If you are new in town or like to go exploring like me, here are my top three picks:

NC State Farmer’s Market

We are very fortunate to have the North Carolina State Farmer’s market near the downtown Raleigh area.  Located off of Lake Wheeler road it is open almost every day of the year and offers year round enjoyment from fresh flowers, fruits, vegetables and canned goods in the spring all of the way to beautiful Christmas trees and garland in December.  The Seafood Restaurant has the best seafood around and people line up to enjoy it.  The North Carolina State Farmer’s Market also offers great events throughout the year from an Annual Easter Egg Hunt to Pumpkin Day in the Fall.  Be sure to check it out.

North Raleigh Farmer’s Market at Falls River

The North Raleigh Farmer’s Market at Falls River is located off of Durant Road and Falls River Avenue this farmer’s market is one of the newest in the community.  The market operates in the Falls River Towne Shopping Center parking lot in front of Nantucket Grill and Cafe.  It is open year round and is a great place to find fresh vegetables, homemade bread and flowers on your way home from work.

Wake Forest Farmer’s Market

Located in Charming Wake Forest and only 15 minutes from North Raleigh is the Wake Forest Farmer’s Market.  Our kids love to go there for the Meet in the Street Event or the Chili Cook Off each year.  Downtown Wake Forest is a great place to walk around, so be sure to budget some extra time when you go.

Quick Tips for Visiting A Farmer’s Market

Bring Cash

Most places only except cash and not debit or credit cards

Check to see if there is a dog/pet policy if you plan to bring your furry friend along

Some places do not allow pets.

Clear some space in your trunk or car before you go.

It is always easier to load things if you do this before you come.

Go early in the morning if you can.

You will have a better selection and it will not be as hot during the summer.

If You Have Kids:

Dress them in clothes that can get messy.

My boys love to sample peaches, strawberries, ice cream, you name it!   More than once I have had to really scrub a good shirt in order to get the stains out.

Bring the stroller.

Your kids will get tired of walking or standing in line.  Trust me! It will also help free you up to select items.

Always let the kids pick one thing

A choice of a new fruit or vegetable, plant, or baked good can be quite the incentive for being good.

Hope you are enjoying this beautiful Sunday afternoon like I am!

Katherin

Easter Egg Hunts in Raleigh

They are several large egg hunts in the Greater Raleigh area and here are my top two choices:

Raleigh’s Moore Square Hunt- this one I think is the largest in town and boasts over 10,000 eggs for kids in 4 different age groups.  Definitely worth checking out.  Moore Square Park is located in downtown Raleigh near Marble’s Kids Museum.

Richland Creek Community Church Egg Hunt- near Wake Forest and North Raleigh this hunt features 4,800 eggs, moonwalks, hot chocolate and games.

Let me know if you have any other top picks.

I hope that you have a great weekend!

Katherin

Quick Fire Exercise Facts:

Photo Courtesy of the Wake County Tax Department

When: March 6

Time: Starts at 8 – it should continue throughout the day and end                      late afternoon.

Where: 1900 Dunn Road, Raleigh, NC 27614

Bedford at Falls River Subdivision, near the main fountain

Roads to avoid:  Dunn Road between Falls River Avenue and                                                 Cokesbury Drive

Where to watch: Falls Landing Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614

Why this house: It is not in the city limits and was privately donated to the Fire Department

Questions?  Safety Concerns?  Contact the Falls River Fire Department at 847-3684.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Katherin

David Plants the Seed

The other week David came to me and asked if I needed a coffee pot and he began to tell me this story about how he had owned a coffee pot for a short period but it stopped working.   Being an avid coffee drinker like me he went to the store, bought a new one and you would think the story would end there.  Being David, he took it a step further and contacted the coffee pot maker.  After hearing what had happened the company sent him a brand new coffeepot to replace his broken one.  He now had two new ones and did not need a second.

I did in fact need a new coffeepot as I own two  (one for our beach house and one for our main house)-both are the same model and have rusted out in the plate warmer area.  I had planned to buy new ones but had not made it to the store.

The Seed Grows

As I brought his coffeepot home I started thinking about the lesson he just taught me.  It doesn’t hurt to ask.  Before I rush to the store and spend money on replacing 2 year old coffee pots or anything else for that matter I need to check with the manufacturer first.  Living in a throw away society sometimes makes me forget the value of a warranty and a company who is willing to stand behind their product.

Lesson Learned

This past weekend I sat down, googled Mr. Coffee, and saw the customer service link on their website.  After filling out a brief form about my rusted coffeemakers, I hit submit in hopes that someone would eventually contact me.  Less than 24 hours later I was pleasantly surprised to hear from a customer service representative who needed a few more numbers off of my coffeepots.  Yesterday afternoon I received word that the company would be replacing both coffepots as a one time courtesy.  I was thrilled with the news and thankful that David had shared his experience with me.  I plan to return his coffeepot today and I am sure it will make its way to another good home. David always brings a bit of sunshine to everyone he encounters and I am sure his coffeepot will have another story to tell.

I hope that you have a great weekend-

Katherin

1.  Know Your Child

My two boys are opposite in a lot of ways.  One is very talkative, go with the flow and my other child likes routine, close friends and an Adventure Landing Birthday Party.  He has had the same party at least four years in a row.   I know that all of the other mothers must be thinking- can’t his mom get more creative and pick something else?   Believe me, I wish that I could.   However, it’s his birthday and he loves it.  He thinks there is nothing better than an arcade, laser tag and go carts.   My other child picks something different every year of course.   My job as their mother is to make sure they are both happy.   So Adventure Landing we will be back again I am sure next year.

2.  Make Yourself an Invitation List (and keep it)

My children always have a best friend at school, basketball practice, chess club, etc whose last name they never seem to remember.  Do you have that problem too?   I am happy that they have so many friends, but a little bit of information would go along way.  So this past year I decided to keep a spreadsheet of a mentioned child’s name, followed by their address (when I finally figure it out) and it saves me so much time to be able to go to one spot for my invitation list.   I used to have to figure it out each year, but now that problem is solved.

3.  Let the Party People Do Their Thing

This is their job.  You have another job, let them do theirs.  It will work out a whole lot easier.   If this will be your first time using a facility make sure you ask how experienced your party helper/server will be, how many other parties will be held in the same room during your scheduled time, if adults are charged for/allowed to eat the pizza and cake too, etc.   The more questions you ask when booking your event the better off you will be.

4.  Use The Party Place’s Cake and Invitations

I used to be the kind to bring in my own cake, send my own invitations thinking that it would mean more to my child or impress the kids receiving the invitations.  You know what?  It doesn’t matter.   The place where you have your party will have cakes and normally cost within $5 of what you would pay elsewhere.   It is so much better to have your hands free walking in or not have to worry about if you other child will put hisfinger through the cake before you get there.    Invitations are a breeze when you only have to fill out your child’s name, date and address it.  Another plus is that take home bags are normally included in the price and it sure beats heading out to find a bunch of “filler” and plastic bags!

5.  If You Have A Problem During The Party Then Give Feedback

Most places will be open to feedback and may give you a survey.  Several Adventure Landing parties ago we ended up with a party hostess/server who was absolutely horrible.  I don’t know if it was her first day, she just didn’t like kids, if she was overwhelmed or what….but I was not happy.   I am not a screamer or a scene maker but I was very upset.   Nothing like trying to take care of a bunch of people in a place that is not your own.   I figured it out and my child did not notice, however I did reference it on my survey.  Even though it felt good to vent I personally thought it would end it up in a black hole somewhere.  Much to my surprise within a week I had a full page letter of apology from the manager addressing all of my concerns and the actions that were taken.  He even enclosed full day activity passes for my kids to come back and have a free day of fun.   Impressed?  Yes, I was too and it made up for the party.

6.  The Best Part?

No cleanup!!!!  It is so great to leave a facility and let them deal with all of the party clean up!  The ability and feeling you get when you come home to your own house and just plop on the couch should not be overlooked.  Believe me!   I have boys!

Top 5 Places for Children’s Birthday Parties in North Raleigh

(in no particular order)

1.  Adventure Landing

2.  Frankies Fun Park

3.  Buffalo Lanes

4.  Jelly Beans

5.  Raleighwood

Happy Birthday Planning!

Katherin

Winter Storm 2009

Good or bad, my husband always says that I am a stockpiler when it comes to bad weather and food.  I guess that comes from being the oldest of five kids and having to think through what all we will need.   I grabbed the last cart at Food Lion Thursday afternoon and was one of the many people in the check out line.  Thankfully we just needed a few things- bread and milk- like everyone else- and I escaped without too many bags of groceries.

The kids are visiting their other parents this weekend so it made for a relaxed kid free weekend.  We started out with Mexican and a Movie at Wakefield in Wake Forest.   We chose the new Mel Gibson movie which I thought was pretty sad.  I don’t want to watch it again.  We came out of the movie theatre and finally saw snow falling.  I was raised at the beach so any type of snow fall is always so exciting to see!

Being an early bird I was of course awake at 5:45 am which brought a very long day of surfing the web, a long nap, watching tv, clearing out the DVR  (I am glad Duke lost as I am a UNC fan) and cooking.  We sure did eat well but we missed the hustle and bustle of our kids on a snow day.

Today we intend to brave the weather and icy roads in our attempt to see the DPAC’s Mama Mia.  My dear friend, Sue, is also coming and I am so excited about seeing her!  My brother, Josh Oliver, and his band, Decyfer Down, are nominated for a Grammy tonight (category 52) so you will find us glued to CBS starting at 8pm.

Hope you are staying warm.   How do you normally spend a snow day?  What traditions do you have?

Katherin

The building decor is still beautiful and I know that I for one will be to happy to have one more restaurant within close proximity to my house in North Raleigh.

This year the exchange will be held at the Jim Graham building at the North Carolina State Fairground.   The exchange will be open on Friday from 9 am to 6 pm, Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.  Sunday offers 50% off of most items and is a great time to stock up on items for the spring.

For more information visit the Kids Exchange website:  www.kidsexchange.net .

As a mom my excitement must have spilled over to my children because our house is on edge tonight.

Snow is in the forecast and any time we hear of even of whisper of approaching snow in North Raleigh we get so excited!  Each year I start preparing early by checking on my car winter basket (assembled after I was stuck for 9 hours in the famous Raleigh Ice storm several years ago), checking the kids boot sizes and some form of snow pants.

The boys especially love playing in the snow and I chuckled last year to hear my youngest say after making his first snow angel:  ”Look Mommy, I just made a snow angel like they have on tv!”

I hope that you stay warm tonight and that we all wake up to beautiful snow!  What are some of your favorite snow memories?   What do you like to do with your kids on snow mornings?

I Have a Confession to Make

Shh!  Don’t tell anyone, but not all of their toys get assembled.   I know that is awful and believe me, I am not proud of it.  However, sometimes these all day Saturday toy assembly projects cut into more important things like laundry, dinner and my facebook time.  Does this ever happen to you or am I the only one on the block that dreads seeing the big boxes at birthdays and Christmas?

This Year I Am Going To Try To Complete The Projects As Best As I Can.

So I put my best efforts yesterday in completing the N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 Nerf Gun which came as a Christmas Present from my mother in law.   (another person in my life who is completely wonderful and I am lucky to have her) Twenty minutes later, not counting the trip to the store to buy D batteries, and the search for a small phillips head screwdriver -it was done.  Nothing beat the satisfaction that came with seeing my son’s happy face when he realized it was working and he could finally play with it.

So wish me luck as his birthday is next month and I am sure that I will see another box or two…especially from my dear friend, Sue, who giggles every time she brings him a present.