Grow Potatoes in Your Backyard
Published by Sara on Tagged UncategorizedThis year, we will be taking our real first stab at having a home vegetable garden. The reason I say “real” is we have thrown down seeds before or grown some herbs successfully, but it was never a truly, well thought-out attempt at growing veggies.
Last year I read a few interesting articles/blog posts about growing potatoes in a trash can. This is a really great activity for the family and is super easy. Merrifield Garden Centers is currently carrying seed potatoes. The reason you want seed potatoes is because most potatoes at a grocery store are treated so the eyes won’t sprout.
The process is very easy:
- Drill holes in the bottom of a large trash can.
- Add rock to the bottom of the can to allow for drainage.
- Add several inches of soil over the rock.
- Add your cut up seed potatoes to the soil (cut-size down).
- Throw soil on top of the seeds!
A more thorough description can be found at Backyard Gardening with nice pictures! We set ours up today and are anxious to see the results!
Parent’s Night Out
Published by Sara on Tagged UncategorizedWe try to get out without the kids at least once a month, if not more. It’s definitely important for us as a couple and as friends to be able to spend time alone and as grown ups rather than as parents.
I will periodically post ideas for places to go in northern Virginia (and surrounding areas) WITHOUT the kids. These posts will be tagged Parent’s Night Out so they are easy to find. My first post in the series was Ray’s the Steaks.
I can’t promise a definitive schedule these posts but I will do them as often as I can. If you have any requests for things you want to see or have any recommendations of things for us to try, let us know!
Ray’s the Steaks
Published by Sara on Tagged UncategorizedAbout a week ago, my husband and I got away from the kids and wanted to try a new (to us) restaurant. Several friends recommended Ray’s the Steaks in Arlington for good steak. Both of us are steak and potato people so this was right up our alley.
We went to the new location on Wilson (opened the first week in February). I ordered the Petite Filet and my husband ordered some other steak (sorry I forgot the name). His steak wasn’t very tender but it was extremely flavorful. It reminded me of some of the steak we used to eat in Belgium. To be fair, the menu warned it was a tougher cut of meat. He loved it though. My filet was awesome. It really melted in my mouth. I’m usually not a huge meat eater which is why I got the 6 oz portion, but by the time I was halfway done, I wished I had gotten the larger portion for just $5 more. The steaks come with their trademark mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, served in little cast iron skillets. The food was great.
While the restaurant was kid-friendly, I wouldn’t take my kids there (ages 7 and 4) until they are a little older. The tables at the restaurant were all very close together which was fine for just the two of us. From what I heard, at the old restaurant they did not take reservations, but they do at the new location. We called at 2:30 the same day and made a reservation for 5:30. By the time we left an hour later, all of the tables were completely full and the lobby was packed. I definitely recommend making reservations.
Overall, we had a great meal and a great experience at Ray’s the Steaks. We would definitely go back.
Medieval Times - Buy One Get One Free
Published by Sara on Tagged UncategorizedAs a kid, I visited the Medieval Times castle in Florida and LOVED it. 25 years later, I have decided to take my kids to th Baltimore castle next weekend!
What is it you ask? From the website:
Welcome to the 11th century! Just beyond the great doors of our Hall of Arms waits the celebration arena, the heart of each of Medieval Times’ nine castles. From high above King Philippe and his daughter-in-law, Princess Leonore, preside over a four-course feast. Below, privileged royal guests are transported to faraway lands including a romantic snowy rendezvous in the woods and an authentic medieval tournament — with the help of Hollywood-caliber special effects, of course
Basically you get to visit a castle and everyone there is dressed in period pieces. While you dine, you get to watch jousting shows, etc. I remember loving it.
I knew there was a castle in Maryland, but with the steep price tag, I was hesitant to go…until I got a Buy one get one free coupon in the mail!
For the most basic ticket (no frills), it is $53/adult and $40/kid. Using the coupon: AKFEB109, you can get tickets for a family of four for about $100 (including taxes). You have to act fast because it expires this Saturday, Feb 28th.
Recycle Your Christmas Tree!
Published by Sara on Tagged UncategorizedSince this is my first Christmas here in Northern Virginia, I wondered what I needed to do with my tree. If you have county collection, set your tree out on trash day for the first two weeks in January, and the county will pick it up.
Both AAA and American Disposal will also pick up your tree during the first two weeks in January on the days your yard waste is picked up.
Make sure your tree is free from lights, ornaments and tinsel or it won’t get picked up.
If you use another service, please let us know their schedule and we will update our post!
Snow Tubing from Northern Virginia
Published by Sara on Tagged UncategorizedThe holidays have come and gone and I’ve got my eyes out for a good place to go snow tubing that is relatively close by. I’ll post my research in hopes that it will benefit others. I have not tried out ANY of these places yet so cannot recommend them based on experience. If you’ve been to any, please let me know!
| Name | Location | Distance from Springfield | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wintergreen Resort |
Route 664, Wintergreen, VA 22958 | 140 miles (3 Hours) | Has adult and child trails. $15 weekday and $25 weekend. The site says they offer a 20% military discount but not sure if this applies to tubing. 800 foot sliding area. |
| Bryce Mountain Resort |
1982 Fairway Drive Basye, VA 22810 |
100 miles (2 Hours) | $18 weekday and $22 weekend. 800 foot sliding area. |
| Massanutten Resort | 1822 Resort Drive McGaheysville, VA 22840 |
111 miles (2.5 Hours) | $18 weekday and $22 weekend. 900 foot sliding area. |
| Whitetail Resort | 13805 Blairs Valley Road - Mercersburg PA 17236 | 96 miles (1 Hour 45 minutes) | $17 weekday and $22 weekend. Also offers hourly rates and kiddie rates. |
| Wisp Resort | 296 Marsh Hill Road McHenry, MD 21541 | 182 miles (3 hours) | $15 weekday and $22 weekend. 750 foot sliding area. |
Fall Family Fun - Cox Farms
Published by Sara on Tagged UncategorizedThere is SO much to do for families in fall here in the area; we can’t keep up with everything! We have really tried to get into the autumn spirit and take advantage of as much as we can while the weather is mild. Watch this space to get some ideas to keep you busy for the next couple of weekends.
Cox Farms
We went on a Saturday when it was supposed to rain so it wasn’t really crowded at all. The price was kind of high at $15/person for anyone over the age of two (that is 4 of us), but if you can leave early one day in the week and get there by 3:30, you can spend a solid 2.5 hours there for only $9/person.
The farm has a TON of things to do and the whole family can actually enjoy it. There are at least a dozen slides of varying lengths that are fun for everyone. They have a troll bridge stocked with plenty of goats for the kids to feed. The hayride was a highlight of the trip (15 minutes) through the farm, forest, and haunted barn. I highly recommend making the trip to Centreville. Check out the website for more info: Cox Farms. Below are some pictures from our trip.
Corn Mazes Galore
Published by Sara on Tagged UncategorizedAutumn is coming and we are very fortunate to live in an area that is surrounded by farmland. Sure we live in a busy metropolitan, but there are countless farms within Northern Virginia within an hours drive or less!
A great Saturday can be spent visiting one of these farms and navigating your way through a corn maze. Below you can find a list of area corn mazes:
| Farm Name | Location | Distance from Springfield | Other Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cox farms | 15621 Braddock Road Centreville, VA 20120 |
17 miles (33 Minutes) | Open Daily 10am-6pm (closes 5pm Nov 3-4) |
| The Corm Maze in the Plains | The Plains, VA | 40 miles (50 Minutes) | Open Sept. 20-Nov. 2, 2008 Saturday and Sunday (Fridays in Oct.) open Columbus Day Monday (Oct. 13) Hours: 10am-6 pm |
| The MAiZE | 15789 Temple Hall Lane Leesburg, VA 20176 |
43 miles (1 Hour) | Friday, September 26, 2008 - Sunday, November 02, 2008 (10:00 AM-10:00 PM) |
| Cows-n-Corn | 5191 Germantown Rd Midland, VA 22728 |
35 miles (1 Hour) | Friday 3pm -9pm Saturday 10am -9pm Sunday Noon -7pm |
| Maize Quest | 4032 Mechanicsville Turnpike Mechanicsville, VA 23111 |
105 Miles (1 Hour and 50 min.) | Season: 8/30/2008 - 11/1/2008 Hours: SEPT. Sat 10am-Dusk, Sun 1pm-Dusk; OCT Fri 2pm-10pm, Sat 10am-10pm, Sun 1pm-Dusk |
Dining out in Burke…Loudly!
Published by Sara on Tagged Uncategorized
Are you afraid to take your kids out to eat because they make a lot of noise? Well, I have the solution for you! Glory Days Grill is a sports bar/family-friendly restaurant with plenty of TVs lining the walls (approximately 40) and tasty food. Each table has a speaker that allows you to tune it to one of the tvs in your area. They even make sure to have a couple of cartoons on in addition to the sports to keep the kids happy.
The grill has a wide range of food for various tastes. They are most famous for their wings (to include the boneless kind) and sandwiches. The food isn’t anything spectacular but it is good and we would go back again.
There are several locations throughout Virginia and Maryland.
Perils of the Lost Jungle
Published by Sara on Tagged UncategorizedA couple of weeks ago, we wanted to go play mini-golf but hadn’t seen any courses, so of course we did a little research. Apparently there are numerous mini-golf courses in the northern Virginia area and one stood out from them all being called one of the “top 5″ in Virginia.
Perils of the Lost Jungle is part of Woody’s Golf located in Herndon, VA, close to the Dulles Town Center. From the outside looking in, it doesn’t look all that impressive but once we saw the first hole, we knew we were in for a good time.
This mini-golf course has a jungle theme with plenty of animated bugs, spiders, and snakes to keep you on your toes. The first hole had a life-size Komodo Dragon that my 7 and 4-year old were scared to death to walk by! The second hole had a Tomb straight out of Indiana Jones. You needed to putt your ball through the tomb which would only open once you put your hand into a secret spot. The rest of the course was equally as enjoyable.
The course is a full 18 holes and we didn’t spend much time taking score because the kids were just taking their balls and putting them in the holes so they could see what was around the next corner. We went in the evening which provided for a different atmosphere than it would during the daytime. If you go with children younger then 4 or who fright easily, I would recommend going in the day!