DC Metro Mom

Guest Blog by Ariadne Allan Autor

Our family has been visiting Medieval Times pretty regularly since 2006 when our oldest son developed an intense interest in all-things-knights.  And for a little boy who loves all-things-knights, there is no better place than a ringside seat at a Medieval Times banquet.  But it's an experience that grown-ups will enjoy too, with plenty of action, good food, fine displays of horsemanship, pageantry, and falconry.  The new show has returned to its roots, focusing more on the horsemanship and less on Hollywood lighting and smoke.  We also found it to be even more kid-friendly than previous shows, with a lighter story line that was more about the tournament between the knights than the punishment of a dark villan.  

Sign up here for your 5 minute block of time to have your child's silhouette hand-cut by artist Marie Cheek.

My friends at Great Beginnings in Gaithersburg, MD have a Britax Child Safety Event coming up on May  26, 2012.  See all the details below.  If you are shopping for a stroller or car seat, don't miss this event! You will receive 25% off all Britax products on the day of the event.  Now that is worth the trip!!

http://www.britaxusa.com/expectgreatness/tour

Life tends to move at the speed of sound. With a 6-year-old daughter, a new baby, a busy household and a website to run, I don’t always have time for some of the fun events that I am invited to as a local blogger and webmaster. I had to throw that name in…it cracks me up every time I say or write it. I digress…

 Annmarie Gardens

Maryland Faerie Festival (May 11-13, 2012) - Darlington, MD -  Do you believe in faeries?  Come celebrate the Year of the Goblin with three full days of Faerie Festivities!  Three Stages with Story Telling, Puppet Shows, Music, Magic, Faerie Tea Parties, Crafts, Food, Fine Arts, Games and more!  Day Passes ($5 child; $15 adult), Evening Passes ($15-$25), and overnight Faerie Ring Camping Experience available ($150 child; $250 adult).

Huge news!  We have FOUR tickets to give-away for Opening Night (June 12, 2012) of Disney's smash hit Beauty and the Beast showing at the National Theatre!  Based on the Academy Award®-winning animated feature film, this beautiful stage production has won the hearts of over 35 million people worldwide.  With lavish sets and costumes, beloved characters, and an Academy Award®-winning score, this musical is sure to entrance the whole family!

30 Days of Bump and Bling (Discount Tickets)

$10.00 Off "General Admission" Ticket

30 DAYS OF BUMP AND BLING! For the next thirty days until our Spring Expo kicks-off on May 19th, we will offer discounts, special prizes from our partners, style news, mom advice and MORE.

As summer quickly approaches, you may have big travel plans on your mind… or you may be absolutely paralyzed by the idea of air travel with your little ones. If airfares and toddler tantrums mid-flight don’t seem your cup of tea this summer, don’t worry! Luckily, you live in DC, and quick and easy getaways are plentiful! Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share a few fun escapes with you… escapes that are fun even with a baby or toddler in tow!

Today, I’m talking up one such getaway: down Skyline Drive and on toward Natural Bridge, Virginia. My husband and I ventured this trip alone last week, as we were headed to a wedding, but in many ways I really wish we could have brought our son along. There is a lot to do with kids (from toddler age, on up). There is a special mix of natural wonder, quirky oddity, and small town charm to be found on this road trip.

Capital City Mamas will be out and about this weekend!

COME SEE US ON SATURDAY AT:

May 5th from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Over the weekend our family enjoyed Imago Theatre's ZooZoo, the last show of a very successful inaugural season of The Hylton Family Series.  This popular show enjoyed a sold-out crowd and provided the perfect entertainment for little ones on a rainy day, all at a cost comparable to taking the family to the movies (adults $15; children $5).  

Without using any words, the talented cast of ZooZoo depicted a series of short 5-7 minute long vignettes by morphing their flexible bodies into playful animals and objects.  Among our favorites were a pair of sleepless hippos fighting over the covers (closely resembling mom and dad), a cat trapped in an enormous paper bag, giant jumping frogs, dancing polar bears, and silly penguins playing musical chairs.  The children especially loved it when the animals climbed off the stage and into the audience's seats (and sometimes laps).  Even the gentleman in the front row whose balding-head received a giant lick by an anteater seemed to be enjoying himself!  Similar to an another show in this season, Fred Garbo's Inflatable Theater Company, the combination of dancing life-like objects, humor, and interaction with the audience provided pure entertainment and fun for kids and adults alike.  

This past week the Washington Nationals had their home opener. They’ve started their season off with a bang and have baseball commentators speculating that this year if they stay healthy, the Nats will probably be able to be the most competitive that they’ve ever been and a real contender in the playoffs. I’m a big baseball fan and love the fact that we are so close to a pro team here in Washington. But so far this year it is even more exciting that we have a team with a record of nine wins and three losses that is in first place in the NL East!

My husband and I love baseball and we’re teaching our twin boys to do the same. We headed out to the park Friday night to see the first night game. It was a perfect night for baseball—not hot and only toward the very end did it get a little chilly. One of our boys is content to just sit and take everything in—he loves all sports, but especially baseball. He’s not even three yet and he has a favorite player! The other one spent considerable time making friends while dancing in the aisles and sliding peanuts down the seats. We had awesome seats along the right field line, which is a treat for us. We usually just get cheap seats farther up, but my husband got these seats as a birthday gift for me. We were just a few rows from the field. The game was a pitching duel. Both pitchers were right on, and it went into extra innings. Our boys were well behaved and entertained, but after the 13^th inning when it was 11pm, we headed out. The Nats won in the 14^th inning and we heard it on the radio as we drove home with sleeping kids.

This week join one of the many District, Maryland, or Virginia 2012 Earth Day events to celebrate and learn ways to protect our environment.   Whether its helping to clean-up trash in the community, interacting with local wildlife, or learning about new ways to conserve energy, children will enjoy a host of fun actitivities this week that will engage them in learning more about life on Earth!

epa.gov

The 2nd Annual USA Science & Engineering Festival is a super-charged series of public events and school programs with a mission to "re-invigorate"  children's interest in science, technology, engineering and math. The Festival kicked off this week with over 150 FREE events for the public and Greater Washington, DC schools leading up to the finale Expo and Book Fair at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on April 28 & 29, 2012.