Labor Day Weekend Events

Friday (August 30):

Beach Safari
First Landing State Park is meeting at the Main Boardwalk (2500 Shore Drive in Virginia Beach) to check out things that live in the Chesapeake Bay. This event is free for the whole family, but parking is $4. 

AT&T Fresh Catch Fridays
If you like seafood, head over to the TowneBank Fountain Park for an outdoor waterfront party. Fresh Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs will be served. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on. This is a free event. Food is available for purchase.

Verizon Wireless American Music Festival
From Friday (Aug. 30) to Sunday (Sept. 1) head over to the Virginia Beach boardwalk for lots of different music concerts. Country, jazz, blues, rock- enjoy all kinds of various genres of music! This is the largest outdoor music event on the East Coast! A large stage will be set up on 5th Street but there will also be smaller stages and events going on all throughout the boardwalk.

The concert schedule for the main stage on 5th Street is as follows:
Friday- Daughtry- Tickets are $15 (in advance), $20 (day of the show)
Saturday- Barenaked Ladies, with Smash Mouth- Tickets are $20 (in advance), $25 (day of the show)
Sunday- Third Eye Blind, with Robert Randolf and the Family Band- Tickets are $20 (in advance), $25 (day of the show).

You can also purchase a Passport Pin for $35 with gets you into all three concerts.
** Children under the age of 12 are free

To purchase tickets, click here. 

Skywatch at Northwest River Park
If you like astronomy and star watching this is the event for you. From 8:30PM-11PM head over to the Northwest River Park at 1733 Indian Creek Road in Chesapeake. This is a free event.

Campfire
First Landing State Park is inviting the whole family to gather around the campfire for s'mores! They will tell stories and talk about the great outdoors night life, they will have activities- and of course, eat s'mores. This event is free. Meet at the Campfire Area. Parking is $4.  This begins at 8:30 PM at 2500 Shore Drive in Virginia Beach.


Saturday (August 31):

Back to School Bash
Join Z-104 and the Pointe at Bryant & Stratton College (Virginia Beach Campus at 301 Centre Pointe Drive in Virginia Beach) for a Back to School Bash. There will be free school supplies, back pack giveaways, bounce houses, games, activities and more! This will take place from 10AM to 1PM. 

Carnival of Madness Tour featuring Shinedown
Saturday at 5:00PM Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach will be hosting Carnival Madness, Shinedown, Skillet, Papa Roach, In this Moment, and We as Human.

Order tickets by clicking here.

Busch Gardens Live
Billy Currington is hitting the stage at Busch Gardens on Saturday, Aug. 31st from 7PM-close. Regular admission is required to get in.



Sunday (September 1):

Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
The Rock n' Roll Half Marathon begins at 7AM at the Virginia Beach Convention Center (1000 19th Street in Virginia Beach.) and ends at the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. Online Registration is now closed, but you can register at the Health and Fitness Expo on Friday, Aug. 30th or you can register the day of the race. Registration Fee is as follows:

Half Marathon: $150
2-Person Relay- $175
Mini Marathon- $55

Symphony Under the Stars with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Bring the family to Chesapeake City Park from 6PM-10PM to hear a Virginia Symphony Orchestra concert. There will be activities for the kiddos and there will also be fireworks. It is free, but there is a $5 parking fee. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on.

Big Bands on the Bay
Bring the family down to the Gazebo at Ocean View Beach Park from 7PM-9PM to hear live Big Band music and there will be dancing. This is free!

Glory at the Gardens
Casting Crowns will be putting on a concert at Busch Gardens on Sunday from 7PM-close. Regular admission is required to get in.



Monday (September 2):

Bike Nights at Norfolk Botanical Garden
I have been dying to try out the Botanical Garden and here is my chance! Monday night bring your helmets, bikes and kids and head out to the Botanical Garden. You will be able to ride through the beautiful pathways between 4PM-7PM. Admission is as follows:
Members = Free
Adults = $11
Seniors = $10
Military = $10
Children (3-18) = $9
Under 2 = Free

Click this link to get a coupon. 

Tonight's Finance Class at the Chesapeake Library

I think we all could use a little help managing our money....so the Chesapeake Library System is coming to the rescue! For everyone who is interested in getting your finances strait, there is a finance class going on at the Chesapeake Libraries tonight at 6PM. Your teachers will take an hour and a half to teach you a six step program that will help you be successful in your finances. It sounds like it will be good to check out- even if it is just to get a refresher course on how better to manage your money. These are the hosting locations that are not yet full:

Russell Memorial- Conference Room
Greenbrier- Conference Room
Major Hillard- MH Conference Room
Indian River- Conference Room
South Norfolk- History Room

Click the links above on the library you would like to attend to register for this class. Have fun!

Great Wolf Lodge isn't just for KIDS!!!

This weekend my incredible boss at Sylvan, Kim, treated all of her teachers and their families to a night at Great Wolf Lodge. I was so excited when I heard because I have never been there. 

William and I checked into going awhile ago, but it was super expensive so I just never looked into it again. BUT, Kim said she found a really great deal on GROUPON- I love groupon! If you haven't signed up for their daily deals....do it now by clicking here! They have a lot of great deals for local places where you can get great discounts on food, lodging, things to buy, etc. 

Anyways, we drove up to Williamsburg Sunday afternoon and checked into Great Wolf Lodge. The amazing thing about this place is that it has an INDOOR waterpark! So you get up to 6 people in a room plus 6 tickets into the waterpark for the day you check in and the day you check out. It's a great deal!! And during the summer they have an outdoor pool area too- which is where we went first. 

Maggie found a slide outside that was perfect height for her. William would help her up the steps and I would catch her at the bottom. Then I would try to walk her to something else fun....and she would just make her way back to the steps of that slide. So for an hour all we did was help her up the steps and catch her at the bottom of the slide....then help her up the steps....then catch her at the bottom of the slide. Sounds super boring, but if you could see her face light up every single time she was about to go down that slide...you would have done if for an hour too!! 

The thing I love about Great Wolf Lodge is that it is for kids of all ages (0-99)- haha. No seriously, I felt like a big kid in there. The have huge slides, a wave pool, kiddie slides, a jungle gym to climb through, basketball, and my personal favorite- the lazy river! There is so much to do for kids and adults of all ages. Of course, we spent a lot of time in the kiddie area because we have a one year old. But there is so much more exploring to do with older kids. The thing I really liked about the kiddie area was how there were no steps- but just a big slope. So it started with very little water and as you keep walking down the slope it gets deeper and deeper. Of course, for the little ones it only gets to be like a foot deep- but that was perfect for Maggie. She wanted to walk and do everything herself, so I really liked how it wasn't too deep. Of course she slipped a couple times and went under the water but William and I were right there to catch her. 

 "I get to play in there, mommy?! Sweeeeet!"

Maggie really loved the wave pool too. She would just hang out on William's lap and wait for the waves to come. (They do 8 minutes of waves, 8 minutes of calm water) Maggie would smile and laugh as their raft went over the waves. It was really cute. We loved the wave pool! 

And of course I can't forget to talk about the rooms. Our room was HUGE!!!! We had double beds and then another little section for a "living room." We put Maggie's pack n' play up there so she was sort of separate from us and could sleep better. And we had a balcony!!!! It was so cool! Plus they had a cool game in the lobby area of the hotel so the kids would run around from station to station playing this game- it looked sort of like a scavenger hunt type thing- they all seemed to be having a blast. 

We were super excited about how amazing our accommodations were. We will definitely be going back there some day!! We had such a great time, plus we had a lot of fun with my co-workers and their families. Kim honored all of the teachers with really sweet, personalized gifts and told us how much the students and parents love us. It was really nice and made me excited about my job there. Overall, we had an amazing time!!! 

Happenings this weekend (8/24 - 8/25)

What's Happening this weekend in Hampton Roads?!

1. Latino Music Festival- Town Point Park in Norfolk from 5PM - 10PM. This is free and open to anyone that would like to come!

2. 1st Annual King of the Surf Fitness Challenge- This is all day on Saturday and begins at 4th Street on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. For those athletes that want to join it will be a 1 mile sand run, and then a 300 meter obstacle dash. Walk-up registration is $35 from 6:30AM -7:30AM.

3. Seawall Art Show- This is an outdoor art show that will be from 10AM - 6PM on Saturday and from 10AM - 5PM on Sunday. This will take place at 521 Middle Street in Portsmouth.

4. Big Bands on the Bay- Sunday at the Gazebo at Ocean View Beach Park. This will be from 7PM - 9PM. There will be live Big Band music and dancing.

Broken Fence made into a Wall Project

A few months ago we had a bad storm blow through our town and our fence was blown over and broken. So William put up a new fence in the section that was broken and put the old fence in a pile for the trash. But I ran out and saved the pieces of the fence for a wall project. I had recently found purple paint on Craigslist.org and repainted our bathroom. Now I needed some type of art to put on the empty purple wall. So here is what I did:

1. I took the old fence posts and lined them up. Then cut them down so they weren't too long.

2. I used white paint and painted the fence pieces- didn't completely cover them with white, but made it look distressed. 

3. I screwed the fence pieces together using two base pieces behind them. 

4. I used two long white pieces of fence and two short square pieces to make a "flower box."

5. I used screws and a drill to screw the flower box to the bottom of the fence. 

6. I added five mason jars to the flower box with fake purple flowers that I picked up at the Dollar Tree. I used purple flowers to match the purple paint in the bathroom. 

And .........Whalllla (In my best accent)!!!!! We have a cool piece to hang on the wall!

The Natural Mommy Instinct is Similar to a Giraffe.

Our mommy group headed out to the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk yesterday and had a blast. I must say, that zoo is really great!! Besides the minor detour where the GPS...also known as Gertrude... got confused and took me to a not-so-Beverly Hills neighborhood and then told me, "you will park and walk to your destination" and I said, "Heck no, Gertrude...you will find me an alternative route!" And guess what?! She listened to me. We did find an alternative route and made it safely to the zoo parking lot. Thank the good Lord! 

Once we parked, we headed in to see all of the animals! 

They had a baby giraffe, elephants, zebras, lions, pretty much everything you can think of. It is really great! They also redid it so now the Tiger display is more accessible. 

They also added some water spots were the kids can play in the water. 

Christine enjoyed the Orangutan exhibit. 

This is the baby giraffe! He was so cute. The mama giraffe followed him around to protect him. I love the natural instinct that animals have...and then realized, "Oh my word! I have that same mama instinct." God has given us moms a natural instinct to go into protection mode if our babies (of any age) are in trouble or get hurt. I never thought I was ready for kids because I didn't have the "mom instinct" but looking at these giraffes I realized....somewhere along the lines of this last year with Maggie- I got the instinct! When she falls, when she cries, when she wanders a little too far, when she sticks her face in the water and comes up gasping for air...the natural "mommy" instinct to help her just kicks in. God truly did know what he was doing when he created moms....boy, do I sound like a Hallmark card, but I am so serious!!! 

I highly, highly, highly recommend checking out the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. It's really a cool zoo. All the kids enjoyed it! It is open every day (except for major holidays) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket prices are as follows:

• Adults: $11
• Children: $9 (ages 2-11)
• Senior Citizens: $10 (ages 62 and older)
• With Valid Military I.D.: $10
• Current AAA Member: $10
• Children under 2: Free
• Virginia Zoo Members: Free
• With Valid Norfolk College Student I.D.: Free
• Individual with ADA-Recognized Disability and One Companion: Free

We all need a weekend away sometimes.

This past weekend I went to Women of Faith Conference in Washinton D.C. with 14 women from my church! It was a blast!! We left Friday and hit tremendous traffic all the way up to Washington D.C.- but we left early enough that it didn't effect our trip too much. We checked into the hotel and then headed over to the Verizon Center. It was so great!  There were so many awesome speakers. We learned so much! The theme of the conference was "Believe." 

 We got to see Third Day in concert! They were amazing!! I love pretty much every one of their songs. 

Had a blast with these wonderful ladies! We were in the nose bleed seats at first but we eventually moved down and it was much more enjoyable. 

 Abby and I were twins! We came downstairs Saturday morning and had the same shirt and the same bag. We are very alike:) I just love her! 

Wasn't ready to go home! But we are already planning for next year! Can't wait! 

I can do it myself, Mommy....even if it means getting run over by a sheep.

Maggie and I went to the "Teeny Tiny Zoo" at the Greenbrier Library today. She had a lot of fun petting the animals. There were goats, ponies, donkeys, pigs, and her personal favorite- the sheep.

She loved petting the sheep's soft fur, but every time she got a little rough I grabbed her hand to show her "gentle....gentle...gentle." My daughter has a mind of her own though...and she did not want me to help her pet the animals or walk from pen to pen for that matter. I am not sure I am ready for this independence thing- what will I do when she is a teenager? I always want to save her from falling, tripping, stumbling, bumping, scraping, etc. But I also need to let her learn. She has to realize that this independence that she wants will get her those things that I so want to save her from- the bumps and bruises. So as much as I try to control the situation, I am learning to sit back and let her learn on her own....even if it means that she gets run over by a sheep......

Well, okay...I did save her from the sheep- how could I let her get run over by the sheep? 

 Each day I am learning more and more to let her do it on her own so that way she learns- and I learn and grow as a mom as well. 

The Chesapeake Library has a lot of Summer Reading programs and events....which is how we found out about the Teeny Tiny Farm. Check out this link to find out more events going on at the Chesapeake Library. 

Yorktown for the day!

Yesterday we spent the afternoon in Yorktown. There is a really pretty beach area and they have sidewalks where you can walk and areas to picnic and sit on the benches and just look out over the water. It's really pretty. My husband, William's, cousin Trish is a photographer and so we met her there so she could take Maggie's 1 year pictures. 

Trish is an amazing photographer and I have to give a shoutout to her! Check out her facebook page here. 

When we first arrived there it was sprinkling a little so we went under the huge bridge that is right there on the beach. We were safe from the rain there. But then we saw this lightning rolling in and all of a sudden it started to DOWNPOUR! It was crazy! We took off for these bathrooms...which were locked. Of course! So we just stood there huddled under this little overhang and waited out the storm. And we were soaked. 

When it let up a little, we decided to run to the cars and then we treated ourselves to dinner for surviving the "perfect" storm. After dinner we went back to Yorktown, because the weather had completely cleared up and got Maggie's pictures done. And they came out wonderfully! 

I highly recommend Yorktown for date night, beach day, or just to walk around when your relatives come into town and want to "see the sights." Parking is free and there is an ice cream shop there if you want to grab dessert. 

Here is a link to the website where you can get more information. 

Waterside Fun!

Our Mommy Group had a "splashing" good time! We met at Norfolk Waterside and had a picnic and the kids played on the splash pad. It was so fun. 

Of course, Maggie stuck her face right in one of the fountains and started screaming when she got wet. Haha. I guess she had to learn somehow. 

We were really impressed with Norfolk Waterside. They have a wonderful park area with tables, chairs, and umbrellas for shade. They have a concession area for lunch and dinner, music was playing, and the sailboats were floating by in the distance. It was wonderful. They also have a lot of activities for families at Norfolk Waterside.

Every Friday in August: AT&T Fresh Catch Fridays: at TowneBank Foundation Park. There will be music and you can come and pick grabs. 

Every Friday in August: TGOV (Thank Goodness it's Ocean View) at Norfolk Waterside. There will be live music. 

August 11: Big Bands on the Bay

Every Wednesday in August: Fountain Field Days from 11AM - 3PM. It is free for the whole family. There will be children's activities, exercise programs, dancing, theater and of course the fountain for the kids to run through. 

Saturday, August 31: Cinema Under the Stars. Bring a blanket and chairs and go to the picnic area of Norfolk Waterside for a movie. The movie that will be playing is "Baby the Gallant Pig" which is rated G. 

What is your Favorite Blizzard Flavor?

What is your favorite Blizzard flavor? Mine is Banana Split with chocolate ice cream! Yummmmm! Head over to your nearest Dairy Queen and buy a Blizzard today and $1 or more will be donated to the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. What a great cause!! 

A Day at the Park! 

The weather is BEAUTIFUL out! So grab the kids and hit the outdoors before it gets scorching hot again. There are a ton of parks to choose from in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. A great one in Virginia Beach is Mt. Trashmore- the playground there is huge and they have an awesome walking/biking trail and a giant hill to climb. We like to climb up the hill and fly kites at the top. The address to Mt. Trashmore is 310 Edwin Drive in Virginia Beach. 

A great park to experience in Chesapeake is Fun Forest Park located at the Chesapeake City park on 900 Greenbrier Parkway. They completely redid this park and it has a lot of shade so the kiddos don't get too much sun. 

Enjoy this beautiful day! 84 degree, partly cloudy. It doesn't get much better than this! 

Farmers Market!

It's summer....which means FRESH VEGGIES and FRESH FRUIT! I love, love, love buying from Farmers Markets. It really brings out the "Little House on the Prairie" in me. Stop by and check out some of the awesome Farmers Markets in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. Below is a list of some Farmers Markets you gotta check out:

Chesapeake:

• Battlefield Park at 120 Reservation Road (Wednesday and Saturday from 8 AM - 1 PM)
• Chesapeake City Park at 900 Greenbrier Parkway (Wednesday and Saturday from 8AM - 1 PM)
• Brookdale Farm at 2133 Mt. Pleasant Rd. (Open daily, but follow them on Facebook to find out about closings due to rain.)

Virginia Beach:

• Virginia Beach Farmers Market at 3640 Dam Neck Rd. (All week from 10 AM - 5 PM)
• Old Beach Farmers Market at Croc's located in the corner of 19th St. and Cypress Ave. (Saturdays from 8 AM - noon)
• Brookdale Farm at 2060 Vaughan Rd. (Open daily, but follow them on Facebook to find out about closings due to rain.)

It's Raining!! Now what?!

If you are like me, when you saw it was raining on your day off you got a little bummed. But embraced the moment....threw in a "Baby Einstein" video and got on Pinterest. That didn't last long though. Maggie was getting into everything, tormenting the dog, and making it a "not-so-relaxing" rainy day. 

I thought, "I can't take her to the park.....I can't take her swimming...I can't take her for a walk. Ahhh! What in the world do we do today?" 

There are a lot of fun rainy day activities to do with your child! I found some really fun blogs with ideas of "Rainy Day Activities:" 

• A few Short Cuts 
• Paradise Praises
• Making Lemonade

I hope this gives you a few ideas! Happy Rain Day:) 

Princess Party at Chic-fil-A

Head out to Chick-fil-A on Portsmouth Blvd. tonight from 5:30 - 7:30 PM. They are having a Princess Party! Have your children wear their favorite princess or prince costume to receive a free mini ice cream sundae! Snow White, Tiana, and Cinderella will be there to sign autographs. It's going to be fun! The address is 4204 Portsmouth Blvd. in Chesapeake. 

Pool Day!

Sometimes a quiet pool day can be the best way to spend a summer day. Today Maggie and I went to swim with Aunt TT. We had a great time!! The weather today was so B-E-A-utiful- it was a perfect pool day. We had such a blast and can't wait to go back for more swimming! 

Birthday Party at Home!

We had Maggie's 1st Birthday party at home and had a blast! Maggie had a lot of fun with her friends and loved eating her yummy smash cake!