Last week was the first spring break I ever experienced with Lucy. It’s unusual that a preschool is closed for a week but they’re on the AISD schedule and we have to comply. It’s good that I’m working from home.
So with a whole week off with a 3-year-old, what were we to do? Lots. I hate to be that person who says, “I need a vacation from my vacation,” but after a weeklong “break,” I need a break!
Monday, we had a mother-daughter day at Sea World in San Antonio. You can read more about it here. Kids two and under are free so we took advantage of the free admission a few weeks before she turns three. We had a wonderful day and Lucy was so well-behaved, I felt like we have turned the corner away from the terrible twos.
Silly me.
Tuesday was a mellow day. We went to Northwest Park and the grocery store. Lucy threw an epic tantrum over the fact that the race car carts were all in use. I’ll be surprised if we’re allowed back at HEB again. Then she fought me during naptime. I lost.
Wednesday, we decided to brave SXSW and go downtown. After a sassy new haircut at Bird’s, we hopped on CapMetro. To say it was packed is an understatement. We were jammed in there like sardines but Lucy was having the time of her life. She was on a train! We went to the Austin Children’s Museum, which has really cool build-it-yourself exhibits right now. Of course, Lucy just likes to serve me pretend-food at the farm-to-table area. We then got for-real-lunch which was hot dogs from the walk-up window at Frank. There was live music on every corner and Lucy enjoyed dancing and playing air guitar for most of the afternoon. The train ride home was uneventful except for the random M&M Lucy ate off of the seat.
SXSW is hard to do with a toddler. Yes, there are family-friendly shows during the day but they require more planning than we were willing to do. Between potty-training and nap-fighting, it’s hard to commit to 2:00 shows despite our best intentions.
Thursday, we checked out Zilker Botanical Garden’s Faerie Homes & Gardens. It runs until May 26th and is easily the best $2/person you can spend. A lot of care and detail were put into the adorable faerie homes. Plus with the beautiful Austin spring weather, you can’t go wrong with letting the kids run around outside. Unfortunately, our tour was cut short by an unhappy child who wanted to be carried. Uphill. My apologies to the faeries who were sleeping in their homes and may have been awakened by loud-n-screechy Lucy.
Friday was another mellow day. We took advantage of the breeze and flew Lucy’s birthday octopus kite. For dinner, we went to the North Austin Trailer Yard, which had live music as well as a fenced-in playscape. We didn’t know at the time it was BYOB so next time we’re sure to bring a few beers or a bottle of wine to go with our bbq. They also do kids’ shows every Sunday at 11. It’s a totally-Austin family experience.
As if we hadn’t already done enough, Saturday we went to Rodeo Austin, which runs through Saturday the 23rd. Being veterans of the Reno Rodeo, we weren’t overwhelmed by the Texas rodeo experience. They had pig races, which were pretty much the cutest thing ever. Lucy fell in love with a baby goat and she wouldn’t leave its side. We had to surfboard-carry her out of the petting zoo – which I’m sure will not be the last time we do that.
So yes, we packed it in over the long break. Next year, I think I want to go camping…
How did you spend your spring break? Did I miss anything fun?
