Playin' Around Town - Nov/Dec2010

Nov/Dec 2010Issue No. 2

FREE

Kid-easy Thanksgiving decorations!Plus

DFW Family Adventures

All Things Fun in DFW!

Charlie Brown & Snoopy!

with

Lone Star Christmas

Family-friendly Food

Dreams

the

Castleof your

When Grandparents Fill in the Gaps

Lone Star Christmas

Dreams

the

Castleof your

GETGET

com

com

Come Experience the Coolest Kids Carved in 2 Million Pounds of Ice

November 12, 2010 - January 3, 2011

At Gaylord Texan Resort

Gaylord Texan’s annual holiday events are back and better than ever! The awe-inspiring ICE! attraction - featuring 2

million pounds of hand-carved ice - will showcase Charles Schulz’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas!” Additionally, Lone

Star Christmas at Gaylord Texan will provide a winter wonderland including 1.5 million holiday LED lights, a 52-foot tall

rotating Christmas tree, a life-size gingerbread house, 12,000 ornaments, and Santa Claus himself, just to name a few.

We invite you to enjoy a magical holiday experience your family won’t soon forget!

Make your reservations today!817-722-9110 | WeFrozeCharlieBrown.com

Presented by

Proud Sponsor

Presented by

Proud Sponsor

Presented by

Overnight packages starting at

Per Night

$189*

*Plus tax. Rate includes breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children (ages 12 & under), self-parking in resort garage, and resort fee. Availability is limited at this rate. Not available for groups of 10 or more. Restrictions apply. Excluding New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2010.

© 2010 Peanuts Worldwide LLC | © 2010 The Coca-Cola Company

LSC10_PATown Mag.indd 1 10/22/10 3:22 PM

Nov/Dec

CONTENTS

Let’s Get Crafty

DFW Adventures20

When Grandparents Fill in the Gap

Photography by Sonia Lynn

12

3

Playin’ Around Town Spotlight16

Play Time

5

9 Jr. Monkey Playground

Family Solutions

18

Tales from the Jungle


17

Features

Did you know refinancing or purchasing a loan through a mortgage broker can save you money?

Lone Star Christmas

10 Your Dream Castle

6 Nov/Dec

Visit us online at:www.playinaroundtown.com

On the cover: Lexi Mupo

life-sized gingerbread house at the Gaylord Texan, page 6

phot

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pyrig

ht G

aylo

rd T

exan

, use

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miss

ion

photo copyright Gaylord Texan, used by permission

Nov/Dec 2010 Issue No. 2

PAT Event Calendar

The annual ICE! experience at Gaylord Texan features Peanuts and the Gang carved from two million pounds of frozen wonder!

com

com

Come Experience the Coolest Kids Carved in 2 Million Pounds of Ice

November 12, 2010 - January 3, 2011

At Gaylord Texan Resort

Gaylord Texan’s annual holiday events are back and better than ever! The awe-inspiring ICE! attraction - featuring 2

million pounds of hand-carved ice - will showcase Charles Schulz’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas!” Additionally, Lone

Star Christmas at Gaylord Texan will provide a winter wonderland including 1.5 million holiday LED lights, a 52-foot tall

rotating Christmas tree, a life-size gingerbread house, 12,000 ornaments, and Santa Claus himself, just to name a few.

We invite you to enjoy a magical holiday experience your family won’t soon forget!

Make your reservations today!817-722-9110 | WeFrozeCharlieBrown.com

Presented by

Proud Sponsor

Presented by

Proud Sponsor

Presented by

Overnight packages starting at

Per Night

$189*

*Plus tax. Rate includes breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children (ages 12 & under), self-parking in resort garage, and resort fee. Availability is limited at this rate. Not available for groups of 10 or more. Restrictions apply. Excluding New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2010.

© 2010 Peanuts Worldwide LLC | © 2010 The Coca-Cola Company

LSC10_PATown Mag.indd 1 10/22/10 3:22 PM

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

Membership

is FREE!

See page 15 for prize details!

page 6

November 16th at the

Plano Central Market!

President, Publisher

Editor-in-Chief

Contributing Editors

VP, Advertising & Business Development

Jennifer [email protected]

Teresa [email protected]

Homemade FunAmy Davis

[email protected]

[email protected]

DFW Family Fun GuideValerie Preston (Family eguide)

Felicia [email protected]

972.922.3622

We want to hear from YOU! Email or mail us your funny

stories, tender moments, practical solutions, recipes,

kid pictures & news, and more!

Contact UsPlayin’ Around TownPO Box 1415Frisco, TX 75035

Phone: 972.412.9712

Advertising Sales: 972.922.3622

Playin’ Around Town, the Magazine is published 6 times per year: Jan/Feb, Mar/April, May/June, July/August, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec. The PAT Magazine is distrib-uted FREE of charge.

Only authorized agents of PAT may distribute or pick up the magazine. We reserve the right to edit/reject/comment on all contributed materials.

Original contributions become property of Playin’ Around Town, and may be used in print, online, or in any fashion. Contributions will not be acknowledged or returned.

Online at:www.playinaroundtown.com

The MonkeyBunchLetter from the Editor

Visit us online at:www.playinaroundtown.com

Come out and play with us! Teresa Day

Bring your little ones to Plano Central Market on Nov. 16 from 10 am – noon for a holiday cookie decorating spectacular. Come and go as your schedule allows – we’ll have plenty of cook-ies! Bring your kids (ages 3-12) to the Community Room on the second floor CM Plano where your child can decorate sugar cookies with a wide array of holiday sprinkles, spreads and more!

To help get everyone in a festive mood, we’ll serve hot chocolate. Afterwards, mosey downstairs to the Café where you can enjoy lunch. The Central Market Café features a delectable salad bar, full grill with kids menu or you can grab sandwiches and soups to-go from the chilled chef-pre-pared case. ~ Central Market

Holiday Cookie Decorating Spectacular!

The holiday months are a very special time for everyone, but here at Playin’ Around Town, this holiday season is extra special because we are printing the first copies of our magazine!

The PAT magazine is FREE to all members, and you’ll be able to pick your copy up at any PAT event. Check out the calendars here and online, and make plans to come play with us.

We are thrilled to welcome Central Market into our mix of venues--you won’t want to miss their holiday cookie decorating event on November 16th! We are also returning to some of our favorite play places on our other dates.

Help us spread the word about Playin’ Around Town! We are having a membership drive in November, with a fabulous grand prize of a free night at the spectacular Gaylord Texan Resort, along with other family-fun prizes. We want every family to have the benefits that being a PAT member offers.

We hope you enjoy the holiday season, and we are so happy to be a part of your life!

www.playinaroundtown.com4 PAT Magazine | November/December 2010

Playin’ Around Town Events are always FREE to PAT members!

Not a member yet? WHY NOT? Visit www.playinaroundtown.com and become a member today. Membership is also FREE!

Playin’ Around Town’s business Partners host a variety of events for

families all over DFW!

Local businesses get to meet their actual

customers, and kids get to play around town!

Not yet a member? No problem! Sign up today

for FREE at playinaroundtown.com.

Fri, Nov 12thBounceU, Plano

9:30 - 1:00

PATPlay Time with

Tues, Nov 16thCentral Market, Plano

10:00 - 12:00

Mon, Nov 22thNTA, Coppell

9:30 - 12:30

Mon, Dec 6thPump It Up, Frisco

9:30 - 11:30

Mon, Dec 20thGoing Bonkers, Plano

10:00 - 1:00

November

Basketball, obstacle bounce house, velcro wall, toddler bounce

house, face painting and more!

December

Tues, Dec 28thBounceU, Plano

9:30 - 12:30

PAT Magazine | November/December 2010 www.playinaroundtown.com 5

here for people in our area,” says Martha. “We are truly a resort vacation destination right in your own backyard.”

In fact, Triple AAA’s “travel inspectors” recently named the Gaylord Texan Resort one of the top ten vaction spots for families.

Martha sees numerous fami-lies from the Dallas area opt to take their vacations at the Resort, and avoid the cost and hassles of traveling with their kids. “You can build a com-plete itinerary for your family to enjoy and never leave the property!” says Martha.

Whether you check in for the weekend or go for the day, you won’t soon forget this holiday experience!

Charlie Brown and SnoopyLead the way at the 7th annual

If you are wishing for an enchanted, magical moment to sweep you off your feet this holiday season, then you are about to get happy.

Right in our own neighbor-hood is a captivating wonder-land, a frozen world created by the hands of 40 ice-carving artisans flown to Grapevine from China. For 30 days, these artisans wield their chisels in a 14,000 square foot tent inside the Gaylord Texan Resort’s 4.5 acre atrium, with the temperature kept well below freezing. What they are carving will delight even the most jaded holdiay suf-ferer; 5,000 blocks of colored, frosted, and clear ice, creating frozen scenes of wonder from a most familiar source—Pea-nuts & the Gang.

If you haven’t made the trip out to the Gaylord Texan to experience the ICE! exhibit and the rest of the Lone Star Christmas Experience, you are truly missing a delightful opportunity.

ICE! including a giant ice slide (see picture across); a new ex-perience called SNOW! with a snowhill and 8 tubing lanes (really!); a scavenger hunt for the kids to find the 12 super cute topiary reindeer scattered throughout (one is sitting on

PAT Staff WriterLone Star Christmas Experience

The Gaylord Texan Resort employs an entire Special Events & Entertainment Team that is responsible for the amazing Lone Star Christ-mas Experience, as well as a spectacular summer event called SummerFest. This team pours year-round effort into planning, brainstorming, and executing these two events.

Martha Neibling, Director of Public Relations for the Gaylord Texan, referring to this Team says, “It’s our people that make the experience so good. They put enormous effort and creativity into this event.”

Indeed, the creativity factor for Lone Star Christmas is way past astonishing! The incred-ible ICE! exhibit featuring the Peanuts Gang is only one part of the entire Experience.

Inside the Gaylord, you will also encounter giant toy sol-diers and hurrying elves, arms full of packages & gifts; other amazing carved structures in

a bench with his legs crossed); a fun kid’s menu breakfast with the Charlie Brown & Snoopy characters each weekend; story time with Mrs. Claus; a life-sized gingerbread house decorated by the pastry kitchen

at the hotel (see table of con-tents page), and the incredible display of 1.5 million holiday lights and 12,000 handmade ornaments and wreaths. Whew!

“There’s so much to see and do

All photos copyright Gaylord Texas, used with permission

In China’s northernmost prov-ince (located across the border from Siberia), families are anticipating the original Snow & Ice Festival, held annually in the bustling city of Harbin.

Modern Harbin is a large port and trade city, but centuries ago, families earned their liv-ing by working and hunting in

The Ice Lantern’s Humble Beginningsthe dense forests. During the dark of the icy winters, getting lost and freezing to death was a constant danger.

The hunters’ solution was to freeze water in a wooden bucket, tapping it out just be-fore it was completely frozen through. The ice now had the shape of a bucket, but with an

open core in the middle where the water had not frozen.

When a candle was placed in the center of the ice lantern, the light was magnified, and the flame was protected from the wind! The communities celebrated the ice lantern at their festivals each year.

Even after modern lanterns and electricity became

available, Harbin continued to celebrate their heritage with local competitions for creating the most remarkable and intricate ice carvings.

Today, the annual festival in Harbin features gigantic ice sculptures, buildings, cities, famous landmarks, and of course, lanterns!

1.5million

2million

52feet high

12,000handmade

2 million pounds of clear, frosted and colored ice

1.5 million twinkling holiday lights hung from the top of the glass roof

52-foot rotating Christmas tree flanked by two 35-ft trees

12,000 handmade ornaments & wreaths hung throughout the atrium

A Glimpse of the Magic that Awaits You

2million

1.5million

52feet high

12,000handmade

Find more details at wefrozecharliebrown.com


PATPlay Time with DISCOVERY TOYS

HIGH-QUALITY BOOKS, TOYS & GAMESfor NEWBORN to 8+.

CHILDREN LEARN WHILE THEY PLAY!

START HOLIDAY SHOPPING NOW!10% off for

Playin’ Around Town membersRenee Anderson

817-235-2004 or [email protected] www.reneestoystore.com

Contact me to receive discount or to learn how to earn FREE toys or CASH!Contact me to receive discount or to learn how to earn FREE toys or CASH!

Athul, age 3

Molly, age 4

Fat RudolphSarah, age 15

Calling all moms, dads, and grandparents! Mail or email your child’s artwork, poems, funny sayings, and other expressions of genius!

We can not return your artwork or photos, so you might want to make a copy!

Renee will have her toy display set up at the PAT Event on Nov. 22nd @ NTA.

Get your shop-ping finished early!

Zane, age 11

Hudson, age 4


Mail:PAT MagazineJr. Monkey PlaygroundPO Box 1415Frisco, TX 75035

Email:[email protected]

Carson, age 4

Brendan, age 5

Chloe, age 4

Angelo, age 3

Hunter, age 5

Jr. Monkey Playground

Share Your Creativity!Share Your Creativity!

Gavon, age 7

Professionally, Brad Walters is passionately dedicated to saving families money on their mortgage loans and refinance pack-ages. Personally, he is a family man who makes dinner almost every night for his wife Traci and their kids Natalie and Austin, coaches the kids’ sports teams, and even romps around with the dogs, Biscuit and Nicky.

Brad has an impressive resume and financial services back-ground, including post-graduate education, passage of the difficult CPA exam, and CFO experience at multi-billion dollar institutions. While racking up those years of experience, Brad also learned something about himself: he could not bear the confinement of sitting at a desk in an office day after day!

So this family man (and licensed professional mortgage originator) finally brought together his passions, and started his own company, Castle Hills Mortgage. With the freedom that being owner and President of the company allows, Brad can split his working time between his Addison office and his Carrollton home, and avoid those ten-hour stretches in a desk chair over-seeing someone else’s interests.

He is just as passionate about helping you purchase or refinance your home as he is about taking charge of his life. “Owning a home is still a part of the American Dream. When consumers are uninformed about what a mortgage broker can do for them, they can get pushed into more house than they can afford, or pay fees they don’t need to pay,” says Brad. “A mortgage broker can

save your family thousands of dollars—just call me, and you’ll be surprised!”

Brad’s own recent experience while making a deposit at his bank backs up his bold assertion. “While standing in line in the open lobby, I overheard a loan officer going over their interest rate and closing costs with a customer seeking a refinance,” Brad said. “The officer gave this customer a much higher interest rate than I would have, and significant closing costs that we don’t include at Castle Hills Mortgage.”

What should this average homeowner know about their pro-posed loan? Brad says, “I want the consumer to know that the interest rate and the costs associated with closing the loan are not fixed – they are ‘set’ by whoever is offering the loans.” In-deed, the loan officer sitting behind the desk generally represents only one loan product—the bank’s! Brad’s firm can contact multiple lenders all across the country to find you a custom fit, and yes, generally save you money.

“The banks are making so much money off of families for the same product I can provide,” says Brad. “It’s such a shame that the consumer just doesn’t know. “

Castle Hills Mortgage, according to Brad, can be “preferential” to you, the customer, in a way that the banks simply cannot. In a big institution, it’s someone’s job to set rates according to current mortgage-backed securities, and the bank’s own policies and pre-determined profit margins. A loan officer is a bank employ-ee, and does not have latitude to change the interest rate or the fee structure given to him by his boss.

At Castle Hills, Brad is the owner and President. His firm employs 14 individuals ready to serve your loan needs, and his

Terms The #1 Bank Lender at 3 pm on 9/2/10

Castle Hills Mortgage*

30-year fixed loan

4.74% interest rate1.25 point

APR of 4.935%

4.25% interest rate0 point

APR of 4.320%

Difference to you

$3500 in costs at closing, and an extra $60 per month over the life of the loan

1-carat diamond ring 350 hours of babysitting

A round trip ticket to Paris 12,000 diapers

15 amazing date nights (flowers included)

may be closer than you thinkPAT Staff Writer

Dreams

The

Castleof your

Other Things you can Buy for $3500


charge to them is forthright and commanding: “Serve our customers with the best possible loan package they can get!”

You might be wondering at this point how much difference Brad could really make for you in your loan package? Well, as it turns out, A LOT! As I spoke with Brad at 3 pm on Sep-tember 2, 2010, I logged on to the web site of the number one banking lender in the country for residential mortgages to see what rates they were offering.

This chart compares their rate with what Castles Hills would have offered at the same time on a 30-year fixed loan for $200,000.

Now, a .5 difference in the advertised interest rate might not seem like something to holler about, but notice the other dif-ferences, which often go unnoticed by consumers. The APR (Annual Percentage Rate) is actually a better indicator of what you are going to be paying for the loan—the bank was offering 4.935% rate compared to Castle Hills rate of 4.320%. And, of course, points! Bank 1.25 point; Castle Hills 0 point. The combined savings in rates and fees is significant!

What does this mean for you? It means that if you didn’t know better, you might drive up to a major banking institution and sign papers borrowing a loan on which you would pay $3500 more in costs at closing, and $60/month more over the life of the loan. In real dollars, you’d pay $22,680 more for this loan than for the same loan at Castle Hills. Now, that is something to holler about!

Brad offered an analogy for the loan shopping process: “I am wearing a pair of Tommy Bahama flip flops right now that I bought at Costco for $19. I could have bought the same thing at the Tommy Bahama store, but I would have paid $39 in-stead. Shopping for a mortgage can be a similar experience—among other things, a mortgage broker can give you a better price than a bank.”

WHO should refinance? Don’t assume you already have a “low” interest rate. In the not-too-distant past, a 12% interest rate on a home loan was considered “low.” Two years ago, a 6% rate saved homeowners hundreds of thousands of dollars. Who could have imagined the rate would dip under 5%?

“EVERYBODY is a candidate for refinancing,” says Brad. “If you haven’t refinanced your home in the last 60 days, you could drop your interest rate ½ % point at NO cost to you. On $200,000 home, you could put $1500-1600 in your own pocket instead of giving it to your lender. “

For this flip-flop wearing, dinner-making, soccer-coaching, mortgage-brokering dad, his philosophy can be summed up in one sentence.

“I just want people to make a smart financial decision,” says Brad. “Refinance with me, and put that money away for yourself.”

Brad Walters only needs to know three things:

1. Your home loan balance2. Your current interest rate3. What your home could sell for in today’s

market

Armed with this information, Brad needs less time than the GEICO gecko to determine whether he can save you money on your mortgage loan. The

answer is usually a resounding YES!

Playin’ Around Town is hiring!

Position: Advertising & Event Sales

Location: North Dallas suburbs

We need help! If you have advertising sales expe-rience, love bringing businesses and customers

together in a fun environment, and want to help families experience old-fashioned FUN, then

we want to talk to you!

Sales position starts immediatelyPays commission on event & advertising sales Works with local businesses & national brands

Where trust, loyalty and good old-fashioned fun are making

a comeback.

The Playin’ Around Town Community

Send resume to [email protected]

This is a commissioned position with unlimited potential

$200K 30-yr fixed-rate mortgage with normal & customary closing costs. Rates subject to change without notice. Brad Walters NMLS #292785, Castle Hills Mortgage, 15851 Dallas Parkway, Suite 600, Addison, TX 75001 (972) 899-0385


65

4

12

3

Let’s Get Crafty

ScissorsPencil (for tracing)2 baby bottle JARS (same size)GlueMulti-colored construc-tion paper

The Grateful Turkey

Turkey head template (found on the PAT website)MarkersNail (or something sharp that parent can use to poke holes in baby jar lid)

hanksgiving

Does your family have an attitude of gratitude? Count

your blessings with this Grateful Turkey!

Get the kids involved in decorating the holiday table with our creative salt & pepper shakers.

In the days before Thanksgiving, encourage each child (and grown up!) to write what they are thankful for on one of the turkey feathers and attach it to the Grateful Turkey. During your holiday dinner, use the turkey as a centerpiece, and take turns reading the feathers.

salt & pepper shakersThanksgivingT

7

Have your child color the turkey head and cut it out. Glue the turkey head to the front of the jar

Download and print the turkey head template from the PAT website

Trace your child/rens hands on multiple colors of con-struction paper and have them cut them out (about 10 hands) for feathers

Have your child glue the hands to the back of the jar, spread out like turkey feathers

Have an adult puncture several small holes in the lid of the jar (a nail should work)

Repeat steps 1-5 for next jar

Fill with salt & pepper for the Thanksgiving Day table!


Let’s Get Crafty

½ foam ballMulti-colored construction paperScissorsPopsicle sticks or toothpicks

1

2

3

6

5

4

Paint the foam half- ball with brown paint and let it dry about an hour

Download and print the grateful turkey template from the PAT website.

Using colorful construction paper, trace and cut out the turkey face and about 25 grateful feathers.

Assemble turkey’s face and glue together. Glue each feather to a popsicle stick (or toothpick).

Glue the turkey face to the foam half-ball.

Make it easy to keep up the tradition each day by preparing the feathers with the statement “I am thankful for ____________________.”

These days, nearly every television show, radio pro-gram, cartoon, and movie reinforces sarcasm, ridi-cule, and the mistreatment of others to our children, who already know how to be mean to each other!

Fight the trend by instilling the old-fashioned virtue of gratitude by making PAT’s Grateful Turkey!

All supplies can be easily found at a craft or discount store. Acrylic paint – brownish colorPaint brushPencilGlue or paste


When we get weighed down by the heaviness of our cares and worries, we need to be reminded that the world is indeed filled with magic and wonder.

If you ever find yourself in need of that reminder, go visit the online galleries of www.sonialynnphotography.com,

Meet Two of the Playin’ Around Town Women

Holding son Barrett.

Sharing a moment with daughter Lexi, who also graces our cover

Sonia with her 4 boys!

Vote on the PAT website for the Jan/Feb cover model!

explains Felicia Mupo, Playin’ Around Town’s VP of Sales & Advertising.

“My job in financial services, though an important role at the bank, had stopped challenging me, and I wanted more one-on-one time with my young daughter instead of leaving her with the nanny each week,” she said. “My co-workers were laying bets that I wouldn’t last 6 months as a stay-at-home mom!”

Felicia’s response to her co-workers’ skepticism about her new role, how-ever, did not lead to her return to corporate America. Instead, Felicia and her husband had another baby! “This time around,” she laughs, “I got a taste of real full-time mommy-hood!”

While the drudgery of mopping up, sweeping up, cleaning up and staying up did not deter Felicia’s enthusiasm over her giant career change, she did begin to miss a few things about working out in the world. Soon after recognizing these feelings, Felicia ran into Jennifer Morales and the Playin’ Around Town group at an event. “I went straight to the PAT website when I got home,” she says, “and fell in love!”

Noticing that a sales position was open on the Playin’ Around Town team, Felicia joined the group as a member and applied for the job on the same day. “I am very happy with my life now,” says Felicia. “I have my social and professional needs met, and I get more mommy time.”

PAT Staff Writer

and be prepared to feel good again about the world and all it contains!

Photographer Sonia Pancratz spent many years on the other side of the camera as a model. Maybe this experience contributes to her amazing ability to capture the gen-uine spontaneity of her subjects. Maybe she’s just so in tune with people, especially the children, that she knows exactly the right moment to snap the shutter. Maybe it’s just pure talent, or some magical com-bination of all three.

Regardless of how her magic is released, Playin’ Around Town Magazine is thrilled to be the beneficiary of Sonia’s creative vi-sion on this month’s cover (see Lexi Mupo in that adorable red skirt taking charge of her world). Sonia will also be shooting all of our covers for 2011, and that leaves us feeling very magical!

www.sonialynnphotography.com

PAT Magazine’s three cover model finalists are all receiving a photo ses-sion with Sonia. The photos will be posted on the PAT website, and all PAT members will vote for the final winner, deciding who will take the cover in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue.

I got tired of having a standing reservation for seat on the to Manhattan every Monday morning,“ ”

4A6:30am


Grand Prize one night free

at the Gaylord Texan

Resort!

plus additional family fun prizesSpa product basket valued at $100

All things fun in DFW

2

3

Grand Prize one night FREE at Gaylord Texas Resort!

Join over 4,000 families who already love Playin’ Around Town with their kids. Membership is FREE! So, spread the word about Playin’ Around Town membership benefits, and qualify to win a free night at the Gaylord Texas Resort!

When you refer a friend, and she becomes a member of PAT, both of you will receive an entry into our Membership Drive Drawing* But don’t wait on your friends! If you’re not a member of PAT yet, why not? Sign up on our website, and you will be entered into the drawing! Membership is free!

Play with your kids all around DFW at events sponsored by local business owners & national brands

Discover new places, make new friends, and find valuable goods and services rel-evant to your life

1

They pick up the cost of entry, and you and your family have a blast without breaking the family piggy bank!

Benefits of Membership

Membership is FREE! Sign up at www.playinaroundtown.com

Are you playin’ around enoughwith YOUR family?

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

Membership

is FREE!

Have FUN with your family, have FUN with your friends, and win a free night at the Gaylord Texan Resort!

*for details on how to enter and win, visit the PAT website

Family Solutions

50+ years, my life truly could not get any better than how I feel with the bedtime story, the singing, the cuddling, the little arms around my neck, and my grandson saying, “I love you Grammie.”

To those grandparents who find themselves parenting their grandchildren, whether it’s full-time, part-time, temporary or permanent, you know what we have discovered. We are the ones who are blessed, and we daily receive so much more than we ever could give.

portion of halibut, which came with green beans and lobster mashed potatoes. He ate it all, plus dessert!

We were surprised that pretty much every place we went the children’s menus only offered the same chicken fingers, pizza, and mac and cheese. If that’s all kids are offered, that’s all they’ll eat, and they’ll never explore other foods. Why not offer smaller portions of the main menu? I know that Gavon will benefit from his food curiousity the rest of his life.

Babysitters weren’t our only shock, to say the least, because our lives did drastically change in many ways. I’m not saying life was worse, (it wasn’t), but it was completely upside down for awhile.

We did eventually attain a rhythm, and on a bad day, I knew the sweetest time of day was yet to come—bedtime. Now you may be smiling because you think you know where this is going….the kid is asleep, and you can get a couple of hours of alone time, uninterrupted. No, the sweetest part of the night for me was our bedtime ritual. Though I had experienced many things in my

We’d been married 18 years when my husband and I took on the care of his daughter’s young son, our grandson Gavon. We raised him for a year and a half, and while we found it to be the hardest job either of us had ever had, it was always worth it, and we have never doubted (or regretted) our decision.

In our former life, we were used to going out to dinner frequent-ly. Once we had Gavon, one of our biggest shocks was the $10 an-hour babysitter! We began to eat a lot faster when we went out, and stopped lingering for coffee or conversation after.

It wasn’t long before we discovered that in between babysitters, we could indulge our desire to go out by taking Gavon with us. We explained the “rules” of dining in restaurants, and discussed manners on his level. He understood that if he behaved well, he’d get to go again.

We were astonished at how easy it was to take him! He loved it from the start. He quickly began ordering for himself. We were very proud on his sixth birthday when he ordered an adult

When Grandparents Fill in the Gaps

Janet DeLaurier is a freelance writer and lives in Plano with her husband of 21 years, her stepdaughter, and 7 year-old grandson.

By Janet DeLaurier

I was in my late 50’s, had intentionally not had kids, never babysat, was an only child, and didn’t even have a cousin. Yet, suddenly, I found myself in the midst of Legos, a car seat, and preschool lunches to be packed.


Monkey Chatter

Tales from the Jungle

Moms, we know it’s a jungle out there, and you are the ones who know how to survive it! Often all it takes is a little laughter, inspired by those same little monkeys driving us up the banana tree!

Happy Birthday!

email [email protected]

Addisyn R. turns 1

Colton D. turns 4

Brandt D. loves playin’ around town in his monkey suit!

Emily M. turns 2

Kaylee K. turns 3

When Millie was sitting on her grandmother’s lap and wiggling around, she accidentally poked her elbow deep into her grandmoth-er’s leg. Gran exclaimed, “Millie, your elbow is sharp!” Without missing a beat, 3 year-old Millie nodded knowingly and said, “Yes. I’ve been sharpening it.” ~Teresa D., Frisco

Tyler asked his dad, “Since Mom grounded me from the Xbox, can I go down to Josh’s and play on his?” ~Jennifer M., Rowlett

Every parent knows that children do indeed say the funniest things. We want you to write them down and send them to us!

Laughter is good medicine!


Come see Renata on Nov. 22 @

NTA!

Serv e it wi th scramble

r rinner !”

reakfast for

dinner)

playinaroundtown.com

Soup:Cream of ChickenCream of CeleryCream of Broccoli

Vegetables:BroccoliCarrotsCeleryCauliflower

Served over:PastaRice

Topped with:CheeseBread crumbs

4 chicken breasts1 can of your favorite soup1/2 cup milkYour choice of vegetablesSalt & pepper

If breasts are very thick, slice in half lengthwise to shorten cooking time. Arrange in a baking dish, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Combine milk and soup choice and pour over chicken. Add vegetables of your choice, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

Serve over rice or noodles, toppings your choice!

Family Choice CasseroleOptional:Worchestershire sauce Sliced black olives

Mix ‘n Match

Choose your favorites from each category.

We want to hear from you

Let us know how your recipe turned out. If you change or add any ingredients, send us a picture of your finished dish and tell us how you made it!

YOUR recipe could be featured on our website! “We love PAT and have been members for a little over a year! We’ve learned about kid-friendly venues around the DFW metroplex, seen great products and received infor-mation from the sponsors, and met lots of other parents in the area...

...and it’s all FREE, FREE, FREE! With this econo-my it is a blessing to be able to go to events when you are on a tight budget!”

--member family of Playin’ Around Town



1 cup oil1 cup brown sugar1 cup sugar2/3 cup water2 cups pumpkin (1 can)2 eggs

Combine well in a mixer, or beat vigorously by hand.

Combine in a separate bowl, then add all at once to mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Pour into 2 large bread loaf pans, greased. Cook at 350 til tests done, about 45-50 minutes.

pumpkin bread

1/3 c. butter1/4 c. sugar1/4 c. brown sugarpinch of salt5 tablespoons flour1/2 cup oats1/4 tsp cinnamon1/4 tsp nutmeg

optional: 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ1/2 cup pecans

1 1/2 cup flour1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour2 tsp soda1 1/2 tsp salt1 tsp cinammon1 tsp nutmeg1 cup pecans or walnuts

Mix together and press on top of apples to cover. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

2 cans of apple pie filling, cherry pie filling, blueberry pie filling, or a combination!

Apple Crisp


DFW Area AdventuresHere are some great family fun adventures for you and your family, in and around DFW! This section is made possible by Family eGuide. Please visit their website at: www.familyeguide.com for more information about these events , in addition to many others.

6 Saturday9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Kids' Workshop at The Home Depot10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Babysitting Class at Medical Center of Plano10:00 AM - 3:00 PM American Red Cross Babysitting Class Flower Mound11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Lewisville Public Library Coupon Swap2:00 PM - 3:00 PM LEGO® Atlantis Kids Party at Borders Lewisville7 Sunday1:00 PM - 3:00 PM 12th Annual Flower Mound Veterans Day Ceremony8 Monday9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Greater Lewisville Early Childhood PTA Meeting11 Thursday7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Acclaimed Vietnam Play Coming to Hebron Stage (11/11 - 11/13)Friday, 11/12/20106:00 PM - 7:30 PM Family Game Night at Barnes & Noble Highland Village6:00 PM - 9:30 PM Friday NIte Fun at Lewisville Rec 13 Saturday7th Annual Dorothy's Dash for MS 5K Run/Walk and Kid's K8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Safety Seat Inspections Flower Mound

November1 MondayAutumn at the Arboretum (through 11/14)10:30 AM - 11:15 AM FREE Kindermusik Class at Brilliant Sky Toys Highland Village2 Tuesday7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Sounds of Lewisville Fall Concert Series3 Wednesday12:30 PM - 1:00 PM Fish Feeding at Bass Pro (Every Wednesday)4 Thursday6:30 PM - 8:00 PM FOCUS Program: For Families of Children with PDD5 FridayGrapevine Mills Hosts Carson & Barnes Circus (11/5 - 11/7)11:30 AM - 12:15 PM First Friday Fun - Lewisville Library6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Free Concert at Castle Hills: The Pants7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Velveteen Rabbit at The Colony Play-house (11/5-14; various dates & times)


Advertise your business in Playin’ Around Town, the Magazine

Reach thousands of your customers and build relationships with them through sponsoring our PAT events, advertising in the magazine and on our web site.

Contact Felicia Mupo for advertising rates and media kit. 972.922.3622 [email protected]

Classified advertising available!

Call Felicia Mupo for rate schedule

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Documents

Playin' Around Town - Nov/Dec2010