The unexpected snow blast of 2021.
My toddy had a lot of fun making snow angels, snow pizzas, snow donuts and such! It was great to see our house in the snow and to enjoy the view! So magical. I won't say much more except...he wants to go in the snow again!
Map:
Overall: 3.5/5
|
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. |
|
|
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! |
3 |
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
Overall |
Average of all factors listed
below for final overall score |
|
Cost: 7$/person (As of 1/7/21)
Stroller friendly? Not if going up the mountain, stroller okay if going around the mountain. We climb up top with the toddlers this time.
Restroom? Due to covid restrooms were closed but they had porter potty stations.
We had a blast at Enchanted Rock! Don't let the lower score detter you from coming. I rated it not as kid friendly because it is more for a family hike than an actual park...but my toddler had a lot of fun climbing! He wanted to pretend he was a gorilla climbing up hill! He can be very independent and also wanted to walk down but that was a bit unsafe for him as the incline can be quite steep...so my husband carried both boys going upwards and we both held the toddlers hand going down.
It was so fun to just rest and take the view at the top! We always carry some snacks and had some trail mix and juice at the tippy top to celebrate their first hike at Enchanted Rock!
It was truly magical even though we climb a bit slower with our toddler than it would usually take us. Overall, we stayed at the park for 3 hrs!
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!
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.
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:
I am going to start a small segment of book reviews. I have read some books this year and have gotten a couple of ideas from each of them...but then forget the book title or exactly what it was about so here it goes:
Overall Rating: 7/10
Overall the read was easy and the author discussed actionable items to do to take advantage of those small minutes that moms (primarily) have throughout the day! She did not focus on the time that she is enjoying with her kids...so sometimes it sounded like she was just waiting to put the kids to bed to do her own activities. Overall a good book to remind us what we are doing with our 'extra' time.
The Fringe Hours was a book primarily geared towards Christian moms. I heard about it on a recommendation book club that I signed up for but did not get to attend. The author discusses how moms can feel guilty from taking time off.
A few questions I jotted down for myself were the following:
> Keep a watch for those imperfect moments
>What am I letting go of, in order to do the things I want to do?
> How do I take care of myself? What can I give myself permission to do?
I was listening to this audiobook right after having dropped my toddler to daycare and as I was walking my newborn. I felt guilty of that. I felt guilty because I am on maternity leave...and although I had told myself that it would be good for my toddler to go to pre-school to keep his routine, I also felt guilty that I was only spending time with one of them. I have thought again...and I am giving myself permission to just bond with my newborn and to be fully with both of them in the morning or right when I pick him up.
The author describes that there are pockets of times that add up to a lot over the days. For example in the morning, before everyone wakes up, or if you are waiting before the doctors appointment, or right after the kids go to sleep.
Do you know what you do with that time?
Because a lot of times I automatically scroll through my phone...and there are other things I could be doing! I used to love to take my book everywhere! Now just my phone.
She calls us to be prepared for those moments. For example just keeping your journal in the car or carrying a light book in your purse.
These are actionable things that I can do.
If you don't know what to do...the author invites us to be curious. Is there something that you enjoyed doing when you were a kid? Can you go back to that? Is there a class you could take, or someone that knows and is good at doing that thing?
I've been thinking...and although I'm even just starting to form a routine for having TWO boys...I know I am planning to take a pottery class next year. I am looking forward to that. I also want to carve time for a monthly massage.
What are you carving time to do for yourself?
