Featured Organization Friday: Kyle Wilson Memorial Fund

Thanks to Amy for submitting this! I played softball with Kyle's sister growing up, and any charity that's local is especially dear to my heart.  The people who keep us safe do so at their own peril, and Kyle is such a selfless reminder of that. 

On April 16, 2007, Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue's Technician I Kyle Wilson made the ultimate sacrifice. At a three-alarm blaze in Woodbridge, he searched for the house's occupants in an upper bedroom, but became trapped and unable to escape the flames intensified by a strong nor'easter's winds. Kyle, a 24 year old graduate of Hylton High School and George Mason University, was the Department's first line of duty death in its 41 year history.

Each year, Kyle's family, friends and fellow firefighters come together to celebrate his life and to acknowledge the impact he had on our community. Kyle's passion was staying fit, so his family established a memorial walk/ run to encourage others to enjoy the benefits of exercise.

The 5th Annual Kyle Wilson Walk for Fitness will be held next Saturday, April 28 at Hylton High School in Woodbridge. It is a free, untimed 10K walk/ run. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and the walk begins at 10:00 a.m. There will be t-shirts for sale, as well as raffles and a 50/50. All donations will be accepted in honor of Kyle, and all proceeds will benefit his scholarship fund for athletic training majors at George Mason University.

During the walk, enjoy free water stations along the way (thanks to Skinny Water), and when you're done, join sponsors including Moe's, Amici's, Chick-Fil-A, Hooters and Confections for some tasty, free treats. Channel 50 DC's party bus will be on display, and you can enter the raffle to win exclusive use of it for a private event (helloooooo, moms' night out!). And, of course, there will be a fire truck and an ambulance to entertain the kids, and plenty of firefighters to entertain the moms!  (editors note: there is nothing wrong with firefighters to look at.)

For more information on Kyle's Walk, and to preregister, please visit www.kylewilsonmemorial.com.


If you are unable to attend the walk, there's another way for you to show your support. The 2nd Annual Cici's Pizza Night is TODAY, April 20, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Bring your family to eat at Cici's Pizza in Foulger Square in Woodbridge (Kohl's/ Home Depot shopping center) and 15% of the total receipts will go towards the Kyle Wilson Scholarship Fund at GMU.


Hope to see you there!!

Guest Post: Stella and Dot

You may remember Stella and Dot from me absolutely freaking out about their packaging.  It's really cute!!  Eryn's back with some information on joining her team at a great price, and another giveaway!


Why I love Stella and Dot....and you will, too!
Eryn Cadoff

I'm a stay-at-home mom to two girls with busy activity schedules, and my husband works long hours, as many in Northern VA do! I needed something fun and flexible that fit into our family's lifestyle. And how lucky I was to find Stella & Dot to fill that need and be fashionable at the same time! Our Trunk Shows are fun and fabulous - it doesn't feel like "work" at all. It's a great Ladies' Night Out - remember when you were a tween and shopping at the mall with your friends was about the most fun thing in the world? Well having a Trunk Show with your friends is that concept for grown-ups! I love the fashion, the flexibility, the fun and being a part of this amazing community of women. Whether you are looking for flex entrepreneurship like I was, you're looking for a full-time thriving career, or you just want an easy way to be more Stylish - there is a place for you at Stella & Dot, and I would be honored to have you on my team!
And might I add, your timing is impeccable! Our April new Stylist special is the best one I've ever seen in the 2.5 years I've been with the company. For $199 you get a business in a box and $500 in jewels OR for $399 you get a $1100+ in gems, a business in a box and a super cute tote and jewelry portfolio to carry all your jewels. This is how you start! I'd be happy to answer any of your questions, give me a call at 703-786-1694, or check out my website at http://www.stelladot.com/eryn.
And I love your referrals! Refer someone who joins my team and I'll send you a $50 gift certificate. Our opportunity is wide open for smart, savvy women just like you throughout the US, Canada, United Kingdom and (soon) Germany and France. Who do you know in Prince William County or well beyond who could use a little Stella & Dot?

Eryn Cadoff | Stella & Dot

www.stelladot.com 

Host a trunk show, jewelry party or work from home as a Stella & Dot stylist! Shop our online collection of fashion jewelry, costume jewelry & accessories.

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To sweeten the deal, Eryn's giving a PwcMoms reader a $50 gift certificate! Just leave a comment here with your favorite piece from the look book, and you're entered to win! Contest ends Saturday night at midnight.

Japanese Art and Culture Day at the Workhouse

The Workhouse will be having a special Japanese Culture day! You can find their full schedule on their website, but I'm including descriptions just for the kid friendly events that will be taking place. 

Japanese Art and Culture Day at the Workhouse, April 21, 12-4pm with a tree planting ceremony at 11:30am sponsored by Merrifield Gardens. 

PRESENTATIONS
The Cherry Tree: Spring, Renewal, Connection, 12pm
The Fascinating World of Ukiyo-e Prints, 1:30pm
Ikebana, the Japanese Art of Flower Arranging, 2pm
Bonsai, The Ancient Japanese Horticultural Art Form, 3pm
WORKSHOPS
Raku Firing Workshop 10-4, spectators welcome. $90 for participants

YOUTH  ACTIVITIES
Japanese Festival BoothPresented by the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC
Studio W-3, Classroom 1
12PM-4PM
Visit the Youth Arts Center (W-3) to try Japanese games and origami and to participate in a kimono fashion show where you get to try them on! Don't forget to bring your camera.

DEMONSTRATIONS
Sashiko Surface Design Technique for Today (Participatory), 12-4pm, Gallery W-16 Cafe
Kumihimo, Traditional Japanese Braiding (Demonstration) 12-4pm, Building W-6, Studio 605
Sumi-e Painting (Demonstration)12-2, Building W-5, Studio 514
Contemporary Oil Painting of "Full Cherry Blossom" (Demonstration)11-3, Building W-4, 404
Sumi-e Art Demonstration and Japanese Tea Tasting 12-3:30, Building W-11Darlene Kaplan, Workhouse Associate Artist
Sumi-E Demonstration-12PM-1PM
Japanese Tea Tasting-1:30PM-3:30PM
Building W-11
Darlene will begin by demonstrating Sumi-e is brush painting in the East Asian manner, using black ink on rice paper (demonstration). Her Sumi-e demonstration will be followed by a Japanese tea tasting  from 1:30 -3:30. Darlene's tea presentation will cover tea processing, how to prepare the teas, where they are from, the difference between each tea, and  the many health benefits. Participants will be able to taste the teas and purchase their favorites to take home (participatory).
Vegetarian Sushi Culinary DemonstrationChef Kathleen Linton, Workhouse Chef Instructor
1PM
Building W-10 Classroom
Learn the basics of making sushi rice and rolling sushi (vegetarian sushi only, no fish/meat).  This class is fun for all ages.

FILMJapanese Anime Film "5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND"From Director, Writer Makoto Shinkai
Screening of this film is FREE and Sponsored by Crunchyroll
4PM
W-3 Theater
Told in three interconnected segments, we follow the friendship of Takaki and Akari at key points in their lives.  Beginning as classmates in primary school, the pair quickly become close friends, but when the families move away from one another, they struggle to keep their special bond alive over many years. Their lives apart are tested through cruel winters, cold technology and the menial obligations of becoming an adult.  Knowing that they may never see each again, Takaki decides to visit Akari one last time. Five centimeters per second is the speed at which cherry blossoms fall, and as they fall- two petals once together- drift to ground, unsure of when or if they will be together again.  Anime, Japan, originally released 2007 in Japan, RATED PG.
Date(s): 4/21/2012
Time: 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Venue: Campus-wide
Ticket Required: No

Weekly Library Programs

Someone asked today about Library Storytimes.  These programs are fantastic because they're free, recurring, and generally do not require you to arrive early for a token, although some do.  If you've been to one of these storytimes, please share your opinions on it in the comments section below!  These programs are generally offered each week, although they may be cancelled due to holidays, school being out, renovations, etc.  They are also listed on our calendar, and we remove them when we know they are cancelled.

Most of these programs are for preschool aged children, unless otherwise noted.  Other special events targeted at families or older children also happen, but are typically one-time events, also listed on our calendar. 

Monday
Spanish Circle Time, Bull Run Library, 11am
Lunch Bunch, Chinn Library, ONCE A MONTH, 12pm
Bedtime Story Hour, Chinn Library, 7:15pm
Beginning with Books, Chinn Library, ALTERNATING WEEKS/PREREGISTER, 10:30am
Mishmash, Potomac Library, 2pm

Tuesday
Tales for Two's and Three's at Bull Run Library, 10:30am and 11am
Tuesday Storytimes, Independent Hill Library, 10:30am
Tuesday Tales, Chinn Library, 10:30am
Music and Motion, Central Library, ALTERNATING WEEKS, 10:45am

Wednesday
Magic Carpet Story Time, Potomac Library, 10:30am
Storytime, Dale City Library, 10:30am
Wednesday Storytime, Independent Hill Library, 10:30am
Wendesday Wonders, Chinn Library, 10:30am
Wonderful Ones (12-24 months), Bull Run Library, 10:30am
Muncha Buncha Books, Central Library, 10:45am

Thursday
Preschool Pals, Bull Run Library, 10:30am and 11:15am
Muncha Buncha Books, Central Library, 10:45am
Shenanigans (K-5), Central Library ALTERNATING WEEKS/PREREGISTER, 4pm-5pm
Book Babies, Potomac Library, ALTERNATING WEEKS/PREREGISTER, 10:30am
Thursday Storytime, Lake Ridge Library, 10:30am
Story Time with Miss Glenna, Nokesville Library, 10:30am
Bedtime Stories, Potomac Library ALTERNATING WEEKS, 7:30pm

Friday
Friday Flicks, Chinn Library, 10:30am

Saturday
Saturday Stories, Bull Run Library, 11am
Second Saturday Story and Craft, Chinn Library, SECOND SATURDAY, 10:30am

Sunday

Business Review: Color Me Mine

Over Spring break, we had the chance to visit Color Me Mine in Fairfax.  It was free Ben and Jerry's day, and Fairfax Corner was opening their fountain and having several other events, so we met up with PwcGrammy (who's a student at George Mason- super proud of her!) and decided we'd burn some time before B&J's opened by painting pottery.  We've done this before several times at various studios and have some very precious keepsakes from going with relatives who have since passed on.  Having their handprints and my babies' handprints is a very sweet memory. 

The studio is long and narrow, and table space is not necessarily easy to come by if you go on a vacation day (I'd imagine weekends are tough, too).  I felt like their fees were slightly higher than some of the places that we've been to that charge a flat rate, as they charge a per item rate and a studio fee per person. 

They do have some fun looking events like Kids Out Nights where parents can drop their children who are 6 and older off and go spend some time in the shopping center.  There are amazing Great American restaurants in this shopping center, so it could make for an awesome date night!  They also do fundraisers and parties.

While we had a decent time, I have to say I didn't love the experience here, and I'd probably not opt to go here again if I had the option of going somewhere else.  Unlike other studios that let you get your own glaze, the attendants here give you a sample palette and you are allowed to pick 6 colors which they get for you.  You aren't allowed to get your own.  (This of course means that there is a tip jar, so you should tip your attendant on top of the studio fee for their fetching of things you could easily get yourself).  It wasn't packed to the gills when we first got there and the "don't touch the glaze" policy was really annoying as my 6yo was painting an entire vase one color.  That tablespoon of glaze? Yeah, that ran out every 4th brush full and then we found ourselves waiting for an attendant, who got pretty huffy with us by the 4th refill.  Hint: if the kid is obviously painting the entire piece a base color, why not get a second glaze container and just do that one color?

We didn't get much of an explanation, which is fine since we've done pottery before, but should have at least been offered.  When we finally got started really painting one of the staff came over and said "So, how are you going to want to pay?" in an annoyed voice.

Seriously? You need to know upfront? Why didn't you charge me before I got paint all over myself thanks to the kids?

She apparently didn't actually want me to pay, she just wanted to know I was using my Visa (it's everywhere you wanna be). We continued for about eight minutes and then another attendant came over and demanded I go sign in on their computer system.

Really? I'm here.  Does it matter?

The computer ticked me off, too.  You don't need to data collect my home address, email, home phone and cell phone for me to paint something.  At the end, it asked for me to answer some survey questions, which seemed ridiculous.

The kids still had fun, and it's possible we just caught the staff (all high school or early college aged) on an off day, but if I'm going to spend $150 on an activity, I want to leave feeling darn happy, and that just didn't happen.

Overall, I'd head somewhere else based on this experience, but if you've had a great time there, I'd love to hear about it!

Color Me Mine Fairfax:
Recommended For: Ages 5 and up.  Younger children could be taken for handprints/footprints, but you need some fine motor skills to make anything worth taking home and with items being so expensive, your younger ones are better off with a kit from Michaels.
Pros: Creative outlet, nice shopping center, pieces are keepsakes
Cons: Expensive, unfriendly/unhelpful staff, studio seemed to get hot
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This is an unsolicited review.  All opinions are my own.  Your experience may vary.  

DC JCC's Jewish Music Festival

Family Fun Abounds with ShirLaLa and Peter Himmelman at DCJCC’s 13^th Washington Jewish Music Festival

 

ShiraLaLa highlights Shabbat Services and Dinner; Peter Himmelman’s performance for Jerusalem Day followed by a barbeque dinner and bounce house

 

Washington, D.C. – Families and kids of all ages will have two great opportunities to rock out with acclaimed Jewish performers ShirLaLa and Peter Himmelman. These two family-friendly acts appear as part of the DCJCC’s 13^th Annual Washington Jewish Music Festival and will headline special family celebrations for Shabbat and Jerusalem Day.

 

In its 13^th year, the DCJCC’s Washington Jewish Music Festival, taking place May 3 – 21 features 12 performances including jazz, funk, hip-hop and indie pop artists. While many of the performances welcome audiences of all ages, ShirLaLa and Peter Himmelman are the most kid-friendly acts.

 

“We’re thrilled to celebrate 13 years of the Washington Jewish Music Festival with festive, family-oriented performances,” said Carole Zawatsky, chief executive officer of the Washington DCJCC. “This year’s festival is truly a coming of age, with an eclectic mix of performers that reflects the diverse interests of our community. Music touches everyone at every age and the festival just wouldn’t have been complete without Shira and Peter performing for our children.”

Shira Kline aka ShirLaLa is a celebrated New York based performer and music educator. Traveling across the country and internationally with her kiddie rock band, Shira delivers a dynamic, interactive program of joy and spirit, story and song. Raised in the world of music and the tradition of Torah, Shira has worked for over a decade with a diverse array of Jewish communities to enliven rituals, holiday celebrations, and love for Jewish life and prayer. Blending words, story and music she creates a rich experience for children and adults alike.

Families can join a joyous Jerusalem Day family celebration with a concert by rocker Peter Himmelman followed by a barbeque dinner and bounce house for the kids on May 20. Hailed by USA Today as “one of rock’s most wildly imaginative performers,” Himmelman is an alternative folk-rock singer, songwriter, TV and film composer and children’s entertainer. His 2007 children’s album, My Green Kite, was nominated for a Grammy.

 

ShirLaLa Family Shabbat Service and Dinner

Friday, May 18 | 6:00 pm | Washington DCJCC | Service Free
Dinner: Adults $15, Children $7.50 (advance reservation required)
Suggested age: 0-5, reserve dinner by May 14

 

Peter Himmelman performs for Jerusalem Day

Sunday, May 20 | 4:00 pm 
Ohev Sholom–The National Synagogue
1600 Jonquil Street NW
Tickets: $10, $25 Family Ticket

The DCJCC thanks the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation for helping to establish the festival in 1999, its major support of this year’s festival, and for being the lead sponsor of the opening night concert.

 

The music festival runs from May 3 to May 21, and includes 12 performances, as well as community-organized “Shabbat in Song” events. The full schedule and ticket information can be found at www.wjmf.org. Tickets are on sale now.

Historic Dumfries Egg Hunt 2012

So....here's the thing. 

It's so awesome that places do free egg hunts....but...

While there were tons of eggs, children were not sub-divided enough, and the hunts for the two age groups started at the exact same time, so if you have children in the youngest age group and children in the older age group, you'll have to choose which ones you want to supervise, or make your younger child participate with all the older kids (which is what I opted to do). If there were more subdivisions than "toddler" and "everyone else" it wasn't clearly marked so I wasn't aware of them.  The hunt started two minutes early (according to my iphone) and was over in 30 seconds.  The biggest problem, though, is parents and older siblings running around preventing the kids from having fun by either taking eggs or blocking children from getting them so that their child can.

Apparently there were some larger toys (balls, etc) that were handed out, but they ran out very quickly and most of the children around us didn't get one, which was no big deal, but several children were devastated.  The Easter Bunny was on hand for pictures, and Face Odyssey was there doing face painting.  We opted to get in the face painting line, and I have to say that the Face Odyssey woman did an absolutely fantastic job.  The line was a little crazy because, again, of the parents.  We had one person standing in front of us who we assumed was holding a place for his kids.  I have no problem with that, I'd rather have the kids playing nearby than crying in line- but he was actually "holding a place" for two families with a total of 6 kids, so when we thought we were next, we actually had 6 kids leap in front of us.  Not awesome.

By the time we got to the front of the line, the event had actually ended and there were still people waiting behind us.  The Easter Bunny was gone, and the lady from Face Odyssey had decided to stay late to try to get everyone who'd waited so long through.  I'm not sure if they paid her extra for her time or if she just stayed, but it was very kind of her either way.  My guess is that the weather was so unseasonably warm that way more people showed up than the planners were anticipating, but separating the age groups and having additional event staff to facilitate face painting and bunny pictures happening would have helped.  I didn't actually get pictures of the egg hunt since it happened the minute we arrived and was over so fast, but it looked like your standard egg hunt- so you can imagine :) The eggs aren't really "hidden" per se, they're more tossed all over the lawn, so it's less a hunt and more a "gather".

Breakdown:
Dumfries Egg Hunt
Pros: Free, beautiful location, great face painting
Cons: All kids hunt at once, not enough supplies/special activity personnel for number of children attending.
Warnings: Parents can get out of control at these egg hunts.  Merchant's Park is gorgeous, but it doesn't have a PA system, so announcements made from the Gazebo can be a little hard to hear if you're on the outskirts of the area.