Here at MOSS we love giving back to our local community and that is never more true than now, in the leadup to the holiday season. This fall, our team coordinated a donation of a mud kitchen to The Country Day School in McLean. A mud kitchen is an outdoor structure made from wood, pallets, and a sink, that helps kids explore the many textures of nature through playing with dirt, water, leaves, bark, and anything else they find outside. Often, this leads to children using the kitchen to create grass cakes and mud pies, hence the “mud kitchen” name.

Kitchens are often called the heart of the home. Because your family spends most of their time here, you want to ensure that the room reflects your style and is a place that makes you feel comfortable. If you like classic and time-honored styles, a traditional kitchen is for you.

Traditional interior design is a classic design approach that never goes out of style. What we often refer to as “traditional interior design” can be identified by its dark wood elements, ornate architecture, and elegant decor. However, this doesn't equate to old and stodgy.

Halloween is right around the corner. Before you know it all the little trick or treaters (and their parents) will be walking up to your front door or porch in pursuit of candy. Is your house ready for an onslaught of visitors? Don’t get spooked by all the prying eyes. With just a few simple upgrades, you can ensure your home is welcoming for Halloween and the upcoming holiday season.

We all know that kids like to get dirty. There’s nothing more guaranteed than grass stains on a toddler's brand new, clean pants. I’ve come to embrace it. Children learn through play and there's no better place to explore and learn than your own backyard. With this in mind, there are a number of educational outdoor structures you can build for your children that go beyond the typical playhouse or playground.

Fall is a hectic time for families with back-to-school activities and sports practices filling up the calendar. Some people may even start thinking about prepping for Halloween or the upcoming holidays. To me, however, there’s nothing better than sitting back, relaxing outside, and enjoying the cooler, more pleasant weather this month. So how can you create a backyard oasis that can be used all year round?

I was proud to visit Northern Virginia fire stations today on this 16th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedies in New York City, Arlington, and Pennsylvania. Sixteen years ago today, I lived in Northern New Jersey only fifteen miles from the World Trade Center. Like so many others, I will never forget where I was when I heard the news that morning. We were all touched in some way by the tragedy and cannot thank the firefighters, police officers, and other emergency personnel enough for their dedication to helping others.

Like most workers in the Washington, DC metro area, you’ve probably found yourself in the middle of a long commute at some point in the past few years. That’s why more and more of us are turning to some sort of “flex work” or work from home arrangement. It’s now commonplace for many Northern Virginians to work from home at least one day a week. To accommodate this, Moss has seen an increased focus on designing home office spaces. So, if you are limited by space, how can you make the most of what you have and not feel like you’re working in a broom closet?

Back-to-school season always conjures up images of opening a clean notebook and taking out sharp pencils and bright crayons on that first day of school. There was something exciting about that new beginning and fresh start to the year that I got every September. To some in our area, however, there can be more angst than excitement as the ever-growing school supply list means an added expense to already financially strapped families.