Bring your appetites to Busch Gardens for the second annual Busch Gardens® Food & Wine Festival. The festival runs weekends through June 29 and features 14 tasting kiosks with 55 menu items that can only be sampled during the event. The festival also offers over 71 varieties of wine, beer and specialty cocktails.

Feed the Giraffes!

Have you been to the Metro Richmond Zoo lately?  Until last week, it had probably been two years since I had been.  (Two years?  How did that happen?)  But last week, I had the pleasure of enjoying the Zoo alongside approximately a million kindergarteners (including my daughter!).

If you’ve never been to the Zoo, there are over 2,000 reasons to go.  That’s because the Zoo boasts being home to over 2,000 animals!  According to a recent post on the Zoo’s Facebook page, “The Zoo first opened to the public on April 22, 1995. When we first opened, we had around 250 animals. Since then, we have grown to house about 2000 animals representing over 180 species from around the globe. ”

In addition to the wide array of animals, there are unique ways to interact with the animals that makes this Zoo stand out.  You can purchase cups of food ($2) to feed different animals.  You can get very up close and personal with lots of giraffes more than eager to eat out of your hand!  Or you can purchase a budgie stick ($1), which has bird seed on one end.  In the Budgie cage, prepare to have lots of colorful birds sit on you and nibble!  Other interactive exhibits include the safari train ride ($3) where you’ll get up close with free-ranging African animals, and Zookeeper-led animal feedings.

The Budgie Birds!

Need a break from all the animal interaction?  For $3 you can take a ride over the Zoo on the  Safari Sky Ride, to get a new perspective.  There’s also the Zoo carousel ($1) which your kids will surely beg to go on at some point.

If you haven’t been to the Zoo in a while, there are so many reasons to go back.  First and foremost, babies!  Baby animals abound at the Zoo these days! Within the past 6 weeks, baby giraffes, goats, cheetahs, camels and warthogs have been born!  Sadly, one of the baby cheetahs recently passed away.  I’ve really appreciated that the Zoo has updated the public on the situation on their Facebook page.  It has been heartbreaking.

The Zoo has added several new interactive activities.  In the Treetop Zoofari zipline and adventure park attraction, guests as young as 8 years old can ride over the Zoo on a series of zip lines.  It looks so fun!  The Treetop Safari tickets are separate from Zoo admission so use the Website to plan your trip.  There’s also a new playground, and the price IS included with your ticket!

The new Treetop Zoofari zipline attraction

I’ve heard critiques of the Zoo is that it’s a far drive from Richmond and that it is expensive.  I would argue that good things are worth driving for, especially if those things are zebras, baboons, pythons and camels.  The cost?  Well yes, it can add up.  However, the cost is less than the ticket prices for the amusement parks in similar driving range.  Plus, I feel I got some insight through the Kindergarten educational program of how the Zookeepers truly care about the animals and the work they are doing.  That’s worth paying for!

If you go, keep in mind that the park is closed on Sundays and some holidays.  There are concessions and a gift shop.  However, a picnic is fun, especially since there are nice covered picnic areas.  I also recommend bringing cash ($1 bills in particular) for those add-on activities.  Plan to spend at least two hours to get the most out of your experience (probably longer!).  If you think you may come to the zoo more than twice in a year, they do offer a variety of memberships which may be more cost effective.  Then you can go whenever you want!

Aly Wepplo (Fiona) center, and Ensemble. Photo by Jay Paul

I told my 7 year old son we were going to go see a musical.
“Ugh. A MUSICAL?””What’s wrong with musicals?”
“They are so… songy.”

By the end of act 1, however it was extremely clear, we may be seeing this show again before the run is over.

Virginia Rep’s Shrek The Musical is absolutely everything you love about the movie and then some.
Perfectly cast, Shrek leaves you with a long list of favorite performances.
Jason Marks is lovable from the start as the big green ogre, and carries the show beautifully. Whether he is in the swamp or a dragon guarded tower, the audience is with him every step of the way.

Ally Wepplo’s Fiona combines princess with tomboy perfectly and creates a delightful, well rounded character. Robert King is hilarious as Lord Farquaad, while the only thing that stops Ronnie Brown (Donkey) from absolutely stealing the show is how the rest of the cast steps up with solid and energetic performances.

Also starring in this productions is Brian C. Barker’s vibrant set and Broadway-worthy costume and makeup design from Elizabeth Weiss Hopper.  While it’s hard to imagine Shrek without his signature green looks,  the detail and precision of each character’s costume elevates the show.
Definitely for ages 6 and up,  Shrek takes classic, can’t-fail kid humor (read: fart jokes) and mixes in adult humor (read: one character comes out as a Scientologist) to have the whole audience rolling with laughter.

The show isn’t all jokes and musical dances; there are lessons to be found between the humor: self acceptance, standing up for what’s right and acceptance of each others differences.

Virginia Rep’s Shrek, not only fills expectations, but bubbles over with laughter and delight.
Highly recommended for mature and immature audiences.

Shrek the Musical
March 14 – April 27, 2014

Wednesdays – Sundays
At Willow Lawn
1601 Willow Lawn Drive
(804) 282-2620
Purchase tickets here.

I, like everyone else on the planet, am SO ready for Spring.   I’m already dreaming of all the summer days we’ll be spending at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA.    You can grab their best deal for the little ones and join us!  Did you know that you can get a Preschool Pass for children aged 3 – 5 that provides FREE admission to both parks all summer long?  Children 2 & under are always free.

Author’s Note: This post was updated 1.15.14 in an effort to (and I’m showing my age here) better answer the question, “Where’s the beef?” –Kate

She may be clairvoyant, or just a positive thinker. Two years ago, she whispered to her sister that she’d be speaking at this conference, even though her blog and book weren’t nearly as well-followed as they are today.

When she was little, she “wanted to be a nun.” Instead she became a blogger, author and sought-after speaker but not until she faced her addiction to drugs, alcohol and food head-on. One thing’s for sure, Glennon is very kind. I felt like we were old friends catching up vs. on an interview to share her upcoming trip to Richmond with you.

And, I’ll admit that the conference she knew she wanted to be a speaker at– WomanKind 2014‘s Truth or Dare event–is a new event to me.  A friend-of-a-friend reached out and before you know it, I find myself interviewing Momastery.com’s Glennon Doyle Melton, a blogging force with which to be reckoned. Momastery.com is a blog I’d heard about and read before, and after perusing more of her quirky, heartfelt posts–from A Mountain I’m willing to die on to I Thought Jesus’d Be Gay or . . .No She Didn’t it’s no surprise she has hundreds of thousands of followers.

I’ll admit something else that I shared with Glennon–I’m not a faithful church-goer, at least not currently. I am a Christian and consistently teach Christian values to my kids (and try to live them, yet ultimately fail miserably.) She didn’t judge. In fact, she has atheist friends and “gets atheism 100%. I attend friends’ Jewish events, too–I love talking about how faith is approached.” She went on to say that although the terminology changes–it’s all semantics. “We’re all approaching faith in our own way.”

Glennon made several similar refreshing points like this during our conversation, spurring me even more intrigued to meet her on February 7th when she comes to Richmond to sign her book, Carry On, Warrior, Thoughts on Life Unarmed and kick off this Christian women’s conference designed to educate and inspire. What Glennon describes as a “large, beautiful group of women, talking about faith in an out-of-the-box sort of way” has a lineup of impressive speakers and workshops that follow her kick-off on Saturday, February 8, 2014. “It’s also like coming home for me, since I’m from Virginia. We moved to Florida but I miss it, and plan to meet lots of family and friends on this trip as well as new ladies in Richmond.”

I asked Glennon what prompted her family to head south to Florida to live, “I contracted Lyme disease which can cause severe arthritis. I feel so much better because of the climate in Florida, but I miss Virginia very much.”

When questioning how she keeps it all together–the growing blog following, her book tours, speaking engagements. “I couldn’t do it without my sister. I am the creative and she does everything else–literally. We’re wired completely differently but we work so well together, and I couldn’t this without her.” In fact, Glennon mentioned that her “whole crazy family” may end up coming, because that’s just how they roll. “I cannot imagine doing this without their support and presence. I’d be so lonely.”

Speaking of family, we shared a bit about having young girls, and I mentioned her recent blog post about her daughter Tish, talking about beauty and girls and all the trappings. “It’s really tough our girls, isn’t it? I think the toughest part is that their worries are the same as mine and the hurts are the same, too. It just hits me so hard. Boys require worry, too, but it’s just a little different.”

That’s likely why a women’s conference is the most likely spot to find Glennon, and I’m thrilled she’s heading to RVA.

Who inspires you? “So many people–every day people. But I adore Anne Lamott–she’s who I saw presenting and knew I had to be part of WomanKind. There’s always that ‘a-ha’ moment when I hear someone like Anne sharing a story and it makes me feel like such a part of a great community.” Glennon also added that it’s not just “church friends” she’s drawn to/hangs out with. “It’s all friends.”

“One last thing that’s kind of burning on my mind, as a local blogger, I only have a presence in Richmond. Isn’t it hard to continue sharing all of the personal details of your life knowing what a reach you have?” I asked Glennon, knowing the answer myself all-too-well. “Absolutely, but I feel like I have to do it, it just feels so good to get these thoughts out” she answered, sharing that there have been times that she regretted putting herself out there. “But I’m not kidding when I tell you that I rarely get recognized anywhere! In fact, my daughter recently went to school telling her class that my book was #3 on the NY Times Best Seller list. Except she couldn’t quite get the details right when recanting this proud fact to her class. . .so she told them that mommy’s got a paper route.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wow!  Another year comes to an end, but before we say good-bye to 2013, we want to THANK all of YOU, the fantastic and loyal readers, for making the past 12 months so amazing!  All of us at RichmondMom.com appreciate your support in helping build such an interesting and diverse community for sharing, educating and just plain having fun!

We’d also like to send out a personal thank you to all the wonderful people who make all this happen!  The uncomparable group of writers, contributors and content creators who bring us laughter, tears and everything in between.

Here are a few of the familiar faces – please revisit all the great writing by clicking on their photo.  Also, many of them have their own blogs, so please support them by visiting!  A few more names – no pics – are:  Kristy Roy, Rose Burns, Dorinda Bredbenner, Katie Mardigian and all our guest writers; THANK YOU!  We are humbled by your talent and are truly grateful!

Mary Beth Cox

Becky Suder

Cheryl Lage

Alex Iwashyna

Sarah Cole

Jacqueline Sears

Julia Hembree

Rhonda Day

Suzanne Sherif

Meghan Mack

Fiona Bessey-Bushnell

Kate Hall

HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone!  And here’s to a Wonderful 2014 for All!!

Photo: woodleywonderworks

Graphic by Sarah Cole

We’ve enjoyed almost 300,000 unique visitors to our website in 2013 and it’s been a fun year! We welcomed Brian Roome and Christa Donohue as the new owners and creative minds behind the BEST FAMILY WEBSITE in Richmond and continued to expand the great content our readers love.

As we enter 2014, we took a look back at the most popular articles and posts of 2013. Here are some of our most-read stories of the year:

1. Potty Training the Strong Willed Child: How We Do It
2. Stepping Back but Not Away
3. Benefits of Breast Feeding
4. An Adoption Story: Life Filled with Surprises
5. Mama Wears Shorty Shorts and She Don’t Care!
6. 7 Lessons I Learned from Going Gluten Free for One Month
7. Finding Me: A Sister’s Notes in the Loss of Her Brother
8. Top 5 Things I’ve Learned as a Newbie Swim Team Mom
9. Why I Won’t Resolve to Lose Weight This Year
10. Peace Love and Parenthood
11. Fear and Confrontation in Parenting
12. Old School Versus New School Parenting
13. You Ruined My Life
14. Richmond is Not the South
15. The Great Richmond Yogurt Wars

Source: https://secure.greatwolf.com/williamsburg/

It’s going to be a white Christmas! Well, at least at Great Wolf Lodge for sure – there’s a 100% chance of snow.

The indoor waterpark, Snowland, has a winter celebration all month long with lots of fun holiday activities for the netire family. With a roaring fireplace, Santa visits, and hot chocolate, it’s a festive place to be.

Kids and adults will enjoy the holiday season by visiting the life-sized gingerbread house made out of over 5,000 candies, 600 pounds of gingerbread dough and 1,320 pounds of sugar. That’s SWEET! To make it even sweeter, you can enjoy a meal inside the gingerbread house for just a $10 fee. Call 757.229.9700, extension 708 to make your reservations. You don’t even have to be a guests of Great Wolf Lodge to enjoy this dining experience but you must have reservations in advance.

Also, take advantage of:

• North Pole University
• Santa’s Letter Depot (hurry for last minute decorated letters!)
• Daily snow showers in the Grand Lobby
• Visits with Santa
• Story time – Unique as a Snowflake
• And of course, the indoor waterpark itself!

Visit Great Wolf Lodge for this winter celebration through January 5, 2014. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the season.

Click here to visit the website and make your reservations for a holiday celebration they won’t forget.

Michelle (L) with Christa Donohue (R) at Supermom Celebration 2013.

Many of you may remember Michelle Burdiss as our 2013 Supermom Winner and  for good reason – she’s the mom to five (5) children! And both her mother and her husband nominated her and wrote great letters about her busy life. Imagine how busy she must be with kids, a home, a husband – and a job.

Yep – that’s right. Michelle is an accomplished photographer and you have an opportunity to see some of her incredible work on display during December, 2013. Her work is displayed at The Urban Farmhouse Market & Cafe’s Midlothian location for the very first time.

When I caught up with Michelle, she had her hands full for sure. She was in the middle of the living room with her 6 year old who was reading to her 5 year old – and her 10 year old was helping watch her 15-month old – while she was helping her 8 year old with multiplication. (It made me tired to write that sentence!)

So what did she have to say about that? “Geez!! …I am so excited that this is all working out and I am proving to my children that you can do what you love and make it happen all while raising 5 children. Yay!!”

Michelle is very excited about having her photography on display and she’s gotten lots of great feedback and sales. Here’s what she had to say about the experience the first day she walked into the Farmhouse:

“Today we were able to take the kids to The Urban Farmhouse Market & Café‘s Midlothian location to see my photography on display for the first time. It’s really neat to be able to share that with them, to be able to show them that you can pursue your dreams even if you are busy raising 5 children! (I didn’t have to wait ’til they were older, as originally planned)…. Such a kind staff, great food and products!!! I swear if I lived closer, I would go there all the time!”

Buy a Print and Save 10% for Richmondmom.com Readers

Photography by Michelle Burdiss Photography

Michelle is also excited to offer Richmondmom.com readers a chance to purchase prints at a discount. Anyone who mentions Richmondmom.com gets 10% discount on her pieces. She mostly displays nature photography but in a variety of forms. Framed art, canvas, wood, and metal prints, as well as notecards are available.

Hmmm….sounds like a great holiday gift idea to me!

Hurry to The Urban Farmhouse Market & Cafe in Midlothian because her work is only on display there during December. Watch for her around town though – she’s sure to be in high demand. And she will be the featured artist in April at the Shockoe Farmhouse location.