Attention Short Pump Shoppers: The Gift Card Black...

Well, in the past decade the trend for buying gift cards as christmas presents has been a steep one to the upside.  It has just become more common and accepted to give gift cards and, let’ be honest – what better way to make someone’s day.  They get to choose exactly what they want.

Buying gift cards has never been easier.  You can purchase them easily online and now, there are gift card collection kiosks in a lot of major stores such as drug stores and grocery stores.  I usually buy cards from over 10 different stores at Ukrops of all places!

Well, given our bad ecomony and the meltdown happening with the large retailers in America, buying a gift card is risky this season.  ThIs is because many retailers will be going out of business after the Christmas shopping season.  Now, you will be very surprised to know that even if bankruptcy is in the plans for many of these businesses, they are still selling gift cards.

What you need to know is that once a retailer goes into bankruptcy, your gift cards may be worthless.  While it is technically an obligation owed by the store to the gift card holder, it is an unsecured obligation which means that it is the lower priority in bankruptcy.  In other words- it is likely worthless!

I found this list on the Internet that predicts some of the stores that could have issues with gift cards.  Now, I do not follow the corporate business wolrd close enough to know how accurate this list is, but I thought it was worth including here to help any fellow short pump shoppers as they make their gift buying decisions.

Richmond’s Tacky Lights Top Houses...

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Last night we went on the annual tacky lights tour in Richmond.  There is no better way start the Christmas season (other than shopping of course) then to visit these houses with their amazing displays of lights!

If you are going to go to many of them, my advice to you would be to start off with the smaller ones and save the biggest ones for last.  We made this mistake a few years ago but going to the Asbury house first.  It is all relative.  The kids were especially bored at seeing smaller displays after being in awe with the biggest one.

Now we start off with some smaller displays and move to the ones that have hundred thousand lights!  First I would like to recognize all these homeowners that work so hard to create these wonderful sightings that provide so much holiday spirit for so many people in Richmond.  The creativity is unbelievable but I am just amazed at the effort and energy that is needed to do this each and every year.

There are many houses that are fun to see but these are our two favorites.  These are definitely worth getting out of your car to see the details!  So, if you do not like the cold, pick a warmer night.  You will not be disappointed.

#1 House. 9604 Asbury Court.  This house has been doing this for years and I think that it gets better each year! This one actually spans over two houses and it is just plain amazing.  There are all the traditional christmas characters like snowmen, gingerbread men and even the Grinch on the rooftop.  But there are also others like Mickey Mouse and Big Bird!  There are little sections of special themes.  Something for everyone.  You can spend some time here just taking in the detail and everything that is here.  If you can only go to one, go to this one!

#2 9716 Wendhurst Drive. This is our family’’s second choice. This one looks almost professionally done with layers of lights throughout. Again, it is one you need to get out and walk up to in order to appreciate the entire display. Lots of lights- well organized and just awesome to look at at.

We went to most of the ones that were listed in the Richmond Times Dispatch on November 27th.  I wonder if there are any other out there???

Best Short Pump Restaurant for Kids Meals- CPK...

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When it comes to afford-ably feeding young children at restaurants, we face a common dilemma.  Do we spend more for the real food or resort to the kids meals. . . which in most cases consist of friend chicken fingers, a hot dog, and a processed hamburger.  Of course the kids meals come with greasy french fries but I have been seeing some healthier alternatives like a fruit cup lately.

After growing tired of the bland and nutritious void kid meal options, we started ordering a regular meal for the kids to split.  This works sometimes but inevitably one of my kids will want a kids meal because it just sounds better then “baked chicken with carrots.”

But there is one place where we love the kids meals and that is California Pizza Kitchen in the Short Pump Town Center Mall. First, there pizza is very good and they offer real pasta dishes as kids meals.  Even better, my kids love pizza and pasta so we never have any complaints.

We like their regular menu as well.  The salads are big so ordering even a half size is sufficient.  And, they have decent soups and tasty pasta dishes.  While we normally opt for the traditional pizza pie, every now we do get in the mood for a gourmet pizzas at CPK.

Anyways, our vote for the best kids meals in Short Pump Richmond is California Pizza Kitchen.

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A New Breakfast Option in Short Pump Richmond...

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Last week the long awaited opening of the Silver Diner happened in Innsbrook.  I heard there were lines out the door.  My family is a huge pancake family (especially chocolate chip pancakes) and so if we did not frequent the Silver Diner on our regular shopping jaunts up to the Tysons Corner area, we would have probably waited in line last week for something new and different in the area.

I find it very interesting that franchised breakfast joints like the Silver Diner, Cracker Barrel and IHOP are so busy here in the Short Pump Richmond area. Breakfast is one of those comfort meals where I would have thought that the smaller, family owned joints would be the preferred breakfast places when one wants to get some eggs, waffles, pancakes and bacon.

But, I am finding that the franchises hold such a formidable position in the West End. I must admit that even though my husband and I prefer non-franchised restaurants that have more personality and better food, it is just so much easier (with kids) to frequent the larger and more convenient establishments.

Our favorite breakfast outing is a homemade breakfast at home.  In the summers, we make a huge breakfast almost every Saturday morning with homemade pancakes, waffles or french toast.  Of course, the meal would not be complete without eggs – either tasty fried eggs or sometimes Western omelets.

As our youngest child has gotten to that age where he behaves a little more in restaurants, we have tried a few brunches in the area but are on the look out for other recommended places for a good homemade brunch is a nice setting.  Patina Grill used to have a great brunch but not sure if they still offer it.

Short Pump Richmond- Barnes & Noble for Free ...

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Last night, my family went to our regular Barnes & Noble outing in Short Pump Richmond. We have found that the bookstore is a great place to entertain the kids for an hour without having to spend much money.

When our kids were real young, they could just play in the Thomas the Train set in the kids area.  I also took them to story time every now and then.  It was hit and miss and really depended on the story teller.  There were some good ones but many times my son would lose interest and leave for the train set.

As they got into the 3-5 year range, we would go and I would read them a story.  They got very excited at the chance to pick out a book in a seemingly endless number of choices.  I have a lot of fond memories reading books in the B&N to my kids.

Now that they are a few years older, our new thing is to pick out one of the jokes or riddles books and my daughter loves to read and learn new riddles she can tell people.

I think that in this world where kids get so distracted with movies and video games, it is hard to get kids interested in plain old books. But this is important because books really bring out the imagination in kids. The latest movies are really fascinating in their imagery and creativity but the bid downside is that they do all the imagination for you.

So far my children remain interested in books and especially our B&N outings as it adds excitement to the process.  I am also so happy that the Shady Grover library opened as it provides a second alternative for book reading although I must admit that my kids do not get as excited to go to the library.

Anyways, with the economy the way it is, I am going to start collecting different ideas for cheap or free places to entertainment or educate kids this Christmas season.  If you have any ideas and want to contribute, please send me an email (see the form above to submit information) or email us at info@shortpumprichmond.com.

Circuit City Friends and Short Pump Richmond...

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As we all know, Circuit City engaged in mass firings about two weeks ago here in the West End.  Now, I read the Wall Street Journal every day and so thought I was used to seeing companies lay off people all the time sometimes in huge numbers.  But the Circuit City activity really hit close to home.

We heard from some friends.  Sounds like that Friday wa just a horrible experience not only for those who got fired but even for those that did not.  Apparently, between 8 am and 11 am that morning, people would come out of offices every ten to fifteen minutes, walk around and tap people on their shoulders.  This meant that needed to go into the office to be told they were being let go.  Some people knew, based on their positions, that it was inevitable while others looked around and knew that one out of every three people would be fired.  Would it be me?

The thing that really bothered me was the press outside.  People were losing their jobs in this horrible economy and right before the holidays.  They were walking out with a box of their belongings.  Some worked there for 23 years and were let go.  I am sure the sadness, agony and fear they were feeling must have been so difficult.  Then, they had to deal with the press taking their pictures as they walked to their cars.

We have friends both who were fired and who remain.  All of them were distraught with the firings and many live in our Short Pump area.

I have been following Circuit City news in the papers and it just does not look good.  I know that this is happening everywhere and in much larger numbers (Citigroup is firing around 50,000 employees I believe- New York will sure be quiet for awhile). Still when it hits this close to home and affects family and friends, it just somehow seems a little more unjust.

Given Richmond’s current job market, it is likely we will lose friends and neighbors who will need to move to other towns to find suitable jobs for them and their families.

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Great Pizza Outing Right Outside of Short Pump...

Have you ever eaten at Chianti’s in the Gayton Crossing Shopping Center?  I know that this area is technically outside of the Short Pump area but I sometimes it is nice to get away from the franchised craze of short pump.

Chianti’s has really good pizza.  If you like New York style (thin crust pizza), you will like Chiantis.  There pizza is one of the best in the West End (in my humble opinion). My husband ordered their Calzone which comes with your choice of sauces and he was pretty satisfied.

I think some of the waitresses here have been there forever and really treat you well.  The only downside is that I do not think they have a kids menu.  So, if your children do not want pizza, you may be stuck paying for an expensive Italian meal.

They offer some authentic Italian meals and we have tried a few. . . again, they were all excellent, very tasty and nothing close to the bland or overly saucy franchised meals you get at most big chains.

We have discovered a few places in Short Pump and the West End with phenomenal pizza, but are always looking for new ones to discover so share your recommendations if you have them!

Short Pump Development Is Out of Control...

I have just been amazed and overwhelmed at the VOLUME of development of retail stores in the West End.  This topic, of course, is not new, and has been the talk of the community for the past several years.

Again, it seems like people are split down the middle in terms of their feelings.  Some actually love all this retail coming and and are happy that we are getting much better stores than we ever had.  I used to fall in this camp.

But recently, I have switched sides to wanting no more development.  Enough is enough.  I miss seeing the trees and having some space in and around Broad Street.  And, the traffic is rivaling areas like Virginia Beach and Northern Virginia.  I have noticed that if my travels require me to be on Broad Street I now must add 15 to 20 minutes to my commute time.  I am really worried about how much worse it is going to get as the development across from Best Buy gets completed . . . and then there is the new development coming up across from the mall (Broad and Lauderdale). I am truly sad about that one as it takes away the last set of beautiful green trees left in and around the area of Broad.

Despite all the development, I guess it is nice to have new stores come closer.  And I cannot help wondering what new store is going to come into those new developments?

I am sure there will be lots of posts on this subject in our blog as the subject matter of short pump development is such a major one in our community.

Enjoying the Soccer Free Weekends in Short Pump...

Well, I have to admit that I am enjoying having soccer free weekends.  This was the first year we had two kids on soccer teams and the scheduling was insane.  I noticed that different families took different approaches to multiple Saturday soccer games. In some families, the mom and dad just split up while in others, there were concentrated efforts to try to stick together.

I really wanted to see both of my kids play and every week I got the guilt trip from one or the other about which game I was going to see most of.  It is kind of silly given that they are so young, that I am not sure it can really be called “playing soccer.”  But still . . .

Well, we made it through the season juggling the soccer games and doing our best to figure out how to watch most of them.

When soccer ended last week, it was so nice to just relax on a Saturday morning.  No need to run around finding soccer shirts and socks, shin guards, balls and drinks.

Now it is weekend #2 and the kids are bored!  It is also really cold so we are once again trying to think of something fun and not to expensive to do that is inside- this has always been a challenging question for us as winters come around.  After thinking about it, we give up . . . call up friends and set up a play date.

Winter activities will start soon but in the meantime, any other ideas?

The Wii has Replaced Bowling in Short Pump...

We used to take our kids to Bowling America in Short Pump almost once a month.  While our kids are too little to actually bowl, they have these bowling ramps that make bowling really fun!  The kids loved it though my son did complain about having to put on the bowling shoes.  The other thing they looked forward to was the french fries.

We think the fries there are excellent!

Anyways, it is interesting but we go the Wii video game earlier this year and somehow got addicted to playing the Wii Sports bowling game.  This game is so fun and no worries about kids picking up heavy balls or worries about whether the ball is going to make it to the pins.

I just realized that ever since we got the Wii, we have not been to the Short Pump bowling alley. Not even once.  It has been almost 10 months.  It has been nice on the budget given that the playing of 2 games for a family of our, rental of shoes plus the inevitable food and drinks can add up to $50 a visit.

My daughter (who has developed rather advanced negotiator skills at such a young age) has been trying to convince us that we should take the $50 savings each month and buy a new Wii game every month.  So far, she has not succeeded.