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Eight US presidents were born in the great Commonwealth of Virginia!  Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison, Tyler, Taylor and Wilson… some pretty heavyweights in US history.  You could spend the upcoming President’s Day weekend sleeping in on Monday, or checking out the “Presdiential Cribs”. … possible new show for the History Channel?

Scattered across Virginia are the estates, universities, memorials, and monuments for these great leaders.  But none is more accessible from the 95 corridor than Mount Vernon, the estate, and burial ground of our #1 Commander and Chief, George Washington.

The Mount Vernon folks are making a trip to their locale even more enticing by offering reduced rates through the end of February and FREE Admission on the actual President’s Day Monday. A full slate of events are scheduled for the weekend, including a military encampment and military honors at Washington’s tomb.  Check out the discounts and events on their website MountVernon.org

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Create your own family Chirstmas card photo… by actually ice skating in a scheduled snow fall!  In case the forecasted foot of snow does not arrive this weekend, you can still glide around the rink everynight at 7 pm through the falling snow. 

 The Pentagon Row Ice Rink is open daily and cranks up the atmosphere during the holiday season with their snow making!  Their regular hours are:

You can even get out there on Christmas Day… here are the holiday hours:

The National Harbor area is becoming the center for celebrating the holiday season in the DC area.  There are many spirited events including an ice show, stage shows and a water skiing santa.  One of my favorites is the HolidayMarket, hosted by the National Harbor every weekend until Christmas.  The outdoor promenade hosts artisans, specialty foods and vendors every Saturday 12-8 and Sunday 12-6 until December 20.  The National Harbor is beautifully decorated and features a spectcular lit Christmas tree. 

New this year, an interactive holiday attraction debuts that you won’t want to miss. Gaylord National Resort’s ICE! is a winter wonderland created entirely of 5,000 BLOCKS of ice weighing 1.5 MILLION POUNDS! hand-sculpted by 40 international artisans and kept at a chilling nine degrees Fahrenheit.

From Virginia take the OuterLoop over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and take the National Harbor Exit 2A.  for more information about all of the events at the National Harbor visit their web site….  National Harbor.

It must be Thanksgiving because there are runners everywhere.  After  turkey, black friday shopping and sleeping on the couch, the latest Thanksgiving tradition is to participate in a race. There are a few great runs that have really taken off in recent years to help work off or build up that holiday appetite.  Strap on your running shoes, pin your race number to your apron and go for it!

 Alexandria Turkey Trot
November 26, 2009, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Cora Kelly School, 3600 Commonwealth Ave., Alexandria, Virginia. DC Road Runners Club, a local group affiliated with USA Track & Field, sponsors an annual race on Thanksgiving Day. Food donations support ALIVE!, a nonprofit organization serving Alexandria’s needy.

Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K & Fun Walk  Centerville - Now in its 21st year, the Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K has become a family tradition. With the 5K race and the 2 kilometer fun walk, the whole family can participate in a fun, healthy activity to start their Thanksgiving Day. Open to competitive runners and runners of all abilities, the race offers short-sleeved T- shirts to all registrants, overall and age group awards in the 5K, post-race refreshments, and random prizes. Enjoy a well- organized community event, and still get home in time to put the turkey in the oven!

Family of Micah YMCA Turkey Trot 5K Run/walk Fredericksburg - The 17th Annual Turkey Trot has grown from 200 runners to over 2000 participants making this one of the favorite events of the year.  Come celebrate with the YMCA and support the Friends of Micah in their endeavor to assist with the Homeless of the area.

Ashburn Farm 10K & 5K Fun Run    A great way to show support for the children at HUMBLE United Methodist School is through the support of the Ashburn Farm 10K race held on Thanksgiving morning November 26th.  All proceeds for the race go directly to HUMBLE School in Uganda helping to educate and provide Christian shelter for the children. 

SOME’S Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger 5K   Washington DC  - Join Honorary Chair Mayor Adrian Fenty, SOME and more than 4,000 participants and help the homeless and hungry on Thanksgiving Day. In its eighth year, the Trot for Hunger features a Little Turkey One Mile Fun Run at 8 am, a 5K timed race at 8:30 and a fun walk at 8:40. Registration is $23 through November 16 and $25 from November 17 - November 24. Overall and age group prizes are offered.

I’m not trendy.  I’m not really PC. But most of us would not mind reducing our carbon footprint by a tiny bit.  And.. if it means that you can avoid some bumper to bumper traffic congestion, or stuck in a never ending roundabout in DC, why not? 

Washington DC is one of the most pedstrian friendly cities in the US.  The subways are clean, safe and well planned out.  The VRE, Amtrack and MARC systems bring commuters and travellers in from further afield.  The Washington Metro Subway and Bus System moves everyone around smoothly within the city limits. 

Our family has used the metro, train, bus, light rail systems to tour DC, commute for work, travel to New York, go into Baltimore for a baseball game and just shop everywhere! One of our best uses ever for the metro was going into DC for the fireworks and taking the metrorail back over to the Pentagon city mall to avoid all of the cars leaving the mall area. 

Great news for business and pleasure commuters…the VRE, Marc and Amtrack systems have cross honor agreements that allow for smooth transition between the different systems.  Check it out here… Cross Honor Agreement.

 More great news if you want to get around DC and see as much as possible in a day… Metro’s One Day Pass!  Awesome deal!  With so many subway stops along the National Mall, Arlington, Georgetown, Adams Morgan, City Center and more… you can play a great day.

Do you have any inside tips for using the DC metro service? Chime in!

The wonderful Virginia fall weather really extends the lives of both our personal gardens and those colorful farmers markets.  I’ve been watching my favorite neighbor, aka Farmer MacGregor, still harvesting from his fabulous tomato plants even this late in the season…  not to mention the fabulous fall squashes and winter veggies coming in by the basketful. 

If you have black thumbs, like myself, and don’t have a generous neighbor to pick from, I would highly suggest you hit one of the local farmer’s markets that are winding down their season as October grows to a close. 

 There is a great search engine page that helps you get information about 46 different farmers markets… just in Northern Virginia! I don’t think my Farmer MacGregor is on there yet… trying to keep those crunchy veggies just for me!  Try searching for a market near you here.. Virginia Farmer’s Markets

NOW OPEN IN STAFFORD

101 Shenandoah Lane, Stafford, VA  22554                540-720-KIDZ

To maintain a safe and enjoyable learning experience, class space is limited to 8 students.

Sr./Jr. ChefsProgram

There are 2 class sessions available to choose from:

Fridays (6:45-8:15pm)- 1 seat left for this class          -or-        Saturdays (12-1:30pm)- 3 seats left for this class

The Sr./Jr. Chefs classes are designed for students’ ages 7 to 16 and offer a well-rounded approach to teaching students the skills necessary to develop their love of cooking.  Sr./Jr. Chefs Classes are designed to allow creativity to mesh with culinary techniques for exciting results! 

KinderCooks Workshop-

KinderCooks is a Young Chefs ® Academy program designed to accommodate our chefs ages 3-6. It incorporates recipes, age-appropriate culinary skills, basic nutrition, literature, and movement into a 1 ½ hour class, paced for the preschool attention span.  The curriculum is prepared by our highly trained staff in monthly units and will consist of age appropriate themes such as:

• Shapes, Community Helpers, Numbers, Colors, etc. 

KinderCooks Workshops are held once a month and is a great way for your little one to experience hands-on activities and spark creativity.  Listed below are upcoming KinderCooks events (class seat is limited, so call 540-720-KIDZ for availability):

October 3rd- 12-1:30pm - Fairytale Adventure Part 2

Cooking Camps (Now registering at Young Chefs Academy or through the Stafford Parks and Recreation).

Cooking camps are a great way for your child to get introduced to the culinary arts.  Kitchen Safety, Nutrition, and more are presented.  Each camp is 6-weeks long.  (There is only 1 seat left for the current camp session.  Call us today at 540-720-KIDZ to register).

Don’t Forget The Birthday parties.

Hurry there are just a few seats left for there 209-2010 school year program.

 HAMPTON DRIVE, FREDERICKSBURG - RENTAL -$1,875.00

Townhouse- MBO125143

 Beautiful  home has 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 2 car garages, gourmet Kitchen with stainless steel, granite countertops, maple cabinets.

Home was former builder model home and has many, many upgrades: hardwood floors, custom paint, designer paint, custom curtains, washer & dryer, deck, designer bookshelves.

Master Bedroom has vaulted ceilings, heart shaped jacuzzi tub, separate shower and double vanity sinks.

**A  Must see!! ***

Lawn work included in rent.

Wishing you had signed your kids up for camp?

It’s not too late.

There is a  new camp at the Field House for kids 3 to 8. It’s called Run n’ Fun and there are 8 sessions each lasting one week!
You can also choose between morning and afternoon sessions for your kids. The camp is primarily inside the Field House and is full of sports and games.  They will also have crafts and some outdoor playtime as well.  Veteran Soccer Tot instructor Aaron LaFleur is running this camp and we are so excited ! 

You can sign-up online at Fredfieldhouse.com or give them a call at 361-4717.  

They also have Field Hockey, Football, Soccer, Baseball, Soccer Tot and Adventure Sport Camps going on this summer at the Field House. 
     The next 8 week session of Soccer Tots gets underway July 6th and runs through August. Don’t worry if you’re going to be on vacation or have your child signed up for other things this summer because we always allow kids to make up classes.  Hurry in!                  

Hot 99.5 is looking for the most adorable babies in DC! Only one can be crowned champ of the Battle of the Babies…and this is your chance to claim that top spot along with $1,000 cash! The registration deadline is Monday, April 27th at 5pm…make sure you upload your baby before then!

Here’s how it works: