First of all, I recommend splurging and staying at “The Martha” aka The Martha Washington Inn.  This historic inn was built in 1832 and has been a private residence, a women’s college and a civil war-era hospital as well as it’s present use as an inn.  The inn’s library, with it’s fireplace and overstuffed leather couches and chairs, is a perfect place to curl up and read one of the many wonderful volumes available.   The staff was very attentive and kid-friendly.

One of the highlights of Abingdon is the Barter Theatre, established in 1933.  The Barter Theater is the State Theater of Virginia and puts on many performances for children.  Reserve your tickets in advance as many shows sell out.  If you are not able to get tickets in advance, I was told by a local that if you show up at the box office 15 minutes before the show starts, they will release tickets for those who have not shown up.

We had a wonderful dinner at The Tavern.  Again, reservations are recommended.  The Tavern is the oldest building in Abingdon and well worth a peek inside.  They do not have a children’s menu, but are happy to accommodate children with smaller portions of menu items or chicken fingers.  The owner’s attentiveness was most impressive.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to see all that Abingdon has to offer.  We look forward to going back and checking out the museums, festivals and more of the hidden gems here.

First Nights and New Year’s Eve – Virginia Is For Lovers

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I originally wanted a Kindle for purely selfish reasons.  I had visions of myself curling up on the couch and ordering a great book and reading it instantly.  But, things changed when I pulled the Kindle out in a restaurant while waiting to have dinner with my family.

My son had gotten bored waiting and like most children, was starting to get antsy.  Just to entertain him, I pulled out the Kindle and we started searching the store for children’s books.  He picked out a book from the Junie B. 1st Grader series and well, the rest is history.  In the morning, he brings me the Kindle when he wakes up and asks me to read to him.  I keep it in my purse all the time now and whenever we are waiting or have the time, we pull out the Kindle and can just pick up where we left off.  Best of all, when we finish one book, it takes (literally) 30 seconds to get another loaded onto the Kindle.  He actually has stopped bringing his DS and/or portable DVD player when we travel since we have the Kindle.

The Kindle is very thin and lightweight.  It features Whispernet to connect directly to the Amazon store and does not have a monthly fee.  The children’s books are about $2-$4 each and do not expire once you load them.  My son is easily able to follow along as I read to him and he loves pushing the “next page” button.  The children’s books we have loaded have a few illustrations as well which are very clear on the device.

Something I thought was all about me has turned into a great bonding experience for parent and child.

Current shows include:

• The newly-acquired show “The Planets” which takes audiences on a tour of our solar system, explaining how our solar system and its planets formed, why things rotate around the sun in the ways they do, and eventually looks at the planets that have been discovered around other stars.  This show was produced by the Southeastern Planetarium Association and is narrated by Kate Mulgrew (aka Captain Katherine Janeway of “Star Trek: Voyager”) .
• The three shows in the “Explorers” series.  These were produced by the Bishop Museum Planetarium in Hawaii and address many of the national and Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) for K-12 students.
• The children’s show “In My Backyard”, produced by the Calgary Science Center.  This show takes younger audiences (from 3 years old to second graders) on a tour of many of the objects that can be seen in the night sky without a telescope.
• “Dinosaur Prophecy”:  The audience joins paleontologists at the scene of the crime, excavating bones and wondering what killed the mighty dinosaurs.  Be amazed as your favorite giants come to life, roam across the dome, and meet their catastrophic deaths.  Find out how NASA scientists monitor the Earth and solar system for potential disasters!
• And the always-popular Christmas show ” ‘Tis the Season” chronicles many of the legends and traditions of the Christmas holiday season, including the story of a certain star.

Tina’s take:  I brought my son and a couple of his friends here for an evening show.  They loved it and can’t wait to go back!  Curie Hall, where the Planetarium is located on the Radford campus, is easy to find and free parking is available right behind the building.  The young lady leading the show we attended seemed to be very passionate about her work and took extra time to answer all the kid’s questions.  Shows last anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes.

Even though there is zero nutrient value to most of this stuff, it does seem kind of wasteful to just toss it.  I decided to search for a few ideas of what to do with your leftover take….

1.  Save some colorful candy for decorating a holiday gingerbread house

2.  Have your child leave 1/2 of their candy for the “Candy Fairy” who will come at night to take the extra candy and deliver to children who couldn’t go trick or treating.  Consider leaving $1 under the pillow for this effort.

3.  Donate to the local fire department, police department or library.

4.  Donate to the local YMCA or Boys/Girls Club

5.  Save some for an advent calendar

6.  Send it overseas for the troops.  Once place is the Army Medical Center in Germany (thanks Aunt Nancy USA!):

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center 
ATTN: MCEUL-CH/Chaplains Office 
CMR 402 
APO AE 09180

7.  Donate to a local food bank or homeless shelter (they do appreciate being able to offer treats)

8.  Save and freeze the chocolate for baking and cooking add ins (such as cookies and ice cream mix ins)

9.  Take it to work and give it to the receptionist to keep the office candy jar filled

10.  Wrap some up in green/red cellophane or bags and save for Christmas treats

The Knack Great Pumpkin Event
Saturday, October 10
10am–1pm

Bring the whole family to Michaels and create your own craft pumpkin. $5 per pumpkin ($7 Canada), includes supplies. While supplies last.

The Knack FREE Family
Halloween T-Shirt Event*
Sunday, October 25
1pm–3pm

Use your hand to make a special Halloween t-shirt that is sure to spook. Just purchase the t-shirt of your choice at Michaels and decorate it for FREE using our paint supplies! While supplies last.

*Parents, we also have an Adult Mask-Making Demo going on at the same time. Learn how to turn an ordinary mask into an extraordinary costume accessory!

The Knack FREE Family
Halloween Event
Saturday, October 31
10am–12pm

Bring the kids in to kick off Halloween! Come and get a FREE trick-or-treat pail! Plus, enjoy a free coloring activity, FREE Crayola® pencil topper demo using Crayola® Model Magic® FusionTM and a Make-It Take-It Halloween frame. Children will also receive a FREE balloon and candy. While supplies last. Ages 5–12 welcome.

The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk recently dedicated a new childrens rain garden as one of its newest attractions. Besides being a beautiful addition to the zoo, the garden will function as an outdoor classroom too.

AT&T is sponsoring the 21st Annual Children’s Festival in Norfolk on October 10, 2009 at Town Point Park.

The Children’s Festival now in its 21st year is filled with more than 100 creative and interactive activities, storytelling, hands‐on workshops and educational displays, cultural experiences, arts and crafts, stage shows and costumed characters.  This event is designed with children 10 and younger in mind (from the list of activities provided, I would make that 8 and younger).

There is a $3 admission with a portion of the proceeds being donated to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  To purchase tickets click here.  AT&T wireless phone customers will receive 1 free admission with each AT&T wireless phone.  Tickets must be purchased at the gate and phone must be presented to qualify for this special offer.