Fredericksburg Parent

October 2016

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8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • October 2016 " PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR-AT-LARGE Chris Jones Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad OPERATIONS Stephanie Maldonado Julia, Tyler & Aiden's mom BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom ADVERTISING & SALES Julie Brosnan, twins Chris & Finn's mom Gemma Bruce, Bella's mom DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom SOCIAL MEDIA Brenda Sapanghila Archer, Maddox & Oliver's mom CALENDAR & COOL THINGS TO DO ELETTER Leigha Pecher Jake and Luke's mom EDUCATION ELETTER & EVENTS Debra Caffrey Aidan's mom COMMUNITY BLOGS Mary Becelia Katherine Laura & Robert Joseph's mom FACEBOOK COMMUNITY Pamela Quinones Corinn, Michael, Isabella & Dalton's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL adsales@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL socialmedia@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL editor@fredericksburgparent.net SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, Fred'bg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's standards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information con- tained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are subject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2016 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. WRITTEN BY CHRIS JONES LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine After the overbearing heat of summer and the inevitable slow cooling down that September brings, we come against October. When you're a parent, you can look at October with wide-eyed wonderment or full-on dread. Your calendar is as full in October as it was in July. From pumpkin patches and harvest festivals to youth football and tot soccer matches, every weekend in October is often spoken for. I love October for that. I hate it for the same reason. I endure it for belly laughter and toothy little smiles of my children, though. We're making memories, man. So I proud- ly pace the sidelines of soccer fields cheering on my boys, and I find joy bumping along in the back of a dusty flat-bed trailer pulled along by an old tractor at the farm. Where I live, our children don't parade around the neighborhood in their costumes on Halloween. We go to trunk or treats in the park where the local businesses line up cars and trucks as far as the eye can see and sprinkle candy, treats and toys into their bags while Halloween movies play on big screens in a nearby field. October is busy, but it's a beautiful bustle. October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!" — Rainbow Rowell On the home front, I have come to love the fall with its darkness that sets in just beyond 5:00 p.m. I love pressing my house key into the door, turning the knob and coming home to the hero's welcome—Hayden at the top of the stairs calling my name and Olive jumping in her bouncer. I enjoy the pleasant smells coming from the kitchen. Kicking off my shoes in the foyer and changing into pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt signals the end of my workday, something my wife had to teach me (It's OK to relax, work will be there tomorrow.). Those cool fall evenings usher in sweet treats from the oven and game nights awash in laughter and silliness—ever play Wii with a 4-year-old? His version of Monopoly is quite comical, too, where the first one around the board wins. When the kids go down, sometime between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m., I get to decompress and talk with my wife, Elizabeth. In the fall, we like to break out the fleece blankets, c uddle on the couch and watch shows on Hulu or Netflix. It's also a time that I get to enjoy cycling through each Virginia craft brewer's pumpkin beer. Elizabeth is a good sport. She tries them despite her constant reminders to me that you can't flavor beer this way and still call it beer. But we bond over it—and her love of hilarious, minute- long Facebook videos leave us both in stitches. Fall brings families together. So while you enjoy a whirlwind of endless October activ- ity, be sure to find a way to add a little pumpkin spice in your marriage and some fun- sized goodness to your family nights. Your spouse and children will thank you for it. Chris Jones is the editor of Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine. If you want great pumpkin-flavored craft beer recommendations for yourself or your spouse, email him at chris@fredericksburgparent.net Falling Together letter to the readers

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