As a portrait photography studio in Northern VA, near Centreville, Ever After is a family portrait photographer, specializing in providing you with beautiful wall art of your family, the ones you love and cherish.
Does your child need to be motivated to keep reading once the last day of school is here? Once upon a time the teacher would give the parent a reading list for the child to complete over the summer. The more you read it stimulates your brain and you accumulate more knowledge. Now to motivate kids there are a lot of fun reading programs this summer that offer free ebooks, movies, gift cards, movies etc. Who can resist all these free goodies!!
This great list from Summer Reading Programs for Kids 2015 will give you an overview of what is available for this summer.
This year the Barnes and Noble summer reading program, Imagination’s Destination, gives out a free book to each child in grades 1-6 who reads 8 books over the summer.
Scholastic has a summer reading challenge where kids read and then go online to record the minutes they’ve read this summer. This runs from May 4- September 4, 2015. They can take weekly challenges to earn rewards. This program is for elementary and middle school children.
Sylvan’s reading program called Book Adventure encourages children to read books and then take online quizzes over the books to earn points. They then can turn their points in for prizes.
Chuck E. Cheese has a summer reading program, Chuck E. Cheese Reading Rewards 2015 where kids can earn free 10 Chuck E. Cheese tokens for reading each day for 2 weeks. This program goes all year long.
The Showcase Cinemas summer reading program (formerly National Amusements) gives kids free movie tickets to see a free summer movie each week for each book they read and fill out a book report over. This year’s program is called Bookworm Wednesdays.
Some of the best summer reading programs are at your local public library. Every public library has a different summer reading program but almost all of them have rewards and prizes for kids as well as fun events
Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy and Joriana Belcher, a mother-daughter photography team located in Northern Virginia. They specialize in candid, emotional and artistic images. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come. Best, Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us! View Our Portfolio | Order Prints | Ever After Portraits |
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Ever After is a professional photographer in Northern Virginia, near Chantilly. We are family portrait photographers.
Wineries for decades were for adults only. Now the entire family can go and have a great time. Many Northern Virginia wineries now have activities to amuse your little ones while you relax and enjoy one of your favorite wines. Live music, games and special events make the visit a memorable one. Check out this list from 6 Kid-Friendly Wineries in Northern Virginia.
Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane has a special program called FarmFarm where children can enjoy seeing pigs, goats and chickens. Pony rides are a new addition this year. Family events can be enjoyed in their tasting room for birthdays and anniversaries.
Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery in Stafford has the Lil Buds Room, a palce in the tasting room that has bean bag chairs, DVDs and toys for your kids to enjoy. There is also a D’vine Lounge that you can play board games, checkers and chess to relax. Special events held throughout the year for Mother’s Day and Easter brunches, grape stomping in September and visiting with Santa during the holidays.
Bluemont Vineyard has Great Country Farms across the street that offers apple or strawberry picking for the family and then your family can relax on the vineyard’s porch with a bottle of wine while the kids play on the huge lawn and porch.
Loudoun Valley Winery in Waterford, VA hosts back to school events serving snow cones and having a bounce house for fun.
Cobbler Mountain Cellars in Delaplane has winter time fun with tubing parties outside on its hillside and then you can warm up in a cozy play area in their tasting room.
Old House Vineyards in Culpeper is where you can find family meals including pizza and cheese fondue. Also check out their pond for some catch and release fishing.
Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy and Joriana Belcher, a mother-daughter photography team located in Northern Virginia. They specialize in candid, emotional and artistic images.
Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.
Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!
View Our Portfolio | Order Prints | Ever After Portraits |
Ever After is a family photographer in Northern Virginia, near Clifton. We specialize in family portrait photography.
Homegrown vegetables are the best. Creating a garden with your children that produces vegetables and fruits promotes healthy eating and is great exercise. From planting the seeds to watering the soil and watching the seed sprout is a way to help children understand nature and take responsibility which will build self esteem. Here are some helpful guidelines from Gardening With Your Children
Pick a spot that receives at least six hours of sunlight a day. If you do not want the traditional rectangular garden, think about creating a container garden. As long as it has good soil and drainage it can be used. Your child can pick out the pots and decorate them. Also make sure you can access water for your plants.
Purchase appropriate size tools such as rakes, hoes or spades for digging and planting.
Select easy to grow vegetables which include beets, carrots, radishes and tomatoes.
Other fun choices that are great for snacks are cherry tomatoes, strawberries or peas.
Putting in some flowers and herbs add to the smell and color of the garden. Try marigolds, nasturtiums, mint, dill, sunflowers or zinnias to brighten it up.
Don’t forget to get out your camera to take images of this fun process and to document all the beautiful produce you create.
Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy and Joriana Belcher, a mother-daughter photography team located in Northern Virginia. They specialize in candid, emotional and artistic images.
Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.
Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!
View Our Portfolio | Order Prints | Ever After Portraits |
As a studio photographer with a family portrait studio in Northern VA, we serve the area including Dunn Loring. We have both a 2.5-acre outdoor studio portrait park and a fully-equipped indoor studio.
Summer is a great time to be in the Northern VA area. There are lots of activities for families to enjoy. There are outdoor festivals, or historical exhibits for example visiting a ship or trains or going to a concert under the stars. There is something for everyone. Check out this list from Best Activities for Families Summer 2015 in Northern Virginia – Kid Trips Family Travel: Virginia, DC and Beyond
Summer is also a perfect time to visit our Northern VA studio for a family portrait session. Our spacious outdoor 2.5 acres studio is in full bloom now and makes a beautiful setting for images to display in your home of the people you love. We love for you to schedule a session and be part of our Ever After family.
Celebrate Fairfax: June 5-7 2015
This is Northern Virginia’s largest festival! Celebrate Fairfax is filled with midway rides, community exhibits, vendors, lots of hands-on booths for children, animals, live entertainment for all ages and Friday and Saturday nights are capped off with fireworks!
Manassas Heritage Railway Festival: June 6, 2015
Elaborate model train displays, memorabilia, entertainment, booths and more take over the streets of historic Old Town Manassas. Plus, train excursion rides to Clifton and back take place throughout the day. (more…)
At Ever After, we specialize in family and children photography. We’re located in Northern VA, (NOVA). Family portraits photography is our passion!
We thought we’d share some helpful hints with you.
After being cooped up in your home all winter, you may have the urge to start spring cleaning. If you want to avoid strong chemicals that may cause harm to your home and the environment check out these ideas on how to have a safe and clean home for your family from Parent Society on 5 Tips To Clean Green
Checking out the Labels
Educating yourself on what is in cleaning products can be quite an eye opener. It is important to find out what the ingredients are in it before purchasing to determine how safe it is. You do not need a lot of products to clean your home as you are led to believe by product manufacturers. One green product can replace several products that you are currently using.
Home Remedies
Years ago, your grandmother used items like vinegar, baking soda and essential oils to create products to clean their homes. These may sound old fashioned but it has worked for generations and are a healthy and less expensive alternative. Think about this especially if you have a newborn or young children in your house.
For example try soaking faded white sports socks and undershirts in a solution of 1:6 vinegar with warm water overnight or a few ounces of lemon juice in the rinse cycle.
Adding House Plants to Help Purify The Air
The common houseplant is a great way to help keep the air clean in your home .
The best ones for air filtering are:
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- Aloe is great for helping filter out formaldehyde and benzene.
- The resilient spider plant helps battle benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide.
- Snake plants are great for the bathroom, combating formaldehyde in personal-care and cleaning products.
- Ficus are good for your living or family room to help filter out chemicals coming from the carpet and furniture.
- The peace lily topped NASA’s list for combating VOCs.
Scents
An easy and healthy way to make a closet or room smell nice is to use a sock and fill it with homemade potpourri.
Lemon is an awesome scent that make your home smell clean and fresh.
Lavender provides a relaxing aroma for any room in your home.
Green is everywhere
If you are thinking of painting your home, check out the chemicals that are in the paint and sealant products that interest you. VOCs -(Volatile organic compounds) can cause a lot of health issues and allergy symptoms. Many paint manufacturers now offer green solutions with less VOCs.
Once you have your home all clean and spruced up ,think about some beautiful family wall art to put on your walls. Ever After has a 2.5 acre outdoor studio with trees, a bridge and pond in Sterling, VA. It is a perfect backdrop for a gorgeous family portrait session.
Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy and Joriana Belcher, a mother-daughter photography team located in Northern Virginia. They specialize in candid, emotional and artistic images.
Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.
Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!
At Ever After Portraits, located in Sterling in Northern Virginia, we know how very much family pictures mean to you! Whether it’s family photography or kids photography, we will capture images of your family which you will treasure for years to come.
We though we’d share a few helpful hints for you.
Kids lead very active lives these days with after school sports and activities. Proper nutrition and hydration are important when your child is out on the soccer or baseball field or playing games in the neighborhood. Here are some easy summer snacks for kids ideas from Healthy Sport Snacks for Kids | Bright Horizons Parenting BlogThe Family Room
Snacks Before A Sporting Event Or Outdoor Activity
Whole grain pretzels
Wheat bagel half with jam
Fruit: banana and strawberries, grapes and cherries, or a peach/plum/nectarine
Popcorn with low salt & little butter
Trail mix or dried fruit
Carrot and celery sticks with lowfat dressing
Animal crackers with orange slices
Whole wheat crackers
Snacks After A Sporting Event Or Outdoor Activity
Bagel with cream cheese
Lowfat yogurt with granola or fruit
Applesauce and string cheese
Pretzels and lowfat milk
Hummus and mini pita
Trail mix
Apple and peanut butter
Peanut butter sandwich half
Some tips for proper nutrition begin with having a healthy breakfast. During the day eating a variety of foods from whole grains, protein, lowfat dairy, fruits and vegetables. Cut back as much as possible on sodas, chips and candy. Drink lots of water before, during and after outdoor games and activities. With the proper balance of exercise and nutritious foods your child can have a fun and energetic summer.
Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy and Joriana Belcher, a mother-daughter photography team located in Northern Virginia. They specialize in candid, emotional and artistic images.
Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.
Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!
View Our Portfolio | Order Prints | Ever After Portraits |
