Long Stay-cation Weekend

This weekend we had a four day weekend for the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday, then a teacher in-service day on Tuesday.  We did not plan ahead for any out-of-town trips, so instead enjoyed our own city - Dallas, Texas, as if we were visitors here.

After an early 2nd grade basketball game then a mid-year carnival for our kids' summer camp, BOTH girls were invited to sleep away at friends ON THE SAME NIGHT.  Non-parents:  this is a rarity.  Normally to have adult time away we must arrange babysitting services either with any of our local SMU college student sitters ($ $ $) or with my in-laws (and we all know nothing in life is free).  

So after dropping our second child off, Chris and I decided to head down to the Katy Trail Ice House and enjoy the mild January afternoon sans kids.

Much to our surprise, we were not the only ones with this idea.  There was literally a line to get in, but since we were there *KID-LESS* and no schedule, we waited and watched people on the patio... and their dogs... and their kids in strollers.  Apparently anything goes.  Note to self -- bring kids and dog next time as it is not only encouraged here, but seems to be expected!  Once we were granted entry (about 20 minutes), we sat inside (the sun was fading and therefore the temp was dropping) and watched the SF/NO playoff game while enjoying various local Texas beers.  

After the game we did something we NEVER do:  went to a movie.  Normally, we are live music goers and typically will spend our free evenings at music shows, sporting events, or out with friends.  The dinner and movie thing is not something we do together much.  We decided on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but because of show times we had to see it at the mall rather than a stand alone theater.  First of all, I cannot remember the last time I was at the mall on a Saturday night, much less to see a movie there.  It was so crowded!  We waited in line at the credit card kiosk only to find it was not functioning properly, so we each got into separate kiosk lines to race and see whose line would be faster. Chris always wins these races.  He has a knack for picking the fast track.  Once we secured tickets we had about an hour for dinner.  Our mall is what I consider upscale and has great dine-in restaurant choices.  We headed straight downstairs to Lombardi's Cibus Italian.  We love most of the Lombardi restaurants and Cibus was not disappointing.  Love the Taverna Foccacia:  YUM!  After dinner we went upstairs to the theater, purchased beer and wine FROM THE BAR (new for this theater and also why it was an acceptable choice for us) and then were lucky to find two seats together that were not in the lower neck-cramp section close to the screen.  The movie was pretty good and we both enjoyed it, though it was very long.  I had already seen the first GWTDT a couple of years ago and honestly do not understand why it was remade, but they are both worth watching.

Sunday the kids stayed at their sleepovers until nearly lunch time.  We had a nice quiet-hang-out-around-the-house day and watched The Golden Globes award show.  The gowns, the jewelry, the winners/losers, Ricky Gervais - what's not to like?  Monday I went to spin class, grocery shopped, cooked in and picked up a movie from Redbox.  My 11-year-old wanted to see The Help and I decided they she and my 7-year-old could watch it with me.  I have read the book and saw the film last summer.  It is a wonderful story and the film (in my opinion) does the book justice (which often is not the case).  

  It does have a rating of PG-13 and we are very cautious about what we let our kids watch.  The rating is obviously for the adult content of the emerging civil rights issues, one character suffers a miscarriage, there is continuous cigarette smoking and drinking, and some language - the "S" word specifically.  Well guess what?  My kids know the "S" word, that it is a cuss word adults may use (yes, they have overheard ME use it), but that it is not an appropriate or creative word choice and children do not use it (No shame in "do as I say not as I do" with me).  We discussed what a miscarriage is so they would not be alarmed by this scene (which was not graphic).  They are both in-tune with civil rights and how ignorant society used to be.  And how timely for us to watch The Help on MLK Day!  We talked about how black people were treated, how the white children were raised, how women were expected to be pretty and get married rather than smart and independent, and how admirable the main characters are for doing what they felt was right even though it was not widely accepted.  I feel we made the right decision in allowing them to watch it and they both were glad to have seen it.

Tuesday I decided to take the kids to The Dallas Museum of Art's current exhibt:  The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier.  It closes in February and I have been dying to see it.  To get there, we took the Uptown Trolley, which drops right at the museum.  (We take the trolley often - it's free and the kids love riding around in the 100-year-old trolley cars.  We even had Kendyl's 11th birthday party taking 12 girls on the trolley to dinner and then off to a second destination for dessert.)

The exhibit was fabulous!  The garments were amazing and the way they were displayed was incredible.  The holographic talking, blinking mannequins captivated all of us.  There was even Jean Paul G himself telling you about the exhibit.  We each had our favorites and I've posted pics of them below to share.  I highly recommend this exhibit to anyone so go see it if at all possible! Go! Go! GO!

Chelsea of course loved the mermaid gowns.  There were several and
this one was one of the first you will see upon entering the exhibit.

We all loved the Leggy Can-Can Gown

Kendyl's favorite: Camo Ruffle Gown (L) 

Amazing bead work on the Cheetah gown (center) - there is no actual pelt, it is ALL beading!  

One of my favorites was the Sweater Dress over Tulle on the right.  I could wear that anytime, right?

And this feathered Sailor gown!

And of course the infamous cone-shaped corset he designed for Madonna was there,
along with many, MANY, cone-bra corset and cage-dress designs.

I loved exploring our own city and discovering what it has to offer.  What a refreshing getaway that we didn't even have to pack for.  I hope you had a wonderful MKL weekend, too!