Reston Interfaith, Inc.
11150 Sunset Hills Rd. Suite 210
Reston, VA 20190 (map it)
(571) 323‑9555

 

I don’t have much experience with this group, but I am on their mailing list and know they do good work so thought I’d put them out there for folks who are looking for a place to donate or volunteer.

Small Change
1629 Washington Plaza
Lake Anne Village Center
Reston, VA 20190 (map it)
(703) 437‑7730

Hours: Tuesday — Saturday, 10 — 5

There’s nothing like a used children’s shop right next to a used book store to draw folks like us! I love visiting Lake Anne and recently shopped at Small Change. I walked in and found exactly what I needed with help from the staff. While there I noticed that they carry a lot of name brand toddler shoes in great shape, but as with any consignment store, it’s best to walk in without an agenda and let serendipity take over.

Please note: Small Change is currently closed and will re-open this July 15.

A local mom shared a site with me that could prove useful given all the upcoming summer movie screenings. kids-in-mind.com reviews movies and rates their appropriateness for children. I have looked over the reviews of a few movies we have seen recently and they seem to be accurate and thorough.

Summer Family Movie Screenings:

Regal (throughout the US including Ashburn, Alexandria, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Sterling and many other VA locations) See free movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10am. Show up early to get a seat! Click here for Maryland locations, including Frederick.

Tally Ho (Leesburg, VA) $1 Family Classics on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11am

Please drop us a line if you are aware of other theaters that have similar programs.

ETA: You can also check your local library for summer movie showings. I know LCPL has some scheduled. 

227 Maple Avenue
Vienna, VA 22180 (map it)
(703) 255‑1566

Now that I have been to three of the weekday morning Tot Rock shows that Jammin’ Java offers, I feel somewhat qualified to talk this venue up. I get the sense that Jammin’ Java would be a great place for a night out sans kids, but I haven’t gotten there in that capacity yet! Maybe the grown up venue is part of what I like about taking the kids there. Despite my uncool clothes and my permanent post-partum tummy, I feel hipper the moment I walk in the door. We have seen Rocknoceros, The Banjo Man, and Mr. Knick Knack. All are totally different types of shows, and either have been or will be reviewed individually on our blog.

The more kids you bring, the steeper the $5 per kid entry fee feels, but in my opinion it is a great morning out so is totally worth it. If you need a place for a picnic afterwards, check out Glyndon Park. It’s been a few years since my kids and I have been there, but we remember it fondly.

Speaking of eating, Jammin’ Java sells snacks geared towards kids and asks you not to bring your own food and drink, but no one is checking your sippy cups at the door. As with many cafes that offer more than just food and drink, the coffee service is slow, but that’s OK by me.

Bonus tidbit: Since they offer beer, wine, and liquor during their evening shows, Jammin’ Java also falls into my new unofficial category of bars with changing tables. I wonder if there’s a demand for a nationwide listing of these? www.barswithchangingtables.com might be a profitable endeavor.…

11950 Grand Commons Ave
Fairfax, VA 22030 (map it)
(571) 522‑6568

Watch your kids Climb the Pinnacle at the REI Fairfax! We went this weekend and it was fun to see how differently my two kids approached the wall. Both pretty much tackled it in character

You can find details on hours (Wed 4–8, Sat 12–6, Sun 12–5) and cost (free for REI members and $5/ non-members) online, but ages are not mentioned. The belay staff on duty today suggested that the cutoff was about 30 pounds and/or ability to fit into one of their harnesses safely, but that little folks are not allowed to climb higher than the staff can reach. This rule was not an issue for either of my inexperienced preschool-aged climbers who were done with the wall before they reached that point, but proud that they tried.

You only get one climb, and there may be a wait so this is just a short outing. There’s lots of fun stuff to buy at REI though.…

(If you have any reservations about shared smelly climbing shoes you should bring socks. I think the smallest size they carry is 11.)

Dani’s Duds was the first consignment sale I ever sold at and the second I ever attended. I love hand-me-downs and used items, but had previously written off consignment sales as too much work and too pricey. So this year I sold at Dani’s Duds as much for the experience of selling via consignment as for the money — another momentous mommy experience to add to the memoirs I may never have time to write.

As a seller… Consigning is a lot of work, but if you figure out an efficient system and have the space to save your baby and kid clothes, toys and accessories you can recoup some of your money via consignment sales. There are very specific prep instructions, and it took me a good deal of time to tag all my goods. I felt like a consignment sale addict holed up in my office after the kids went to bed every night the week of the sale. I felt like super mom as I sailed around the Dulles Expo with two kids in tow, a huge wheeled duffel and my sit and stand stroller loaded down with four years of clothes and books putting all my properly tagged items in their places. Then there was a moment when I went back to collect my unsold goods (non of which sold at our garage sale the following week!) while I stepped back and looked at all the parents scurrying around thought “we must all be mad!”

As a buyer… I was blown away by the quantity of items for sale. Things are pretty picked over by the last 2 hours of the sale, but there are still plenty of deals to be had. This is definitely someplace I would shop again.

Tips for success:

• Games are great sellers.
• Smart sellers either decorate their hangers so their unsold goods will be easy to collect or leave their leftovers to be donated to charity.
• Smart buyers sign up for a volunteer shift so they can shop before everyone else.

Overall I am glad I tried the consignment sale thing, and if I forget how much work it was I will definitely try again in the future. Their next sale is scheduled for 5/1–4/2008.

Burger King
4406 Chantilly Shopping Ctr
Chantilly, VA
(703) 378‑1653

We rarely enter a fast food restaurant for the food alone. The draw is usually the clean restroom, quick drive thru or the play area. The food is just our ticket in.

In this case the draw was the play area. For my TV starved kids it was the TV in the play area. They got their TV fix, and eventually peeled themselves away long enough to play for a little while. The other notable difference between this and the other fast food play areas we have come across was that there are booths inside the playroom, so it was easy to eat and play in the same space.

If you are looking for cheap indoor play space in Chantilly or near the Dulles airport it is worth keeping on your radar.

River Bend Park
8700 Potomac Hills Street
Great Falls, VA (map it)
(703) 759‑9018

River Bend Park has our stamp of approval. We caught minnows in our nets from the shore, and let them tickle our finger and toes. The minnows were so curious (brave? dumb? plentiful?) that even the 23 month old was able to catch them.

I’ve spent time on and along the Potomac from Harper’s Ferry to Great Falls and I agree that this part of the river is as scenic as the website claims, and as a bonus the water is clear and you can really see the little fish swim through the plants from shore. I imagine the park is even better seen from a boat, so plan to take ours next time we visit and suggest any paddlers out there do the same. (They do rent boats, but not to folks with passengers under 50 pounds.) One of my favorite parts was how clean the waters edge was. There was still some litter waiting to be picked up, but we didn’t notice any broken glass and the amount of litter and recycling was significantly less than what we usually see upriver at Algonkian Park in Sterling. (For the record there was a major waterways clean up not long ago on 9/15, so maybe it is an issue of timing!)

When it was time to get out of the sun we had fun looking at the snakes and turtle in the visitor center, and eating ice cream in the shade. The deck outside the visitor center has great wooden chairs (handmade?) that are pretty a-typical of a regional park. They set it apart and give the place a special feel.