Family,  Food and Eating,  Fun Things,  Out and About,  Parenting,  Preschoolers,  Toddlers

Mr. Chuck E. Cheese, at your service…

September 5, 2012 /

Chris and I love taking the kids out to dinner, but sometimes it can sound more fun than it actually is. Trying to keep them quiet, in their seats, eating their food, all without disturbing other patrons is quite a task. I think it’s good for kids to be exposed to restaurant environments because it teaches them how to behave in public, but sometimes I think it’s good for them to be out somewhere that’s just for them. Somewhere where they don’t have to sit quietly or wait patiently for their food to come. Somewhere where they get pizza and gold tokens and prizes. Somewhere where they can bang the crap out of gophers with rubber mallets. Somewhere like Chuck E. Cheese’s. (cue host of angels singing)

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What I noticed when we first got there was that there was a doorman who checked in our family. He had one of those little stamps with the invisible ink that is visible with a black light. He assigned our individual family with a specific number, and then stamped that same number on all of our hands. When it was time to leave, they checked each of our hands to confirm that we all had the same number. This way, no one could leave with a child that they didn’t come in with. I thought that was pretty brilliant, especially in a place where you might not necessarily be with your child the whole time. That was my favorite part of Chuck E. Cheese’s. Well, maybe my favorite part was the pizza… (so good!). Or maybe the clean tables and bathrooms… (I’m a sucker for a clean bathroom, friends). Bean’s favorite part were the coins.

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He went all Ebenezer Scrooge on me and locked down the coins so that no one could have any. Until he spilled his cup o’ coins under the table, and I had to crawl under there and find all of them. That was the only time I was permitted to touch the coins.

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I worried that maybe our kids were too little for Chuck E. Cheese’s, but they had a great time! Bean loved the tunnels to crawl through, and there were a lot of games that both of them could play.

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Even Gracie had fun, though she was NOT a fan of Clifford the Big Red Dog. Too hairy, she said.

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What was so fun about Chuck E. Cheese’s was that it took only slightly longer than a dinner out at a restaurant and didn’t cost any more than we would have spent for dinner out, but it was so much more than just dinner. It was fun and a great way to spend a night with the kids! Even Chris and I got in on the game action…

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When it was time to go, Bean and I were not happy.

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But then Chris reminded us about the best part of Chuck E. Cheese’s – PRIZES!!!!!

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It took the kids twice as long to pick their prizes as it took them to win the tickets!

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Needless to say, we will be going back again. And again. And again. Because there are tickets to be won, people. TICKETS TO BE WON!!!!!! And now, you and your family have a chance to win those tickets, too!

For more information, visit Chuck E. Cheese’s website and stay connected by liking Chuck E. Cheese’s page on Facebook.

Chuck E. Cheese’s is giving away a $100 gift card to one lucky Marriage Confessions winner! (And in case you didn’t know, $100 is roughly one bajillion coins… Bean will INSIST on coming with you.) Leave a comment telling me why your family loves Chuck E. Cheese’s or why you think they’d like it. The giveaway is open until September 28. GOOD LUCK!

Rules: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “”#SweepstakesEntry””; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012-10/4/2012.

Be sure to visit the Chuck E. Cheese’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggersí reviews and find more chances to win!

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