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Marilyn Campbell

Stories by Marilyn

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Your Discards, Their Treasure

Handheld devices keep older people in contact with healthcare providers, family and friends.

On a recent summer morning, a group of college students gathered to sort and sanitize handheld devices ranging from smartphones to tablets.

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Discarded Electronic Equipment Helps Seniors in Need

Handheld devices keep the elderly in contact with healthcare providers, family and friends.

On a recent summer morning, a group of college students gathered in Chantilly to sort and sanitize handheld devices ranging from smartphones to tablets.

A COVID-19 Summer Gives Time for Reading

From current events to mysteries, books can fill time and lead to lively family conversations.

During a recent 12-hour car ride to their summer home in Michigan, the Leland family finished two books, “Bridge To Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

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A Summer Oasis

Pool house evolved into a space that incorporates the beauty of the outdoors into the interior design.

Transforming the expansive backyard into a summer oasis by designing a pool and adjacent pool house.

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Using Holistic Practices

How Yoga and Meditation can help ease anxiety over racial injustice.

Before the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent stay-at-home orders, Kesha Davis’s weekday evening routine included picking up her fifteen-year-old son at a bus stop in Old Town Alexandria.

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Seniors Join Protests for Racial Injustice

Remembering the past to inform the future.

Long before there was a Black Lives Matter movement and smart phones that captured police brutality on video, and long before throngs of people filled streets around the world to protest racial injustice, there were smaller crowds of pioneers fighting to tear down barriers imposed by Jim Crow laws.

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Discussing Racial Injustice with Children

Books and visual art can help begin difficult conversations.

As horrific scenes of police brutality and images of passionate protesters fighting for racial justice are ubiquitous in a smartphone and social media obsessed society, parental control over information that children receive can be limited. Framing and discussing such issues can be equally as challenging.

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Summer Blooms

Heat tolerant flowers that add bursts of color to gardens and landscapes.

As spring flowers begin to wither under the heat and humidity of summer, the vibrant blooms that once graced yards and gardens begin to fade. It’s during this time that landscapers and gardeners rely on a bevy of color-rich flowering plants that are hearty enough to stand up to the relentless summer sun.

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An Arlington Kitchen Gets a Facelift

From dark and dated to light and modern.

When an Arlington family grew tired of their home’s cramped, dark kitchen, they turned to interior designer Elena Eskandari to modernize and expand it, while creating a space for entertaining.

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When One Drink is No Longer Enough

Increase in alcohol consumption during COVID-19 worries some.

Just three months ago, her evening routine was simple. She made dinner for her 10- and 12-year old children, and after they’d taken showers and gone to bed, she settled onto the sofa in her family room with a book and a glass of wine.

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Organizing Boxes of Old Photos

The daunting project can be broken down into smaller tasks.

Stacks of boxes containing thousands of photographs line the walls of the basement in Alice Denson’s Fairfax home. For the past five years, the 73-year old mother and grandmother has promised herself and her family that she would begin the monumental task of sorting and organizing the photos.

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Parental Burnout on Distance Learning During COVID-19

How to survive until the end of the school year.

Whether deciphering algebraic equations and trying to teach them to a disinterested child or helping with a science experiment during a Zoom conference call, for parents who are trying to homeschool their children during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the struggle is real. Last fall, some parents developed a plan to deal with the academic burnout that occurs as the school year neared an end. Little did they know that the plan they created would be themselves.

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Island Vacation Inspires Kitchen Remodel in Alexandria

A dark and cramped kitchen gets sunny makeover.

During a vacation to the Maldives, Lesli and Daniel Creedon found inspiration for the design concept behind their newly remodeled kitchen. The family, which includes two 15-year-old children, wanted to capture the aesthetic of the powder-white sand and glass-blue lagoons that characterize the strand of islands.

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Dream Home Becomes a Reality in Potomac

Home designed to accommodate the interests of an active family of five.

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Comfy Kitchen Amid COVID-19

A gloomy, dark space gets a light and bright update.

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Virtual Fitness Classes Offer Options

Online choices for those who want to get or stay in shape.

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Staying Active in Social Isolation

A variety of local offerings allows for days filled with activity.

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Working from Home with Children

Juggling the role of parent and employee.

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Home Office Design

Creating a professional backdrop for video conferencing.

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Cooking in the Age of Coronavirus

Turning pantry staples into delicious and nutritious meals.

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Talking to Children about Coronavirus

Sharing developmentally appropriate information can ease fears.

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Local Designers Donate Talent for a Cause (Event Rescheduled)

A home in McLean gets a makeover to benefit cancer support community.

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Inflicting Pain to Gain Relief

Self-Injury Awareness Month is a time to learn about the condition and erase the stigma.

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Black History for a New Generation

Lessons on the contributions of African Americans not limited to February.

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Valentine’s Day Gifts for the Home

There’s still time to give the gift of style

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A Kitchen Reimagined

New design creates light, airy space.

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Preventing the Flu

Simple steps to help you stay healthy during the flu season.

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Tax Season, Tax Scams

The most common tricks and have to avoid them.

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The ABC of Kids and Money

Teaching children how to budget, save and manage finances.

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Beautiful, Bold, Soothing: Classic Blue

Dependable, stable and calming are the characteristics of the Color of the Year for 2020.

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Dry January?

The benefits of and strategies for taking a month-long booze break.

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Holiday Art Offers Peace and Calm

Local artists say ’tis the season for creativity to give the gift of harmony.

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Lighting Up the Season

Holiday designs to benefit Children’s National Hospital

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Maintaining Peace on Earth (and at Home)

Preserving your family’s wellbeing during the holidays.

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Ready to Turkey Trot

Seniors among those joining turkey trots on Thanksgiving

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Cooking with Children this Thanksgiving

Holiday meal prep can help create life-long memories.

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Setting a Thanksgiving Table

Local designers share ideas for creating a festive tablescape.

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Wellbeing: Diffusing Holiday Drama

Sanity-saving strategies to get us through the not-so-silent holiday nights.

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2.4 Million Older Adults in U.S. Identify as LGBT

The joys and obstacles of coming out later in life

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Keeping Children Safe on Halloween

Safety advocates offer tips ranging from costumes to trick-or-treating.

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Local Designers Create Dream Home for Charity

Proceeds will help preserve historic sites such as an Underground Railroad stop and one of the first public schools for African Americans.

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Supporting Friends and Loved Ones with Breast Cancer

Choosing words and actions that don’t cause additional pain.

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Exploring Art in Retirement

Seniors get a chance to pursue their passion.

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Normal Adolescent Mood Swings or Depression?

Making a distinction between the two can be difficult.

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Get on the Mat, Boys

Raising awareness of the benefits of yoga for men during National Yoga Month.

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Back-to-School Anxiety

Easing in to the new year

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Home Organization for a New School Year

Accessories and design elements to create a smooth start.

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Summer’s Bounty: So Healthy and Tasty

Don’t miss the height of summer season for fruits and vegetables.

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Traveling with Pets

Advanced planning is necessary when bringing a pet along on a family vacation.

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Beating the Heat

Seniors at greater risk for heat-related illnesses

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