DC Trip Information

There are two paid bus tours I would recommend:
First, skip the day time monument tours; instead do the Monuments at Night – here are some of the reasons: At night the tour is fully guided, which means you get off and on the same bus – no waiting for the “next one to come”(which during the day can take a while); Also – on the night tour you stop at more of the monuments like WWII and FDR (in my opinion two of the best memorials in DC); And most importantly – at night the Monuments are awe inspiring!  Nothing compares to the lights shining majestically on Abe Lincoln or the eerily, haunting faces that seem to come to life on the Korean War Memorial (another touching new memorial).  Here is the Tourmobile site: http://www.tourmobile.com/tours_seasonal.php

I do still recommend doing a hop on hop off bus during the day – and for this I recommend a different tour company: Old Town Trolley Company.  I recommend this company because they are the only ones to go into some unique neighborhoods that are definitely worth spending time. http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/


For me, I would skip the main route that goes to the Memorials (again do that at night) and instead take the two days (you get two days for the price of one) to explore the Green route.  http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/washington-dc-map.html  

The Green route starts by Ford’s Theater, which you could do before boarding the bus. http://www.fordstheatre.org/

The next stop is for the White House Vistors Center.  

It is hard to get a good view of the White House because of all of the security and you never know when things will get closed off (when we finally were able to get close up, they cordoned everything off because the President was landing in the Helicopter).  However, the Visitors Center is done really and is worth the stop. http://www.nps.gov/whho/

This route takes you up to the National Cathedral.  The Cathedral is beautiful and they have many different tours to enjoy (I have heard the Gargoyle tour is really nice).  If you are the picnicking kind – enjoy your food in the picture-perfect medieval Bishop’s Garden afterwards.

http://www.nationalcathedral.org/visit/individualVisits.shtml

Next on the Green route is Embassy Row – on the bus you quickly drive down the street and everything passes too fast.  There is one stop on Embassy Row and you can get off, do a walking loop and board the bus again to head toward Georgetown.  The embassies are each amazing architectural gems and many have unique stories to tell.  To do it the right way, take the time to get off the bus and do a free walking tour by using your cell phone.  

Here is a link to maps and how-tos; http://www.woodrowwilsonhouse.org/index.asp?section=podcast&file=podcast

Next up is Georgetown, the oldest part of DC.  It is now very trendy with lots of chain stores and restaurants, but it is still worth seeing.  If you want to get away from the crowds of the main streets and step back in history, visit the Georgetown Visitor Center run by the National Park System.   http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/georgetownvisitorcenter.htmThe The Green Route Georgetown stop is by the canal and a short walk will get you to the National Park and Vistors Center.

I love boat rides, so I would also recommend the canal tour.  This is a one hour tour on a boat pulled by a mull – just like they used to do. http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/publicboatrides.htm

Here are some other helpful hints of what to do:

Go to the Old Post Office Tower.  It is free to go up into the tour, the view is amazing (second only to the Washington Monument) and you can enjoy the view crowd free (skip the long waits and super crowded Washington Monument and do the Post Office Tower instead). http://www.oldpostofficedc.com/  The Old Post Office also features restaurants and shops.

Take an early evening to stay on the Mall for a little while; after 5:00, the pace of DC seemed to change and the for the short while before the sun goes down the Mall becomes a more park like setting than it seems during the heat of the day. 

Enjoy a free program at the Kennedy Center every evening at 6pm. http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/

Eat at the National Museum of the American Indian!
http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor&second=dc – the food is very different representing all of the different Native American cultures; plus the building is beautiful and many days there are very cool performances.  The café is very confusing because there is different food at each station (each station represents a geographical region of Indian tribes); do yourself a favor and review the menu before you go.  Trust me, the food is worth it, but be brave and try something totally unique. Oh, and the Fry Bread is delicious!

http://www.nmai.si.edu/visitor/files/2010summer_menu.pdf

We didn’t go, but if you like gardens, the National Arboretum looked so beautiful.  http://www.usna.usda.gov/index.html

Union Station is where you can pick up all of the site seeing tours and it is a must see in its own right http://www.unionstationdc.com/

If you want to see the National Gallery of Art, but aren’t the type to spend all day looking at art (with our 3 boys it was not a possibility – LOL), they have a highlights self guided tour to do in less than an hour.  This brochure points out all of the “must sees” and is a great way to enjoy the masterpieces without being overwhelmed. http://www.nga.gov/ginfo/index.shtm#visitor

One of my favorite Memorials was the FDR Memorial.  It is very peaceful, very moving and very meaningful.  It is part of the Tourmobiles night tour, but I would recommend reading up on all of the symbolism before you go – it makes viewing it so much more powerful.  http://www.nps.gov/fdrm/

I also thought the Korean Memorial was thoughtful and powerful. It is an unique monument with three distinct parts - the solider statues that looks as if they are walking through the jungle; the fountain and then the wall with actual photos of the soldiers who fought.  At night the statues come alive and the faces etched on the wall seem to float out of the wall.  It is breathtaking.

The WWII Memorial honors all Americans (not just the soldiers) for their important role in the war effort.  There is a kiosk that you can look up any relatives and find out there part of the story.  In fact, you can go online and add the story of any relative who served in the effort.  You add the pictures and history and forever on it will be part on the database and accessible at the memorial.  What a great tribute to the Greatest Generation.



Arlington Cemetery is another side trip.  You can drive there as parking is available.  Once there it is best to take the Tourmobile tour.  http://tourmobile.com/tours_arlington.php

It is the only tour company to actually go into the cemetery.  You could walk, but remember it is a very LARGE cemetery and very, very hilly.   The tour starts at the visitor center and it stops at all of the major graves.  Watching the changing of the guard was very interesting.  General's Lee's house is also open to tour, but we didn't have time.

Mount Vernon is another must see.  You can drive there for ease and it is definitely a full day of touring.  I would recommend either the Presidents Tour or the Commanders tour because they both include the estate tour, the distillery tour and a self guided audio tour.  The audio tour was so very nice.  It included a ton of extra information and was well done.  We did the Presidents tour because it included the hour boat ride (I am a sucker for boat rides).  

We ate at the Mount Vernon Inn and it was pleasant and well done.   You have to drive a few miles down the road to see the Distillery – but it is a nice stop and interesting (the boys all loved it) http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/dining/index.cfm/ss/6/

As for the Smithsonian – let your tastes guide you and because they are free you can come and go as you like.  We did love the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History.  There is so much to take in at the museums, that I do recommend breaking up the visits and not doing a bunch of days in a row at the museums.  It gets too overwhelming to visit the exhibits day after day and it is much nicer to do one day, and then do a day of other activities before going to another museum.   We also did the National Archives (to see the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) and the Air and Space Museum,  In addition, I have heard the Holocaust Museum is not to be missed and I will go next time I am in town.  The boys are too little right now for the weight of the subject matter.

As for the Metros – they are the ONLY way to truly get around the town (in my opinion they had a lot of issues compared to other cities public transportation), but overall they were GREAT and so convenient.  I would recommend studying some of the maps and get to know your way around and what fares you need to buy.  There are passes available which may work best for you.  Also, I have to say the people working in the stations were all very friendly and assisted us a lot.  Just don’t be afraid to ask.  There were some crime issues this summer, but truthfully we rode at night with the kids and did not feel unsafe.  I would say the same basic safety awareness that you would use in any big city should be fine.  http://www.wmata.com/rail/

All Natural

This is my first attempt at an "all natural" soap. This soap is simply saponified olive oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, lavender essential oil, patchouli essential oil, calendula petals and lavender buds. I didn't use any colors or fragrance oils.
I used a cold process method, in which lye and heated oils are mixed and allowed to saponify.  The soap is super creamy and gentle on the skin.

Inspiration

Eday

don't know why, but i am loving this photo of Eli - it has a kind of surreal feel to it; don't you think? 

Imitation is flattery, right?

I recently stumbled upon the cutest soap named surfer girl from the soap store  bodygoodies. I have been working on designing a coconut soap and loved the look, so I thought I would give it a try. After all, imitation is a form of flattery, right?  Actually, I do think finding unique soaps and and attempting to recreate the techniques helps me become stronger so that I can work to develop some of my own designs.

The first step in this process is to make small round soap spheres and then coat them in a contrasting color.  In this soap, brown and white were used to give the soap a faux coconut look.  After the balls are made, you pour a layer of the first color and let it set until it is firm enough to hold the weight of the spheres.  Then, simply place the sphere in the soap – pressing a few down so that they don’t all fall in the same line.  Then pour the second color on top.  When the soap is cut – the cross section of the sphere is seen as cute little circles.

Of course, it took me three tries to even come close to what I wanted to achieve:  The first attempt I poured the soap at too hot of a temperature and the white and brown balls melted into a mushy mess.  The second attempt went better, but I was using a loaf pan (like a bread pan) and when I cut the soap into traditional slices, most of the ball affect was missing and I simply had a two toned soap.  The last attempt, I used a brownie pan and then cut into squares -  whew, this time it came out.  I just wish I could cut straight!

Overall, I am happy with the effect.  However, I am going to keep on tweaking and try to use smaller spheres.  I also want to try out a few different color combinations and I want to figure out a way to get a true cube cut.  Hopefully, the end result will be more uniquely mine. 

This soap is scented with a coconut and lime scent, but unfortunately, the coconut didn’t hold is dreamy scent very long.  I have to say, though, the lather is amazing on this bar.  As always, if anyone wants one of these bars, let me know and I will be happy to send one off to you.

Beach Theme Soap

This is a soap I made for my big sister.  She has a bathroom all decorated in a surf/beach theme and I thought it would be cute for a guest soap.  It is scented with one of my new favorites - hibiscus and lemon...mmmm... smells good. 

Sugar Cube Scrubs

I love making bath products and I especially love the challenge of replicating/improving some of the items I see in the stores.  Recently I brought a great item at LUSH - a single use sugar scrub.   These little scrubs are fun to use and they smell like heaven!    There were only two drawbacks - the scrubs dissolve too fast so that the minute the scrub hit the water it dissolved and ran through my fingers AND the LUSH product contains baking soda and cream of tartar which stings a little when using the scrub after shaving my legs.  I did a little research and found some other recipes for single use sugar cube scrubs.  I tried a few that only used oils, cocoa butter and sugar but those recipes proved to be too rough when using on the skin.  Many of the recipes included melt and pour soap base as a binder and, even though I don’t want the scrub to become soap-like, I decided to give it a try.  It has taken quite a bit of experimentation and tweaking to make a final formula.  This is the process of developing the recipe for a single use sugar scrub.

Beginning Recipe:

• Soap
• Cocoa Butter
• Sugar
• Fragrance (I did two scents for spring: a refreshing lemongrass/coconut and a tart blackcurrent)
• Color (green for the lemongrass and coconut; pink for the blackcurrent)
• Jojoba

After mixing up the ingredients, the mixture was poured into a silicone bite size brownie pan and left for about an hour to firm up.  After unmolding the squares, I cut each into 4 cubes.   This batch set beautifully and looked and smelled amazing; however, when I tried to use them in the shower there proved to be too much soap and the cube did not dissolve in the water properly. Overall, it felt too harsh and didn’t really lather.

The melt and pour soap base should have added enough bubbles, however, with all the oils I added to make the scrub moisturizing  the overall lather was diminished.   I decided to add a surfactant called sodium lauroyl lactylate.  Sodium lauroyl lactylate is derived from milk and coconut oil and it is a safe, skin-friendly cleanser for both skin and hair.  I love it because it removes oil, dirt and bacteria without drying or irritating skin.  And it adds a TON of bubbles.   Vegetable Glycerin is a natural humectant that will draw moisture to the skin without having to use oil - so I added some.  In the end, I threw in some emulsifying wax in the hopes it would bind the mixture together better.

Rebatch 1

• Soap
• Cocoa Butter
• Sugar
• Fragrance (I did two scents for spring: a refreshing lemongrass/coconut and a tart blackcurrent)
• Color (green for the lemongrass and coconut; pink for the blackcurrent)
• Jojoba Oil

• Sodium lauroyl lactylate (a surfactant that adds lather to the product)
• Glycerin
• Emuslfying Wax (binds water and oil combinations)

This batch never set properly  and stayed too “wet” and oily to be practical.  However, it was great for use – it had a ton of lather and it felt smooth on the skin; not harsh at all.  Plus my skin felt so soft after using the scrub.  But look at that picture - there is no way I could pack these melty cubes up.  

Because the scrub worked well, the next formula is only tweaked a bit.  Natrasorb Bath is a modified starch that is designed to absorb excess oil and leave the skin feeling soft and silky.  Even better, when the starch comes into contact with water, it immediately dissolves which releases its load of oils and fragrances directly into the warm water.

  A few scoops will help to firm up the cubes. A little amount of clay was added to provide a slippery feel to the scrub when applied to the skin. 

Rebatch 2:

• Soap
• Cocoa Butter
• Sugar
• Fragrance (I did two scents for spring: a refreshing lemongrass/coconut and a tart blackcurrent)
• Color (green for the lemongrass and coconut; pink for the blackcurrent)
• Jojoba Oil

• Sodium lauroyl lactylate (a surfactant that adds lather to the product)
• Glycerin
• Natrasorb Bath

I just packed the mixture with a ton of Natrasorb and extra white sugar.  In fact, the resulting mixture was crumbly in texture - not pourable like the original soap mixture.  The dough was packed into the brownie pan (much like you would do with the bath bombs) and left for about an hour to set.  They popped out of the mold nicely and I cut about half of them into quarters, while leaving the other half to be a larger size scrub.  The finishing touch was a light coat of corn starch to keep the cubes dry .
I am very happy with the final product!  

But now I am not sure I needed the melt and pour base after all.  If anyone wants a creamy sugar scrub in a convenient single use cube - let me know.