Notes from Family Fun Fest

Saturday morning, after donuts and College Gameday, David, Brynna and I headed out for some family fun. We had lunch at a little burger place we've grown to love that should be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. How do I suggest that? Food Network, are you listening? Little Bitty Burger Barn! (I realize that I just disclosed that we ate donuts for breakfast and burgers for lunch. I can also disclose that both were delicious!)

Anyway, so after lunch we went to a little Family Fun Fest at City Centre. For my DMV friends, it's like Reston Town Center -  lots of stores and restaurants, surrounded by lofts and condos with a few open areas. In one of the open areas, they had booths set up with info on everything from hospitals to an animal rescue shelter. (I think that's what that was. There was a chihuahua named Pinky giving kisses for $1. ?? I don't make this stuff up. I just report the news, people.) The festival was sponsored by a kids magazine, so there were lots of things to interest little people - balloons, face painting, radio Disney, etc.

I took exhaustive notes...

1. Houston is not located on the east coast. It seems elementary. You'd think given that I'm from the midwest and love warm weather, I am more acclimated to Texas weather than DC. But apparently I'm still adjusting. It's November. It was 85 degrees. My sweatshirt was unnecessary.

2. Seasonal fashion rules are not universal. While it's obvious that seasons in the South are different from those on the east coast, I was under the impression that certain principles were held across regions. For instance...whether you are fashion savvy or not, you've probably heard the recommendation not to wear white after Labor Day. Let me tell you what else is not recommended after Labor Day - sun dresses, flip flops, tank tops and shorts (of all makes and models). There's no written law punishable by death or anything, but it's a good rule of thumb, folks. Let's dress responsibly!

3. A guy on stilts is highly entertaining. Highly. For hours. I'm hiring a guy to come walk around my backyard next week.

Exhibit A

4. Face Painting is a skill. If you can't paint on paper, you probably can't paint on the face of a sweaty, fidgeting kid. HOWEVER (this is key) - children do not care. Brynna was willing to wait in line for 45 minutes to ask for a bunny. I thought she meant on her cheek, but she wanted her whole face like a bunny face. (Sidenote: I fully admit that I was likely over-compensating for a lack of face painting experiences as a child.) When the lady answered, "A bunny? Ok!" I took that to mean she had done this before. I was wrong. I knew we were in for a treat when she covered Brynna's face white and then looked at me and said, "What does a bunny really look like?" I'm pretty sure she still doesn't know.

5. Belly dancing is not for everyone. As part of the exhibitions, two different dance schools brought kids to perform. From a more traditional dance academy, we watched adorable little people make valiant efforts to grand jete and plie. From another performing arts school, we saw miniature flamenco, salsa and belly dancers. I understand the cultural significance but was still slightly concerned about little girls performing such a provocative style of dance in the middle of hundreds of strangers. And then came the adults. Belly dancing. In the middle of hundreds of strangers. I'm not going to provide commentary, but I am going to say: belly dancing is not for everyone.

For Eyewitness News, I'm Regina Johnston. Good night.