With the sun shining on our backs, my children and I were trying to grab a little bit of shade in the picnic table area of Lake Fairfax’s Water Mine as JavaDad stood in line to grab us an early dinner. We were trying to squeeze in a little bit of summer fun — after [...]
As a mom, there are some things that come naturally, and there are some things that definitely do NOT. Teaching my kids to ride a bike is one of those things. I wasn’t even aware I was supposed to be teaching my kids to ride a bike yet. For whatever reason, my parents didn’t teach [...]
Have a little fun this weekend:
July 10
Get a Free Meal! It’s Cow Appreciation Day at Chik-Fil-A http://www.cowappreciationday.com/ Dress as a cow and get a free combo meal! No costume, no problem, they have a downloadable starter kit for you! Be sure to read the FAQs for the full rules.
July 11
Free Slurpee day at participating 7-11 stores as that is the actual day the chain was “born.” The cups may be mini cups or 7.11 oz cups. Enjoy!
Don’t forget to check the Summer Fun Guide for more fun things to do.
Ice cream, admission to The Water Mine, a game of bowling, a round of miniature golf — these are just a few of the things this year’s Fairfax County Public Library Summer Reading Program participants can get for free by completing the targets set for their age group. The program runs through September 5 and [...]
I have been enjoying both the fruits of the farm we belong to and the great loss-leaders some grocery stores have been running (4 pints of blueberries for $5 – yum!). Every time I run across a great deal, I find myself day-dreaming that I will somehow turn into Martha Stewart or Bree Hodge and whip up several festive dishes with these fruits — some jellies, pies, and whatever else you can do with them — but it never happens.
No, our dirty little secret is that we like our fruit just plain. Washed and raw. Sometimes the kids will eat it in plain non-fat organic yogurt. (I did not develop the same tastebuds they did, so I at least have to either have French Vanilla non-fat yogurt or sweeten the plain with Splenda.) But give them a bowl of fresh fruit and my kids are happy as larks, and I keep asking myself, isn’t this what parents are striving for? Should I mess with their love of a healthy snack by creating pies and such? Is it okay to be “boring” and just eat the fruit fresh and not do anything more creative than a fruit salad with it? This year I didn’t even make my dip for strawberries (see below) because I don’t need the extra calories and I figure there’s no need to get the kids started on bad habits.
For the past two years I have put together a Summer Fun Guide for my church’s women’s group (with the help of two wonderful women — thank you Cheryl, and Jami — as well as content input from lots of other women) and we have circulated it via a Word document in print and email. [...]