Dating at FatCats 101

With all the benefits and knowledge learned at school, it lacks one thing… Dating Etiquette. Wouldn’t your social life be so much easier if all your classmates were on the same page for dating? We at FatCats have seen our fair share of awkward first dates.
Sharpen your #2 pencils & find a seat- Welcome to:

This course is short & simple. We guarantee if you follow our six golden rules your date will fall madly in love with you & you’ll both live  happily ever after ...

Well…maybe not BUT, if you want to be a good person and hopefully land a second date, keep on reading.

1. Show up. Does there need to be a description about this one? What’s your date supposed to do…bowl alone?

2. Be on time. Don’t keep your date waiting… make sure you plan ahead.

3. Hand & eye contact. We suggest high-fives for at least 4 bowling pins knocked down. Eye contact will show your date you are interested. Make him/her feel like they are the only person in FatCats.

4. Be courteous & complimentary. Carry your date’s bowling ball, hold their tickets from the arcade or let them tee-off first. They will see you are a genuine person. Use phrases, “good job!”, “way to go!”, and “nice one!” to encourage and make your date feel comfortable.

5. Dress well. No one wants to be with a slob (or clown!) Make special arrangements if coming to FatCats during Thunder Alley. Bowling in black light can enhance your outfit. You should plan on wearing bright colors for maximum effect.

6. Smell good. Taking a shower & putting on deodorant is preferable. While playing Glow Golf, the family on Hole 3 will be appreciative too. If you are a nervous sweater & your deodorant is fading, order food. It will come right to your lane! Your date will be so entranced by the delicious scents of pizza & nachos that they won’t notice you forgot to shower.

We hope these rules help you have the greatest date ever at FatCats!

We want to hear your best & worst date stories!! Comment or send story to social@fatcatsfun.com

Prizes will be awared!!!

Everything's Better With Chocolate!

Whether you are a pro on the lanes or struggle to keep your score above 40 (ahem! me...), a great way to have even more fun while bowling is the candy game!

Never heard of the candy game, eh? It's fun and easy! Before your party or group date, find a bowl, jar or cup you'd like to take. Next, buy your favorite colorful candy (Skittles and M&Ms work best)

By yourself or as a group, you can decide the action that goes with the color. When it is your turn to bowl you close your eyes and pick a piece of candy and do the action that goes with that color. Best part? You can EAT the candy! 


Here is my list (for M&Ms):


Green=bowl in slow motion
Orange=bowl with your eyes closed
Blue=bowl backward
Yellow=bowl with your other hand
Red=bowl through your legs
Brown=FREEBIE! You decide what you want to do!

Playing the candy game can help break the ice. It levels the playing field and allows you to laugh at yourself.


If you have any other fun games to play while bowling or more ideas for the candy game, leave a comment!


Print this for your table on your lane! 

"Ooooh, back to school, back to school--to prove to dad that I'm not a fool"

The last weeks of summer are quickly disappearing. School is almost here! As a child, I looked forward to going back to school. A new year, new clothes, brand new (still sharp) crayons & that Barbie lunch box I just had to have. Looking back, I robbed my parents blind. Although my school supply list said "crayons", I neglected to tell Mom & Dad that I still had the box from last year. The crayons inside were all different sizes and weren't sharp anymore--I just wanted new stuff. School shopping doesn't have to be like that. Here is a list of budget friendly tips for back to school shopping!

1. Take Inventory. Rummage through last year's supplies. If your child says they don't know where their last year's trapper keeper is, they are lying. I always hid my old ones, ha! After gathering all of last year's school supplies, you should have a pretty good idea of what you do and don't need to buy at the store.

2. Hold a swap meet. If your now 7th grader has out-grown the perfectly good Transformers lunch box, call in the friends, family and neighbors and have a swap party. Bring gently used clothes, shoes, back packs, & school supplies. This is also a good way to keep the clutter levels down. One man's garbage is another man's brand new lunch box. 

3. Keep your budget in mind. Don't get all crazy at the store. "Oh! Little Johnny would LOVE this pencil sharpener that flashes when you use it!" Chances are it is double the price of a regular pencil sharpener and anything that flashes is never a good idea in a classroom. 


4. Separate wants from needs. This includes setting your child's expectations. 


5. Make a list. Don't head into Target blind. You'll end up with too many red pens, glue sticks and lined paper.



I am torn about when to go school shopping...Some say to do it all through the summer and find the good deals. Others tell you to wait. In my house, we always waited for the teacher's list. That means we'd have to wait until school actually started before we could stock up on our new supplies. This tactic seemed to work for my mom. 


During all the back to school adventures, make sure you get your child involved! Invite them to the swap meet to sort through new clothes. Have them help you take inventory, set a budget and set expectations. Soon it has become memorable family time. 


After finally gathering all of the necessities (plus some) for back to school, get on over to FatCats to relieve some stress! Our Kids Bowl Free program goes until the last day of  August. If you haven't taken advantage of this yet, it's not too late! (click here)

Staying Sane on the Road

First, I must admit that I am not a mother (yet). I can only use my experience as a child. Whether it be a long-drive vacation to YellowStone, running errands or the 20 minute trip to FatCats, kids have a tendency to misbehave in the car. I know because I was one of them.

So, as mothers, fathers, or siblings who have had enough, what can you do to keep the little ones entertained? Here are my favorites my mom used on me when I was a rowdy child. 

1. Let each child choose a couple of their favorite songs to put onto a "Car CD". Shuffle each child's collection onto that CD and press play! (You can even add a few of your favorites to the list!) If your family's CD is like ours, you'll get to hear Britney Spears (when she was young and innocent), Donny Osmond (mom's pick), and a whole bunch of Disney classics. While singing & dancing, I'd completely forget to pull on sister's seat belt or poke brother's ear.

2. This one only works during the Holiday Season at night, but I  still participate in this game even in my matured age of 20-something. Assign each child a side of the street and help them count the number of houses with holiday lights on them. This always kept us entertained on the drive to & from Grandma's house. 

If it isn't the holiday season, you can count porch lights, houses with basketball hoops, etc... Counting not only keeps kids occupied, it's good for them to practice their numbers!

3. I saved the best for last! My mom would use this for vacations, errands, family outings...you name it! She used chalk on the back tire of our green mini van and sectioned it off into thirds (we have 3 kids in our family). She would write our name in our own section. Any time we would stop, she would announce a prize. "Winner gets $2 to spend at the FatCats' arcade" or "Winner gets to help push the cart in the grocery store!" We'd pile out of the car and run to see who was the winner.

If your section was touching the pavement, you are the winner! We loved going on errands because the more stops we made, the more chances to win! There was a stipulation though. You had to be on your best behavior. If you misbehaved you were ineligible for that round, but you can always earn your section back.

So, if your family still has that long drive vacation planned for this summer or you're taking that 20 minute drive to FatCats, I hope these ideas help. Make that long drive into a fun family memory. Taking the kids in the car doesn't have to be a chore!

Be a FatCat Treasure Hunt! Clue #7

*Tomorrow will be the last day for the Be a FatCat Treasure Hunt. Remember, if you think you know the answer, you can guess at anytime on your location's Facebook Page. Only one guess per person and the winner must: Like us on Facebook, Follow our Twitter and Blog.