This weekend is Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday, where the normal 5% state sales tax is waived on certain school supplies, clothing, and shoes. The tax holiday is always the first weekend of August and this year it is August 5,6, and 7th. With back to school shopping ranging from $20 for the basics to well over $500 for new shoes, clothes, and gadgets, this can be a great way to save. Add the tax free savings to coupons and retailers specials and the savings can run from 10-20%. All basic school and office supplies up to $20 are tax free. Excluded are electronics, computers, and computer …
The end of the school year is almost here, and it is time to start thinking about end of the year gifts for teachers. Although it is certainly not required, who could be more deserving of a token of our gratitude? For the past nine months our children’s teachers have been teaching, enriching, and caring for our children during the day. After asking some other Mom friends and teachers, I was able to compile a selection of gift ideas for any teacher. Since money is obviously the biggest part of deciding what to get, give them something free. Write your child’s teacher a note about how they …
All parents have expectations of their children. How could our children get ahead if we did not expect things from them? We want them to get good grades, be polite, be helpful, be friendly, be clean, be quiet, and the list goes on. Like other parents, I want these things from my children. I have one problem though, if I do not monitor myself, I can be too critical of my children. I am certainly no Tiger Mom, with screaming and forcing my kids to work hours on end at the same task. I can’t do that myself so how can I ask my kids to do it? But, I can be overly critical of what my children are …
Do you remember being in school, holding your sharpened #2 pencil, with hundreds of bubbles to fill in on a sheet of paper and while butterflies danced in your stomach? Right now, kids are going through the same thing this time of year as they participate in testing mandated by the No Child Left Behind laws. There are a few different type of tests so here is brief explanation of each: The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is given to children in 1st and 2nd grade. It measures reading accuracy and comprehension. Students are tested on grade level books. The testing is usually administered…
It was not long after we moved here that I noticed I was sniffling and sneezing constantly. I have bad allergies, along with my oldest son. Within a few months, his allergies had turned into asthma. After an ER trip and an overnight hospital stay, I realized the air quality was going to be a problem. Now we deal with a daily dose of meds, inhalers, and sprays, and magic potions to keep my son healthy. Living close to I-95 and near tons of trees can’t be helping. The line of cars sitting in 5 o’clock traffic has to be putting a cloud of pollution right over us. Although the vehicle emissions …
The weekend is finally here and it is the LAST weekend of winter. Once again, Lorton Patch has your family covered with five great activities for you and your brood to do this weekend. Shop for spring clothes or have tea with Alice in Wonderland. Grab your kids and go to one of our top picks for the weekend: Saturday, March 19th Spring-Mar Consignment Sale; 8:00am-1:30pm. Come find a large selection of gently used, warm weather clothes for your kids. The sale has over a thousand items for your little one. Arts and Crafts Fair; 10:00am-4:00pm. Garfield ES PTA hosts the annual craft show, …
Last week my children’s grades came home. My oldest child got an almost perfect progress report detailing exactly how brilliant and wonderful he is. I was beside myself with pride, relishing in the fact that I was such a great parent. Then, in a mere instant, upon opening my middle child’s progress report, I felt like a complete failure as a parent. He was not meeting the basic standards in, of all grades, kindergarten. I realized how much stock I put into their progress reports, not on in terms of my kids’ academic abilities, but in terms of my parenting skills. Of course, if my child comes …
Valentine’s Day is such a weird holiday. It celebrates romance and love, and puts unusual pressure on people to show their significant other just how much they love them. This year, it taught me a life lesson about my children, their personalities and how they feel about other people. My kids class Valentine’s ended up being a huge lesson to me on each of my children’s characters and an opportunity to discuss their likes and dislikes of the other students in their class. I tend to be a very cold and aloof person. I know for sure my middle child is very much like that, even though my other …
There is plenty of excitement in our house today. There is another no school day and a sizeable amount of snow on the ground. No one could be happier, except me. All I see is an afternoon spent cleaning up wet footprints, pulling mittens off frozen hands, and listening to kids whine about being bored. At 7:00am, my children were begging to go outside and play. It is time to get my game face on, and be ready to keep everyone busy and entertained. Here are the top five ways I am going to beat the snow day! Everybody Outside! Get outside with your children, and play. Go sledding with them, …
The New Year is a perfect time to make resolutions. Most of the one's we make will be personal. Losing weight, exercising, stopping bad habits, are all things individuals would like to accomplish. Doing these things is wonderful and will inevitably help your family by you being healthier and happier. Another important thing to think about though is family resolutions. Setting goals and achievements that you would like to accomplish together. This can be a great way to really take a look at your family's needs, strengths, and shortcomings. Deciding on things you would like to see changed in …
With Christmas over and New Year's around the corner, it means we just had visits with relatives, are still visiting with family, or have some extended family time coming very soon. This can be the most stressful part of the season. Although we love our family, spending time with them can sometimes be a lot more than we bargained for. Once you are married, the challenge of balancing two families can be tricky. Someone is inevitably going to be left out, and occasionally feelings will be hurt. Figuring out how to make everyone happy certainly isn't easy and must be handled with kindness and …
My children shrieked with delight when they found a few wrapped presents under the tree one morning. They were so excited by the wrapped boxing, and anxious to find out what is inside. We usually begin putting Christmas presents under the tree a few days before Christmas so the kids' patience does not get the best of them. The presents from Santa remain hidden until Christmas Eve after everyone is asleep. As my children have grown older, I notice some "snooping" going on. Where are we supposed to hide these things where no one will find them? If you have teenagers, the best place to hide …
It has been a long time since we have lived near our families. Living here in Virginia is the closest I have been to home (Kentucky) in a long time. It is great because the drive is only nine hours. It means I can avoid flying this year. Being a military spouse, I am often alone with the kids and far from family. This is extremely difficult during the holidays. Instead of enduring this alone, I pack up and go home. My skills in traveling with my children should put me somewhere in the "Jedi" category. I have endured international flights pregnant with a toddler and infant. I have also made it…
Every time I walk into my children's playroom, I nearly kill myself on all the toys. It looks like Santa's workshop exploded in my basement. We have been very blessed, but our children are just plain spoiled. They have every plastic, cool this moment, made in China thing imaginable. I'm pretty sure we have an entire semester at Harvard paid for in video games. As we enter the Holiday season, it's very clear to me that my children certainly don't NEED anything, and there is very little they really want. So, when friends and family ask "What do the kids want for Christmas?" I have no idea what …
Thanksgiving is fast approaching and for many of us, that means cooking for friends and family. No one wants to give their guests food poisoning, so kitchen safety is immensely important and should be at the forefront when considering what to prepare for your Holiday feasts. You should only fix dishes that can be kept at a correct temperature. When you are at the grocery store, you only have two hours from the time a cold item gets in your cart until you place it in the refrigerator at home. So when you purchase all your food, be sure to keep that in mind. Don't stop at the mall or run other …
As a parent, one of the most important values I want to instill in my children is education. The single best way for my children to understand how much their education means to me is to participate in it. Participation comes in many different forms. You can join the PTA and participate in the organized school activities. You can volunteer as a teacher's helper or in the school library. Schools also need parents to sit on committees. Schools also need financial support. That's why our children come home with backpacks full of fund-raising packets. According to the US Department of Education, …
