Washington DC Mom Blog – A Parent in Silver Spring

September 1, 2011 | in: Washington With Kids, yummy

I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls on behalf of Dannon. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program but my opinions are my own.

For more information and recipe ideas, visit www.oikosyogurt.com or www.Facebook.com/oikos. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Only I would agree to be in a fashion show a few months after having a baby and weighing 25 more l-bs than usual. I agreed to walk the Runway for Moms on September 30th at the Embassy of Nigeria because this is such an amazing cause: All funds raised will assist orphans in Africa through United for Kids Foundation (UKF), a 501c3 organization committed to fighting poverty and illiteracy through education and social welfare programs in Nigeria.

But dude, I am very large and in charge these days. While my family may insist there is just more of me to love, and baby Alice may be digging on my massive, milk-producing boobs, I have to say…

It is go time.

I’ve got to lose some weight.

I have done it before. Through hard work after the other kids, I finally got back into my size 8 dresses. (Because honey, I will never be skinny. A healthy, average BMI is the best this chick is ever going to achieve.) After my second child, I lost the last of the baby weight by increasing both my exercise and protein intake, and cutting out the empty white carbs and sugar. My breakfast, lunch and dinner staple became nonfat Greek yogurt.

I even contacted a Greek yogurt company back in 2009 for more information because I wanted to blog about this wonder food! I guess this was before mom blogging really took off, because they only responded with a “Keep on purchasing our product!” email. I did. So this summer when Dannon and the Clever Girls asked if I would “try out” their product and write about it, I was totally ready to go.

I used to have go to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods to track down plain Greek yogurt in a nonfat version, but thankfully, more mainstream companies (and shoppers) have embraced this tasty, low calorie, high protein staple. Dannon’s Oikos Greek yogurt is now stocked on the shelves of major grocery stores, and I really love the authentic taste (they use the old school Greek straining process). It is filling and the plain favor (my favorite) provides 15 grams of protein per serving, but is only 80 calories.

You feel full after 80 calories. And it has TWICE the protein of regular old lowfat yogurts. It’s the bomb.

If you prefer sweetened yogurts, the fruit flavors are still only 130 calories and have 11-12 grams of protein.

You should try this yogurt yourself, for free! Dannon Oikos is offering a coupon for a free cup on www.facebook.com/oikos.

So enjoy your yogurt, have happy workouts now that the kids are back in school (state-mandated childcare, woo-hoo!) and please cross your fingers that I don’t break that catwalk at the end of the month!

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July 27, 2011 | in: cheapskate, get a sitter, yummy

Wow Deal of the Day: $20 for $40 food and drink at Fire Station 1 from Plum District

Fire Station 1 Restaurant and Brewing Co. is one of family’s and my favorite restaurants. It strikes the perfect balance of cool brewery restaurant for adults, and fireman rescue hero dream for the kids.

Mom and Dad get low-priced, quality beer on tap like Hook & Ladder, some of the best crab cakes and french fries in the DC area (from the Examiner’s restaurant review, “Is there a such thing as a perfect french fry? This one is up there…”) and $8 lunch specials.

It’s a place where $40 will go a long way…made even sweeter by the fact that $40 here will cost you just $20 right now on Plum District!

The restaurant is also a built-in history lesson for the children. Right across the street from the B&O train station and the current, modern fire station facility, the restaurant is housed in the historic Silver Spring National Guard Armory. The Armory was converted to the first Silver Spring fire house in 1919 and the firehouse themed restaurant is even owned by a retired Montgomery County firefighter. Inside, the official fire station decor, as well as the coloring pages and Wikki Stix that the servers will bring your kids, will keep them happily entertained until their food arrives.

The Jr. Firefighters menu is also well-priced and, if you can believe it, healthy. All items are freshly made, as far as I can tell (we’ve had almost all the items on the kids menu over the course of our visits). The default side order to your little one’s handmade mac-n-cheese or 4 oz. (non-frozen) angus burger is steamed broccoli “trees”, although you can instead request those perfect french fries for your little Master or Miss Potato Head.

My kids cheer when we take them here for dinner or a weekend lunch. And I will confess: we eat out a lot and they have become restaurant snobs. They find this place super entertaining and clean their plates, and Chris and I love that the kids are entertained by history rather than video games or other kid restaurant cheesiness.

For fun date nights: If you’re a poker person, there’s free Texas Hold’em every Monday, and trivia nights are on Wednesdays. Happy Hour is Monday-Friday from 3-7pm, with $3 Drafts, $5 Martinis, 1/2 Price J Lohr Wines and 50-cent wings.

Disclosure: Plum District is an advertising partner of A Parent in Silver Spring and they have gifted me this deal for my family. However, I agreed to this sponsored post because we have patronized this restaurant several times on our own dime and thus all opinions expressed are my own.

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July 19, 2011 | in: giveaways, yummy

Eve heartily agrees that PEEPS candies are a great call any time of year.

A week ago our new baby Alice was baptized, and after the dunking we invited our family, neighbors and some friends over to our home for a small celebration. As the woman of the hour was our a ten week old baby girl, I couldn’t resist frilly, feminine treats. We served sparkling rosé, loads of pink rose-topped cookies and the most popular item was a big basket of pink chick PEEPS 5-packs on which we placed a sign:

Please take one in honor of our Alice Elizabeth, just hatched!

Charlie and Eve were very impressed that our down-home summer lunch had a favor for guests and with our dorky wit (“They’re baby chicks, “just hatched” and Alice is a baby, get it, get it?”).

All of the attendees were totally impressed that we had PEEPS, when it wasn’t a holiday. They wanted to know if I saved them from Easter?

And thus I was excited to perform one of my first jobs as a PEEPS Ambassador and explain that PEEPS are available any old time, just head over to the fantastic PEEPS website or to our nearby PEEPS store at National Harbor. Because those baby christening PEEPS were fresh, baby.

And then we had to show the, er, peeps at the party the other cool stuff we picked up from the online store.

Eve has the cutey cute girls’ t-shirt (she’s wearing it in the picture above) that says “Imagine World Peeps”. Charlie’s says “Chicks Dig Me.” My comfy PEEPS pajama pants make me so happy when I pull them on at night time – they are incredibly flattering in a Marcia Brady bell bottom way. And even Alice has a onesie.

PEEPS is not just a company that makes stuff to fill Easter baskets, plastic pumpkins or Christmas stockings. They have a big ol’ online candy store AND a great retail place for fun PEEPS wear for your person, or PEEPS items for your home, office and playroom, and they’re open year-round.

Would YOU like to try out shopping at the PEEPS online store or National Harbor store? Because they have given me FIVE $20 GIFT CARDS to give away to readers!

To win:

Go to the PEEPS & COMPANY website and come back and leave a comment on this post on what PEEPS & Company items YOU would buy if you won! Make sure you leave your email addy so I can contact you if you win!
Share this post on Facebook and/or Twitter. Here’s a sample update or Tweet: A Parent in Silver Spring is giving away FIVE $20 gift cards to @peepsandcompany! Details here http://aparentinsilverspring.com.
“Like” PEEPS on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you’re a FB fan.
Follow PEEPS on Twitter. Leave a comment letting me know you’re a follower.

Sign up to receive new A Parent in Silver Spring posts via email so you never miss a giveaway!

The five winners will be randomly drawn from all means of entry on Sunday July 24 at midnight.

Disclosure: I was asked to serve as a PEEPS & Company brand ambassador, and as a devoted customer and purchaser of this brand for years, I happily agreed. I received free product and compensation.

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June 30, 2011 | in: kids eat free, Washington With Kids, yummy

Free kids meals at Washington DC, Montgomery County and even some Northern Virginia restaurants!

I’ve been making it my personal goal to find as many local kids eat free deals as possible. (UPDATED and I keep updating )

As the Frugal Families columnist for Wheaton Patch [in addition to the Mom of a Million Mistakes column for the site - psst, check out the great guest columnists who filled in for me while I took a baby break: Jean, Leticia, Colleen and Garine!], I’ve published three separate columns about kids eat free promotions.

It’s becoming a bit of an obsession, calling these restaurants, talking to the managers to confirm the deals…I keep finding more!

Please note that when a chain is listed, not all restaurants in the chain participate in the promotions. Or they might participate on different days.

As of June 30, 2011, all of these deals are accurate. However, restaurants change their promotions all the time. Please double check before you dine!

Do you know of others? List ones you’ve heard of in the comments, I’ll call to confirm and then update the list.

MONDAY

Ambrosia Grille Rockville
A free kids meal with the purchase of two adult entrees all day on Mondays. Good for children 12 and under. Dine-in only.

Eggspectation Silver Spring, Chantilly VA, Ellicott City MD, Leesburg VA, Gainesville VA
From 5 to 8 p.m., children receive a free meal when their parents order one too. Dine-in only.

El Golfo Silver Spring
This summer until August 31, the popular Latin American restaurant is offering free kids’ meals on Monday and Tuesday nights for dinner (with a paying adult). (Thanks to Theresa C. for suggesting this to the owner and then letting me know about this great deal!)

Lebanese Taverna Bethesda
Monday through Thursday, kids eat free from 5-6:30 p.m. with adult meal purchase. Also Tuesday has children’s performers each day from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Performance schedule here.

Old Hickory Grille Burtonsville
Kids get a free dinner and drink with each adult meal purchase. Dine-in only.

Surfside Washington, DC – Glover Park
Kid’s Eat Free (One kid’s meal per adult entree).

Z Pizza Silver Spring
On Mondays and Wednesdays, kids 12 and under can pick up a free slice of pizza or choose a kids’ pasta dish, as well as a fountain drink. All they need to redeem this deal is a grown up who orders from the regular menu.

Greene Turtle Olney
Kids get a free dinner from the kid’s menu with each adult meal purchase. Dine-in only.

The Daily Dish Silver Spring
On Mondays after 12 p.m., kids eat free for lunch and dinner! With the purchase of one adult meal, up to two kids age 12 and under can choose a free meal from the kids’ menu.

TUESDAY

Chik-Fil-A Silver Spring and Colesville
On Tuesday nights, both locations offer a free 4-piece kid’s meal when their accompanying adult orders too. There’s kid-friendly fun and balloons sometimes too. Mom Athena says, “Little known fact: You can trade in your unopened kid meal toy for an ice cream cone.” Nice tip Athena – I for one am all about more treats (that aren’t stocked in my own freezer or cabinet), less plastic crap!

Hard Times Cafe Bethesda
Kids eat free all day when accompanied by their paying parents.

Jackie’s Silver Spring
On Tuesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m, kids 10 and under eat dinner free when accompanied by their parents.

La Tasca Spanish Tapas Rockville
For lunch and dinners ordered before 5pm, for every two tapas purchased 1 child can eat free from the kids menu.

Mr. Henry’s Restaurant Washington DC – Capitol Hill
Every Tuesday night is family dining night upstairs. From 5:00 – 8:00 pm children 8 years old and younger eat free, from the kids menu, with dining adults.

Primo Italiano Rockville
From 4 to 9p.m., children receive a free meal when their parents order one too. Dine-in only.