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Friday, May 30, 2008

My Bottom Dollar

Okay, so this isn't a very fun or glamorous tid-bit, but it is money-saving. I have started trying to do most of my grocery shopping at a store in Manassas called Bottom Dollar. An ad comes once a week in the mail so you can see what their best deals are for the week. It used to be a Food Lion and it's right in the middle of town on Sudley/234. They still carry a lot of Food Lion brand items. It's a normal small grocery store but they don't have a deli or a bakery and they don't have a huge variety of most things, but I think their produce is pretty good and they really have lower prices on everyday items, not always on convience foods though. The things I have noticed a huge savings on are cereal, poptarts, produce, cake mixes, meats, bottles of apple juice, packs of crackers with peanut butter. (Now you know what's in my pantry.) No big savings on things like chips, cheese, and milk. (And by the way, they don't carry buttermilk, although I keep asking them to get it.)

The best deals I've gotten there have been bags of granny smith apples---$1.99, 5 lb bag flour---.29, last week whole seedless watermelon was $2.99 each, and in the fall they had an ad that had a $10 coupon if you spent $25.

And FYI, when you get to the register, they have free boxes to load you stuff into or you have to buy your own plastic bags, .05 each, I get 10 if I have a full cart, and you usually have to bag everything yourself. It's no Wegmans or Harris Teeter!

Two weeks ago, I spent $130 at Harris Teeter with a cart about medium way full. The next week it was under $100 for an overflowing cart at Bottom Dollar. That's what makes me keep going back.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Manassas Railway Festival

ALL ABOARD! It's almost time for the Fourteenth Annual Manassas Railway Festival. It will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. in historic Old Town Manassas, Virginia (at all streets surrounding the historic train depot). Admission is free. The festival will be held rain or shine.

Festivities will include VRE excursion rides; a variety of elaborate model railroads; railroad history and memorabilia; living history and folklore; three live bands throughout the day; and children’s rides and activities; and plenty of fabulous food. At 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm, the one-man musician and comedian Rick Hubbard and The Kazoobie Kazoo Show will perform on the Kid's Stage. Admission to the Manassas Museum will also be $1.00 for all visitors.

VRE’s excursion rides will be offered every hour on the hour beginning at 10:00 a.m., with the last excursion ride departing at 3:00 p.m. The train consist will be made up entirely of VRE’s new Gallery cars, so if anyone hasn’t had the opportunity to preview the new cars, now’s your chance! The ride, which will run round-trip between Manassas and Clifton and last about 35 minutes, will cost $6 (children under two ride free). Tickets must be purchased at the Manassas Visitor’s Center and the Train Depot (advanced sale tickets are available from May 15 through June 7 at the Train Depot in Manassas, 703-361-6599). Passengers will not be allowed to detrain at Clifton, nor can people board at Clifton; it is strictly a round-trip excursion with passengers boarding and detraining at the Manassas station.

www.visitmanassas.org.

Picnic in the Park

Thank you so much for starting this blog up...and for all the info in it.

I was thinking of starting a Picnic in the Park for the summer--kinda going around to some of these great parks with the kiddos either weekly or twice a month. They could be the ones nearby or further. Anyone takers on that one?

Little Tots Summer Fun at Gainesville's Atlas Walk

Did you see this in the Bull Run Observer? In case you missed it, looks like we are in for a treat every other Wednesday this summer, beginning June 4. Performances will take place at 10 a.m., near the Gazebo, located between American Tap Room and Uno Chicago Grill.

Mr. Knick Knack on June 4
Reptiles Alive on June 18
Flumpa the Tree Frog, accompanied by the Singing Scientist on July 2
Oh Susannah (nominated for Best Children's album) on July 16
Mad Science on July 30
The Unicycle Lady on August 13
The Funny Guy on August 27

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Free Bowling

I thought this was a super deal last summer and all of my kids loved it...FREE BOWLING!

http://bowl-america.com/programs.asp

If you have kids that are too young for report cards, don't despair. Did you know the shoes were free for sizes under 1? So if your older kids are getting free games for grades, the younger ones are getting free shoe rentals. It is a win win for everyone.

If only the adults could get some sort of deal!

Parks and Playgrounds

Awesome idea Heather!

I thought I would start a list of some of our favorite parks and playgrounds and why we love them and you guys can just pop onto this post and add your own.

Erika's Picks:

Meadowlark Park (Vienna)- I grew up going to this beautiful botanical garden and it remains a favorite of mine. It is huge and there are gazebos and ponds and nature trails and beautiful flowers, especailly right now. They started charging about 10 years ago which is a bit of a turn off, but it's $5 a person and 6 and under are free. It's a great place to take a ball to kick around and there is a nice picnic area right in front of the park to bring lunch to.

Clemyjontri Playground (McLean)- By far, the hugest, coolest playground I have ever seen! This place is awesome for kids and there is a carousel in the middle and a track that goes around the rubbery surface that all of the play equipment is built on. My best advice is to go on a slightly chilly day so it isn't so crowded and beware that it is an easy place to lose a youngster simply because it is such a big area.

Rady Park (Warrenton)- We just discovered this park last weekend upon the recommendation of a mom from preschool. It's nothing spectacular, but they do have a small playground in the SHADE and a stream that runs through that is shallow enough for kids to get right in, which we did. It has a trail that circles it and some huge athletic fields to run around in. While you're in Warrenton, stop at my new favorite fast food restaraunt Chick-fil-a that is right on the way to the park and is so super clean and the staff is very helpful and friendly, not to mention the yummy food!

Free Movies at a Theatre Near You!

Did you know that most theatres offer free movies during the summer months? Call your local theatre to see what days/times they offer their free movies...and their summer line up! Remember, the movies fill up fast so get there early.

Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.

Here is the schedule for the Regal Theatre in Manassas:


Manassas Stadium 14
11380 BULLOCH DRManassas ,VA 20109703-366-2842

06/24/2008-06/25/2008
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (G)
Firehouse Dog (PG)

07/01/2008-07/02/2008
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything - Veggie Tales (G)
Evan Almighty (PG)

07/08/2008-07/09/2008
Everyone's Hero (G)
Bee Movie (PG)

07/15/2008-07/16/2008
Arctic Tale (G)
Shrek The Third (PG)

07/22/2008-07/23/2008
Curious George (G)
Hairspray (PG)

07/29/2008-07/30/2008
March Of The Penguins (G)
Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG)

08/05/2008-08/06/2008
Mr. Bean's Holiday (G)
Happy Feet (PG)

08/12/2008-08/13/2008
Charlotte's Web (G)
Water Horse: Legend Of The Deep (PG)

08/19/2008-08/20/2008
Wallace And Gromit (G)
Surf's Up (PG)

Have You Tried Crazy 8 Clothes?

I have heard from Erika and Robyn that these are great clothes! They are totally cute and even better, they are inexpensive. The company only charges $5 for shipping. Right now they are having a 20% off already reduced clearance items!

Check it out here!