Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. After the humidity and heat from summer, I am always more than ready for some nice, cooler temperatures before the official winter freeze sets in. I love when the leaves turn to vibrant shades of red, orange and gold, and the air becomes crisper. I love the smell of burning leaves outside as the shadows lengthen and the sun sets a little earlier each evening. I love to pull out my jeans and cozy sweaters, and wear fuzzy socks.  The warm colors and smells of fall conjure up an almost nostalgic feeling each year. There are so many great ways …

As summer’s scorching heat and sweltering humidity now give way to crisp fall air, many of us have the urge to head out and play. Communities across the Northern Virginia area are celebrating the mild fall weather by throwing festivals and fun-filled family events. Whether you want to see pumpkin patches, enjoy apple cider, visit farm animals and their babies, get lost in a corn maze or get crafty, we hope our list of area fall festivals and events helps you find the right place to celebrate with the kids during the cooler season. Alexandria Arts Safari 2011 Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N…

Every once in awhile, as a parent, I find myself having a little pity party about how quickly my kids are growing up. My mind wanders back through all of the precious (and not-so-precious!) memories of my kids as babies and toddlers over the years. They are now suddenly ages 8 ½, 6 and 2. I remember when kindergarten for my oldest seemed so far away. He and I used to play outside, as we watched the “big kids” walk to and from our neighborhood school. He was so eager for his time to come to walk up the big hill, too. Now he’s already in the third grade. I remember when my son started …

The kids are back in school. Ahhhh. But wait, ugh…this also means back to another season of sniffles, coughs, aches and chills. Kids are perfect targets for colds and flu. In fact, it’s no shock that American children miss approximately 22 million days of school each year due to colds, flu and other infections, according to a recent CDC study. In addition, the study states that 40 percent of children, ages 5-17, missed three or more school days in the past year because of illness. Thanks to Glen Barbour, Public Safety Information Officer for the Fairfax County Health Department, I recently …

Now that school has started, so has the homework battle. With classes back in full swing, there is a new schedule for most families to adapt to this month. This means meal times and sleeping hours have been readjusted according to school bell schedules. This transition from carefree summer months to structured school days can often cause adjustment challenges for many kids and parents. And reacquainting kids with homework time is an important part of this adjustment process. One of the main challenges that kids often struggle with during the school year is proper study habits. For most …

Spirit of America Verizon Center, Washington, DC Join in celebrating the return of the Spirit of America, the highly visual, live-action U.S. Army show, when it returns to the Verizon Center on September 9 (10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.) & September 10 (2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.). Tickets, which must be reserved in advance in order to attend, are free and open to the public. You can get them online at http://www.verizoncenter.com.  You and the kids can watch as soldiers bring history to life with this year’s performance that pays tribute to the sacrifices and triumphs of the American Soldier. During …

Back-to-school lists usually include lots of pencils, papers, glue and scissors. But for moms with school-aged kids, you might want to consider adding a few extras to the list: items to help make sure your household operates as smoothly as possible during the upcoming school year. While we as moms usually put most of our focus on getting our kids ready for school, there’s also the “getting ourselves ready” part that’s often overlooked. So, after stuffing last-minute items like crayons, folders, tissues and apple juice into your family’s back-to-school shopping cart, don’t forget to include …

It’s a bittersweet time of year.  While some parents can’t believe the lazy, carefree days of summer are coming to an end, others are literally counting the days until the day that first school bell rings. Either way, back-to-school time is going to be here before we know it. Making a smooth transition from several months of carefree, summer fun to structured classroom days can be a challenge for some families. And whether you have seasoned students returning to school this year, or new, younger children just beginning their educational adventure, it’s a good idea to start planning now for …

After my eight-year-old son returned from his first overnight camp experience bursting with excitement last week, I immediately became awash with memories. As he described the endless stream of activities he and his friends took part in during their three-day, two-night cub scout camp experience, all of my own childhood camp memories came flooding back to me. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from the time I spent at sleep away camp. Growing up, I attended several different kinds of camps where I was able to explore and excel at being a kid. At overnight camp, I had the chance to be …

With August underway, the summer is starting to wind down in Fairfax County. School class lists have already been created, and many families are now gearing up for that official first day back, purchasing supplies, back-to-school clothes, shoes and backpacks.  Summer is coming to a close, and families may be looking for fun, inexpensive ways to wrap up the hot weeks of August.  By now, you’ve probably already been to the beach, been swimming, visited an amusement park and practically exhausted your kids’ interest in camps.  So how do area families keep kids content during these last weeks of …

Last weekend, our family decided to make a day trip to the New Jersey shore, a “short” two-hour drive from where we were visiting at my mom’s house in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Don’t ask me why — with three kids ages 8, 6 and 1 — I decided to be so ambitious, when I could have just as easily driven five minutes to a local pool and had much more time to enjoy the beautiful day. Call it a whim. While we probably should have hopped in the car earlier than 10 a.m. to avoid some of the traffic we hit, we eventually arrived to our beach town destination by lunchtime. We grabbed a few sandwiches …

I have fun memories of the babysitters I had growing up in Michigan. They always seemed to just automatically show up every Saturday night when my parents needed them. Most were neighborhood teenage girls, and they would magically appear a few minutes before my parents hightailed it out of our house for the night (yes, they deserved to dash out for the night with three, busy little ones at home). The babysitters gave my brothers and I dinner (usually pizza), played fun board games with us, like Sorry or Monopoly, and then let us stay up way past our bedtime to watch shows on TV, like “Love …

Growing up in the 1970's and 80's, taking pictures with my old Kodak Instamatic was a simple process. I would have exactly 24 chances to capture a few “keepers.” When I’d reach the end of the film roll, I’d bring it to the local drugstore to have the pictures developed. This process would take about a week. I would then return to the store to pick up my pictures, and anxiously flip through the shiny pile, crossing my fingers that at least a couple of my two dozen amateur attempts would reveal some well-preserved memories. I also took great pride in displaying my pictures “just so” in the once…

Having birthday parties is like a rite of passage for most kids. And in today’s competitive parent environment, it can also be a rite of passage for the parents, as they often tread through the unchartered waters of “keeping up with the Joneses.” When I recently asked my five-year-old daughter in April what type of birthday celebration she wanted to have, she promptly responded: “Chuck E. Cheese, Mommy!” Gulp. I immediately pictured a sea of sensory overload. Bright, flashing lights, loud, screaming kids running in every direction and the “ding, ding, ding” sounds of video games (I call it “…

“Mom, Dad, will you play a game with me?” “Pleeeeeeeeeaaaasssse!”  This is practically a daily question from my two older kids in our family. Shhh, don’t tell them, but I am secretly thrilled to hear these words escape their mouths.  From time to time, my Mom has gently reminded me that it’s the very same question I used to ask her each day and night when I was a child. In fact, she said I was relentless about it. Guess the apples don’t fall far from the tree, right? I can vividly remember my family’s toy room game cabinets (and old neighborhood friends’ game closets) like it was yesterday: …

If I chronicled the phases of my son’s childhood obsessions, it roughly would look something like this: ages 1-2: Elmo, (or ‘Melmo” as my son used to refer to the bright red, fuzzy character); ages 2-4: Thomas the Tank Engine and Lightning McQueen; ages 4-6: anything superhero-related, Power Rangers, WebKinz and Star Wars; ages 6-8: Indiana Jones, Super Mario, Legos, Harry Potter, and his latest — Pokémon. At one time or another, kids often go through phases where they are consumed by a particular subject, character or hobby. Since he was a toddler, my son has always taken his passion for a …

It really was love at first sight. When my husband and I first learned that his cousin needed to find a home for his 12 week-old yellow lab puppy nearly 18 years ago, we simply couldn’t say no.  It didn’t matter that I had no idea how to take care of a dog. Those big brown eyes, those velvety soft ears and her cuddly, playful personality all wrapped into one amazing and adorable package. Sydney was simply too cute to resist. Although we had never planned to get a dog at that point in our lives, the minute we laid eyes on her, we decided we couldn’t bear to see Sydney go to any other home but …

I have always liked order, quiet and a good game plan. I like things to be in a certain place, I like things neat and tidy, and I really like the chance to hear my own thoughts. Having three children has changed all of that. Often, when my family is off and running from one thing to the next, I am forced to walk past dusty picture frames, to catch a glimpse of globs of sparkly blue toothpaste stuck to my childrens’ bathroom sink, to glance at fingerprints smeared all over my windows, or to sink my bare toes into a foreign, mushy food remnant when I sit down at the dinner table. This doesn’t …

With the school year almost over, long days of swimming, slip n’ slides, popsicles and endless fun in the sun are almost here. However, as the kids are busy wrapping up school projects, taking final exams and participating in end-of-the-year celebrations over the next month, don’t forget to include gifts to thank your children’s teachers and assistants for all of their hard work throughout the year. While we are all familiar with the standard teacher gifts — apple mugs, apple frames and ornaments, apple key chains or just about apple-anything — most teachers already have piles of these items …

When it comes to my kids and outdoor entertainment, playgrounds are simply the best. Not only do they provide an opportunity for my kids to get their squiggles out and burn off lots of energy, but also playgrounds offer a chance for them to use their imaginations, make some new friends and get plenty of fresh air. And the best part: no admission cost. When my two older children were younger, we’d often meet our friends and spend all morning playing, enjoy a picnic lunch, and then a quiet, slow drive home for naps. Now, in between the daily chaos of three kids, school, extracurricular …