Kites, Wonder Pets, Cockadoodle Zoo….Spring events galore

Spring has sprung, babes, and none too soon. Daffodils are budding, birds are chirping, the sun is out later, and daylight savings even gives me the illusion that my children sleep til 7am.

Life is good.

So with that, let’s start making some great plans. A real spring fav around here…the Smithsonian Kite Festival….is coming up on Saturday March 27 from 10-4pm. Definitely plan to head down to the Mall for this great annual tradition.

If your kids love Nick  Jr (formerly Noggin) as much as mine do, then be sure to check out Storytime Live at the Warner Theater in mid-April. Dora, the Wonder Pets, the Backyardigans and Ni-Hoa Kai Lan are coming to DC. We are headed there April 17th at 11am much to the delight of our 4-year-old.

And finally, for all the FONZ members out there, Cockadoodle Zoo is scheduled for Saturday April 17th from 8-10am. What a great way to start the day – see how the animals start their days, enjoy fun activities for kids, and have the kids bring their fav teddy bear to be examined by zoo docs.

Tot Swap & Spring Break Activities

In case you haven’t heard, this weekend is the Montgomery County Tot Swap - located on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg – it’s a great venue to find used toys, equipment, maternity clothes and other treasures. The event starts today and ends March 14th. The early bird most likely gets the worms……

And with spring break around the corner, beyond hoping for more fabulous spring weather, here are some fun ideas for great spring outings with the kids:

Head up to Butler’s Orchard for Bunnyland. Enjoy a hayride, hop on the moonbounce, and see the bunnies. It is not cheap, however, at $8 per kid and $6 per adult and from my experience in years past – it gets super crowded.

Head to Strathmore for Teddy Bear Tea on March 31st at 1pm- including music, bears, and a kid friendly menu. Though it’s not cheap at $26 per person, it does sound like an adorable way to spend a Wednesday afternoon.

For your curious kiddos, head to the Children’s Museum in Baltimore - they have special events ongoing during the week and now through June 6 have a special Curious George exhibit. I’ve yet to visit this museum but have heard nothing but rave reviews from other parents and definitely plan to take my curious monkeys there over spring break.

Day at the Museum

It is really for shame that we here at BB have posted very little on the wealth of programs and activities for kids offered by the Smithsonian museums. So, before it gets too warm to want to be inside, and before all those crazy tourists start piling into town and clogging the metro and museums, we should all load up the kiddos and head to some of the museums in town.

Interestingly enough, a conversation between some BB husbands over a dinner party on saturday night really inspired today’s post. The BB husbands are happenin dudes. They know what’s what…..which is why they married us, of course, and they have some great advice if taking younger ones to two museums, in particular.

First, I am embarrassed to admit I haven’t even visited this museum yet but it is now on the top of my list: the National museum of the American Indian. We all know how lovely it is from the outside….well it’s time to find out what’s offered on the inside. A BB dad of a 2-year-old specifically raved about the story-time for kids. He said the stories are amazing and filled with energy and his daughter was engaged the entire half-hour reading. Note there are also family activities for kids on Saturdays and Sundays from 10-noon and 1-3pm.

The other hot topic around our dinner party table was about the National Air and Space Museum. I’ve enjoyed a lovely visit to this museum with our older daughter – climbing into the old plane was a real highlight – but I had no idea that they show a Sesame Street movie on the first Saturday and Sunday of every month at 10:30am. Now what kid wouldn’t love seeing Elmo and Big Bird visit the moon?  The museum also offers story time for kids, and their site details a list of dates and times for stories throughout the month – so check it out, babes!

Spring Chicks

Greetings…from my new reality….where the sun always shines, the birds are chirping…there is no snow in the forecast…ever….and the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom.

I am living there now. And no, this is not an episode of “Lost.”

Or maybe I am just believing that these things are possible…..I am still hunting down that damn groundhog for his stupid prediction…and so instead of wallowing in indoor play spaces, today we are projecting ourselves to spring and planning ahead for some fun spring events.

First, Rockwood Manor is hosting a favorite springtime event in my house, the annual Easter Egg Hunt, on Sunday March 21st at 10am. We attended last year and it was lovely, the trees were in bloom, the setting is gorgeous, the egg hunt was fun and though the life-size Easter bunny is pretty much creepy and scary to everyone who crosses his path, he was still there. Because I know how much you love pictures, here is visual proof of the creepiness of the Easter Bunny…only our 4-month-old was photographed with him last year cause well….she was defenseless and didn’t have a choice…. If you haven’t done so already, I’d encourage you to register your spring chicks for this fun Sunday morning event. Rockwood Manor is located just above the Billy Goat Trail, up MacArthur Blvd, nestled in between the beautiful homes of Potomac where I am absolutely certain I will reside someday……

Another fav BB go-to spot for special occasions is the Historic Tudor House in Georgetown. There are hosting an Eggstravaganza on April 3 from 10am-noon.

—Celebrate Spring and Easter at Tudor Place’s Third Annual Eggstravaganza!
Children of all ages enjoy the largest Egg Hunt in Washington D.C. and a thrilling Egg Roll Contest. After the exciting games, spend the morning
decorating festive eggs and building a spring basket! The Easter Bunny is available for pictures all morning. Visitors also enjoy a self-guided tour
of Tudor Place’s 5 ½ acres of glorious gardens. The Egg Hunt begins at 10:30a.m. and the Egg Roll follows at 10:45 a.m. Bring your own basket, spoon,
and one hard-boiled egg per child.
Member Children (Ages 1-15): $7 | Nonmember Children (Ages 1-15): $10 |
Adult Chaperones: $3

*Location:*Tudor Place Historic House and Garden 1644 31st Street, NW Washington, DC 20007

Believe that spring will be here soon….join me in this happy place.

Valentine’s Fun

Looking for some fun indoor valentine’s events this weekend?

For children age 5-15, the Tudor Historic Place House and Garden in Georgetown is hosting a Valentine’s Tea and Chocolate Workshop on Saturday, February 6 | 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Enjoy a festive Valentine’s Day Tea complete with delicious sweet treats! Join costumed interpreters for a lesson in tea etiquette. Following the tea
ceremony children will learn the basics of chocolate making and create their own chocolate flowers and hearts to take home!
Member Children: $20 | Nonmember Children: $25 |Adults: $10

Register in advance for this event!

For the crafty child in your house, the Tudor House is hosting a card-making event on Valentine’s Day, that also requires advance registration:

*Be My Valentine: Valentine’s Day Card Workshop for Children *

*(Ages 5 – 15)*
Sunday, February 14 | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Create your own Valentine’s Day card for someone special! Children become
history detectives as they tour the historic mansion in search of
Valentine’s Day cards from years past. After the tour, children design their
own Valentine cards to take home. Historic Valentine’s Day cards from the
Tudor Place archive will serve as an inspiration for their creations.
Member Children: $7 | Nonmember Children: $10 | Adult Chaperones: Free

If you are thinking of a date night with your beloved, a top 3 favorite restaurant in my house for date night – note also good enough for an Obama Date Night – is Bluck Duck Tavern. I admit,  being a snob, I was once adamantly opposed to eating in restaurants attached to hotels, but for the higher end hotels, that line of thinking is really passe. Note also an older post here on J&G Steakhouse in the W Hotel. Recently, my husband and I dined at Black Market Bistro in Garret Park, behind Strathmore, and it was a lovely meal and fabulous atmosphere. Another BB just checked out new-on-the-scene Bibiana on New York Ave and she raved about it – both the food and romantic atmosphere.

And babes, some advice, if your Valentine isn’t so good at planning ahead, then just go book your reservations today so you can still have a nice night out – don’t sit around and hope this year will be different and then end up pissed off when it’s not. Not worth it!

Indoor Fun

If you are looking for some great theater, check out “Wake Up Brother Bear” through February 7th at the Imagination Stage in Bethesda. The show is best for ages 2-5 and tickets are $7. If you live in Virginia, the Synetic Family Theater has performances of “Puss’N'Boots” through March 14. The tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

If you are looking to run your kids indoors, I’ve recently learned of a few new options in Montgomery County. We hit the Playseum in Bethesda for the first time on Sunday for a birthday party.  Parking was a pain because there is only street parking available but once you are inside, there was plenty for my 14 month old and 4-year-old to do. Entrance is $5 per kid and they have various themed rooms, ranging from a grocery store to a pet shop with bunnies, much to the delight of my girls.  I feel like all I see is puking viruses all over places like that, so I’m on edge with my bag of hand sanitizer as my baby shoves everything into her mouth – but hey – I never said I wasn’t a little psycho.

I’m anxious to check out Great Kids Village in downtown Silver Spring which just opened on December 31st, the facility is apparently huge and offers play themed rooms, birthday party opportunities, classes, camps and music performances. If you live closer to Kensington than Silver Spring, Interactions Learn and Play also recently opened and has one thing over Playseum and GKV, a moonbounce.

Go forth and run them…….

Motherhood. Is there an app for that?

Check out my blog entry today on Mampedia!

Rain Rain Go Away

Is it me or does the month of January drag on for an eternity? I shouldn’t complain though because certainly we’ve all enjoyed the past few days of glorious sunny warm weather. And yesterday evening as I was out walking the kiddos, I cherished being outside walking from 5-5:3opm and soaked in the beautiful sunset with my older daughter. I’m sure you’re with me in just feeling those longer days that hopefully are just around the corner.

That being said, we still have some cold weekends and rainy days ahead of us, so what to do with the kiddos? No more pumpkin patches, no more holiday events and Santa visits, and not quite early enough for Valentines events. Here’s my advice…..run them indoors and two of the babes’ favorite indoor places: National Building Museum and the College Park Aviation Museum.

As luck would have it, the College Park Aviation Museum is hosting a LEGO Aircraft Building Day this Saturday January 23rd from 11am – 4pm. This event should appeal to all little ones because they’re allowed to build their favorite kind of aircraft from LEGOs and the best ones will be put on display on the museum. The current forecast for the weekend is calling for Saturday to be the sunny day and Sunday the rainy one, so in case you end up running the kids at the park on Saturday, I can tell you that the Aviation Museum is loads of fun on a rainy day when no LEGO event is taking place. There is a turn-of-century aircraft for the kids to climb in, interactive displays, and old bomber coats and flying goggles for the kids to try on. I’ve even included a picture of our visit last winter.

Another BB is a big believer in killing time at the National Building Museum. Her tot is a frequent visitor and she always raves about the activities and the fun they have. I personally haven’t hit it yet but I’ve heard it does get crowded on weekends so go early.

Enjoy, babes!

Work it, hot momma……

Another reason I despise January is it’s the month where we are supposed to focus on new years resolutions and everyone always wants to lose weight. I find it annoying and boring to hear about…….someone wake me up when February hits. Can my resolution be to spend more time at the spa?

But, in case you are looking to lose that muffin top (I still highly recommend my Doctor MT, Lenore), then how about you channel your inner stripper and try out something new at Chic Physique in Bethesda. I personally haven’t gotten over there yet and trust me, I know that I will look completely absurd and ridiculous attempting to dance around a pole, but we’ve all heard strippers get a good workout up there on stage….and we know we’re supposed to mix up our workouts, so this seems like something fun and different to try in the new year and new decade.

Who knows, you  might discover you have some sexy moves.

January Blues

Happy New Year Babes! Hope you enjoyed the holidays with your family. January is one of my least favorite months of the year and finding indoor activities to entertain energy-filled young ones is never fun. So let the babes help you round out your winter calendar.

First up, for the francophiles out there, like moi, head over to L’Alliance Francaise this Saturday at 11:30am. For a mere $10, they are celebrating 3 Kings Day with storytime and a French celebration, including yummy cake. You can’t go wrong with a combo of French culture and yummy cake.

Earlier this week, I noticed the Zoo, which is one of my top favorite places to find excellent classes, including weekend ones, for little kids, has started a Sunday “Wild Stage” series for kids age 2 and up. The series begins this Sunday January 10 and runs every sunday through March 7.  Performances are 11pm or 1pm. Tickets are a mere $5 for FONZ members and $7 for non-members. I’ve never had a bad experience at a kids event at the zoo and definitely plan on hitting at least one of these with my kiddos.

And finally, another favorite haunt of mine, Adventure Theater in Glen Echo Park. Me and another babe hit “Go Dog Go” back in November and our kids loved it. “The Little Engine” that could is on through this weekend – so check online to see if tickets are still available. “The New Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley” premieres Feb 12 – April 6 and I already scooped up my tickets for February 13.  Additionally, the theater offers classes for children aged 3 and older – Pretty Princess Adventures caught my eye for my 4-year-old. Classes start the week of January 15th but this weekend they are hosting everyone’s favorite – FREE demos – what a great way to fill out what is supposed to be a very chilly Saturday or Sunday.