websites, products, resources, and adventures for young families in Loudoun County and beyond

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. 

We’ve seen Mr. Knick Knack play at the Cascades Library, at Jammin’ Java, and most impressively at Reston Town Center on a very, very cold Christmas shopping kind of day. (Yes, you apparently can play guitar while wearing gloves.)

On our recent visit to Mr. Knick Knack’s weekly Jammin’ Java gig, he indulged my children and won my heart by playing a few extra songs for them after the masses had left. After spending the first part of the show glued to me they slowly warmed up and started dancing. Eventually they got so comfortable that my big guy got a little sassy with the drummer who quickly forgave him and sassed right back. I think we may have been the last happy customers to leave.

Mr. Knick Knack is an engaging sentimental wordsmith who has mastered the art of playing his guitar while singing and dancing amidst a sea of toddlers without stepping on them. Don’t get me wrong, I loved his music — a few songs were so sweet they made me tear up — but the feat of not squashing anyone with his feet impressed me even more. We look forward to catching more Mr. Knick Knack shows soon and will be listing some on our community calendar.

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.

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….

Alert Loudoun is a great resource offered by the county. If you are online a lot or can get email on your cell or PDA, it is a great way to stay abreast of school cancellations, road closures, and more.

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.

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.)

The words green and posh seemed a bit contradictory to me at first, but then I thought about the city of San Francisco and a little (energy-efficient fluoresent) light went off in my head and I got it.

Green Posh Moms is a forum being developed by two sisters, one of whom lives right here in Loudoun County. The forum is a new resource and its success is dependent upon folks joining and participating in discussions and sharing ideas.

Care to be one of those folks?