The Best Things in Life Are Free

I’m always on the lookout for unique things to do in Dallas, and it’s even better if they’re low-cost or free, right? Especially in a city known for its shopping – hey, it’s not like we have beaches or mountains here. Or even rolling hills. Or decent camping without driving a few hours. And for whatever reason, big D continues to tear down its few remaining historical buildings, favoring a concrete jungle instead. Don’t even get me started on my issue against the city’s actionable stance on historical preservation – finding new things to do is FUN to me.

I get excited about children’s parades and Chinese New Year celebrations and international festivals and local performing arts and outdoor moving screenings. So when I saw an article in the DMN highlighting free things to do in Dallas this summer, I knew I had to share:

FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS

Allen USA Celebration – For more than a decade, Allen USA Celebration has always been held the final weekend of June – a great way to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA! a week early. Entertainment includes: regional/national acts, including Smash Mouth (a California rock band) and children’s entertainers. Other highlights include a children’s area with bounce houses, festival food and a fireworks finale. TIP: free shuttle service is offered to/from the event. Cost: FREE.

Celebrate Freedom – A huge (and when I say “huge,” I mean HUGE) outdoor musicfest, featuring Christian musicians Kirk Franklin, Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Selah, and more. Other highlights include children’s area, festival food, fireworks. Cost: FREE (tickets required, get info here)

OTHER FUN THINGS TO DO!

Dallas Museum of Art – Admission to the museum will be free each Wednesday in July from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. That’s in addition to the usual free days: each Thursday evening from 5 to 9 and the first Tuesday of each month. Cost: FREE. Also, it’s worth noting my favorite DMA event: Late Nights. On the third Friday of each month, the DMA stays open until midnight. Highlights include: art scavenger hunts (so fun!), karaoke and dancing, tours, performances, and more. Cost: $10.

Belmont Hotel Poolside Movie Nights – Every other Wednesday night, the Belmont screens a poolside movie at sundown, with the Dallas skyline as a backdrop. The last movie of the summer, Airplane!, is on Wednesday, July 1st. Bring a blanket, no lawn chairs or coolers permitted. Cost: FREE.

Grapevine’s Friday Fireworks – Not just for Fourth of July, every Friday the city of Grapevine hosts weekly fireworks shows at Grapevine Lake through September 4th. Cost: FREE. (Be sure to visit the link to view all the fun summer events in Grapevine – there’s tons to do!)

Summers at the Nasher Sculpture Center – The Nasher sculpture garden in downtown Dallas is worth checking out, if you haven’t been there already. But rather than pay the admission fee, go for free on Thursday evenings (usually 5 to 9, but they’re open ’til 10 p.m. through July 30th). You can even do yoga in the garden at 6pm on Thursdays, and watch films on first Thursdays of each month the center (with pre- and post-film chats, if you’re so inclined). Plus, now through July 17th the Nasher is showing films on Friday nights, too (think: Sleepless in Seattle, Top Gun, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, etc.). If you’re thinking about bringing the whole family, head to the Nasher on the first Saturdays (through August) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for children’s activities and more. Cost: FREE, FREE, FREE!

And, of course, don’t forget to check out GuideLive.com – Dallas’ best resource for events, restaurants, films and more. It’s my go-to site when I’m looking for something new to do. Which is almost always.

—————

Jes Ferris, the blogger behind Chirky.com, fervently believes that the best things in life are free: like puppies (well, some of them anyway), and Saturday samples at Costco, and kissing babies’ heads (especially when they smell so goooooodddddd!), and those tiny little hotel bottles of peppermint shampoo (though I suppose I *technically* pay for those, but whatever, I’m totally claiming it anyway).  And then there’s all the best things in life that AREN’T free, but that’s not the point, is it?

Tuesday – Tree

It is no secret that I take my camera everywhere.

I am a serial amateur photographer.

My boys are most frequently the targets of my paparazzi stalking, but every once in awhile I see something that I can’t HELP but pull out the camera to capture.

I am pretty discreet.  It is not my intention to embarrass anyone. It is a compulsion I have when something makes me laugh…I have the NEED to share.

Poor unsuspecting citizens of the world that get between me and my laughter.

The other day on Main Street in Lewisville I witnessed this:

I was next to the car – didn’t change lanes and just held up the camera without any sort of focusing to get the picture.

I thought I was being subtle...

The driver did NOT.

The next thing I know he was swerving over three lanes of traffic to avoid me AT ANY COST.

Oooops.

So sorry...but you can understand my NEED to photograph?

SoulTravelers3: A Family’s Multi-year Global Journey

I’ve mentioned before the family of SoulTravelers3 who are on a multi-year global adventure with their daughter, who I believe is now 7. They visited Morocco & experienced Berber life in the Sahara.

Read about their spiritual visit and then check out their video below. Completely surreal experiences.

The song in the video is by Matthew Marsolek. It’s called tera nam ek sahara & by visiting his site, you can even download the song for free!

Monday – Me

It’s Monday, and it’s me!  Today I’m gonna share a list with you of some random things about me.  Specifically, some random things that annoy me.

• sticky lip gloss
• having a great hair day when my only plans are to stay in my house and veg
• stepping on something wet when I’m wearing socks or in bare feet
• when the cook time on the microwave isn’t cleared off…it’s just left blinking “00:13″
• ambiguous check-out lines at stores – where do they start? who’s in line? did she just cut in front of me?
• cats meowing loudly and continuously
• gas light coming on when I’m backing out of the driveway and running late for a meeting

What are some things that annoy you?

How to find family activities in Denton County

Last November when Burb Mom was just a few weeks old, one of my friends (who at that time was one of 4 Burb Mom readers) sent me a frantic email saying, “Have you seen this?” with an e-newsletter attachment.

It was one of the first Family eGuide newsletters that outlined TONS of stuff to do in Flower Mound, Highland Village, Lewisville and surrounding areas.

Holy crap!

We did a lot of research before we started Burb Mom and then...just a few weeks into it I find that someone else has started a very organized, informative calendar for THE VERY AREA THAT Burb Mom covered.

Of course I subscribed instantly.

At that point Family eGuide didn’t have a website and at that point Burb Mom didn’t have a newsletter so I figured that this town is big enough for both.

As Burb Mom grew and as Family eGuide grew things changed.

Burb Mom got a whole lot more chatty and less calendar-driven.

Family eGuide started a website and amassed a huge amount of information and developed what I believe is  the most comprehensive area family event calendars.

Ever.

Anywhere.

So we HAD to meet Valerie Preston the brains and sweat behind Family eGuide.

We met for coffee at the Cinnabon/Schlotzsky’s in Flower Mound – a coffee which lasted 2 1/2 hours.  It was so fun to meet her.  We couldn’t stop talking, planning and trying to figure out how we could work together.

She is a very organized mom of two who scours over 150 sources on the internet, newspapers, etc. to put together a resource for families which is unmatched:

• Weekly newsletter full of family activities in Southern Denton County.
• Online calendar FULL of events - really, you won’t believe it until you see it.
• Website that includes everything local to Flower Mound, Highland Village, Lewisville and beyond that families would want to know.
• Special seasonal lists like summer camps, sports leagues, etc.
• Kids Eat Free list.

My favorite part of the Family eGuide website is the calendar – it is magical!

The amazing thing is that it is all there FOR FREE for parents in Southern Denton County.

When you stop by Family eGuide, be sure to sign up for the e-newsletter too.

Sunday – Flip-Flops

I truly believe that there is a science to purchasing the perfect pair of flip-flops, but when you find them the chemistry is magical.

It is a close relationship that should last the whole summer.

It is summer love.

Here are my top 5 flip-flop tips for courting new summer footwear:

1. Walkability.  No matter how cute they are, if you are sprawled out on the ground after tripping, no one is going to say, “cute shoes”.
2. Comfort.  They should pass the zoo test…would you wear them to the zoo?
3. Attraction.  It is impossible to fall in love with an ugly shoe.
4. Cleanability.  If you aren’t going to be able to get cherry Slurpee off them, you shouldn’t be going home with them.
5. A future.  You don’t want to be shopping again next week because you ended up with a flip-flop one night stand.

So who will I be seen around town with this summer?

I am a pretty cheap date - Target around $12.

Summer Concert Series: Parker Square

We took the kids to Parker Square last night & enjoyed great dinner and a rockin’ band!

We had dinner on the patio of The Yellow Rose, so we could enjoy the music (and avoid traumatic events with the kids inside).  Both Kip & I had salads, but I had the steak salad, and I will testify that it was some of the best steaks that I have ever had.  I highly recommend.  The prices weren’t crazy either. I expected it to be more expensive than it was.  You should definitely give it a try.

We ventured over to Parker Square because we heard about their Summer Concert Series.  It was one of the coolest things ever, BUT I am sad to tell you that last night was the last night of the series.  If you live near-by, you will have to indulge in this event next year.  We jammed out to All Funk Radio Show – they were phenomenal.  If you are ever looking for a band (a big one) to play at an event or part – these guys are so entertaining!

Anyhow – the kids danced and played…we ran into some old friends, so we got to sit and chat…people brought lawn chairs, dogs, booz, food and much more.  It was like a concert in my backyard…amazing!  We will be attending as many of these as possible next summer!  Hope to see you there.

In all of her spare time, Shauna also rambles on over at Blah Blah Blog.

Concert in the Gardens

Last night we had a great family outing. We spent the evening at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. We had a lovely picnic dinner on the lawn and then listened to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra delight us with their musical talents, led by conductor Andres Franco.

There were squillions of people there to see the performance. We had a great spot even though we were in the “back 40″!

The performance featured favorite music from Harry Potter, Star Trek, and most importantly, Star Wars. There were even Star Wars characters roaming the garden for photo shoots. Nicholas was excited to get his picture with a Stormtrooper and an Imperial Guard from Star Wars!

I seriously don’t know how these people could stand to be in these costumes. It was very very warm and incredibly humid and there they were in full costume! Ugh.

There was fantastic music choreographed to a brilliant laser light show and fireworks! The laser show for the Star Wars piece was most impressive. It was complete with laser formed characters, spaceships, and fully animated scenes from the movie. For the finale, the orchestra wrapped up the Star Wars set with fireworks overhead. It was really awesome!

We always love going to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens but this was a new exciting way to experience the gardens. There are more Concerts in the Garden throughout the summer so check out the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens website for concert information.

Saturday – Guilty

So I always like to think of myself as that morally upstanding person.  You know – the one who if they accidentally hit your car in the parking lot they would actually leave a note with their information so you could get in contact with them.  Yeah – that is how I would describe myself.

Until a few days ago. I was leaving Lowes’ parking lot (also know as land-of-the-oversized-pickup-trucks) in my 4 door car when I backed out of my space into a truck’s bumper.  A parked truck’s bumper.  Oops.

I quickly pulled forward, re-adjusted my steering and pulled into a space a few spaces down from the truck. Did anyone see me? Hmmm…better not chance it.

Here I was – faced with my moment to do the right thing. So what did I do? I slowly got out of my car and casually, so as not to draw any attention to my guilt-ridden face, inspected my rear bumper. Small scratch. wipe, wipe. All gone. Well, almost all gone.

At this point no one had approached me or was even looking my direction so I figured I was in the clear. Because I’m not TOTALLY evil, I did peer around the cars to check the bumper of the truck I hit. No visible damage. And why should there be? The cab is about 10 feet off the ground!

I sauntered back to my side and climbed in. I had a fight with my conscious for about 2 minutes. Stay? Leave? Stay? Leave? Before I realized it, my foot made the decision. Leave. And leave quickly.

Irony

So back a year and half ago Munchkin was driving me BANANAS with his inability to entertain himself for even 13 seconds. On someone else’s advice (sorry, can’t remember who you were, but Cruise bless you) I stalked Craigslist for a few weeks looking for the obligatory train table with some track and trains. Most of the entries looked something like this:

Train table with Thomas the Tank Engine trains. Trains include regular Thomas, Birthday Thomas, 2 Percys, Toby, Edward and coal tender, 2 James’ with coal tenders, Emily and coal tender, Molly, Rosey, Sodor Chicken Cars, Sodor dairy cars, Cranky the Crane, the Breakdown Train, Aquarium Cars, Giggling Troublesome Trucks, Musical Caboose, Annie & Clarabelle, Express coaches, Hector, Diesel 10, Hank and coal tender, Might Mack, Tidmouth Sheds roundhouse, Quarry Mine Tunnel…..and on and on and on.

I remember reading all that thinking, “Good GRIEF, people!”

So a listing for the perfect train table appeared one day for $100 and included about 80 miles of track and a handful of trains. I called the woman, told her I would PayPal her the $100 and kiss her on the mouth if she would promise not to sell it to anyone until I got there. She agreed.

We got it home that night and Munchkin went into a train-induced trance that he has yet to come out of it. Best damn $100 I’ve EVER spent, hands down.

Here is where the irony comes in. That night while DH and I were settling in, I announced, “We are NOT going to go crazy and buy every Thomas train available. That is just RIDICULOUS. I mean, NO child needs all those trains. We can get him Thomas and MAYBE Percy for his birthday, but we are NOT getting any more than that. He will be perfectly fine with a couple of trains and he can pretend he has the rest. I mean it’s SOOOO much better for his imagination and will teach him to appreciate what he has and blah blah blah blah.” I think I also said something about national security and the downfall of society, etc. Oh, I wish you could have HEARD the sanctimonious tone with which I proclaimed all of that.

May 27, 2009 – 53 trains and counting.

So much for single-handedly halting the downfall of society.

*****************

I create fun and colorful flashcards for children. When you do that long enough, you begin to see the world as a series of flashcards. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are warm and fuzzy. Sometimes they are mildly innappropriate.   Come see the snark at The Flashcard Zoo Blog.

Next Page »