A Neat Opportunity

Do you know an artistic teen or college student who is passionate about our oceans?


Oceans 2030: Youth Outlook is a multimedia - photo, video and art - contest that provides a forum for youth to share their vision for our oceans over the next 20 years. It is being organized as part of the Our Changing Oceans Conference by the National Council for Science and the Environment.

Top winners will receive an Ipod Touch.

Winning entries will also received complimentary registrations to the Our Changing Oceans Conference in Washington, DC, get showcased at the conference's Waves of Change Ocean Expo from Jan 2-21, 2011, and be published online on the Encyclopedia of Earth.

High school students (15-17 yrs) and college students (18-24 yrs) are invited to submit ONE of the following:

• Photograph - high resolution in digital format as a .jpg, .png, or .gif file
• Video - short video (up to 5 minutes) uploaded via YouTube
• Graphic Art - illustration or comic (up to 3 panels) in high resolution as .jpg, .png, or .gif file

Each submission must also include 200-300 words outlining your vision for our oceans in 2030 and why.


Submission Deadline is November 22, 2010

Contact Lyle Birkey at lbirkey@ncseonine.org
To learn more about the Oceans 2030: Youth Outlook Contest, visit http://www.ourchangingoceans.org

Pass it on - there's no time to lose!!

It's Nutcracker Time!

The first time I went to see the Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center was when I was probably nine years old. It was the real deal, with men in tights, gorgeous women in costume and an orchestra. I don't think I will ever forget it. It was so, so amazing.

You don't have to wait for your kids to be nine years old though... nor do you have to travel to DC to get a similar experience. There are so many amazing and professional Nutcracker performances right here in our own backyard.

Throughout my years of living in this area, I have attended various performances of the Nutcracker performed by different companies. I have rarely been disappointed. So, if you have little ones at home and you're ready for them to experience the most breath-taking of all performances in living color, check out this listing of local performances.

I'd be happy to recommend a particular one to you offline. Just drop me an e-mail.

Stay tuned for listings of other Holiday performances such as A Christmas Carol and The Messiah.

Enjoy this little snippet of The Dance of Sugar Plum Fairies.




Or the Russian Dance



I could go on and on... but I know you can browse through YouTube yourself.

I hope watching these helped get you in the spirit.

Halloween Parades 2010

My kids are so excited about Halloween they can hardly contain themselves!

I think they plan to trick or treat all night long!

If trick or treating is not your cup of tea, maybe a local parade is more your speed.

For instance, The Old Town Alexandria Parade
On Saturday, October 30th
Beginning at 10am
At the intersection of Main and 5th Sts.
Following the parade, trick or treat at participating stores in Old Town, and special treats at the Fauquier Bank Plaza-Courthouse Square. For more information please call (540) 347-2700.
It is listed on the Fauquier events page.

and...

Leesburg's 54th Annual Parade which is a tradition since 1957!
On Sunday, October 31
6-8pm
From Ida Lee Park to Safeway
View over 200 bands, police, fire and rescue units, walking units, floats, animals, and more in this year's Leesburg Kiwanis Halloween Parade.
Be sure to bring your donation of non-perishable items to donate to the Loudoun Interfaith Relief Food Pantry.
For full details click the events listing on the left sidebar of their page here.

Whatever you do, we wish you a Happy & Safe Halloween! Bwaaaahahaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Halloween is almost here!!

Are you ready?

I have one Halloween costume down, one to go, how about you?
There is so much going on from now until Halloween. Check out our Halloween events listing here.
Also, this is the last weekend of the Renaissance Fair in Crownsville, MD for the 2010 Season.

If you're not quite ready for Halloween fun yet, check out an airshow that is happening at the Leesburg Executive Airport on Saturday.
Excalibur! by the Elden Street Players is also on the calendar. Check it out!

Whatever you do, enjoy your weekend and the weather!

Flu Prevention

I went to pick up my daughter from school on Monday and I overheard a conversation about there being too many kids in the clinic with vomit and flu-like symptoms.

I personally think that October is too early to get a flu shot, but perhaps not. Perhaps right now is the perfect time to get one. Here is a listing (in pdf) of Inova clinics with times and dates.

*addition
Also check out FluShotUSA.com for a listing of local clinics.

Most grocery stores and pharmacies are also offering flu shots at specific times and by appointment.

As always, remember that the best way to prevent the flu is to wash hands consistently, supplement with vitamin C and zinc and to maintain your intake of fluids.

Cheers to a healthy fall season.

Then Leaf Subsides to Leaf...

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."
~by Robert Frost

Isn't this a fitting poem?

My favorite time is here, Fall! And with it come the many celebrations of this beautiful season.
This is the time of year when you might wish you had a cloning machine. Just take a look at all the events that are taking place just this weekend?!?! You couldn't possible go to all of them, even if you tried!

I hope you get to enjoy time with your family this month. Check out the listing of Halloween events! If you know of one not listed, please post it in the comments!!

Being that it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to alert you of an event that a reader sent in. While it's not a "children's event" it is to benefit all the mommies current, past, and present... so it counts.

Please check out Shop For A Cure this Sunday at Sonak Family Chiropractic in Sterling, VA. Contact Alison Sonak for more information at (703) 406-0200.

Happy Fall!!