Austin. Mom. Blog. » games

Hairy Man Festival

Dianna — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 01:28:18 +0000

What a crazy name for a festival! The Hairy Man Festival is held every year in Round Rock rain or shine. I know that first hand since last year we went while it was raining. It was still fun, but I would have rather been without the rain. I’m hoping this year it’s not a muggy, rainy, and very muddy experience. The festival included performances by local schools, food booths, and a lot of games. The entry fee is two perishable items or $2 each person. The festival also includes a contest for the hairiest man. Fortunately, we never stick around for that. But hey, maybe that’s fun for some people. We can’t wait to go this Saturday, September 25th from 11 to 6. We like to go right when it opens at 11 so we aren’t fighting too many lines or crowds. My oldest son, Andrew enjoys the cake walk the most. Collin, my youngest enjoys the train ride. I hope they are both there this year. Either way, we will be there.

My Boys on the Train Ride Last Year

A Game Finding Toys in a Haystack

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

Chuck-e-Cheese vs Chuck-e-Cheese

Dianna — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:06:39 +0000

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.

Dave & Buster’s

Dianna — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:51:49 +0000

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.