No Rest for the Weird: Spring Music Madness Continues in the ATX

Posted on March 20, 2012 by

Somehow you’ve managed to survive both Spring Break and SXSW – and all you really want to do now is take a nap. But your little locals are still jonesing for some lively entertainment, and they’re counting on you to find it for them. Luckily we dwell in Austin, Texas, where live music and family fun are NOT mutually exclusive. Here are a few kid-friendly options to keep the good times rocking and rolling this weekend.

  • Honk!TX: Keep the SouthBy vibe alive with a very different kind of festival winding its way through the streets of Austin. This weekend a collection of twenty marching bands from varied genres, cultures, ages and walks of life will celebrate art and activism, with acoustic shows in everyday locations like the Volstead Lounge, Trudy’s TexasStar and Republic Square Park. This is bright, colorful, grassroots entertainment with something important to say; it’s a great chance to introduce your kids to community involvement and have some fun, too. Events will take place Friday through Sunday, with performances popping up all over town.
  • Brazilian Frevo Music Parade: Speaking of street parties, Texas Performing Arts will wrap up its own celebration this Saturday with a parade of international dancers and musicians departing Bass Concert Hall at noon. This is the culmination of three days’ worth of free events coordinated to introduce Brazilian big band Spoke Frevo Orquestra to its first American audiences. After the parade, catch the band on stage for an 8 p.m. performance at Bass; ticket prices range from $10 to $26 a seat. (For more about the other Brazilian Frevo events taking place this week, check out this post at Free Fun in Austin.)
  • Music in the Parks: If protest parades and Brazilian big bands aren’t really your thing, try something a little more local with this weekend’s edition of Music in the Parks. It’s a monthly, family-friendly afternoon hosted by the City of Austin, with musical genres ranging from folk to funk and everything in between. This weekend’s featured performers are the Derailers, Ruby Jane and PeeWee Moore; the show runs from 1 to 5 on Saturday at the Given Recreation Center on 12th. Bring a blanket and some snacks, and post up for some terrific local entertainment the whole family will dig.

So, there you have it. It’s spring in Austin, y’all. Get out there with the kiddos and make some live music magic!

Posted in Festivals, Music, Outdoors, Special Events | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Peter Pan Mini-Golf

Posted on March 19, 2012 by

Let me just start out by saying: Miniature golf is awesome.

If you’re five.

Or possibly 25, and drunk.

When you’re pushing 40, hate crowds, came clothed for cooler weather AND have a truly terrible short game — miniature golf kind of sucks.

However. If you MUST get out for a local game of putt-putt, Peter Pan Mini-Golf is the place to go. An Austin institution, the giant statue of the Lost Boy from Neverland has been staring down passersby from its elevated position on the corner of Barton Springs and Lamar since the early 1900s or something.*

(Honestly, it really doesn’t look much like Peter, does it? It kind of reminds me of my high school BFF’s creepy older cousin Ben, but with a slight underbite and some kind of palsy. Somehow, though, that discrepancy just adds to its charm. This IS the ATX, after all.)

I remember attending birthday parties and play dates at Peter Pan when I was a kid, and it seemed like the natural order of things to bring my son here to enjoy it, too. So, on a sunny January afternoon, Partner-in-Crime Jen and I took the kids for a rousing round of putt putt.

First surprise suckage: CASH ONLY. If I’d done my homework before showing up, or if I wasn’t one of those assholes who just never have cash in general, this would have been a non-issue. But I didn’t, and I am, so it was. Luckily, my ever-responsible Partner-in-Crime came prepared and footed the bill, ignoring my wimpy promises to pay her back at some vague future date. And it should be noted that the prices were very reasonable. 6 bucks for an 18-hole round ($4 for kids 5 and under) is totally do-able, even for the Eternally Broke like me.

Surprise suckage #2: It was BEYOND crowded. Granted, we went late on a Saturday afternoon — prime time for birthday parties and family outings, and on a beautiful day, no less. We were practically BEGGING to wait in long lines. I can’t hold it against Peter Pan that it’s so popular everyone wants to go there on a sunny day. But still, the long waits were a downer, especially when we found ourselves stuck behind a gaggle of pre-teen girls who were cute but <pot-kettle> hopelessly inept at putt-putt </end pot-kettle>. There was a LOT of standing around, waiting. Not really a high-energy kind of sport, this one.

Waiting. Patiently. Sort of.

Third surprise of suckitude: It was hot. Too hot. The park is elevated from the street (which technically makes it closer to the sun, you know) and the courses proper offer no real shade. Even though it was the middle of January and a fairly cool Austin day (high 60s/low 70s) – boy, was that sun beating down on us. Of course, it didn’t help that I’d planned for more shady happenings, so I was in jeans and a sweater. (SWEAT being the operative part of that word.)

Surprise Number 4: I totally suck at putt-putt. I mean, like, REALLY REALLY A LOT. I couldn’t have made a hole-in-one if my ball had been a pit bull and that hole had been filled with bacon. Even the shitty pre-teens were laughing at me. And as much as I wish I didn’t care, the competitive jackass inside me wanted blood. So, okay, I *might* have cheated. A *little* bit. Maybe. I’m not admitting anything.

The four-year-old, playing better golf than me without cheating at all.
(You cannot see my ball here. Because I probably sliced it to another hole or something.)
(Slicing is a golf term, right? Isn’t that a thing?)

Huh. Upon review, I’m realizing that all of my complaints stem from my own personal failings as a human. Huh.

Well, anyway. Here’s the good stuff:

1. Both courses are really bright and diverse, with everything from creepy bunnies to dead animal skulls to castles and T-Rexes and turtles. You can see that a real sense of artistry went into all of this, and the bizarrity of it all fits beautifully into the wonderful weirdness of Austin.

Our children, climbing on a pretend dead animal skull. Only in Texas.

2. The one benefit of long waits is the people watching, and Peter Pan does not disappoint. FABULOUS people watching. A great diversity of people frequent this place – putt putt seems to be a universally beloved sport (which, ??)– so there’s a LOT to see, from all walks of life. This carries a lot of weight with me.

3. I know this is a popular spot for the under-25 late-night-boozing crowd and I get it, I totally get it. I’m actually a little shocked I never found myself on a bender here, back in the olden golden days before I became somebody’s mom and In-Bed-By-10 Syndrome kicked in. Somehow, I missed this gem of an experience, but if you’re a college kid looking for some new, ridiculous way to be drunk and stupid, Peter Pan fits the bill nicely. Translation for In-Bed-By-10 Moms Like Me: Keep the kiddos away after dusk, unless you want to be trampled by drunk and stupid twenty-somethings. Not that you’re out then, anyway.

Most importantly, the kids had a great time. Granted, they were a bit hot and bothered and did get annoyed by the long wait occasionally — but Jen and I are blessed with incredibly sweet, smart kids** and the bright colors and climb-upness of all the newly renovated obstacles kept them (mostly) entertained between putts.

Plus, a quick stop for fro-yo afterwards was a nice send-off for all of us.

So go forth and putt-putt, y’all. Just be sure to bring cash and dress for the weather. Second star to the right, and straight on till morning.

Beej

* Date estimated.

** Biased statement, yes, but fuck it.

Posted in Birthday Parties, Miniature Golf, Outdoors | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

I’ve Been Trapped in an Awesome 80s Movie. Okay, Not Really.

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

Hey. Hi. Remember me?

No.

Well, I guess that’s fair enough.

Where the hell have you been?

I’ve been super busy. I had to go all the way to Cartagena, Columbia, to rescue my sister after she was kidnapped by Danny DeVito and some skinny guy with a bad rug. It was crazy! And while I was there I met this dashing rogue and he was kind of mean but then we smoked pot in a crashed plane in the jungle and he was nicer after that so we made out. And then this other guy got his hand bitten off by an alligator… it was all really weird. But in the end I saved my sister and wrote a best-selling romance novel about the whole experience, so, you know. It all worked out.

That’s actually the plot to Romancing the Stone.

It is? Oh, it IS! Gosh, sorry, I guess I just got confused! I watched it the other night and you know, my mind’s been so MUDDLED ever since I started posing as a boy in high school because my pervy journalism teacher wouldn’t stop staring at my boobs and refused to give me that writing internship I wanted. (Being hot is so annoying!) Finally I just got sick of it, strapped my boobs down, cut my hair and enrolled at a different school dressed like a gay guy because (obviously) that was the only way anyone was ever going to take me seriously. And while I was there I gave this weird nerd a makeover and after I slicked his hair back I was all, “Hey, you’re cute!” so I showed him my boobs and he was all, “Hey! You have boobs! I love you!” so I dumped my really extra shiny boyfriend and told everyone else I had boobs, too, and they gave me that big writing internship after all.

That’s Just One of the Guys. Why are you still lying?

I’m sorry! I can’t help it! It’s just that the truth is so EMBARRASSING! See, I fell off a yacht (so clumsy!) and lost my memory, and when I woke up this sweaty handyman guy (with a righteous mullet) took me back to his gross house and made me cook and clean and take care of his mean, dirty kids, which I did (but I was a real bitch about it, because- RUDE!). Funny thing though, the kids actually turned out to be kind of sweet. And I DO love a nice mullet, so in the end I decided to stay. But, still. I didn’t think anyone would understand.

What I don’t understand is why you keep trying to pass off 80s movie plot lines as your own life in a sad attempt to justify not writing on this blog for like a year. That’s weird. You suck.

You’re right. I DO suck. The real truth is, I just got frustrated and tired and then I kind of lost my job and started freelancing and I was so busy either working or freaking out about NOT working that I just couldn’t get my head around ANYTHING, really. And then it was summer and really hot. Like, too hot to write. And then it was fall but STILL too hot to write. And then it was T-ball season and I swear we had a game every other day…

The slugger

…and then it was Halloween and I had to dodge vampire kisses…

WAY better than Edward Cullen

…and then the Thanksgiving pilgrims arrived…

Just like in ye olden days

…and before I could say “Holy balls, we’re broke!” it was time for Christmas shopping…

Clearly just as thrilled as I was about the shopping thing

…and then Jen made a Christmas cookie shaped like a penis…

She said it was supposed to be a candle. Really, Jen?

…and then Santa came (har. harhar)…

For the record, we did NOT leave the penis cookie for Santa.

…and also, this happened –

Pretty much my favorite picture ever taken

So I was just exhausted and, okay, maybe a little lazy. But you understand, right?

Okay, okay. I get it. But, still. You could have checked in every now and then.

I was going to, I really was, but then my hot boyfriend’s dance partner got pregnant, and I had to borrow money from my dad to pay for an abortion, and between that and all our practices for the big performance at the Sheldrake, I just never could find the time.

You’re doing it again.

Shit. Sorry.

So, are you back now, or what?

Yes! I’m totally back. I’ll have posts soon about awesome stuff Sam and I have done with some of our partners in crime — stuff like a weekend trip to Houston and a day spent at Peter Pan Mini Golf and another day doing the Duck Tour and lots more. And I’ve got a new things planned, too, like a riverboat cruise and some strawbry’ pickin’ and some baarr-bee-kyew and maybe a zip line or two. So stay tuned.

In the meantime, check out these awesome links to other sites… just a few great ideas for the upcoming SXSW craziness and other fun stuff around town.

SXSW for kids! The Top 5 kid-friendly things to do (from CultureMap)

Open the Chutes Day at Rodeo Austin (from Free Fun in Austin)

View Dr. Seuss’ original drawings of the Lorax at the LBJ Museum

See you soon!

Not if I see you first.

Um, okay. Bye.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

What CAN’T You Do in Austin This Weekend?

Posted on March 16, 2011 by

My friend Jen and I are headed down to Houston this weekend – taking the kids for visits to NASA, the Houston Aquarium, and a bunch of museums – but while we’re gone it looks like we’ll miss tons of stuff that’s going on around Austin.  Here are just a few ideas, if you’re looking…

(1)   Thomas Carnival – I’ve mentioned this earlier but the carnival is at Dell Diamond from now through March 20, at which point it will move south to Toney Burger Center. If you’re not really into the bull-riding-and-whatnot aspects of the rodeo but you’re still considering taking the kids to enjoy the carny rids and games, I’d recommend checking out the Thomas thing instead.  There’s no ugly $7 entrance fee and there should be plenty of free parking – a far cry from the 10-dollars-to-park-100-miles-from-the-fairgrounds slap in the face we found at the Star of Texas Rip-Off Rodeo.

(2)   SXSW Auditorium Shores Stage Concert Series – One quick glance at all the long, messy hair and torn jeans on Congress Avenue today and you’ll know – the music portion of SXSW has now begun.  Luckily, it’s not all about the badge – to honor those of us locals WITH kids and WITHOUT the almighty lanyard, the good folks at SXSW are putting on a free, family-friendly show at Auditorium Shores all day Saturday.  Gates open at 11 and MetroRail is running that day, too, so transport down there should be fairly easy (if a *little* crowded). If I was going to be in town, Sam and I would totally be doing this.

(3)  Texas Electric Flight Festival — I would never in a million years have looked this one up but a friend of mine told me about it and I’ve gotta admit, it sounds like fun.  I’m pretty sure I’d have a horrible crick in my neck the next day, but both Jason and Sam LOVE airplanes – any kind of radio-controlled “man stuff,” really — so they would probably have a blast. “Open flying” starts at Lester Field on Friday at 10, Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 9 – and admission is free. Maybe a fun thing to check out if you’re looking for something a little off the beaten (air)path.

Have fun, y’all!  See you on the flip side!

Posted in Carnivals, Music, Outdoors, Special Events, Transportation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo

Posted on March 14, 2011 by

Yesterday I went to the Four Seasons for a brunch held by the super awesome folks at PBSKids (more on this later in the week) and got smacked in the face by the SXSW crowds. Once I was able to get out of downtown (which, believe me, was no small feat), I went home, picked up my boys, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo.

It was kind of like spending the morning on one planet, hopping a spaceship flight and spending the rest of the day on a completely different rock. I started my day on Planet Skinny Jeans, and ended it on Planet Wrangler.

SXSW is about technology. And celebrity. And being hip.

The rodeo? Totally not about any of that stuff.

The rodeo’s all about cowboys.

And meat.

And I don’t actually know what these things are, but it’s about these things.

It’s also a GIANT rip-off.  The big butt-screw started before we ever even got into the park – ten dollars for decidedly NON-rock star parking.

view from our car

Once you finally make it to the gates, it’s another $7 per adult ($4 for kids 3-12) to get into the fairgrounds. A grand total of $18 for the three of us to get into the park so we could spend a whole lot more on overpriced food and carny rides. Before we ever even walked in, we were nearly 30 bucks lighter. And our feet were already sore.

They make you pay for everything with tokens. Probably hoping those shiny gold coins will distract you from the fact that you’re handing someone nine dollars for a piece of pizza on a stick.

The only part of the fairgrounds that didn’t seem to cost the price of a small child was Kidstown — but that section was so smelly and depressing (with all those poor, miserable petting zoo animals and tired ponies) that I would have gladly paid someone to make it all just go away.

However.

Here are the pluses.

My boy LOVES a carnival.

The rides were fun and the kids had a blast.

And the people watching?  Well, that just doesn’t get any better anywhere else than the rodeo, folks. And that’s the god’s honest truth. Some of the people we saw were worth the price of admission alone.

Two children with glorious mullets

Could we have gone to a regular old carny – the Thomas carnival that just happens to be going on over at the Dell Diamond right now, perhaps – for less money, better parking, and similar entertainment?  Well, sure we could.

But we would have missed this:

Her pink t-shirt says, in huge white letters, “FUCK Y’ALL I’M FROM TEXAS.”
Yes, that’s her baby in the stroller.

And that would have just been unacceptable.

Posted in Carnivals, Outdoors, Special Events | Tagged | 5 Comments

Zilker Kite Festival

Posted on March 7, 2011 by

So, listen. I grew up in Austin and I’ve always loved it because it’s my hometown. But the truth is, I haven’t always LIKED it very much.

When I was a teenager it was okay but I didn’t really distinguish it from other places because Austin was all I knew. A tiny bit of wanderlust left me feeling trapped and unable to appreciate anything that was truly great about the city.

Later, after living in San Diego for a while and coming back home, the boiling hot summers, traffic and utter lack of Pacific Ocean made Austin seem harsh and oppressive by comparison. Jason moved here in the mid 90s and we had a few good years enjoying the social scene… but that grew stale after a while and eventually we started seriously exploring other places to spend the rest of our lives.  The time and the money were just never there, though, so we stayed. Reluctantly. Always with a plan to get out as soon as we could.

And then we had Sam.

Becoming a mom changes everything – anyone who’s done it will tell you that. I’ve changed in a million different ways since Sam came into my life – a million different ways.  But one of my favorite things about this mom gig is the fresh perspective it’s given me — particularly when it comes to my surroundings. Particularly when it comes to Austin. It’s not just MY hometown anymore – now it’s Sam’s, too. And seeing it with that new set of eyes has made me realize just low lucky we’ve both got it.

The reason I started this blog was to share this new perspective with you – to maybe remind you, if you live here, how lucky we all are to call this place home. It doesn’t matter who you are, what age, race, religion, sexual preference or walk of life – there’s ALWAYS something to do in Austin.  Live music. Festivals. Parks. Lakes. Shows. Dining. FUN. All you have to do is find it.

It’s not perfect – no place is. I still want to hide in my air-conditioned house for most of the summer and the traffic still drives me nuts. But for me, the balance on the scale has tipped and the good far, FAR outweighs the bad. I hope it does for you, too.

I was planning to write a big review of the Zilker Park Kite Festival, which we go to every year and had a wonderful time at this weekend – but honestly, I think the pictures speak for themselves. Scroll down a bit and see the day we had – and then tell me Austin’s not worth it.

The pure joy of laying on a blanket in the middle of Zilker Park, on a beautiful day, and looking up to see your son’s face with a huge smile, surrounded by THOUSANDS of kites in the air – well, for me, that’s Austin.

Take it from someone who knows. If you live in this city but don’t love it, you’re totally doing it wrong.

Love,

Beej

Posted in Festivals, Outdoors | Tagged | 3 Comments

Weekend Days and Deals

Posted on March 4, 2011 by

I’ve already talked about the Zilker Kite Festival coming up this Sunday (weather permitting) but there are a few other things worth mentioning before the weekend’s officially upon us:

(1) Texas Independence Day parade:

This isn’t a huge parade, but lemme tell ya –my boy LOVES a parade. It could be two weird dudes marching down the street with cymbals and batons, and Sam would still be all,

Freddie's Place - playscape

“HEY!!! IS THAT A PARADE??!! DAD’S SHOULDERS. STAT!”

It kicks off on Congress Avenue at 9:30 Saturday morning and will probably run an hour or so… pick a fun spot for an early lunch afterward (we’ll probably head over to Freddie’s Place, where we can bring Napoleon and let Sam run around while we hang out) and voila! Fantastic Saturday? Done, and DONE.

(2) Also, Saturday is UT’s annual on-campus open house, called ExploreUT. Obviously this is more geared toward older kids considering college, but there’ll also be a set-up for the little ones called the Children’s International Festival. Taken from their list of special attractions:

The Children’s International Festival will be at the heart of the Explore UT Cultural Crossroads on the South Mall. Visitors to the festival will have the opportunity to experience the cultures of South Asia, Russia, Mexico, South America and the Middle East.

Go back in time and craft a medieval shield or crown, delve into Russian folklore by creating a firebird pin or engage in the time-honored tradition of South Asian henna hand painting. Learn how to make a tambourine, sing using overtones in the tradition of Tibetan monks or dance to the rhythm of Salsa and other Latin dances. A world of experiences awaits explorers at the Children’s International Festival.

Medieval shields and crowns? I AM SO TOTALLY IN.

(3) LivingSocial.com is running a fantastic deal today — Two movie tickets through Fandango.com for only $9.  It’s only running through midnight tonight, so get going. If you don’t buy it now, you’ll be kicking yourself the next time it’s rainy and gross outside and a movie’s the best way to keep your kids entertained.

(4) If volunteerism is your thing, Saturday is also It’s My Park! Day. Put on by the Austin Parks Foundation, it’s an annual event where volunteers work to clean up our local parks. Not all of the projects are for families, but the Pease Park Rising project and Springdale Park Spruce Up are both listed as kid-friendly events. Put those kiddos to work!

(5) Amazon.com is running another $5 magazine subscription special… currently included in this weekend’s deal are Parenting (for both little ones and school-aged kids) and Working Mother.

******

      It’s shaping up to be a super-busy, super fun weekend, y’all! Let’s make it count!

      Posted in Deals, Dining, Education, Festivals, Movies, Outdoors, Special Events | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

      Buescher State Park

      Posted on March 1, 2011 by

      Here are some things I like about camping:

      1. Spreading out and enjoying some privacy in the great outdoors
      2. Drinking beer
      3. Staying up late with friends after the kids have gone to sleep

      Here are some things you CANNOT do at Buescher State Park:

      1. Spread out and enjoy any real privacy in the great outdoors
      2. Drink beer
      3. Stay up late with friends after the kids have gone to sleep

      Seriously. This place was a total downer.

      We decided last week that the weather and timing was right for camping, so we planned an overnight trip with our BCF (Best Couple Friends) Wally and Leigh and their kids. [begin understatement] Leigh and I aren’t big campers [end understatement] and have individual agreements in place with the men that if they want us to camp with them, they’re required to do all the heavy lifting and, well, WORK in general.  (This could possibly be considered an anti-feminist move but let me clarify: It’s not about man vs. woman so much as “person who likes camping” vs. “person who thinks camping is a bunch of unnecessary, crappy work” thing. I do not discriminate against anyone who wants to pack up my car, unpack it, put up the tent, and grill sausages for me.)

      Turns out, there’s this silly thing called a burn ban going on throughout Central Texas right now, and finding a place to camp where we could have a fire was a bit of a challenge.  Since campfire s’mores are a dealbreaker for us, the menfolk searched until they found a spot that would allow fire – which is how we wound up at Buescher State Park, located off of FM 153 in Smithville and about an hour’s drive from home.  Which was fine. But then we got there and had to reserve a campsite (can’t just pick your own spot) and followed the map to a tight cul-de-sac of campsites, where our closest (and I mean SUPER CLOSE) neighbors were a group of 10 or so twenty-somethings with no kids, no dogs, basically nothing but tents.  Of course, WE showed up with three kids, three dogs, and a bunch of beer (which is prohibited in the park) – not sure they were too thrilled to see us.

      I don't know if you can see it, but there was a *slight* disparity in the sizes of our tents (not a euphemism)

      There were some pretty cool things about the park itself. For starters, the facilities were AWESOME. Great bathrooms with roomy showers, which were really close to the campsites (are you getting the “close” theme here?). And lots of stuff to do – fishing, two large playgrounds with playscapes, hiking trails, etc. Also, the park is obviously well-kept and safe. All pluses.

      Happy Campers, hamming it up for the camera

      BUT. A few things.

      • Dogs are required to be leashed, which I understand given the close quarters, but we didn’t expect it and showed up with our wiener dog Napoleon in tow, sans leash. Napoleon doesn’t like leashes and has the Jaws of Life so he bites through them in (literally) two bites. We tried tying some rope to his collar but every time we turned around there he was, with a little nub of rope hanging from his collar and a really proud look on his face.

      By the end of the trip he had a necklace of nubs. Kind of like in Vietnam when those guys would string up the ears of their kills.

      • Did I mention that public consumption of alcohol is prohibited? This means NO BEER. In case you were confused. (We sure as hell were.)
      • There was an unusually strong park ranger presence out there, which I guess is a good thing for safety’s sake but kind of sucks when you have (1) a dog who likes to chew through his leash and (2) BEER.
      • After we put the kids to bed, we sat around the campfire drinking… wait for it… BEER, and talking. Just before 10 pm, the park ranger came by and told us it was time to “quiet down.” We weren’t exactly sure what that meant so we continued talking and about an hour later Ranger McNofun showed up again and gave us our “third and final warning.” We’re not exactly sure when the second warning happened (could we have drunk THAT much beer? well, yes –yes we could) or the first one either, for that matter. And it’s not like we were shouting at each other and dancing naked around the fire — we were sitting in chairs, by the fire, talking. You know — CAMPING.

      Maybe this kind of Big Brother camping experience works for other people, but it just was NOT our thing. Next time we’ll hit good ole Muleshoe or some other park where we can choose our own site, let the dogs roam around a little and drink our beer in peace. With all that said, though, it should be noted that the kids had a fabulous time. They played track ball and some kind of kids’ precursor to beer pong, fished, climbed on stuff, roasted marshmallows and slept like babies.  Wally and Leigh’s oldest created the most spectacular camping hors d’oerves I’ve ever seen.

      A cheese puff bonded to a piece of cheese by squeeze cheese. This child is a genius.

      And there was a paved driveway, which allowed my husband to attempt “skateboard skiing” and led to this video, which I can watch over and over and over again and never get tired of:

      (note illegally freed wiener dog)

      So the weekend wasn’t a total wash.

      Posted in Camping, Outdoors, Overnight trips, Playgrounds | Tagged | 3 Comments

      Dr. Seuss Storytime at Target

      Posted on February 25, 2011 by

      I’m a mom. With an almost four-year-old. Dr. Seuss is a major part of our lives. I can recite the entire texts of Oh, the Places You’ll Go, The Sneetches and The Cat in the Hat by memory, right this very second, without opening a single book.

      Best read-aloud story ever

      I’m a mom. On a budget. This means that I go to Target pretty much ALL. THE. TIME. It’s easy, it’s cheap and I can (usually) get everything in one shot.  The last time I went with my boys (both big and little) in tow, I had to guide Jason to the right checkout line. “No, not 13, that’s Yovonne – she’s slow as molasses. 9? Are you crazy? Raul is super nice but he can’t work that scanner to save his life! Hmm, let’s see… oh there’s Pat! She’s good! Head for #8, quick before someone else beats us there!”

      You know you spend too much time at Target when the checkout lady notices you had your roots done.

      This weekend, my great love for all things Seuss and my dedication to the red-and-white circles of Target are getting married and having a baby. That baby is called Dr. Seuss Storytime and it will take place from 9 to 11 this Saturday at EVERY Target location.

      Now, I’ve never been to a family event at Target and I’m not really sure how it will work exactly — but it’s free, easy, and falls right around the time that I’d probably be shopping at Target anyway, so it kind of feels like a must.

      Check out Target’s Read Across America site for event information, some fun Seuss activities (I took the “Which Dr. Seuss character are you?” quiz and was, appropriately, Sam-I-Am) and more details about the program itself.

      Happy reading, y’all!

      P.S. Even if you can’t make this particular event, it’s good to note that Target’s offering 2-for-$10 discounts on featured Dr. Seuss books through March 15. It’s a great chance to stock up for yourself or for someone else; we already own every Dr. Seuss story ever written but we’re almost certain to buy a couple anyway, and donate them to local charities. Any Baby Can and the Austin Children’s Shelter are a couple that come to mind.

      Posted in Grocery, Indoors, Shopping, Special Events, Storytime | Tagged , | 3 Comments

      Kites and Cake: Upcoming Events

      Posted on February 22, 2011 by

      There are a few things coming up around town that I wanted to tell you about before you miss them. I recently added a Winter/Spring Calendar for some of the bigger events, but I’m not sure anyone knows (or cares) that it’s there and in the meantime if you’re one of the two people following this blog (hi, Mom. hi, Dad.) I wouldn’t want you to miss out on some fun stuff that’s about to happen.

      *****

      First up: This weekend will see the cake show/competition “That Takes the Cake” at the North Austin Event Center. I don’t actually know where the North Austin Event Center is but I’m guessing it’s someplace, well, north.

      Anyway, the event is sponsored by some cake decorating magazine I’ve never heard of (probably because my only real interest in cake is EATING it, not making it or decorating it), and will feature stuff like raffle prizes and a decorating competition with a comic book theme, which I’m betting my kid will think is SUPER COOL. And really, none of these details matter because all I can think ever since I heard about this thing is MMM. CAKE.

      If you’re interested and willing to brave the massive sugar highs that are sure to result from your child’s attendance, check out today’s deal on 365 Things To Do In Austin.  They’re offering a 50% discount on tickets — two one-day passes will only run you ten bucks.

      MMM. CAKE.

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      Also, the Zilker Kite Festival is coming up in just a couple of weeks. It will be held at (surprise!) Zilker Park on Sunday, March 6, assuming the weather holds. (If it doesn’t, they’ll reschedule the event for the following Sunday, March 13.)  You can find out more information about the event on its web site, but all you really need to know is that it’s free, extremely fun and totally worth the crick in your neck you’re almost certain to leave with.

      Also, a quick tip: You do NOT have to be a Master Kite Ninja to enjoy this event, nor do you have to have a big, fancy kite. We made the mistake of buying a $30 kite one year and Jason spent almost the entire event pissed off because no matter how hard he tried (and believe me, he tried HARD), he could NOT get that sucker off the ground.

      A brief, scowl-free moment

      Of course, while Jason cursed and bitched his way through this fiasco, our smart friends happily flew the $2 kites they picked up at Walgreens on the way there.  This year, we’ve learned from our mistake. We’re all stocked up on those two-buckers (one for each of us!) and we’re ready to FLY.

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      Lastly, if you’re like me and were all “YAY!” when Capital Metro announced its plans to build MetroRail but then were all “BOO” when it took them forever to get it right so we could actually ride it and then were all “DAMN YOU GUYS SUCK” when they decided to not run it on weekends, you might be in luck. It looks like they’ve decided to extend the service on Friday nights and also run it on a couple of Saturdays next month, in anticipation of SXSW traffic. (They’ll also offer Saturday service on May 7, for transit to/from the Pecan Street Festival.)

      I’m not planning to attend any SXSW events, especially with Sam (the crowds! OY VEY!) but it might be worth heading downtown one of those Saturdays to hit Austin Children’s Museum, which is just a few blocks from the Downtown Station (401 E. 4th Street) – or maybe Town Lake.

      Now if we can just get them to run MetroRail EVERY Saturday, we’ll finally be cookin’ with gas.

      *****

      Hope you find all this info helpful. Don’t forget that you can view a list of upcoming events on the Winter/Spring Calendar page.  If you have any questions or would like to add something, please feel free to leave a comment in the section below.  And hey – don’t be shy about sharing this site with your friends!  You can “like” us on Facebook, “follow” us on Twitter, or just email a link to someone you think might enjoy it.

      Thanks a bunch, y’all!  Happy Kidding Around!

      Beej

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