During the second half of a flaming hot day, the kids wanted to cool off so we headed to the Hinkle Family Fun Center. It's always fun to run around and explore, but every so often everyone needs a break to just let loose for awhile. If you are traveling with kids and you need a place to just let loose for a bit, this is a great stop as it's loaded with activities, snacks, and some loungy places for parents to hang out. First stop, bumper boats where the kids happily got soaked motoring around spritzing each other with huge water guns mounted to steering mechanism. Fortunately, in the hot New Mexico sun, they were dry within minutes of the ride being over.
After a lunch at the Route 66 diner and feeling the effects of my Excedrin Migraine tablets kick in I was in a much better mood. Shari and I let the kids go wild in the indoor jungle gym and then play some arcade games. Sometimes as a parent, the greatest gift is just a few minutes to collect yourself while the kids are busy happily entertaining themselves in a contained environment where you don't have to worry. And then all too soon that moment is shattered when someone did something that was "unfair" and you are tasked with becoming King Solomon or worse someone hurt themselves. The HInkle Family Fun Center kept everyone busy and gave Shari and I a minimum of 30 minutes of peace and quality adult conversation before there was an incident between the five kids, and in my book that's phenomenal!
