Fall Festival

I'm a bit of a lover of Fall, but I think I don't like Fall as well.  I don't know what's wrong with me.  You know, I think I like everything about Fall except for the cold weather.  Yes - that's it!  Fall = awesome.  Cold weather = yuck!  mkay?

This past Saturday... and at the very last minute... we found out that Brody's swim lesson was cancelled.  We sprang into full-fledged Operation-Fall-Festival action.  We were out of the house within moments and headed to a Fall Festival at Greenstreet Gardens, a place that we had never visited before.

Yay for being spontaneous!!!!! {{clap, clap, clap}}

At the start of the visit we took a somewhat spooky hayride to the festivities.  This is my only complaint of the whole day and I hate to start of with a complaint but here goes.  To be honest, the staff disclosed that the hayride was spooky, but it also seemed that the hayride was the ONLY way to get to the fall festival from the main parking location.  Without going into all of the logistics about what I saw and didn't see, the conversation with the staff went something like this:

Me:  (holding toddler and standing next to preschooler) I see that your sign says the hayride is spooky.  How spooky is it?

Older-ish Man:  Somewhat.  Aliens and monsters and stuff.

Me:  (willing to skip the hayride)  OK.  Where is the corn maze and moon bounce and stuff that are advertised on the brochure?

Older-ish Man:  Over that hill back there.

Me:  Cool.  How do we get over the hill?

Older-ish Man:  Take the hayride.

I did not want to take the spooky hayride but could not see of any other way to get to the festival nor was the guy offering up an alternative.  So we climbed aboard. In short - the ride was spooky and on the verge of being too scary but we made it through just fine.  Everyone at the festival was either under age 7 or over age 35 (that is, parents and small kids).  The spooky hayride was unecessary and you could tell that the parents on the hayride were not pleased.  A simple well-placed sign like this, would be sufficient and make everyone happy, since they offer a hayride back to the parking lot and it is nonspooky!

Parents - This hayride is spooky.  However, you can walk over the hill to the festival and take a nonspooky hayride back at the end of your visit. Thus, your kids don't have to go through the spooky barn but they still get to enjoy a nice hayride.

There was tons of fun at the festival and it totally delivered.  They had a hay maze for the little ones and Bri totally made it out all on her own, which made me laugh out loud!

Bro's favorite part BY FAR was the corn kernel sandbox.  He would have played in this corn kernel box all day long if I let him.  This was a genius idea and all of the kids just loved, loved, loved it!  I am tempted to fill his Brielle's sand box with corn kernels next summer.  It was that fun. 

Lulu found the perfect mini-pumpkin in the patch...

... and she was such a great mother's helper too.  Let us be real clear here, I would not have gone if I didn't have her with me!   

All in all, it was a great day.  I highly recommend the Greenstreet Garden Fall Festival for small children.  Many fall festivals have games and stuff, but they require waiting in line to get into the action.  Greenstreet Gardens was great because there was plenty for the little kids to run and play and do!  To be honest, it might be my favorite fall festival location for families with young children. 

Be honest, should I put corn kernels in the sand box next year?

Hello Gaithersburg Book Festival!

When I left the office on Friday I had a list of fun things to do this weekend:  visit the Clark's Eliok Farm, the library, the Air Show, the zoo, or the Strawberry Festival, to name a few! 

I also added:  read The Paris Wife, by Paula McClain to my summer reading list..  {{This will be important later.}}

Then, I woke up Saturday morning, checked facebook as usual, and saw this post on my profile page: "Aren't you going to the book festival today?"  {{Thank you my friend!!}}

THE BOOK FESTIVAL!  OH -- I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THE BOOK FESTIVAL!

The boys proceeded with their plan to go to the Air Show.  Lulu and I wanted to go to the book festival.  No one wanted to drag Brielle along -- sorry Baby Bee!  I couldn't ask my parents to watch her at the last minute -- and it did not make sense to send her to the air show -- so, we took her to the book festival, hoping for the best.

Why did I want to go to the book festival so bad?

I wanted to go because Matt Logelin was going to be at the book festival.  He was the keynote speaker at 4:00 p.m. and signing books at 5:00 p.m.  Matt's is a blogger.  He blogged his wife's entire pregnancy and delivery.  His, wife, Liz, died suddenly as she stood up to go to the NICU and see her baby for the very first time after her delivery.  His blog follows his struggle between his grief after Liz's death as well as his joy for his new baby -- Madeline.  I have been reading his blog since very shortly after Maddy's birth.  He recently published a book about his experience and it is a NY Times Best Seller.  I just have a soft spot in my heart for this dad. 

Moving on! 

Since I had Bri with me, I knew that I would not be able to stay for Matt's speech nor wait in the line to get a book signed.  Nonetheless, I still wanted to go and see what the book festival was all about.

Beltway traffic getting to the event was nothing less than horrendous.  And, my preteen was starting to have a meltdown and wishing she was at the Air Show instead of in the car on the way to the book fair; I remained calm and tried to crack jokes -- stopping at McDonalds helped a bit too!

As soon as we were inside the book fair things took a turn for the better.  First, we saw a famous cat. 

Then, we got some food and found some shade.

I checked the schedule and saw that Paula McClain was doing a book signing right then!  The lines to get to the authors were surprisingly empty.  I was able to enjoy a pleasant conversation with Ms. McClain and she signed a book for Ms. Beth, one of Brielle's care providers.  Ms. Beth and I talk books every time we see each other.  I am giving this to her as a belated Teacher Appreciation gift.  I am so excited!

We walked over to the Young Adult tent and found an author reading some of her book and taking questions from the audience. 



Lulu peeking over at Brielle who was less-than-excited to listen to this author.

Lulu was interested in the book.  Yippee.  She is not a lover-of-books, unlike me, so I am thrilled when she takes an interest in reading.  We learned that the author, Dominique Paul, is signing books right after her reading so we went to the sales tent to buy her book, The Possibility of Fireflies. 

What did I see when we got to the sales tent? Piles and piles of Matt Logelin's book Two Kisses for Maddy.  Sigh - it was only 1:30 p.m. and there was NO WAY my kiddos would last to see him speak at 4:00.  Sigh.

 
We bought The Possibility of Firelfies and scooted over to Dominique Paul's book signing.  While we waited behind the only other person in line, we overheard that Ms. Paul's book is soon going to be a Hollywood movie.  In fact, the author, Dominique Paul, is directing it.  Ms. Paul recently had dinner with the Travolta family and is still making cast selections for her movie; she dropped some names of some big time popular actresses!  We were star struck!

We were so star struck, in fact, that this is the only picture that I have with Lulu and the author/director.

Having experienced as much as we were going to, from the book festival, we headed out.  Along the way I spotted a booth for the Liz Logelin Foundation.  This foundation was created by Matt Logelin (ahem... keynote speaker -- a #1 NY Times best seller) and the money raised goes to help other recently-widowed parents. 

As I neared the tent, I started to sweat.  I literally gasped as I saw... Matt... standing right there!  Oh my gosh -- why is this semi-celebrity (he's been on Oprah ladies) just right here?  Where are the gobs of people?  Isn't he supposed to be tucked away in his tour bus right now (he is totally NOT a  tour bus kinda guy). 

After I stopped shaking sorta composed myself, I emptied out my wallet made a small donation to the foundation.  Matt shook my hand.  I said something totally stupid brilliant and inspiring.  He asked if I wanted to enter the raffle to win a book signed by him and Maddy.  I declined -- I don't know why.  And, then I took a picture -- crazy groupie --  and snuck off into the sunset!

We passed by the tent a few more times.  Sometimes Matt was signing autographs and sometimes he was chatting with the one or two people at the tent.

I wish I had said hello to the lady standing next to him.  I am sure it is his girlfriend Brooke.  On his blog she has stick-straight brown hair.  Today, she has wavy blonde hair.  I didn't recognize her -- or maybe it isn't her at all.

Had I read Matt's blog before I left the house I would have known that his daughter, Maddy, was at the festival too.  Alas, a missed opportunity to see the sweetie I have been following in pics for so long!

Anyway, I do not mean to stalk the poor guy.  I was just shocked to see him.  He presented himself in the cool, calm, and collected manner that he always does on his blog -- no surprises there.  Maddy is very blessed to have such a great dad! 

What to expect at the Gaithersburg Book Fair:  This book fair is full of lots of things for kids and adults to experience.  It is not super crowded.  You will get the opportunity to meet and share the work of loads of local authors (some more famous than others).  Next year, I will probably be selfish and leave the kids behind.  I will research which authors will be speaking at what times and then spend all day going from tent to tent and experiencing the love of reading from those who bring it to life -- the authors themselves!

Have you ever been to a book festival? 

Add it to your bucket list.

Let's Dish: My Review

Oh gee, I have a crazy winter work schedule... it is grueling, in fact.  Some time in the early winter I saw this Groupon advertisement for $79 for $136 worth of do-it-yourself meals at Let's Dish.

There are several companies similar to this.  The premise is that Let's Dish offers all of the ingredients for lots of meals (roughly 12 different meals to choose from -- the menu changes monthly).  I go in and put together all of my meals and walk away with ready-to-eat meals for my family and I didn't have to go to the grocery store or mess up my kitchen to prepare them. 

I bought the Groupon. My plan was to make the meals and use them during my hectic work schedule to fill in when we we stressed for meals. Alas, I never got the time to go to Let's Dish until this week.

The cost for the meals (per meal) is definitely a little bit more than I would spend in the grocery store, but often the Let's Dish recipes use ingredients that I wouldn't use because it isn't cost effective for me to use them. For example, one of the recipes I chose called for 1/4 cup Hoison Sauce. Um... I can tell you that I will probably never use Hoison Suace again... and if it were in my kitchen, the rest of the jar would go bad. However, this was an opportunity to prepare tasty meals that we don't usually try, without commiting to all of the seasonings and sauces.

Can I tell you -- I had such a great time at Let's Dish!  Yes, I had to prepare my own meals, but everything was already set out for me:  directions. ingredients, supplies... and more!  This could not have been easier!

I went with a friend.  We chatted the whole time we were there.

They have a snack and coffee bar. You can stop, chat, grab a bite (then wash your hands again) and get back to prepping some meals. 

Lulu went with me.  I thought it would be fun if she helped me.  She did her homework chilled out and ate all of the snacks instead. 

The staff was so friendly.  You felt like they were your girlfriends... seriously.  I felt so... at ease!

In the end I went home with four main courses for a family of six (we are only a family of five).  Also, i got three side dishes, four family-size servings of scones, and one family-size dessert... all for $79!  I had so much fun, this was so easy, the meals are so new... it was worth it for full price... in my opinion!

Lat night I made two of the six mini-Hot Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes and they were a hit.  I threw the Luau Pork in the crockpot last night (now it's in the fridge) and we will eat it for dinner tonight, along with the coconut rice.  We already sampled it this morning and it gets rave reviews -- Yum!  I am eager to cut and bake the scones for the family for a breakfast treat!  I think we are making the Raspberry Mango chicken this weekend. 

I could make this a monthly event.  I want Let's Dish gift certificates for Christmas. 

Have you been to one of these ready-to-go meal places? 

What did you think?



Newseum: A review

What a wonderful time in history to visit a museum about news.

Yes, I was a chaperone for Lulu's middle-school field trip to the Newseum in Washington, DC.

Overall, the Newseum is a museum about the history of news and the evolution of news as well current events in the news.

Typically, the top level of the museum contains rows and rows of the current front pages of newspapers throught the world.  Their website boasts newspaper covers from over 800 newspapers across the globe.

On this particular day, however, their front page covers were replaced with the covers from the day following the death of Osama Bin Laden.

The Newseum has a September 11 exhibit.  It includes a piece of the antennae from one of the New York Twin Towers.  September 11 news is featured from floor to ceiling on the wall to the left of the antennae (not pictured).  Today, clips of recent news headlines were also projected on the wall behind the antennae.  It was a very poignant image.

 

The September 11 exhibit also highlighted even more of the recent news.

There was lots to see at the museum.  The 4D movie was one of the coolest parts of the museum.  This movie pulls you back in time as you follow three reporters who risk their lives to tell the world exactly what is going on behind the scenes or on the battle front.  

I also liked the replica of Tim Russert's office.

Other items of interest included, OJ Simpons's suit, the Unabomber's cabin (replica), and the reproduction of the DC sniper's car that was used by the FBI during court room demonstrations.

For those of you who didn't live in the DC area during the time of the DC sniper crimes, the snipers hid in the trunk of this car and aimed thir guns out of a hole in the license plate area.  They killed unknowing people as they left department stores and as they stood still while pumping gas (easy target). 

During this time, I (like others) did not have my kids in the car when I went to get gas and I zig-zagged as I left department stores and headed for my car.  Many elementary schools and daycares stopped letting the kids play outside.  Some local communities cancelled youth sporting events.  It was a very scary time to live in the DC-metro area.

To this day, I sway back-and-forth when I get gas, making myself a less-easy target if someone has a gun pointed my way.  Is this silly of me?  Perhaps.

A trip to the Newseum is an amazing experience that anyone from about 7th grade on up will enjoy.  Stop by if you can; you won't be disappointed.

Please stand for the playing of the National Anthem

Wow!  Get thyself to the Newseum.

I was a chaperone for Lulu's middle-school field trip to the new Newseum in Washington, DC and I had a blast!

First, the chaperones met in the school cafeteria for a briefing on our day. I have to admit that I got goosebumps when we were all asked to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and the playing of the National Anthem.  It was a very patriotic moment, especially given the recent death of Osama bin Laden.  I don't get very many opportunities to stand for the playing of the National Anthem.  Participating in this tradition was probably the highlight of my whole day!

Admittedly, whenever I struggle though something I always as myself, "Was the juice worth the squeeze?"  That is, was it worth it to go through everything I went through to get to the final result?  Most of the time, the answer is yes. 

So, everyone is so happy that Osama bin Laden was killed.  I tend to think, "okay, so we finally killed him... but was the juice worth the squeeze?"  The answer varies for different people.  From what I am reading, most people think that the war and death of tons of soldiers, and so on,... was worth it for the death of Osama Bin Laden.  Really?  For me, I'm not so sure.  I feel like this is more of "cutting off your nose to spite your face."  Okay - I get it - he's dead - but, from what I have read he was fairly unwealthy and not running the war on terror anymore anyway.  I also believe that there is an Osama Bin Laden-like-person out there now still... ready to get us.  So, what did we really accomplish?   

Nonetheless, I am glad he is dead.  What is going through the mind of the man who shot him... knowing that he is the man who killed the most hated person in the world???  What a feeling!

When we stood for the playing of the National Anthem yesterday... in the cafeteria of a local public school... I got goosebumps.  IT was cool... and it was even cooler because of recent headlines.I am so proud to be an American and proud of our military. 

When is the last time you stood for

the playing of the National Anthem?

More about the Newseum is coming soon!