$1 Zhu Zhu Pets at CVS with extracare card

They are usually $10. Although the warning to "keep away from hair" makes you think twice & brings up some tragic imagery, but hey its a buck! If they can sell these for a dollar how much does it cost to manufacture these things? 

Color Me Mine, Downtown Silver Spring

This is why I created this blog:  Color Me Mine has been open for 8 years, I've lived here for a year and a half 5 minutes away from it - yet only last week stumbled upon it while going for a slice of Z-Pizza next door!

It's a great resource to have in town.  For a $7 studio fee for your child, and a purchase of a sculpture (plate, mug, statue) ranging  from $10-$20 you can have at it with a custom selected palette of paints and a space you are allowed to get messy.  We had a great time and came away with a classy Santa mug.  You need to leave your wares for about another week for a firing in the trusty kiln.


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Take a ride with Santa at the National Trolley Museum, (very far north) Silver Spring

Climb aboard an impeccably maintained historic trolley for a ride around the expansive museum grounds while letting Saint Nick know what you're expecting under the tree this year.  If your list isn't too long, the kids might have a chance to talk to him as well.  After the trolley ride, take the tour of the trolley garage to peruse the museums complete collection.  The model train set is fun to watch.  And there is plenty of the history of the area to make you nostalgic for a simpler time.  Adults are $8 and children are $5, and that includes the trolley ride.  You can ride as many times as you like.


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Ice Skating at Veteran's Plaza, Downtown Silver Spring

The outdoor rink is covered with a great cooling system allowing skating when it's hot and/or raining.  They provide buckets for kids as little as 2 years to lean on while skating.  We tried a fun sit on the bucket and Dad pushes maneuver which was quickly in high demand by our little girl.  Adults skate for $8, kids for $7, rentals are $3.


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Fair Day's Play Toy Store with Magician Shows and Pajama Jam

Fair Day's Play is a centerpiece for the many families in the Takoma Park/Silver Spring area.  The toy selection ranges from classic must haves to modern rarities and there is a bright playspace where you can get an idea of what works for your kid.  I recommend the Amazing Mr. Doug magician shows at 3:30 and 4:30 Saturdays.  This Sunday is the Takoma Park Pajama Jam where attendees to the store between 7 to 10 a.m. receive a 20% discount if you show up wearing your PJs - feeted versions encouraged! 

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National Electronics Museum, Linthicum MD

The NEM features a great "fundamentals" section with lots of switches and knobs that make noises, lights and various sparks.  Our 2.5 year old had a great time with these.  I only wish there were more interactive displays, but the target audience is not necessarily solely toddlers, and in between there were plenty of model planes, ships and of course robots to keep me and Shea happy.   As an electrical engineering undergrad, I had a great time seeing the displays on the development of computers, satellite communication, and aviation electronics.  There are some cute robots to buy at the gift shop - we went with a $10 box-robot that we put together when we got home. The museum is not gigantic, so only provides an hour or so of entertainment while the drive from Takoma Park is over 30 minutes without traffic.  But kids under 5 are free and it's 3 dollars for adult admission.  And there is a chik-fil-a on the way in Hanover off of 295, which is my favorite highway in the region - it reminds of New York's Palisades Parkway along the Hudson.


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Cutting the cable cord

I wanted to try a “cheap dad” type of a post, because I have been obsessing over figuring out how to cut our cable cord and not pay for the proverbial “idiot box” any longer.  There are basically five options for cord-cutters: Logitech Revue, Roku, Apple TV, Boxee, and just a plain ol’ computer.

They all have different pros and cons, as noted in the following table from PC World’s site (note the Logitech Revue and the Boxess are now $99):

In defense of the Revue, reelseo.com http://www.reelseo.com/google-boxee-roku-apple-tv/) reports Hulu is pending, but who knows when that will happen.  Also: ABC, CBS, NBC, and Hulu have all blocked Google TV from accessing their shows on the web, so revue is not the one you want to cut the cord.  Revue does offer Amazon Video which is sort of like the iTunes store in which you pay about $2 per show.  Logitech also allows video calling if you get the logitech TV cam accessory, but the person you are calling must also have the same setup – so that is essentially useless.

Roku does not utilize a full web browser, so simply browsing the web and web-searching is not an option, nor is full facebook usage.  While the Revue does not have Hulu, Roku only has Hulu plus which is $8 per month.  If you do that and netlix you are eating into your cord cutting savings (adding TV to a bundled FIOS internet plan saves you around $20 only – anyone have the scoop on the cheapest local internet plans?).

Apple TV has some good features for $99.99 and is rumored to include facetime so you can video call your iphone using peoples.  But still no web-browser.  The word is this is best if you are an iTunes junky because it integrates really well with your existing library.

The Revue gives you the advantage of a web browser (that you can access while watching any other content), which Roku or Apple TV does not offer.  So the decision comes down to Hulu Plus or a web browser?  The decision may also involve the Roku 100+ included “channels” (whatever that means to them) compared to the included Google TV channels.

Logitech has also just announced they will no longer support google tv and their revue product.  http://m.gizmodo.com/5858651/logitech-abandons-that-failed-clusterfck-known-as-google-tv.  So that will probably make their customer support about the same as it normally is for logitech products – meaning non-existent.  We took the plunge anyway for the $99 Revue which was available through our credit card point so no cash out of pocket.  The wireless keyboard with trackpad works really well, and is worth at least $50 if you bought it separately -  so to me it was like getting another computer for surfing the web and emailing from our couch.  The extra apps and video content is just gravy, and there are even some kid-friendly apps like drawing with the trackpad.  It’s not going to allow us to cut the cord just yet, but it doubles as a pretty good glorified remote and integrated well enough with our Verizon Fios box.

Boxee gets points for their hip attitude including providing instructions for you to forgo buying their hardware: http://www.boxee.tv/make but I really wanted a web-browser.

If you are really serious about cord-cutting, all the info online agrees just hooking up a PC with HDMI out and using a wireless keyboard with trackpad is still the best setup around.  It was more expensive to plunk down for a new PC, so we went Revue.  But we are keeping the scissors close if it turns out that we like google TV enough to ditch the cable.

Chik-Fil-A, Tech Road Silver Spring

Nothing says I love you like letting your kid climb up to a giant toy car hung in the air while you eat their chicken nuggets.  The two chik-fil-as I've been to had these great playgrounds, not sure if it is a requirement for them all but I hope so.  Also do not underestimate the motivational power of occasionally trading in the kids meal toy for a cookie or fro-yo.  Moving from NY, Chik-fil-a is like getting a gourmet chicken sandwich without the wait.  It is at the front of the pack in the competitive fast but good food contest.


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Cooking Pasta and Veggies in One Pot - Genius!

Why didn't I think of this sooner?

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/07/easiest-pasta-and-broccoli-recipe.html

Art Works Studio School, Mt. Ranier DC

Haven't gotten a chance to visit, but the following recommendation was sent to us.  It looks great!...  I am a Takoma Park parent as well as the Managing Director of Art Works Studio School, a non-profit studio school for children and adults in nearby Mount Rainier, MD. We have great classes for kids as well as three popular drop-in programs that I thought you might be interested in.

When my children were toddlers and pre-schoolers (they are now in kindergarten and first grade) I loved to do art projects with them but the mess made could become overwhelming. Art Works Toddler Time program on Friday mornings from 10 to noon was designed with that concern in mind. Besides providing children with terrific exposure to different art mediums it is a great time for parents and caregivers to be social and foster community. It is designed as a drop-in, so it requires no long term financial commitment. Participants are free to come between ten and noon, we ask for $5 per child. We also provide coffee and snacks. Similarly on Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 3 pm we host Pre-School Play. It is the same concept as Toddler Time but for a slightly older child.

We also have a great Drop-In program on Monday afternoons from 4 to 6 for children 4 and up, teens and adults. It is called Tinker Time and gives access to tools and wood and gears and wire and all types of materials that kids and adults can construct and create with.
More information is on our website at artworksnow.org. Please contact me via e-mail suzanne@artworksnow.org or by phone (301) 454-0808 with any questions about our programs.
Art Works is here to serve the community, we offer financial assistance for all of our programs.


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Scientists: Largest dinosaur fossil in 5 years found at Maryland’s Dinosaur Park after storm - The Washington Post

Scientists: Largest dinosaur fossil in 5 years found at Maryland’s Dinosaur Park after storm - The Washington Post:

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Thanks to Lee for the heads up!

http://www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/Nature/Dinosaur_Park.htm

The site lists the following hours:

Garden/Entry Area with interpretive signage: Open from dawn to dusk 7 days a week.
Fenced Fossil Area: Open to the public ONLY during open houses and scheduled programs.
The public is invited to assist paleontologists searching for fossils on the first and third Saturdays each month from 12 noon until 4 pm. School programs and group tours are offered weekdays by appointment. Please call301-627-7755 for reservations. Public access to the Fenced Fossil Area require M-NCPPC staff supervision or a special permit.

Any info on the different programs would be appreciated.


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Parent Compass D.C. gets its first recommendations!

Parent Compass D.C. was put on the TakomaPakk email listserve blast.  We received a ton of great complements, and our first recommendations.  Thanks to John for recommending Fossil hunting at Calvert Cliffs State Park and the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary.  They both look like fun!

If you have any other recommendations worth adding to the map, please send them along - it's greatly appreciated.

Also, if you get a chance to get back on the site - please give us the ol' facebook like click so your friends can find out about P.C.D.C.




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National Gallery of Art Children's Education Center

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The children's lessons are only available on week-ends, in a classroom tucked into the southeast corner of the building.   When we went they had a Jackson Pollack lesson involving swirling a paint covered marble over a paper taped to the bottom of a Tupperware bin.  Brilliant, and Shea loved it!  The lessons rotate, with an Einstein exhibit opening in the coming weeks.

Big Bear Cafe, Bloomingdale NW

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This is another place to eat that possible would not be considered kid-friendly for any particular reason, but it is certainly not kid-unfriendly.  There is ample outdoor seating surrounded by an amazing array of flowers.  The food and coffee are top notch, the staff is friendly, and the Petworth Splash Park is not too far so you could make a morning out of that or any of the other myriad of DC kid-friendly activities.

Online Learning Games from Fisher-Price – For Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers

Online Learning Games from Fisher-Price – For Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers:

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We have been playing the infant games since 6 months old. At the worst, the games will entertain your little one while you catch your breath or take a break over a cup of coffee - at it's best their may be some retention of the vocabulary, letters and numbers the games purport to reinforce. I suppose that fluctuates from kid to kid, but ours was really excited about playing and would have fun imitating the animal noises. Our favorites are: The ABC's Zoo Learning Game(infant version), Laugh and Learn Animal Fun Game and The Musical Instruments Game - Join the Jam!(toddler game). Now that she is a little older the Thomas & Friends Engine Wash and Thomas Crane Game both went over pretty well.

Curious George Discovery Beach Game

This game is simple enough to allow our 2 year play along.  Her willingness to follow  the rules fluctuates from day to day.  Yesterday she had some friends over and we had a bonafide fair game which was fun and educational for everyone.  The game consists of picking a card that tells you what to look for on "the beach", then you spin the spinner which tells you which of the panels you are allowed to choose between to look under.  Then you open up the panels and look for  your buried treasure.  Simple and perfect for 2 and up.