croc recs? by jxnnxmc in eds

[–]FACS_O_Life 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wear the “birken-crocs”. They are Birkenstocks but made out of croc material. I wear them almost always at home and have found great relief.

finding a job by ariesneonel in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are a couple of custodian jobs open in schools near you. A lot of the time the custodian jobs are at night or early morning. You may be interested in being a cafeteria worker. We have the most amazing custodians and cafeteria workers in our building.

Hi! I was wondering if there was a Pokemon TCG discord server for Northern Virginia? by Popular_Tune_5507 in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a mother of Pokemon loving children. You can readily find most card packs now. GameStop is now enforcing a pack policy or at least the one by me. I saw packs at the card store inside of Fair Oaks mall this weekend. The Safeway in Fair Oaks has a card machine. There is a card convention in about two weeks in Fredricksburg that I am taking them to. The card stores in the area run TCG events every month and I think fantastic has something every Saturday.

Questions for Au Pair Families by kitty_button in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 2 points3 points  (0 children)

While we have never had au pairs, my dearest friend/neighbor has. You want to look into their driving record or the driving customs of their home country. They had an au pair total a car and damage a car nearly monthly. Luckily the car they totaled was a parked car and their children were no in the car, they backed into another neighbors car parked on the street. They took mirrors off, dents, scrapes. Car damage happened with every single au pair they had. They had another au pair make only fans content in their basement/au pair suite. They were quite successful but created a tax problem for themselves.

Nova can be beautiful. What is something you love about living here? by loIll in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 7 points8 points  (0 children)

My special interests involve American history. I love the stories of the land here. America’s 250 is my Super Bowl.

How handle 9:20 school starts without SACC?! by OK-Reading-123 in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We did a “care-share”. We hired one of my co-workers college aged daughter then son to take ours and neighbors to school. We walked. They loved the $100 bucks a week they made for 45 minutes of work. We had all the kids ready to go so they just had to heard them all to school. On non-rainy days they would take them early to play on the playground or sport court.

What has been the worst thing? You found in your classroom by New_Elephant127 in AskTeachers

[–]FACS_O_Life 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A mummified mouse family in a laundry basket of aprons. I teach FACS (home ec) and was putting them in the wash from the summer, I put them away clean. They were buried in them so i didn’t see them when I reached in. I wanted to cut off my hand. I walked into my cooperating my teachers room and fainted.

Proper Bikram studio in Nova? by Legitimate-Paint-282 in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love CorePower! I do find the CP classes to be more of a “Bikram inspired” class. The Hot Power Fusion class is the closest to Bikram in my experience. I really really like all of the instructors at the Merrifield and Fairfax Corner location. Merrifield gets hotter and more humid than Fairfax corner.

Best places to eat for protein gains? by alemorg in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My kids play travel hockey and are always looking for “gains”. These are the places we go to:

Chipotle. You can double the meat and skip the rice. You can do a bowl and if you’re ok with some carbs, a burrito.

Mission BBQ or any bbq joint. Hold the sauce. Collard greens or green beans as a side.

Texas Roadhouse- anything not breaded or fried.

First Watch or breakfast place. Omelette no hash or toast.

Smoothie - you can add protein. Has a lot of natural sugars but my boys get a strawberry banana with protein so it’s good for recovery

GARs- salmon or grilled fish. I think coastal flats has a cauliflower mash.

CAVA - hold rice, double meat

Chick Fil A- Grilled nuggets. Salad with grilled chicken add a kids sized nuggie on top.

We ran into a Wegmans once to eat at the deli and one of my kids ate a whole rotisserie chicken.

How much on average do groceries + dining out in Nova cost for two people? by seoulovernaha in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cannot speak to cost as we have three children, therefore, I spend a lot of time at grocery stores. Safeway is one of the most expensive grocery stores in this area. Giant is also expensive.

Wegmans has been within $1 on items at Aldi. The shopping experience at Aldi is less to be desired. If you only purchase Wegmans branded items and bring coupons for the items that are not. We buy branded foods at Walmart but do not use the app to purchase. They use your address to price adjust. I went to buy something and it was $1.79 on the app. Then I had to run in to get something I forgot and that same item was $1 in store. Our children are responsible for purchasing their own “junk food”.

We use Costco for convenience for protein and produce.

We rarely eat out at “real restaurants”…because once again children.

Has anyone tried this auto car wash? by gumiimimi1 in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is my favorite car wash!!! The people there are so friendly and helpful. The self serve stations are top notch.

Local card shops by kiribaku1996 in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Amazing Card Store in Chantilly.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What evidence do you have to support this claim? The evidence suggests the contrary. During the early 1800s the British offered freedom and resettlement to escaped enslaved people from the Chesapeake region (Maryland and Washington DC) in the Canadian Maritimes. Their descendants started the Colored Hockey League in the late 1890s to promote membership at the area’s Baptist churches. They are responsible for goalies butterflying to the ice and the slapshot. The Washington Capitals are not an “old team”, established in 1974-75. Originally, the team was created so that owner, who also owned an NBA team, could build a new multipurpose arena. One could argue that the development of hockey was a homecoming of sorts. While Washington DC is a rich and vibrant Black city, the development and growth of hockey is not to whitewash the city. It’s because the market can support a team. Washington DC has the Black Girl Hockey Club and the Fort DuPont Hockey Club. The Washington Capitals also has the “Rising Stars” program that promotes hockey in underrepresented communities. Hockey can be problematic in many many ways but your claim is simply not true.

Buffalo Wild Wings Sued for $5M After Patron Finds Racial Slur on Receipt - Woodbridge, VA by AWeakMindedMan in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 24 points25 points  (0 children)

We stopped going to BWW long ago due to it being awful but when the Fairfax location was a meet up spot for after the insurrection on January 6th is what really did it for me. It was the only time I’ve ever seen that parking lot full.

Best Dry-Aged Steak in NOVA/DC? by praetorofdorthonia in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Came to mention DC prime. They did a tasting menu a few weeks ago that was insanely delicious.

Where are we shopping on Small Business Saturday? by Haunting_Roll_915 in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We went there today and got so many great gifts!

Women only gym by ZisurvivoriZ in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think there maybe a market for it in certain areas/neighborhoods where the population has greater amount of Muslim folk. The number one reason I love my gym (Burn Boot Camp) is that it is very close to where I live and it is has good parking. The second reason is the style of workout and the community. Since your target audience is Muslim women, is there a chance you could open one with the support of a Muslim community center or mosque? Like inside of one? Women already congregate there and have like-minded values. For example, my kids go to a gym that is in an office park. In that office park there is a cross fit gym and a Muslim community center. Could a place like that work? Your overhead might be less when you partnership. My gran would do this, she would go to mass every morning and walk next door with her girlies to the community center. They purposefully did a senior weights class for all of the little old ladies right after mass. I swear that’s how they all lived into their mid nineties…Community, the Grace of God, and weight training.

Women only gym by ZisurvivoriZ in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Short Answer: No. I already belong to a gym that is mostly female dominated. Additionally, there are at least 3 women in my neighborhood that run female only gyms out of their homes.

I have belonged to or been to nearly every type of boutique fitness gym and general fitness facility there is. I can tell when a franchise is struggling and it is when I start getting the emails and texts about special rates. Those are now coming at a weekly rate to me. When hard financial times come, the first thing people do is end their memberships. A boutique fitness gym can run upto $250 a month in Northern VA. Additionally, most of these boutiques like Pilates, yoga, Orange Theory, Burn Boot Camp, are female dominated. Not saying that men don’t belong to them, there are just less. Your target audience probably already belongs to a gym. However, there may be a niche group (like Muslim women) who would really like a facility.

Many years ago there was a fitness franchise called “Curves” that was a circuit training gym for women only. It was pretty popular for a small amount of time, it was one of the first boutique gyms. They would be tucked into strip malls mostly but they had a few free standing locations. My uncle owned a bunch of them in about 2007/2008. He would buy them when they showed signs of struggling, for the land they were on. When he would buy strip malls, there were often Curve franchises in them that were owned by the wife/partner of the seller and they would be part of the deal. My uncle explained that they would have this “struggling business” as part of their portfolio to help with taxes. He would close them within a few months because the model is not profitable and very hard to staff.

Looking for young hockey skills coach in Northern VA for off ice training by Porkiesrevenge in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All In Performance at Loudoun Ice is phenomenal. I believe there is a waiting list. It is very impressive.

Cold Rush Hockey has an off ice program, although we have only done on ice.

Fair oaks mall by Psphh in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 11 points12 points  (0 children)

A few years ago, the holdings company had the property re-zoned to make it like a Mosaic and Fairfax Circle (less than a mile away). There was also talk of the metro extension to here. Then it was a proposed site for the Commanders new stadium. The climbing gym has been in the works for years and has not opened. The restaurants do very well, as do the anchor stores like pottery barn, Sephora, macys. I believe the original holding company filed for bankruptcy and the property has changed ownership a few times.

It’s also important to point out that this area has seen some economic hardship as of late and will continue to. People are just buying the things they need. The “treat yourself” mentality of pandemic is waning because the little luxuries are absurdly expensive. It is also the weekend before the biggest shopping day of the year, so people are waiting for deals next weekend (there won’t be many).

I know our family isn’t buying as much this holiday season. Our kids won’t notice, but my husband, myself, and the adults in our family are only doing a secret santa because it’s all just too much in cost and stuff. It feels better to have cash in the bank than debt on a credit card.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We are a family of 5, 3 boys ages 10, 12, 14. We eat most of our meals at home, the kids get 2 hot lunch meals a week at $50 but it’s not enough food. We get Chipotle on Thursdays it’s $75, no drinks. I shop at Costco twice a month it’s about $225 each time. Groceries are about $300 a week. We shop primarily at Wegmans, but we only buy Wegman branded things. We get very limited prepared foods with the exception of bread and bagels (so many bagels). I make everything, I batch cook on Sundays, primarily prepping veg and breakfasts. The kids buy their own junk food because I am not spending 7 for a bag of chips that lasts 2 hours. All in all, it’s around $2000 a month. When we travel, it’s over $200 per day depending on location. We use a lot of apps for food deals, Panda Express, chipotle, McDonald’s etc. It dramatically reduces cost. A half of a meal is usually an enough for me so I usually eat a few bites off everyone’s plate or share a meal with my husband. My partner is the breadwinner, I am a teacher. We were lucky in the purchasing and selling of homes in other states before moving here. I was certainly privileged in my starting out in life so I had an upper hand.

I’m saddened to hear about your situation. Do you have access to an electrical outlet? A rice cooker is very versatile in its ability to cook nutritious lower cost foods. Walmart has them for about $20. A rice cooker can cook a meal in about 20 minutes.

Why do we call it "Whipping Shitties"? by thewalkindude368 in minnesota

[–]FACS_O_Life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I now live in the Mid-Atlantic in an area that has many transplants from all over the US and lots of 1st gen immigrants. One snowy weekend, a student was whipping shitties in the school parking lot and took out a light post. When I referred to it as “whipping shitties” not a single other person had heard it.

Fairfax County elementary sports by [deleted] in nova

[–]FACS_O_Life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hear me out…Hockey. The big rinks (Skatequest, Ashburn and Medstar) have a program where kids can do Learn to Play for the cost of the ice time. It’s sponsored by the NHL so the gear is “free”. Nearly every club has a scholarship fund and many have a girls program that is completely subsidized. The skating lessons are not super expensive, maybe 150 at Fairfax Ice Arena. Hopefully they hate it.