Monday, May 21, 2012
Blowing a bubble, riding “no hands” and saying no to the 5th grade ladies.
Summer vacation begins in less than a month, and it’s time to assess whether your kid has learned all the lessons appropriate to his or her age. With the pre-schoolers, can they blow bubbles? Yes, it’s great that they’re going to robotics camp and curing cancer by the end of August but if they can’t take a hard piece of bubble gum, chew it into submission and then blow a monster bubble that gets on their glasses, they’re behind. Buy a bag of bubble gum and get them on it. Pre-schoolers should also be learning to make fart noises with their hands under their armpits. The truly talented will also figure out how to make fart noises with their hands at the back of their knees and my son, I am proud to say, can make fart noises with just his …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The company offers coffee flavors from around the world at the Kensington Farmers' Market.
Vigilante Coffee Company prides itself for providing the best coffee to its customers, according to the founders, who sell their coffee at the Kensington Farmers' Market. “It’s all about quality and customer service,” Christopher Vigilante, one of the founders of the company, said Saturday. The company spends more than the fair trade price for the farmers to pick only the ripe coffee cherries. Typically, farmers pick both ripe and unripe coffee cherries because they are paid by weight. But, Vigilante works directly with the coffee growers to ensure they select only the best coffee cherries. He got his start in the coffee business by accident. While he was on summer break from studying business at Virginia Tech, Vigilante was working as …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Just relax and loll around, and don’t think about the pee
With warmer weather around the corner parents will soon be signing up for swimming lessons for babies and toddlers. It’s a laudable idea. Parents should make sure their child can swim the width of the pool comfortably because this means they will be drown-proofed. If they fall in a pool or lake, they’ll be able to handle it. They’ll get themselves to the side. And they’ll have fun (fun? no! ecstasy!) and get hours of exercise. But a class for babies or toddlers? Pointless. And often pretty dang expensive. I came to this conclusion as a person who swam competitively for half a decade, taught toddler classes, taught older kids to swim, coached smaller kids on our swim team and then taught my own kids to swim. I even signed my kids up once …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
A vendor brings bright, floral arrangements and plants to the Kensington Farmers' Market.
If you're hoping to surprise mom with a gorgeous arrangement for Mother's Day, you can get them while you're picking up fruits and vegetables at the Kensington Farmers' Market. Dave Dowling’s Farmhouse Flowers and Plants offers an assortment of herbs, plants, flowers, cut flowers, annuals, and perennials throughout the year. “He’s been coming to the farmers market for about 17 years,” said his niece, Darby Whitehair. Dowling’s farm is based in Brookeville, MD. You can buy six packs of annuals or 4-inch pots just in time for Mother’s Day or to decorate your home. The hydrangeas will be available until May 13. To add fresh flavors to your cooking, nothing can compare to using homegrown herbs. You can either select a prepared mix of herbs …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Facebook executives announced the new feature Tuesday morning on Good Morning America encouraging its 900 million users to let others know if they are organ donors, according to a Washington Post report.
You might be familiar with the tiny heart on driver's licenses marking the license's owner as an organ donor. Now, you might find the tiny heart on Facebook, too. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the social networking giant added the ability to both register as an organ donor and demonstrate it in your profile on ABC's "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning. The new initiative, which encourages Facebook's 900 million users to let others know they are organ donors, was motivated by Zuckerberg's relationship with Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs, and Zuckerberg's girlfriend, according to The Washington Post. The two each encouraged Zuckerberg to use Facebook as a means for spreading social awareness. Facebook's FAQ …
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Patch highlights the best of our Local Voices section.
Each week, community bloggers contribute to Patch sites across Montgomery County and Maryland through our Local Voices section. Non-profit groups, students, residents, and government agencies and officials are among those that weigh in with their viewpoints and help contribute to the dialogue in our communities. Check out a few of the blogs we featured on Patch sites this week. Comptroller Peter Franchot Hopes To Combat Cigarette Smuggling This week, Patch’s own political blogger Bryan Sears brought us a post about the increase in the smuggling of cigarettes that have not been taxed in Maryland. Comptroller Peter Franchot is asking residents to keep an eye out for anyone who may be carrying an unusually large amount of cigarettes. “If …
Friday, April 27, 2012
MoCo officials want the Maryland Court of Appeals ruling overturned.
Earlier this week Montgomery County law enforcement officials called on Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Maryland Court of Appeals decision that bars police officers from taking DNA samples from a defendant charged with a crime. So we want to know what you think. Is taking DNA from a defendant an invasion of privacy or is a good tool to help law enforcement?
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Tell us what you think in the comments.
The Montgomery County Public Schools' Board of Education recently approved hiring architects to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether Kensington Parkwood Elementary should be expanded. The board is set to hold several meetings to garner public feedback on May 3 and May 30 at 4 p.m. and on May 16, June 13 and June 28 at 7 p.m. The architects are to use public input to create three "bubble" designs that would add 16,300 square feet to the current building. The expansion would allow for an all-purpose room, 14 classrooms, two instructional support rooms, an assistant principal's office and a conference room to be built. So what do you think? Does Kensington Parkwood Elementary School need the expansion? What would you like it to …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Krishon Chocolates offers sweet specialties made of local ingredients.
If Rodin were to carve his sculptures from fine chocolate, they would look like Krishon Chocolates and melt in your mouth. You can find these sweet pieces of art at the Kensington Farmers' Market. Chef Eric Johnson, the founder of Krishon Chocolates, creates his chocolates using Michel Cluizel chocolates, organic cream, and organic butter. He does not use artificial flavors or corn syrup, but instead his recipe contains local fruits and local lavender. Johnson learned his craft as an apprentice in Atlanta. He worked in the basement chopping, cutting and roasting ingredients for Harvest restaurant. For two seasons, he worked at Nantucket. When he moved to Washington, DC, he assisted two renowned caterers, Susan Gage and Occasions. …
Monday, April 23, 2012
More small shops eye possible exits; Bruno Cipriani may move to Chevy Chase.
First it was Borders Books, closing as part of its bankruptcy filing. Then Bruno Cipriani, the classy Italian menswear firm, announced its plans to close and move to a new location. Then Bloomingdale’s disclosed in January that White Flint was on its list of planned closures. But, more store have started leaving including most recently, Godiva Chocolate. Which will be the next store to pull out of the White Flint Mall, scheduled to close in 2014 for a total ‘revamp’ and re-creation as a multi-use town center? When walking through White Flint these days, there's an increasing number of vacant storefronts and seemingly a smaller number of customers. Bruno Cipriani remains open, but will close its White Flint store within the next few months …
Christian
7:56 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012
Their farm direct Hawaiian~ more ›