Category Archives: Message from Del Ray Baby

Mar 03, 2014

Del Ray Baby Has a New Website

In case you haven’t been to visit our site recently, be sure to come take a look! We’ve got a fresh new website with a fantastic new calendar showing upcoming events. The new events page allows you to search events by name and date.

The website is a true family affair. All Del Ray Baby content comes from this momma, my dear hubby’s company, Markitecture, built the site and my kids, along with their friend (A DIY Del Ray offspring) created the artwork that graces the website header.

Thank you to everyone involved for your help and also a big thanks to our readers for following!

Let me know what you think about the new site!

Mar 22, 2013

Del Ray Variety is ultra kid friendly!

photo 52I knew from following Del Ray Variety on Facebook that they were going to be carrying toys in their store but after stopping in for a quick shopping trip on their first day open, I’m blown away but what a great resource this will be for parents! Not only do they carry the typical baby care items, but they also have multiple isles of toys, crafts, stickers and candy. My kids have been begging us all week to take them down the avenue after school to pick up a ‘special’ treat. We told them that we would go on Friday. So today, we can take them to the new variety store and let them pick from the ‘penny candy’ selection. I also snagged a couple of things for crafting with the kids over the weekend, including yarn and sheets of felt. I found shoe laces for my son’s tennis shoes and was thrilled to see that they carry a nice selection of standard and mylar balloons, something that I’ve really missed having on the avenue since Artfully Paper left the neighborhood. photo 51

Next weekend Del Ray Variety will have a grand opening celebration on Saturday, March 30th from 10am-12pm. As part of the festivities they will have facepainting, food, giveaways and lots of fun!

Regular hours will be:
Mon – Sat: 9:00 am – 8:30 pm
Sun: 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

Del Ray Variety is located at 203 E Custis Ave., Alexandria

 

Nov 10, 2011

Winter Athletic Options

I don’t know about your kids, but winter time is tough for my kids because they aren’t getting in enough active play every day! I’ve gone through and found lots of options for winter athletics in Alexandria

For the little kids, here are some class options:

Mount Vernon RECenter ice skating rink offers Mom & Me and Snow Plow classes for kids 3-5.  Registration is open until the end of the month

JW Tumbles offers classes for kids as young as 4 months old.  Parent participation classes are available up to 3 years of age and 3-5 year olds can join in independent classes

Gymboree has Play and Learn classes for children 6 months – 5 yrs. and Sports classes for 3-5 year olds

TheYMCA on Monroe Ave. has swim classes for all ages.  Registration for classes opens up for members on Dec. 3rd.  and non-members on Dec. 13th. Classes start in January.

The YMCA offers Youth Basketball for 4 year olds with the amazing coach Ken.  The current session started last week and is still enrolling.

Just for Kids offers T-ball starting Jan. 2nd for kids 2 1/2- 4 1/2 years old,

Mount Vernon Athletic Club has started their fall tennis club but you can still register and your cost will be pro-rated.  They offer a ‘Quick Start’ class for 4 year olds that’s designed to bring kids into the game by utilizing specialized equipment and shorter court dimensions tailored to age and size.

I know I promised Alexandria, but the Barcroft Sport & Fitness Center is so close and is so wonderful, it deserves a mention.  They offer gymnastics and little olympians classes (which is a broad overall sports class) for kids as young as 2.  The new session starts the 3rd week in Jan. and the registration catalog, which is called ‘Enjoy Arlington’ will come out the beginning of Dec.

For the elementary school kids:

Mount Vernon Youth Athletic Association has a basketball league  for kids as young as 5 years old +  but move quickly, because you’ll need to register this week

Ice Skating classes are offered at the Mount Vernon RECenter at 2017 Belle View Blvd., Alexandria. Registration is open for basic through advanced classes until the end of the month

TheYMCA on Monroe Ave. has swim classes for all ages.  Registration for classes opens up for members on Dec. 3rd.  and non-members on Dec. 13th. Classes start in January.

Interested in a swim team?  The Alexandria Sea Dragons at the Alexandria YMCA are signing up members.  All swimmers ages 5-18 need to swim 25 yards, or successfully pass a swim assessment with an instructor’s approval.  To sign-up, contact Aquatics director Ellen Jones at ejones@ymcadc.org or 703-838-8085 if you have additional questions.

Also at the YMCA, there is Karate for Kids for 5-12 year olds and Youth Basketball for 4-8 year olds.  The new session for these will begin in December.

JW Tumbles on Duke St. offers children aged five and a half to seven a climbers class where kids learn skills such as how to swing a golf club, leap off a springboard, high-bar techniques (like flipping), do back walkovers and more.

Baroody Camps at Alexandria Country Day School at Russell Rd. is now open for registration.  They offer basketball clinics and gymnastics classes for ages 5-11.

Just for Kids offers baseball and sports movement class that is floor hockey and LAX starting the new session on Jan. 2nd.

Mount Vernon Athletic Club in south Alexandria has started their fall tennis club classes but you can still register and the cost will be prorated.  They offer classes for beginners through competitive players.

Didn’t get enough soccer this fall?  Fairfax Sportplex is right outside the city limits in Springfield off Edsall Rd. and offers Youth Soccer Leagues starting in January.  This league is a bit more structured (with a goalie, refs and scoreboard) than the Alexandria Soccer Associations league.

The city of Alexandria will release their new Recreation Program Guide in December for activities beginning in January such as new sessions of swim classes at Chinquapin Recreation Center.

The Barcroft Sport & Fitness Center in south Arlington offers amazing gymnastics classes for all ages.  The new session starts the 3rd week in Jan. and the registration catalog, which is called ‘Enjoy Arlington’ will come out the beginning of Dec.

Let us know if there’s anything else that we’ve missed!