Gioia Bliss is our TriangleMom2Mom mom of the week. She's involved in the Kids Everywear consignment sale at the Morrisville Outlet Mall. The public sale starts up the week of Sept. 11.

Here's Gioia ...

Mom2Mom: Tell us about yourself.

Gioia: My husband Keith and I live in Cary with our three kids, Carter (6), Cameron (a three-year-old girl) and Sawyer (5 months). I never thought having 3 kids could be so crazy, but we love it! We own The Bliss Real Estate Group in downtown Cary. After Carter was born, I left the corporate world and went into the real estate business with Keith. I work three days a week while Cameron is in preschool. Baby Sawyer tags along wherever I go. This year we were voted in the favorite real estate companies and Keith is in the top 3 favorite agents in Cary!

My former career was across the street from the Morrisville Outlet Mall where Kids Everywear (www.kidseverywear.com) is held. I've always loved a bargain and the clothes and gear I found for Carter were amazing! Once I realized that by volunteering I could shop earlier and snag even better buys, I was hooked! I've worked at the sale every season for 6 years and I put in more volunteer hours each year. They have opportunities for everyone to volunteer - weekdays, weekends, evenings, and even presale. Plus consignors shop early! It really is a great way to recycle my kids' old clothes, toys and gear and replace them with something new for a great price. The sale has everything - sizes from 0 to pre-teen, a boutique section, shoes, dancewear, Halloween costumes- you name it! There are car seats, cribs, strollers, CDs, books, home school items and every toy you can imagine! I'm trying to convince my aunt to come with me this year to help me haul my baskets of stuff!

Mom2Mom: What's your favorite family place in the Triangle?

Gioia: Our back yard! We (Keith, really) worked hard to turn our yard into a wonderful play area for the kids. We love to entertain our friends and clients at home. We also love farmers markets.

Mom2Mom: What's your favorite place for yourself in the Triangle?

Gioia: Target. I love Target!

Mom2Mom: What's your favorite ritual with your kids?

Gioia: Taking long walks. Now that it's cooling off, we can start again- we like to walk to White Oak Park or if we're feeling really adventurous, to Goodberry's or Dunkin Donuts! We also love our town festivals and parades. Our office is in the heart of downtown Cary, so we have easy access to Lazy Daze, Cary Band Day and the Ole Time Winter Festival. The kids look forward to these every year.

Mom2Mom: What did you eat for dinner last night? Can you share the recipe?

Gioia: Last night we had dinner with friends- I made Pork Loin and Key Lime Pie!

Slow Cooker Pork Loin

3-4 pound pork loin (pork roast would work too), excess fat trimmed
Thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic
Pierce the pork loin, rub with salt & pepper and insert garlic slices into
the pierce holes
Combine 1 cup brown sugar, 1 T Dijon Mustard and 1 T Balsamic Vinegar to
create a rub
Coat the pork loin in the rub
Place in the crock pot, add 1/2 cup chicken broth
Cook on low for 7-9 hours, adding broth if it starts to dry out
The original recipe says to drain the juice and coat with an additional 1/3
cup brown sugar + 1/4 tsp. cinnamon then cook for an hour, but I've never
tried that.

Key Lime Pie - this recipe is a cheater and is so easy!

2 cans sweetened condensed milk (fat free is fine)
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup Key Lime Juice (you can juice it or buy it at the grocery store)
1/2 tsp. finely diced lime rind
Mix everything together and pour into a graham cracker crust
Bake 5-7 minutes at 350- do not brown!
Cool completely and top with whipped cream

Mom2Mom: What's your guilty pleasure?

Gioia: Reading! I love to go to the library and check out too many books. It's hard to find time for myself right now, so I sneak in reading while folding laundry or blow drying my hair!

Know a mom we should feature? E-mail me. And learn about what other local moms are doing by going to www.trianglemom2mom.com/meet and checking back here every Monday.