Welcome to the latest edition of the Week in Review, now called “Keane Interest” because I wanted something a little more catchy. This edition covers the latest GAAM event, the Hive Society White Party, a new love for Chuck E. Cheese and the Geek Mamas t-shirt shop on Tee Public.

Space GAAM gets a New Space

GAAM, my favorite video game themed party/charity event, moved to a new location this year: The Shultz Center, which is right down the road from its old spot at The Museum. They did an amazing job with the new location and bringing the “space” theme to life. I dug out my old LeeLoo costume and made some upgrades for the occasion.

GAAM’s big event happens once a year, each time with a new theme, but they host smaller events throughout the year so be sure to check them out if you are in or near Jacksonville!

The Hive Society’s 1st Annual White Party

The Hive Society put on an impressive soiree last Sunday with its inaugural White Party. Everyone came dressed to impressed and white was everywhere from the decor to the food. I took the white theme as a chance to break out my White Queen costume, which was actually an old maternity cosplay! A few alterations and added bling made it party-ready. I just realized now I don’t think I got a pic of the entire outfit.

We indulged in treats from Mini Bar Donuts and Alleycakes Bakery, took home a goodie bag filled with fun freebies, enjoyed music by the Chris Thomas Band and watched a fire dancer entertain the crowd.

Rediscovering Chuck E. Cheese

It’s been more than 30 years since I stepped foot inside a Chuck E. Cheese and I’m glad we went! It’s our new go-to spot for a good time and good pizza. They have this amazing deal where you pay for a certain amount of time and then get UNLIMITED play! And if you sign up for their rewards program, you’ll get announcements when they have their “All Day Play” special where you can play all you want, as long as you want, for $14.99. We were there for four hours, had dinner, won enough tickets to take home a cool bubble blower gun and only spent about $30. Can’t beat that!

The cool thing is, it’s small enough so little kids can pretty much roam free. They stamp your arm and your kid’s arm upon entry so they match you up before they let you out the door. Parents actually have a chance to sit and chat and maybe even have a glass of wine (or beer) while the kids go crazy. And all the games are kid size! I even had to get down on my knees to play some of them. My son loves to play driving games, so I was THRILLED he could reach the gas pedal on everything. I was really tired of standing next to games and pressing it for him while he drove. That alone was a major selling point for me, lol.

And now for this edition’s sponsor: Me!

OK, really me and TeePublic.com, but I just signed up as both a creator and affiliate so I wanted to announce my new Geek Mamas t-shirt shop!

I added a couple logo shirts so far and plan to add more original shirts, and picked out a lot of the cute shirts available on Tee Public by other artists. They will be having a big Labor Day sale that starts Thursday! I’ll be doing a full post about the shop soon, along with a giveaway for a free shirt. I tried out a sample of their tri-blend extra soft style and really liked the quality and fit, though I do recommend sizing up. I normally wear a medium but liked the fit best on the large.

That’s all my interesting tidbits for now! Keep an eye out for the t-shirt giveaway and a new Geek of the Week post coming soon. And if you’re local, watch out for that hurricane!