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Playin' Around Town is giving away 5 family 4 packs of tickets for your family to enjoy a night out at with FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco!

YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF PLAYIN' AROUND TOWN TO ENTER THIS CONTEST.

All you have to do is repsond GO TO PAT CHAT (on the Playinaroundtown.com websites) respond to the post with 3 comments as to why you LOVE Playin' Around Town and what impact it has made on your family.

-AND-

Visit the FC Dallas Facebook page become a fan and tell them you found them on Playin' Around Town. http://www.facebook.com/fcdallas

This package is a $120 value!!!

This contest ends Tuesday 8/17 at midnight, so get your answers in quick!

Winners will recieve their tickets in the mail or at the Will Call area of the staduim. The winners will be announced in our weekly email on Wednesday 8/19!

GOOD LUCK AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Wow, I cannot believe it has been a whole year since our first event! This past year has been amazing for me, my family, my wonder PAT team members, our partners, and hopefully our members.

I have to admit there have been ups and downs, but that is to be expected with any business venture. Especially when you are introducing a concept that is new to the marketing world.

In the past year, PAT has brought you over 40 free family events! We have over 4,000 members! We are launching a magazine! Have added to the PAT with 3 additional operational team members (Leslie, Felicia, & Nola) and 6 exceptional hostesses! And we will continue to bring you and your family more great events!

As a marketing professional with national corporations and a consultant for medium to small businesses, I have known that what we offer businesses works and how beneficial it is for both members and partners.

We have so much planned for the coming year and we are so excited to share it with our members. We currently have partners lined up for our fall events and will be finalizing those details soon, to share with our members.

Our magazine will be released this August and it is designed around all things fun! We are asking our members for your input. This magazine is written by you and for you. Please visit the PAT Magazine page for information on how you can become published in the "Playin' Around Town" Magazine.

It is with my sincerest appreciation that I say thank you to everyone who has supported PAT throughout the past year. Our partners who make our events possible, our members who share PAT with their friends and family and who come to our events, and our wonderful team all make PAT a success.

I would like to send a special thank you to Leslie, Felicia, & Nola. You ladies have been a dream to work with and I could not ask for a better team.

If you have any special stories about PAT, our events, or just want to share with us why you love what we do please send us your comments! We would love to hear from you!

Thank you!

Jennifer Morales
Chief Monkey 

I have always wondered what it would be like to be a tourist in Dallas, so I did a google search and came across some fun, free things to do: 

The Dallas, Texas Fifty Free
50 Great Things - Yours "Free to Enjoy"

Having fun doesn't have to be expensive! The many things to see and do in Dallas include those that can be enjoyed absolutely free. Consider these offerings:

Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive

A growing number of bronze, larger-than-life-size steers and their cowboy escorts moo've along Pioneer Plaza - adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center. This bronze cattle drive is located on the actual Shawnee Trail drive of the 1850s - and is the largest bronze monument of its kind in the world.

Downtown, Young & Griffin Streets

Outdoor Sculpture Tour

Discover over 30 distinctive sculptures on the sidewalks of Downtown. Along with pieces from the 19th century, there are contemporary works, including a painter capturing magnificent Dallas on canvas - Can you find him?

Art Garden

Enjoy the Sculpture Garden at the base of the statuesque Trammell Crow Center in Downtown. More than 20 statues from the French masters, including Rodin, reside in this peaceful setting with cascading waters and beautiful gardens.

Free/Donations Accepted
Tues. - Sun. 10 am - 5 pm
Thurs. 10 am - 9 pm

Downtown, 2010 Flora Street, 214-979-6430

Uptown and West Village

Dallas' popular Uptown District is exploding with new residential and retail centers with a variety of elements coming together for a shopping, dining, and entertainment experience that will appeal to all types of tastes. The West Village focal point is the new Magnolia Theater that supports independent film and arts.

Uptown, McKinney Avenue and Routh Street, 214-922-9622

Mustangs Sculpture in Las Colinas

Nine mustangs, bronze, beautiful and larger-than-life, splash their way across a stream cut through the stone and granite plaza of Williams Square. Stroll across the plaza and visit the Mustangs of Las Colinas Sculpture & Exhibit, which includes an informative 20 minute film about mustangs and the making of this breathtaking sculpture.

Exhibit Center Open: Wed. - Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. www.mustangsoflascolinas.com

In nearby Irving, O'Connor Road, North of Highway 114, 972-869-9047

Tour the Morton H. Meyerson

The acoustically renowned Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, designed by I.M. Pei, is yours to tour on selected Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. (please call in advance for monthly tour schedule as tours are subject to change with rehearsals and performances) Discover the 4,535 pipes on the Herman W. Lay Family Organ - this $1.36 million organ, crafted by C.B. Fisk Inc., is truly an acoustical wonder!

Enthusiastic and experienced volunteer docents are available to welcome visitors, school groups, conventions, families, and others for a one-hour tour detailing points of interest throughout the Meyerson. Once a month, schedule permitting, a thirty-minute organ demonstration of the Lay Family Concert Organ is presented, followed by a tour of the Center.

Free one hour tours at 1 pm. Events hosted at the center are by admission only.

Downtown, 2301 Flora Street, 214-670-3600

These are just a few of the fun, free things to do in Dallas, for more ideas click here > Free things to do in Dallas   Pack a picnic and go have fun!

Help for Family Travel –

We never plan to be at the airport longer than it takes to check our bags, go through security and wait for boarding to begin.  Unfortunately, sometimes you get through security and get to the gate only to have the time for your flight’s arrival roll forward an hour or more.  OR, maybe your plane arrives, everyone is excited and then you see the mechanical team descend upon the plane.  This is never a sign you will be boarding the plane quickly!

Whatever the delay, rain, mechanical problems or whatnot, here are some tips to stay happy and enjoy your time together, as a family at the airport.  After all, you are on vacation!

Airports can be fascinating places to shop, dine and play.  Enjoy these activities…

1. Check your airport map for Kid’s Play Zones.  Orlando has a large play area as does Atlanta, O’Hare and Logan as well as an aquarium in San Francisco, just to name a few.
2. Got an iphone?  Download a new app and play a game of Scrabble or Monopoly together.
3. Never hurts to carry a deck of cards!  Cards are lightweight and have an endless list of games you can enjoy together, from “Go Fish” to traditional Poker games, cards are a great way to enjoy each other’s company and pass the time.
4. Try a “Progressive Meal” during your stay.  Most airports, like DFW, have a lot of dining choices.  Why choose just one?  Take turns choosing a location, split a meal and try another.  Or, have appetizers and soup one place, salad another, entrée another and dessert yet another.  You could spread dessert out at multiple locations, too.  Have fun with it!
5. Stuck for a day?  Some airport hotels offer day passes where you can enjoy the airport hotel pool for the day!
6. Get some exercise.  Try walking around the terminal and have a walking race to see who can get back to the gate the fastest – WITHOUT running.  Try exploring upstairs areas using the stairs instead of the elevators.  With little ones try counting the stairs as you ascend and descend the stairs.  Say the alphabet as you walk up and down the stairs and see if you can get through all the letters.
7. Visit the Airport Spa.  Why not?  It’s vacation.  Most airports have spas popping up in them to enjoy a pedicure, manicure or chair massage. What better way to pass the time?!?!
8. Watch the flights take off!  You may not be able to leave, but chances are someone is.  Enjoy watching the planes arrive and depart from a window or lookout area.  Check the map to see if there is a designated observation area for a great view.  No matter how many times you see a plane take off and land, it is always amazing!
9. Try a Scavenger Hunt.  Make a quick list of items and use your cell phone or digital camera or both to snap photos of the items on your list.  This can be as simple or complex as you want to make it.

Click Here to Read More Online

Playin' Around Town recently had the honor of Freedom Stones as one of our event partners. We were all so touched by what they do and how beautiful their jewelry is, we bought this bracelet to give-away to our fantastic members!

We really hope that no matter if you win the bracelet or not, we have helped open your eyes and hearts to what is happening to women and children around the world and how you can help break the chain!

Visit Freedom Stones site at: www.Freedomstones.ws

Here is how to win:

Contest ends Friday June 11th

Only one entry per household

Email your answers to: contests@playinaroundtown.com

Visit the FreedomStones.net website and answer the following questions:

1.) Of the 27 Million people in the world that are enslaved, what percentage are women and children? (found in the about section in a video)

2.) Complete this sentence: By providing vocational training and an income for impoverished mothers, Freedom Stones helps them abstain from .......

3.) What is Freedom Stones Mission?

4.) What does their signature clasp represent?

5.) What unique event does Freedom Stones offer in the DFW area at their Chain Breaking Events?

Playin' Around Town is expanding our newsletter and website and we want to  hear from you!

- Are you a mom/dad/caretaker of kiddos that have ever done something hysterical, amazing, touching, or anything else fun and you want to share it with us?

- Are you a Frugal Queen and ready to claim your title and share your talent of saving with the world?

- Do you blog and want to share your stories with more than just your family?

- Are you one of "those moms" that has the perfectly organized house, even with kids (if so I am totally jealous) and has ideas to share with us not so neat freaks? (I have 4 kids and am not ashamed to admit that I need help in this area)

- Do you carry your camera with you everywhere and have great photos of your family to share?

- What fun activities do with your kids on a rainy day (or day when your not having fun with Playin' Around Town)

- Is there a special acheivement that your child has accomplished? From sleeping all night in their beds to making the honor roll, we want to hear about it.

If you answered yes to any of these questions or feel that you just have something to share with the PAT family, we ask that you start sending us your stuff!

Send your articles, tips, tricks, or pictures to: editor@playinaroundtown.com

Playin' Around Town and The Palaestra Gymnastics Center are giving one of our members a chance to win a FREE birthday party, for up to 20 children!

All you have to do to win is: visit our PAT Contests & Giveaways message board (www.playinaroundtown.com/contests) and tell us why your child would love to have a birthday party at The Palaestra!

To be eligible to win you must be a member of Playin' Around Town & logged into our site. The contest ends Wednesday March 31st, so enter today!

Visit our site at: www.playinaroundtown.com/contests for more information on the giveaway.

Visit www.thepalaestradallas.com for more information on their facility and all their great activities for the whole family!

On Tuesday, March 16th, we had a blast at Rowlett Bowl-a-Rama!   Our partners for this event were Amanda from Beautiful Beginnings.  Amanda is a midwife, so if you're looking for one, she's the go to person.   Bounce n More was there and had a hula hoop contest.  The winners were Cassandra and Jennifer D.  They were awesome and each one received a $10 arcade game card for Bowl-a-Rama.  We also had representatives from Cookie Lee Jewerly, Tammy won a beautiful bracelet and Stella won the Mary Kay gift basket. 

Be sure and register for the April events posted on the event page!  We are going to Bounce U-Carrollton, Jump Zone-Southlake, Going Bonkers and Pump It Up-Dallas. 

If you have of a place you would like to attend an event at, please let us know and we will look into it! 

See ya at the next event!  

Oh my gosh, can you believe how fast this year is going?!?   What was it, 3 weeks ago we were freezing and playin' in the snow?!?  And today, we have the windows open and enjoying the nice weather!  

A lot has been going on since the last post in December (shamelessly I hang my head!).

Playin' Around Town has moved into the Waco, Temple, Killeen area and are proud to welcome Rodney and Shannon as the Event Coordinators and Account Executives and Codi as the Event Host.

We are also pleased to welcome Mia and Nola as Account Executives in the DFW area.

And last by not least, myself, as the Event Coordinator for the DFW area.

Playin' Around Town is committed to providing fun, safe family events to our members.   Your suggestions, ideas, compliments and complaints are welcomed and appreciated.   Please send any of these to info@playinaroundtown.com 

See ya at the next event!