Chuck E Cheese

Brooke was invited to a birthday party for one of her friends this weekend at Chuck E. Cheese.  What a racket cool place they have going on there.  My husband took the ride to drop Brookie off with me, and the whole way, he went on and on about how he looooooooved going to Chuck E. Cheese when he was little (never stepped foot in one myself), and all he and his brothers did was play in the ball pit.

Ball pit.

So I was thinking, oh gross.  A pit of germs that my kid is going to be rolling around in for an hour and a half.   Because we all know that ball pits are just primary colored germ havens.  GREAT. I guess we'll be making a pit stop at Wal-Mart for some antibacterial handi-wipes for the ride home, and some Tylenol Cold medicine for the sickness that's sure to come.

So anyway, we walked in and Brooke was so excited.  Very cute and a little shy.  When we got in the door, there was a guard lady.  She had to stamp a unique invisible number on Brooke and the same invisible number on me and Alex before we all went inside.  That way, no bad guys could steal her.  Love it.  Thought that was actually pretty cool and kind of thought it would be a neat thing to do at amusement parks and stuff.  Just mainly to keep the freak mom's like myself from thinking bad guys are trying to steal our babies out from under our watchful noses.

So after we made it past the guard lady, we walked into the coolest place ever!  I felt that I was done a serious childhood diservice by never having been to a Chuck E. Cheese before - "where a kid can be a kid!"  There were climbing gyms and games and video-type interactive things.  Everything was super clean and shiny!  There were even Purell handwash machines placed strategically around the place (for my fellow germophobe moms, of course).  I spotted a little kid on a (pretty big) realistic horse, and she was trotting along in front of a video screen that  made it look like she was trotting in a field.  Very cool.  Then after each game, the machine would spit out a bunch of coupons that you turn in at the end of the day for cheapie little prizes.  The kids all got a cupful of tokens to use on whatever games they wanted, so once Brooke saw a friend or two, she was like, "Are you guys leaving now, Mom?" trying to get rid of us.

The staff had six party tables set up -- there were six pretty sizeable kid parties going on in that 1.5 hour time period.  They have it all under control and totally timed perfectly, to take up the tableware and start all over when the next party group comes in.  Someone is definitely raking in the dough hand over fist in that place.

I can't wait to have a party there.  Or even a rainy day few hours.  There's pizza and a salad bar, drinks, entertainment -- and of course guards at the door so parents can relax while their kids are milling about.  And really, I thought it was pretty affordable - cheaper than taking my kids to a movie at the theater anyway.

Brooke left with a party bag, a fancy ring from the prize counter, and BIG smiles. I left with an invisible stamp and a fantastic cupcake that the party Mom slipped me as I was dragging my kid out. 

SUCCESS!