Zoo for Dead Animals

Ahh! I have you hooked already. You are probably asking yourself where this zoo is and how can I avoid it! It's the Brookshires World of Wildlife Museum and Park of course!
This fantastic park is located just outside Loop 323 in Tyler on Old Jacksonville Hwy. It is composed of a museum of stuffed and preserved animals (yes - real ones and some of them quite exotic) along with a country store. The animals were collected from the travels and hunts of the Brookshire family. The kids will love looking at toys and food items from yesteryear in the grocery store. The building is air conditioned which is a necessity on these hot Texas days, has great clean bathrooms (I know - it's a thing with me) and also a little general store where you can buy a little treat that probably won't break the bank. There are some vending machines as well as water fountains.
Outside there is a spacious children's park with lots of big shade trees and picnic tables. There's swings and play apparatus for the little ones as well as a fire truck, tractor and railway car to climb on. The older kids will love the the merry-go-round and jungle gym. There's a big slide and big swings as well.
Be advised that it gets very busy here - especially on Saturdays with it being a favorite birthday party destination - best to make reservations ahead! Yes - you can call and book some picnic tables for your party. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Brookshires World of Wildlife Museum and Park - it's a great thing about Tyler!
Oh yeah! The zoo for dead animals is what my kids called it when they were little - they still like to go back again and again.

It's a park, it's a sprinkler....it's a sprayground!

Today I had the distinct privilege of accompanying my son's first grade class on a field trip to Faulkner Park's Sprayground! What is a sprayground you may be asking yourself? In this particular instance it is a playground that is delightfully cool and wet! There are a variety of sprinklers and sprayers on a nice concrete surface that has been treated to not be too slippery. There are some nice benches around the periphery that will keep Mom and Dad in a fine mist but not soaking.
Right beside the sprayground is a regular playground. There is a nice soft wood chip base to cushion those inevitable falls. There are some unusual play things on this playground in addition to the usual swings and slide. There is a large pole with plasticized cables coming off of it that make it look like a spider web - very cool to climb! There are also some seats that you sit on and they use your weight to gain momentum as you spin!
The park is located off of South Broadway in Tyler at Faulkner Park. It is clean, there are limited picnic tables and relatively spacious parking (don't try to turn around a full size school bus in there though - not easy!). A few words of caution - there are only porta-potties and the closest real bathrooms are a real hike (or a short drive) to the tennis complex. Also, it can be very busy and crowded - today for example there were at least 3 different schools having field trips, a birthday party and several families enjoying the beautiful weather!
If you need a free, clean place to cool off this summer - check out the sprayground! It's a great thing about Tyler!

Children's Park

Last week we had a few moments to kill downtown while waiting to pick up one of the kids' friends at the hospital (not really as weird as it sounds). We went to one of my childrens' favorite places to play - the Children's Park.

This park was built within the past few years and is right on South Broadway by Hogg middle school. It is built down into a hidden area where the traffic of Broadway seems to fade away. The park was built by the Children are a Gift foundation and was supported by many, many people here in Tyler and then donated to the city for upkeep. This park's goal was to serve as a memorial for the many loved children in Tyler who have died but also to honor those children still with us.

There are many sad memories for me here as a labor and delivery nurse - I walk the paths and remember names of families and babies that I have crossed paths with during sad times. My mother thinks that it is kind of morbid but I also have happy memories as I see a new stone added with the name of a child who has been added to a bereaved family.

Best of all I love to see my children play here - there are no swing sets, no rides and nothing fancy. Just a well planted garden, some statues and some waterfalls. They love to watch the fish and tadpoles (that's what they call them, I always make them bathe when we get home) in the pond and when it's warm I let them take off their shoes and go wading or splash in the water fall. We rarely come home dry.

The next pretty day take your kids to the children's park - it's a good reminder of how precious they are!

And it's a great thing about Tyler.

"Great Values" Don't Have to Come from Wal-mart!

As you know by now I am writing about a variety of great things about Tyler, TX. As you will soon learn from my husband's new project a subject very near and dear to our family is groceries! I have learned in my conversations with other women that my family tends to be big eaters. Trying to live on a budget means that the food part is where shopping frugally can have the biggest impact. Plus I just love a good bargain!

Now you're probably thinking to yourself - we already know about Wal-mart! Yes, Wal-mart can have a positive impact on the bottom line - however, lately they have disappointed me. Yes, the ever faithful weekly shopper has discovered that many items can be had for cheaper elsewhere or at least at the same price. Did you know that Wal-mart will no longer accept computer/printer generated coupons!?! So if you like Coupon Bug or any of the other sites offering coupons you will have to do your shopping elsewhere. They also advertise that they will honor competitors' sale prices - just not on store brands - it has to be the exact same item! So I have turned my attention to scouring the weekly ads in an effort to change our family's bottom line.

As I began to shop these competitors to pick up their "loss leaders" - I am not too embarrassed to go into a store and buy just the items that they have advertised on sale and then shamelessly give them some coupons as well - I noticed that one store in particular could just about match Wal-mart penny for penny! This store was Super One - I shop the one on Troup highway. The store was clean, the employees were friendly and I have never had to get a rain check! There is plenty of parking and guess what? They're open 24 hours as well! Another bonus is that they often have produce on clearance - a bag of tomatoes or avocados or bananas or "variety" bag for just $2! It just makes you want to take up canning and freezing! Their store brand "Food Club" is every bit as good as "Great Value". During the fall they ran a special that involved buying 10 gallons of gas at the pump - show your receipt in the store and save 5% on your entire order! They often have coupons in the paper to save $5 off an order of $50 - that's 10%!

As an experiment I did all my grocery shopping here one week and spent the same amount as I would have at Wal-mart - probably saved a little more because they had Golden Brook Ice Cream on sale. In my opinion it is just as good as Blue Bell and I'd have had to buy that at Wal-mart to match taste!

Milk is on sale this week 4/15 - 4/21 for $1.98 a gallon! That's a great price! The milk is all the way at the back so take some time and look around - look at the prices of some of the other things that you regularly buy. Let me know what you think!

Super One - it's a great thing about Tyler!

Kohl's - Especially the Bathrooms.

I love Kohl's - I would go there every day if I could! I have been known to shop their clearance racks on a regular basis finding wonderful bargains. Just last week I was able to purchase a lovely zippered knit cardigan that started at over $50 for less than $5! They often have clearance racks with up to 90% off.
However, the thing that I like best about Kohl's is their bathrooms. They are consistently beyond clean and pleasant. I will stop at Kohl's just to use their bathrooms. I will stop at Kohl's to let my children use the restroom. They are aesthetically pleasing with their choice of colors (browns and tans). They have self flush toilets which is handy (no pun intended), faucets that turn themselves off and a diaper change area with a padded bench. I have never seen so much as a paper towel on the floor. They even have real facial tissue and nice large mirrors!
Kohl's is one of the best additions to Tyler in a long time and it is a great thing!