Get Outdoors with NoVA Outdoors

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Published: 04/12/2013



If you haven't heard about NoVA Outdoors, our area's finest blog for reviewing parks and playgrounds, you've been missing out!  You can expand the county list on the left sidebar to find a large number of parks in Northern Virginia and beyond.  Families love the honest reviews and pictures, so you can "know before you go."  

I got a chance to chat with Kamber Petty,  local mom and founder of NoVA Outdoors and asked her a couple of questions. 

Kamber Petty, NoVA Outdoors



What do you look for when reviewing parks and playgrounds?

When I'm reviewing parks I look for fun equipment for the kids to play on, restrooms for the potty training crowd and natural areas where the kids can walk the trails. Safety is always a concern so I look for parks that are kept up and if the equipment is in good shape.



Have you had any funny moments on any of your adventures. 
One of the many funny moments I've had over the past two years while reviewing parks was with my oldest Cooper. Cooper was 3 years old at the time and I asked him what he thought of the park we were at. I'll never forget, he put his hands on hips and in a very serious voice he told me he was concerned there were no swings for his baby brother Max. From that day on every time we get in the car after a park visit he lets me know what he likes about the park and what was missing.


Although the website boasts many, many reviews.  Here are some that are specific to towns in Prince William County. Click on the town to read the reviews. 





Article written by Micaela WIlliamson, author of Kid Trips Northern Virginia Edition. 



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Ode to a Brain Tumor

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Published: 03/28/2013
**Fair Warning: While I typically try to stay neutral with you guys, I can't tell this story without sufficient mention of God, grace, and humility.  It would be a lie.  It's my best attempt at toning it down for you, though.  Take it or leave it :)  Many of you have asked about what happened/is happening, so here's as condensed of a version as I can manage.


Hello, my name is Kristina, and I had/have a brain tumor.  It's complicated.  Let's back up.

After jogging slowly in the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler last April, I was feeling pretty awesome.  While I wasn't fast (just ask my amazing friend Stacey who power walked next to me) I had worked hard to get to 10 miles! I felt healthy and awesome! Then, I started having the occasional headache.  By the time we went to the beach in June, I couldn't lay on my stomach because it caused head pain.  By July, waking up every morning felt like hitting a brick wall.  By the middle of July I was at the local ER in the middle of the night because I thought I was having an aneurism.  I had three kids without any pain meds, and I was crying on the floor- clearly I was either having an aneurism or a stroke.  The doctors told me that I was having a migraine, and it sounded like they were chronic for me.  They gave me some different medications and told me I'd need to figure out what worked for me.

The pain was increasingly difficult to deal with, but I tried.  I tried no caffeine, no spicy foods, more sleep, over the counter, massage, chiropractic care, essential oils, nothing helped.  Christmas Eve I walked out of service in tears because the pain was overwhelming.  The first week of January, I was helping my son brush his teeth to prepare for hockey, and I passed out.

Don't worry, we're saving for therapy.

I spent the next week in agony in bed.  My mother was, thankfully, out of school (she's at Mason, and I am so proud of her!) for winter break still and came to take over school for my children.  The following week, a new neurologist was able to see me.  Her name is Sheila Myers, and she's with Manassas Neurology Associates.  She took a great deal of time examining me and listening to me.  It was the first time I felt like someone was really taking me seriously.  Based on some family history, she decided to rule out a blood clot as a precaution, and Prince William Hospital was able to fit me in for an MRI the following week.

As much as it drives you nuts when your doctor makes you wait for test results, you don't want them to call back within the hour.

We gave ourselves 24 hours to totally freak out, and then I decided that the whole idea of what I was being told was happening was entirely too much for me to carry, and I was going to let God do it for me.  I reject the idea that God would give anyone an illness to "teach" them anything, but I believe He'll walk through it with you.  So that's what I did.  My level of calm and lack of tears freaked out more than a few doctors :)

The next week I was at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital meeting with Dr. Vikram Nayar.  He ended up admitting me for a few days (this is when I first told you guys I'd be out of commission with no details).  We were there for 3 days and I had my first 2 hour full spine full brain MRI with contrast.  It was horrible.  I had NPR on for 2 hours talking about Hilary Clinton making another presidential run.  My brain is a red state.  ;)

Here's a high-tech iphone photo of what they found.  All that white-looking stuff around my brain stem (near the middle around neck-height) was tumor.  On Thursday we had a second opinion at Johns Hopkins.  I'd prayed really hard for discernment about a surgeon and while JHU is an amazing facility, for us the whole appointment was not at all what we wanted.  My husband even left his laptop in Baltimore and had to go back for it after we'd driven home! We felt very confident about our choice of surgeon, even more than we had walking out of Georgetown after the admission.

The next Wednesday, February 6, I had sixteen (that's 16) hours of brain surgery to remove a tumor the size of a citrus fruit from my 4th ventricle, C1, C2, and around my brain stem.  So many things could have gone wrong or been impacted, and while I walk slowly and still feel wobbly and have a few other minor (in the grand scheme of things) complaints, I walked out of the hospital eight (that's 8) days later.  Well, they tell me it was eight, I spent the first several in the ICU on some incredible narcotic pain killers.  From the amazing women who came to pray and sing hymns with me the night before my surgery to the people who volunteered to pray in 15 minute increments all day long on the day of my surgery, to say that I was covered in prayer is an understatement, and to say those prayers were answered in great and powerful ways is completely inadequate, but it's the best I've got. Dr. Nayar is also completely awesome, I won't detract from his skill level, either!

 (To the left is me with hair- somebody got a nice wig, I hope!)

Oh, and, I donated my hair! I've always wanted to, and keeping a sideways mohawk (they needed a drain in the front and the incision up the back) seemed silly.  A huge thank-you to the wonderful people at Statements Salon in Lake Ridge whose manager came out to my house (because if I was going to cry I didn't want to do it in front of everyone) and mailed my donation off to Locks of Love for me, too.  (Not because I said I'd give them a shout-out, just because they were nice people.  I don't think they know who I am from Adam)

For the record, I cried at the prayer meeting that came right before the haircut, but I didn't cry about the hair.  I am so glad that someone else will benefit from my "crisis". For the record, if you've never had hair short enough to sugar scrub your head, you are seriously missing out.

So, where are we now? Well, I am incredibly blessed.  We have had so much help and love and support, and it's completely humbling.  People we don't even know have brought meals.  Friends and family have come in from out of town to help with children and hold our hands.  We've had access to absolutely the best possible care we could have EVER asked for.  However, recovery has been humbling in other ways, too, such as the fact that walking to the end of the block is now a struggle, or that one of my exercises at Physical Therapy is "sit down in the chair, stand up, repeat". I am slow and unable to be the mom I want to be right now, but thanks to the amazing people that God has placed in our lives, my children are happy and well-loved. 

My type of tumor is called an Ependymoma.  It's common in children, but very rare in adults, especially adults in my age group.  I had a complete and total removal of all the visible tumor, but there is a very high probability the tumor will return in a few years without radiation treatments.  Even then, it's fairly common for them to come back in 7-10 years.  However, with oncology research the way it is, progressing rapidly, buying 7-10 years means access to better treatments if it comes back.  So, next is radiation, the major side effect of which is incredible exhaustion.  We're opting to go to Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, which was not an easy choice, but is, again, a discerned and correct one.

I would never have asked for this, but going through it, I wouldn't take it back, either.  Taking a very clear look at your life can be a great way to realize you don't regret things (like staying home with your kids) that you have questioned in the past.  I see now so many little and big things that made us uniquely prepared for this situation, that show me that God prepared us for it- from having our children at a young age (spinal radiation was on the table, which would have left me infertile) to choosing to raise our family in an area that gave us access to incredibly doctors, to my Physical Therapist baby brother having a certification in working with patients undergoing radiation and chemotherapy, my life is covered in fingerprints of a bigger plan at work.  Sometimes I've felt like I don't matter, and being surrounded by people willing to go out of their way to help my family makes me feel like a piece of a greater community.

I even learned that my husband loves me way more than Edward loves Bella.  I learned that for a fact. Without one complaint or gripe or call for recognition, the man has coordinated my care, interviewed my doctors, and advocated for me when I was too weak or too drugged to do it myself. Even though I was balder than him for a few weeks ;)

So....I feel like there should be a point here. If I had to sum up I would say:
1- Listen to your body, and don't be afraid to question a diagnosis that seems dismissive or wrong.
2- You matter to so many more people than you know.
3- Even in a really horrible situation, there are so many ways to see how blessed you are.


(Disclaimer: this is not medical advice.  I named my doctors because so many of you have asked, but you should make your own medical decisions based on your own instincts, research, and condition, not mine) 




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Guest Post: Better to Give than Receive: Kids' Birthday Party Presents

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Published: 02/28/2013



We love giving special presents to our friends...even to friends that we don't know very well.  Whenever my children are invited to a birthday party, we take time to think about the child and like to get something unique.  However, the past few birthday parties that we have gone to, we never even saw the child open the present!  We end up leaving it in some bin.  If we're lucky, we will get a generic card in the mail saying "Thank you for coming to my party."  There is NO mention of our specific gift.
I remember my grandmother complaining about such a party years ago.  She was invited to a  child's birthday, and there was no present opening.  She didn't even receive a thank you card, and that is a huge no-no in her book.  At the time, I didn't even have a child, but I vowed to her that I would never to do this.  She would be proud to know that two children and twelve birthday parties later, I have kept my word!

My children open EVERY PRESENT they receive from friends at their birthday parties (except gifts from people that are not in attendance.)  I don't care if other children are bored and don't like sitting around.  We have small parties anyway, and the whole process takes 10 minutes.  Everyone will receive a PERSONALIZED thank you card within a week (okay...maybe 2 weeks tops.)

I realize that some people invite the whole class to their birthday party, or they are paying for playtime at a fun kids' place.  If I had a 90 minute party for my child at a bouncy place, I would want the time to be spent playing or jumping too, but I would never send a generic thank you card.  I wouldn't subject my guests to sitting through 25 gifts being open, but I also do not want/need 25 new toys in my house.  (Another reason I like to keep the parties small.)

What do you think?  Am I out of line?  Do you feel like you pay so much for your child's birthday party that a generic thank you card is enough, or do you forgo thank you cards all together?

Image credit:  © Mschalke | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos
Thanks to Micaela Williamson, AKA SuperNovaMommy for this fantastic guest post.  If you're on the Fairfax border, be sure to check out Micaela's fantastic site for even more great events to keep you and your family active and happy in Northern Virginia. You can also find SuperNovaMommy on Facebook. 
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Let's Talk Community

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Published: 01/12/2013
Hello Loves of My Life,

All several thousand of you.

Listen, you guys are awesome.  Totally and completely awesome.  And, numerous! You're so very numerous.  Your collective knowledge is so much more vast than my individual knowledge could ever possibly be.  However, I have a lot of people who know to come here to find things.  That means, we should totally team up.

As an example, I'm like peanut butter.  Good, all on its own.  However, together, we could be like chocolate plus peanut butter....

Yum.  So much better than peanut butter alone!

Oh, you have a peanut allergy?  Ummm.....how about this:

Look, we're like Peas and Carrots!  Amazing!

So, let's talk about the new blog line up that I'm going to be rolling out in February and how you can totally get in on it.

1) Kristina! I totally love to go places! And write about stuff!
Hello, new BFF! I want you to write stuff about places!  Went to the playground? Tell us about it and send a picture! Checked out a library event? I want to know, and so does everyone else! We're all nosy! Tried a business I haven't been to? Let's share with the class! Available to go check stuff out (or always wanted to go somewhere but would looove to go for free?) email me a proposal and I'll help you set it up!! I'll include a link to your website, blog, or business if you'd like, too! Especially if you have kids younger (babies and toddlers) or older (tweens and teens) than me, I'd love to hear about where you go, what you like, and what you do! I can't take my kids to baby story times or classes anymore, so share with other moms about things you try (good or bad!) it's a huge community service!  Plus, you know you want to be internet-famous! It looks awesome in one of those holiday brag letters! Use this space! It's free! 

2) Kristina! I totally love to write about mommy-related stuff and/or kids!!  And rant about things! 
I'd love to feature you as a guest blogger, which I'm hoping to have happen every Thursday. That's the day I teach at our homeschool co-op, and having a guest blog to go up makes my life so much easier!  This is a great way to get exposure for your own website, and I like to share!Use this space! It's free! 

3) Kristina! I totally hate to write, but I looooove to take pictures! Of everything!
Send me your pictures!! I want to get you guys more invovled in interacting with the site, and I'm going to be starting a "Wordless Wednesday" where I feature a photographer, momtographer, or somebody who got lucky with an iPhone! Your picture can be of a local place, landmark, scene, your kids, whatever you want! Just email it to me with a title for your picture or a brief (sentence or less) caption.  Want a link with that? Sure! Have your own blog? You'll be able to link your picture up with the picture I select to feature each week! Start sending them now, because I want to get a few weeks ahead of myself! Use this space! It's free! 

4) Kristina!! I totally own/volunteer at/love a non-profit! I want to get in on Featured Organization Friday! 
Oh my gosh, thanks for remembering! I love to feature non-profits of ANY kind that are family friendly.  Send me your organization's profile in whatever format you'd like that you think will get you noticed by our readers, and we'll plug you in for a Friday.  I WANT TO HAVE AN ORGANIZATION EVERY FRIDAY!! We have so many great organizations and groups in our community, so having this space vacant breaks my heart! Use this space! It's free! 

5) Kristina!! I am hoping to be A Big Deal on Pinterest! Can I share a recipe or craft and have you share my Pinterest Board so people will follow me? 
Heck yeah you can! I love crafts and food ideas, lets do this! Own a crafty business and want a link to your business page instead of your Pinterest? That's good, too.  Use this space! It's free! 

6) Kristina!! I have some other AWESOME idea that I think will be AWESOME for some AWESOME reason!
Email me, peeps! I love hearing from you (well, when you're not mad) and I'm sure we can make it work!

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Marisa Tomei's Hair. For Real.

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Published: 01/04/2013
Tonight I went with my mom and her BFF (who's in visiting from Colorado) to see "Parental Guidance".  It was cute with a few funny moments, and definitely a good message about tolerance in parents and grandparents who do things differently.  I can see grandmothers liking it way more than moms like me, who are hearing the message, but not really interested in "buying what they're selling".

I mean, it was cute, but I'm not calling up "the other grandparents" to come stay for a week in the hopes that a black eye, fight with the speech therapist, and cake will result in happy family.

What I really want to talk about, though, is Marisa Tomei's hair. She's a gorgeous lady, don't get me wrong.  In "Rescue Me" her hair is fantastic, and her red carpet curls are definitely enviable.


This shot of her is from DesktopWallpaper.Net, if you want to have her stare at you every time you log in to your laptop.  I'm not here to judge.  My wallpaper is my husband and kids sticking their tongues out at me, so Marisa Tomei would probably be an improvement.

Anyway.  In this movie, they cast Marisa Tomei as a working mom of three kids who is the typical movie mom.  Fantastic wardrobe, amazing body, size 0 designer jeans and then someone must've taken a look at her and said "Wait.  We need to make her more approachable and believable as a mom.  Take away her hairbrush."

I don't really know why it bothered me so much, but it drove me nuts!! In every scene of the movie, the woman looks like she got up, put on her fantastic wardrobe, and then looked in the mirror and was like "eh, the hair is where I draw the line."

What's the message here? No matter how hard we try, we moms always look disheveled? That even the moms who seem to have it all together always forget something? Don't get me wrong, I know moms come in all shapes and sizes and appearances, but the fact that the hair person on set made a conscious choice to make her hair look like that really got under my skin!

I guess most things Hollywood says about moms frustrate me.  Don't even get me started about "Couples Retreat".  That's right ladies, keep those bodies looking amazing for your beer-bellied husbands, because all that matters is that he keeps a trophy wife.

Gah!

Do you feel pressured by the TV/Movie versions of what a mom should be, or do you just ignore the hype?
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Sandy Hook School Reflections

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Published: 12/17/2012
A few of you have emailed me about ways to "explain" Friday's tragedy to your children.  I emailed those people back, and was going to let this go, but I received a few more emails today about it as people sent their children to school and figured they would hear more about it while they were there, so here are some of my thoughts.  Again, I'm not a therapist, these are just my approaches.

 I've worked in Children's Ministry and studied philosophy and religion, and if you can explain Friday's tragedy, please let me know because there's a nobel peace prize with your name on it.  There are no explanations, in my mind, that could ever explain why someone would slaughter sweet children as they sat in their classrooms.  There is no possible reason that could ever explain why this happened that would satisfy me.  Mental illness? Possibly, but even then, why wasn't the shooter getting help? Why wasn't he on medication? Why wasn't it working? There is an endless string of questions as to why.

In conclusion, if you're looking for an explanation, all I can do is offer you that from my background, we believe that we live in a fallen world, and because of that, evil things happen.  There are concepts in most Western faiths that involve the idea that part of our purpose is to help repair the damage that evil does.  Even though I'm Christian, I like the Jewish idea of Tikkun Olam, or that we have a requirement to heal the world through social justice and societal awareness, but your belief system will surely have some answers for you.

Practically speaking, whatever your religion or lack thereof, you can help your child to know that they can continue to move forward.  I am a huge believer in reflexive questioning with my kids, so I am not offering information about Sandy Hook to my youngest daughter.  When my older two boys ask me about it, I start by asking them what they know, and ensuring that I understand what they are asking me.  There is no need to force too much information on a child who isn't seeking it, in my opinion.  For example, when my six year old asked me what happened at the school in Connecticut (thanks to the NFL for that one) I asked him what he knew, and he told me "something bad".  I told him yes, that it was something bad, and that people were working to make sure it never happened again.  That was enough information for him.  When my nine year old asked the same question and got the same response, he wanted to know if anyone died, and when I told him yes, he wanted to know how many people.  A few hours later, he had put together in his mind that people died at a school and asked me the terrifying question of whether or not children had died, too.

With my own children, I am emphasizing the following:

1) They are surrounded by people who love them and want to keep them safe.  Parents, teachers, counselors, coaches, babysitters, daycare providers, all of them want to help them to thrive and be safe in whatever setting they interact with them.

2)  When bad things happen, we are able to learn about how to prevent them from happening again, and people are responding to this crisis with legislation, increased police presence, and increased vigilance about school policies.

3) Part of our faith is to respond to evil with goodness, and we can come up with practical ways to help the families in Newton. I think that developing a reaction plan helps children to feel like they are not small and helpless in the wake of what is making many adults, myself included, feel small and helpless. If nothing else, there's a national sympathy card you can sign online.

4) This isn't really an emphasis, but if you haven't already, TURN OFF THE TV.  Over the next several days there will be more revealed about the order of the shootings, funerals for children, and I'm sure they'll dig up whatever reasons the killer listed as his causes.  Just turn it off.  Remember that "breaking news" can pre-empt your child's TV show at any time.  If you "need" TV, go with DVDs for a few days.

5) Validate that it's okay to feel whatever your child is feeling about this. Let them know they can talk to you, to their teacher, and to the school counselor about any concerns or misgivings.

6) My kids don't go to school, but if they did, I would make a point of starting a conversation this afternoon asking if they heard anything at school they want to talk about.  Different families will have provided their children with different levels of information, and much like a game of telephone, your child will have a mish-mash of fact and fiction to sort through in their head.  Also, find out what the response is at your child's school by asking the office if the teachers/counseling staff are addressing the issue, and what types of increased security, if any, your child will be seeing today.  There may be a letter going home (there frequently is after a major occurrence the school needs to react to) so be sure to check the bottom of your child's backpack where they've crumpled it up for you.

If you need additional ideas or information, the following resources could help.  I've collected these from facebook, and don't necessarily endorse them, just sharing so you have as much info as possible:
Dealing with Crisis, from Save the Children
Talking About School Shooting, from Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters
Am I Safe?, Time Magazine
Talking to Children About Disasters, American Academy of Pediatrics
Restoring a Sense of Safety After a Mass Shooting, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology


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Chick-fil-A Home Office

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Published: 12/05/2012
We were so fortunate to be able to visit the Chick-fil-A Home Office in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday as part of the "VIP of Chick-fil-A" promotion run by local restaurants here in the DC metro area.   I'm not a great flyer, so two flights in one day was pushing it, but I am really glad that I went and I actually did pretty well on the flight coming back, so maybe I just need to travel more.  (Note to husband.)

Chick-fil-A of Woodbridge was our sponsoring restaurant, and they were so incredible to us.  We had a congratulatory dinner (you can read about it here), and since the owners were unable to travel with us, they sent a car from Elite Limo USA, which was great.  Our daughter thought for sure that they were going to pick us up in the catering van (the one you see parked at the restaurant that's cow-spotted) and was SO excited for us to get to ride "with the chicken nuggets" that we haven't told her yet that we had a lovely SUV instead :)
My "plus one" is pretty awesome
Our flight left out of Reagan Airport, and it was short- about an hour and twenty minutes or so.  There were a bunch of winners and restaurant owners (or "operators" in CFA speak) on our flight, with about 130 total people on the trip when we all met up in Atlanta.  We had such a great time meeting new people and watching the operators tease each other.  While we were in Atlanta, they kept stressing the family atmosphere they try to create for their employees, operators, and customers, and you could definitely see that! Whether it was trying to convince a stewardess that one of the Cathy's was on our flight (he wasn't, but the operator of the La Plata store offered everyone on the flight an original sandwich to make up for it!) or surfing on the airport shuttle, we had a really great time just traveling and enjoying the friendly atmosphere.

Once we arrived in Atlanta, there were tons of Chick-fil-A home office staff that came to greet us.  Little known fact, it is physically impossible to not smile when people are forming a human chain and ringing cow bells at you!

Especially if you and your husband joke about how you're being "herded" to the buses.

At the end of the line, the cows were there!! I promised our kids lots of cow pictures, and we did not disappoint.





The Home Office is actually amazing.  I wasn't really sure what we were in for when they told us we were going to do a tour of corporate headquarters.  Chick-fil-A's retention rate for employees is 97% at the Home Office, and they typically only lose people to illness or retirement, and you can definitely see why.  The location is like a giant park with most of the land left wooded.  There's on-site childcare provided, as well as a gym, stocked pond, running trails, a cafe that provides lunch each day, and y'all, I'd move to Atlanta tomorrow to go work there.  I am not even kidding.  You can watch a video about it if you want to, on their website.

We were also provided with lunch, and then Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A came to speak with us.  He was very charming and funny! He came in to spend a few minutes with us while we were having lunch, and when he started his speech, he got distracted by someone's plate and joked "What are you all eating? Is that pork barbeque? Someone's going to get some demerits for that!"  I sincerely hope that when I am in my 90s I'm still putting on a suit and coming to speak to people!
Not pictured: The life-size Willie Nelson that lives in the office
Dan Cathy, the COO, also came to speak with us and so did "Bubba" Cathy (who threw a giant cow, which I caught!! Thank you, not that you're reading this!).  Chick-fil-A is still family owned, and their third generation of family owners are now coming up.
We named him "Lap Child" hoping to pre-board on the way home.
After our lunch, we were able to tour the office, which is partially a museum, so there are works of art and statues all over the building, as well as a dedicated are to Truett Cathy's car collection, which includes one of the Bat Mobiles used in filming Batman forever.  My husband really loved that.

There's also an exhibit with a replica of the Dwarf House, which is where the Cathy family started their restaurant business, as well as an area dedicated to the charities that the Cathys fund through the WinShape Foundation, which offers marriage retreats, camps, foster homes, team development, college programs and more.

After our tour, we were again taken out to our buses which took us to the Dwarf House, which also has a Chick-fil-A attached, so that we could snap a few pictures and pick up a boxed dinner since we wouldn't all fit inside.  Don't worry- it was a Chick-fil-A sandwich this time- no barbeque.

We just had the most wonderful time.  It was fun and informative, and I really respect the principles that Chick-fil-A runs on.

If you're ever in Atlanta, you don't have to be a "VIP" to get a tour! Chick-fil-A Home Office Backstage Tours are offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 9:30am and 1pm.  Lunch is available for purchase after the 9:30am tour.  The 90 minute walking tour is for ages 6 and up.

PS- I have a Chick-fil-A giveaway for your enjoyment, too.  (Unless it's after December 7, 2012, because then the contest is closed).

I was provided with transportation to/from and around Atlanta, as well as a tour and two meals for myself and one guest as part of the "VIP of Chick-fil-A" contest.  The contest was not limited to bloggers/writers, and I was not asked to write about my experience in return for winning.  I just wanted to share with you guys.  All opinions are my own.
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Paradise Springs Winery

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Published: 11/29/2012
I am not really a wine person.  It is atypical for me to have an "adult beverage" and if I do have wine, it has to be white, sweet, and with lots of ice.

Yes, ice. Because I'm classy, people.  I even know that the new term is "Cardbordeaux" and not "Wine in a bag in a box".

And only one glass, because after that, I get giggly.

However, I do love the idea of wine.  I'm always impressed by people who know lots about wine, that know the vintages and can identify whether a particular variety was aged in oak or steel, those who can tell the difference between the 1949 and 1950 blend of a particular beverage. I especially like the idea of vineyards.  Sitting around with friends enjoying a snack and a glass of wine by the fire with live indie music in the background sounds pretty amazing right?

That's because it is!!

We headed out this past Sunday with another couple for a double date to Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA, which was absolutely lovely.  If you're following Apple Maps, which we were, don't let them fool you into turning on the last left- just keep going straight, you can't miss it. Google users, you'll be just fine.

The vineyard itself is on a plot of land that's been handed down in a family since the time of Lord Fairfax and George Washington, which is really neat!  There's an historic cabin on site, as well as the main tasting room, which is also gorgeous.  Tastings at Paradise Springs include samples from their entire line for $10.  You can add a souvenir etched glass for $2 more.  Private tastings for groups are $15 per person, and happen in a dedicated location with your own "wine educator".  They also host special events, which you can check out on their website.

Our group opted to take part in the "Paradise Springs Experience" which is $25 and includes a tour of the cabin, production areas, barrel room, and a tasting.  Our wine educator/guide was Richard, who was absolutely delightful.  He was very knowledgable not only about wine, but art and history as well, and we very much enjoyed our tour with him.

Children are allowed to join you at the winery, per the website, but let's be nice to ourselves and everyone else and snag a sitter, shall we? Nobody wants to ignore their vino and conversation so that they can run after the munchkins.  Children are not permitted on the "Paradise Springs Experience" tour, though.

On our tour, Richard talked us through all of the Paradise Springs wines.  I learned that a more yellow color on a white wine indicates oak barrels were used (score! I'm educated now!), and was able to clearly tell the difference between a 2010 and a 2011!

Are you amazed by my new levels of awesome? I know, I am, too.

After our tour, we enjoyed some snacks that we brought with us.  Food is available on-site, as well, but patrons are welcome to bring their own, if they prefer.  Only Paradise Springs Wines are allowed, of course, and they also have non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase.

I think the only thing that we did wrong on this visit was underestimate the time we would spend.  I told Grandma that we'd be back for the kids around 4:00.  We left at 1:30, and we rolled back up to her house at 6.  Our tour took about an hour and a half, and we all had a great time just sitting and chatting in the beautiful and relaxed environment.  There was a fire going on the outdoor patio, as well as indoor seating, and we just really had a fantastic time.  They even had the football game on, which meant that my friend and I could gossip uninhibited by eye rolls from our respective husbands.
It was a lovely, relaxing afternoon!

Paradise Springs Winery
*Great for an adults-only afternoon/evening
*Open daily
*Tastings for only $10!
*Leave yourself lots of time!
*Bring food or buy it there
*Bring your ID
* Plan to buy a bottle of your favorite wine to take home!

Downside:
*If you're holding your empty glass AND a camera phone, don't turn the camera phone or you'll get red wine on your shirt and your friends will make fun of you mercilessly.  Or, maybe that's just my friends.

Plan Ahead:
*Someone's gotta drive home, so be sure that you plan accordingly by bringing a designated driver.  If you need to, call a cab.  Clifton Roads are windy and have lots of deer, so don't risk it.

Disclaimer: Don't be an idiot and drink and drive.  That's just not cool.  Also, I was not compensated in any way for this review, in fact, they didn't even know I was there.  We had a great time, though, and think you would, too. If you think you have a problem with alcohol, please get help. I've never written about anything alcohol-related before, I don't think, so if I'm over-disclaimering, I apologize.
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FAQ: "What do you DO all day?"

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Published: 11/12/2012
I think over the last year I've answered variations of this question about 80 times in interviews, emails, and readers meeting me in person.  I don't share a lot about homeschooling here, because I figure most of you either don't care or are offended by the idea of school choice.  However, since I have been asked enough that I'm tired of re-typing the response, I'm going to hit on a few basics today, and if you don't care or are offended, you can feel free to head on over here and read about Winter 2012 Events.

Still here? Hello.  I've separated these out by questions, so find the one you're looking for and read away.

Questions: "Why don't you like public school?" "Do you hate teachers?" "Do you have a teaching degree" "When are you going to send your kids back to public school"
I love public education and think it's the benchmark of a truly functioning democracy. I was public schooled, and I applied for school board because I love public education. I do not hate teachers. I think that like in any profession there are AMAZING teachers and there are some really horrible teachers, and everything in-between.  I respect anyone who can face 28-35 kids of various ability levels and make them learn even one thing in a day.  I do not have a teaching degree.  We opted to homeschool because it works better for our family right now.  My option to do this for my children does not negate or invalidate your choice to keep your kids in public school, just like someone's ability to afford private school doesn't make it wrong for your child to attend public school.  We're all trying to do what's best for our individual kids- and that might vary from child to child and year to year.  We always say that we're "homeschooling this year".  When this isn't the right choice for our children, we'll stop.

Questions: "Did you consider private school?" "We love our private school, did you look at it?" "Did you know about all the specialty programs at public schools?"
We looked at numerous private schools (I really liked Heritage Christian off Hoadly Road and know many families who are very happy at St. Thomas Aquinas off Route 1) but none of them were a great fit for our family.  The ones I really liked educationally made my husband uncomfortable doctrinally.  Prince William County has some great specialty programs, especially at the high school level. I encourage every parent to research and consider their child's education, whether or not they're selecting public school or not, because your neighborhood school is not a set-in-stone foregone conclusion.  We've also applied to Porter, one of two traditional schools offered by PWCS.

Questions: "What do you do all day?" "Do you just let your kids watch TV? Wouldn't they be better off at school?" "How long does your school day take?" "What does a homeschool day look like?" "How do you do your days?"
Obviously, like any mom you ask about her day, this is GENERALLY speaking how our days look.  Do we have bad days? Of course.  Do we have sick days? Ugh.  Right now that's all we've had for a month and a half.  But, generally speaking, this is how life works around here.
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
The kids wake up and get dressed and check on their pet rabbit.  Responsibility, people- it's key.  Around 8:10 we sit down for breakfast and I read the day's devotional and go over our schedule.  After breakfast we take my daughter to preschool. ("Why don't you homeschool your daughter, too?" Because we think that it's important to learn to function independently and to separate from mom. "What preschool do you use?" I'll be happy to tell you next year when we don't have anyone there.) When the boys and I get back home, we start work on our core curriculum of math, writing, spelling and reading.  I mark the pages they'll start on the night before, so I can be teaching a new skill to one of them while the other works to the point at which they need some instruction or assistance.  After that we move on to science, history, or another subject depending on what we're currently working on.  We pick up my daughter from preschool and when we get home everyone eats lunch while I read aloud.  We're working our way through the reading list recommended by A Thomas Jefferson Education, which is a pretty good manifesto on how and why we do what we do.  Right now we're reading Little House in the Big Woods, and next week we'll pick up A Little Princess.  We generally finish one a week.  After lunch, we have recess outside if at all possible, and then we work on our memory component since my daughter participates in that, too.  Then the boys read to me and everyone is able to work on special projects until our school friends get home and we head outside to play. We are usually done with our "real work" and on to personal projects by 1:30 or 2:00. This may be art or music, a personal reading book, scout project, or whatever they'd like.  Frequently on Fridays, if the children have mastered their memory components for the week (we call this "grammar" in our Classical Conversations method) we'll only do the morning work and enjoy a field trip or park day in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Same as above, but I have three little workers, so I include some Montessori-based stations for my daughter to work on and there's no drop off/pick up at preschool.
Thursday
Thursday is our "co-op" day where we attend a Classical Conversations Community.  Our day starts earlier on these days since I tutor (because parents are the teachers, our classroom instructors are called tutors) a class we try to arrive at CC around 8:30, which means being out the door at 8.  It very rarely happens, though, if I'm being honest.  Our CC day looks like this:
9:15-9:30 Opening Assembly (pledge, announcements, etc.)
9:30-12:00 Classroom Time (children work on new grammar, old grammar, geography, timeline, oral presentations, fine arts unit, science experiments and have a snack)
12:00-12:30 Lunch with friends
12:30-1:00 Recess
When we get home we still do math and reading, but that's it for the day.

Questions: "You say you're homeschooling them, but you're on facebook all the time.  You must be ignoring your kids." 
Amazingly, since the boys can read, they're quite capable of working independently for chunks of time, just like your child is at school.  This leaves me pockets of time to fill in 20 second facebook updates or answer emails.  You'll notice days where I don't post anything all morning or am gone for hours at a time, and that probably indicates we're working on something new or difficult where I need to be completely present and engaged.  Generally speaking, facebook updates don't require more than a minute at a time, though.

Questions: "I'm thinking of homeschooling.  What curriculum do you use?" "What books do you use? Are they the same as the school system?" "Do you just do school at home?" 
There's tons of curriculum out there.  What we use might not be for you.  However, we use Classical Conversations (which includes our timeline, geography, math concepts, skip counting, history, Latin, English grammar, fine arts, and science), Story of the World, Singapore Math, Sequential Spelling, First Language Lessons, Writing with Ease, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and fill in Science based on the unit we're currently studying. Our reading is great books based, and we also use BOB books with our younger readers to fill in from Teach Your Child to Read.

Questions: "Are you crazy?"
Apparently not enough to commit.

Questions: "I don't think I could do this." "I'd like to do this, but I'm not sure I can." "Can anyone do this?" "I think this might help my child, can I do it?"
If you want to, you can.  You taught your child to walk, talk, and not eat glue, you can certainly teach them.  I am not more patient than you, I am not more qualified than you, and I am not more zen with my kids than you, I just decide every morning that this is what I'm going to dedicate my time to.  If you have the desire to do it and are willing to commit to the task, you, too, can homeschool.  It's not for everyone, but if you want to do it, you can do it.

Questions: "Do your kids kill each other?" "How do you socialize your kids?" "Aren't your kids lonely and bored?" "Do you go out?" 
Our kids are actually really great with each other, although that was a transition because they'd lost a lot of their closeness in the 2 years of public school that we did.  I reject the idea that kids need to be "socialized" because I don't necessarily want them to think like everyone else, however if you're asking how we provide them with a social life, we have our co-op, scouts, sports teams, recess, play dates, park days, field trips, homeschool groups, and more.  They are not lonely, and very seldom bored, although I remember their being days when my oldest was bored even in public school.

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Hey Hey Chick-Fil-A

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Published: 11/07/2012
Or, "I'm Going to HotLanta, People!"

Chick-Fil-A had a contest.  I will enter their contest, I said.
(This is a childhood book reference.  Did anyone get it?)

Anyway.  Then, I won, which was both amazing and terrifying!  Let's start with amazing!

The very fabulous owners of Chick-Fil-A Woodbridge invited my family and me to come for a VIP dinner.  It was only slightly embarrassing because the whole staff clapped for me, and I'm not really clap-worthy.  Then, we got to have dinner at a lovely table that had balloons and cows everywhere!  The kids loved it, and I did, too! Stars are my favorite :)
(My kids realized we had more candy and balloons and cows than we needed for our family of 5, so they proceeded to frustrate every parent in the store by handing them out to other kids. If you were one of the parents forcibly given candy by my children, I apologize)
 (This is Helen, who was our hostess with the mostess)
So then, we got to go on a tour! This was actually neat, and you can have a tour, too, by appointment. It's a fairly short experience, but they start with the history of Chick-Fil-A (did you know the chicken figure in the logo has a name? It's "Doodle".) and then take you in the back and show you the products, storage areas, production line, and fryers.
I think that this tour is the PERFECT length for a preschool class- not too long, not too short, they can all talk about how much they love cookies and....
Ohmigosh! The cow jumped out of the fridge!!  The cow!!  Come on, you guys know you love the cow!  Okay, well, I love the cow.
This kid is an EXPERT at photo bombing, but here he's just making the lemon face while we check out how CFA makes their lemonade.  Did you know some sweet person actually juices lemons each day so that your lemonade can be tasty? Like, actually stands at the back, cuts the lemons open, and puts them on a lemon juicer.
We had so much fun on our VIP night, and loved getting to meet Luis, the operator, and Helen,  who's the Marketing Manager.  Incidentally, these two are married and two of their children also own Virginia Chick-Fil-A's.  Apparently it's a great business to get in to.  (Heads up to all of you who are always complaining there's not one in Dumfries!)

So, this part was super awesome!  And, I get to go to Atlanta with my hubby, to see the CFA headquarters, which is fun, too! I've never been to Atlanta.

The downside to all of this is that I'm TERRIFIED of flying! Like, shaking in my boots stealing a Pamper from the kid next to me freaked out.  Okay, maybe not stealing a Pamper....I'd totally ask first.

I'm really excited to go, though, and especially excited for probably the best date ever (that's right, hubby- I'm throwing the gauntlet here!) since we'll fly down, take our tour and fly back all without the kids, that's our first (and probably only) jet-set date ever.  #Winning.

Anyone else not a flying fan? Because I'm taking suggestions on calming down :)

Also, thanks to Chick-Fil-A and especially CFA Woodbridge for the great time and awesome prize! We're really excited, even if I'm a little nervous about the traveling! Also, thanks to you guys if you voted!
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A Crochety Old Lady

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Published: 11/01/2012
I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween! Whether you celebrate by going out trick-or-treating, staying in and having a family night, or going to an event, I hope that it was a good night for you and your family.  We had fun around our neighborhood and my parent's neighborhood (because grammy needs to show off the grandkids).  In fact, my parents neighborhood was extra awesome this year because they had an ACTUAL man on an ACTUAL horse with an ACTUAL sword dressed up as the headless horseman.

I'm not going to lie, he scared the bejeebus out of me.

Here are my little trick-or-treaters this year.  We had an army man (bonus mom points for making camouflage makeup using nothing but eye shadow), a ninja, and Supergirl- which isn't so much a costume as a statement of fact. ;)

Every year after Halloween, even though we have fun, I have to contend with the hard truth that I have turned into a crochety old lady.  Why, you ask?  Because there is a candy system at my house:

Ages 0-12 months old---> sorry parents, but in an effort to be nice to the non-candy eaters, I actually stock up on Halloween goldfish or teddy grahams in individual packets.  Most parents of children who can eat already actually appreciate the gesture.

Ages 1-12 in costume--->a giant handful of whatever mix I pull out

Ages 12 and up in costume---> two or three pieces of candy for the effort

Ages 12 and up not in costume---> one piece of candy because I don't want my house egged

Adults (seriously?) not in costume/the moms who are "trick or treating for my kids who are too old to go" (there were two of them, and, seriously?)--->one lollipop

I'm sure that some of you are probably still nice people who give equal candy to both the young and old, the costumed and uncostumed, but it makes me sad that the average age of trick-or-treater in our neighborhood was probably 16 last night and there were just giant groups of older teens and several random adults out without children with them.  It's probably some kind of Freudian anger about the fact that my mom cut me off before I was a teenager, but I at least want to see you in a costume!

At least I'm not walloping anyone with my cane yet ;)

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

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Halloween Frankenstein Pops

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Published: 10/31/2012
Since you guys seem to enjoy craft and food ideas, I've been trying to share more of them since I really like to Martha Stewart it up as much as possible.

I especially like it when it's REALLY easy.  The Frankenstein Pops I shared on Facebook? They're so easy a four year old can do it.

Assemble your troops.  You'll need frosting, sugar bones, sugar eyes, lollipop sticks, and black sugar or chocolate jimmies, oh, and marshmallows.
 Step One: Get a bag of frosting out of your freezer.  Here we have cream cheese frosting, vanilla buttercream, and hot pink lemonade buttercream.  What's that? You don't make a double batch of frosting every time and freeze the leftovers for emergency cake-frosting? You don't MAKE your own frosting? Sigh.  Yes, go ask Betty Crocker for a can of white frosting...that'll work, too.
 Step Two: Plop your frosting into a bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds if it's room temperature, or about a minute if it was a popsicle when you put it in there.  You're looking for fondue-consistency frosting.
 Step Three: Curse yourself for not getting green food dye at the Walmart when you were JUST THERE.  Remember that yellow an blue make green.  Mix well. (These are Wilton gel dyes, which I love because they don't water down whatever you're tinting.  However, for this, you could use the liquid dye you get at the grocery store, too.  Wilton gels are sold at craft stores like JoAnn Fabrics and Michaels and Walmart stores)
Step Four: Pop a marshmallow onto a lollipop stick and dunk it in your frosting.  Tap gently on the side of the bowl to remove any excess and then set the stick into a heavy glass cup set over a plate to let the frosting set just slightly (a minute or two, tops).
 Step Five: After your frosting has had a minute to settle and drip off and excess, give your marshmallow a roll in the black sugar or chocolate jimmies to add hair.
 Step Six: Add eyes (you could pipe these on, but this whole treat was inspired by the sugar candy eyeballs being on sale for $2) and imbed a sugar bone on either side of your Frankenstein's head.  You could also pipe on a mouth, but if I was creating a monster, it would do my bidding without talking back.  I'm just saying.
Optional Bonus Points For Step Seven: Pop some floral foam covered in a seasonal napkin inside your Frankenstein Can and go on a shock and awe campaign at your preschool party.  Winning.

You could also do these heads with cake pops, you'd just want to form them into squares instead of balls.  Witches would be cute, too, with purple frosting, a mini green m&m nose, and just the cookie part of an Oreo with a Hershey's Kiss glued on top with some melted chocolate.

Have fun!
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Readers Recommend: Bad Weather Fun

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Published: 10/30/2012
So we all made it relatively unscathed by Frankenstorm, thank God.  As we go about the next few days, please keep an ear out for opportunities to help those who were not so fortunate.  The pictures of New York and New Jersey are heartbreaking.

Photo Credit: The Washington Post.  Check out their storm coverage here. 
Also, if you're of the praying persuasion, you could continue to offer petitions on behalf of the first responders and National Guard who will be continuing to pick up the pieces today.

In the meantime, it's mushy and grey outside, which means that we've all got to keep our kiddos happy inside.  Well, almost all of us- some of us are going to make them do schoolwork anyway because we're mean horrible people sent here to ruin their childhoods responsible homeschoolers.

I asked yesterday what you guys recommended to beat the weather-based blues, and here's what you guys sent me:

For the Adults:
*Poker tournament with the neighbors
*Wine
*Crocheting
*Wine
*Online Shopping
*Wine is a great idea!
Sounds like you guys rather enjoy your vino.

In the Kitchen:
*Baking- apple pie,
*Make Stone Soup
*Quesadillas
*Fresh Ice Cream Sandwiches with homemade cookies (hey, Beth! You sent a picture!! Email me your address and I'm mailing you something cool.)
Kickin' it Frankenstorm-Style

With the Kids:
*Reading books
*Stacking the tea lights
*Glow Bracelet War
*Uno
*Indoor Tent

For Those Who Like to Live Dangerously:
*Monopoly
(If you don't have little ears around and aren't easily offended, I tend to agree with Dane Cook's assessment of monopoly- but he does drop an f-bomb, so watch out.)

Bonus Points To:
Jennifer Peterson Singh who did a whole Pinterest Board! I've got a PwcMoms one, too, but that's not news.

Thanks for sharing what you did this Frankenstorm!

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What To Do During a Frankenstorm, Day 1

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Published: 10/29/2012
As of right now, it's not so bad out there.  Better safe than sorry, of course, but that fans that you're probably at home with some kiddos who need some entertainment.  While TV and video games are definitely an option, here's a few fun plans to try, too.

My kids spent the night with PwcGrammy on Saturday night so that we could go to a Halloween party.  Being the awesome grandma that she is, she had a whole night of fun planned for the kids including pumpkin carving, seed roasting, caramel apple making, and crafting.  I thought the crafts were adorable, and could be adapted to use what you have at home (or you could pop out to Walmart before the wind gets bad, but that's a personal judgement call).

Idea 1: Frankenstorm Can
 Alright, he's really supposed to be Frankenstein, but it's kinda funny to call him Frankenstorm :) This one is made with a #10 (Food Service Size) can painted green.  The "knobs" are wooden pieces that were painted silver.  You could just as easily use game pieces that have lost their home or empty prescription bottles.  Don't have silver paint? Glitter would work, too.  The smile is sharpie marker, the nose is another painted wooden piece, but you could substitute for a button or draw the nose, too.  The hair is sparkle felt cut to be pointed on one side and folded over the top of the can, but you could easily swap that out for construction paper if that's what you have at home!

Idea #2 Halloween Bat
 This little guy is also made from a can, but this time it's standard soup-can size.  (I don't think I mentioned this on Frankencan, but obviously you're going to want to wash your can thoroughly and dry it well before starting). Our bad is covered with glitter felt, but you could use black paint or black construction paper.  The smile is made of tiny jewels, but you could use pony beads or crayon.  I think googly-eyes should be a household staple if you have kids, but you could also do the eyes in paint or crayon.  My 4 year old made this craft, so you can see she added lots of pink using a crayon or chalk, and both showed up well on the black felt.  For the wings, use a black pipe cleaner (or you could use a wooden skewer, pencil, or other straight object) and roll it under a piece of cut felt or construction paper and then glue the wings to the back of your can.

Idea 3: Caramel Apples
We've always got apples in our fruit drawer.  That used to be because they were a cheap fruit option, but I refuse to say that about anything that's almost $2 a pound, so I guess it's just a habit at this point.  If you don't have craft sticks, you can use a turning fork to dunk your apples in caramel and then cut them into wedges after they dry.  If you still want the stick, use a toothpick on the wedges you cut.  Caramels are super easy to melt following the package directions, or, if you are a baker and keep the ingredients on hand, you can make your own caramel:
1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups corn syrup
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
In a large pot, combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup heavy cream. Heat mixture to a boil just over medium heat stirring frequently. Once it boils, stir the other one cup heavy cream. Then without stirring, bring mixture to exactly 239 degrees then immediately remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before dipping apples.
The kids decorated their apples with fall M&Ms and sprinkles, but if you really want to go all-out, melt a couple of Hershey bars or chocolate chips in the microwave (30 seconds at a time, stirring frequently) and after you dip your apples in caramel, dip them in chocolate and then add your decorations.  Yum!

Also, you can engage your kids in some fun learning online about the storm! Try the Weather Channel for Kids or Oklahoma News 9s Interactive Weather Tracker, which even offers streaming video.

Stay Safe and Have Fun!! (And no matter how bad it gets, don't bring out Monopoly! That never ends without a fight!) 
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Off the Wagon

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Published: 10/21/2012
A few of you have emailed me to ask how my Max Muscle plan is going.

Sigh.

So the last two weeks I have lost all the progress I made.  I hurt my back and haven't been running (or doing anything) and I've had sick kids/husband/self, and then I had visiting family.  Totally off the wagon.  However, Monday is a new day- and almost everyone is better.  It's frustrating for me because 1) I have to admit that I'm not doing well and 2) Because I hate letting myself backslide.  It's great to have someone emailing me with a gentle nudge that I missed a check-in (Corry from Max Muscle) and it's great to have people reminding me they're watching....sooo....tomorrow.  Tomorrow will be better.  I feel better and more energized when I'm doing it right, so I just have to keep going.


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Disney on Ice: Best and Bravest

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Published: 10/11/2012
In preparation for the upcoming arrival of Disney on Ice at the Patriot Center October 17-21 The Feld Group asked local bloggers to think about their "Best and Bravest" moments in honor of Princess Merida making her skating debut.  

I love the new Princesses.  Tiana from The Princess and the Frog works her booty off to open her own business, Rapunzel from Tangled knocks boys over the head with a frying pan, and Merida from Brave fights to be in control of her own destiny. These are not the type of girls that take a nap and wait for Prince Charming.

Before my daughter was born, I prayed that she would be strong and self-sufficient (just like the new princesses), even though I hoped she'd be a girly-girl, too. God definitely granted my wish granted on that one.  My four year old is the one in pink sparkles attacking the tackling dummy when it's not being used at football practice.  She's feisty and fiery and is brave about a number of things in her everyday life- from trying new foods to leaping after her brothers with the reckless abandon of a kid who doesn't realize that she's a foot and a half shorter and thirty pounds lighter than her brothers.
This is my girl. She has to wear tennis shoes with fancy dresses so she can run fast.
But, in all honesty, we haven't had that much that she's had to be really and truly brave about.  We've been incredibly blessed with a lack of major medical issues, natural disasters, or death in our family. Probably the hardest thing she's had to deal with has been being a civilian kid in a highly military area.  Letting go of your friends is never easy, even when you're tiny.

That made me think, though, that when it comes to real-life bravery, there's nobody I know that does it better than military spouses and kids.  When our BFFs had to leave this past summer, I pitched a fit. My daughter still cries when we pass the Quantico exit on 95 south wanting to know when she gets to see her friend Mia.  We were not, and are not, the epitome of bravery.  However, as a lifer here in Woodbridge, I've had my fair share of "military brat" friends, and while I know they don't want to leave, they always seem to "buck up and go" with a  level of Bravery that rivals even the pluckiest of the new princesses.

While she might not realize it yet, Mia is part of the bravest group of people I know.
Best Buds enjoying cupcakes tailgate-style
Mia, and other military kids like her, gets handed orders, just like their parents. They didn't sign up for military life, but they head out to new houses, new friends, new schools, and even new languages.  Military kids send their daddies and mommies off with a kiss to scary places that most of us only hear about on the news.  They deal with mommies and daddies who were left behind to manage a family alone and are sometimes just a little bit on edge.  

Mia, and all the military kids in our lives, are so awesome in their continued bravery. Just like Merida, they explore new places with gusto, head out on new adventures with a gleam in their eye, and while they might be frightened initially, they always seem to succeed in making the best of any situation they land in.  In my book, they're definitely the Best and Bravest, just like Merida.
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My Private Space on the Internet

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Published: 10/10/2012
It's election season in a Presidential Election Year.  That means that if you're on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Reddit you've seen a lot of this:
Or This: 
You like that? How I found two Willy Wonka themed political memes? One for each side? Fair and equal, people!

I could actually find these all day.  Green Party, Ron Paul, whatever.  Google Images, it's amazing.

Anyway, that's not really the point.  The point is, that during every election cycle, and especially during a presidential cycle, I'm reminded of the fact that many of us are absolutely ridiculous about our "my private space on the internet" expectations.  

It's my opinion that if you post something political/inflammatory/derogatory/obscene on your Facebook/Twitter/Reddit/linkedIn/Social Media of Choice, you are effectively saying that you wanna fight.  I know this, because I've done it.  A Lot.  I'm in a 12 step program for political Facebook posts, in fact.  Anyway...back to the generalizations about wanting to fight. Remember the Grouchy Ladybug?
So much truth in children's literature.

What worries me is that as people get into these heated conversations, someone inevitably throws out a "This is my private space on Facebook and I can say whatever I want to here!"

True, free speech is awesome.  However,  Facebook is not "private", even if you have it set to "Stealth Ninja" mode.  Twitter is not a bulletproof wall you can hide behind, nor are the pictures you post on your blog ever really gone, even if you delete them.  I know this sounds like the distrustful rant of an octogenarian, but I promise that I'm still in my 20s.  For a few more months.  

It worries me that we have people my age, and even people older that adhere to the idea that "This is my Facebook Page and it's private" because we’re passing that ideology down.  Facebook is a social forum, just like the other "social" media networks, which, by definition, are not private because they're intended to be shared and connect people. 

It’s not just political rants, either. I have cousins entering college and posting pictures of themselves that they're not going to want a future employer to see, and they claim they're safe because their accounts are set to private.  However, all I have to do is right click and I can download a picture, write something funny on it and re-post it somewhere else.  Let's ask this poor guy how that turned out for him:

Brilliant! 

So, like most things on my mind, this whole "there's no privacy anymore" turned to my children.  I have an odd relationship with social media, because as there are more of "you" that read my posts and are part of the PwcMoms community on Facebook, there are less people I allow on my private Facebook page.  I am now literally one of those losers that has less than 100 Facebook friends. 86, in fact.  If I ever edited my posts and used proper formatting, I have few enough Facebook friends to write it out in letters because it’s so few.  Eighty-six.  

That might seem hypocritical, but to be honest, I don’t share much on my PwcMoms Facebook page. I don’t share my bad days, I don’t tell you much about my kids besides what they liked or didn’t like in a review, and most of the time when I post that we’re going to a particular location or place, we either went there the day before, or we’re actually leaving when I post it.  Not because I make a habit of lying to you guys, but as a safety practice for my kids.   

What this really made me wonder about is what the future looks like for our children.  Are they going to have any concept of a filter? Any concept of privacy? Are we robbing them of privacy with every bathtub picture post and every blog about their toilet training issues? My kids now measure their achievements based on whether or not I’m going to “put it on the book”, and I just wonder if I’ve totally messed up their concept of privacy for the rest of their lives. Will we have anyone that can RUN for president in the future, or will all the children of this generation have ruined their chances Krystal Ball photo-scandal style? 

How do you balance social media with privacy, especially where your children are involved? Where are the lines, if there are any? 

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Words We Learned at Football, or, A Brief Rant

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Published: 09/12/2012
What is it exactly about parents of young athletes that can potentially bring out the worst in them? The parenting "styles" that I've seen crawl out of the woodwork at sporting events makes me seriously wonder about what kind of adults we're going to have one day.

While any sport has the potential to bring out the worst in over-competitive parents (see hockey, baseball, and soccer examples) our experience has been that nobody takes the cake the way football does.

Bowrag Photography
I've shared briefly that we are trying a new football league this year, based on some coaching issues last year.  More specifically, we had a coach that called kids losers, belittled them at practices and games, and told them they were a disgrace.  We're not the type of parents to praise kids undeservedly, but there's a big difference between asking kids to earn praise and not completely tearing them apart, especially as an authority figure, and especially when the kids are between 6 and 8 years old.

This year, we've got some really fantastic coaches.  The after-game speeches this weekend told the kids that while they didn't win and need to work on some things in practice, there were some things they did right, and they need to keep doing them, and that the coaches were proud of the kids for getting out there and working hard, even though there's room for improvement.  It was a happy moment for me, as a mom, to not have to be on pins and needles during the game or after the game about what the coach was going to say to my child and his teammates.

What hasn't changed, though, is the language the parents use.  At Saturday's game, I heard a little of everything, from the f-bomb more times than I could count, to commentary on what a s--- call that was, to someone that actually used the term "n-word-ish", which I didn't even realize was a term, let alone wanting my 4 year old to ask me what it meant.

I'm not saying we're perfect parents by any means, and we're about healthy competition, but what happened to fostering a team spirit? It seems like at least once a practice I hear one parent or another yell "Don't let (kid x) knock you over! Look how tiny he is! He shouldn't be knocking anyone over!"

You know, in addition to your kid hearing you, kid x can hear you, too.  He hears that you think he's tiny and incapable.  That's your child's teammate, why are you tearing them down just to make your child feel better or more motivated?

There's also a difference between encouraging your child to continue even when something is hard, and being inappropriate.  Calling your child a wimp or a baby or a loser when something is hard for them seems a little over the top to me, even though I understand the intention is just to motivate the child to continue and persevere.  I'm not a psychologist or anything, but it seems to me that there has to be a better way to communicate that you want your child to continue in spite of difficulty versus bullying your own kid.

I guess it's possible that I'm being over-sensitive, but I don't want to believe that.  I don't want to believe that name-calling and hypercompetitiveness is the way we make children into athletes.  I don't want to believe that equal pressure needs to be applied to little league and the pros.  I don't want to believe that children will respond in a positive way to being told they're worthless. I want to believe that we, as parents, can step up, even at sporting events when we want to have our kid be the best on the field.

In that spirit, I'm instituting a few commandments:

1) Thou shalt follow thy child's ambitions- including not being more competitive than your child and not forcing them into a sport or position that they're not comfortable with because you become metally fixated on that goal.

2) Thou shalt treat thy child's teammates with respect- it's little league, not the NFL/PGA Tour/MLB/NBA.  There are kids out here that are just trying it out for a season, and there are kids here that are naturals.  Be proud of the natural talent of the good kids and the struggle of the newer children equally and don't pit one child againt a teammate.

3) Thou shalt "know your role and shut your hole".  You can be a coach, or a spectator, or an official.  You cannot be all 3, so if you're just a spectating, stop screaming at the kids playing the game.

4) Thou shalt recognize thou art not in a bubble.  We can all hear you.  Including other people's small children.  Keep it to a Shrek-level on the language.

5) Thou shalt back off the coach, assuming he's not actually harming the kids.

6) Thou shalt pat your kid on the back first.  Even if you want to correct something or run a play by play of everything your kid needs to work on, the first words out of your mouth should be praise for something they did right.  You can find something, and if you can't, try harder.

Agree? Disagree? Have more commandments? I'm interested. Leave a comment, but try to leave your football language on the sideline when you do it ;)
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Traditions

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Published: 08/23/2012
Y'all.

I. Am. So. Tired.

In what can only be described as one of my more brilliant epic fails, I decided that we could TOTALLY go to one more week at the beach, drive the nine (9) hours home the day before our homeschool co-op started, be ready to go in the morning, and be happy and functional enough to teach my class. This didn't leave a lot of time for frilly back to school hullabaloo like bento-lunches or the back to school fairy.  It barely left time for some version of success making it to class on time.

I'm a genius, it's okay, you don't have to tell me, I'm confident in that knowledge ;)

When I was growing up, my mom was great about traditions.  She likes to remind me that she made hot breakfast practically every day, for example, and the first day of school was always something awesome.  She was also consistent about taking first day of school pictures, so consistent that I actually made my college roommates take first day of school pictures of me so that I could email them to her.  No joke.

Traditions are one of those interesting things when you become a mom.  I spent my first very uncertain years of motherhood trying to emulate what my mother had done because that seemed right (?) at the time.  Then I got bold.  Really bold.  I announced that since we had the little kids, I would be having Christmas chez moi, and I would be cooking dinner.  I went 50 Shades of Martha Stewart, you guys.  I made $70 of prime rib, twice baked potatoes with chives and creme fraiche, red velvet cake from scratch....this is why I need an eating plan.  I cooked for 3 days.  It was epic.

My momma showed up at the front door with our traditional Christmas dinner of everything most people eat for Thanksgiving.

True Story.

Anyway, over time, we've come to be comfortable in our new traditions that work for our family.  Some of them are new (I make my kids an upgraded breakfast on the first day of school, too.  Bagels with Cream Cheese as opposed to "pour your own cereal in a dixie cup and let's get moving!") and some of them are old.  I can't imagine beginning a school year without back to school pictures, and I'm so glad that I do.  It's such a great way to really fully understand how much your child has changed over the years.  When you see them every day, it's easy to forget how much they've changed over time- but seeing those "first day photos" all lined up in a row, it's shocking how much they change.  My kids look forward to the tradition of shopping for a new first day outfit, something a little bit dressy, but not so stuffy they won't be "cool", laying it out the night before, and even the picture itself.

I enjoy having a mini-heart attack when I realize that my first baby is 1/2 way to college.
Holy Heck, y'all.  Kindergarten to 3rd Grade is a change!! (note to self: Make new friends with photography skills so I don't have to apologize to my children that their entire life is documented in iPhone photos)


What are your back-to-school traditions like? Do you go all-out with apple-shaped pancakes and goody bags at the breakfast table? Do you do first day photos? Leave a comment, it makes my day :)



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Max Muscle- Week 1

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Published: 08/19/2012
I mentioned on Facebook the other day that I went to meet with the very awesome Corry Matthews of Max Muscle.  Corry is someone that really intimidated me on paper.  She's a former fitness model, co-author of a book (a real book!), and owner of a business, namely Max Muscle.
I really want to dislike people that look this awesome pregnant. 
If there is ever a store that I didn't contemplate ever entering for even a second, y'all, it had to be Max Muscle.

Just the name was enough to scare me.  I am not now, nor do I ever have aspirations of being a bodybuilder.  Heck, as I openly admit I don't even really care to be fit, I just want to be skinny.  So, when Corry contacted me about coming out to the store and talking about some ways she could help out my readers, I sat in my car staring at the storefront for a few minutes trying to decide what I was walking into.  Then I manned up and went in.  They're located at 12849 Galveston Court Manassas, right across from Confections, so I figured if it went really bad, I'd just head across the street. ;)

Guys, this might be the best-kept secret in Prince William County, but Max Muscle is not necessarily just for people who currently possess "Max Muscle".  Corry explained to me that one of her passions, and part of the reason that she wrote her book, is post-natal wellness in mothers.  We see all these women in the media who pop out a baby and leave the hospital in size zero jeans and then we beat ourselves up.  So, while she does work with competitive athletes, and even people who are really fit and want to take their fitness next-level, she's also here to help regular people who are just looking for a quality of life change.  She can help you up your energy level or drop a few pounds post-baby.  Her store stocks energy and protein bars and shakes as well as supplements, and she's even set it up so that if you're new to fitness, you don't have to go past the first 2 feet of the store.

Oh, also- if you've got a student-athlete, Corry has great information on nutrition and even diet plans for them, too! She's helped high-school wrestlers and football players add lean muscle mass rather than bulking up with fat, and she can also help parents who are looking to help their multi-sport players (hello my family!) stay well-fed and fit.

We talked for a few minutes, and then Corry invited me to try out their Max Formation program, which involves assessing your current body fat, measurements, physical activity, and calorie needs and tailoring a system of eating to help you meet your fitness goals.

Listen, she's good you guys. I let her take my measurements in the first 10 minutes of knowing me and my husband doesn't even know how much I weigh.  When she asked about my eating habits, I didn't feel judged or embarrassed at all, and she was very gentle about making corrections to how I currently do things, but also firm with the fact that they needed to happen.  For example, I openly admitted I frequently don't have my first food of the day until around lunchtime or later.  Corry said that was a very common mistake that a lot of women make, but then told me that I was going to have to suck it up and eat breakfast. That's a perfect balance for me.  Don't make me feel stupid, tell me you get that it's hard, tell me to do it anyway.  It works!
This is my magic spreadsheet.  It's pretty amazing. 
This post is getting really long, so let me cut to the chase.  over the next 3 months I'll be using the customized Excel Spreadsheet that I was provided with.  It's got a pull-down menu for each meal so I can keep making my family meals as I usually do and it will provide me with portion sizes.  I spent $64 on protein powder mix (um, yeah, that almost made me drop dead, but then I realized it's just over $1 per serving and I spend a lot more than that on iced tea at Starbucks).  I've gotten a lot of feedback from friends that think that too much protein makes you big, or that you need to totally cut out carbs, or that you need to eat only egg whites, but I'm going to try this for 3 months, and I'll share with you guys how it's going.  It seems like a really reasonable plan, and I'm kind of at the point where I'll try anything.

I didn't have an ideal weight in mind, but Corry's measurements helped me set a super-embarrasing 40 pound goal.  It's been 1 week, and I'm -2.  I'm also on vacation this week, and with the exception of driving to South Carolina alone in the car and using Diet Coke and snacks as a crutch to stay awake (I drove from 7pm to 3am), I've had no problems following the plan as directed, and I even really like the protein shakes, which aren't required, but I bought because they're really fast and easy for breakfast, rather than cooking for myself every day.

If you've got questions or comments you'd like answered as we go along, I'd be happy to answer them, or to get answers for them from Corry.

Also, Max Muscle Manassas will be having their 5th Anniversary in September, and they're holding a 5K to benefit the Semper Fi Fund in celebration.  I'm planning to run jog it at a moderate pace, and if you'd like to join me, I'd be happy to put together a team of us!

Aaaaannnnddd.....other than that just cross your fingers for me because failing in front of an entire audience of people would be mortifyingly embarrassing.

Oh, aaaannnnddd (since I'm apparently typing things out the way I hear them in my head right now) if you go in to Max Muscle Manassas and tell them you're a PwcMoms reader, they'd be happy to give you 10% off this week. Just show them this post on your smart phone (or if you don't have a smart phone, just tell them, it's random enough that you should be good).




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Lego Brick Fair Review

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Published: 08/09/2012
We were able to attend the 2012 Brick Fair at the Dulles Expo Center thanks to some comp tickets from Washington Family Magazine.  (The same fine folks that sponsored our giveaway to the same event).  I know a lot of you were wondering about the event, so here's my breakdown.

When we arrived, we were seriously nervous about The Line.  The Line looked like it was going to take us the better part of half an hour to get to the actual door to the Expo Center.  We were pleasantly surprised, however, to find that the line moved quickly and we were in the door in about nine minutes.  Once we were inside, we were definitely in awe of the fantastic Lego creations.  Children as young as nine can present their pieces at Brick Fair, with the chance to win awards.  There are also custom Lego vendors, our friends from Hallabolou were there, and there was a wicked game of Lego bingo going on when we arrived.  The ticket encouraged you to allow at least three hours to make it through, and maybe we're big losers, but we did it in 50 minutes.  Here's why.

We went with our kids who are 8, 6, and 4.  The little ones were definitely wowed by several of the displays, especially the ones that moved like the ball movers, robots, and giant roller coaster.
They were even still happy at the end of our time at the Brick Fair, but nobody complained that we were leaving, either.  They did ask if we could stop at the ice cream store on the way home.

 The kids presenting were absolutely amazing and created some awesome scenes! I was completely impressed by how some of the youngest exhibitors produced such amazing results! Each category, and there were several, had gorgeous entries.
 We especially liked the things that moved, whether they were robots, roller coasters, ball movers, or magnetized displays.
 He blinded me with science.
THIS IS ALL MADE OF LEGOS!!! This is what I could accomplish if I didn't blog and had some kind of measurable artistic skill! 

The cars were also a big hit with my kids.

So, if everything was so impressive, why didn't we take longer? The little ones enjoyed looking but were, honestly, overwhelmed by all there was to see.  You can't really touch anything, and Legos are toys to most children, so it's kind of like walking through a giant bakery with no glass over the treats.  You find yourself reminding little fingers not to touch fairly often.  Our oldest probably would have wandered around a little longer and looked at different items, but there's not really room to wander.  It's a lot more like being herded through like cattle:
Oh, hello hundreds of our closest friends!! Our children's biggest complaint was that there wasn't a ton of hands-on.  There is a small game section near the exit, but they really wanted to go and see cool things and then sit down somewhere and build with Legos.  Instead, we stood in a slow moving line that wrapped around the building and just looked.  Don't get me wrong, everything was amazing, but it was crowded and slow and not as interactive as we usually like to be.  It's kind of like a Lego museum, and you know my favorite museums are free :)

Tickets are $10 a pop, so while we enjoyed it this time, we all agreed that we probably wouldn't go back if we had to pay $50.  The kids liked it, but not enough to justify the cost.

Agree? Disagree? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
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Corn Dog Muffins

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Published: 08/08/2012
We love almost everything about our Classical Conversations group, with the exception of lunch.  We don't do tables, we just sit on the floor, picnic style, but for some reasons indoor picnics don't go very well for my kids.  My daughter spills something every week and then cries because she thinks she's in trouble.  She's not in trouble, it's a laminate floor, very little she could have in her possession is going to mess the floor up.  My boys try to avoid eating if humanly possible and blame it on the fact that it's hard to eat or they're uncomfortable.  The only thing we've had any success with is lunchables, which I'm too cheap to buy on a regular basis, so they generally get turkey pepperoni, cheese, and crackers.  Fruit goes relatively well as long as it's already cut and bite-sized.  Veggies require ranch dressing and that's a whole other mess.

Anyway, enough whining.

I decided that in my last few weeks before classes resume at our campus I was going to head to Pinterest and StumbleUpon and try to find some bite-sized lunch options that I could make ahead, freeze, and toss in lunch boxes.  The only real requirement is that they be easy to eat sitting on the floor.  Today we tried corn dog muffins, which we did, in fact, eat sitting in my living room on the hardwood.  The kids approved, and even said they were good enough to enjoy without ketchup and mustard, although that was their preference.
 Not to be bothered by actually reading and following a recipe, this is what we came up with.  Rather than using a mini-muffin pan (although we tried that, too) we actually preferred using the bottom half of our cake-pop pan.  The recipe I'm providing here made 22 cake pop bottom sized corn dog muffins which were, in fact, easy to eat sitting on the floor.
Hot dogs totally creep me out.  I broke one of the muffins open for you, but that's as good as it gets for me, people.  The nice part about this is that you could change the hot dog portion for anything you'd feed your kids.  These are reduced fat Hebrew Nationals, but you could use turkey dogs, veggie dogs, or whatever mixed-bag brand of choice your family enjoys.  My kids all gave this two thumbs way up. Not the healthiest thing ever, but it's better for my sanity than listening to them ask if it's time for recess yet every 30 seconds for half an hour!

Corn Dog Muffins
1 box corn muffin mix (we used Jiffy, but Giant has Guaranteed Value for something like 44 cents this week!)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (ours is white cheddar which is why you can't see it)
4 regular sized hot dogs, cut in to quarters length wise and then chopped into small pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk

Mix the corn muffin mix, egg, and milk.  Add the cheese and hot dog pieces.  You could also mix in chopped jalepeno if you were making this for spice lovers.  If you're using a mini muffin pan, fill it about 3/4 of the way.  If you're using a cake pop pan, just slightly under full baked perfectly for us.  We did not find we needed to grease our non-stick type pans, but a spray of cooking spray will ensure success.  Bake at 400 for 11-15 minutes, depending on the size of your mini muffin tin.

Have a suggestion for a bite-sized lunch option we should try? I'd love to try your recipe!! Email it or leave a link or directions in the comments below.
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Featured Organization Friday: CrossLink

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Published: 08/03/2012
Have I told you guys about Rich Anderson and my kid? (No, this is not me re-nigging on my promise to keep this space apolitical, you can vote for him or not, but it's a cute story, so just hold on).  When my oldest son was 5, he informed me that he wanted to get into politics.  Being the over-indulgent mother that I am, I made a few phone calls and was told that we could help out on a brand-spanking-new campaign for delegate of our district.  I'm not sure that the message was passed down from the original person I talked to down to Delegate Anderson and his campaign manager, Reese as a warning, but I have to give them both credit for not laughing in my face when I showed up to volunteer with my 6 month old daughter in a Moby wrap on my chest, my 3 year old son in a pink MacLaren stroller (intended for the 6 month old, but he'd fallen asleep in the car) and my 5 year old, who was rocking it out in his suit and tie from Jacques Pennay.  (Or, as the less classy pronounce it, JC Penney.  Whatever.  You probably mispronounce Target, too. It's "Tahr-jjjay".)  


Anyway, 5yo was so excited and he and Delegate Anderson had a grand old time knocking on doors and meeting people.  I find this to be absolutely terrible, but my son LOVES it.  He had a great time knocking on doors, introducing "my friend, Mr. Anderson", and handing out fliers.  If you live in the Lake Ridge area and had a small child smile at you and try to get you to talk to his friend the politician, you've met my son.  
Kids in Richmond- this is obviously not when they were 6mo/3/5.  Now 8yo is holding a picture of him giving Delegate Anderson a picture for his office, but he told him he could only keep it if he won.  I have no clue why my kid is making that face. 
I know what you're thinking. Yes.  My kid is either going to be a televangelist or a politician.  We tried really hard to encourage his first career option--garbage truck driver--but he really just loves this stuff! 


So.  I bet you're wondering what this all has to do with Featured Organization Friday.  Delegate Anderson's wife, Ruth, works with some awesome organizations working to provide healthcare around the world, and she emailed me because they're in the running to win some extra help and extra cash.  The organization isn't based out of PWC, but since Ruth is Mrs. Delegate for our district, there's a connection.  Check out the links below to learn more about CrossLink, and if you're so inclined, to vote for them to win extra cash.  Otherwise, check out the bottom link and vote for some other organization that better fits your moral code.  Whatever.  Charities and the work they do are amazing.





We Need Your Help to Win a Prize for CrossLink International (www.crosslinkinternational.net)!

Our application was just approved to compete for 50 volunteers and a $500 grant through GOOD Maker, an organization which challenges nonprofits to enhance their productivity.  Our Dream Big Idea will compete with five other organizations and their big ideas.  So please read below and take the time to put in a vote for CrossLink’s proposal. Voting began Wednesday, August 1 at 3:00 PM and ends Thursday, August 16 at 3 PM. You can only vote once, please vote today!!

In a Nutshell…this was our proposal for a Dream Big volunteer project on October 27: CrossLink’s annual fund-raiser (called the Band Aid Ball) aids global health. The next gala is April 2013.  On October 27, we will send 50 volunteers (teams of 2 or more) into the local community to solicit auction items. They would be equipped with an Auction Brochure, lists of suggested items/services to solicit and maps. Some would use computers/phones to solicit from friends, family etc. Prizes will be awarded for items of highest value, most unique item, etc. There will be expert auction analyzers on-site to judge and value the itemsdonated to CrossLink.
You can only vote once -- please vote now!  And if you could, please forward this message on to your contacts and encourage them to support CrossLink in this vote as well!

TO VOTE GO TO: http://VolunteerFestDreamBig.maker.good.is/projects/SCAVENGER

Once you open that website, please click "Vote for this idea".  You will then be prompted to log in and create an account with Good Maker.  It's easy, and you can do it one of two ways, either by using your e-mail address or an existing Facebook account.  Once you create your account, the site allows you to immediately unsubscribe from future e-mails so you won't have them bothering you.  The site should then prompt you to check your email to confirm your vote -- click the link in that e-mail and your vote will be tabulated.  Thank you for helping CrossLink!
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Shaken, Not Stirred

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Published: 07/22/2012
I don't usually blog about my personal life in this space, mainly because I assume that no one cares, but I wanted to share something and this seemed like the space to do it.

I messed up yesterday (This is no news flash, I mess up a lot).

At our swim meet, my husband and I were hanging out in Tent City where all the parents sit and pass the five or six hours that a swim meet generally takes in a position much closer to the parking lot than the pool when this guy showed up:

okay, not this actual guy, but a similar guy.
No joke.  We sat and watched as a man in a grim reaper costume with his face fully covered by a mask walked towards the other team's tent city.  In my head I wanted to get up and say something, but then a woman got in front of him and took a picture, so I decided that maybe it was a joke or something and I didn't move from my chair.  I didn't feel great about that decision, but I did it anyway.

A few minutes later, when the first police car showed up, my stomach dropped.  I hopped up to find my kid, but luckily he was already on his way towards me.  Frequently at swim meets your children aren't with you- either they're checking in a few events before they swim and they're waiting in a corral or they're off in another tent playing with friends.

**Nobody gets hurt in this story**

I wasn't sure at the time what had happened, but when I got an email today that the grim reaper made it all the way down to clerk of course (where children go to check in before their events and wait for their turn to swim) I realized what an idiot I was.  I try not to be the type of parent that assumes that everyone is out to hurt my children, and, in fact, this guy had showed up to prank his brother in law on his birthday, but what if it wasn't a joke? Coming off of the tragedy in Colorado this week, it shook me to the core to realize that at least 100 parents had to see this guy and assume he was safe enough to let him right up to where our children were.  I don't know fully what happened that the police had to become involved, but I do know that I wish I'd stood up and assumed it wasn't a harmless joke.

I'm not usually a helicopter parent, but I'm shaken enough by knowing just where this guy ended up to realize that maybe I need to put a little more flight plan into my daily life.

What would you have done if you saw the grim reaper heading into a swim meet? 
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Where do MamaMafia Dons Dine?

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Published: 05/25/2012
Where do MamaMafia Dons Dine?

It sounds like there should be a punchline to that question- but the answer is anything but a joke.

This week I was able to spend some time (okay, almost 5 hours) at Carmello's in Old Town Manassas.  Y'all recommended Carmello's on our Reader Recommendation Restaurant Guide, and I've been wanting to try it ever since!  Andrea from Real Housewives of Northern Virginia set up a tasting, and from the moment we walked in, I was completely sold.  

Walking into Carmello's you'd never know that you're feet away from the Train Depot. Its warm colors and gold chargers invite you in, and even the sign glistens.  This would be the perfect location for a wedding or rehearsal dinner meal, and they are able to offer multiple room sizes to meet group needs.  Joining our dinner were Denise from Let Mommy Sleep/Mission Sleep, Rebecca from 3 Tiny Tyrants/Maguire Media Group, Laura from BeltwayBargainMom, and Micaela from SuperNovaMommy.  
Denise, Me, Micaela, the awesome manager Jacob, Rebeca, Laura, and Andrea
Rebecca selected a bottle from their extensive wine list for us.  There was what can only be described as the Cheesecake Factory Menu worth of wine on their list, but she picked out a fantastic red.  Twice :) (Please note- all photo credit is to Real Housewives of Northern Virginia who shared with me since I forgot to charge my phone before dinner) 
We were able to tour the restaurant.  This is the wine room.  Just for the reds.  
We had so much fun chatting with the manager, Jacob.  He selected a few dishes for us and I quickly shocked everyone since I love to cook and will try just about anything because I had never eaten ANYTHING that we had. I decided to try to handle it cultural-exchange style and just eat it :) It was all amazing, and I think I'm in love with scallops.  (Yeah, say that you've never had a scallop before at this table of women and you get 5 horrified gasps followed by two "Well you can pass them over here if you're not gonna try them!")


Okay, cell phones don't do food justice (sorry Andrea). This is shrimp and scallops over saffron rice with artichokes in a delicious creamy sauce.  I had never had a scallop before (gasp!) and am very selective about my shrimp, and since I'm not a seafood lover, let me say I loved all the seafood dishes here.  Everything was fresh and not the least bit "fishy".  Next we had veal medallions wrapped in bacon with a mushroom sauce, also over rice.





 I had (shocker) never had veal.  Also, let me confess to typically eating my meat "Well done, please, and then cook it a little more".  I didn't lick the plate....but I thought about it. This literally melted in your mouth.








Next we sampled the seafood ravioli, which had salmon (never had) and lobster cream sauce (never had lobster, either).  The salmon was probably the most out of my comfort zone, but the lobster cream sauce and I are now BFF's and I'm following it on twitter.





Now, all of this is very fancy and amazing, but it's of course special occasion/date night food.  And, when you have your next special occasion, this is where you should go.  Besides the food being amazing and the manager being friendly and knowledgable, the staff was attentive and I didn't see a single table that wanted for anything from water to clean forks.

But if you just need a little cocktail hour, Carmello's has you covered, too.  This delicious Pizza Margharita (yeah, I'd actually had this before!) Is actually from the adjoining bar, Monza.  If you're looking for a place for lunch, a light supper, or drinks with the girls, Monza has got to be it.  In addition, let me share something with you:
On Mondays, Monza has $5 martinis from a list about a mile long.  We sampled the pear, root beer float, grapefruit, a few I can't remember, and the awesome bar tender Jeff's espresso martini, which, if it were available at Starbucks, would land me in AA.  Meeting up with a few friends after work (even if work involves chasing toddlers!) at Monza would be epic. With the same warm and upscale feel, but substantially more flatscreen TVs (playing the hockey game!!) Monza is a great guy-friend or girl-friend meet up.

Also, now that summer is approaching, keep in mind that on Friday and Saturday nights, the patio is open and the side street shut down to accommodate live music.  What a great way to spend a warm summer night!

Carmello's- Entrees $23-30, elegant warm atmosphere. Going to the Hylton Performing Arts Center? Call ahead and bring your tickets and take advantage of their $35 Theatre Special before 6pm (Appetizer/Soup/Salad, Entree, Dessert).  Plan Carmello's for your next occasion and you definitely won't regret it!

Monza- $5-$17, fun upscale atmosphere, great for meeting friends! Don't forget the $5 martini Mondays, and that pasta is $4 off before 4pm, so a late lunch is an option!
Denise, Rebecca and me.  We like to segregate our Blondes and Brunettes when we dine out ;)



My group was provided with products or services for this review, however it represents my honest opinion, and I'd have written the same thing either way.  Just saying :)

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