The Mommy Park Review: Play for all Abilities

  Map: 151 N A.W. Grimes Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78664

Overall: 4.75/5

Factor	Description	Rating (Out of 5)
Uniqueness	Did it have that keep Austin Weird unique vibe? Was it new and interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not very unique, a value of 5 means it was crazy unique and different.	5
Variety	Refers to the different areas or different activities that were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5 means it had a lot of different things for the kids!	5
Safety	How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof.	4
Kid Friendly	Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids.	5
Overall	Average of all factors listed below for final overall score	4.75

Cost: Free (As of 1/28/2021)

Stroller friendly? Mostly yes. They request that you park your stroller in the area that is not the city.

Restroom available: Yes! They have a couple. One in the "city" and one once you go inside by a tarp and close to the music area.

This is a park is a part of a $1,250,000 investment by the city of Round Rock and businesses. I love that is free and for everyone! One area reflected the city with all the stores that we love like the local HEB and the Wag-A-Bag gas station. My toddler (2.5 yo) is learning to do the scooter so he had fun practicing and going around the city and exploring the supermarket, library, etc!

The area that was a bit more difficult for him was a race path where bigger kids were going in their bikes and my son was wanting to go against traffic. That is the only reason I gave it a 4 on safety, but of course that can vary by day.

We went on a Saturday and it was a bit crowded for my taste. Especially during COVID. I'd probably go back because it was so fun to just explore all the areas and there are some areas that we didn't even get to go.

The highlights for my son were the musical area, the city, and the slide made of poles. We did not make it to the sand (on purpose) or the zip lining which I think he would have liked but it was kind of crowded. 

Overall it was amazing! My son kept asking about it for the next couple of days!

The Mommy Park Review: Zilker Botanical Garden

  Map: 2220 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78746

Overall: 3.75/5

Factor	Description	Rating (Out of 5)
Uniqueness	Did it have that keep Austin Weird unique vibe? Was it new and interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not very unique, a value of 5 means it was crazy unique and different.	4
Variety	Refers to the different areas or different activities that were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5 means it had a lot of different things for the kids!	5
Safety	How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof.	3
Kid Friendly	Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids.	3
Overall	Average of all factors listed below for final overall score	3.75

Cost: Depends on age and being Austin Resident. It was 8$ for me and my kiddos free as they are 2 and under!

Stroller friendly? Mostly yes. A few areas have paths that get more narrow and inclined near the Japanese garden...for most part it is stroller friendly.

Restroom available: Yes! Near the entrance.

It was very fun to go to the Zilker Botanical Garden! My son loves fish so the whole time we were looking at all the ponds to find the fish. (Spoiler: we found fish only in the pond at the entrance parking lot and that was his favorite spot!)

 It is stroller friendly for the most part. We just followed the path to where my toddler was going. There was an area with dinosaurs, and another one with butterfly chairs. It was rainy when we went and in the middle of winter so not many butterflies...but I believe in the spring there should be more butterflies.

I gave safety a slightly lower value mostly because of the rocks and because some of the areas are uneven and I was having trouble pushing the stroller around without it sliding. If you know me you know I am a strong woman! So I think your average person might have some troubles too!

It is not a park with swings per say...but overall a fun adventure!

They also have a small area just for kids. We did not stay there too long though! My toddler loved the fountains and the dinosaurs.

The Mommy Park Review: Garey Park

 Map: 6450 Ranch to Market Rd 2243, Georgetown, TX 78628

Overall: 4.75/5

Factor	Description	Rating (Out of 5)
Uniqueness	Did it have that "keep Austin Weird" Unique vibe? Was it new and interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not very unique, a value of 5 means it was crazy unique and different.	5
Variety	Refers to the different areas or different activities that were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5 means it had a lot of different things for the kids!	5
Safety	How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof.	4
Kid Friendly	Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids.	5
Overall	Average of all factors listed below for final overall score	4.75

Cost: Depends on age and being Georgetown Resident. It was 2$/adult if you are a Georgetown Resident.

Stroller friendly? Yes.

Restroom available: Yes! Near the toddler park.

Overall the park is great as it is not so crowded, maybe because there is a 4$ fee per adult to get inside Garey park. I believe it is 2$/person if you are a Georgetown resident. IMO it worth it as it is unique, it has a horse theme, and access to 9 trails. My son loves animals so he was very into it! We went to the park first to wear the kids out and as a bonus we completed the Meadows loop. 

Entrance

Turf, horses and covered areas! 

The park has both a toddler park and a big kid park.

Toddler Park

It also has a uniqueness factor as it has a set of zip lining for kids! My son is 2 and a half and he loved it! I thought he would be too young for it, but after a couple of times he just kept asking us to take him back to the zip lining. The whole park also has a lot of see through areas like tunnels which make it fun.

Zip Lines

There is also a water area. Since we went in January 2021, this area had no water, but in the summer it is a fun activity.

Water Park Area

Overall very safe but never leave your kid unattended. The ground was both turf and concrete. There were only a couple of hiccups. The blue covered slide has a very high slope!  It feels almost like freefall and I could not do it a second time as I was scared! I almost hit my sons head on the metal swing when getting him out of the two person slide. 

 

The slide behind this green one was very steep! Too steep IMO

More pictures of  Garey Park:

Book Review: The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

 

The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Rating: 10/10

Let me just start by saying that I loved listening to this book being read by the author! I love Shonda Rhimes and her shows of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal. It was so fun to hear the voice that I recognize in her shows being brought to her! I know it's probably the other way around, her voice is heard in the shows...but since I know the shows first, then for me it's the opposite.

The book is a non-fiction story told by Shonda Rhimes, producer of Shondaland. It is about her journey into saying yes more often. As an acclaimed producer she was often invited to parties and events, but she did not make time for those. She goes into detail into how those helped her and challenged her to prioritize her life!

A few questions that I asked myself were:

How do I celebrate my success?

How am I living y authentic self? 

What am I saying yes to?

Are you making yourself smaller to make someone else feel more comfortable?

Are you having those difficult conversations with friends/acquaintances?..at the other side of those conversations, there is the knowledge of knowing the character of the other person!

At our book club meeting the following was asked: Does the idea of having a challenge help you in accomplishing your goals? I think it does. It sets a time limit, and it holds you accountable if you share with someone that you are committing to a challenge. 

This was an amazing read for me. It was funny and made me think of the opportunities that I have and the things that I want to say yes to.