Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and sharing a delicious meal with family. And the best part? Unlike many other holidays, there is no pressure to buy gifts for anyone. Thanksgiving is about food and family. And football. And a time to celebrate…

Army veteran James Howard considers his spinal cord injury to be a blessing by misfortune,” he says. “It helped me find a new purpose in life – to help the disabled.” Howard began his military service after graduating from Virginia Military Institute. He spent his career with the 82nd Airborne,…

Every state has its fair share of peculiar landmarks – like the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Kansas or the Lucy the Elephant sculpture in New Jersey – and Virginia is no exception. From the World’s Oldest Ham to the burial site of Stonewall Jackson’s arm, Virginia is rich…

It’s that time of year again, the season of giving thanks. You might be making a mental inventory of blessings, jotting down ideas for Facebook statuses, or lining up pictures for Instagram posts that proclaim unceasing gratitude in the most authentic way possible. It truly does a heart good to…

During every stage of parenting, it seems that some well-meaning stranger has stopped to tell me that these are the best times. When I had my new babies, more experienced mothers would tell me to treasure the sweet little snuggles. Later, on the sidelines of a soccer game, a grandparent…

All I wanted as a kid was some sort of vehicle that would move me up the highest hill in the neighborhood. I didn’t want to pedal, so I checked out books from the library on how to make a mini-bike. I drew up plans and dog-eared Briggs and Stratton…

If I wasn’t in the holiday spirit before diving into this issue (and I really, really wasn’t!), I sure am now. Just reading Catherine Brown’s history of Thanksgiving and all of the foods and traditions that go with it has changed my tune. Gather the family! Bring on the sweet…

In the thirty-seven years that “Buffalo” Bill Cody ran his world-famous Wild West Show, he brought it to Richmond nine times from 1888 through 1913. These visits from the former Pony Express rider created weeks of anticipation. Cody’s romanticized dramatizations of the Old West particularly appealed to children. Local stores sold…

Fall is one of my favorite seasons with pumpkins, apple picking, pulling out cozy sweaters for a brisk walk, and drinking warm apple cider. Fall is also the time to prepare your family to fight the flu. Every year, millions of people get the flu, several hundred thousand of them…

I quit my job because of a health issue. Now my wife is the sole breadwinner, and I’m a stay-at-home Dad. I feel like such a loser… I should be the one making the money and not her.”  Mark’s story is not all that uncommon. In many ways, it is…

Did you know that every year in Virginia is an election year? This November is an off-cycle election, meaning a general election which is held when neither a presidential nor a midterm election takes place. Voters will choose their representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate. All…

I love Christmas. I always have. I love the decorating, the gift buying and the wrapping, the food, the music, the family time, the surprises, the traditions – all of it.  Unfortunately, I’m married to someone who sees the holiday season as a time of stress. Don’t get me wrong,…

It’s easy to create festive pop-up cards for friends and family this holiday season. Follow the steps and create a turkey card to share what you’re thankful for this Thanksgiving. BONUS: You can use the same technique to make holiday cards for Christmas and Hanukkah, too. What you need: •…

Time for dinner!” is a phrase uttered nightly in homes across the country. And in this hurried culture, it’s more important than ever to make time for meals enjoyed together.  When I was a child, it wasn’t a choice; it was an expectation. And we didn’t mind! It was a…

Use promo code RVAJBR to save $5 on your registration for the 19th Annual Richmond Jingle Bell Run.   The summer before she turned two, Reagan took her first steps. They were small and shuffled, and she resembled her grandmother – slightly hunched over and slow – but she was…

Playful learning and curiosity is a natural part of growing up. If scientists weren’t curious – and didn’t have someone in their formative years supporting that curiosity – we wouldn’t know half of what we do about the world today. Here are some gifts that reinforce scientific concepts in daily…