Monday, May 19, 2014

Good Times with Mr. Chuck E Cheese!

I must admit that I wasn't always a big fan of Chuck E Cheese.  Having a child with Autism, makes you think twice about where you take them.  
Last Summer I learned a lot about my amazing Donomite.  What I learned was that I could not limit him.  I needed to at least try, before I can say it is something he doesn't like or can't do! 
 So, when I got the opportunity to take my family to visit Chuck E Cheese, I thought AWESOME!! Let's go!
 I was expecting it to be loud and crowded.  Two things that can cause my Dono to have a meltdown, and me an axiety attack.  But, when we got inside it was neither.  There was a line, but we didn't wait for very long before we ordered.  

 Whoa! Imagine my surprise when I saw that Mr. Cheese had added a salad bar to their menu!  The price was reasonable and the selections looked fresh and tasty! 

 We placed our order and got our tokens!  We were seated and the kiddies were READY to get out there and play.  

Dono was anxious to go out and play.  He grabbed his cup of tokens and hit the floor!  He didn't need any prompting from us! 


Even his big sister Devynn, was thrilled to play.  

At first I was nervous, because Dono wanted to go out and do his own thing, and although I have come a loooong way, I still tend to hover over him.  But he did just fine.  


My Three were scattered throughout Chuck E Cheese, But I felt they were safe.  Everyone got stamped as they entered.  Everyone gets checked as they exit.  If the numbers of the adult and child do not match, you are not allowed to exit.  












At the end of the game, most were rewarded with Chuck E Cheese Tickets.  Once you were ready you were able to cash in your tickets for a prize at the prize stand. 






The food arrived and it was time to round them up and bring them back to the table so they could eat some YUMMY Pizza!!!!! 



I chose to try out the salad bar, and I was not disappointed.  It looked and tasted just as amazing.  

I was very satisfied!  

My kiddies swallowed their goodies and rushed off to play some more.  The hubby and I were able to sit at our table to finish off our food.  We could see them from where we were seated.  




Dono was doing well and I felt completely comfortable letting him go off on his own while I kept a close eye on him.  








Chuck E Cheese has a little play area.  Dono wanted to go in so bad, but I wasn't sure it was a good idea. The play area was small and I was afraid that he would get over stimulated and start to stim inside the tube or grab someone's ears.  But his big sister Dev, insisted that I let him go, because she would stay with him and make sure he was okay.  

And he did awesome!  
Having a table helped, the children knew exactly where to find us. Or just come get a sip of something cool to quench their thirst from running around.  

Tokens were spent and it was time to cash in their Tickets!  They had these cool machines that ate up your tickets and counted how many you had.  It printed out a receipt for you to show the person behind the counter.  

There were sooo many awesome things to choose from.  The staff were friendly and patient.  They helped out, when they saw that the children were a bit overwhelmed by so many choices.  



The best part was right when we were about to leave, We got to meet the the star!!! Mr. Chuck E Cheese himself!  

It was definitely an awesome afternoon, and a definite, must do!