Carol | Growing Up Austin

Author Archives: Carol

Austin Kids Recommended – May 11-17

May 11, 2012

Welcome to the first edition of Austin Kids Recommended, Austin’s tiniest kids’ calendar. Each Friday, I’ll recommend just 3-5 events, usually hiking, music and art related, during the coming week. It’s Fast, Easy and Fun. To make it even easier, click here to get GrowingUpAustin in your inbox.

Moonlight Hike – Bastrop State Park
Friday, May 11, 8pm, Bastrop State Park
It is hot, hot, hot already, so checkout a hike after the sun goes down, with a guided moonlight hike at Bastrop State Park. This is recommended for kids 6 and older, since it is nearly dark and all. This is a recurring event, so check out the web site for future hikes. Many thanks for this tip goes to Nature Rocks Austin, a non-profit that encourages kids to experience nature in Austin, Texas.

Carolyn Wonderland at the Nutty Brown Theater
Saturday, May 12, opener at 6:30, Carolyn at 8
I love when a brilliant musician plays a kid-friendly venue at a reasonable time. I also love it when they play the Nutty Brown Cafe on a Saturday, when it is easier to get so far South. It’s a little on the pricey side at $15 a person, but if you can swing it, it’s worth it.

Crack of Dawn Hike – Bull Creek
Sunday, May 6th, 8am, Bull Creek Park (check out my Bull Creek page)
It it is hot, hot, hot already, so if the 8pm hike doesn’t work out, check out the 8am Sunday morning hike from the Austin Crack of Dawn Hiking Meetup Group. It is better for kids six and older, since the hikes are long and you need to keep up with the group. If you miss this Sunday, keep an eye on their calendar for future hikes. Many thanks for this tip goes to Lindsay Shugerman from A is for Austin.

Austin Art Yards – Always Open
All the time, click on link above for more info
It might be hot, hot, hot already but it isn’t hot, hot, hot, hot, hot like it will be, so check out the funky folk art around town. This is a favorite of mine because it works for every age kid in different ways, it can be as short or long as you want and it’s very three-dimensional, with lots of textures and colors.

If you have an idea for a future edition of Austin Kids Recommended, send it to carol@growingupaustin.com. If it is included, I’ll include a link to your site.

Posted in Austin Kids Recommended! | Comments (2)

The Texas State Capitol for Toddlers

May 9, 2012

There are so may great things about Austin, it almost doesn’t seem fair that we also get to be the Capitol of Texas. The Texas State Capitol building was first built in 1888 and it had significant renovations and extensions in the 1990s.

Top 5 reasons why my little girls like the Texas State Capitol:

1. The rotunda is round and tall, in layers, up to a domed ceiling, which makes them run in circles with their arms spread wide open.

2. There are lots of stairs that are fun to climb up and down.

3. Besides the stairs, there are the elevators, and they take you underground which is a little scary, but exciting at the same time.

4. When you walk in the hallways underground, you can see bushes above you, through windows in the ceiling, when everyone knows bushes are supposed to be on the ground and how is it possible that there is dirt ABOVE your head?

5. If you stop by the Sergeant-at-Arms office (2W7), the staff will give you a free sticker.

Top 5 reasons why I like the Texas State Capitol:

1. The building is air-conditioned and heated, out of the rain, open generous hours and free. (That is five reasons in one.)

2. The building’s classic architecture if beautiful. (Buildings are art too, so I included the Capitol in AustinKidsDraw.com, here.)

3. The experience is art and exercise in one, with all the stairs and long underground hallways.

4. It is a good experience when extended family is in town. People of every age will find something different to see and think about.

5. Our country’s democracy is messy and difficult and frustrating, but I am amazed like-a-little-kid that democracy is only a few hundred years old and I get to live in the country that invented it. In my small ways that my girls might not understand at all, I try to share this enthusiasm with them.

When my girls are older and have a longer attention span, we’ll take the official self-guided or guided tour.

One important thing to know – in the rotunda, on the upper floors, where you can walk around the circular dome, the railings are historically accurate. This means they don’t meet current safety standards. The rails are far enough apart that a kid can get through. If your toddlers are monkey-like, you will need to stay very close to them or don’t go to the upper floors of the rotunda.

I hope you get to enjoy the Texas State Capitol with your kids!

Posted in Austin Kids Draw! | Comments (2)

Sometimes It is Better to Stop

May 7, 2012

Growing Up Austin Parenting

Errands are slower with kids. Sometime just getting everyone in the car and buckled in takes twenty minutes. When I run errands by myself now, I feel like a time traveler, everything gets done so fast. One kid is faster than two though, so when I was running errands with Sparkles, we weren’t doing too bad. I had one errand left when Sparkles said she was thirsty, which was frustrating, because I was so tired.

In my younger days, I would have buckled down and gotten my business done no matter what.

These days, I stop for a coffee and a glass of milk.

Sparkles and I talked about our days and what we wanted to do over the weekend. Then we talked about her school and our cat Daisy. It was relaxing and sweet, just some simple time to enjoy each other.

I didn’t get my final errand done that weekend, but I’d rather share a drink and conversation with my little girl than have a perfectly complete to-do list. It took me a while to figure that out, that sometimes you get more by doing less, and sometimes it is better to stop.