Thank you for submitting your lovely family photo. We will be in contact so you can claim your spa package prize.

In her own words:

“This is a photo of my oldest son, Jack (age 9), making my youngest son, Skylar (age 4), happy. I was cooking dinner and Skye was whiny, so I asked Jack to play with him. When I checked on them a few minutes later, they were snuggling and giggling on the couch. Big brothers are the best!”

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so submit your story now for a chance to win an exciting gift just for Mommy. Include the age of your child(ren) and city with the photo and brief description.

Tell your friends to “Like” us on Facebook and they can enter to win too!

We’ll post the photos on the blog and choose the cutest photo. The winner will announced on Mother’s Day!

Since 2008, the DC Design House puts on a unique design showcase event where leading designers across the area display their talents by redesigning a home to raise money for a local charity, the Children’s National Medical Center. At $20 per person for a viewing of the finished product, the show houses have attracted more than 30,000 visitors, raising a total of approximately $600,000.

More than 20 designers had about five weeks to redesign the exterior and interior of this year’s seven-bedroom Spring Valley home.  According to the Washington Post – which featured the property –  the house was built for Gladys and Francisco Aguirre, the late founder of the Diario Las Americas newspaper, the W.C. & A.N. Miller, who raised six children there. It has many grand rooms and patios that were often used to entertain diplomats and political figures.

I was able to visit the house this week and was absolutely amazed. The Post feature story has some before and after pics of the home. Check it out and tell us what you think—were some rooms better left untouched?

The 2012 DC Design House
4951 Rockwood Pkwy. NW.
Now thru through May 13
Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Tickets are $20

Five days of animated, foreign short films just for kids is too fun to pass up. Don’t miss the fourth annual Kids World Cinema Festival beginning Friday. The festival is free and geared toward children ages 6 to 13, introducing them to productions of many different cultures. Although free to attend, note that some events require registration.

The free event includes an hour-long screening followed by age-appropriate workshops and discussion forums.  The targeted age group will vary with each film and workshop.

Participants from 10 countries  include the Alliance Française de Washington, the Embassy of Senegal, the Goethe-Institut, the Embassy of Brazil, the Embassy of Spain, the Embassy of Korea, the Hillwood Museum Estate and Gardens, the Quebec Government Office, the Mexican Cultural Institute and the Japan Information and the Culture Center.

Day 1:

The Alliance Française and the Embassy of Senegal will open the festival on Friday, April 20th at 6PM with a collection of films tailored to children ages 6-8. Full lineup.

Day 2:

The Japan Information and Culture Center will partner with the Mexican Cultural Institute on April 21st at 2PM to present six short features targeting children ages 6-8, including two animated Japanese films! Learn more.

Day 3:

The Korean Cultural Center is teaming up with the Embassy of Spain on April 22nd at 2PM to present a collection of short Korean and Spanish films targeting children ages 6-10, but those slightly younger or older are also welcome. Full lineup.

Day 4:

This year’s Québec-U.S. night on April 27 at 6PM will feature a variety of short films recommended for children kids age 5-10. Learn more.

Day 5:

Brazil and Germany partner on April 28 at 2PM to present two films aimed at children ages 3 to 9. Learn more.

Prices in March were up 5.3 percent from last year in the DC area. Richmond, Va., ranked 5th on the list with a 4.1 percent price increase. Nationally, median prices in March were down 0.2 percent from three months earlier. Birmingham, Ala., had the worst three-month performance, with prices in March down 14 percent from three months earlier.

The report also found that Washington has one of the lowest levels of distressed properties in the market, with bank-owned properties at 12.6 percent.

Other Highlights:

• Regions posted mild quarterly gains, except the struggling Midwest, which continued its downward slide.
• The year-over-year numbers showed weaker performance for the nation and the regions, indicating the short term relief has yet to be enough to turn the long term tide.
• Forecast for rest of 2012 shows mild increases building up to a stronger 1.2% by year end.

• Visit a local library. They often have activities for kids during the week and some even have free passes or discounts to attractions. Choose one you’ve never visited before.

• Take a train ride — because they’re fun and the kids are always excited about trains.

• Volunteer. Nursing homes, non-profits or local events are usually looking for a few extra hands.

• Make it a movie night. Choose a theme for the entire week and pop popcorn the old fashioned way. The kids will have a ball watching the kernels pop.

• Crafts day. Crafts are always fun, especially when you use things you find on a nature hunt, like pine cones and bamboo stalks. Simply adding paint, glitter glue and pipe cleaners to these can make something magical. The nature hunt for things to work with is a bonus.

• Find a new favorite playground. Take a drive to another neighborhood and checkout their playgrounds and make new friends.

• Backyard/indoor camping night. Pitch a tent in the family room or back porch/yard and bring your kids favorite snacks and books for a guaranteed good time.

• Make a scrapbook.  Take pictures of all of your activities so they can remember the fun times they had right in their own neighborhood and can show friends.

A Parent in Silver Spring provides a pretty good list of free things to do in the area, and Kid Friendly DC offers an idea for every day of the week. What is your family doing for spring break?

• 84% are solely responsibility for planning their children’s activities
• Less than one-third don’t have enough time to watch a single episode of their favorite television show
• 50% of working women don’t feel like they spend enough time with their children
• Nearly 27% work flexible schedules, up from 11% in 1984
• Women are more likely to delegate daily chores to their children (17%) than to their spouse (9%)

The executive summary recommends that women actively schedule “free time” on the family calendar, such as a manicure or time at the gym. Ellen Galinsky, President and Co-Founder, Families and Work Institute, said, “In order to reclaim – and enjoy – our free time, it’s critical that we shift our standards. We are living with expectations of our ability to get everything done, before we take time for ourselves, [which is] totally out of sync with our lives.”

Do you feel like there is enough time in the day? If you have any good de-stressing ideas, share with us!

The chic Victorian structure is located in prestigious Kalorama Heights and was completely renovated in 2011 with contemporary solutions, state-of-the-art technological innovations, new Brazilian Tigerwood hardwood floors, a bright and sunny Cook’s kitchen with Viking & Bosch appliances. With a 5,600 sq.ft.-open floor plan, the four-level home has 5 spacious bedrooms, 5.5 beautiful ceramic baths, 4 cozy fireplaces, a private elevator, soaring ceilings with tall windows and penthouse amenities.

There are plenty of bright, detailed pictures available on the website dedicated to the property, a Youtube video and a virtual tour. Come meet me and experience this sunlit grandeur, Sunday from  2pm-5pm.

2126 R St, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
$3,190,000

The lottery began today at 10 a.m.  and ends at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 5. The event is open to children ages 12 and younger and their families. Visit rec.gov to enter the lottery; registration takes just a few minutes.

The White House Easter Egg Roll attracts families from all across the country and features live music, sports courts, cooking stations, storytelling and Easter egg rolling on the White House South Lawn.

It will be held Monday, April 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Once you sign up, you can list your preferences among five 2-hour time slots. Now go sign up for those free tickets!