Ashburn, VA

JumpingJackSports.com
44710 Cape Court Suite #128
Ashburn, VA 20147 (map it)

(703) 858-9901

I have not checked this place out yet but have heard good things. In the meantime, check out their site. If you’ve been there, please share your impressions by leaving a comment below.

Campaign for Loudoun’s Future recently sponsored a local foods and farms celebration. American Flatbread, a new restaurant in Ashburn which uses some local ingredients for their pizzas, helped to host the event — which made it into The Post and Leesburg Today.

The kids and I stopped by the event, but I was too wiped out by the heat to write it up when I got home that night. Kudos to the many volunteers, local farmers, and animals who spent the day in the heat to expose the rest of us to some of our local food options. I’d like to say that we learned a lot, but the reality of visiting an event like that solo with two preschoolers is that we spent most of our time at the moonbounce and in the bathroom at American Flatbread. Regardless, fun was had, sheepskins were touched, and we found a new place to eat out. American Flatbread’s service was friendly and quick. You can see the flames in the pizza oven from many of the seats. My children kind of zone out while watching fires, so it makes them more managable in restaurants.

43546 Partlow Road
Ashburn, VA (map it)

Ashburn (aka Dinosaur) Park made it onto About.com’s best playgrounds in Virginia list. Who knew we were so lucky?

This playground holds a special spot in our hearts as it is one of the first places we visited when Peter was trying to sell me on the prospect of a move here so he could take a job in Ashburn. So, yes, we were the fools who drove straight from the cross country red eye to the playground on a cold, snowy day in February and suggested to our 15 month old that it might be fun to play while we waited for the rest of Loudoun County to wake up… and yes, he did play, and the park did impress me, and we did move to Virginia. My husband is a wise, wise man who knows me well.

My only complaint about this playground is that it might be a tad too big. It’s so big that independent preschoolers can accidentally wander out of sight… This is not an issue if you are only chasing one kid or have kids who listen all the same or if you don’t plan on letting down your guard. And, perhaps more to the point, it is not something that bothers the kids. 

Its a fun, well shaded place to play year round, plus the last time I checked the porta potties were pretty well maintained.

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. 

20375 Clairborne Parkway
Ashburn (Ashburn Farm), VA (map it)

We had a great time at Trailside Park in Ashburn today! As its name suggests, there is access to the W&OD trail there, but in our half-dozen visits we have never made it past the playground. We like that it is set away from both the street and the parking lot. It is fenced, but there are gaps and the park is just big enough that it can be tricky to keep two busy preschoolers in eyesight. The only things that would improve this park would be a real bathroom with a sink and a nearby drinking fountain.

Check out this article in today’s Washington Post! After reading it you’ll probably be interested in advice regarding what to do when you encounter a bear.

I know that even the most privileged moms can feel like their hands are tied when they’re sleep deprived, drowning in diapers, and learning to live on one income or two incomes minus childcare. In my personal journey to continue helping others — even with small children — I have learned a lot of lessons and experienced many false starts:

• Showing up to fix a meal at a shelter with a baby on your back can lead to whooping cough - even if you vaccinate your kids.
• Kids are not welcome in the Red Cross mobile donation vehicles.
• Ditching your partner and kids to volunteer may not lead to domestic bliss.
• While protesting during the first trimester, there will not always be a bathroom handy when you need to pee or throw up.
• Others may not be comfortable when you show up at community meeting with a fussy baby in arms and start to breastfeed.

There’s a great new group of Ashburn and Leesburg moms out there pondering how to make a positive impact on our community by helping other moms in need. This group is convinced that we moms can find a way to help each other, especially those moms who are facing bigger challenges than most. Come join us now while we are still defining our goals and figuring out how to make an impact right here in Loudoun County.

ETA: The founder of this group has moved, and others involved have gotten wrapped up in helping moms in need through other avenues. I believe there is still a need for Moms with a Mission in Loudoun County, but am not certain if the group has the momentum to move forward right now.