The Sweet Life Woodbridge 2012

Looking for something a little fun and different for this weekend?  How about checking out The Sweet Life tour as it hits Woodbridge?

Claudia Johnson Photography via The Sweet Life Facebook

From their Goldstar.com deal (now expired) "About a dozen of the area's top treat-makers will be on hand to show off their decadent creations at this fun event. From cakes to cookies to pies and more, you can sample many of the sweets, with plenty of items available for purchase to take home as well. Whether you're planning for an event, you're an event-planner or you just happen to love baked goods, this pop-up shop brings all the best local bakers and confectioners together under one roof for you to enjoy. Admission includes access to the sampling floor, plus one beverage ticket."

Claudia Johnson Photography via The Sweet Life Facebook

This even takes place at the Country Inn and Suites and is described as a "bake sale with professional bakers", but you pay for your food up front with your entry fee.  Tickets are available via Eventbrite and are $15 for adults and  $8 for children.  The event runs from 1pm-4pm today, and sounds like it'd be fun for the kids, but also would be a really fun afternoon with a few girlfriends, I think!

Head over and check out some of our local bakeshops and enjoy a sweet afternoon. It's supposed to thunderstorm today, so you need to be inside, anyway!!

Lego Brick Fair Review

We were able to attend the 2012 Brick Fair at the Dulles Expo Center thanks to some comp tickets from Washington Family Magazine.  (The same fine folks that sponsored our giveaway to the same event).  I know a lot of you were wondering about the event, so here's my breakdown.

When we arrived, we were seriously nervous about The Line.  The Line looked like it was going to take us the better part of half an hour to get to the actual door to the Expo Center.  We were pleasantly surprised, however, to find that the line moved quickly and we were in the door in about nine minutes.  Once we were inside, we were definitely in awe of the fantastic Lego creations.  Children as young as nine can present their pieces at Brick Fair, with the chance to win awards.  There are also custom Lego vendors, our friends from Hallabolou were there, and there was a wicked game of Lego bingo going on when we arrived.  The ticket encouraged you to allow at least three hours to make it through, and maybe we're big losers, but we did it in 50 minutes.  Here's why.

We went with our kids who are 8, 6, and 4.  The little ones were definitely wowed by several of the displays, especially the ones that moved like the ball movers, robots, and giant roller coaster.

They were even still happy at the end of our time at the Brick Fair, but nobody complained that we were leaving, either.  They did ask if we could stop at the ice cream store on the way home.

 The kids presenting were absolutely amazing and created some awesome scenes! I was completely impressed by how some of the youngest exhibitors produced such amazing results! Each category, and there were several, had gorgeous entries.

 We especially liked the things that moved, whether they were robots, roller coasters, ball movers, or magnetized displays.

 He blinded me with science.

THIS IS ALL MADE OF LEGOS!!! This is what I could accomplish if I didn't blog and had some kind of measurable artistic skill! 

The cars were also a big hit with my kids.

So, if everything was so impressive, why didn't we take longer? The little ones enjoyed looking but were, honestly, overwhelmed by all there was to see.  You can't really touch anything, and Legos are toys to most children, so it's kind of like walking through a giant bakery with no glass over the treats.  You find yourself reminding little fingers not to touch fairly often.  Our oldest probably would have wandered around a little longer and looked at different items, but there's not really room to wander.  It's a lot more like being herded through like cattle:

Oh, hello hundreds of our closest friends!! Our children's biggest complaint was that there wasn't a ton of hands-on.  There is a small game section near the exit, but they really wanted to go and see cool things and then sit down somewhere and build with Legos.  Instead, we stood in a slow moving line that wrapped around the building and just looked.  Don't get me wrong, everything was amazing, but it was crowded and slow and not as interactive as we usually like to be.  It's kind of like a Lego museum, and you know my favorite museums are free :)

Tickets are $10 a pop, so while we enjoyed it this time, we all agreed that we probably wouldn't go back if we had to pay $50.  The kids liked it, but not enough to justify the cost.

Agree? Disagree? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

This Weekend At Leesylvania State Park

Hitching a Ride

Date:	08/08/2012
Time:	3 Sessions - 11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M., 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M., & 4:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Location:	Visitor Center
Description:	Have you ever wondered how a plant ends up growing far away from other plants of its kind? Get ready to explore the world of nature's hitchhiking plants. Start in the Visitor Center where a ranger will show just how many different ways seeds can move and end by taking home your very own planted sock. Appropriate for ages 4 and up.  $2/person, $6/family

Creepy Crawlies

Date:	08/09/2012
Time:	3 Sessions - 11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M., 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M., & 3:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Location:	Visitor Center
Description:	Take a peek at who lives under Leesylvania 's logs and rocks. We'll be taking an up close look at where decomposers live and what they like to eat. Join us and get to know your underground neighbors and eat a cup of dirt! Fee is $2/person and $6/family.

Pond Play!

Date:	08/10/2012
Time:	3 Sessions - 11:00 A.M.- 12:00 P.M., 2:00 P.M.- 3:00 P.M., & 4:00 P.M.- 5:00 P.M.
Location:	Visitor Center
Description:	Explore the animals that live in our pond. You'll get to see frogs, turtles, and fish. A ranger will use nets to catch animals that are under the water so you can see them up close and personal.

2nd Annual Hike for the Cause

Date:	08/11/2012
Time:	9:00 a.m.   To  11:00 a.m.
Location:	Visitor Center
Description:	Join us in the fight against breast cancer as we host our 2nd Annual Hike for the Cause to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise?fcid=121459) .  There will be activity tables, prizes from local sponsors, and informational tables about the cause.  Inquire at the Visitor Center for Registration forms or emailleesylvaniavc@dcr.virginia.gov. Registration fee is $25.  Deadline to receive t-shirt is July 18, 2012. In 2011 we raised $1,607. That is enough to provide 16 uninsured women with a free mammogram! We are hoping to get even closer to our goal of $7,500 in 2012.

Music at the Marina - Soul Gravity

Date:	08/11/2012
Time:	5:00 p.m.   To  7:00 p.m.
Location:	Breakwater Marina Store
Description:	Soul Gravity mixes a bit of acoustic rock sensibilities with contemporary rock grooves and then tops it all off with some fat guitar edge, tight vocal harmonies, and excellent musicianship.  Bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic while listening to Soul Gravity. Sponsored by Steve's Auto Repair (http://stevesautorepairva.com) and Friends of Leesylvania State Park.

Bushey Point Trail

Date:	08/12/2012
Time:	2 sessions - 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Location:	Bushey Point Trailhead next to the Marina parking lot
Description:	Take a walk through the woods with a ranger along the Bushey Point Trail. We will pause at points of historic and ecological interest.

Canoe Tour

Date:	08/12/2012
Time:	5:00 p.m.   To  7:00 p.m.
Location:	Register at the Visitor Center and then meet at Canoe Launch
Description:	Join a ranger for a guided canoe tour on Powell's Creek. You'll get to see wildlife, marsh plants, and test your skills in a canoe. Please register with the Visitor Center 24 hours in advance for the tour. Fee is $9.00 per person, or $6.00 per person when reserving for groups of 4 or more.

Corn Dog Muffins

We love almost everything about our Classical Conversations group, with the exception of lunch.  We don't do tables, we just sit on the floor, picnic style, but for some reasons indoor picnics don't go very well for my kids.  My daughter spills something every week and then cries because she thinks she's in trouble.  She's not in trouble, it's a laminate floor, very little she could have in her possession is going to mess the floor up.  My boys try to avoid eating if humanly possible and blame it on the fact that it's hard to eat or they're uncomfortable.  The only thing we've had any success with is lunchables, which I'm too cheap to buy on a regular basis, so they generally get turkey pepperoni, cheese, and crackers.  Fruit goes relatively well as long as it's already cut and bite-sized.  Veggies require ranch dressing and that's a whole other mess.

Anyway, enough whining.

I decided that in my last few weeks before classes resume at our campus I was going to head to Pinterest and StumbleUpon and try to find some bite-sized lunch options that I could make ahead, freeze, and toss in lunch boxes.  The only real requirement is that they be easy to eat sitting on the floor.  Today we tried corn dog muffins, which we did, in fact, eat sitting in my living room on the hardwood.  The kids approved, and even said they were good enough to enjoy without ketchup and mustard, although that was their preference.

 Not to be bothered by actually reading and following a recipe, this is what we came up with.  Rather than using a mini-muffin pan (although we tried that, too) we actually preferred using the bottom half of our cake-pop pan.  The recipe I'm providing here made 22 cake pop bottom sized corn dog muffins which were, in fact, easy to eat sitting on the floor.

Hot dogs totally creep me out.  I broke one of the muffins open for you, but that's as good as it gets for me, people.  The nice part about this is that you could change the hot dog portion for anything you'd feed your kids.  These are reduced fat Hebrew Nationals, but you could use turkey dogs, veggie dogs, or whatever mixed-bag brand of choice your family enjoys.  My kids all gave this two thumbs way up. Not the healthiest thing ever, but it's better for my sanity than listening to them ask if it's time for recess yet every 30 seconds for half an hour!

Corn Dog Muffins
1 box corn muffin mix (we used Jiffy, but Giant has Guaranteed Value for something like 44 cents this week!)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (ours is white cheddar which is why you can't see it)
4 regular sized hot dogs, cut in to quarters length wise and then chopped into small pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk

Mix the corn muffin mix, egg, and milk.  Add the cheese and hot dog pieces.  You could also mix in chopped jalepeno if you were making this for spice lovers.  If you're using a mini muffin pan, fill it about 3/4 of the way.  If you're using a cake pop pan, just slightly under full baked perfectly for us.  We did not find we needed to grease our non-stick type pans, but a spray of cooking spray will ensure success.  Bake at 400 for 11-15 minutes, depending on the size of your mini muffin tin.

Have a suggestion for a bite-sized lunch option we should try? I'd love to try your recipe!! Email it or leave a link or directions in the comments below.

Rippon Lodge Family History Program

Join Rippon Lodge to play a game and make a craft this Saturday, August 11th.  $7 per person, kids 6 and under are free.

Rippon Lodge is located at 15520 Blackburn Road in Woodbridge.

(PS- Thanks to Angela Pounders for the image!!)

My Daughter's Best Friend's Birthday Party's Vendors

Cause that's not a mouthful :)

My daughter's blessed to have an amazing group of little girlfriends.  I don't remember ever having great friends at her age, but she certainly does.  One of her friends has a mom who I adore because she makes me look sane by comparison.  I go all out, but she goes all out times two.  We had a blast setting up for this party together- and when it was done, it looked like a magical place where Pinterest threw up.  When you're having a birthday party in Prince William County, sometimes a little DIY can go a long way ;)

Yup.  who needs sleep when you could be helping a friend fluff crepe paper balls at 4am?  Certainly not me :) Obviously this was going to be an amazing party!  This momma had thought of everything!! From customized water bottles to a candy bar.  It was amazing.  Even better, she'd sprung for a deal-site special on a woman who was going to come and lead a tea party for the girls.  The Little Tea Spoon, which incidentally uses the same theme as my business cards on their website, offers birthday parties, tea parties, baby showers and more.  We were all excited to see what she'd come up with!  However, this ended up being a fiasco as she was supposed to show up 45 minutes before the party to set up and didn't arrive until well after the party started at which point she proceeded to set up as if she was early, which was to say slowly. I totally understand this is Northern Virginia and traffic happens, but if the terrible happens and you're over an hour and a half late, you have to compensate with speed!  The girls were definitely hungry and ready to party and had to wait for quite some time.  (I wasn't asked to do a review, I was just so unimpressed, I asked my friend if it would be okay if I did a warning) The girls had a great time with each other and didn't notice that things weren't going according to plan, of course.

The stand out from the party (besides the gorgeous decorating) was Andrea Gunter, who came and took party pictures. Honestly, this had never crossed my mind, but I thought it was completely genius!! You're always so busy during a child's party, you never get all the pictures you want!! Andrea had a great rapport with the kids and seemed to know exactly which shots to make sure to get without being intrusive.  She's didn't ask for a review, either, but I was so impressed with her work that I wanted to share.   Andrea Gunter Photography offers portrait sessions, mini sessions, birth announcements, maternity shots, family and more.  Check her out on Facebook.  I love the very clean look to her pictures.

These two are naturally gorgeous, but the pictures are awesome, too!  

Look at my cake.  I've never had a cake look as good as when Andrea photographs it :) 

So there you have it, the vendors from my daughter's best friend's birthday party.  One I'd pass on next time, and one who was fantastic!  Who've you used that made your child's party even more fantastic? Leave a comment below and share with the crowd! Have you ever hired a photographer for your party? 

Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) in Prince William County

Are you absolutely at the end of your rope? Are you lonely and tired and overwhelmed by diapers? Honey, you need to get the heck out of your house.  

No, seriously.  Go.

And, honestly, there's no better place to do that than a place where other people understand what you're going through. 

Mothers of Preschoolers, or MoPS is a fantastic organization that exists to support moms through the somewhat overwhelming years of infancy, toddlerhood, and preschool.  Groups have various formats, including daytime with childcare, evenings for working moms, and even groups for teens.  Moms NEXT exists to extend further support to mothers whose children are now elementary aged.  These groups do have a fee associated to cover childcare/supplies/room rentals.  While these groups are housed in churches, you do not have to be a church member or a Christian to belong.  Also, note that most groups will let you come and try a meeting or two before joining. Frequently, scholarships or payment plans are available, too. 

Here are some of our local groups:

MoPS Woodbridge:
First Baptist Church of Woodbridge offers online registration as well as a Facebook group.  They offer 3 traditional MOPS on Friday mornings (1st/3rd or 2nd/4th from 9:30-11:30) with childcare as well as a 2nd and 4th Tuesdays from 7-9pm group without childcare.  Registration is $94 for Fridays and $74 for Tuesdays. 

Lake Ridge Baptist Church offers a group on the third Thursday of each month from 7-9pm. Membership is $53.95, and includes childcare on an as-needed basis. 

Old Bridge UMC offers a group on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 7-9pm and the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month from 9:30-11:30 as a playgroup.  Membership is $43.95 and includes childcare if required. 

St. Margaret's Anglican Church has previously offered both MOPS and Moms Next, but is currently sharing worship space with another church.  Check back for updates. 

MOPS Manassas/Bristow Gainesville:
Manassas Baptist Church meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month from 9am-noon.  Registration is $45 and childcare is available. 

Mclean Bible Church Prince Wiliam Campus MOPS meets the 1st and 3rd Friday from 9:30-11:30am.  Registration is $155.  Childcare is provided. 

Manassas Assembly of God hosts a group on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays from 9:30-11:30am, additional information is available by calling 703-368-2895

Gainesville United Methodist Church meets the 1st/3rd Wednesdays from 9:30-11:30am.  Email gummops@gmail.com for additional information.  
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Am I missing your MOPS group? Shoot me an email! I'm happy to add you!  Also, if you're a MOPS leader, I am available to come and speak to your group, for free.  Email me for details on the topics I can cover.