Romper Runway
July 3, 2010 by Amber
Filed under To Do in DFW, events, feature, shop
I love to shop for my kiddos, more so my youngest, because he does not care what I dress him in. I admit though, I do get frustrated with the selection of boys clothes and the quality of the items at times, not to mention how pricey they can be.
Luckily, for me and you, Romper Runway is currently prepping for their bi-annual Fall/Winter Consignment Sale taking place Thursday-Sunday, July 22-24, 2010. A garage sale or big-box mass sale, you ask? Oh no, this is a planned event that consists of upscale children’s clothes from both traditional and contemporary brands.
They also have fun stuff for all your baby and child-care needs from jogging strollers and exersaucers to train tables and children’s bikes, everything you need for that perfect birthday gift. The Double Name Girls hand-pick and inspect each item to ensure each piece of clothing is in near-perfect condition. Such brands, include Orient Expressed, Funtasia Too, as well as Mini Boden, and Hanna Anderson. How awesome is that? You can shop til’ you drop at the most talked about Dallas Consignment Sale with out breaking the bank. Now, that is what I am talking about!
They have something for everyone, if you are needing to de-clutter or free up some hangers, they have Consignor options available for you too. You can put some money in your purse, while picking up some good deals to dress your little lovey in. Did I mention that you can earn up to 65% cash back? Now that is my kind of motivation.
Romper Runway also encourages mothers who are expecting their FIRST child, awaiting adoption of their FIRST child, or have a FIRST child younger than 12 months of age to shop early with them .
FALL SALE 2010
Thursday-Sunday, July 22-24, 2010
3003 Carlisle Drive
Dallas TX 75207
(Uptown; Carlisle near Bowen)
Volunteer Pre-sale:Thursday, 5 PM – 7 PM
Consignor/New Mom Pre-sale: (Must be registered to attend)Thursday, 7 PM – 9PM
Public Sale:Friday, 10 AM – 6 PM
Public Sale:Saturday, 10 AM – 1 PM
Public Half-price Sale:Saturday, 1 PM – 5 PM
Visit www.romperrunway.com to register to become a consignor, a volunteer and to sign-up for their new mom hours. If you want to contact The Double Name Girls, then send them an email: details@romperrunway.com.
For a special bonus Burbmoms who bring this blog post in to Romper Runway’s sale will receive 10% off $100 purchases or more.
See you on the runway!
The Little House on The Prairie Musical
When I was a kid I didn’t really go tot he theater that often, but it’s something I always thought was really cool. I try to take the daughter as often as possible.
You know, so she’ll be cultured and such. 
We have season tickets to the Casa Manana Children’s theater, and have never missed a show. They always make me smile, and this year the production quality went way up, so I really enjoy the plays that much more.
But, it’s nothing compared to seeing a play at the Bass Performance Hall. We took the daughter to see the most fantastic play there: The Little House on the Prairie Musical.
We had a blast, the actors were amazing. Especially the girl who played Laura (Kara Lindsay). Seriously, that girl knocked it out of the park. Her voice was phenomenal, she got laughs from the audience in all the right places, and she made me want to homestead on the prairie. (Or, you know, watch a movie about homesteading the prairie.)
The best part of the evening? I got to give my first ever standing ovation. They totally deserved it too. It’s really cool watching an entire theater rise to their feet in honor of someone’s art.
Although Little House on the Praire has moved on to other venues, Casa Manana has many more productions set for the 2010/2011 season. Check out their Broadway schedule here and their children’s theater schedule here.
So, have you ever been a part of an audience that gave a standing ovation? Have you ever been given one?
DFW Area Consignment Sales
May 12, 2010 by Jenny
Filed under cheap, free & easy, events, feature, shop
I spent the month of March stalking the periodic giant kid’s consignment sales in the Dallas area, in my ongoing quest to save money while still providing Little Sir with the things he needs in this first year of life. Thanks to Jes from Chirky who put together a cute little calendar of all the sales going on at different times! I even found one that wasn’t on her calendar. Here’s my fun summary of each sale I attended, what I got, and what I thought of it. These sales happen any time from once a year to four times a year, so I’m making sure to link to each sale’s web site, in case anyone would like to register for one the next time it comes around!
Three Sisters Consignment Sale – I attended March 5 which was the first day of the sale. It was one of the smaller sales I’ve been to, in a church auditorium, but I actually got some of the best stuff here. The best buy of the day was the $10 bouncy swing that has given Little Sir many hours of crazy fun! Also got a pair of Robeez for $10. These shoes are GREAT because little babies can’t pull or kick them off but they have leather as soft as socks so they are uncomfortable to wear when the little one falls asleep. Usually they are $30!
Divine Consign – The second biggest sale I’ve ever been to, located in the Plano Centre in Plano. Admission was $2 for this one and I got there on March 7 (first day of the sale) about 30 minutes after it opened with fellow blogger Bobbi Janay and while we there met up with Jes. Bobbi got some really great stuff. I found a diaper bag I liked and a few safety items but their clothing wasn’t the quality I was accustomed to after the other sales I’ve been too…and also I’m picky. By the time I was ready to leave the line was an hour or more long. Bobbi was smart and went through the line early on and was finished. I was tired and hungry by that point, though, so I actually gave up on my diaper bag and didn’t buy anything. The moral of this story is that this particular sale needs a more efficient checkout process! JBF (see below) is just as big and has just as many people but their checkout system is so much more efficient that I’ve never waited more than 15-20 minutes.
Sweet Pea – Also a smaller sale, I was actually there in line when it opened on March 24, the first day of the sale. I just happened to get out of the house that early. At this point I was very focused on a few things that I wanted, one of which is a jogging stroller. They did have a small selection of strollers and one jogging stroller but it was a brand I’d been trying to avoid. The layout of this sale is weird because it flows into several rooms and the aisle are small so there is a lot of maneuvering around other moms. It was a small sale. I would say that if you are looking for clothing only, or fairly common toys, or even the more common bouncers or vibrating sling chairs, you might appreciate it because they had a number of those…but not a ton of other things. I wouldn’t recommend traveling far for this one. If it’s in your area, fine, but it’s nothing to write home about.
Just Between Friends – This is really the mother of all mass consignment sales, in my humble opinion. There are several locations in the DFW area, and all the sales happen at the same time at the various locations. The one closest to me is at the Mesquite Rodeo Exhibit Hall. Admission is $3 on the first day it is open to the public. If you are a First Time Mom, you can register to get in a day early, and free. This is totally worth it. I have attended 3 times now, twice while I was pregnant. The thing I like about this sale is that, not only is it huge and has plenty of stuff, but that the quality and condition of the items is very good. There are always very clear descriptions on the packaged/grouped items. Although the checkout line can get long, it moves very quickly because they are prepared for the amount of people who come through the door. This sale also has a good number of maternity items, which was helpful when I was pregnant. This year’s buys: a Mei Tai for $25(!!!), several outfits, a wooden Stacking Train set, a book, a package of pj’s and a sleep sack for when Little Sir is bigger, and another wooden toy.
There is one more on the list, North Dallas Mothers of Twins Consignment Sale, which I think I am actually going to skip. All that I am looking for right now is a jogging stroller, and I can never find a single one used! For some reason I can find tons of double jogging strollers, but no singles! I am thinking that a sale by mothers of twins isn’t going to yield many singles…
Dallas Area Festivals by Month
January 10, 2010 by Katie
Filed under To Do in DFW, activities, events, feature
It’s 2010 and another fun-filled year is upon us, packed with events, festivals and more. If you’re looking for some fun and excitement in the Dallas Fort Worth area, we have put together a list of some (of the many) festivals and shows that the Dallas Fort Worth area has to offer. What will your family do in 2010?
JANUARY
Southwestern Exposition and Stock Show & Rodeo: This popular event attracts nearly one million people from around the world to the Will Rogers Memorial Center for the nation’s oldest livestock show and daily performances of the world’s original indoor rodeo. For affordability and good family fun the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo can’t be beat. www.fwssr.com
FEBRUARY
Black History Month: Although it’s not a festival in the usual sense, you would be hard-pressed to find a better description for this monthlong collection of activities, events and exhibits honoring ethnic history and culture. One example is the The Texas Black Film Festival, which will host three full days of entertaining and insightful films, workshops, and events. Programmed for family entertainment and inspired by the African-American experience, this festival will provide film makers an opportunity to reach audiences with films seldom recognized through major theatrical release. www.texasblackfilmfestival.com
Cowtown Marathon: The Cowtown is a non-profit organization promoting community health and wellness to North Texans of all fitness levels by providing enjoyable, accredited races for young and old, skilled athlete and novice. Events include a marathon, marathon relay, half marathon, 10K and 5K races. The Cowtown was started in 1979 and continues to thrive and grow each year; in 2010 they will be celebrating their 32nd year of running. www.cowtownmarathon.org
MARCH
North Texas Irish Festival: Largest Celtic festival in the Southwest features bagpipes aplenty, with traditional, contemporary and pop music; traditional dancing; cultural booths; wandering musicians; Scottish clan village; and Urchin Street Faire. Fair Park, Dallas. 214-821-4173. www.ntif.org
APRIL
CJ+K Hickory Street Mud Bug Boil & Gumbo Cook-Off: Daylong crawfish boil, street party and all-you-can-eat charity fund-raiser, which also includes fried fish and deep-fried turkey, gumbo competition and sampling, and live entertainment. 1211 W. Hickory St., Denton. 940-565-0770. www.mudbugboil.org
Prairie Dog Chili Cook-Off and World Championship of Pickled Quail Egg Eating: “Granddaddy” of North Texas chili cook-offs after nearly three decades, this two-day event includes more than 100 chili teams, pinto bean cooking contest, quail egg eating and tortilla tossing contests, “Lemon Roll” and anvil toss. Alas, no prairie dogs. Traders Village, 2602 Mayfield Road, Grand Prairie. 972-647-2331. www.tradersvillage.com
MAY
Asian Festival: Largest Asian heritage celebration in North Texas, this event features local dance and music groups performing traditional routines, martial arts, sumo demonstrations, kids activities and, of course, Asian food. Annette Strauss Artist Square, Flora at Leonard, Dallas. 972-241-8250. www.gdaacc.com
Cinco de Mayo Festival: Parade, live bands and dancers, soccer tournament, children’s crafts and food. Civic Center Park, 321 E. McKinney, Denton. 940-349-8509. www.dentoncinco.org
Texas Stadium Festival: A quarter-century tradition, event celebrates Hispanic culture and Cinco de Mayo with live entertainment, exhibits, games, carnival rides and food. State Highway 114 at Loop 12, Irving. 972-785-0400
National Polka Festival: Three-day event, around for nearly 40 years, celebrates Czech and Slovak heritage with parade, polka bands and dancing, traditional costumes, arts and crafts booths and ethnic food. Memorial Day weekend. In Ennis. 972-878-4748 or 1-888-366-4748. www.nationalpolkafestival.com
JUNE
Denton Juneteenth Celebration: Three-decade-old tradition marking the emancipation of Texas slaves, the festival includes live entertainment, food vendors, basketball “shoot-out,” barbecue cook-off and children’s games. Fred Moore Park, Bradshaw and East Prairie. 940-349-7275 or 940-349-8275. www.dentonparks.com
Fort Worth Juneteenth Freedom Celebration: Another long-standing event, with several days of activities, including a parade, music festival, pageant, dance competition, art and history exhibits, religious observances and 3-on-3 basketball tournament. In and around the Tarrant County Convention Center. 817-335-1866
JULY
Old-Fashioned Fourth: Old City Park in Dallas takes visitors back to a turn-of-the-century Independence Day with a parade, the swearing-in of new U.S. citizens, live entertainment, a pie-eating contest and stick horse rodeo. 1717 Gano St. 214-421-5141. www.oldcitypark.org/fourth.htm
Gran Fiesta de Fort Worth: Three evenings of Latino culture, including folkloric dance; mariachi, merengue and salsa bands; outdoor arts and crafts mercado; children’s activities; and food reflecting Hispanic and Latin cultural influences on Texas and the Southwest. 214-855-1881 or 817-488-2336. www.meifestivals.com
AUGUST
North Texas State Fair: OK, this is a fair, not a festival. But it has been around for three-quarters of a century, which, in the shadow of the State Fair of Texas, should count for something. Includes championship rodeo, carnival rides and games, live entertainment, barbecue cook-offs, fiddling contest and petting zoos. North Texas Fairgrounds, 2217 N. Carroll Blvd., Denton. 940-387-2632. www.northtexasstatefair.com
SEPTEMBER
The Corndog Festival: Timed to the opening of the State Fair of Texas, this annual benefit features corn dogs in costumes and oddball dioramas. Includes live music and all-you-can-eat corn dogs and tater tots. Ozona Grill & Bar, 4615 Greenville Ave., Dallas. 214-749-3901. www.corndogfestival.com
Greek Food Festival: One of Dallas’ oldest food fests (nearly five decades), featuring all-you-can-eat buffets with Greek favorites such as gyros, dolmas and spanakopita; a marketplace; cooking demos; and entertainment. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 13555 Hillcrest Road at Alpha. 972-991-1166. www.greekfestivalofdallas.com
National Championship Indian Pow Wow: Salute to American Indian heritage attracts dance participants from dozens of tribes, artisans and crafts people. Event includes tepee contest, Indian food booths and exhibits. Traders Village, 2602 Mayfield Road, Grand Prairie. 972-647-2331. www.tradersvillage.com
Addison Oktoberfest: Munich-style harvest festival features four days of German foods – including sausage, sauerkraut, strudel and giant pretzels – plus authentic beer, wine tastings, live music and dancing, carnival and children’s activities. Addison Circle Drive. 1-800-233-4766. www.addisontexas.net
OCTOBER
Country Day on the Hill: Cedar Hill event harks back to an era when farm families came to town after the harvest to trade goods in the town square. Sixty-six years old and counting, the festival includes settlers reunion, traditional food, arts and crafts, horseshoe tournament, street dance, music, chili cook-off and pie auction. 972-293-4740
Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering & Western Swing Festival: Three-day commemoration of Texas’ cowboy culture opens with arrival of wagon train and includes ranch rodeo, ranch cutting horse and chuck wagon competitions, cowboy poetry recitations, music, trading post and food. Fort Worth Stockyards, Main Street at Exchange Avenue. 817-444-5502 or 1-888-269-8696. www.theredsteagallcowboygathering.com
Lebanese Food Festival: Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church festival features three days of homemade Middle Eastern food such as tabbouleh, hummus and baklava, plus performances including Lebanese folk dancers and belly dancers, and children’s activities. 719 University Place, Lewisville. 972-436-7617. www.ourladylebanon.com
DECEMBER
Candlelight at Old City Park: Holiday celebration includes a parade, horse-drawn carriages, carolers, arts and crafts, children’s crafts and storytelling. 1717 Gano St., Dallas. 214-421-5141. www.oldcitypark.org
KwanzaaFest: Features live entertainment, including musical performances and African dancers, children and family activities, vendors and food. Fair Park, Dallas. 214-653-6671. www.johnwileyprice.com/pages/kwanzaa.html
If we happened to leave out a festival that you know our other readers would love to know about, please leave the information in the comments below!
Bloggers’ Night Out: It’s Tea Time!
January 5, 2010 by Chirky
Filed under To Do in DFW, events, feature, fun
If you’ve got the evening of Thursday, January 21st open — and I hope that you do — plan on hanging out with other social media lovers at a networking event in Dallas. We’re heading to Village Tea Company (located at Preston/Forest), who is hosting us with a light dinner, a variety of gourmet teas, goodie bags, and a guaranteed great time!
We’d love to meet you there, but space is limited. If you plan on attending, RSVP to jes@blogher.com so we can get you on the list today!
- – -
Jes is a new mom to four-month-old Rayah, who prefers sleeping in the evenings over drinking tea. But she’ll be happy to show you pictures of her adorable daughter if you ask. And maybe even if you don’t ask. Beware.
Texas Ballet Theater – The Nutcracker
(Grounds of The Winspear Opera House include a reflection pond, and plenty of room to explore)
(The Opera House lobby. My daughter was smitten with all the Nutcrackers!)
(My daughter with blankie and sippy cup, looking so tiny in her grown up theater seat!)- Did you know over 200 costumes are used in the ballet?
- 10 miles of thread were used to build the costumes!
- 17 loads of laundry have to be done after every performance!
- Some women go through one pair of pointe shoes for each performance!
(Did I mention my pumpkin developed a small crush, on a lobby nutcracker just her size? Who knew she would go for the strong, silent type? Lol.)
Whether you see it in Dallas or in Fort Worth, you are in for a real holiday treat! My husband and I both left with smiles on our faces, and in the Christmas mood. And when our daughter fell asleep in the car on the way home – we smiled knowing she was surely dreaming of Snow Queens, and Sugar plum fairies!
http://www.milkandcuddles.com/
Annual Christmas Parade in Roanoke, December 5th!
November 27, 2009 by Rachel
Filed under To Do in DFW, events, feature
I love Roanoke, I love living in Roanoke! It is such a family friendly city and their holiday celebrations are no exception. My kids love the Annual Christmas parade! Roanoke’s parade is so much more than just a parade! There are floats of course, and my kids love collecting candy, but they equally look forward to the train rides, bounce houses, carolers, storytellers and more. The parade starts on Oak Street, lights the Christmas tree at Oak and Austin and then winds over to the Roanoke Recreation Center where they serve complimentary Hot Coco and cookies. Such a treat after standing outside in the cold! There are crafts, a few vendor booths, and Santa is there for photo opportunities with your kids.
Before the parade, participating downtown restaurants and businesses are offering special Christmas treats. Twisted Root, Babes and Tortilla Flats are among the restaurants in the “parade path” – there is also a new sushi place a block over, One Fish Two Fish. Enjoy dinner before or after the parade. And if you want to participate with a float, it is not too late to sign up! A donation of canned goods to benefit the Roanoke Food Pantry is the only requirement. Click here for parade registration form. Any questions, call the City of Roanoke at 817-491-2411.
Ho Ho Hope to see you there!
Rachel is a mommy to three, a fan and a resident of Roanoke. She blogs regularly at QuirkyMomma and did not receive any compensation for sharing this event with the world, well, besides the satisfaction of seeing a crowd there!
Walking With Dinosaurs
November 11, 2009 by BlessedinTexas
Filed under To Do in DFW, events, feature
Today we went to the most incredible theatrical show! It is called Walking With Dinosaurs. The production is from the UK but currently touring in the US. There were 17 life-sized dinosaurs that moved, growled, ran, ate, and fought with each other. They were really impressive and so life-like.
The show starts with Professor Huxley, a paleontologist who narrates the actions of the entire show. He takes us through the different eras of dinosaurs and really provides a great educational piece to the very entertaining show.
You see baby dinosaurs just hatched from their eggs…
…and big dinosaurs…
We reviewed the website before we went to the show so we had a good idea of how the dinosaurs operated. I couldn’t help but spend the first few minutes of the show studying how they worked. See the pod underneath the dinosaur? Each large dinosaur has a pod like this which rolls it around on 6 roller blade wheels. Inside that pod is a person who drives the dinosaur around. But these dinosaurs move so well – arms, legs, blinking eyes, swishing tails, grimaces and growls – that they each require a total of 3 dedicated people to make them perform. In addition to the driver, each large dinosaur has 2 puppeteers – one controls the the head and tail while the other controls the more minor movements such as blinks, mouth, and roars. I’m not sure where the other 2 people are during the performance. As I said, I studied all of this for the first few minutes because I was in utter awe of the mechanics behind them but then I got so lost in the performance that I completely forgot about it and they really came to life for me.
Brachiosaurus, 36 feet tall and 56 feet long…
This is Nicholas’ favorite dinosaur – Ankylosaurus. He is an herbivore but a tough one. He has a club tail and isn’t afraid to use it to fight his enemies, even a T-rex.
But we learned that you don’t want to mess with a baby T-Rex because Mama T-Rex must be nearby and she will not be happy if you mess with her little one. She roared over the crowd right where we were. It was actually a little frightening.
Mama and baby T-Rex, safe and together again.
It was an incredible event and especially nice to share it with my Dad who has been learning all about dinosaurs and fossils.
The Texas State Fair…Our First Visit!
November 4, 2009 by Happy Campers
Filed under DFW North, To Do in DFW, events, feature
Thanks to BurbMom.net and GMC, Reese and I enjoyed a free day at the Texas State Fair a few weeks ago!
We met up with lots of our buddies, rode tons of rides, had a fantastic *free* lunch at the GMC tents, & even got to check out the 2010 GMCs. I was truly impressed with the gas mileage of the new crossovers!
We LOVED the Lego Tents!
Where is Reese anyway?
Lots of building opportunities at the Lego Tents…
We were challenged to build something that “started with an A, but not an apple” in 2 minutes…Reese built a jail for our Alpaca…
And Mommy built the Alpaca!
We rode lots of rides with our buddies, then the boys got their faces painted.
We had never visited the State Fair before (and I’ve lived in the DFW area for 11 years now!) and I’m glad BurbMom provided this opportunity so I would drag myself out there. The weather held out and stopped raining for a day, the rides were fun, the crowd was not bad at all, & Reese and I had a fantastic time.
Good Times at the Chevy Mom Event
October 18, 2009 by screweduptexan
Filed under To Do in DFW, events, feature
So far so good–my smallest urchin hasn’t told his brothers what kind of fun he had yesterday at the State Fair of Texas…yet. Boy did we have fun! Nothing starts a day at the state fair quite like letting a four-year-old test drive Lightening McQueen at the Chevy Kids Test Drive area–especially when that four-year-old is my kid.
Crash!
After a close call with death in the bumper car arena we decided to do a little coloring…well we should really mean my little man and my old man.
Both were very proud of their artwork.
I think my husband’s picture was the oldest entrant in the contest.
In honor of my husband, I thought of a little poem that goes like this:
If that poem scared you, then don’t look at the following series of photographs…and please if you know Falcon the Helium Balloon Boy, please don’t show him these photos of my son inside the 2010 Chevy Traverse ever. He may get ideas:
If I ever can’t find my kids, I am looking in the back of my van first.
Good memories were fostered, fun times captured at the Chevy Mom Event sponsored by BurbMom and Chevy. There was additional feeding into my addiction of the internet where I sneaked off for a few minutes and checked my blog. Proof of my addiction:
I decided I’d practice with my camera and photograph some other children exploring their creativity coloring at the tables. Some of the children were easy photographing subjects.
Others not so much. Pretty much the look on this dude’s face is, “Lady, back off with the camera.” Love his eyes!
Then it was time for prizes and to see who would be randomly chosen as the Coloring Champ (I think my husband secretly hoped he would win the grand prize). But no, this sweet girl won instead and my husband’s heart was crushed.
I on the other hand won this nifty leather Texas-shaped paperweight. Perfect for this Texan gal.
After winning the paperweight, my life was complete for the day. I thanked the BurbMoms, grabbed some nachos to eat, and found some animals to pet…but not necessarily in that order.
Disclosure: Chevy paid for my parking and tickets to the State Fair, not to mention my nachos too, so nanna nanna boo boo. First posted at Screwed Up Texan.
