Mommy FTW

We live near the Whole Foods Friendship Heights in Chevy Chase and shop there all the time, and often eat lunch as well (FYI, it’s a great place to eat with the whole family because everyone can pick something that they want).  I just found out that this particular Whole Foods is about to roll out a delivery service, and for those who give it a try during the soft launch (5/29-6/12,) you can get a 10$ gift card, and a free delivery!

Free delivery and 10$ of free food? Yes please.

Here’s the details about the Friendship Heights delivery service: Customers will come to the store and shop as usual, at check out they can opt for delivery. Whole Foods will hold on to the groceries and deliver within a 4hour window from the point of purchase. The idea is that customers who take great pride in picking out their own groceries will still get that experience but won’t have to hustle home to drop off their items when they may have other plans.  So now you can still get your shopping done and then run straight off to the kids soccer practice, karate, art class, or all of the above.

Violet at Whole Foods last Sunday getting some shopping done

Whole Foods is using a completely green electric truck, and they hope to extend the delivery area and that eventually the Tenley and Bethesda store will implement the service to serve their neighborhoods.

The delivery fee is a flat $5 and any deliveries of groceries totaling $200 or more will be free.  Check out the map to see if you are in the delivery area, and stop in and talk to the friendly folks at Customer Service to learn more about getting your 10$ gift card.

FYI, you can ‘Like’ Whole Foods Market Friendship Heights on Facebook and find out more about weekly specials (Lobster tails are on sale this Friday!!) and classes.

Hooray!  Today I received an eye witness report that the sprinklers at Chevy Chase Playground (aka Livingston Playground) are finally up and running as of 1130am this morning!   The hours of operation will be 11am til 7pm DAILY – this sprinkler park is in fact open on SUNDAYS! The water comes on in ten minute cycles (on for 10 minutes, off for 2 minutes) but the button on the top of the red “hydrant” in the middle of the spray ground will keep it on continuously (see picture).  See you there!!

A picture from the testing phase - note the red hydrant in the middle which keeps the water on.

Chevy Chase Playground (often called Livingston Playground because of its location) is located at 4101 Livingston Street Northwest, Washington D.C. It is within walking distance from the Friendship Heights Metro Station (on the Red Line) and, there is also plenty of street parking.  For more pictures and information on the rest of Chevy Chase Playground (which was just renovated) check out my earlier post.

Update on Tuesday August 2nd – the sprinklers are ON!!

Update on Wednesday July 27th – DPR announced at the meeting Tuesday evening that they are working on the drainage problem at present and hope to re-lay the concrete/cement on Thurs/Fri this week. They hope to turn the sprays on again on Monday August 1st to test whether the problem has been fixed.

Original post – It seems like all the moms in NW DC are asking “When are they going to open the spray park at Chevy Chase Playground?!”  It’s so hot out, and it’s hard to be patient.  Today I sent a tweet to the Mayor (@mayorvincegray) asking if he could help and at least get some information about when they plan to fix the drainage issue.  I just got his response: DPR tells me that work to repair should start Monday and take a couple of weeks. I understand impatience in this heat!

So there you have it – I wish I had better news to report!  In the mean time, check out the other DC sprinkler parks – I posted a list just the other day.  And, don’t forget about the Wilson Aquatic Center.  It’s a great way to beat the summer heat.

Still not open - and it sounds like it will be awhile.

FYI – There will be a community meeting with DPR regarding Livingston Street Park on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 6:30 PM. During this meeting DPR will review the additions to the park, areas that need attention, and the timeline for repairs or remaining installations (spray park, sand box, benches, etc.).

Who: DPR Staff, Director Aguirre, CM Mary Cheh and Community
When: Tuesday, July 26, 2011
6:30 PM
Where: Chevy Chase Community Center Multi-Purpose Room
5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW

My 2.5 year old toddler isn’t really keen on spending the day indoors even if it’s hot or rainy (and neither am I!)  But my 3 month old little girl doesn’t do too well in extreme heat, so I’ve been on the look out for places to go near by that are fun for him, comfortable for her, and affordable for me.  I already wrote about the Rock Creek Park Nature Center, which is a favorite of ours – but recently I checked out the Wisconsin Place Community Recreation Center at the suggestion of some moms.  It was a greet find for us, so I wanted so share with my readers.

The Wisconsin Place Community Recreation Center is located at 5311 Friendship Boulevard in Chevy Chase, MD – just over the Maryland line in the same building as the Whole Foods and Bloomingdales. They have a children’s play area with a few oversized blocks (see pictures) and some toys. The guy at the front desk told me that on Monday and Wednesday mornings they move the kid’s stuff into the basketball court and let the kids play there – which is where we ended up. It’s nothing amazing – but Cameron had a great time running around with the other kids. The cost was $5 for us to enter, but you can get a yearly membership which is what I plan to do. It’s $30 a year for Montgomery County residents, and $45 for non-county residents.

You can park in the building parking lot, which isn’t free. But, if you spend 5$ at Whole Foods (including the coffee bar) you can get parking validated for 90 minutes. I’m almost always in need of some coffee or some groceries, so it’s not too hard to think of a reason to shop.

You can find out more about the Rec Center including facility information, hours of operation and fees at the Montgomery County website.

I was pretty bummed last fall when I learned that Chevy Chase Playground (Livingston Playground) was closed for renovation.  But, now that the playground has re opened and everything is brand new (and totally awesome!) I’ve decided it was worth the wait!

One of the big draws of the new space is the water feature (sprayground / sprinklers), but unfortunately, we will all have to wait a little longer for this to open – there seems to be a drainage issue that is still being worked on.  But from what I saw of the water area it looks pretty great.  All the kids were staring at it longingly!  The DPR employee I talked to said he thought it would be ready to go in about a week.  UPDATE – as of 8/2/11 the sprinkler park is open!!

But, let’s cover what is there – There are 4 play structures of various sizes which are perfect for the toddler set. Cameron, at 2.5 could navigate pretty much all of them on his own.  Certainly some of them are made for the littler kids (but he had just as much fun on these).  I tried to include lots of pictures so you could get a feel for the place.

I think his favorite thing was the climbing wall / mountain which after a few attempts he was able to do on his own.  The whole playground surface is covered in soft rubber, which makes for easy falls.  There’s plenty of space to run in between each play area, and lots of trees around (to be fair it was a cloudy day so it was hard for me to really evaluate the amount of shade).  There are a few benches for sitting, although more would be nice.  I didn’t see many trash cans, though there are some.  There are 2 toddler swings and 2 big kid swings.  The toddler swings were in high demand.  There is also another separate playground area for bigger kids which I didn’t check out yet.

If you’re near by, its definitely worth a trip!  There’s plenty of street parking, and once those sprinklers are fully operational I think this will be a favorite summer spot for us (and lots of others too!)

Chevy Chase Playground (often called Livingston Playground because of its location) is located at 4101 Livingston Street Northwest, Washington D.C. It is within walking distance from the Friendship Heights Metro Station (on the Red Line) and, as I said, there is also plenty of street parking.

DC Fans and Brooklyn Fans I’ve got you both covered for Saturday Halloween fun!

Fort Greene and Clinton HIll folks, The Conservancy presents the 11th Annual all FREE Halloween Festival in Fort Greene Park on Saturday, October 30th from Noon- 3:00pm

Free fun in Fort Greene Park this Saturday!

There will be hay rides, games, sack races, face painting, stilt-walkers, entertainers and free pumpkins to decorate – all FREE. Plus there will be a costume parade and spooky cemetery. The festival kicks off at 12 noon with a wild costume contest for dogs and their
owners, “The Great PUPkin,” sponsored by Fort Greene PUPS, the local dog-owners organization. Even if you don’t have a dog, this is really fun for kids to check out.

For the DC locals, there’s a Halloween Party at Forest Hills Playground (3200 Chesapeake St. NW DC) also on Saturday from 10:30 – 12:30pm.

Free fun for DC kids at Forest Hills Playground

Come celebrate Halloween at Forest Hills Playground park with all your friends. Events include: A magic show byThe Great Zucchini, a Bake Sale, a Costume Parade, and Arts & Crafts for the kids. It’s all free so go check it out!

This week I’m heading back to DC with Cameron (for more pool time at the Wilson Aquatic Center!) so I decided to do a little research on the local Library (the Chevy Chase branch located at 5625 Connecticut Avenue) to see what sorts of baby friendly reading programs they have in case we’ve got some spare time.  Here’s what I found listed on the Friends of the Chevy Chase Library web site.  Looks like they’ve got some good offerings!

Chevy Chase Library (via flickr)

Baby Time!
Thursdays at 9:30 am
Books, Lullabies, and Bonding
A program intended for babies and their caregivers

Story Time!
Thursdays at 10 am
Stories, Songs, and So Much More
A program intended for children ages 2-5 and their caregivers

Family Time!
Wednesdays at 7 pm
Stories, Arts & Crafts, and FUN
A program intended for children and their family members

I don’t think we will make Baby Time on this visit, but we will try to in the future!  I think this just goes to show that you should check with your local library to see what kinds of things they have to offer you and your little one.

I’m the kind of person who orders everything off the internet – from my groceries, to my diapers, and everything in between.  When it came time to get Cameron his first set of “big boy shoes” (hard soled shoes for walking) I had my doubts about ordering online.  After all, fit is really important, and I didn’t want to slow Cameron down with the wrong shoes.  When I was in DC this past week visiting my parents with Cameron my mom suggested we check out Ramer’s Shoes (3810 N. Hampton St NW DC).  They are a Stride Rite retailer.  She told me that she used to take me to Ramer’s Shoes when I was little… and once we got over there, I definitely remembered it.  Dear readers, I am 31 – so that should tell you this place has been around for awhile!

When we arrived we walked in on another mom who was also there getting her babies first walking shoes.  The mom and baby both seemed very happy with their recent purchase, and I was feeling confident that the saleswoman would take good care of Cameron.  Indeed she did!

Cameron gets measured

She expertly measured his feet – informing me that one was half a size smaller than the other, and that his feet were unusually narrow (like my husband’s feet).  She told me that shoes with laces were better for early walkers, because they offer more support (I had asked for velcro, but she told me this was a no-no).  We tried on a few pairs of shoes and found the right one.

And we try on the first pair of shoes....

They even have  a little piano that is perfect for having babies stand at so you can see how the shoe fits when the baby is putting pressure on the foot.  They also keep a chart on your child of their shoe size, and send you reminders when it’s time to get a new pair.  Overall, the service was outstanding, and I am so glad we went there for Cameron’s first shoes.

Putting them to the test

I am all about buying things online, but I think in this case, going to a real shoe store with someone who knows what they are doing was the right thing to do.  So moms in the Washington DC area, check out Ramer’s Shoes!