Kids Day Out . . . and mommy plays hooky

As you regulars know, I often rant about the benefits of living in the DC area because we are close to EVERYTHING and I can always find something to do with the kids. Recently, the boys had a day off from school and I decided to play hooky to take them snow tubing. During their winter break from school, Drew and Davon had the opportunity to visit Wisp Mountain in Northwestern Maryland with our local community center to go snow tubing. Davon went before and this was Drew's first time since he was finally old enough. They both came back talking about how fun it was. This made me think about trying to take the whole family for a day of tubing and a day off from school was just the excuse I needed.

So I started looking into where we could go for a quick overnight trip. I checked Wisp and many of the Pennsylvania resorts to see who had a good deal and wouldn't require us to spend too much time on the road since it was going to be a quick trip. We were going late Sunday since Dylan plays league ball on Sundays and coming back on Monday since we had the day off. I ended up picking the Massanutten Resort in the Shenandoah Valley of the great Commonwealth of Virginia which was only about a 3 hour drive away. This resort is a timeshare property right outside of Harrisonburg, the home of James Madison University. They also offer hotel rooms, that look like garden style apartments and the boys really enjoyed that.

We arrived about 8pm and checked into the main building and were given keys in hotel building 5. So we headed further up the mountain to the appropriate building and put all of our stuff in the room. Then we headed out to get something to eat and ended up at the Pizza Hut for their $10 pizza special. We watched a bit of tv and eventually everyone fell asleep. The next morning, I got up and went down to the main building to see if we could extend our check out time any and then did a drive by the tubing park to see if there were tickets available. Since it was a Monday, the tubing park schedule was wide open and the near 60 degree weather didn't hurt any either.

So then I go back to the room and everybody gets ready and we packed up the car and go down to the main house to turn in the room keys. Then we went back up to the tubing park to see if the boys wanted to get some tickets. I was so hoping that Nic would meet the 36" height requirement but he was a bit too short. Drew wasn't that interested but Dylan was all for it. Davon was down for whatever. Carlos and I also did a quick drive-by by the property's go-kart track but it wasn't open yet for the day so we ended up hanging out at the waterpark on the property. I didn't realize that we needed to have our own towels so Nic and I had to do a quick trip off the mountain to the stores on route 33 and ended up picking up some at the KMart. In the meantime, Carlos and the rest of the boys began to enjoy the fun at the year round waterpark.

I got back about an hour later and was able to begin to enjoy the fun as well. This is an awesome water park with many different ways for you to enjoy yourself - from a lazy river to an enormous structure that spurts water to two hottubs (one open to everyone and one that is adult only) to water slides you use with a tube or without or ride with someone or alone to an indoor surfing experience they call the Flowrider.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in there. Nic and I went around the lazy river in the two person tube and then the rest of the family (Drew and Carlos in a tube and Davon and Dylan in a tube) decided to join us in a "race." We went around a few times which was a lot of fun. Then Dylan and I went down one of the water slides in a two man tube. We really enjoyed that and surprisingly Dylan was not afraid at all. My fat butt was struggling trying to carry that tube up all them damn steps but it was worth it since it made Dylan so happy. I dragged my fat butt up all them steps again to get Davon and Dylan to go down a slide with me and that was a lot of fun. Davon, like his father, has a little bit of a fear of roller coasters and such and he was trying to talk his way out of the ride the entire wait in line but he sucked it up and rode down with Drew and me and even though he screamed the entire time, he enjoyed it immensely.

We all enjoyed time in the hot tub which was near the Flowrider so we had a good view of Drew and Dylan trying it out. Now I was mad at this point because I forgot my camera at home so I didn't get pictures of them taking a turn on this attraction. For them doing this the first time, they did great and I couldn't believe that they weren't scared or nothing. Fortunately, one of the staffers who was working it out on the surfboard took a picture of Dylan during his second ride on the boogey board. He had people cheering for him and everything (including me) and I really wish I had my camera but I doubt I forget it without the permanent documentation.

Overall, we had a great day in the waterpark and stayed from almost opening until the place closed at 8 (cause you know we will shut a place down) and made it back home before 11. Now we were all struggling the next day but it sure was worth the ride. We definitely gonna have to take that ride again to enjoy this quick retreat away from home.

If I had been able to get video of Dylan it might have looked a little like this young fella whose video I found on youtube.

ICE, ICE BABY!!!!!!

You regulars know how I can blog on and on about the myriad offerings available in the Washington Metro area. Usually I'm all about cheap and free activities and events but every now and again I have to dig in my limited funds and pay for something. And many times, I am not hugely disappointed. I have previously blogged about the not so new National Harbor project in Oxon Hill, Maryland which is not too far from where we live in southern Prince Georges County and a short distance from the new and improved Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The anchor to this major commercial/residential development project is the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.

As a part of their Christmas on the Potomac celebration, the Gaylord welcomed ICE! to the Harbor area for the first time and, thanks to the generosity of the boys' Aunt Ellie and Aunt Dutchess (thanks y'all) with some last minute holiday funds, I was able to take the boys.

Now, what is ICE! you ask? It was a large cooled tent with amazing ice sculpture displays and the pictures don't even begin to do it justice. According to the website, they brought in ice artisans from China to sculpt these tons and tons of ice blocks into amazing works of art. What was equally amazing was not just the scope and size of these sculptures but the three variations in ice - from crystal clear that looked like glass, to white ice that reminds you of your personal snowman sculptures, to vividly colored ice that was sculpted into various shapes (my personal favorite were the blue penguins and the poinsetta). The boys' favorite was the room with the ice slides . . . even at 9˚ (despite them being decked out in snowsuits, snow boots and the parkas provided by the Gaylord staff) I had a really hard time getting them out of that room and moving on to the next amazing sights. And I have to admit, those ice slides were, in the words of the kid in The Incredibles movie . . . "TOTALLY WICKED!"

Now as amazing as the ICE! event was, I don't necessarily think this will be an annual event for us. I do think, however, that we will definitely check out the holiday decorations and attend the tree lighting and all of that holiday cheer that we actually missed because who knew this ICE! thing that went largely unadvertised (as far as I could tell) would have actually sold out during prime holiday season. But now that I know about it, I'll be sure to have it on my list of things to do come next holiday season. Looks like we missed some awesome sights based on the videos following my pictures from our adventures in ICE!

the poinsettia at the entrance

the "wreath" arch near the entrance

the "welcoming crew" in front of sculpted sponsor board

the lighted Christmas tree in the Victorian house scene

me and the crew dashing through the snow in a one-horse open ice sleigh

the penguins (mine and those made of ice) inside the igloo

Nic and Davon making their way down one of the four ice slides

Dylan and an elf in "Santa's Workshop"

Drew and Davon prayerfully posing near the ice angel

mommy and her little ones in front of the amazing Nativity scene

our final photo op near the exit

Video I found on youtube . . . ENJOY and meet me out there next holiday season!

I also have video from inside the Gaylord's atrium of the fountain show that I will post later. It was awesome and I wish we had seen the holiday themed version. Reminded me of the water show in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Happy Holidays and (my) family traditions

Many families have holiday traditions and me and my crew have a few of our own. One is that I am adamant about having a live tree and not anything artificial. I also have a preference for the, what I call, "fluffy" pine trees. There's something about the fresh smell of pine (that doesn't come from a bottle of pine sol or a can of air freshener) and seeing it all decorated with purchased and homemade ornaments. A few of the recent ornaments are also courtesy of a Lowe's Build and Grow Kids Workshop. And for the past few years, I have allowed Davon to be in charge of both picking out our Christmas tree and the decorating of it. He enlisted his younger brothers to help him with the decorating this year and below is the finished product with Davon doing his best Vanna White impression.

how do you like it?

Another one of our holiday traditions is leaving out cookies for Santa. This year I actually went through the extra trouble of rolling out sugar cookies and decorating them, instead of just doing the break and bake kind. Dylan was dying to help me and he and Davon decorated a batch. Carlos even wanted to get in on the action and orchestrate one of the designs.

Nic doing a cookie taste test

Another one of my holiday must-haves (or actually must-dos) is a drive through a local park for its annual Festival of Lights. I have been taking Davon through the light display for many years. I remember when the drive through the display was free; they just requested that you donate canned goods or other nonperishable items. In recent years, they've charged $5 to drive through during the festival, except on Christmas day when there is no charge. So you know how I roll with FREE and so that's the day that we try to go view the lights. Actually it's not because the $5 is such a steep price; it's more out of principle because I had been going for so many years free of charge. I just can't reconcile paying for something I used to get for free.

sign at the entrance

You also know that I am a major supporter of our local park and planning commission and its various offerings. This annual festival of lights at Watkins Park is a nice tradition that many families in our area participate in as is usually evidenced by the cars lined up to drive through the light display. Even with this year's rain, it still took a good amount of time to go through the display with the crowd. There are many still lights as well as some animated displays and many shout outs to the wonderful state of Maryland, including the MD state flag, the PG County flag, and a blue crab.

Because of the rain I didn't get a lot of good pictures because I didn't want to put the camera out of the window but I did get a few good ones. We had to wake up Dylan (as usual) to enjoy and Nic didn't seem all that interested (probably because he was sleepy too) but I still plan on keeping this trip through the park as a part of our annual holiday festivities.

colorful arches that you drive under

more of the arches

the Christmas tree near the Nature Center (another one of our "spots")

some of the animated displays near the tree

"Santa's Workshop" which usually doubles as the miniature train station

Time flies . . . and the love of a furry red monster

There are so many different cliches about the passage of time and my favorite is probably "time flies when you're having fun." And I can't believe that two whole years have passed since I gave birth to my fourth and final child, Dominic. It seems like just yesterday that I was home on maternity leave . . . but then again it doesn't as I've watched him learn to turn over, crawl, walk, talk and imitate his older brothers and develop into the toddler we now have in our home. Now it hasn't all been "fun" . . . there are some trying times involved in being a parent . . . the illnesses, the sleepless nights, the nursing, the feeling that there's always something to do. But overall, the experience of being a mommy brings out the best in me, even when I don't see it. And I can't believe that the time has elapsed so quickly. Before you know it, I'll be walking him down to the bus stop with his brothers. (heavy sigh)

As a child born about a week shy of Christmas, I know he's going to be shortchanged a lot in December because people will inevitably tell him as they give him a gift . . . "you know this is for your birthday AND Christmas." As a result, I plan to make sure we acknowledge the dates as separate celebrations. He's wonderful and all but he's no Jesus (smile). But he does warrant his own celebration.

So what did we do this year to celebrate? Carlos and I took him to see one of his favorite characters . . . Elmo . . . live at the Patriot Center on Friday. Now, unfortunately, I don't have really good pictures from inside the arena during the show because I can't find my camera (so guess what Santa will be bringing mommy?) so I had to capture the moment with my crappy cell phone camera. But he was ready with his Elmo sweatshirt and Elmo character that Dylan won for him at Six Flags this summer (one of the many we own) in tow as we enjoyed 1-2-3 Imagine! with Elmo and Friends. Based on Nic's reaction to the show I know we'll have to make it up to Langhorne, PA this summer so we, I mean he, can enjoy Sesame Place.

the view from our cheap seats

"say cheese, Nic"

Dad holding Nic with his stash . . . a cool fuzzy Elmo hat and a light up spinny thing

proof that he LOVES Elmo (and he's just as cute) . . . Nic in costume this past Halloween

I have a special affinity for Sesame Street . . . we both premiered in the same year . . . 1969. I have very vivid memories of watching as a kid and it's a wonderful thing to see my children enjoy a show I enjoyed so much as a child. In fact, Sesame Street is one of the few kids shows I can watch with no kids in the room. (The same is true for the School House Rock series that used to come on between Saturday morning cartoons . . . I was SOOOO happy when it came out on DVD . . . I actually bought it on VHS when it first became available but that's another post I could do . . . hmmmmm).

Anyway, as most of you know Elmo was not an original character but he became a fan favorite after his introduction in the mid-1980s and became a favorite of mine . . . particularly after I learned he was puppeted by (and this is your little-known black history fact) Kevin Clash, a native Marylander and one of the few black puppeteers in the nation. (for an excellent story on the homegrown star go to http://www.marylandfamilymagazine.com/2007/06/29/1287634-man-behind-elmo/).

Below are some scenes from the show that I found on youtube. I so need to get a new camera . . .

So all of this was posted to say Happy 2nd Birthday baby boy! and to quote your furry friend Elmo . . . Mommy loves you!

my newborn Nic's first picture

my toddler Nic with his ice cream beard and mustache

A Tribute to a Beautiful Sister (literally)

Last week, I received some horrible news. Davon's godparents, Regina and Petey, whom I affectionately call Mom and Dad because that's what role they've played since I became a part of their world when I was about 18 years old, lost their youngest daughter, Rita, unexpectedly. I won't go into all the details because that's not relevant to this post.

The point of this post is to express my extreme grief for both my loss and the immense loss her untimely passing must mean to two people who mean the world to me. As a mother myself, I can't even imagine what kind of pain losing a child must entail. Prayerfully, I won't have to find out first hand. It's an unnatural occurrence for a parent to have to bury their child. That being said . . . I am totally devastated and my heart bleeds for my adopted family as they deal with this huge loss.

Davon was really close to his godsister Rita and to have to deliver that news to him truly hurt my heart but I couldn't hide my pain as I arrived home that night after hearing the unthinkable. He knew something was wrong the minute I walked into the house. We embraced and cried with each other for a good while and then I allowed him to deal with his grief alone. When he made his annual trips to SC to spend time with Petey, a good chunk of his time he spent with Rita. They texted each other quite a bit while he was home too and this was the first time he has lost someone close enough to him who was young so I knew he would be affected. And I know he meant a lot to her as well. She's known him all of his life and we have spent a lot of time with them over the years so her loss is a deep wound.

As many of you know, we buried my aunt who raised me this past January but she had lived a long life (she was 89) and so her death, while still painful, was expected given her age and various health conditions.

Rita had not yet reached her 30s so she isn't supposed to be gone just yet. But God has a greater plan and my faith gives me pause to question why her life would be taken far too soon. I just pray for the healing of the hearts of her parents, her sisters LaShane and Barb, and the rest of our family and loved ones. Her loss is a void that can never be filled . . . I just hope that over time our faith and memories provide us with some sense of peace. Right now I'm still trying to wrap my head around the reality of her untimely passing and figuring out the best way to help my son deal with this devastating loss, not to mention trying to be of some use to Mom and Dad right now because I feel so totally helpless.

This experience also highlighted what we all know . . . that life is often far too short and we really need to continue to cherish those people we love and not take them for granted. We need to make an extra effort to let those we love know how much they mean to us because tomorrow is promised to no one. A sudden turn of events could have you or someone you love mourning an unexpected loss as well.

So this post is a tribute to my little sister, Rita . . . I love you more than you will ever know and though my heart is heavy now I know that you are now resting in the bosom of the Lord.

Here are a few musical tributes to my beloved baby sister Rita . . . and if you are reading this post please keep all of us lifted in prayer at this very difficult time.

Another Awesome Find

Y'all know me and free are close personal friends but I am also quite fond of CHEAP as well. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, there is a plethora of free and reasonably priced activities available in the Washington Metropolitan area and I try to take advantage of them as much as possible to keep them jokers of mine occupied.

And this past weekend, I found a cheap excursion for the boys and I to enjoy. It was the annual Dollar Days weekend at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and we made our way out there on Sunday afternoon. We haven't actually been to the aquarium in a couple of years so it was a long overdue trip but the Dollar Days weekend is actually the only time of year I can afford for all of us to go as the admission prices are a bit too steep for my large brood.

We began our trip with a visit to the Immersion Theater for a presentation of the Polar Express 4-D experience. This was a unique viewing of clips from the motion picture version of the book by Chris Van Allsburg. The film is shown in 3-D with additional "sensory affects." There were lights and vibrating seats. There were scents from the movie like hot chocolate and the scent of pine from a Christmas tree. There were puffs of air, simulated snow, bubbles and mists of water. Overall, it was a unique experience that I am glad I spent the extra money to enjoy. The boys seemed to like it too, although Nic had the kung fu grip on my arm the majority of the 20 minute run.

We then were able to do a quick run through the majority of the aquarium including the Australia and Rain Forest exhibits. We were not able to get a glimpse of the dolphins or the jelly fish exhibits because they were closed as it was later in the day. But we were able to see many different specimens and it was amazing to see Nic's reaction to many of the fish, especially because many of the exhibits were at floor level so he could really experience them.

I have misplaced my digital camera so unfortunately I don't have any pictures from our trip but I was able to take a good picture of the boys inside the jaws of a shark (I think) with Davon's cell phone and will upload it when I get a chance to download it off of his phone. Overall, it was a great way to spend an afternoon. To quote the MasterCard commercials (and my last status update on my Facebook page) . . . admission to the aquarium for me and my four boys = $20 (which included the 4-D experience) . . . cost to park in downtown Baltimore = $13 . . . look of wonder on my boys' faces (Nic especially) = PRICELESS!!!

If you're interested, the National Aquarium has other special events throughout the year that are at lower than regular admission price called the Cultural Series. According to the website:

Through March, join the Aquarium on the first Friday evening of the month for a series of events dedicated to exploring, experiencing and enjoying cultures from around the globe. These activities that are appropriate for all ages take place from 5 to 9 pm (with the last tickets sold at 8pm) and admission is $8. The upcoming events include January 1 for Asian-Pacific Heritage and February 5 for African-American Heritage.

For information about this and the National Aquarium in general, point your browser to www.aqua.org

Remembering the Reason for the Season

Any of you with children in your household know that there is a thin line between falling victim to the commercialization and consumerism that has become the "focus" of Christmas and the true reason for the season - the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As I go out and about trying to find that balance while making sure my little ones are happy come Christmas morning (and yes, I admit, I spoil them rotten), there are some observations about the holidays that I thought I'd share.

Drew and Dylan still believe in Santa Claus and that makes this a magical season all around. They've been talking for weeks about what Santa was bringing them. Dylan's been trying to be on his best behavior at school so Santa will still come. He even warns Drew that if he acts up Santa won't come. Nic has no clue about any of it but, in time, he will know the magic of Christmas too. Davon is already a jaded a teenager who knows the reality.

But the little ones have no idea that in our house Santa is a hard working mom who tries to give them the best I can. Part of this giving includes my participation in Black Friday sales. For many years I have participated in the annual shopping tradition on the day after Thanksgiving. It began several years back when I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my sisters up in Frederick, MD. Dutchess and I ventured out early and braved the crowds to monopolize on some really good deals on toys at KB Toys and Toys R Us for Davon (I don't think I had all those other jokers then). Now I continue the tradition mostly out of tradition's sake and because you can really get some great deals. WalMart is usually my location of choice and I go with a good attitude ready to laugh at people . . . which you really can do daily (see http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ if you aren't a believer).

You would be so surprised how crazy people get to spend their hard earned money (or increase their credit line) for a sale they think is only slotted for a few hours. It's amazing. Anyway, I head out with the mindset that I probably won't get what I really want so I'm not hugely disappointed if the discounted item is unavailable but it's a bonus if I can snag it. Davon benefitted with a $400 desktop computer a few years back and last year's big ticket item for him was a flat screen TV for less than $200. I can't yet reveal this year's deals because I don't want any of the snoopers in my house to get a sneak peek at their possible gifts but I did okay this year too.

I still just am amazed at the sheer ridiculousness that perfectly sane people can display during these doorbuster hours. I mean, really, what other time of the year do you see people fighting and arguing (and even dying, literally) to spend their own money? Last time I checked the WalMart was not in the business of giving away anything for FREE. But you slash the price on a flat screen TV and people lose their military minds. Which leads me back to the inspiration for this post anyway.

I think we all need to step back and reevaluate our motives during this time of year. Especially a year like this one - whether you want to admit it or not our economy has still not moved past the effects of the recent recession, many families are torn apart as a result of the now nine year WAR efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the holiday season is statistically the time of year when many people feel there is no relief from or alternative to their pain and they commit suicide.

So really, what are we focusing on? What does it all really mean? Now for me, I do focus a bit on the commercialization of the holidays because I have small children. There's nothing like the look of wonder and happiness when a child sees something under a Christmas tree for them. And as a parent, I want my kids to have wonderful memories of their childhood and how happy they were when they got that special thing they really wanted from Santa Claus. So, yeah I do go a bit overboard. And, yeah, I do need to do a better job at striking a healthy balance between that happiness and the joy of the season because of our faith in a power higher than ourselves.

I had begun a tradition of making Davon spend some of his own money each holiday on a present for a child his age who was less fortunate than he is. One year, I even made the extra effort of getting Davon and Drew to pick out a gift for a less fortunate child (Dylan was just a baby) and I found a shelter. We all visited and I was able to put a face to that dilemma. We donated our items to a mother who had three young children (as I did at the time). I got the mom a little something too. I don't know if that gesture resonated with them or not (it definitely did affect me), but I think I need to reintroduce that exercise so that they can realize how fortunate they really are because I know that fact is often totally lost on them. Looks like another trip to the store is in my future. We can always find a Toys for Tots donation location although I really do think that personal visit to a shelter can be a very humbling experience.

So I end this post with a recommitment to making sure my kids know that Christmas isn't just about getting a bunch of material things. What's really important is letting the people we love know that we love them, sharing special family traditions and being together. But it's also important to keep in mind that there are many other people who don't have as much as we've been blessed with. And we are a community and as believers in a higher power that we call Jesus we should be more sensitive to what Christmas is really all about.

The reason for the season is not about finding the best deal on a flat screen TV or the newest electronic gadget, hot toy or video game system. We should look at this time of year as a time to truly count our blessings and try to be a blessing to someone who may need a reminder of the love of the Lord. We should try to put a little more of Christ back into CHRISTMAS. We will all be in a better position if we did so.

I leave you with a few of my favorite Christmas classics to help get you in the mood for the holidays

the incomparable Donny Hathaway with This Christmas



Luther Vandross with Every Year, Every Christmas


the classic Silent Night as done by the Temptations


Whitney with I Love the Lord and Joy to the World with the Georgia Mass Choir


what might be my new favorite What Child is This with Andrea Bocelli and Mary J Blige