Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Washington, DC

Tuesday List: Easy Ways to Extend Learning into Summer

by Leticia

June 09, 2009

With many schools already out for the summer, I’ve already seen the look of dread in some parent’s eyes.  Finding things for kids to do over the summer can be tricky especially if you want them to keep up their skills learned during the school year.

Here are some easy and inexpensive ways you can extend your child’s learning into the summer:

• Schedule a library day- Go every week to select new books to keep up beginning reading skills and while you are there, ask if your library has a summer reading program to provide some incentive to keep reading.

• Go on a walk- A walk can be an easy way to practice observation skills that are used in science.  Take a bag to collect leaves, sticks, rocks, etc. and upon returning home sort them to practice classification skills and talk about their attributes to increase your child’s vocabulary while getting some gross motor time in there too.

• Write a letter- Every child likes to get mail so talk to the grandparents or even a fellow parents about being pen pals for the summer.  Write letters back and forth to keep up those writing skills and send along any pictures that your child draws and take along their address to send them postcard from any summer vacation spot.  If your child is too young to do their own writing, have them dictate the letter to you and send along a picture.  Their creation still helps them practice fine motor skills!

• Play with water- The scientific properties of water are intriguing for all children.  Splash in puddles, turn on the hose, and add some bubbles, ice cubes or some food coloring to a tub of water.  Learn about the properties of water as the ice melts and add some measuring cups to the tub to teach about capacity while keeping everyone cool.

• Start a lemonade stand- Meet your neighbors while you have your children practice their money skills.  While you are at it, bake some cookies to practice measurement while you whip up that cookie dough.  Not in the mood to bake from scratch?  A tube of the ready made stuff will do just fine.  Count the cookies once they are cool and learn about half- half to keep and half to sell!

Savvy Guest: Amy Peck Demystifies Getting Started With Organics

by Leticia

April 24, 2009

Today's Savvy Guest post comes courtesy of Being Savvy Denver and Amy Peck.  Amy is The Denver Examiner's organic gardening columnist and is here to share how to get started with organics in honor of Earth Week. 

Getting Started With Organics
by Amy Peck

Talking about organics can sometimes stir up as much controversy in a conversation as bringing up religion or politics. It's a topic with fervent followers and stoic skeptics, and after my children were born, I started leaning more toward the fervent follower side of things. Over the past few years my interest in organics has grown to the point where not only do I try to feed my family organics as much as possible, but I've started a business delivering organic fruits and vegetables to people's homes and offices, plus I write a regular organic gardening column for the Denver Examiner.

The decision of "going organic" is understandably not an easy one to make. There are so many choices about organics out there that it can seem overwhelming. And what does it mean to be organic anyway? The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

"Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards."

What Does That Mean For Us? 
Does the benefit to the animals, plants and their caretakers translate to the consumer and our children in some sort of measurable context other than making a bigger dent in our wallets? In the April 2008 issue of Organic Gardening magazine a study from the University of Newcastle on Tyne was reported to have found that, "Organic fruits and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants than non-organic produce." Project coordinator Carol Leifert told the BBC News that the ongoing study found that, "there are more of certain nutritionally desirable compounds and less of the baddies in organic foods, or improved amounts of the fatty acids you want and less of those you don't."

In the organic vs. conventional buying decision then there is always the "list" that people talk about when choosing which produce to buy. According to the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research group, the top ten foods that retain the most pesticides are strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, peaches, Mexican cantaloupe, celery, apples, apricots, and green beans. While a good starting point for sure when talking about the best organics to buy based on our own consumption, I like to think of the bigger picture. For me it's important to teach my children how buying organics is not only good for us, but for the farmers that grew our food and the environment.

Buying organic has broadened for our family. In addition to the organic certification, we consider the small farmers who practice organics but don't have the capital to get the certification necessary to label their food as such. We consider where our food is grown and like to make choices that are as local to where we live as possible. I consider this thinking "beyond organic."

Getting Started
When people ask me about organics or how to get started, I recommend starting wherever they can. In Denver, shopping for your produce at Vitamin Cottage, which carries only organic produce, is a good place to start in the winter months. Visiting farmers' markets in the spring through fall months gives you the opportunity to meet the farmers themselves. Not all farmers' markets participants are organic growers so be sure to ask if it's not clearly posted. Growing our own organic food is by far the least expensive way to bring organics into our homes, and a highly rewarding experience that the whole family can take part in. I don't think there are any hard and fast answers to this question.

The Bottom Line
As with anything that is good for us and the environment, making any organic choice, however small, will make an impact. We need look no further than our own children to know how small successes lead to big milestones. Perhaps someday, our children won't have to make this decision, because all of their options will be safe for them and the environment.

Tuesday List: Family Friendly Ways to Enjoy Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

by Leticia

April 14, 2009

Living in DC, we are exposed to plenty of history and museums so you might wonder why you would want to venture beyond the Metro Area to explore other presidential digs.  Being in close proximity to Mount Vernon and the White House creates presidential intrigue so head south on a road trip to Charlottesville to visit Monticello.

Last weekend we took our two children, ages 5 and 2 1/2 years, to visit Thomas Jefferson's estate and it proved to be a wonderful place for young children.  There are lots of things you can do before you go to give your children some background knowledge about the kinds of things they will see and do.   During your visit there are numerous ways that your children can learn about Thomas Jefferson in an age appropriate way.  

Here are some ways that you can enjoy Monticello and make the most of your time there.

Before you go:

• Download Exploring Monticello: A Guide for Young Learners and share it with your children.  This booklet is more like a picture book that designed to teach interesting facts about Thomas Jefferson, the gadgets and gizmos he invented and enjoyed using, the kinds of music and games played at Monticello, the grounds, and architecture.  The booklet makes it easy for young children to understand and early elementary age kids to read independently.  Reading it prior to your trip will allow your children to have a better understanding of what they will see when they get there.
  
• Take a virtual tour using the Monticello Explorer that allows your to walk through 3-D models of the interior of the home, read about what is inside each room, view animated features, and use an interactive map of the plantation.
• Check out the calendar for Events for Kids which list the dates of the Plantation Community Weekends where the sights and sounds of the early 19th century come to life on Mulberry Row, the plantation “street” along which Monticello slaves lived and labored. Costumed artisans interpret the trades and domestic skills practiced by Jefferson's enslaved and free workers.

• Take a Family Friendly Tour- From June to September, Monticello offers Family Friendly tours that are included in the price of admission.   These special 30 minute tours feature hands-on opportunities in each room and provide a glimpse of what live was like at Monticello for the children that lived there in the late 1700s and early 1800s.  If you happen to visit when the Family Friendly Tours aren’t being offered, our 2 ½ year old and 5 year old enjoyed the regular tour which is also 30 minutes in length.
  
• Visit the Griffin Discovery Room- This new hands on learning center is specially designed for children to interact with American history, Thomas Jefferson, those who lived and worked at Monticello, and experience life as a child during the early 1800s.  The Discovery Room features many elements that are reproduced from Jefferson’s Monticello home like the alcove bed and thee nail-making shop and a slave dwelling on the plantation.  Children can engage in numerous activities including trying on clothes, practicing weaving, rubbing a replica of Jefferson’s tombstone, relaxing with a story about Thomas Jefferson or another American president, using a cipher wheel, or cooking a meal over a pretend fire.  Some of our favorite features of the Griffin Discovery Room included the polygraph machine that allowed us to see how Jefferson was able to make a copy of everything he wrote and the collection of wooden blocks where our 5 year old practiced classical architecture.
  
• Play I Spy inside the house by searching for items of a certain theme.  Look for famous portraits hanging on Thomas Jefferson’s walls, artifacts that indicate an interest in time, or items that are from animals. 
  
• Visit the Mountaintop Hands-On Activity Center.  Open from early June to September, the Activity Center allows children to write with a quill pen, play 18th century games, and engage in other family-oriented hands-on activities which is included in the price of admission.
• Roam the gardens and look for familiar flowers and herbs by rubbing the leaves between your fingers.

For more tips on visiting Monticello, visit their page of Insiders’ Tips.

For tips on visiting Charlottesville with your family, read my Being Savvy Washington DC post called Weekend Getaway: Charlottesville, Virginia for the inside scoop on family friendly things to see and do and our favorite places to grab a bite to eat.

Savvy Guest Gina von Esmarch Explains Why Cooking At Home is the New Chic

by Leticia

April 06, 2009

Today's Savvy Guest is Gina von Esmarch.  Gina was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a fourth generation San Franciscian, whose family has successfully run one of the City’s oldest fine dining restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf -- Alioto’s #8, founded in 1925.  Gina is also a mom whose new cookbook, Taste This!, has quickly become one of my favorite go-to guides for meal planning in our home.  (Click here to read my review!) Today Gina is here to share why cooking at home is the new chic during these difficult economic times.

There is nothing like a good recession to bring out the fighting cook in the American home kitchen. This is not to imply that our economic situation (AKA recession) is by any means, ‘good’ but as Americans we are told time and time again that we L-O-V-E a big challenge, ergo – a good recession = a big recession = a big challenge.

The simple economics of it all are that people seem to be trying to find ways to cut back on their food budgets during these times. As people embrace the challenge of the recession, dining at home is once again chic. It was even rumored in a women’s magazine that the recession might help us lose weight because we would categorically spend less money on expensively packaged processed junk foods like cookies, chips and cakes. While I don’t know that I can throw my flag down and say that agree 100%, I can tell you that I agree that if people prepare more foods from home there will be a healthy upside – perhaps even stealth health benefits (def: stealth health is the term for people who want to eat healthy but don’t want to be reminded of it). I am a believer that the population that cooks more, consumes less calories, intakes less salt and may turn this prediction into reality.

So how do we get the most out of our limited available time to maximize our effort and food dollars to recover from this economic hangover? I do have a few recipes up my sleeve that may help get your fight and/or creative juices flowing in the spirit of the Credit Crunch Healthy – Economic Hangover thread.

Let’s take chicken as an example. With either home roasted or store purchased roasted (could even be boiled) chicken, you can make numerous recipes that make eating at home both fun and delicious without taking a lot of time. No one I know wants to eat the same leftovers again the next night so I would suggest that if that is your plan that you skip a night between when you eat your leftovers the first time and when you repeat them. I’ve known many self proclaimed “I don’t DO leftover types,” and well I can be honest and tell you that I have tricked many of them into eating leftovers, because like all things American, we like presentation and packaging. Here are a few recipe ideas from Taste This! that can be incorporated to make chicken dishes that don’t feel like repeats –

-       Pulled Chickey (can be turkey or chicken) Tacos

-       Greek Chicken Salad

-       Divine Chicken Curry

These are three totally different dishes, all of which could be made with shredded chicken but one dish is tacos, the next a salad and the third a casserole. With planning you could buy all of the ingredients at once and keep it on hand and depending on how much company you have over or how many people you are serving, you could make two or three of these dishes to keep on hand. If you DO like leftovers, make all three!

I like to plan my meals for the week by allowing myself a few nights to take it easy and visit with my family so I will often do a meal plan that allows me to cook two nights in a row and then take the next two nights off. Perhaps I can share that strategy with you next time. Until then, remember to keep it fresh and save those dollars for that special night out or an upcoming celebration. Stay-cations are all the rage why not coin Eat-overs (inviting guests to dinner) as the next stage of our Phrase-O-Lution.

Gina now lives North of the Golden Gate Bridge with her husband, two children and dog. To get a copy of her book, Taste This!, go to www.bowllicker.com.

Savvy Guest Tips on Healthy and Easy Snacking from Giant Food's Andrea Astrachan

by Leticia

March 30, 2009

Today’s Savvy Guest is Andrea Astrachan, Consumer Advisor for Giant Food.  Andrea is a regular on Being Savvy Washington DC because of her wonderful food advice for families.  As much as we try to provide well balanced meals throughout the day, it can be hard to have the right snacks on hand when you are constantly on the go.  Today Andrea shares ideas on ways you can provide your little ones with healthy food options that are perfect for busy parents like yourself!

It’s not always easy to provide your kids with healthy meals and snacks when you are busy and on the go.  It can also be difficult to provide nutritious, but kid-friendly snacks when your kids are at school. Nutritious snacks are especially important during school days because they improve concentration and provide energy needed for physical activity. Below, I have provided some suggestions for quick and nutritious snacks kids will love. You can throw these in a baggy for school lunches, or toss a handful of snacks into a small or large pre-used yogurt container for a quick car snack.

• Child-size fruits that are easy for small hands (clementines and grapes are great)
• Nuts, raisins and dried fruit- 100-calorie snack packs of dried fruits are a perfect size!
• String cheese
• Nonfat and low-fat yogurt and yogurt drinks
• Applesauce and fruit cups
• Whole-wheat pretzels
• Popcorn
• Baby carrots or cut veggies
• Pudding and gelatin

And great news for those of us carefully watching our budgets! Giant Food also recently introduced new products from Nature’s Promise, its line of natural and organic foods priced less than other brands. Here are some new products that make great snacks:

• Organic Cranberry Honey Snack Bars
• Organic Fat Free Yogurt
• Organic Chipotle Salsa (serve with Nature’s Promise tortilla chips)
• All natural Pita Chips (in Sea Salt, Parmesan & Herb and Cinnamon flavors)

Click here for more information on Nature’s Promise.

Definitely Taste This!

by Leticia

March 06, 2009

Simple tasty food with fresh ingredients is the mantra in our house so I’m always on the lookout for wonderful new cookbooks that will meet my criteria.  One new cookbook I adore is Taste This!  Author Gina Von Esmarch’s new book is filled with delicious easy to follow recipes whose everyday ingredients are probably pantry staples.

I love that none of the ingredient lists for Gina’s 65 recipes are long.  Being able to assemble my ingredients quickly makes it easy for the kids and me to cook up something delectable and fresh even when we are short on time. 

We love popping the Parmesan Crisps in the oven to accompany a pot of soup like the Hearty Black Bean Soup made the day before.  We keep frozen raw shrimp on hand so we can put together Gina’s Shrimp Scampi as an emergency dinner.  Next on our list to try is the Italian Picnic Chicken which comes highly recommended by Being Savvy Newark City Editor, Vanessa.  

I enjoy thumbing through Taste This!  The layout is very friendly with the recipes on the right side and a gorgeous picture of the dish on the left.  The pictures certainly are fun for my children to see and serve as great visuals for the finished product. 

Other great features of Taste This! include:

• guide to bring good flavors back to the table
• short ingredient lists using every day ingredients
• simple and easy to follow cooking techniques
• ideal for those who don’t have a lot of time to spend preparing but want to make something nice for their guests/family
• many make ahead recipes and pantry dishes
• inspiration for working individuals and parents who don’t know much about cooking but want to try to expand their cooking knowledge

So if you are looking for a wonderful cookbook full of family friendly meals that you can make quickly even with help from your little ones, I highly recommend Taste This! 

Win your own copy of Taste This!  Click on over to Jersey Bites to enter to win one of two copies being given away!

Savvy Guest Andrea Astrachan from Giant Food Provides Tips for a Stay-At-Home Valentine

by Leticia

February 12, 2009

As you know, Saturday is Valentine's Day.  Today's Being Savvy Washington DC Savvy Guest, Andrea Astrachan from Giant Food, shares some wonderful tips to ensure that you have a wonderful time celebrating as a family without breaking the bank.   

There’s no better day to show your family how much you care than on Valentine’s Day. Since this year Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday, you can have a family fun day and then have a romantic evening with your significant other – all while staying in the comfort of your home! There’s no need to pay for a babysitter while you eat at an expensive restaurant.  I have tips below to show you how.

Fun with the Kids

Of course kids love Valentine’s Day for the candy, fun cards and little gifts.  But you don’t need to shower them with sugar and stuffed toys. Instead, show them you care by spending quality time with them during the day on Saturday.

Encourage your children to invite a few friends over for a Valentine’s Day movie night sleepover.  Let them know that during the day they will help you prepare for their party by decorating, cooking and baking.  Together, you can use creativity to make the house a Valentine’s Day wonderland with pink, red, and white decorations. 

Help them with the crafts below and by decorating the house.

• Kaboose.com lists fun Valentine’s crafts such as Valentines’ Day Heart Box or a Valentine’s Day Piñata 
• SisterlySavings.com has some easy ways to decorate the house

The kids can also help make snacks to munch on during the movies.  Cereal Snack Mix is always a favorite and is easy to make with the family:

Cereal Snack Mix 

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. margarine
• 1/2 Tbsp. garlic seasoning (salt less or low-salt)
• 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup toasted oats cereal
• 1 cup small unsalted pretzels
• 1 cup of chex type cereal
• 1 cup peanuts or raisins

Add all the above ingredients 

Steps:

1. Adult: In large skillet, melt margarine and blend in seasonings.
2. Child: measure remaining ingredients and add to skillet with help of adult
3. Adult: Remove from stove and mix well.

Romantic Evening

After the kids are all settled in with their friends, movies and snacks, it’s time for you to relax with your sweetie! You can have a romantic Valentine’s Day evening cooking in the kitchen, eating together and sharing a bottle of wine and sweet dessert. Light some candles and bring out the nice linen. No need for a babysitter, the kids are safe and are entertained.

Treat your honey - or have your honey treat you - to this Honey Mustard-Glazed Steak with Grilled Onions.  And then top it off with a Cherry Heart Cheesecake.

Honey Mustard-Glazed Steak with Onions 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup coarse-grain or regular Dijon-style mustard
• 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. each cider vinegar and water
• 1/4 tsp. hot red pepper sauce
• 1/8 tsp. coarse grind black pepper
• 1 lb. boneless top sirloin steak
• 4 Vidalia onions, cut into 1/2" thick slices

Steps:

Combine glaze ingredients. Place steak and onion slices on grill (a grilling basket or tray works well for the onions) over medium coals, brush both sides liberally with glaze. Grill steaks and onions 15-20 minutes for medium rare (145° F) to medium (160° F) or to desired doneness, turning once and again brushing with glaze.

Cherry Heart Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Cheesecake:

• 1 9" prepared chocolate crumb pie shell
• 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened (reduced fat can be substituted)
• 3 heaping Tbsp. (out of 1/2 pint container) sour cream (reduced fat can be substituted)
• 2 eggs
• Dash of salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

• rest of 1/2 pint container sour cream
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Sprinkle of lemon juice

Cherry Sauce:

• 1 can 21 oz. cherry pie filing
• 3 Tbsp. cherry flavored liqueur or cream sherry
• Add all the above ingredients

Steps:

Beat all ingredients for cheesecake in large mixer bowl until smooth. Place in pie shell and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and pour over it mixed topping ingredients. Decorate the top with cherry hearts by spooning 2-3 Tbsp. of cherry sauce from pie filling into small dish, drop by teaspoonfuls in a circle on top of cheesecake. Carefully pull knife or spatula through cherry sauce forming hearts. Return to oven and bake at 425 °F for 5 minutes. Cool, Refrigerate overnight. In medium bowl, stir together remaining pie filling and liqueur. Serve over slices of cheesecake. Store refrigerated. 

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Andrea Astrachan is the Consumer Advisor for Giant Food and a busy mom who lives in the DC Metro Area.   

Tuesday List: Savvy Pre-Math Activities

by Leticia

February 10, 2009

The other day we were talking about school and the fact that Little Miss Techie will be in kindergarten this fall.  Little Miss Techie asked about the kinds of things she would do in kindergarten.  We rattled off reading, math, writing, art, music, PE, etc.  When we said math, she got a worried look on her face and said, “But I don’t know how to do that.”  Once we assured her that math masquerades as measuring during cooking, counting, or creating bead patterns when making necklaces, she felt much better and exclaimed with confidence, "I know how to do that!"

Math is all around us although it doesn't alway seem like it to your child.  If you want to incorporate some more math into your everyday activities, here are a list of fun things you can do that are a far cry from the statistics, algebra, and geometry that they will meet in their later years.  Just make sure that you mention the word math from time to time so your child isn't thrown for a loop like Little Miss Techie was!

Teaching Beginning Concepts with Jello

by Leticia

February 02, 2009

I hardly ever buy Jello but in a weak moment at the grocery store, Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer won me over. We came home with one of the red flavors and as we were making it I realized that while Jello may not have tons of nutritional properties, it was full of teachable moments. Now before you think Iâ??ve gone off the deep end, here are some things that can be learned by making  Read more...

Flour Power Desserts- Delectable treats for those with food allergies & sensitivities

by Leticia

January 22, 2009

With the plethora of food allergies and sensitivities, it can be difficult to plan food to meet each party-goers need let alone bake a delicious cake that is dairy, gluten, egg, or peanut free. New to the DC Metro baking scene is Flour Power Desserts , the brainchild of Jane Brophy. Jane is a mother of 3, the oldest who has a peanut allergy. After years of creating cakes for her son, she was  Read more...

Cooking up Inauguration Goodness at Young Chef's Academy

by Leticia

January 16, 2009

With the Inauguration less than a week away, the Nation's Capital is abuzz with happenings geared at turning DC into a city-wide welcoming committee. Unfortunately, not all of the events are family-friendly, but if you want to get your kids literally stirring about the new president, check out http://www.youngchefsacademy.com/stores/store_page.php?franchise_id=220">Young Chefs Academy's  Read more...

Book Review: Showdown at the Food Pyramid by Rex Barron

by Beth Hoffman

January 09, 2009

My preschooler isn't much of an eater, and never has been. She could live happily on pasta, crackers and grapes and has mastered a look of abject horror that she breaks out whenever someone suggests that she sample a food outside her comfort zone. In looking for ways to gently help her expand her dining repertoire, I recently picked up a copy of Showdown at the Food Pyramid by Rex Barron.  Read more...

Traditions at the Table: Holiday Cookies

by Leticia

December 24, 2008

Ah, the night before Christmas. Presents are wrapped, stockings are stuffed, and the cookies baked for Santa are waiting by the fireplace for good old St. Nick. If your cookie supply has run a little short like ours has, or if you didn�??t have time to bake, why not engage in some post-Christmas baking. Here are my favorite resources that have resuscitated my list of Christmas cookies with  Read more...

Musical Holiday Traditions

by Beth Hoffman

December 19, 2008

We are a musical family. My husband is happiest with a guitar in his hands and I tend to sing all day long without even noticing that I am doing it. The children seem to be taking after us. They both love their father's guitars and the piano, my three year old daughter sings and dances from the moment she wakes up in the morning until she falls asleep at night, and even the baby is starting  Read more...

Cooking up some holiday memories in the kitchen

by Leticia

December 12, 2008

I come from a family that loves to cook. Holidays are an especially memorable time because of the favorite dishes that I've come to associate with each occasion and Christmas is all about cookies. Each year we made many different kinds of Christmas cookies that filled the house with the warmsmell of baking. Snickerdoodles rolled in red and green sugar, white powdered Russian tea cakes, brown  Read more...

Spicing up Early Literacy

by Beth Hoffman

December 09, 2008

I don't know about you, but I have a heck of a time keeping a three year old and a nine month old entertained long enough to get dinner on the table every night. At least I did, until I turned my spice rack over to the kids. Now, my spice rack is really a low shelf in a cabinet, so when I need to get dinner started I just open up the door and point the kids in that direction. The baby  Read more...

Childrens' Cookbooks

by Leticia

November 26, 2008

My love of cooking is being handed down to Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer. Captain Computer comes running from whatever corner of the house he is in when he hears me start my KitchenAid mixer. Little Miss Techie can crack eggs like a pro. Both have assigned spots in the kitchen to help with cooking projects and recently helped me make a great dinner of lentil soup and cornbread. While I  Read more...

Giant's Savvy Thanksgiving Tips

by Leticia

November 15, 2008

If you are hosting Thanksgiving in your home this year, Giant has some tips to keep you sane, save some money, and make sure your guests have a wonderful time. Divide your shopping list into "anytime" and "buy later" items. Purchase your anytime items now since they aren't perishable. Anytime items include decorations, beverages, canned and frozen goods now. Buy later items are the things you  Read more...

August Posts to Help You Plan Your September and Beyond

by Leticia

August 29, 2008

With the month ending on Sunday and older siblings are heading back to school, I thought I'd provide a list of my favorite activities that can easily carry into September: Brookside Gardens is a place to visit each season. Changing leaves and glorious fall colors makes this a wonderful cooler weather destination. As winter approaches, head over for Garden of Lights, a beautiful light display  Read more...

Cooking Classes for Budding Chefs at Young Chefs Academy

by Leticia

August 18, 2008

I love to cook and my children do too. Little Miss Techie is getting quite good at cracking eggs and when Captain Computer hears the sound of our KitchenAid mixer, he comes from whatever remote corner of the house he is playing in to come and help. My love of cooking and background in teaching always made me dream of starting a cooking school for kids. I never got farther than the dream but if I  Read more...

Savvy Pick: Favorite Being Savvy Posts from Around the Country (Part 1)

by Leticia

July 30, 2008

Since we are heading into the final days of July, I thought I'd pay my fellow Being Savvy City Editors a visit to see what great things they were writing about on their sites. As City Editors we write about local activities that strike our fancy and give them an educational twist but our posts also have national interest beyond our local areas. Here are some of my favorite posts by my fellow  Read more...