Family Fun (pottery)

  I received a gift certificate last year to PottsnPaints and decided to share it with my kids.  This was the first time I had ever painted anything and of course it was a first for my kids too.

  We looked at all the shelves to decide which item(s) we were going to paint!

We looked in the clearance section.  

They of course have a big holiday assortment. Halloween, Christmas etc.

How about some dishes?

Everyone choose their items.

Then we were introduced to the color options.

It was so neat to see all the colors.  My kids couldn't wait to select their colors.  They had such an organized system.  Everything was numbered and easy to locate.

Our colors were chosen and it was ready to get busy!

My daughter selected an owl to paint.

My son selected a spider web to paint.

After we were done I tried to explain the process to them after wards.

We left them to be glazed and returned a few weeks later to pick them up.

My kids were so happy first off to see their pieces but they really loved them when they saw how shiny the pieces were.

My son made sure to make his as colorful as he could!

My daughter worked very hard on her details!

I think we had a great day together and we have physical pieces to go with the mementos this time around! 

I hope we do this activity again sometime.  We could make gifts for others, ornaments for the tree or anything.

Find time for your family this weekend and do something special!

Family Fun (Theater)

  Lights, camera and action!  Showtime at Downing Gross for the family!  We won tickets a couple months ago for the Willy Wonka show and boy waiting for the show date to get here took so long.

My kids are familiar with both versions of Willy Wonka so they knew the plot but, they also knew from previous theater show experiences that anything is possible.  This show was no different.

Willy Wonka was a little different in this version.

Going to a show is so fun because it proves it's not about who plays the part as much as it is about the story.  Charlie was also a surprise!  Charlie was a girl too!

The show ran for a couple hours with a short intermission in the middle.  My kids sat through the duration without any problems.  They were extremely entertained by the movie.  I wish I could give them a theater experience monthly.

This show was great.  There was a lot of singing and action.  The story focused on the winners of the golden tickets and then followed them through the factory.

Each golden ticket winner was just as animated and entertaining as the next.  It was interesting to watch what would actually happen to each winner on the tour of the chocolate factory.

The audience even got to become a part of the show at one point when bubbles came out from the ceiling.  That was a highlight for my kids.  We were not sitting directly under them to fully appreciate them but it was nice to see them falling.  There second favorite part was the blueberry scene.  In this scent the little girl's suit actually blew up!  

I think a great family show is one with a lot of kid actors and actresses.  My kids enjoyed seeing all the little people playing various parts in the show.  

We had a great time.  No snacks, electronics and sitting still was not even a concentrated effort.  Our time at the theater just flowed.  We had a good time and finished our experience with some photo opportunities! 

Look it's the Oompa Loompas!

Hello Willy Wonka!

Well this concludes our family fun for the week.  Do you have any family fun planned?  Or what family fun did you do already? 

This is a great cultural arts center.  We have enjoyed a few events there as a family and I look forward to more in the future.  They offer a range of classes and events throughout the year.   Along with special summer programs.  We even caught some local school artwork on our way out.  That was fun for the kids to see too.

Train Depot Pitstop (Tuesday trip)

  A couple weeks ago my bookclub visited the Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad for our recent book The Girl on the Train.  While here we discussed the book, were introduced to the next book and received an informative tour of the museum.

The tour was interesting as I had never visited here before.  Inside you see all types of items from the train itself, to what the conductor wore, signs and dining car items.

The group made the climb upstairs and took in the sights of downtown Suffolk.

 We concluded our trip with a peek in the caboose.  I actually didn't know these were the living quarters for the train staff.

Not sure about the story behind the torpedoes.

It was a nice day trip.  Train fans would appreciate seeing all the memorabilia and model trains.  

If you are interested in visiting the museum you can find out more information here.

Winter Wednesday

  Last week the weatherman warned a Nor Easter was coming.  It later would be called a blizzard but being from NY I'm going to refrain from calling it that.  We got some snow.  Inches and inches of it.  It covered the grass, the trees and cars.  It shut down roads, businesses and schools.

  Here's the pros and cons of the storm!

Pros:
Everything stops and shuts down.
Your kids are home from school for daysssss.

Cons:
Everything stops and shuts down.
Your kids are home from school for daysssss.

  It's funny because I came from snow and we kept pushing forward but NY is experienced.  More equipped.  Fully prepared with sand and plows!  I get that.  VA is doing the best that they can wit what they have when it snows.

We bundled up as best we could because it was cold!!!

Outside play is the quickest in 20°! 

Snowballs were assembled and battles were had.

Snow angels check!

Even walks around the block for some fresh air.

Snow play is complete when you can make a snowman!

Our winter is complete!  The thing left that we would love to do is ski, sled, and tube.  All that requires a hill which are very limited in my area.  I hope a road trip is in our future before winter is over.  Oh and ice skating to round it all out!

We have done a lot in the house to make up for those bored blues!  Games, crafts and cocoa makes the world a happier place! 

How are you in enjoying your winter or whatever season your in?  It's all about making the most of what you have.

A Trip to Virginia MOCA

  MOCA stands for Museum Of Contemporary Art!  Contemporary is defined is art that is the product and reflection of the culture in which we live.


  My daughter and I visited the Virginia Moca last weekend on a free weekend!  What a great way to introduce us to an art museum we had never been to and to a different style of art my daughter has never seen. 

My favorite thing about an art museum is not the creativity behind it although that is spectacular but, that it changes.  You can always go and see something new.

This art featured was so amazing to look at.  I had to refrain from touching it because it was so unbelievable.  Cardboard was constructed into shapes and positions.

Cardboard!!!! These were just the start.  These were made by art students in high school.  This wasn't even the main event!

Right this way!!

My daughter told me to go first.   I mean who knows what's beyond that black hole.

Magic! Art is magic!  

The Monitorium exhibit was created by artist, puppeteer and more Wayne White.  Here he focused on the history of the Battle of Hampton Roads with the Ironclad ships.  In this exhibit you see sailors, ship related objects and there is even some fun hands on experiences.  You can read more about the artist here.

Next stop we got to see all things "don't touch"!

The objects in the next room were made up of wires or glass but we're on stands or tables.  So they were very tempting. If she saw something, she got excited and immediately wanted to point it out.

I think her favorite after all that we saw was the art lab area.  This area encouraged people both young and old to leave your art.  You know after seeing everything you have become inspired! 

First stop was a picture on a piece of paper stuck on to the wall.

Next stop was cardboard!!! Behold the community board of artistic creativity!

I would say we stayed at least an hour and a half or so.  She had fun looking at all the different pieces of art and creating her own.

It was definitely a great way to spend an afternoon.  We had time together. We experienced a new place and some new art together! I'm glad she is open to visiting different places.