KMOS PBS Kids' Day

So I heard about this free event at the Expo center from my friend.  And since my nephew was in town, I thought, "let's give it a whirl."
It was a really cool event for being free.  They had Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George, Sid the Science Kid, and other PBS characters you could get your picture taken with.  They had projects kids could do and "learning" stations.  They also had a few screenings, like for kids' eyes that you could do for free.

BUT


There were probably 3,000 people there.  You had to wait in line for EVERYTHING.  I got there right at 10am, when it started and still waited in line to enter.  By the time I left, that line was out the door and through the parking lot.  Each character, you had to wait in line for at least 10 minutes.  And the only way you could get the "free" coloring book was to get a stamp from each character, forcing you to wait in line for each character.  We chose not to do that, as my nephew was totally freaked out by all the people and the giant characters.

I'd recommend going to this event only IF they make major changes to how it's organized.  Totally not worth it with 3,000 other people.

Super Pages Circus

The circus was in town last weekend and lucky for me, my nephew was in town so I had a reason to go!
I thought it was going to be a cheap night because I had a coupon for a free child admission, but little did I know it cost $15 for an adult admission!
As far as circus's go, they had elephants, camels, horses, people swinging on ropes, etc. Decent acts. However, for the cost, I'd recommend waiting and spending your money for Barnum and Bailey.
I did not appreciate between every two acts them trying to sell some "cool" toy to kids.  I could tell other parents were also not pleased.  Quite the money suck.  You could ride an elephant for the cost of $5 a child, and $8 an adult, but they crowded about 6 people at a time on each elephant.
So overall, it gave me something to do with my nephew and had some fun acts, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they wanted to spend a ton of money!
Here's some pictures:
Chick riding an elephant.

 My nephew and Laura and Bella, clearly engrossed by something.

 What they called the "Cage of Death" and yes, that is a woman standing in it with two motorcycles driving around her.

 The lions.  They were VERY large.

 I only included this picture, because yes, the woman on the right is swinging by her hair.

State Capitol Tour

Recently we went on the state capitol tour in Jefferson City.  It's only about 45 min. from Columbia and a free tour that runs about every 20 min.  The only downside is that those tours include school groups, so if you're there when a school group is, you're included in the bunch.  We happened to go when a group of 4th graders were there.

This is a decent tour, not very long, free, and gives you a brief history of the state.

I'd recommend it for probably kids around the 4th grade or older, and maybe on a rainy day.  The 4th graders we were with had a hard time paying attention.

Here are some pictures I stole from the internet.  :-)
The Thomas Hart Benton mural.  This tells a brief history of the state from his perspective.

This is the room the state representatives use.  They let you sit in the gallery even if they are in session.  They weren't, but I've been there before when they were.  It's pretty cool.

This is a picture of the rotunda.  It's pretty gorgeous.

Galactic Fun Zone

We went to Galactic Fun Zone for my birthday last week.  I was a little worried because it doesn't look the greatest on the outside, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.  It's run by two former MU football players, and you can tell they really put some thought into it.  They have cosmic bowling at all times (not just on Friday and Saturday evenings like most bowling alleys), laser tag, a large arcade with pool, shuffleboard, dance-dance revolution, and a whole host of other games, plus a bar/lounge.  It's a good event for kids or adults because you can pick and choose where/what you want to do.  Plus, they have GIANT tv's above the bowling lanes, which looked really cool.

One of the owners, Monte, was there when I got there and offered to open the lounge up for me and my friends, which was super nice, but we decided the bar at the bowling alley would suit our needs just fine.  I was really impressed he'd do that for us though.

We were fortunate enough to have an Add Sheet deal-of-the-day coupon, so we had a great deal on playing games and so forth.  Otherwise, it may have been a bit of a pricey deal for us to do everything.  It costs $7 a person for one 10-min game of laser tag, $7 for a game of bowling and $1 for 4 tokens to play in the arcade.  They also have food.  It's all bar food, but it's good, and not too expensive.  About what you'd expect to pay for bar food elsewhere.

My only real complaint was they clearly haven't put a ton of money into the arcade.  One of the dance-dance revolution machines was broken, as was shuffleboard, a skeeball machine, and a couple of other games.  Even without those things, they still had plenty to do, but it'd be something I'd like to see an improvement on over time.

My overall recommendation is to definitely check it out.  I'll be going back.  It was a great, fun time.

 My team lost our laser tag game, but we looked good doing it!

What a great pic of me and some of my friends!

Kid's Movie at the Armory

On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month, the City of Columbia hosts a free kids' movie at the armory.  I was a bit skeptical of this event, but I rounded up some friends' kids and gave it a whirl.

Tangled was the movie of the night.

I was highly impressed with this event for kids.  It included free popcorn and lemonade for everyone.  It was held in a room with a projection television and surround sound, so for all the kids know, it's just like a theater!  The best part was that because everyone there also had kids around the same ages, no one seemed to be really bothered by the fact that the kids got restless and moved around and switched chairs and were up and down, up and down...... If you have kids, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I would definitely recommend this event if you have kids, and look forward to taking kids I know to this event in the future.

P.S.  Tangled is a pretty cute movie.

Black and Gold Game April 2011

In the springtime, the Mizzou football team holds a Black and Gold game where the team plays each other and gives fans an opportunity to scout out what the team in the fall will look like.  Normally, I go to this event because I'm a huge Mizzou fan.  However, it was FREEZING outside and the wind was a strong, bitter, cold.  I said "no, thank you" and opted out of going.  My husband is obviously a better fan than me because he braved the cold and went anyway.  I'll tell you his review in a minute, but first....

The same weekend as the Black and Gold game, the Tiger Team Store at Faurot Field has a tent sale.  We got there at 8:30am and it was one of the most amazing sales I've ever been to.  They had Mizzou t-shirts from 2008 and 2009 for $0.99!!!  They also had baseball cleats for $10, game day worn jerseys from all sports, and all kinds of other things for sale.  As my husband said, "you can't even buy a rag for $0.99!  Much less, a t-shirt!"  So needless to say, we bought about 20 t-shirts, a sweatshirt, sweatpants, gym shorts, a polo shirt, etc.  It was AWESOME because it was also Mizzou stuff, which we always like to wear if we can!

Anyway, so on to my husband's review of the Black and Gold Game:
This was a good event for kids and families because it only cost $3 or 3 canned goods for the food bank.  There was no assigned seating and lots of open seats, so kids could run around and it was no big deal.  They were also supposed to have bouncy houses, but I didn't see any.  Maybe they didn't put them up because the wind was really strong.  It was just a good event for kids to see a college football "game" for cheap and without having to worry about them sitting still.

We have zero pictures of this event.  We have got to get better about taking pictures!

Artrageous Fridays April 2011

Once a quarter, downtown Columbia has Artrageous Fridays.  It's an event where many places downtown have sales and display artwork by various artists.  This past Friday, it was cold, like when they do the January Artrageous Fridays, so it wasn't the most pleasant weather I could picture.

We picked up a booklet of the venues that participate in Artrageous Fridays at Poppy.  It was a very nice booklet, told a little bit about each place and what they had available.  The biggest problem I saw was that it only listed the address of each venue.  I couldn't find a map for the life of me.  So I wasn't sure if things were close together, worth the walk, or in some cases, even where it was located in the first place!  I see this as a horrible oversight for the event.  Especially when it's cold, I want to know how long it's going to take me to get to the next place where I can get warm again.  It probably didn't help that we went to Red Mango, a frozen yogurt and smoothie place, but the place was new and I just had to try it.  (I personally like YogoLuv better, but the difference between the two is pretty slight.)

My recommendation is that this is an ok event if you are looking for an excuse to go downtown or if you've had your eye on something at a store downtown and may want to catch a sale.  Otherwise, I'm not sure it's any different than going downtown any other night of the week.  I'm also not sure there are that many things for kids to do at this event unless you are going out to eat, so I'm going to label this event as an adult event.

Here are some pictures from the night.  Sorry they are so dark, my camera isn't the greatest and I forgot to take pictures until it was pretty late in the evening.

Here is a picture from Bluestem where we were checking out Mike's woodworking competition.  (My husband sells things at Poppy, a similar store around the corner.)

 9th Street

 Broadway

Vet School Open House

Yesterday I went to the Vet School Open House.  I'd also planned to go Kite Flying Day at Douglas Park, but there was so much to do at the Open House, I spent WAY more time there than I planned.  Guess I'll just have to go fly a kite some other day on my own!

For a free event, it was awesome for families.  The Purina Trick Dog Show was a must-see.  There were lots and lots of animals for kids to get up close to and touch, there was even a fistulated cow you could view.  (I wasn't even aware these things existed.  Apparently, they put a hole in the cow and are able to watch how the cow digests food.  Both gross and fascinating.)  It also helped that it was another gorgeous day.

I'd recommend this event to anyone.  For a free event and lots to do, it was a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

I forgot to take pictures so thank goodness my friend Rachel took some great pictures of her kids.  This is Lilly petting a horse (obviously).

 This is Lilly and Tuna getting up close to a little goat.

Upcoming Events April/May 2011

I realized that you may want to know what things are coming up as well as knowing what I think about them. No sense in me hoarding all the good times and then telling you about them after the fact! That's just plain selfish!

So, here's a list of events I plan to do over the next 2 months. Can't guarantee I'll make all of them because things come up and some are weather-permitting, but I'm going to try.  I'm also going to try to squeeze in going to the pool, going to parks around town, etc.  If you know of something I don't mention, please tell me about it!  I'm open to anything and everything!

April:

Friday, April 15th 6:00pm-9:00pm Artrageous Fridays in downtown Columbia
A good time to walk around downtown Columbia and check out the stores and sales.  As a personal plug, check out my husband's woodworking at Poppy.  (http://poppyarts.com)  For more information about Artrageous Fridays, click here:  http://www.artrageousfridays.com/


Saturday, April 16th 6:00pm-8:30pm Movie Night at the Armory Sports Center
I read somewhere that they are showing "Tangled", but I for the life of me can't find where it says that now!  Free soft drinks and popcorn though!


Sunday, April 17th 12:00pm-7:00pm Earth Day at Peace Park
Rain date is May 1st.  I haven't loved this event in the past because it is VERY crowded, but I'm willing to give it another go-around.  For more information, click here:  http://columbiaearthday.org/


Wednesday, April 20th  6:oopm Family Fun Fest at Flat Branch Park- Teen Fest Night
Enjoy the bungee run, art wall, activities and more. All ages welcome. In recognition of child abuse prevention month and alcohol awareness month.


Saturday, April 23th  8:oopm Star Gazing at Lake of the Woods golf course. 
Pre-registration is required.  In case of overcast skies be sure and check the Parks and Rec hotline at 874-7663.  Class is free though.


Friday-Saturday April 29th-30th Camping????  If you're not a camper, try Bark for Life
We haven't decided on a campground, or even if we are going for sure, but this is the only weekend that looks like a good weekend.  If you can't go camping this weekend, then think about doing this:  http://bark4life.org/   If I don't got camping, I'll probably do this and bring my dog Molly with me!



May:
Friday, May 6th 8:30p Outdoor Movie in the Park at Flat Branch Park
Showing "Megamind"  $2, kids 8 and under are free.


Saturday, May 7th  11a-4p Paquin Art Show
Featuring work of participants of the Adapted Community Recreation program at Paquin Tower.  Paintings and ceramics will be available for viewing and purchase.  Admission is free.


Sunday, May 8th  MOTHER'S DAY.
Go spend the day with your mom or a special woman in your life.  My mom is going to come and help me get my yard into tip-top shape.


Wednesday, May 18th Family Fun Fest at Flat Branch Park- Fitness is Fun
Celebrate Bike, Walk and Wheel Week and learn ways to stay fit. Sponsored by the ARC


Friday, May 27th, Saturday May 28th, Sunday May 29th For the People Pow Wow at Boone County Fairgrounds
Native American Art Vendors, Native Food, Raffles, Fun for the whole family, so says the flier.  Plus adults are only $3 and kids are $1. Bring your own chairs and check it out here:  http://www.msptv.org/2011_Pow_Wow_Flier.pdf


I'm also considering some of the Inside Columbia events coming up, but I need to decide which events are most cost effective for our budget.  check them out here:  http://www.insidecolumbia.net/
Inside Columbia Magazine's Best of Columbia Party is April 14th from 5pm-8pm
Inside Columbia Magazine's Beer Festival 2011 is April 16th from 1pm-4pm
Inside Columbia Magazine's Wine and Food Festival 2011 is May 16th-May 21st at a variety of times.

Tons of Trucks

Let me tell you, it was a beautiful day to be in the park today! However, unless you have a kid that likes trucks, Tons of Trucks........ totally not the place in the park you want to be!

As a person without a child, this was not an event I would have wanted to be at. There were a CRAZY amount of children running around, parking was atrocious, and everyone (and by everyone, I mean young children who may not understand lines yet) had to wait in line to sit in each truck...... even the crappy trucks.

However, being the person I am, I made the best of the situation and found some friends that were having a better time than me.

Here's my friend Tristan enjoying time on a Gator:

Here's my friend Brody enjoying a sucker..... and riding in a tractor.

Here's the ridiculous line for one SIDE of the fire truck. The other side had an equally long line.

All the tow-trucks:

Look at all the people walking TOWARDS Tons of Trucks as I walk in the opposite direction!

Stephens Park

Yesterday, I took my puppy Molly to the park. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was out, it was in the upper 60's, and lots of people were also at the park with their dogs and/or kids. I saw people flying kites and frisbees, having picnics and bbqs, and even fishing.

Stephens Park is a wonderful park in Columbia. There are playgrounds, paved paths to walk on, and lots of green space. They have a lake where you can fish, and when it's summer, they have a swimming area with a beach and a sprinkler park for the kids to run through. One thing the Parks and Rec dept have added in recent years is free wireless internet. I think this is a fabulous addition for students because then they can study at the park on a nice day. I wish they'd had that feature when I was in school! The paths at the park have been marked for distance. The big loop is 1.6 miles, and the small loop is .7 miles. If you do the math like I did, you'll realize that 2 big loops and 1 small loop is almost a 5k. I didn't walk that far yesterday, but my friend Katie and her 2 year old son Jack were with me and Jack wasn't really interested in walking. He was way more interested in the kites, frisbees, water, and the playground!

This picture is looking down at the lake and the bridge/islands that cut it in two.

This is what they call the "sledding hill". Obviously, there was no snow, so it served as a great launching zone for frisbees and kites.

Here's pictures of Molly enjoying the park. Apparently she really likes water because when I got too close to the lake, she jumped right in. Let's just say a bath was in order when we got home!

Happy Hours in Columbia

I absolutely LOVE happy hours. Seriously, what's not to like? Good food and great prices! So I've decided to tell you about four of my favorite happy hours in Columbia.

The Heidelberg

http://www.theheidelberg.com/

This is a Columbia staple, close to campus. They have buy one, get one free appetizers, which is a phenomenal deal for the portion sizes you get! Some of my favorites are the pretzels, bacon and cheddar skins, and the breaded mushrooms. There are also fairly good specials on drinks, both beer and house drinks. The Berg's drinks used to be even better priced, but I guess they figured that it was a little TOO good of a deal. Happy hour runs from 3:30pm-7:00pm Monday-Friday, and then after 10:00pm, but I'm never out that late!

Houlihans

http://www.houlihans.com/

This is pretty much the only chain restaurant I eat at, ever. I like to eat at local places whenever possible. They have different happy hour specials every day in addition to the regular specials, and happy hour runs from 4:00pm-7:00pm Monday-Friday and after 9:00pm. Their food specials are ok. $6 small plates (appetizers) and lots of choices, my favorite is the spinach dip or chicken nachos. But the best part of their happy hours are half off Long Island Iced Tea pitchers (about $3.50 each). These are HUGE and there are different flavors that taste awesome.

Room 38

http://room-38.com/

This may be my favorite of the four! It's located across the street from the courthouse downtown. They have $3 calls, $4 wines by the glass, half off draft beer and import bottles. THEN they have half off certain small plates (appetizers). Wok Seared Edamame, Spicy Chicken Queso Dip, Roasted Red Pepper Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Jalapeno Crab Rangoon Sticks, and Sweet Butter Soft Pretzel Bites are all my favorites. The best thing to do is to go with a group so everyone can order something different, and then share! I am so hungry just thinking about it! PHENOMENAL food and prices for happy hour. It runs 3:30pm-6:30pm, Monday-Friday.

Truman's

http://www.trumansbar.com/

This one is a little out of the way for me because it is literally on the complete opposite side of town from my house. It's on West Broadway, near the original Hy-Vee. Their website isn't allowing me to look at their menu to remind me of their official happy hour times, but I do know that on Tuesdays, it's all day happy hour. Drinks and appetizers are SUPER cheap.... it's half off (not including wings). My husband and I ordered nachos (giant portion), mozzarella sticks, and 7 whiskey and diets and only paid $32 with tip!! And let me tell you, when I say whiskey and diet, it actually means mostly whiskey. It's the only time I have ever had to order an additional diet coke to mix with the drink because it was too strong for me to drink by itself. It's also the only time I've seen my husband as drunk as he was. It was pretty hilarious. So check out Trumans if you are on that side of town!

Now that you know which places have my stamp of approval, maybe I'll see you there!

The Drag Show at SoCo Club

On Thursday evenings in Columbia, at the SoCo Club, there is a drag show. I absolutely LOVE it. It's the only bar I've ever gone to whose primary purpose is for drinking and dancing, and I don't feel judged, overweight, frumpy, too old, or whatever the negative adjective may be. They accept everyone there. And you might be saying "duh, Jessica! Of course they do, it's a gay bar". But I would say "that too, is a stereotype". Just because a person is gay, does not mean they are tolerant, or non-judgmental.

Anyway, this past Thursday, I went to the drag show. I used to go alot in college, and immediately after graduating from college, but since I've gotten older, I only go maybe 2 or 3 times a year when my friend Amy comes to town. We leave my husband at home because bars that require people to dance and talk loudly over music, are SO not his scene.

A year or two ago, SoCo opened up a lounge right next door to the actual Club, where you can sit at tables or on couches and just hang out. It's actually a really nice lounge, and decorated very classy. I particularly like their wall sconces that look like two Martini glasses, crossed. I found a picture of them:

We tell friends to meet us there when they can, and then when the Club opens up, you can just walk on over to get a table. Plus, as long as you are over 21, there is only a $5 cover, which is a pretty good price for the entertainment of an entire evening (less than a movie ticket!). They also tend to have fairly decent drink specials, if that's what you're interested in (which I usually am!). If you've never been to a drag show, the premise is pretty simple, Drag Kings and Drag Queens do a performance where they lip synch to some song, and it's usually something new, easily recognizable, or just plain fun. This past Thursday was no exception. It was a great show! Plus, lots of friends who don't usually go to the show, came with us, which made it even more fun! After the show is over, they pull back all the tables and then the dancing starts. By this time, I'm usually pretty tired and don't make it much longer, but I try! The only complaint I have is that bottled water costs $3 (which is more expensive than some of their liquor specials), but they do have one of those water machines in the corner with paper cups for free. It's nice to have a bottle of water though.....

I'd recommend that everyone go at least once in their lifetime just to check it out. And if you need someone to go with you, let me know..... it's always a good time for me!

Here are some pics from my evening out at SoCo Club:

Me with my friends Amy and Natasha

My friends Crystal and Lindsey with me, laughing ridiculously.

Twestival 2011

Last night was an event called Twestival. I'd never heard of a Twestival until recently, but basically it's a festival that is advertised through social media like Twitter and Facebook. All money raised during the Twestival goes to a non-profit organization, and this year they picked the Friends of Boone County Family Resources.

As a disclaimer, I do work at Boone County Family Resources, so I was a supporter of this event from the very beginning.

It was a successful event in the fact that they raised over $2,800. People seemed to have a good time. With the suggested donation of $10, you got Shakespeare's pizza, Schlafly beer, and Les Bourgeious wine. If you got there early enough, you also got a $10 gift certificate to Bangkok Gardens. For me these benefits were awesome. I didn't bid on any of the silent auction items, but I did take my picture in the free picture booth.

So overall, it was a pretty good time, you got alot for your money and the money you did spend, went to a great cause. I'd recommend anyone go next year, and I'll probably see you there!

Bored?

Ever think to yourself "what is there to do today?" and you come up with nada? Want to know what's good for adults, for kids, to do on a rainy day? My friends and I regularly are faced with this problem, so my friend Lindsey and I are on a quest.

Our quest is going to lead us to events in and around Columbia. We are going to try things we never would have tried before, use Lindsey's kids as guinea pigs to see if some activities kids would enjoy, and hopefully have a really fun summer!

Some activities on our calendar so far: Kite Flying Day, free movies in the park, a Pirate Festival, possibly horseback riding, skating, bonfires, camping, and lots lots more!

First on our agenda is Twestival tomorrow night. It's benefitting the Friends of Boone County Family Resources. It's at Orr Street Studios from 6pm-9pm. Here is the website if you'd like more information in the meantime: http://columbia.twestival.com/