Perfect Playdates

 

Some days are just perfection.
As a Momma I love those days.
Those days make me want to have more children and be the little old lady who lived in the shoe. Okay, it wasn't EXACTLY perfection, but you know. We take what we can get. A few hours of perfection? Yes!

Probably my #1 playdate is heading to Klyde Warren Park downtown. http://www.klydewarrenpark.org/
I do NOT believe in not leaving my suburban bubble. Sometimes I get stuck in the bubble, but I crave the Dallas skyline.  Day or night, it's truly beautiful. So to go to this relatively new park (it's less than a year old)  which is built over a highway in between some of the most gorge skyscrapers we have makes me so happy.

The kids love the playground. It's got a huge pirate ship looking climbing structure with winding stairs (not so fun to chase a 1-2 yr old on), and a huge and smaller yellow rope "spiderweb" to climb on. Oh, and FINALLY - a park with a Merry-Go-Round!   The spinning circle of death is back for the younger generation to both enjoy and fear. And I'm sure on the warmer days I'll love the splash pad. For now, it's a feature that a few families partake in (mostly Dads who let their kids go--- so odd, right?!). Which makes me want to throat punch the 'rents who allow that on 50-60 degree days. Can't we all agree that it's OFF LIMITS in cold weather?  (Same with the coin-operated rides at malls... Can't we all agree that they are broken and let our kids "ride" them for free? Cause once you stick your 50 cents in those things, there's no going back. Ever. Now they know those deals move - all bets are off. And usually it's grandmas who  break this rule - FYI.)

 

That doll face is one of our fave friends - Audrey. Her momma and I met as 16 year olds at our first jobs as hostesses at the best hamburger joint around.  We reconnected at A&M and then again as new mommas with infants in their DOC bands. Notice the perfect heads. :)  What I love most about Amy is her friendship and keepin' it real.  Only a few people can look at each other and simultaneously think/say, "Look at that skinny B in her yoga pants and perfect hair. I hate her!"

Check out those sassy little jeans and little loopy hairdo. Sweetness.

So hardcore. BruceWayneBatman in action. I was able to snag some cute pics for his bday card on this gorgeous day. Score!

 

p.s. Thank you to the sweet strangers who talk Batman with him. He loves it when people say "Hey! Batman is here!!" wherever we go.

Can't.stop.teething.and.drooling.

The three amigos. The big kids are so good with Devy Girl.

Cade loved the live music and danced and danced.
I loved Crazy Fish sushi truck! It's awesome to go try new food trucks. Of course the crowd was ridic, being Spring Break and all, so the line for the other trucks were insanity.... On a regular weekday or weekend it's not that crowded. And chances are, your luck won't be shite and a 100 kid daycare won't plop down 1" from your picnic blanket.

Momma Review:
Cost: Free (if you find street parking). Parking prices range from $1-2 on a parking meter to $10-$12 if you park at the museum parking.
Ages: 0-adult.
Bathroom Sitch: Permanent bathroom in the kids' play area. This is where the changing table is, baby  mamas. Extremely nice portos on the food truck side with faucets and counters. Conveniently near the beer and wine truck.
Food: Pack your own picnic, they have little tables and chairs to use, or bring a blanket. Click here for the food truck schedule. I've tried Relish and Crazy Fish. Loved both!
Pros: Great for all ages. Perfect for a playdate, family outing, or date day/night.  The live music rotates, it's not too loud. There are also free books, newspapers, and board games sponsored by the Dallas Morning News.  The kids' area has a big kid area and little kid area. Bring a change of clothes for the summer months when your littles will want to partake in the splash pad and sand play. There is a cool dog park. The grass is synthetic, so it's always pretty. There's a dog park, so take your pooches. They have a doggie drinking fountain so you and your pup can hydrate.
Cons: You can't wear high heels in the kid area. Kidding. I'm SO not that Momma. But there is a sign. Consider yourself warned. Also, we learned that bulldogs drool on babies. A lot. And maybe your human babies shouldn't roll on the grass in the dog park. Gross.

A Perfect Park Playdate

Last weekend we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and headed downtown to meet our best girls, Amy and Audrey.  We had heard awesome things about Klyde Warren Park (aka the Park-They-Built-Above-Woodall-Rodgers-Fwy).   Um, total blast. Ultimate playdate mecca. I'll the pictures speak for themselves.

Immaculate grass on the kid zone. Super fun slide zone for kids, perfect perch for parents to watch the littles have fun.

Girl talk on the rock.

Devyn was in seventh heaven. Places to run, slide, hide.  Food to eat. Dogs to watch and pet. Baby girl had a v. happy day!

Can we discuss food trucks?  A few years ago you would have "food truck" and maybe a shady vehicle that parks by construction sites with pork rinds and peanuts comes to mind. Nowadays you say "food truck" and you see a line around the block of ten or so gourmet-on-the-go brightly painted, enticing trucks. Our first stop was the beer and margi truck. Nothing hits the spot on a playdate quite like an ice cold Miller Lite. We hit up a great food truck for burgers, Jack's ChowHound. This here is the Chow Chow Burger. Spicy corn relish mixed into fresh ground beef, buttery bun, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, special sauce. It was so juicy and fresh, way to go!

They served Sprite and Cheetos. So, that's all Cade needed, but he chowed down on the Chow Chow.

Cheesy finger high fives.

Devyn loved the dogs, I laid back on my blanket chatting with Amy and Devyn walked around the park saying hi (um, kissing and hugging) all the dogs.  Klyde Warren is such a friendly, laid back spot all the dog owners were so sweet and patient with the kid visitors. It was nice to be able to let the kids run without being A. overcrowded or B. afraid of creeps. Oh-kay, so there was one creep. This man was clearly some type of profesh photog with his vest and camera bag and mega-lens but when he walked by and snapped pics of the kids and us without smiling or asking first, that irked me. It's creepy. Trust me, here I am with my kids snapping away. I love photography. Love kids. But don't be doing that... Sorry, you're a dude. You're by yourself. You're taking pics of my kids without asking. It's weird.

I am SO happy that Devy girl is big enough to play with the big kids. They were amazing with her, it was so much fun to watch.

Okay, so back to the business of reviewing the park. The Dallas Morning News sponsored a mini-library of periodicals and children's books and games that people check out on the honor system. There was a volunteer/paid friendly guy checking out checkers and Candyland to some kids from a kiosk. That was cool, so much fun to encourage kids to play outside and have some good ol' fashioned fun free of charge.  There was also a guy playing some James Taylor songs on guitar. Amy and I kept saying, "This is the best park ever!!" 

 

Back in the kid area there were some awesome climbing structures, a splash zone, sand area, and more. So beautiful!

 The kids used their powers of persuasion to beg for frozen bananas on a stick. I desperately wanted to try the ice cream sandwich truck (um, hello red velvet cookies with chocolate chocolate chip ice cream in between!), but..... the kids. They wanted these bananas. On a stick.  For $5 we were the proud owners of the most perverse looking dessert.  Cade enjoyed 3 bites before giving up. I was either hungry or cheap or whatev, but I ended up eating the rest, much to the amusement of the beautiful group of gay men on the blanket next to us. Glad to be of service ;)   It was yummy, but I'm certain it wasn't as good as that ice cream sandwich looked.

 

Overall Momma Review of Kylde Warren Park:

Cost: Free

Parking: 50 cents an hour, some free spots aroudn if you're clever

Kids: Fun for all ages

Dogs: There is allegedly a dog park, we didn't see it.

Bathrooms: They are in the process of finishing up the bathrooms, in the meantime they have super luxe bathroom trailers with sinks, paper towels, etc. The Rolls Royce of portolets people! Hint: you flush with the pedal on the floor. The kids loved that part.

Alcohol: Beer and Margaritas

Mommy Tip: Bring some snacks, the food trucks are foodie friendly, not toddler friendly. Prices range from $5-$10 an entree and drink and bag of chips for one person.  They do take debit/credit cards in addition to cash. Bonus!

Mommy Tip 2: You can park at the Nasher or DMA and walk over after a museum visit.

Mommy Tip 3: Next time we are going to park in Uptown and ride the trolley down to the park. Not ideal if you're bringing a stroller and one mom/2+ kids, but doable with a friend or spouse.