Fossil Rim in Glenrose

While my in-laws were visiting we wanted to take them to do something that you don’t get to do in Virginia.  We decided that heading down to Fossil Rim in Glen Rose would be fun for them and the kids.

We actually went 2 years ago and the kids loved it so we were excited to go back now that they’re all a little older.  Before I get to the pictures I should explain that yes my kids were sitting in the front seat- without seat belts.  The speed limit is 10 miles and hour and everyone goes in one direction so we thought that they should be okay while we were on the trail.  Basically- everyone was doing it.

We started out on the trial and actually had our van doors open so that the kids could see better.  After me almost having a nervous breakdown trying to drive and instruct Hubs to keep the “KIDS IN THE CAR!!!” and one of the Fossil Rim patrolers caught us- we shut the doors and put the kids in the front.

Thankfully we shut them before this guy came along.  As you can see some animals are very…um….friendly.

We did run into a little bit of a traffic jam:

It takes about 3 hours to get through the whole park.  There is a lodge about half way through with picnic tables, a restaurant, gift shop, and bathrooms.

The thing that we loved last time we came and this time was feeding the giraffes (feed bags can be bought when you purchase your tickets).  The only animals you’re allowed to hand feed are the giraffes.  The car in front of us found out why when he had fed an ostrich.  OUCH!

The views are gorgeous!  I can’t believe that this is only about one and a half hours from Flower Mound!

For more information on Fossil Rim you can visit their website here.

When Candace isn’t taking her kids on wildlife adventures she blogs over at Mama Mia.

Let’s Go to Luckenbach, Texas

Probably my favorite visit during our spring break roadtrip believe it or not was not the Alamo. Sure, the Alamo was a definite highlight, but one place I’ve been dying to visit is Luckenbach, Texas.

I probably first heard about Luckenbach when I was a preteen living in San Saba out in the Hill Country of Texas. My stepfather loved listening to old rock, country, and music from the 70s and 80s, which probably explains my affection for the same genres of music. I remember taking his Alabama cassette tape and using a song from it to lip sync to for a talent show for school, but it was the song my stepdad used to play by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, Let’s Go to Luckenbach Texas, that burned an impression in my mind. Not that I had any idea who who Waylon Jennings was (but I had a huge crush on Willie Nelson!), I just liked the words and feel of the song.

Not that I knew what firm feelin’ women were either, much less Newberry’s train songs and the Hatfields and McCoys.

But the basics of love, the need to be laid back, and the desire to feel no pain–that was something I could certainly identify with.

I can’t tell you how many times I have passed or driven very close to Luckenbach and never stopped. However, this time I wasn’t letting anything or anyone stop me from seeing what this place is all about.

But first, where is Luckenbach and who is this Hondo dude?

Another good question: I’ve always heard of the Hatfields and McCoys…now just who are they anyway?

Dang, and I thought my family was bad. Then again, my family ain’t involved in politicin’ either.

I enjoyed walking around and visiting Luckenbach, although next time I’d like to spend more time there than just the fifteen minutes or so that we did walking around and taking photographs. It would have also helped if I hadn’t needed to find a restroom badly too. Now don’t get me wrong, they had restrooms…

No not this–that’s an ATM:

…although I wasn’t about to use them because I saw a grown man walk out of the women’s restroom and I admittedly got intimidated by that.

He was probably just drunk or lost. But still.

I loved all the graffiti on the walls and almost signed my own name, but after this incident at the Cadillac Ranch last summer I decided against it.

Did I feel any different in Luckenbach? Did it change me? No, but I don’t think that’s the purpose of this place. Instead, I found a piece of me I identified with here. I rediscovered what I love best–simplicity and longnecks.

Okay. Fine. I’m Mormon so the longneck part is out. Although I am sure someone else can identify with that.

Here’s where you can get your longneck in case that person is you:

Thank me later.

And yes, I can’t wait to go back to Luckenbach, Texas. Just not sure I’ll be doing the basics of love there. Gotta figure out how to be a firm feelin’ woman first. Or not.

Be sure to check out my other Spring Break 2010 posts!

Part 1: Texas Weather is Like a Box of Chocolates
Part 2: Roadtrip Cheapwadry – Driving on the Wild Side
Part 3: Why I Don’t Drive on Roadtrips
Part 4: Canyon Lake
Part 5: Hooker Hotels and Long Lost Aunts
Part 6: The Alamo and I Still Have No Clue Who Jim Bridger Is

Art Lab at Irving Arts Center

A few Sundays ago, the Irving Arts Center hosted an Art Lab for children & young adults.

Jessie & I took Reese to see what exactly an “Art Lab” was, and what a neat surprise!

The Arts Center had a large room set aside for the children, & our guide gave us a short introduction to the artist on display in the Museum, Arie Van Selm.

He uses stencils to create his very large paintings, so our guide showed us how to use the stencils & sponges to create our own works of art. Van Selm uses lots of head, bird, & “blob” shaped stencils, and so did we!

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Jessie’s Favorite Painting

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Reese’s Favorite Painting

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My Favorite Painting

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Heather writes of daily life with a homeschooler at Reese’s View of the World.

BURBMOM: THE BEGINNING

A few years ago I started a blog.
I don’t know why I started a blog.
Why , Oh, why did I start a blog?

I started writing every day. I enjoyed the writing. I enjoyed the online community that developed around my blog and the blogs that I read regularly. Before long I found that many of the people I considered friends were people I had never met in person.

A year and 1/2 ago one of my online friends emailed me to make sure I knew about a group of bloggers meeting in Dallas. I signed up anxious to meet my friends.

As the details formulated, I mentioned that I lived close to the airport and could easily pick up people who were flying in for the weekend. Shauna, the person who was organizing the event emailed me asking where I lived. I replied…

Flower Mound, TX (it is just North of DFW in the metroplex)

When she replied that she lived in Flower Mound too I nearly fell off my chair.

One of my anonymous blogging friends was my neighbor.

We met in person soon after this revelation. Soon after that we met our non-Flower Mound blogging friends for an amazing weekend of fun.

That is how it started. As a blogger writing under the name Texasholly, I ended up with a local friend.

It should be easier to meet local moms.
It should be easier to meet local moms.
It should be easier to meet local moms!

And that is why Burb Mom was created. So much of our life is LOCAL. The places we go, the experiences, the frustrations, the activities, the food, the FUN!

It all starts at home. It all starts in our town. It all starts in our ‘burb.

We created a place where we want to hang out. A website that tells the story of our community.

We don’t just want to tell this story by ourselves. We want you to join us.

Oh! What about that french toast pictured above?
That is a picture of what I ate at the first official Burb Mom meeting (at Le Peep) proving that breakfast is the most important meal of the day…

This was the first post we published when we started Burb Mom in November of 2008.  I am re-running it because I am feeling a little nostalgic and mushy.

Holly’s public restroom tour

Last week we took a road trip to Colorado.

Yes, we like a LOT of other Texans think that Colorado should just be part of Texas (in fact I would be willing to negotiate a map fold arrangement where we cut out about 7 hours of the trip between DFW and Vail).  What I love about Colorado is that pretty much everybody there is from Texas.  It is like we didn’t even leave home…except for the snow, the mountains, the skiing, the density of fine dining and a few snowcats.

The road trip takes us 14 hours at speed limit speed and very, very, very brief stops for the necessities for life.

The necessities of life include some snacking which I can pack ahead for…and the dreaded road trip restroom break.

*insert scary music here*

*very scary music*

*super scary music*

Please don’t make me pee in there!

Yes, this is an actual quote from one of my boys as I FORCED them to pee at a gas station.

I am a super mean mommy who would prefer not mopping up accidents in our relatively new car.

I have been taking road trips since birth.  Many things have improved across America in the 40 years I have been alive, but public gas station restrooms appear NOT to be one of them.

WHY are they so bad?

Let’s take a tour!

Yes.  I took pictures.

THAT is how out of control my disgust is.

So, the first restroom we come to is out of order.  I never know what level of disgustingness is required to actually have the OUT OF ORDER sign posted.  I would have made this call more often.

Good for this gas station for calling it like they see it…

Of course, next door to the OUT OF ORDER restroom is the now MEN AND WOMEN restroom, but please notice that this fine gas dispensing establishment does “NOT have public RR – (they) are for Customers ONLY”.

That must mean they are special.  They want to take good care of their CUSTOMERS and not waste all their restroom effort on the average American that might stop by but not buy anything.

I feel so special.

Until I enter the MEN AND WOMEN room…which by the way you need to “please lock behind you because both men and women are using”, because quite honestly, they should have condemned BOTH restrooms.

And to further our tour at another location there was this…

The haphazardly hanging paper dispenser which was awkwardly positioned next to the previous built-in paper dispenser that was partially ripped out of the wall.  I probably should consider it a miracle that the dispenser actually contained paper towels.

Have you ever noticed that the more disturbingly dirty the sink, the more likely it is to have a 1/2 peeled off sticker somewhere on it that declares it “sanitized”?

Our last picture on this very fine tour looks deceiving.  The walls are still relatively white with just a few watermark trail exceptions, the floor is solid-surface with decent cleaning potential, the toilet is still a shade of white and there is only a little paper on the floor…

So what is my problem?

Let’s just say that it is a good thing that smells cannot be translated through photographs and computer screens.

Yep, it was probably the worst restroom we visited on the trip and although the floor appears pretty clean, there is a 1/2 inch film of standing water across it that continues to make me squeamish just thinking about it.

The last gas station restroom that we visited was disturbing in another way.  I had just helped Rhett through the potty process and we walked out of the stall to the sink only to encounter a MAN.

Oh, and this was NOT the MEN AND WOMEN restroom.

He looked up.  Startled.

I stared at him.  Startled.

We both said at the same time, “am I in the wrong place?”

He left the sink with soapy hands to open the door and look at the sign.

He was in the wrong and fled the scene.  I felt bad for him a few minutes later as he was intentionally dodging any interaction with me in the mini mart.  He was hiding behind displays of soda, snacks and batteries.

There is one redeeming restroom fact that I have learned.  Believe it or not, the state of Texas has created and maintained rest stops that have sparkling clean restrooms.

*gasp*

I would never have believed it possible…the rest stops of my early road trip years were among the most frightening.  They usually boasted accommodations rivaling a porta-potty.  But the rest stops of 2010 are clean, well-stocked, patrolled and downright a pleasure…

except for the “Watch out for Rattlesnake” signs.

Christmas Texas Style at the Gaylord Texan

Last year on our first day of Christmas break,  I decided that I’d take the kids somewhere I’d always wanted to go – the Gaylord Texan.

For those of you that aren’t from the area it’s a huge hotel/convention center that is beautiful and I’d heard that it was all decked out for Christmas.  I really wanted to go the year before, but we could never make it work.  My mom and I took my three kids and my niece and we could have used another set of hands- there was so much to do and see we were constantly having to keep tabs on who had who.

It was super cold that morning so the first thing we had to do is come in and sit by the fire.

Next we saw the obligatory Texas longhorn.  They have to remind us that we’re in Texas.  

The Christmas tree was massive and beautiful.  Like they say- “Every thing’s bigger in Texas” I guess that includes Christmas trees.

My favorite thing was the life size gingerbread house.  It was so much fun to look at and the kids loved it too.  They couldn’t understand why they couldn’t go in.

And for those of you industrious cooks/crafter’s here’s what you’ll need to make this bad boy:

Who doesn’t have 10 gallons of molasses on hand?

Here are a few more things that we saw while were there:

Overall we had a really good time.  We paid $10 to park, but we didn’t pay for anything once we were inside.  It was worth the parking fee- the kids really loved it.

If you’re going there are a lot of places that provide great photo opportunities.

We arrived around 9:45 am and it wasn’t too crowded, but when we were leaving around 11:00 am it was getting pretty crowded.  If you’re going to take pictures go early – it’s much easier to get the shots you want when there are less people.

Oh Christmas Tree!

If you take a little drive down Shiloh road in Double Oak/Flower Mound area between 407 and 1171, this is what awaits you.

It is bright.

It is beautiful.

It is worth the drive.

It is something that just takes my breath away each time I see it.

So glad it is back this year.  I saw it this morning on the way to black Friday shopping...very early.

The Obama Indoctrination Speech to School Children

My five-year-old twins won’t view President Obama’s education address in their kindergarten classroom on September 8 because school administrators in our Texas district have deemed that it would “interrupt instructional time.”

Instead, the district will stream the video online. Families can then opt in–or out–of the national dialogue.

This safe compromise was likely made to soothe conservative voices here who worry the President’s short speech would aim to indoctrinate their youngsters into the Democratic party–or worse–a “socialist way” of thinking.  And while I haven’t yet seen the speech as I write this, I can tell you from my professional experience covering local, state and national education issues as a newspaper reporter for more than 10 years that few presidential addresses of this type given in the classroom release bombshells. My prediction is that Obama’s speech will be fairly neutral in tone and offer nice photo ops for the press corps.

As a parent of three, however, it is greatly refreshing to see the public’s interest in the content our children are exposed to in our nation’s public schools–I only wish we as a group would pay more attention to the subtle types of indoctrination that happens every day.

For example, last week–on the second day of kindergarten–my twins bopped home from our tony community’s premier elementary school with camouflage-colored dog tags hanging around their necks from metal chains.  While my kids thought nothing of this, I brought context to such symbols.  Dog tags, after all, are an indelible symbol of warfare. In fact, such dog tags are manufactured to be thin and small so they can be sewn into the mouths of dead soldiers and thus help those in field mortuaries identify the fallen. By sending home such a symbol, my public school is sending a subtle message that they not only approve of warfare–but wholeheartedly endorse it. Moreover, they’re telling my young children to be proud foot soldiers.

On the fourth day of kindergarten, my children returned home with fliers listing half a dozen fast-food restaurants that will return a portion of our bill to our public school in an effort to raise funds for educational endeavors.  “Mom,” said my daughter Elizabeth, “we have to go eat pizza tonight to help our school!”  As it turns out, we can spend every night this week–and every night for the remaining school year according to these fliers–at fast-food joints raising money for our school.   Of course, nutritionists–many who work for the state’s department of health–would tell us that to take the advice of our premier elementary school would be to risk the health of my family. My children would become obese, contract diabetes and ruin their hearts.  Yet, the subtle message from the public school is ‘Do your duty and help out your school.’

On the sixth day of school, instructional time in our kindergarten was handed over to two uniform-clad high school football players who signed autographs in promotion of their first big home game. They also read two books to the children, but this last detail was forgotten by my kids who reported only the shimmering uniforms and the deep, impressive voices of the handsome players.  It is likely, too, that they subconsciously picked up on the school’s subtle message that sports are of the utmost importance here in Texas, that male athletes should be revered above others, that strength of body trumps strength of spirit or mind.
This is why, even as a longtime card-carrying member of the Democratic party and big Obama supporter, I’m thrilled to have passionate conversations about indoctrination. But let’s not limit the discussion to the President’s 10-minute speech. As parents, we need to be aware of and address the subtle everyday messages our public schools are giving our kids.

I only wish our school district would give us the option of streaming some of these other messages via video.

Julie Blair is a Dallas-area freelance journalist who graduated from both public and private institutions. She continues to support her local public schools with her most precious commodities–her three children.

Monday – Home Sweet Home

My family and I were out of town last week for our summer vacation.  We drove to Colorado and spent time in both the Winter Park and Vail areas.  All of us enjoyed the mild weather, incredible scenery and change of pace.

The boys kept talking about how they wish we lived in Colorado…and there were moments when I had those same thoughts.

Toward the end of the week I asked the boys which place they liked better – home or Colorado.

It was unanimous.

They missed Scratchy (aka Scooter our cat) and were ready to go home.

My husband works from home and so home COULD be anywhere.

Anywhere is here.

Anywhere has to be here.

I love Texas.

Janine Turner said, “You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can’t take the Texas out of the girl and ultimately can’t take the girl out of Texas“.

I totally get that.  No matter where I am in the world and no matter how much fun it is, it is nice to return home.

Texas Sweet Texas.

Dallas Zoo

Last Friday we had good intentions.  A friend and I agreed to meet at the Science Museum with our collective 5 boys for a morning of fun.

I was 1/2 the way to Dallas when my husband called and said, “Where is this museum?”

“Fair Park.”

“You CAN’T GO THERE TODAY!  It is the Cotton Bowl!”

About that time my friend called to report her husband had just called her with the same information and she was already in a traffic jam on I-30.

We had 5 anxious boys, 1 grandma and 2 very uninformed mommies!

We made a snap decision to go to the Dallas Zoo instead.  The weather was great and we already had sandwiches packed…

The boys were excited to get out of the car and run around.  The zoo was a perfect place for expending child energy.

There is an area where you can buy either worms or birdseed sticks to feed the birds for $1.  All our boys chose the birdseed sticks.  The birds were still on their “winter schedule” so eating wasn’t a high priority, but we had some fun encounters.  Several of the birds kept trying to climb into my purse or up my mom’s coat sleeves.  They were not shy and the kids loved it.

Next time I will encourage buying the worms.  Some of the birds only eat worms and they seem to be a less popular purchase among the zoo visitors.  You don’t actually touch the worms, the birds will eat them out of a small cup that is provided.

The zoo has a huge play area.  It has equipment for kids of all ages.  This spider web was my 5 y/o’s favorite:

There is also slides and tunnels and large eggs to climb into…just a bunch of fun stuff.  Surrounding the play area are several smaller learning centers and the Nature Exchange Center.

All the boys thought this was great.  You can bring in up to 5 items (you collected at home) and trade them for other nature treasures.  There is a point system assigned so it is like a nature store.  There are many things to see and touch even if you (like us) don’t have anything to trade.

This Nature Exchange Center is one of the main reasons we will be returning to the zoo this year–and next time we will be prepared with treasures to trade.

The underground learning area is really unique.  It is dark (and quiet) and has all sorts of animals that live underground.

There is also a tunnel to crawl through to fully experience underground living.

There are also lots of animals at the zoo…

Overall it was a great experience.  We were glad we had missed the craziness at Fair Park and gone to the Dallas Zoo.  It took us about 45 minutes (without traffic) to get there from Flower Mound.  We spent 4 hours, but could have easily spent another hour or two if everyone had the energy!

If you have written about your experience at the Dallas Zoo, please mention the link in the comments.

When Holly isn’t planning trips in the middle of major events, she can be found at June Cleaver Nirvana where being a mommy and blogging is not in the middle of traffic.

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