8/28/14

Big Apple Circus: Metamorphosis

Big Apple Circus will be in our area performing in Sterling, VA from September 18th  to October 5th for its annual engagement at Dulles Town Center with its all-new show Metamorphosis. 

From their site:

Fly away to our magical All-New Show, METAMORPHOSIS. Be transported to a realm of enchantment and illusion, a dreamscape domain whereno one sits more than 50 feet from ringside, and nothing is impossible! You will be thrilled by the Flying Trapeze, the razzle-dazzle of the Rolla-Bolla, the dynamo of the Diablo, the risky rhythms of the Risley team, the cunning conjurors of the Quick-Change, and the incredible flexible limbs of the Contortionists. See and hear the musical merriment of our featured clown and camels, horses, playful pooches and more. Come immerse yourself in the wonder, joy and astounding magic of METAMORPHOSIS! The show runs 2 hours with intermission.

We're giving away a pair of tickets to the September 18th 7pm performance

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't win or can't wait? Use promo BIGAPPLE to save $10 off tickets.* That’s $10 per ticket, not just off the total purchase! (*Limited availability. Offer good on select seats and shows. Other conditions apply. Children under 3 are free when on the lap of a paid adult, one child per lap.)

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Disclaimer: By entering you agree to be bound by all of our giveaway rules, which you can read HERE.  Tickets are provided by Big Apple Circus. PwcMoms is not responsible for your experience or travel, or the show itself.  This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook/Apple/iTunes/Google Play/Twitter or any other entity or company aside from the listed sponsor of the contest. 

8/27/14

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Our friends at Christ Chapel Academy have some tips for all of you getting ready to send off a Kindergartner!


Robin Banford-Geisler and Genia Cole have worked together teaching kindergarten classes at CCA for the past five years.  Last school year, they were chosen co-teachers of the year at the annual teacher recognition luncheon held on June 12th.   Each teacher is an amazing teacher in her own right, sharing her passion for education, and love for learning with her students.  They both understand that the early years of school are foundational to helping students to become confident life-long learners.  Each of them models Christ to their students, supporting self-discipline and positive character development. Working together, however, they have been able to challenge their young students to discover and develop their unique gifts and talents. 

In the video, Robin and Genia share tips that can help you get your new kindergartner off to a great start!




Feel free to share any additional tips that you have learned that can be helpful to other parents reading this blog. 


Credentials:
Robin Banford-Geisler BS/Early Childhood & Elementary Education; Masters/ Reading Literacy, George Mason University
Kindergarten Teacher
Elementary School

Eugenia Cole BS/ Christian Elementary Education, Virginia Baptist College
Kindergarten Teacher
Elementary School


Christ Chapel Academy is dedicated to unleashing the leadership potential within each student.  Academically rigorous programs, a vibrant christ-centered community, and a unique multicultural learning environment make CCA a great option for parents who want a smaller school but don’t want to sacrifice big opportunities for their student(s).  \

Christ Chapel Academy was voted as the “Best Private School” in Prince William County in 2014, by Prince William Today readers. 

Learn more about Christ Chapel Academy at christchapelacademy.org

8/26/14

Review: The Murder Mystery Company

There was a group purchase deal.....

I feel like nothing good ever starts this way.  At least not for me.  Whether it's air duct cleaning or date nights, somehow the adage that "you get what you pay for" seems to come back to bite me.  


Anhow.  There was a deal on The Murder Mystery Co. for Baltimore, MD ($58 for 2 people, which is over half off the normal $120). I've always wanted to go to one of these, and my sweet friend Katherine was willing to go, too, so we decided on double-date night. 

Then I realized there was a 1980s theme and a costume contest, and y'all, I play to win. This is how I ended up at Party Co. the other day (which was awesome, btw).  
 I bought all the 80s things. A ruffle skirt dress, Madonna-style headband, fingerless gloves, neon star earrings, jelly bracelets, the whole nine yards. My hubby decided he was going to go as Magnum PI, so with a stick-on mustache and several buttons left open, he had it made.
Luckily, Katherine and her hubby are joiners, too, so we all looked fab together. This was all definitely fun.  However...

When we arrived, it was a little hard to find where we were going.  The confirmation gave an address, but neglected to mention it was inside a restaurant, which would have made it easier to spot where we were going.  The Greek restaurant you are looking for is on the corner, and it's street number wasn't immediately visible to us while we were trying to find our way there and park.  We did find it, though.  Dinner service is going on downstairs while the murder mystery happens upstairs, so note that you will be sporting your 80s wear (or whatever the theme is) past some concerned-looking diners. 

Traffic was...well, it's the DC Metro area, so enough said.  We left to get there at 6:30, but ended up arriving at 7 when the show was supposed to start. They didn't have a table ready for us and ended up seating us with nothing at the table and assuring us they'd bring us "the freshest salads in the place".  Eventually we got water and silverware.  This was a little odd because we had to confirm our dinner order before we came (although when we arrived we ended up having to confirm and get a torn piece of notebook paper with our dinner selection on it to place at the table). It just seemed like they should have known how many people to expect. 
 I'm not sure I'd call it "the freshest" but the salad was good. And it had Feta. I love cheese.  It's so yummy and amazing. Mmmmm, cheese.  While we ate dinner, the actors started to introduce the idea of the evening.  Unfortunately, most people were still talking and the actors were sharing one (1) microphone, so it was frequently hard to hear what was being said. We were invited to get up and use the money on our tables to bribe suspects (some of whom were audience members) to give us clues from the notebooks provided, but our table wasn't ever given money, so we couldn't really bribe anyone. We also never got a suspect sheet, so it was hard to keep the characters straight.
 Dinner options included chicken kabob, lamb kabob, moussaka, and I think there was one other choice, but I don't recall what it was.  Water is provided with dinner, drinks from the bar are extra and for two we paid $15. My parents had been to a different murder mystery theatre a few years back and told us that while the show was good, the food was inedible, so our expectations were really low, but dinner was actually okay, albeit inconsistent. I got two pieces of butter-soaked (and I mean that in a happy way) potato, where my husband had five, a mound of what I'm pretty sure were canned green beans with tomatoes and SALT (also totally fine with me, but my friend wasn't into them) and a kabob with 4 pieces of chicken, a mushroom, and some onion and bell pepper. I wouldn't go back just for the food, but I ate my dinner and it was fine.

The other inconsistency problem was service time.  Two of the ladies at our table weren't served dinner at the same time as us, and we ended up starting without them because one lady waited 20 minutes for her food, and the other waited almost 40.  They were, again, promised "the freshest food here", but I think they really just wanted their dinner.  Again, we all had to confirm our menu choice before we arrived, so the number of dinners required really shouldn't have been a shock, and even if it was, they should have counted as people were arriving.
There was, again, a period of time for people to get up and bribe/ask questions, but since it took so long for the servers to get around to the back tables where we were, we had just had our food put down when it was time to go mingle and ask questions, and we still really couldn't hear the dialogue, so we opted to sit and make jokes instead. 
 Our table was supposed to be the "Poison Fan Club" (that's Poison in the red bandana).  Katherine was fun to take- she yelled and hooped it up whenever we could hear enough to think it was our turn to scream, and we had a good time together, even if the Murder Mystery wasn't really happening for us.

Finally, dessert was brought out on one large plate with a few types of baklava and some kind of a milk custard thing.  Everyone got one item, but since it was passed around family style, I got the milk custard which was not my thing, although my table mates who got baklava said that was really good.
In the end, the other ladies at our table ended up guessing that the 8-year-old prodigy "did it" and were given a "Dead Last" award. We didn't even bother guessing because our "who done it" sheet came without a pen...plus, we were really kind of over it at that point, anyway. 

I'm not sure if all murder mystery dinners are like this, or if there was some extenuating circumstance (Maybe they just switched to the 80s script? There were women there in 20s costumes.), but it wasn't really something I would go back for, and I definitely wouldn't pay more than I did for our Living Social/Groupon, whichever it was. We had fun with our friends, but the Murder Mystery portion was definitely a bust.  If I had paid the full $120, I'd actually probably be pretty ticked about the whole thing.  Even if it had been really good, I'd think that was pricey for what we got.  At $30/person it wasn't great. 

Have you ever been to a Murder Mystery Dinner? Where did you go? Would you recommend it to others?

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Disclosure: I paid for my tickets, I was not asked to write a review or compensated in any way.  No one was harmed in the making of this post, except maybe the milk pudding, which I really didn't like and ended up squishing with my fork.  But it's all good, because it was pudding. 

8/25/14

Week in Preview August 25th, 2014

We had such a fun weekend- a date night with friends on Saturday and our son's baptism on Sunday (Can I sneak in one more picture? I try not to brag to you guys too much about my kids, but it was the best day ever....and it's my website....so I'm going to)
Yay! In case you're wondering, we go to New Hope in Lorton, which I actually picked when I stopped working at churches so I could not have to know anything about what was going on (it's a big church)- but now I really really really really love their 4th-6th grade program, Revolution, and so now we are those crazy people who drive 30-40 minutes for church.  #ForReal. People ask me frequently for help finding a place of worship, so if you love yours (whatever religion) send me info so I can pass it along to people when they ask.

Now, on to the stuff you actually come here for.

Again, the week before school starts is s...l...o...w in the events department- but I'll try to hit you with some last-minute-before-school-starts ideas.

Monday, August 25th
At 10:30 am, join Bull Run Library for a "Bubble Blowout" Outdoor bubble fun for the whole family! For families and children of all ages. If weather is clear, this program will be drop-in. If weather is inclement, we will blow bubbles indoors and tokens will be available 30 minutes before program begins.

At 4:30pm, join the 25th Project for their monthly gathering.  Come out and help the homeless in PWC by participating in The 25th Project each month. More information at http://www.the25thproject.org/ or visit them on Facebook to RSVP for your family.

Tuesday, August 26th
$2 Tuesday at University Mall Theater.  They'll be finishing up the summer with Maleficent, Planes 2, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and Walking with Dinosaurs. Tickets, popcorn, and sodas are $2 each.  Be sure to arrive early to get your tickets, they sell out to camps etc. pretty quickly.  We like to go, buy our tickets a few hours ahead, hit a park and/or lunch, and then come back.

Need a park recommendation near Burke or in Fairfax for while you wait? Check out my friend Kamber at NovaOutdoors- I love her site for finding outdoor play areas!

Wednesday, August 27th
Rocknoceros will be at Stonebridge at 10:30 am for the children's series. Meet by the Jumbotron for this free kids concert.

Have you been to Vertical Rock yet? This is, for real, our new favorite thing ever.  It's a little expensive for a new activity at $20 for 3 climbs- but that gets you a harness, certified belayer, and help learning how to use their amazing facility.  I think this would be an amazing treat for back to school- and don't forget to check your child's scout manual- they may be able to get a badge/patch/button/whatevertheheck. Another option? Call ahead and reserve a spot for your kids on Friday for the kids night on the rocks- and you and hubby can enjoy a date while the kids work their muscles!

Thursday, August 28th
The U.S. Army Blues Band will play from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the Harris Pavilion, 9201 Center Street in Manassas.

Friday, August 29th
Have you signed your kiddos up for fall activities yet? Several of our sponsors (who we appreciate so much!) offer fall classes! Majest in Montclair offers classes for various levels and times of day, including homeschoolers, Edgemoor Art Studio is bar-none the best place for your creative learner (and I am not just saying that!), Daytime Playtime has added 3's classes, Toddlin Time has a great indoor space for your little one, Soccer Shots can help you keep your kiddo active, the Academy of Russian Ballet has classes for various levels, and Engineering for Kids is a great way to encourage STEM! Don't forget the Freedom Center- they have classes of all sorts! We really encourage you to support the businesses that support our site- not just because they do so, but because we're kind of picky about who we'll take, and we feel like you'll like them!

Saturday, August 30th
Thinking you need to stay local and avoid the beach traffic? What about a camping trip? In-county I recommend Prince William Forest Park for camping with kids although if you'd like to venture a little further, Burke Lake Park has a lot of fun amenities!

Sunday, August 31st
Need something local so you don't have to battle returning beach traffic? What about a day on Rivershore Charters? Check out our guest post about the experience.

Not my favorite- but say it with me three times, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will be playing at Stonebridge at 7pm.

Enjoy your last week of summer vacation!

Don't forget, if you have events to add to our calendar, it's FREE to have them added! This can include open houses, info sessions, registration deadlines, community events, programs, whatever! 

8/18/14

Week in Preview: August 18, 2014

If your homeschool or private school is starting up this week, then I wish you a very happy first week!

Library events and camps slow WAY DOWN from the end of Summer Quest (which ended Saturday) until the school year kicks off, so our calendar looks a little sparse! There's still a little summer fun to be had, though, and here are some of my top picks.

IF YOU HAVE UPCOMING OPEN HOUSES, REGISTRATION DEADLINES, OR FALL PROGRAM KICK-OFFS PLEASE EMAIL ME THE INFORMATION ASAP SO I CAN ADD IT TO THE CALENDAR!!! 

Monday, August 18
From our archives, have you checked out Clemyjontri? (Note: out of county)

Tuesday, August 19
From our archives, have you checked out: Waterworks?

Wednesday, August 20
10:30 AM will be the last Little Tots at Virginia Gateway! The theme is Under The Sea, and it's always a good time!

Thursday, August 21
A few years back, our friends at Kid Trips did this great summer bucket list.  I think it's still a goodie! Have you made s'mores? Had breakfast in bed?Gone to a museum? Check out their list to fill out the end of summer!

Friday, August 22
Weecycled Wardrobe is happening in Fredericksburg from the 22-24th, and if you're looking for more options, Capitally Frugal has a big list of Fall Consignment Sales.

Saturday, August 23
Edgemoor Art Studio, Inc. will be hosting their fall open house with discounted fall class registrations, FREE art activities, and light refreshments! 2216 Tackett's Mill Drive, (lower side of TM shopping Center). Rain or Shine!

Sunday, August 24
All weekend long you'll be able to enjoy a little history in Manassas!
Step back in time in Historic Downtown Manassas and experience Civil War events that transformed a sleepy railroad junction into a thriving camp and then a devastated landscape. Learn about the lives of soldiers and civilians as they faced hardship beyond measure. Civil War at the Junction, a living history commemoration for serious Civil War buffs and families alike, will feature military and medical demonstrations, African-American interpretation, period baseball games, music, food, a bourbon tasting, and a re-enactment remembering General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s 1862 raid on the railroad junction.

(PS- on Sunday they'll be showing Frozen on the Jumbotron at Stonebridge.  The thought of "Let it Go" one more time makes me shudder, but some of you seem to be going strong!!)

8/14/14

Dirty Dancing Live in DC!

Okay, okay, okay.  I know "Dirty Dancing" isn't necessarily little-kid-friendly, but it's my moms favorite favorite favorite (I'm going to repeat everything 3 times like the goose from Charlotte's Web today, apparently) and I'm really excited to have it playing live in DC!


Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage
National Theatre, August 26-September 14
DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE is an unprecedented live experience, exploding with heart-pounding music, passionate romance, and sensational dancing. Seen by millions across the globe, this worldwide smash hit tells the classic story of Baby and Johnny, two fiercely independent young spirits from different worlds who come together in what will be the most challenging and triumphant summer of their lives. Featuring the hit songs, “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey Baby,” “Do You Love Me?” and the heart stopping “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” London’s Sunday Express says “This crowd-pleasing stage adaptation hits the jackpot!” Don’t miss your chance to see this record-breaking live theatre sensation. You’ll have the time of your life!


Use code MELON for discounts on select performances and prices. Offer valid at all points of purchase, limit 8 tickets per order. For discounts, click HERE 
For more information on Dirty Dancing on Tour, click HERE

8/13/14

Giveaway: Weecycled Wardrobe

I am excited about this giveaway because they give me $50 to spend, too, and it always goes REALLY far! I know Fredericksburg is a haul- but I have been really happy with the quality of clothes I've found at Weecylced Wardrobe vs. sales closer to home. Good luck! 


WEEcycled Wardrobe Kid's Consignment Super SALE located at the F'burg Field House starting Aug 22-25! Consign with us and 700+ other consignors for a chance to clean out and cash in! Consigning is easy, you set the price AND you get to shop our special Pre-sale for consignors. Hurry, the deadline to register and enter to consign is Monday, Aug 18th at 11:59 pm.  Volunteer for a shift and shop even earlier! SHOP till you DROP and save 50-80% off retail. You're going to L-O-V-E this sale!
To enter, you'll want to use the Rafflecopter below.  Please note that if you opt to enter by joining their mailing list and your entry wins, I will be confirming that your email address is registered with Weecycled Wardrobe before awarding your prize. (It's an optional entry method.) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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By entering, you agree implicitly to our Giveaway Rules. Obviously I cannot guarantee selection or your personal sense of kid-friendly-fashion-style.  I can vouch for the fact that I seriously scored for my daughter the last time I went, and was very happy with the selection, but, like all consignment sales, inventory varies at each sale.

8/11/14

Meet National Community Church- Gainesville Campus

It is my great privilege to be able to offer one of my advertising spots for free to community groups, churches, or non-profits that would like it for 3 months.  Meet National Community Church, who did just that! 


NationalCommunity Church is a multicampus church that meets in movie theaters  including the Regal Stadium 14 in Gainesville.  This relaxed, contemporary church launched in January and invites people to join them for music and a message each Sunday.  As a bonus, there’s a cup-holder on every seat, and snacks are not only allowed, free coffee and donuts are provided. Pastor Robb Schmidgall is on-site for live worship, and then the message is typically simulcast to the 7 DC-area locations.  


Mid-week while the theater is too busy with shows to rent space, the church focuses on connecting people with small groups that meet for the obvious bible study, but also groups that play board games, a Second Saturday Service project, cooking groups, and more.  Small groups change every trimester, so you’re not “stuck” doing one thing.


As far as kids go, children’s programming is offered every week and uses the Orange Group (which is awesome because PwcMom says so, and she used to work in Children’s Ministry, so there!) Youth at the church are active in a local Young Life Community. 

If you’d like to check them out one Sunday at 10am, they’d love to have you out for coffee.  If an hour, hour and fifteen minutes is too much commitment, they’ll be hosting “Parents on the Plaza” on August 17th, offering a fun time at the interactive splash pad with pizza and conversation for families. 


National Community Church is a multicampus church that meets in movie theatres, including the Regal Stadium 14 in Gainesville.  This relaxed, contemporary church launched in January and invites people to join them for music and a message each Sunday.  As a bonus, there’s a cupholder on every seat, and snacks are not only allowed, free coffee and donuts are provided. Pastor Robb Schmidgall is on-site for live worship, and then the message is typically simul-cast to the 7 DC-area locations. 


Mid-week while the theater is too busy with shows to rent space, the church focuses on connecting people with small groups that meet for the obvious bible study, but also groups that play board games, a Second Saturday Service project, cooking groups, and more.  Small groups change every trimester, so you’re not “stuck” doing one thing.

As far as kids go, children’s programming is offered every week and uses the Orange Group (which is awesome because PwcMom says so, and she used to work in Children’s Ministry, so there!) Youth at the church are active in a local Young Life Community. 


If you’d like to check them out one Sunday at 10am, they’d love to have you out for coffee.  If an hour, hour and fifteen minutes is too much commitment, they’ll be hosting “Parents on the Plaza” on August 17th, offering a fun time at the interactive splash pad with pizza and conversation for families.