear Paw Sweets and Eats (where we enjoyed ice cream), Starbucks, and Loose Moose Cottage (a restaurant). Inside the waterpark is a snack bar where you can buy small pizzas, hamburgers, fries, and miscellaneous snacks. We purchased a hot dog, a chicken burger, and fries. It was actually pretty good. The prices were typical. A hot dog cost us three dollars, the chicken burger was six dollars, and the fries were two dollars. I believe Six Flags prices are much higher. The lodge has so many activities for kids including a cub club with painting, coloring, or decorating items. Some items may have to be purchased. There’s also an arcade, a kids’ spa, and a game called MagiQuest where you have a wand and go through the hotel to conquer challenges. The game can last hours so this last time we didn’t purchase the game, but we will next time. Our boys were disappointed, but since we only stayed one night, time wasn’t in our favor. Our next visit we will stay two nights. When you visit Great Wolf Lodge, you are able to start enjoying the park as early as one o’clock and can stay until it closes the next day at nine. You have to check out of your room by eleven, but can still stay to enjoy the lodge. We always take advantage of staying. We all were truly exhausted after visiting Great Wolf, but we can’t wait to go back. It is truly a kid friendly, family friendly hotel.

Andrew and Collin Loving Great Wolf Lodge

Indoor Waterpark

Nana’s Treat House in Pflugerville

Dianna — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:42:35 +0000

Our family has been to Nana’s Treat House in Pflugerville twice now. With it being 70 to 80 degrees outside, we are trying to do as much as possible outdoors. Nana’s Treat House has picnic tables outside where you can enjoy your dessert. We always sit outside so the boys won’t make a mess in the car. The facility is shaped like a giant cupcake. From the road 1825, it’s hard to miss. They sell ice cream, floats, italian ice, and cupcakes. We have tried the italian ice and strawberry shortcake cupcakes. All of it has been declicious. We always purchase the small cup of italian ice because it is plenty. Our boys never finish it, but insist on having their own cup. Honestly, one cup could be shared between two people. We look forward to going back, but there’s a such thing as too many sweets. We’ll take it slow.

Spring Break Continues

Dianna — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:06:35 +0000

I am finally getting the chance to finish our spring break vacation details. The last time I wrote, we had finished up with the zoo. We still had a lot of time on our hands for the rest of the day, so we decided to go to Six Flags. Our plan was to go the next day, but we decided to go both days. We arrived at 5:30. It was perfect. There were not any lines for the season pass processing center or hardly any lines for the kids’ rides. We left at 8:30 since we were going to come back the next day. We didn’t want to drag it out too long and have the kids exhausted. Wednesday arrives and we head out to Six Flags again. The time is 11:30 a.m. and we are in stop and go traffic to proceed through the gates of Six Flags. It took us one hour to go through the gates and park our vehicle. During the wait, my husband decided to go in and check out how long the lines were for the rides. It was ridiculous. The rides we rode the day before would now take us an hour to get on. It just wasn’t worth it. We decided not to park and head home. Luckily, we have season passes and could easily come again another time. I am happy we went the night before and got to enjoy the park for a little while. I’m not sure why it wasn’t busy that night, but I honestly believe we will not attempt to go to any theme parks another spring break. The boys were pretty disappointed we didn’t go, so we decided to visit Cameron Park Zoo in Waco. By far, this is our favorite zoo. It’s the perfect size for Andrew and Collin. Andrew is five and Collin is four. It’s not so big where it’s overwhelming. The zoo has a new area that is called Asian Forest. It includes orangutans, tigers, and komodo dragons. It included a play area for the children to climb on or hang from ropes like an orangutan. We have been to the Cameron Park Zoo before, but the Asian Forest hadn’t been opened yet. We finished touring the zoo in two hours and finally headed for home. I love being on vacation, but there’s no place like home.

Cameron Park Zoo

Creative Playscape in Georgetown, Texas

Dianna — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:42:57 +0000

Way cool! Those are the words that come to my mind when I start to explain where we went on Sunday. My friend and I brought our kids to San Gabriel Park in Georgetown and planned on staying, but she remembered years ago there was a play area she brought her family to. She couldn’t quite remember where it was so she called someone for directions. It actually was only five minutes from where we were. It was called Creative Playscape. It is a huge wooden playscape with swings, slides, a sand area, and so much more. In our group there were eight kids. They had the best time playing hide and seek. There were so many places you could hide throughout the playscape. We didn’t have time to explore the other areas around the playcape, but there were soccer fields, hike and bike trails, and a skate park. This playscape is number 1 on my list to take the boys to. It’s a drive, but totally worth it. I forgot to mention it’s on the same street as our favorite bowling alley, Mel’s Lone Star Lanes. I’m looking forward to planning a day of bowling and taking the boys back to the playscape. I know this sounds cheesy, but I get joy out of seeing my boys happy and I try my best to do so. I’m sure that’s not always the case, but I’m trying.

Fun Snow Day

Dianna — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:38:47 +0000

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.

Inflatable Wonderland in Lakeline Mall

Dianna — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:51:46 +0000

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.

Katherine Fleischer Park (In Wells Branch)

Dianna — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:49:42 +0000

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.