Kennedy Krieger Institute , a hospital in Baltimore that specializes in treating children with special needs, is working with the Parents' Choice Foundation to set up a national resource for testing, certification and labeling of toys for children of different abilities.

Growing dahlias for show is a fine hobby, but the practice of devoting whole beds to jumbo-size blooms has grated against those who see a gentler and more integrated role for this tender New World perennial.

A mild and wet November prompted the rapid germination and flowering of persistent winter weeds that will soon set seed unless they are removed.

Dear Dr. Fox: We have lost two precious, beautiful German shepherds. Both had crippling hind-leg deterioration. The strength in their hind legs and lower back appeared to simply give out. One of them finally couldn't walk at all.

Three St. John's College High School girls' basketball players entered a campus dining room on a recent afternoon for a mock college signing, each in a school-sanctioned skirt but one wearing a Harvard sweat shirt, one a Dartmouth sweat shirt and one a Cornell sweat shirt.

You survived the Thanksgiving trek. Now it's time to get ready for the December holidays. Traffic history tells us this month's getaways will not match November's road agony. Only at Thanksgiving do so many pack so much travel into so few days.

These food establishments were closed because of health code violations. The list, compiled from health department reports, reflects actions taken by the departments.

Dec. 3 CHRISTMAS AT OATLANDS Relive Christmas in the 1870s at the Greek revival mansion. The Victorian decor features an abundance of greenery and Christmas trees. Tours begin on the hour, through Dec. 30. Holiday teas Thursday-Saturday at 1 p.m., through Dec. 27 ($24.95; reservations required)....

Santa Claus is arriving in Manassas, and he's bringing lots of Christmas festivities with him. The Merry Old Town celebration begins Friday at 6 p.m., when Santa is scheduled to arrive at the train depot (9431 West St.) on the Virginia Railway Express. At the Manassas Museum (9101 Prince William...

Whether you're just starting or just finishing your holiday shopping, we've got you covered. Here are our picks for some of the best gift ideas in town.

With childhood obesity rates nearly tripling in the past 30 years, many parents are wondering what they can do to inspire their kids to be more active, especially during the winter.

This is the time of year to overwinter favorite varieties of dahlia. The tubers are lifted after the frost kills the top growth, but take care not to nick or bruise them.

Q: For the past two summers I've been dealing with cicada-killer wasps. I discovered that they almost never sting and all they want to do is catch cicadas, and they really don't know they're scaring the pants off you.

You don't often think of air as fertilizer, but I recently opened a book called "Soil Aeration and Its Role for Plants," by Jan Glinski and Witold Stepniewski, and this was its first line:

These were among sales recorded recently in Prince William County and supplied to The Washington Post by the Prince William County Real Estate Assessments Office. To find sale and assessment records for homes in Prince William and elsewhere in the Washington area, visit...

Q: My antique bed, which I really love, needs a new mattress. I can remember when there were several local companies that made mattresses to order. Now I can't find one. Can you help?

Aleader in the national effort to raise the achievement of low-income children once told me how she became, to her amused surprise, one of those rare suburban Washington parents who pay tuition to send their children to D.C. public schools.

Here is an edited excerpt from The Post's On Parenting blog. Read the latest posts at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/parenting.

New hiking and cycling opportunities could be in Prince William County's future as officials work to complete a designated historic trail they say could improve residents' quality of life and make way for economic development in the county's eastern end.

Lead by example: That's the idea Prince William officials are sticking by as they try to make the county more energy-efficient.

Police across the region are beefing up patrols, adding DUI checkpoints and stationing undercover officers at major shopping centers in an effort to curb three things that for them are more common than snow on the holidays: shoplifting, drunken driving and robbery.

During the Prince William County Police Department's week-long Street Smart campaign last month, 950 citations were issued to motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians for violations including speeding, reckless driving, walking in travel lanes and disregarding traffic signs or signals.

NVCC STUDENT ART SHOW, paintings, drawings and designs created by students of the Manassas campus's fine arts program. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Northern Virginia Community College, Colgan Hall, 6901 Sudley Rd., Manassas. Free. 703-257-6532.

These were among incidents reported by Prince William County police. For information, call 703-792-7245.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church , 12975 Purcell Rd., Manassas, will present "Born a Savior, Born a King," a free program of Scripture readings and music at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. A reception will follow.

Be a Santa to a Senior Program needs volunteers to wrap presents at its community wrapping parties from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Occoquan Bible Church, 3700 Old Bridge Rd. in Lake Ridge, and 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Park West Lions Club Community Center, 8620 Sunnygate Dr. in Manassas. For...

Nobody wants to unwrap a book about dieting, right?

Cranium Hullabaloo. Sharpen listening as well as motor skills with the game that comes with pads of different shapes, colors and themes that you scatter around the room. A voice module then calls out instructions (spin to a musical instrument, for example) and tells you to freeze when the round is...

"This space needs to remain functional, but needs to be brightened up and beautified."

G Street Fabrics is holding its annual holiday sale at its stores in Centreville and Falls Church and at its new flagship location in Rockville.

Spread healthy holiday cheer with exercise gear. Here are goodies for every active elf on your shopping list.

One day, Nancy Holland is at the Senior Center at Woodbridge winning a Texas hold 'em tournament, and the next she is making a quilt covered in frogs for her grandson.

The Prince William County Department of Social Services hosted an annual ceremony in conjunction with National Adoption Day last weekend that resulted in 19 children being taken out of foster care.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 2-3 p.m., Conference Room 2/3. Potomac Hospital, 2300 Opitz Blvd., Woodbridge. 703-494-5763.

12 AND YOUNGER: Virginia Patriots travel team seeks players. Coach John Flaherty, 703-969-2915, 571-261-1338.

Brentsville District 1. Quaker Steak and Lube , 10911 Nokesville Rd. Special-use permit for additional parking for an outdoor commercial recreation facility.

Osbourn running back Vidal Greene stood behind the bleachers at Liberty High School on Friday night with a cast on his right wrist and a look of dejection.