Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Best Weekend Bets: Santa trains, Christmas parades…

It's likely tickets are sold out for the Museum of Life and Science's and North Carolina Amtrak's Santa trains this weekend, but you can hop on board the New Hope Valley Railway this weekend and next with Santa (just be sure to get there early).

Posted 3 mon. ago.

Carolina Basketball Museum

As a graduate of the University of Virginia, I'll admit that I wince a bit when my four-year-old tells me she plans on playing soccer at Carolina when she's in college. I'll blame it on the bad influence of her friends whose parents have mostly gone to UNC-Chapel Hill. And I'll admit to an upside - Carolina is definitely cheaper than out-of-state tuition to Virginia.

Posted 3 mon. ago.

Gingery Pork and Cucumber Pitas

I received a subscription to Real Simple magazine for my birthday this year. And the main reason I was excited about it was because of the recipes. Each month at the back of the magazine are five easy recipes. I'm trying to tackle each one every month. One hit so far has been the gingery pork and cucumber pitas. The sweetness of the hoisin sauce combines with the vinegary cucumbers for an easy, d…

Posted 3 mon. ago.

What to do when it's cold

The folks at Be Active North Carolina, who answer monthly questions for TriangleMom2Mom, share some tips on getting the kids outside when it's cold. Good luck! Q. What kind of outdoor activities are best when it's cold and wetÂ outside?

Posted 3 mon. ago.

Meet Traci!

Traci Tucker-Cortez is our TriangleMom2Mom mom of the week. I met her this summer as I did stories about the new plans for All Children's Playground at Laurel Hills Park in North Raleigh. It's an exciting project that involves pulling down the old playground, built almost 20 years ago, and replacing it with a new one that's geared toward children with special needs but fun for all to plan on. Trac…

Posted 3 mon. ago.

Best Weekend Bets: Christmas festival at the fairg…

It's a long weekend at home with the family. Here's what's on the calendar.The annual A Christmas Carousel Holiday Festival starts up at the State Fairgrounds Friday and runs through Sunday. Lots of holiday crafts and other ways to kick off the holiday season.Â The N.C. Symphony plays its annual Holiday Pops concert in Raleigh on Friday and Saturday.Â

Posted 3 mon. ago.

Classic Games

Maybe you're anticipating a long weekend stuck in the house with extended family. Or maybe you remember playing marbles as a kid, but just don't remember exactly how to play. Well my husband, a reader of the Geek Dad blog on Wired.com, passed on this post with a list of more than two dozen classic games from Freeze Dance to Button, Button Who's Got the Button.

Posted 3 mon. ago.

Meet Karen!

Karen Cummins is our TriangleMom2Mom mom of the week. She won a Goodberry's gift card early this year on Mom2Mom and was just about to have a baby. She ended up having a beautiful little boy named Jackson. She and her husband sing together and perform at weddings and their church. But Karen can tell you more ...Mom2Mom: Tell us about yourself.

Posted 3 mon. ago.

Best Weekend Bets: Christmas season begins with a …

It's officially the start of the Christmas season this weekend with the big Raleigh Christmas Parade on Saturday (even though it's not even Thanksgiving yet). Here we go ...Â The Raleigh Christmas Parade runs along Hillsborough Street and continues to Fayetteville Street. It starts at 9:30 a.m., but I usually get there around 8:45 a.m. for a decent seat along Hillsborough Street. The parade run…

Posted 4 mon. ago.

Cranberry Pecan Bread

It's Pecan Day at the State Farmers Market on Friday. I can't stand raking the leaves from the pecan tree in our yard, but I'm happy to eat a handful of the nut.