A great way to make and keep healthy habits for your kids is to involve the whole family. Now that spring is here, include exercise into your daily family routine. Come up with fun and creative ideas for the whole family.
While you are out power walking or going for a jog, take the kids along on their bikes, rollerblades or skateboards.
Enroll the whole family in a fitness class, like tennis lessons, karate, or parent/child yoga.
When all your friends and relatives ask what your child wants for a birthday gift, involve fitness. Ask for a scooter, soccer ball, baseball gloves and bases. These are all perfect for promoting a healthy lifestyle with outside activities.
Plan family outings at a park such as a wilderness trail, There are plenty to choose from in the Richmond area. Or have a pick-up football or softball game, ultimate Frisbee match, or game of tag. All these activities will promote cardiovascular health for the whole family.
But it isn’t only the obvious options that help you stay healthy. Keep in mind that cleaning yourhomeburns calories too. Also, don’t look for the closest parking spot to the grocery store door, park a ways away and walk.
Maybe after dinner tonight, your whole family can go for a walk around your neighborhood.
Saturday, April 23 from 12-7pm is the Richmond Earth Day Festival. A free, all day celebration that provides resources, education, and information in a fun filled outdoor setting. This year’s festival will be bigger and better than ever. 1st, through 4th Streets at Hull Street in the New Manchester District will be blocked off and filled with over 90 vendors, artists, farmers, and fun activities for all ages. Join us, riverside, at the James River Fish Fest or kick back and enjoy live music performances from local bands: Rattlemouth, Amazing Ghost, Black Girls, Horsehead, and more. The Earth Day Festival has always been proud to highlight some of Richmond’s top Local bands. This year’s main music stage will showcase Exebelle & the Rusted Cavalcade.
The 2011 Earth Day Festival will showcase the best of Richmond with green artists, businesses and enthusiasts. We welcome families and people of all ages to share in this day! There will be no shortage of delicious local eats and drinks for you to try as well; so come celebrate, learn about our environment, and spend the day outside.
Join us as we strive to make Richmond a “greener” city. Some of the attractions will include:
Fish Festival, organized by James River Park System. Next to the James River and Manchester Flood Wall, kids and families can enjoy fishing along the River, fish releases, fly-casting workshops, oriental fish printing & hat making, water test demonstrations, face painting & caricatures.
Local Food Vendors to include: Alamo bbq, Nate’s taco truck, The Nile Ethiopian, Goatocado, Grapevine Restaurant, Thai Top Ten, and more.
Outdoor Gear Swap, organized by James River Outdoor Coalition. Anyone is welcome to bring their gently used equipment or come by to purchase equipment.
3rd Street Sustainable Workshops, Earth Day attendees will experience natural and biological systems and the human relationship of using those systems to create art, tools, equipment and processes essential to managing a sustainable lifestyle.
4th Street Artists Showcase and Demonstrations, Meet local artists and learn to make art out of recycled metals, learn tile and hot glass bead making; watercolor, collage and oil painting demos.
Green Hero Awards, organized by Style Weekly and honoring ordinary people and businesses with extraordinary commitments to bettering the environment and making lasting changes to our community.
Compared to owning a home, living in an apartment home community is incredibly relaxing and easy. Why do the work yourself when you can rely on a dedicated property and maintenance staff if anything needs fixing? Not to mention, no lawn maintenance or pool care.
Believe it or not, you often get more for your money when renting in an apartment home community. Oftentimes you can rent an apartment for much less than the cost of buying a home, especially if you live in or near a larger city like Richmond, VA.
Getting a big tax break is one of the great advantages of owning a home. But, you can't always rely on getting that tax break. If your annual mortgage interest payment and your other deductions aren’t greater than your standard tax deductions, you will not receive any tax benefit from owning a house. However, if you rent an apartment, you will always receive some form of tax relief because a large portion of your rent is tax deductible every year.
Now, if you use part of your apartment home for business, you can also deduct expenses for the business use of your home. These expenses include your monthly rent, renters insurance, and utilities. A home office deduction is available for renters as well as homeowners.
There are two basic requirements for your apartment home to qualify as a deduction. The first requirement is “regular and exclusive use” which means you regularly use part of your apartment exclusively for business purposes. If so, you can take a home office deduction for the extra room or space you are using. Secondly, it must be your principal place of business.
Richmond is an area where growth is underway, and more expansion is coming due to the tech industry, which is an expanding sector of the economy. The city is experiencing a growth spurt which has created an influx of the professional class into the city. There are important things to consider when relocating, and those searching for a new home in Virginia need to consider many aspects when looking.
Location is a primary concern especially when commuting; no one likes to spend time on the road, especially with gas prices today. Lifestyle becomes a factor here too. Quality of life and the amount of time you can spend with your family, or relaxing is becoming more and more important. It is important to find a home close to recreation, dining and shopping centers so that less time is spent traveling and more time is available for leisure activities. If you are relocating to the Richmond metropolitan area or the surrounds, consider The Gardens at Twin Hickory.
The Gardens at Twin Hickory is a luxury apartment community in Glen Allen, VA. Located north of Richmond, the Gardens offer residents many community amenities and proximity to Richmond, while providing comfort and scenery at home. Richmond is a city that is fun to live in, and continues to grow and evolve. It is an excellent city for professionals who want to live where they work, and The Gardens at Twin Hickory is a great place to raise a family or meet friends.
Join us for A Pot Luck Bingo on February 10th & 22nd, 10am to 12pm, bring a fun appetizer for everyone to share. We Can't wait to see you all there! Click here for more info.
Cupcakes and Makeovers Event
You're invited to relax and enjoy - Arbonne International on March 13th, 2:30pm to 4:30pm at the Gardens Club House. Be our guest, enjoy cupcakes, and sample everything Arbonne has to offer. Revolutionary Skin Care Products, Scientifically Advanced Nutrition and Weight Loss Products, and Makeup. Must R.S.V.P. by March 6th. Click here for more info.
Fitness Center Remodeling
We are remodeling our Fitness Center Thursday, February 24th through March 4th. All of the rooms in this portion of the the Club House will be closed during this time. Click here for more info.
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A great way to make and keep healthy habits for your kids is to involve the whole family. Now that spring is here, include exercise into your daily family routine. Come up with fun and creative ideas for the whole family. 
Saturday, April 23 from 12-7pm is the 
Believe it or not, you often get more for your money when 
