Nottingham Park

Houston, TX (2009 ) - Living in Houston on a budget has made our look of Houston and the surrounding area colored. A Stay-at-Home Mom with a 4 year old and a 9 year old, it is hard to find things that engage both children that won't break the bank. But Staying at home all day everyday with two kids is just not an option. So ta-da, I will be writing about our excursions, on the cheap.

We traveled 20 minutes from Northwest Houston to West Houston to Nottingham Park. http://www.pct3.hctx.net/parks/nottingham.aspx . This was a great experience. We went on a Friday at about 11 am. There was one day care there, but it did not feel over crowded. This park had a splash pad that occupied the 4 year old and a large playground that occupied the 9 year old. They also had shaded benches for Mom to sit and still be able to see both the splash pad and the playground. The park also has bathrooms:) We were there an hour, but my kids easily could have stayed longer.

Lunchtime we decided to take the quick 5 minute trip to the Memorial City Mall, food court. Everybody gets what they want without spending a huge amount. The food court also hosts a beautiful carousel with rides only a $1 / child / ride. Next to the food court is a small video arcade. The arcade is a tough choice. There are some games for $0.50, but most are quite a bit more. I budget my kids to $2.00 / child which goes really fast. My 4 year old enjoys driving games for $0.50 and the 9 year old played games of chance and earned tickets. He was able to turn in the tickets for 2 pieces of candy. I thought it was crummy, but my son was happy.

We then walked down to the "castle." http://www.memorialcitymall.com/entertainment.html You must be under 48" tall to play on the castle which is great for the 4 year old, but the 9 year old is too tall. We still enjoyed the time. The 4 year old climbed, slid, played and made friends. The 9 year old got Mom's ear all to himself. He talked and talked.

We then headed home. The entire day cost about $20. Family fun on the cheap is a huge victory when it includes age appropriate, kid friendly activities. This was a good day.