Happy Halloween!!!! King Farm Village Center in Rockville Maryland.

Good ol Halloween. Why do you come around just once a year? Sigh! So for weeks, my daughter and I had been discussing what princess she would be for Halloween. She is completely obsessed with Aurora aka sleeping beauty but I was a bit disappointed in some of the options I saw for Princess Aurora, so she ended up being Cinderella instead. I literally did some last minute shopping to get her outfit. My friend and I went over to a couple of stores but to our surprise the perfect costume was over at Burlington.

So last year when I came over for holidays, I took my daughter over to Westfield Wheaton Mall for Trick or Treating. It was great fun with different stores participating and handing out candy to the kids. She dressed up as Princess Sophia while at the mall and then later that evening we were out and about in a community over in Glenmont as Doc Mcstuffins.

So back to this year, we had to step up our candy/chocolate game and head over to one of the best Trick or treat neighborhoods. King Farm in Rockville Maryland is definitely a go to area for Halloween. With roads like Crooked Creek Drive, you know you are in the right place for trick or treating. So families parked over at the Safeway and walked across to the homes right opposite. The majority here literally sit out to hand candy, chocolate and some houses even had gifts laid out for the kids. It was perfect evening fun. The decorations were like something from a set in Hollywood with lights, smokey cauldrons and I remember my daughter asking "Mommy is that fog", they had that also.

There was this one guy who had dressed up as Deadmau5, the famous house music artist. He had the music up so loud, all the kids were literally gravitating towards his porch to get the candy. With that mask, who knows, maybe it was him :). He let us take a quick pic and we were back on our way to filling up our candy basket.

When we were done being spookified (my new word for spooked), we decided to call it a day. We got home, my little Princess counted her candy and in a matter of minutes she was tucked up in bed allowing mommy to watch her classic movie Ghost. The perfect end to a spooky day. Happy Halloween.

Walker Mill Regional Park, Woodland Wonderland, District Heights Maryland.

So I know I said goodbye to summer and outdoor fun but surprisingly the sun came out to play a little. A best friend of mine told me to join her and her son at the park one evening. She's mentioned this place several times but I really had no idea how awesome this park would be. It felt like finding a little treasure.

I parked over at the parking lot, there's a huge parking lot so don't worry about space. This park had great space for the kids and the best part for parents was it was absolutely no fee.

The park had several slides everywhere with creative designs. It literally looked like something out of snow white and the seven dwarfs.

The kids weren't getting tired anytime soon so luckily there were chairs stationed all over the place and a bathroom just incase. 

Tip: There was a map with different sorts of animals you could find all over the park. The kids can enjoy a scavenger hunt searching for the animals displayed on the map.

Tip: The kids can cool off after running around, the park has several hidden fountains. Look for the wooden stands with knobs to find this surprise. Watch this

Of course we mommy's had to do some exploring so we walked the entire park. There was a section for Basketball, Skate boarding, American football, Tennis, Soccer and Baseball. Im not kidding, this was all in one park. There was a little league team playing that evening so everyone was pumped for fun. 

Basket Ball Field

Skating Ring

There was also a trail for the hikers at heart and a cool space for picnics. 

 Picnic Stand

A perfect end to the evening. Definitely looking forward to more fun here in the summer. 

Fall is back. Goodbye to outdoor fun in Maryland. Bretton Woods Resort & Nasa Goddard Space Flight Center.

Just before the summer ended I got random invites by friends and family to enjoy the last few days of the warm sunshine. A friend of mine invited my daughter and I to attend a sports day event at this awesome resort called Bretton Woods in Maryland. 

I of course have never passed up good fun so I drove down there with my daughter to enjoy our day. All dressed up in our sports gear we were ready to join in the fun. Once we arrived, there were buses right by the parking lot ready to take guests towards the huge field. 

First off, I had to support my friend at his football match and then I walked over to check out the archery field. Luckily there was an instructor :). Everyone was joining in on one activity or the other. 

There was swimming, Tennis, miniature gulf, a playground for the smaller kids & sports all round for everyone. I guess all the fun got my little princess exhausted so it was nap time and more time for me to plan our next activity. 

So a family member of mine had this great idea for us to go see the Nasa Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. I don't know too much about Space but this was a great opportunity to get to know a little more. Apparently the center only opens once in 3 years to the public. The place was crowded and there were buses taking visitors from one building to the next. So much to see, so little time.

Tip: Definitely park across the street at the shopping complex, there is no parking allowed on the grounds at the space center. On open days, there are buses driving to nearby metro stations to pick up visitors and drop them off at the center.

There were food trucks all around with the best of the best. The center had events for all ages. We took the kids over to learn a few things. Then we got on the bus to the visitor center. There were images and structures mimicking the planets and the cool gadgets astronauts use up in space. 

The kids were certainly exhausted from a long hot day so we didn't get to see every building. Up Up and Away we went but we certainly enjoyed this summer afternoon. Was a great summer, indoor fun here we come!

Click below for more details on viewing the Goddard center if you definitely can't wait for open day 

Nasa Goddard Space Flight Center

Papa Pope is here. Pope Francis in USA.

The thought of seeing a Pope just seemed like an experience someone else would share. I never really imagined that I would get to see a Pope but like I always say, there is so much too see in DC. I heard the Pope was coming in to town so it was top priority for me to get tickets to the mass. A few weeks before his arrival, I received an email from school saying there were standing tickets available for students who wanted to attend the Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception here in DC. I immediately made inquiries. I mean, who wouldnt want free tickets to see the Pope? This was one experience I just couldn't miss. So I picked up my ticket about two weeks later and began counting down to the day.

The day had finally come, I got to the Metro that morning and it was just so peaceful. A lot of people I guess decided to work from home leaving the trains easily accessible. I jumped on the red line to Brookland CUA, met a few nice people on the train who were heading to the White House to get a glimpse of the Pope. The excitement to see the Pope put smiles on faces everywhere I turned that day. I literally met this lovely lady and her friends on the train, who smiles on the train right? We did :). 

In the pic: Ms Cecilia Ladybug & friends. 

Once I got there, I walked down to the Catholic University Campus and got in line at the green gate. 

The excitement got everyone buzzing, I got interviewed by the EWTN network, it was a great start to my day. A friend of mine met up with me at the entrance and we proceeded past the gates. 

                     In pic: Gigi and I

Everything was well organized. All guests were handed plastic bags with more details for the mass. There were snack stands on the campus grounds selling goodies at affordable rates. 

There were portable toilets available and portable stands to wash our hands, it was this cool contraction I had never seen. Forgive me if I sound silly for mentioning this, it was just so cool to me. 

There were ATM stands positioned in different corners and luckily the campus had picnic tables with charging portals on them. Everything was well prepared, there was even a stand to refill drinking water for visitors. While waiting around before the mass, my friend and I walked the grounds of the venue. 

We practiced our interview skills on the ABC2 networks staff that were covering the event. That was a real thrill. Then we went over to chat with the nuns having lunch under the tree. 

We went over to our section to get seated on the grass. The atmosphere was so electric. The music was heavenly, the wonderful choir got people dancing and having a great time. 

The only thing left was for the Pope to arrive. Everyone waited for him to show up on the altar but as humble as ever, he showed up to greet us all outside before heading to give the Mass. It was a spectacular moment, people were so emotional, so excited! I really can't explain how good it felt. 

When I was asked earlier by the EWTN network of why I attended this mass, I mentioned that I was looking forward to the Popes message of peace and I tell you, that is exactly what I felt. For that moment he arrived, there was joy, there was peace and there was unity. I met people from all walks of life who were all there united for a positive message. It felt great to be a part of that.