Triangle Mamas

Bargain Hunting with the Durham Rescue Mission

By Abby

I have a little secret and I'm not sure I should share. If I share, all you local peeps just might start shopping there too and then I'll have to compete with you for all the good stuff.

All the good stuff, you say. Where?

At Rescued Treasures, the Durham Rescue Mission thrift shoppe -- located on US-70/Glenwood Avenue near Brier Creek.

It's here you can find all sorts of awesome deals. I brought home a whole bag of Linus clothing for only $10. It included some pretty nice pants (some still with tags) for $2 each. Right now, Linus is rocking a pair of Gap jammies that I got for -- $2. That's right, most kids clothes are only $2 each.

You can't beat that price anywhere.

Not even at Goodwill, where kid's clothes are $2.25 each.

But even better than prices that beat Goodwill is that unlike GCF, the Rescue Mission's clothes are sorted by SIZE. It's so easy to find a bargain.

My mom even scored a Peg Perego Pliko stroller for $15. She's gonna clean it up, repair the seat fabric, and then pass it on to my expectant sister-in-law, Kate.

And the furniture. I haven't even mentioned the furniture. I have my eye on a desk, if only I can find a way to get it home AND convince my husband that despite it's imperfections, $25 is NOT too much to pay. We'll see.

The other great score I made at the Rescue Mission -- my mom's Christmas present.

But you'll have to wait until Thursday for that one. Stay tuned.

Almost forgot -- While you're there don't forget to donate all your unwanted, gently used household goods and clothing. You can just drive on up, let them unload the car, and walk away with a tax write-off receipt. Easy-peasy.

 

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This is an original Triangle Mamas post. Abby blogs about local finds, shopping steals, and much more at My Sweet Babboo. You can also find her on Twitter when she's not moving laundry around.

Shopping Locally at the Durham Farmers' Market

By Abby

Boy oh boy, did we hit the jack-pot. It is amazing what a little planning and a fantastic cookbook can do to help a beginner navigate the Farmers' Market.

 

On this week's menu:

• Summer Pesto Pizza
• Tofu Stir-fry
• Brushetta
• Green Enchiladas
• Kohlrabi with Peas and Potatoes
• Sausage Asparagus Skillet

We spent $55 and got at least half of our grocery shopping done at the Durham Farmers' Market. We could have gotten more (like eggs, bread, yogurt, and additional cheeses) but my husband's arms were reaching their maximum carrying capacity (bulk, not weight... he's manly, after all).

Considering that $10 dollars of that was for intoxicating soaps, I think we even did decent financially. (And let's not talk about our tendency to purchase expensively delicious cheeses.)

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How about you? What foods do you try to purchase locally? Do you have any secrets for serving healthy foods on the cheap?

 

(Bottom photos taken by Linus while browsing at the market.)

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Neither Abby nor Triangle Mamas was compensated in any way for links contained in this post. It's just good stuff we like to share.

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Since becoming a mother, Abby continues to work towards a greener, less toxic environment for her family and the world. She blogs about some of the changes she's made at her personal blog, My Sweet Babboo. This post is crossposted over there.

Kid's Summer Stock at the NC Food Bank Update

By Sue

We all know how excited I was when I was asked by the North Carolina Food Bank to be a Media Sponsor for the Kids Summer Stock Social Media Mixer and I hope you have taken the time to read about it and get excited too.

I will be attending with my whole family and I hope to see you there with yours. It will be a fabulous time to mix, mingle and show your support for the people in our community who need our help. In addition to all the warm and fuzzy feelings you will in no doubt feel for just attending, I received an update about some fabulous raffle prizes that you could end up going home with.

• An official NHL Hurricanes hockey puck signed by Cam Ward
• An "I Love Hockey" kids t-shirt signed by the entire Hurricanes team
• A 3-Night stay at Alderhorst; a beautiful mountain cabin near Boone, NC
• A whimsical wooden marble chaser by Whimsy Two
• A beautiful set of jewelry from the Treasure Trove 

Get involved! 

Share the event and experience with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or your Blog!
 
On Twitter, use the hashtag #SummerStockSocial and on Facebook, share the Social Media Mixer Event Listing

Register Now - Space is limited!

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This is a cross post from Sue Robinson over at Motherhood and Me. You can also find her at Deep South Moms Blog and on Twitter.

Kid's Summer Stock at the NC Food Bank

*This is a cross-post from Sue's personal blog Motherhood and Me

As my son grows, I find myself looking deeper, wondering how I can change to be a better person in order to teach my son that there is good in the world.

How do you do that?

People can go their whole lives bitter, angry and full of hate. How to you even begin to teach your little wide eyed 3 year old boy about how his place in the world can be a peaceful and kind place?

You start small.

You teach him to share his toys with his friends, you teach him to say please and thank you, you teach him patience, respect and hold your breath when you see him interact with the world around him. Holding your breath in hopes that what you worked so hard to teach him is somewhere deep down inside him.

I was so excited when I decided to take this lesson of kindness and the greater good one step further. I had planned to have a food collection on behalf of the North Carolina Food Bank for his 3^rd and my daughter’s 1^st birthday in lieu of gifts. I told him all about how and why we were doing this and tried to get him excited about going to the food bank to make our donation.

He was excited and everything was set until the dark cloud hit our family and I had to cancel their birthday party. I was so sad that our excitement came to a screeching halt, but glad that I had started to plant the seed of awareness in my little man.

Then the email came.

The North Carolina Food Bank contacted me asking me if I would like to be a Media Sponsor for an event they were having to raise awareness about their facility and hunger in North Carolina. I immediately said yes and was so excited to be a part of something bigger than myself again.

II am proud to announce that Motherhood and Me is a media sponsor for the North Carolina Food Bank’s Kids Summer Stock!

The kid’s Summer Stock is an event to raise awareness about hungry kids who fall short during the school summer breaks. Kids that normally rely on two hot meals per day provided by their school’s lunch program are left on their own. Once the school year ends these kids fall through the cracks and don’t get remembered until the school session resumes in the fall.

Please take the time to come and celebrate the gift of giving at the North Carolina Food Bank Warehouse in Raleigh. Show your support by engaging with your local community and donating what you can personally, monetarily and via canned goods.

I will be there with my kids and my husband, so feel free to tap me on the shoulder and say hello!

 

Thursday, June 3, 2010

6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Food Bank Warehouse in Raleigh

3808 Tarheel Drive
Raleigh, NC (map)

Register now for your free tickets!

Click Here

I hope to see you there!

When Sue isn't trying to change the world with kindness, she can be found at home with her two kids at Motherhood and Me.

These are the People in My Neighborhood

By Abby

My neighborhood is the kind that some outsiders might consider "sketchy". There's a mix of blue collar and white collar. There aren't very many perfectly manicured lawns. There are trash cans not brought back to the house within two hours of pick-up.  There are no covenants dictating they have to be. There are little old ladies with ancient deck furniture on their porch; there are rental places with drive-ways and curbs full of cars; and there's even a crazy cat lady who swore her cat was abducted and murdered (he was hit on the four lane street two blocks away). It's a neighborhood full of older homes- some recently renovated, others still boasting their original pink siding.

This may seem "sketchy" to the casual observer. But if that observer were to stick around for a bit, he'd see that it is more perfect than the little boxes lined up on suburbia's streets. He'd see kids outside playing without the forced interactions of helicopter moms at the park. Kids from all different heritages playing together, playing the imaginative games of our youth. He'd hear a little blonde girl with a distinctly Southern drawl, another girl whose English is an interesting mix of that same Southern drawl and her first language (Spanish). He'd see a group of boys riding their bikes around and around the block. One African-American, one Hispanic, and one who could pass for a Beach Boy. There's the older African-American man who spends his day keeping those well-manicured lawns manicured. Another, a bit older, whose daily activity is to grab his cane and walk to the grocery store.

If the observer would stick around, I like to think he'd see a little slice of America. Not the America some would like to pretend is the real one, but actual America. One where people of various languages, different ethnicities, sexual orientations, various religions, and different incomes all live together without fear. Some nights, that observer, would even be able to smell the real America as the breeze fills with wafts of the vegan chef's kebabs melding with the aroma of tamales made fresh across the street that then dances together with the still bubbly rhubarb pie I've baked.

This is Durham. This is America. This is where I want to live.

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Crossposted at Abby's personal blog My Sweet Babboo.

Education Day at the DBAP

By Abby

It's baseball season and here in Durham, baseball means Bulls! I've already been to two games, and am ready for more.

My first game was last Friday night. Although a trip to the ballpark may sound like a cheap date ($8 tickets are less than the movie theater after all), when you add in several hot dogs, beers, and other "ball park only" splurges, that price quickly elevates. Despite that, a Bulls game is a near perfect date. It nicely tows the line between stare at each other, talk dates and stare at a screen, sit in silence dates. There's both entertainment and conversation. To me, that's perfection.

For my second game, I took a different date. I've written before about how perfect the 11 AM games are for little ones, and today's was no exception. Linus and I met up with our friend's Marty, CC, and lil' C for a little Spring time fun. The boys did great, spreading their attention equally between the actual game, the fun festivities, and the Matchbox cars I brought along. I still wasn't able to bring myself to indulge Linus in a hot dog or electric pink cotton candy, but he did pretty much eat a bucket of popcorn by himself. Anytime I tried to sneak a little, I was chastised, "No, Mommy, you're not hungry." Of course, one drawback of attending a game with toddlers is that you lose the conversation part of the date. It never seems I get enough chat time with Marty, but we do our best while still being the hands-on mommies we are.

I know Linus enjoyed the game. The rest of the afternoon all he wanted to do was, "Talk about the Bull, Mommy." We were lucky enough to witness a Bulls' home run before leaving the ballpark. For those of you not in the know (or who haven't seen Bull Durham), there's a great big Bull in left field that has eyes that light up, a nose that steams, and a tail that moves whenever the Bulls hit a home run. Linus was fascinated by it, and could not stop talking about it.

So, whether your date is a devilishly handsome 30-something or two sweet little tow heads, there's lots of fun to be had at the DBAP.

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(Cross-posted at My Sweet Babboo.)

Abby, sister to two jocks, grew up living and breathing baseball. Lucky for her, a move to Durham meant the chance to support a winning team instead of haplessly following the down and out Kansas City Royals. She writes about all the ways in which she loves Durham at her personal blog My Sweet Babboo. She can also be found sending local shout-outs on Twitter.

An Evening with the Elves at Marbles

Recipe for Holiday Fun

by Abby

Ingredients

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1 Pajama-clad toddler or preschooler

20-30 of Santa's elves

1 Courtyard of "real" snow

1 Two hour serving of Live holiday music

2 Adult beverages (Fat Tire for the Daddy, wine for Momma)

3 Plates piled high with chicken, mac & cheese, carrots, and cinnamon apples

Cupcakes, cookies, and other yummy desserts (optional)

In a large children's play museum, combine the first 6 ingredients. Add cupcakes and desserts to taste.

Once thoroughly combined, you'll be rewarded with a very merry and entirely jolly Triangle family.

Although very busy with merriment making, Abby does still try to make time to document all the festivities over at her personal blog, My Sweet Babboo. If she finds herself too busy baking or gift wrapping, she may just Tweet about it since 140 characters is much faster than an entire blog post.

Read Locally

I'm exhausted -- but for once, it's not my children's fault. This time, I blame John and Ray. And Conker, Jolie, Si, Buck and Nel.

This cast of characters kept me up late last week -- not at a rock concert or the newest club (seriously, I should be so cool), but sitting on my own couch unable to stop reading. John is a friend from college and more famously known as John Claude Bemis, the newly-published author of The Nine-Pound Hammer. Ray is the main character in his book, the first in a trilogy that follows the orphan as he and the others embark on the story that's been occupying my late-night mind.

Inspired by his work as a teacher and a bluegrass musician, John has created a novel that blends the fantasy elements of a Harry Potter story with the landscape of American folklore. Here's the blurb from the cover:

"Twelve-year-old Ray is haunted by the strangest memories of his father, who Ray swears could speak to animals. On a quest to find out what happened to him, Ray falls in with a band of young sideshow performers traveling through the South in a rickety old train. For the first time in years, Ray feels at home.

But something strange is going on. From a locked train car, Ray hears hypnotic singing. And the performers themselves -- the strong man, the fire-eater, the blind sharp-shooter... their talents seem almost magical. Ray investigates and discovers that the old stories about John Henry and Johnny Appleseed are true in ways he never would have dreamed, that an ancient evil these characters fought is rising again, and that Ray himself may have a place in new stories only now being written."

One reviewer called it "a steampunk collision of heroes, mermaids, pirates and good old-fashioned Americana." I can't quite do it justice, although I do like the word "steampunk" -- but I can tell you that the book was hard to put down. And I think it's amazing that someone I know has written and published a real live book for middle-grade readers (which apparently includes me). 

Since John lives in Hillsborough, if you're trying to shop local this holiday season, you get a double word score if you buy his book from an independent bookseller. If you want to sample before you buy, John will be reading and making music in Charlotte on Friday, Dec. 4, and in Durham on Saturday, Dec. 5. Be sure to tell him I sent you!

Note: No compensation was offered or received from the author, his publisher or any of the stores linked here in exchange for this post. However, I am hoping that it might entice John to send me an advance copy of the second book in the series, which is due in stores next summer.

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Cyndi can also be found at Junius & Pippi Take the Cake, where she likes to list more of her favorite books for children and grown-ups.

Lost in Durham

by Abby

See this park.

Looking at this map, you'd never guess that this park is cloaked in an invisibility shield. You'd never know this because you would probably make all the right (or left) turns and end up zipping down the slide or flying in the swings in under five minutes.

I, on the other hand, fell victim to the park's invisibility shield for a full hour as I looped around and around just catching glimpses of what I knew must be the space in which the park was contained while never actually finding the entrance.

Sadly, I can't even use the excuse of it being in an unfamiliar neighborhood. This park is seriously right behind Local Yogurt and with as much time as I spend there, I should know my way around.

Instead, I will blame the trees which provided superior camouflage; the technology that was bombarding me (You try melding written directions from a friend with Google maps on your iPhone all while your GPS is screaming at you to "Turn around when possible."); the missing street sign on the corner; and what is obviously a secret government experiment in land disappearances.

Abby is constantly lost both on the actual road and on the road of life. But she does usually persevere and eventually finds her way. You can read about all her journeys at My Sweet Babboo or follow her ramblings on Twitter.

Bliss in the Bull City

by Kelly

Unlike most people that I know in the Triangle, I can say that I spent most of my life growing up here, in Chapel Hill to be exact.  It’s often hard to believe that it was 23 years ago that my family picked up all it’s “Yankee” roots & headed down here from Connecticut.  So, you can imagine how surprised I was when I met my now husband & found out that not only was he a Durham, NC native, but his parents were as well – a rare find in this area.

Needless to say, I was a footloose & fancy free teenager finishing her first year of college at East Carolina University when I met my husband.  We were both eighteen, but he was just graduating high school.  It was during the summer of 1996 that we dated & both had what we thought would be a “summer fling,” if you will.  I’ll admit, my friends were a bit skeptical upon meeting Seth – growing up in NC he was a bit of a clean cut, country boy, and not the typical guy I might have dated.   I was very much a “wild child,” with an unusual sense of fashion, a love of jam band music & a fondness for grungy boys.  But, something about this guy was different & 13 years & one child later I couldn’t be happier.  We often refer to ourselves as ‘Dharma & Greg’ – the years have changed us a bit, but my husband it still the picture of maturity & responsibility, while I am still very much a dreamer & a kid at heart.

He is the reason that we now live in Durham, and that I have such a love & appreciation for NC.  A common thread between us is a love of the great outdoors – camping, hiking, backpacking, boating, cycling – we have experienced the best that NC has to offer. While we have not gone camping yet with our 2 ½ year old son Wyatt, we talk about it often & wonder which favorite spot in NC we will revisit with him in tow.  Living in the Triangle allows you to get to the Smoky Mountains or the Crystal Coast with the ease of a 3-4 hour trip.  Couple with that the fact that our closest friends, my sister, brother, parents & in-laws all live within 15 minutes of us, and we rarely complain about not getting a night to ourselves.

When Kelly is not reminiscing about her college days, she can usually be found chasing after her toddler son Wyatt, and blogging about it at Monkey Man, if she hasn't run out of steam at the end of the day.