02-20-08

Planning for Summer
By Nancy Carpenter

We all adore spending lots of quality time with our children in the summer, but somehow they seem to need more. Though summer seems far away, the time to plan for the best camps and interesting activities is here now! Fortunately, we have an abundance of options:

The National Zoo has lots to offer kids who are passionate about animals and their habitat…education classes, summer camps and teen travel. It’s all here! http://nationalzoo.si.edu/

Discovery Creek Children’s Museum of Washington is a traditional summer camp for kids who enjoy exploring nature. Located in Glen Echo Park, the setting is phenomenal with a scenic stream running through the forest. http://www.discoverycreek.org/

Washington International School is the local expert in foreign language instruction. Their popular summer camp program is a great way to support your child’s foreign language acquisition! They offer a wide variety of specialty camps as well. www.wis.edu

National Smithsonian - Summer Camp – Smithsonian Resident Associates sponsors full and half-day summer camp programs for DC’s Smithsonian museums, the National Mall, and other regional sites. Now that’s something that looks impressive on any child’s resume! http://residentassociates.org/camp/SummerCamp07.pdf

Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Maryland is a children’s theater company offering year-round productions of modern and classic plays. Classes in drama, acting, dance, musical theatre, and filmmaking are offered to children of all ages. Summer theatre camps give campers the opportunity to take part in a full production of a musical or play! http://www.imaginationstage.org/

DAR Colonial Adventure – The Daughters of the American Revolution have a Colonial Adventure program that will transport your kids back in time as they dress up in colonial style cloths, play games from the past, have a tea party, and more. What a meaningful way to learn about history! www.dar.org

Tiny Chefs – A talented teacher/chef comes to your home to create fun, educational and hands-on culinary classes for children ages 3 to 14 years old. Share the joys of cooking with children and one day they may actually fill the role of Sous Chef. We recently had a Tiny Chef class to spice up our play date schedule and it was a huge hit with the kids! A mom is always looking for interesting activities in between camps that can be scheduled on the spur of the moment. Search no more! tinychefs.com

02-06-08

Feed Them Art
By Nancy Carpenter

One way to brighten the gray skies of February is to take advantage of the arts available to us in DC. And one way to satisfy a child’s hunger for creativity and color during these short days is to feed them art. Here are some of the most popular places where you can find it:

The Smithsonian’s Discovery Theater – This is a wonderful live theater geared towards children. Classic stories and folktales are told through puppet shows, storytellers, dancers, actors, musicians, and mimes. www.discoverytheater.org

Philips Collection – Located in the Dupont Circle area, this amazing museum has an impressive and courageous collection that began in 1921. The Young Artists Exhibition Program displays children’s art resulting from the museum’s educational initiatives. You have to love that! www.phillipscollection.org

Corcoran Gallery of Art/College of Art & Design – The 19th century American art in the gallery unfolds like a beautiful history lesson. Parents have driven many miles from outside the city for their children to attend the prestigious art classes offered by the Corcoran. www.corcoran.org

American Ballet Theater – Children are simply wide-eyed when they first witness the wonder and beauty of dance. ABT Kids is a one hour narrated performance designed for kids age 4-12. www.abt.org

Strathmore – To find out more about the wide range of artistic options for the family, simply attend the lively and diverse “Discover Strathmore” free festival in Bethesda on Feb. 17th. www.strathmore.org

Glen Echo Park – Both the Adventure Theater Workshop and the Puppet Company Playhouse are located at Glen Echo Park and provide young children with possibly their first opportunity to be a member of an audience during a show. (This is one way to begin the journey to eventually attend the National Opera.) www.glenechopark.org

When I reviewed my recommended art venues for families with my six-year-old son, he recommended that I add Six Flags to the list. Perception is reality I suppose.

Living in Washington DC as a mom is quite an experience. One must have a sense of humor in order to survive. We view the world from a fresh perspective with many child-centered priorities. We want to know which local parks the kids prefer and why. And, what are their favorite cafes? More importantly, how do we get them into these exclusive private preschools?

We often see the local businesses as a way to escape the daily routines of a homemaker. Which spa is most likely to have an opening for a spur-of-the-moment mid-afternoon massage? We know. Where are some of the best spots to enjoy a cup of coffee while reading or people watching? Oh, and who can turn our laundry around in 24 hours if necessary? These are important issues.

We are seen pushing strollers around town and taking in the warm sun on the bench at the park. We are a growing population and we need a voice. Three cheers for free speech! We are MOMS in the CITY!

In pure “capital of the country” form, let’s establish ourselves properly:

We, the mothers, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Mom Blog for effective communication in the community.

Why invent new words when we can borrow perfectly good ones from our forefathers?

Not to brag, but mothers are powerful people as you know. We make many decisions for ourselves and our families that impact the global economy, the success or failure of a political candidate, the crime rate and world peace, just to name a few.

The purpose of this website will be to inform, humor, discuss, communicate, share, recommend, advise, support, plan, vent, complain, bitch, gossip, and slander….no wait, we’ll save those last three items for our underground newspaper.

01-23-08

Creating a Capitalist
By Nancy Carpenter

When you ask a child a simple question, you can never really predict the answer. For example:

“Ian, I’m going to the store. Do you need anything?” I ask.

“Well, can I have the change when you get back?” he replied.

My six-year-old is trying to save money for his latest passion; LEGOS. Although they are simply colorful little pieces of plastic that fasten together to make toys with various themes, it is a brilliant idea. Ian loves to follow the directions using both pictures and words and these construction sets have been proven to help fine motor development. However, LEGOS can become a relatively expensive hobby for such a young man with no income. The set he wants next costs $59.99!

To help give our son an appreciation for the value of a dollar, my husband and I decided Ian could do little chores to earn money for his new LEGO interest. Since he can’t really work the washer/dryer and he’s too short to put dishes away, we found that folding laundry is a feasible chore. Now, every morning Ian wants to know if I’m going to be doing laundry. Since I have no intention of doing laundry every day, I’m considering other chores for him. We refuse to pay him to do his homework, although he presented that idea to us right away.

While I search for more space in the house to display the latest LEGO creation, my husband convinces Ian that we will eventually have to take some of them apart and put them in bags or containers to build again in the future. Our son’s initial reaction to this concept was shock and dismay. The idea of living in a sort of LEGO land appeals to him. He studies the LEGO catalog daily and surfs the LEGO website. After he convinces his dad to order a new set on line, he hopes that every knock on the door is a UPS delivery. He’s constantly offering to do chores and he seems to enjoy counting his money. He has yet to visit the LEGO store at Tyson’s Corner. Oh, what a glorious day that will be!

01-09-08

Resolutions 2008
By Nancy Carpenter

This year, I was much more realistic when setting new goals and listing my New Year’s Resolutions for 2008. I resolve...

...to eat more fruits and veggies. (Hey, many desserts are made with fruit and a veggie is a veggie even if it’s mixed with cheese and fried.)

...to find more healthy and convenient ways to provide dinner for my family without having to actually cook. (This seems to get easier each year.)

...to use the plethora of potions and lotions I have accumulated in 2007 before I begin trying new products in 2008. (Or, at least before the product expiration date.)

...to accept my flaws (as well as the flaws of other people in the family, the community, the government, etc.) It’s time to give up perfectionism!

...to become a calmer and more patient traveler (to the point where I wish I had inner peace and harmony with my fellow travelers instead of a Xanax.)

...to find more time to become one with nature. (This does not include having a near-death experience while sledding on ice-crusted snow past large trees at approximately 35mph.)

...to become a better consumer and stop shopping to seek external rewards. (The last time I tried this, I went from being a shopaholic to a spa junkie.)

...to help deter crime in Georgetown. (Tip: if you are being mugged, just yell, “Hey stop it! I know your mother and she would be ashamed of you!”)

...to look back and measure the success or failure of each and every goal and resolution made for the year. (Then again, maybe not.)

Happy New Year!