Lego Mania!

The Lewisville library has a special event for little builders.  It’s called Lego Mania!  We recently stopped by to check it out. We were a little late so everyone was already absorbed in their creations but Nicholas quickly found the table with the cool Star Wars Lego pieces and went to work building.

It was neat watching the boys at the table. None of the boys seem to know each other and they were each building their own ships yet for the most part they would help each other find particular pieces that each other needed. It was a great experience in teamwork.

Lego Mania! is held on the fourth Sunday of each month at 2:00.  There are tons of Legos as well as Duplo blocks from younger children.  And best of all – it’s FREE!  The Lewisville Library is located at 1197 West Main in Lewisville and their phone number is 972-219-3570.

Remember Shrinky Dinks?

Do you remember Shrinky Dinks? I loved those things back in the 70’s. You color this special paper, put them in the over and they shrink up and harden into bright little plastic figures. It was so much fun. Well, when I ran across them at Teacher’s Tools in Lewisville I just had to get some for Nicholas to try. Ok, I confess, I really just wanted them for myself but I did pick out the robot/alien Shrinky Dinks with Nicholas in mind!

Nicholas isn’t always excited about craft projects but the thought of this project shrinking made it irresistible. He couldn’t wait to tear into the package. The package came with about 20 pre-drawn and pre-cut images ready for coloring. Nicholas, Stuart, and I all had fun coloring a few of them.

We put them in a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and put them in the oven on a low temperature.

In just a matter of minutes they started to curl up and shrink. It was fun to watch!

When they are almost done they flatten back down. The final product are little miniatures of our original art work. They are hard and the colors are much brighter than when we originally colored them. It’s just amazing how these things work. The kit we bought has some key chains, magnets, and stands to give you options on what to do with your shrunken dinks.

Lunar Mini Golf

We had a blast today at a friend’s birthday party. It was held at Lunar Mini Golf inside Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville. In case you don’t know what in the world that is, think of Putt-Putt golf, indoors, lit only with black lights, and lots of neon paint and golf balls in the room. It was fun although quite challenging, I dare say impossible, to get a good picture capturing the mood without destroying it by using a flash (although I’m sure Stuart could prove me wrong!)

Here’s my lame attempt. Slow shutter speed to let in more light which wasn’t fast enough to capture the moving 5 year old in the middle of the picture

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What? You can’t see him? He must have turned invisible. No, there he is. Look closely at the blacklight illuminating his white shoes and his glow in the dark bracelet. We had a great time and I’m sure we’ll go back!

Bowling 101

Nicholas went to a friend’s birthday party at Main Event in Lewisville and he tried bowling for the first time. He got some pointers from Daddy. The lanes had the bumpers up to keep the kid’s balls from going straight into the gutter. I don’t think anyone kept score. It was just a lot of fun!

After bowling, the kids enjoyed Spider-man cupcakes and some video games.

Finally, an oil change that didn’t leave me frustrated!

I loathe getting my oil changed.  It never fails that the shop always tries to up-sell me on something.

You should get the synthetic-super-duper oil change that only costs 10 times more.

You need to have ten filters changed and also let us rotate your tires!

You ought to flush your whoosie-whatsit and hey, we can do that for you!

I ask that Hubby keep the phone nearby so I can call him when the inevitable question is asked.   Honey, what is my whoosie-whatsit and do I need it flushed?

So imagine my utter delight when I went to get my oil changed this week & it was actually a good experience!   I went to Meineke Car Care Center/Econo Lube in Lewisville & was so pleased with their service I actually called the manager when I left & spoke with him to let him know how much I appreciated their customer service!

I called ahead of time and they suggested I come around 3:00 on a Saturday…the gentleman on the phone said that is their least busy time of the weekend (they are closed Sundays).

I arrived and brought my book.  Oil changes are never fast, you know!

I presented my coupon that came in the mail, making my basic oil change $14.95.  I noticed on the mailer that they also accept competitor’s coupons.  I sat down in the chair and started to read.

And I kid you not, 10 minutes later the service man called my name.  OK, here we go.  What are you going to suggest I spend more money on?

Well, he was handing me my keys because they were done.

Not ONE offer to upgrade something with my service.  Amazing!

Like I said, as I drove away I called the manager.  Folks are quick to call and complain when there is a problem, but few call with kudos for a job well done.  I wanted to make sure he knew that, as a woman who is clueless about car care, I really appreciated his staff not trying to sell me more than I asked for.

The details:

Meineke Car Car Center/Econo Lube

1550 W. Main St, Lewisville (next to Boston Market & KFC)

(972) 221-1689

Hours: Monday-Saturday 7:30am-6:00pm; closed Sunday

And don’t forget…they accept competitor’s coupons!

This is just one woman’s opinion, but I will definitely go back when I need my oil changed again!

The Chipmunks: Squeakquel at Studio Movie Grill – Lewisville

Opening day of the new Chipmunk movie, Squeakquel found Shauna and I herding six kids into the theater for the 1:35 showing. Yes, I said 6 kids. Between us we have four boys and two girls between the ages of 4 and 9.

Yes, we are brave, brave mommies with the intense desire to get the kids out of the house for a few hours.

We decided that the easiest place to manage our crowd was at Studio Movie Grill where there is room for kids to move around…and there is food.

Real food.

The Lewisville location of Studio Movie Grill is closest to us, but we did not count on the holiday traffic around Vista Ridge Mall.

Oh, and we didn’t count on the fact that Shauna was about out of gas.

We had pre-purchased our tickets online, but still had to get in the purchase line.  We aren’t quite sure what the benefit of online ticket purchase is supposed to be since they are non-refundable.

We did make it before the movie started and we settled into our seats which always remind me of those office chairs you buy at Costco for your home office.

The theater is set up with bar type seating at the front of each level and table seating on the back.  It is all movable and easily adapts to groups.  If you invade a portion that has both the front and back area of a section, your kids won’t bother anyone when running back and forth between the table and bar seating.

The four boys settled in the front seating which opened up the tables for us girls.  We ordered lunch.  Lots of lunch…

Two cheese pizzas

Coconut fried chicken

Sweet potato fries

Popcorn

5 kid Root Beers

1 kid Dr Pepper

2 adult Dr Peppers

Overall, the food was yummy and we ended up with the right amount for the eight of us to share.

The Chipmunk Squeakquel movie was cute.  It was silly and very chipmunk-y.  The kids had a really good time and were very attentive.  I was surprised at Rhett, my four year old because despite really needing to pee mid-movie he didn’t want to leave and miss any important Chipmunk plot twist.

Studio Movie Grill was giving out Squeakquel movie posters on the day we went.

And that is how Shauna and I took six kids to the Chipmunk movie and lived to tell about it.

It seemed like a good idea at the time…

So a friend calls Wednesday morning and want to know our afternoon plans..

So we get to the skate park and my friend and I look at each other. Wow! There are a lot of people here. Oh well, come on it will be ok..

She’s someone’s Grandmother: Meals on Wheels

My Gammy Johnson was a hoot; all 5 feet of her!  For most of her life, she was a single mom raising two kids, working forty hours a week at a time when most moms didn’t work.  Though I’m sure she struggled, you would have never known it to look at her.  She was always dressed to the nines, always in heels (yes, even when we went to the Laundromat) and always had a smile on her face.  From Gammy I learned the thrill of giving to others, the beauty of a gut-wrenching country music song, and how to polka with the best of them at the local VFW.

My Grandmother Chilton always seemed so tall to me.  She had the perfect posture of a southern lady, and I can’t remember her ever saying a negative word about anyone.  She raised a large family with her best friend, my granddad, and always seemed honored to do so.  In her church and her community, she was someone others could count on.  Though her house was always immaculate, she was never too busy to chat with a friend or family member. From Grandmother I learned how to make moist strawberry bread, the fashion statement a great hat can make, and the importance of church in everyone’s life.

Though I miss them both very much, the lessons they taught me and the time I spent with them is not forgotten.  In today’s world when so many people live far away from their families, sometimes it’s the seniors in our communities who suffer the most.  In years past, if family members weren’t geographically close to their aging relatives, there were long-time friends who could lend a helping hand, or provide a meal when times were tough.  Today, sadly, those connections are rare, yet there are still grandmothers, grandfathers and other adults in our community who need a helping hand.

This is why I volunteer for our local Meals on Wheels program.

The seniors, or handicapped adults, who I visit at lunch-time are more grateful for the one on one conversation than they are for the hot meal.  For many, the Meals on Wheels volunteers are the only people they speak with on a daily basis.  The recipients of the meals always thank me profusely for taking the time to talk with them, but truly, I feel blessed for having the chance to make a small difference in someone’s life.

Before my kids left for college, they rode along with me on Mondays.  Now that both of them are gone for the school year, each time I ring the doorbell of another home, I know there will be a quick conversation about how the kids are doing.  In turn, I’m always ready with an update or photo.  If you have a young child who is not yet in school, what a great example you could set if he or she accompanied you on a Meals on Wheels route!  The added benefit is the conversation that inevitably take place back in the car about how blessed your own family is.

If your heart is open, and you have an hour that you are willing to give, call the Lewisville Senior Center – 972-219-5050. They can set you up once a week, or once a month.  My route never takes more than 45 minutes to complete, but the benefits last so much longer.

Old Town Waterpark – Lewisville

Since we don’t have a pool at our house, the boys and I have been on Pool Tour DFW Summer ‘09. We have swam several times a week at the generosity of friends, neighbors and communities. In fact, it has been a great tour and isn’t helping my campaign on the homefront for a pool of our own.

The boys love Old Town Aquatic Park in Lewisville. I love that it is easy to make sure that three boys running in different directions are safe.

Rhett who is three loves the little park-like spiral waterslide and the splash area. Reid and Ryan who are older really like the larger pool area with a very lazy river. It is so lazy I am not sure that it can be called a river.

There are quite a few covered picnic areas and seating for observing adults. The price of admission is low – even for non-Lewisville residents and we easily spent 2 to 3 hours on each visit if snacks/lunch were remembered.

Old Town Aquatic Park is located at 535 W. College in Lewisville. More information about hours and admission charges can be found on the City of Lewisville website.

Lewisville Farmers Market

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