Great Grapes Wine & Food Festival is returning to Northern Virginia on September 7-8, 2013. This year, the festival will take in the heart of Reston Town Center. The festival features:

• Over 200 great VA Wines
  
• 20 Virginia Wineries on site
• Fantastic live entertainment
• Gourmet Food
• Cheese and Olive Oil Pavilions 
• Crafts and Artisans
• Great kids' area complete with entertainment, moon bounces, crafts, and children's activities 
  

Enter our giveaway below to win a pair of Adult Tasting Tickets to the event. Ticket includes a souvenir wine glass, unlimited wine samples, and access to all performances & cooking demos.  Tickets will be picked up at will call. 

Who doesn't love the crispy weather, apple picking, pumpkin spice lattes, and enjoying some good old-fashioned family time with a backdrop of changing leaves? There is so much for families in Northern Virginia to do this fall, and we have compiled a list of our TOP PICKS for Fall Fun in the  Northern VA and DC Metro Area. 

We also MUST reiterate our book has a hefty seasonal fun chapter, descriptions of hundreds of local venues, and a chapter on "pick-your-own-farms."  If you have a family in Northern Virginia, you need our must-have guidebook.  

Read our top picks for fall family activities in Northern Virginia and the surrounding areas below:

Our friends at The Little Gym are offering Kid Trips and DC Metro Mom readers 50% off your purchase of an entire Bugs Program (4 months - 10 months) at The Little Gym in Fairfax, VA!

This is an awesome deal that applies to the entire program, not just your first month of class!
What a saving!

I have long been a big fan of The Little Gym and talked about my experience on DC Metro Mom. You can view the entire blog at this LINK. 

Take advantage of this opportunity before the classes fill up or the offer expires.  This offer is good until October 13, 2013.


For more information visit, http://www.thelittlegym.com/FairfaxVA/Pages/default.aspx.

The number of hungry families and individuals in Northern Virginia is often overlooked because of the affluent reputation of this area.  More than 200,000 people are at risk of hunger in Northern Virginia, including 1 in 6 children under the age of 18. 

There are many simple ways for kids, even preschoolers, to help fight childhood hunger in our area. One of my favorite ways is hosting a Power Pack Playdate to benefit the organization Food for Others.

One of my favorite things to do when my children were younger (and still do) was sing.  I would sing to distract them, make up songs with their names, sing to teach concepts, and sing just to be silly.  Music is still an integral part of our lives, and anyone who has been following me for awhile, knows my obsession with local tot rockers and all the great performances in our area. That is why, I am so thrilled to help promote one of the area's finest music teachers,  Music With Maddy.  Maddy is full of energy and keeps kids engaged with her hands-on approach to learning. 

When they were smaller, my children loved taking Music Together®  classes and years later, we still listen to the CDs in the car.  Now is the time for other local families to get in on the action, and register for the Fall Semester. Your little one will have a blast singing, moving, and learning in these one of a kind music classes. 

We love Kid Junction, the newest indoor play space for kids located in Chantilly, VA, and also had the pleasure of meeting ¡Uno, Dos, Tres con Andrés! a few months ago at an event.  Not only will your children love his music, but he gets everyone involved and moving in his fun show. Plus, Kid Junction is the perfect place for you to burn off some energy before bedtime and kick off the weekend!

So make it a family date night and get your friends together to climb, play games, sing, and dance.  This not-to-miss event is included in regular Kid Junction admission.  More details below and be sure to call to RSVP! 

For more information about Kid Junction, please read my review with pictures and details in Northern Virginia Magazine. 


This post was sponsored by Kid Junction. All opinions are our own. 

As I am writing this post, I literally just got back from a week long trip to see my parents in New York. As many others here in the DC area know, the traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike can be painful, and the tolls can take a toll on your wallet. (Pun intended, I am super funny, I know.) 

That is why I was super excited to come home to an envelope filled with Sunoco A Plus discount cards! These cards have a pre-loaded discount of $1 off each gallon of gas purchased, for up to 20 gallons. (Buy 20 gallons of gas, you get $20 off!) Sunoco has sent us 6 cards to give away to 6 of our lucky readers. 

Please enter the Rafflecopter below. 

We received 9 cards total, one for each of us partners at Kid Trips and the other six to give away. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.

Sport Bounce of Loudoun is one of the Northern Virginia's best indoor play spaces. This 10,000 square foot facility in Ashburn has moonbounces, a new cafe called Jumping Java with gourmet coffee drinks and smoothies, and is a great place for parties, group gatherings, fundraisers, and regular open bounce times.  Parents love Sport Bounce of Loudoun because it's so clean, and kids love having fun and being active. Read more about Sport Bounce of Loudoun and other indoor play spaces by purchasing a copy of our Kid Trips Northern Virginia book on Amazon. 

Enter the Rafflecopter below to win a pack of 5 passes to Sport Bounce of Loudoun's open gym time. View the current open gym time schedule online here: http://www.sportbounce.com/opengym.php

As much as we love to travel, we also LOVE to be all about what's local. We built our book and blog by the support local businesses, venues, and people. That is why we're excited that the 4th Annual Alexandria Sidewalk Sale will return on August 10 - 11, 2013 in two locations, Old Town Alexandria and Del Ray. 

Fifty-five great shops such as The Shoe Hive, Kiskadee, Zoe Boutique, 529 Kids Consign, Mint Condition, Appleseed Maternity and many more will host promotional events, amazing clearance sales, demonstrations, and customer specials. Plus, partying will be free in Old town at meters and city-owned garages on Saturday, and parking is always free in Del Ray.  


Plus, Twitter and Instagram users can enter to win!

The Old Town Boutique District will be giving away five $25 gift cards to the boutique of your choice . All you have to do is tweet and/or instagram a picture of yourself shopping, hanging out with the family, showing off your new purchase or just having fun in Old Town or Del Ray using hashtag #AlxSidewalkSale and tagging @OTBoutiques. 

Good luck and happy shopping!

Our friends at Red Tricycle are offering 12 giveaways by local favorites such as Lil Omm Yoga Studio and Daisy Baby.  Enter by clicking on the image below and filling out the entry form on the page during the contest period, July 9th 2013 through August 20th, 2013 at 11:59 pm PST. By participating, all entrants agree to abide by the Official Rules. All entries must be unique and valid email addresses.  Good luck!