Neat idea for an open house

When real estate was all the rage and I worked for the Star-News' Marketing Department, I received a ton of e-mails of Realtors who were having open houses left and right. Most pulled an audience when they offered catered foods or door prizes.

But here's a unique idea. Two local artists--Deborah Cavenaugh and Miles Lewis--are putting their art on display in a lovely home. An art show and open house.

Carla, Miles' wife, is the Realtor with Intracoastal who is showing the Anne Hathaway Cottage at 410 North 15th Street. It's a nifty idea and is happening Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 5 to 9 p.m.

We're planning on stopping by Friday during the day. It seems a perfect blend to celebrate art in a beautiful home. (If your home is for sale, suggest this open idea to your Realtor...I can recommend several amazing, local artists! And don't forget to tell them you learned about it from Wilmville...okay, okay, Carla Lewis through Wilmaville.com.)

Wanted: Ideas for entertaining kids

Last week I found silence and productivity in Randall Library on UNC Wilmington's campus. This week has been hugely different.

Monday night we had someone who works with my brother-in-law visit. My kids were excited to share every tidbit of our family's life (and then some) with this new friend. For a slice of peace, I finally carted our 7-year old off to the grocery store.

Upon my return, I learned that they could start work Tuesday morning. At 8:30 a.m.
Monday I had cleaned off my desk, but this meant pushing all our furniture from two rooms into the center. In a way, I wished it had all happened while we had been at the beach, so the disruption would happen only once, but I really want the work done. Now the kids and I would be without space for a couple days. In the midst of deadlines for my university course and articles, I'm thrown into frenzy yet again and forced to entertain the kids outside of the home. For some reason, my kids are not fearful of power tools or nail guns. Step out of the room for a second and they are climbing on tall ladders. Or wondering which one of these drill bits fit which tool.

We live in an almost century old home in the Audubon section of Wilmington. It's a Craftsman home that has only had three owners. And with each child, we have completed a renovation project. We finished the bathroom when Veronica (7) was six months and the kitchen shortly after Mac's birth in 2003. We're a bit behind on our one-year-old's project—a bedroom for her and her sister.

We're exploring our options, while trying to keep Petra's naps in mind. Yesterday we traipsed around Mayfaire: a free movie and a visit to the bookstore. It was fun. We ran into friends we don't see often and the kids (except Petra) enjoyed seeing a movie and eating a lot of popcorn. Today, we'll return for the other free movie and a visit to the library. (My kids love books.) If it weren't so hot and buggy, I'd vote for parks.

So does anyone have any other out of the home low-cost options for keeping kids occupied during the day?

Please send them to me…I'm sure I'll be needing the suggestions when we start a roofing/painting/wallpapering project or the nail-gun, ladder-climbing Olympics.

It’s What’s for Breakfast

Earlier today, Antonia posted a recommendation (and some links) in our Marketplace under "Need a New Breakfast Place!" about the breakfasts served at the restaurant she runs with her husband Laterna Mediterranean Grille and Tavern (at the corner of Wilshire and South College). It all sounded so good that I couldn't' wait for breakfast. I hauled the kids out to dinner this evening even though my usual eating partner and husband is currently halfway across the world at a boondoggle in Amsterdam. (That's another story.)

I ordered the Horiatiki salad ($8.49; pictured left). It was delicious, if a bit small to be considered an entire meal. I very much wanted to order the Mediterranean Flavors, ("A sampling of our homemade dips - tzatziki, taramosalata, hummus and melitzanosalata; served with grilled pitas;" $14.99) but I couldn't convince either of my kids to help me eat it. But I did manage an order of the delicious hummus—with a little help from my accomplices.

My son was not a complete scaredy-cat, though. He ordered the Chicken Pita ("Grilled marinated chicken topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki; served on grilled pita;" $8.95) and he enjoyed every bite, though he did let me taste it. Mmm. I'm getting that next time.

How has this place been hiding from me? I know. I know. I've driven right past it. But I'm too shallow to look past the look it still has of the Perkins restaurant it used to be. But that was my loss. This place is terrific and I intend to go back as soon as Dan gets home and wolf down that sampler and maybe a Gyro. In fact, there is so much—pasta, steaks, appetizers—on that menu it might keep us both busy for a while. You know? For the first time since Dan left on Saturday I actually missed him. (Hey, we BOTH work at home.) He could have sucked down that appetizer, leaving me to sample anything I wanted. I suppose husbands do have their uses.

I can't wait to go try the breakfast. Anyone want to join me?

A Retro Salad

I love this 50s style salad: A wedge of iceberg lettuce drizzled with Blue Cheese dressing. And I enjoyed this one from The George on the Cape Fear Riverwalk. I'm not sure what the mushrooms brought to the equation and the dressing could have handled some actual blue cheese. I also try to avoid bacon—especially on a salad—but it tasted good on there. It was a good salad. Not a contest winner but I'd eat it again.

But in no way do I intend this review as a recommendation for George. I've now eaten there three times and the service and food has been pretty appalling (this salad the only exception on the food front) every time. Is that scientific? Probably not but, hey, this is a blog where opinion rules. And here's my opinion on the George thing: The location is amazing. But I suggest sticking to the cocktails or a very easy to prepare appetizer. Time your arrival to coincide with sunset, set your expectations for the view on high and for the food and service on very low. That way you won't go away angry. After you've had bit of something and enjoyed the ambience but before you are full or broke, get up pay the check and walk over to Catalan for a glass of wine and some excellent food (I love the Tartines du Catalan) brought to you by service people who excel at it and people who know something about food. (Order the chocolate mousse!) Or better still, walk right past The George—wave at the people being gouged for bad food--altogether and go straight to Catalan.

We Were Hacked!

Hopefully no one noticed but there was an ad running on Wilmaville this morning that we did not authorize. This is a family blog and this ad was, as my 9-year-old would say, "Innapropriate." I had a busy morning and only made it over to Wilmaville in the late afternoon so I don't know how long it was there. My apologies to anyone who did not want to see an ad for beautiful Thai women this morning. It is now gone and my blogging skills have been put to the test.

Bunny ears? It must be Friday

As I write this, the kids are tucked into my husband's car to run errands. Thankfully, I was volunteered to stay home and finish my Friday crunch of work.

Earlier, as I fretted about banking and financing, which I've leapt into writing for the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, the kids donned Easter bunny ears and ran amuck. They were restless after a day of swimming and down time, which lead to watching Wallace and Gromit's WereRabbit movie. Aha! The rabbit ears, of course….

In between the excitement, Mac (4) managed to spill orange juice. Admittedly, as a 40-something adult, I should be aware that putting an orange juice carton on its side is an invitation. Or a challenge. Either way, Mac took up the task and spilled orange juice on the refrigerator, the floor, the crevices that we didn't know existed in our floor. (Now that Wilmaville has video capabilities, next time I'll make sure to post the wonderful video of the chaos that ensues as a four-year old cleans up next to his deadline-addled mother.)

My hands were sticky and I'm loving life.

Fortunately, we are meeting friends at Flaming Amy's, I have an extension on my banking deadline…and we have another quart of orange juice. This time, it is sitting upright.

Yes, it's Friday. I have bunny ears and I'm ready for the weekend.

Green Papaya Salad

One of our readers posted a comment on my rant about Thai food the other day with a link to a site of video tutorials on making popular Thai dishes. Thank you Norris! This site is terrific and there is a video on making a simple version of a Green Papaya Salad that looks completely approachable. (I have included it here. Did that work?) I love this salad above almost all other Thai dishes--especially in summer--but it's been so long since I made it myself I was feeling inept. I saw unripe papayas recently in that big cold fridge at Costco though and I'm taking it on! I will have to get those Thai chilies at Saigon Market because my garden is bare. The fish sauce I already buy regulalry at Saigon Market but, if you don't, look for the brand with baby on the label. They also carry palm sugar at Saigon market. And while you can substitute cane sugar there is nothing quite like palm sugar. Maybe I will see you there?

Did I say thank you Norris?!

Note: A lot of people turn up their nose at the idea of Papaya salad because they don't like ripe papaya but unripe papaya has the taste and texture of a vegetable--almost like a tangy carrot. This salad is not sweet and tastes nothing like ripe papaya (which I don't like either.)

What would your mother do?

What would your mother have done is she needed some peace and quiet to finish a project?

I'm still not sure how my mom handled getting her master's with four kids, but I remember us as being older and more self-sufficient than mine who are all under 8. But I'm sure she found some escape in a library (and now she is a docent in the Denver Public Library, which is a beautiful building, if you should ever visit…she'll even give you a tour!)

I spent the morning at UNC Wilmington's Randall Library. When I was a graduate student, it could be a haven. But it often seemed drearily geared towards undergraduates. (Perhaps because they outnumber the graduate students tenfold?)

Today, this mother of three needed a place to find some tranquility—undergraduates or not. While I appreciate the lounge at the Wilmington Athletic Club, I needed something even more isolated. Randall Library gave me an office away from home. I needed a place to call and wait and wait…and then wait and call more developers about a story I'm writing for Greater Wilmington Business Journal. Randall was just the ticket. I hired a babysitter and shot out the door….

I've found as the summer winds on and the heat clicks up a few points, that I've needed more times like these. The kids are wound up and, unfortunately, it's winding me up. The peaceful, solitary scenes from a freelance writing life it has not been.

At Randall, there are group rooms—with doors—that were empty and unreserved. I could set up my laptop (pulling it out of my boring old laptop case that is less flash than Christina's latest find at World Market). I could hook up my phone and earpiece and talk and listen and wait all I wanted. No worries that the kids, sensing I was on a phone, would come running into the room and start interrupting me. It was a treat.

I would have taken a picture, but this week I've been really discombobulated and walked out of the house without my purse and camera. But, there is always tomorrow! (Today, I'll share a photo of Petra and Mac, posing as caterpillars in our hallway.)

Salad Becomes Obsession

My family has started to dread inviting me into the "Where do you want to eat?" discussion. I always want this salad from the Main Street Brewery across from Fresh Market at MayFaire. It's the Walnut Gorgonzola salad (~$9.95). Candied walnuts, crumbled Gorgonzola, bits of green apple, tomatoes, and a delicious raspberry dressing make for a terrific balance of tart, sweet, and strong. I have added grilled chicken (extra) to make it a filling dinner. This salad haunts me. I've eaten it as often as possible since the first time we staggered into the Main Street Brewery with low expectations, weary from shopping. I almost didn't order it because the apples struck me as strange but I found the rest of the menu difficult so took a chance. And now I'm stuck in a dilemma.

This salad is great but the male members of my family can't find anything they like on the menu. My daughter and mother love the cheeseburger ($4.99) on the kids menu and are willing to accompany me whenever my craving strikes. But everyone else groans and says, "Not that place again!"

Help me out here. Have you eaten here and found something else to like so I can get the boys to come with? Right now it's relegated to girls-night-out only, which I suppose is fine, but I could eat this salad a lot more often.

Note: The people who own Main Street also operate the The Bridge Tender and Airlie Seafood Company, and the (original) Front Street Brewery. This salad was not on the menu at Airlie. I haven't tried the Bridge Tender yet and their online menu fails to open so I don't know if they have it. This salad is on the menu at The Front Street Brewery but I haven't ordered that one myself.

Two Thai Salads and Cooking Thai at Home

Pictured here is the Papaya Salad (~$8) at Big Thai (101 North 4th Street). I love Thai cuisine and have eaten a lot of it in lots of cities. I'll admit that I'm a bit spoiled for Pacific Rim foods because I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. This salad, in my humble opinion, is perhaps one of the most flavorless, muddy, and misguided of the Papaya salads I've eaten over the years. When done right—or even close to right—this salad is an intense combination of flavor and texture and is one of the few Thai dishes that is delicious even if you can't take the heat. This one is not the salad to measure this incredible dish by. So if you have eaten this, please don't assume you don't like Thai Papaya salad. There is absolutely nothing special, interesting, or worth mentioning about this one.

These Spring Rolls (~$6) on the other hand were pretty tasty. I consider a Spring Roll a salad so I'm including them in the Salad Quest. These are not as good as the terrific ones that were served at the now-defunct Vietnamese restaurant that was next the bowling alley and the strip club at the juncture of College and i40 but since I can't get those anymore, these will do. These are not a Thai cuisine, though. They are a Vietnamese street food. So don't be fooled by that muddying of cuisines that Big Thai (And Indochine) likes to indulge in. If you compare these to Spring Rolls that are true to Vietnamese cuisine they aren't similar. But they tasted good. I confess that, though it got great reviews and I long for a good Thai restaurant nearby, I am pretty disappointed by Big Thai. Thai food is a lot better than this.

Thai food is so good that I have made a lengty study of it—everyone who lives in the Bay Area does because the place is just lousy with fabulous, inexpensive Thai restaurants. (And I will share some of my favorites with you when I go on n eating tour there in August.) When I lived there, I took an intense series of classes in cooking Thai food from the wonderful Kasma Loha-Unchit, author of It Rains Fishesand Dancing Shrimp. And, I was surprised to learn that though this food may be very exotic for us Americans, some of it is so easy to make that it isn't worth leaving the house to enjoy it. The trick is having the right ingredients on hand.

There is a terrific Asian market here in Wilmington (Saigon Market at 4507 Franklin Ave, off Kerr Ave) and I shop there frequently. (If you are interested in some tutorials on how to make great dishes using ingredients purchased there, tell me in the comments.) But I also like to visit ImportFoods. Not only does this terrific online merchant carry everything you will ever need—and a lot of stuff you never knew you needed—but each item has a useful description so you will know how to use it when you get it home.

If you are just learning to cook this delicious, spicy, aromatic cuisine, Importfoods is the best. You can look up the dishes you like, read all about how to make them, and even watch video of experts preparing those dishes. When you are reading a recipe that you think you are ready to tackle at home, just click the handy button at the top of the recipe to put all the necessary ingredients in your shopping cart.

Preparing Thai food sometimes requires some special equipment—a Wok, mortar and pestle, or rice steamer for instance. So be sure and check out the site's cooking tools and dishes, too.

If you aren't here in Wilmington and aren't lucky enough to have an Asian market nearby where you can purchase fresh ingredients like lemongrass, basil, Kaffir lime, and chilies, hit their fresh section. (For those of you who are already expert Thai chefs note that Importfoods carries Betel leaves for Miang Kham, which I've never seen anywhere else. You have to order a lot of them but it's a great way to wow your party guests.) They ship on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday so you'll have the goods by the weekend and it won't linger in a post office warehouse getting limp.

Once you get into cooking this stuff, though, you will want to grow your own Kaffir lime because nothing compares to the fresh-picked leaves and it is very simple to grow this dwarf citrus in a pot. (Just bring it inside in winter.) It's hard to find the plants in local nurseries—no one in Wilmington has them; I looked. So I get mine from Four Winds Growers. This is a terrific West Coast nursery and your healthy little plant arrives carefully packaged and ready to put into dirt. Since Holy Basil (a.k.a. Thai Basil) and those tiny Thai chilies are also super easy to grow here, I always throw some seed in so I have a steady supply.

Swim team is over. Long live swim team!

The first couple of weeks of the Wilmington Athletic Club swim team were touch and go. Both kids were desperately clingy and I became so desperate that I almost pulled them out. I finally stopped hanging around after the practice started.



That helped to overcome their reluctance and they actually seemed to enjoy themselves, although they never quite seemed to really listen to the coaches (or me, for that matter!). After all, I think Veronica thought, I definitely swim better without my goggles and with my hair in my eyes. And, besides, if I put my head in the water, I can't watch my competition.

So, yesterday was a bittersweet event as Veronica, Mac, about 500,000 8 and unders, and their parents, guardians, grandparents, babysitters, and neighbors gathered for their championships. There were at least 11 heats per event with eight swimmers per heat. Our kids swam two events each, spaced a couple heats apart. It was chaotic and surprisingly without bloodshed. The championship was at the Cape Fear Country Club, so perhaps that is why it seemed so civilized. It was a packed crowd.

The kids swam their races, ate Sno-cones and ran around with their buddies. I sweat. And I watched for their race numbers. (Nothing like the wrath of a swim coach who finds out a kid has scratched because they didn't get to the area in time…!) There were so many people, it was hard to contain our team in one area and so there seemed to be scattered supporters around the area, unfortunately no concentrated cheering sections.

Fortunately, we were able to leave after their events and while we were dragging towels and backpacks to the parking lot, a golf cart came along to offer us a ride to our car.

Overall, the season was a successful one. I can tell because after riding the golf cart Veronica wanted to return today to cheer on the older kids in their championship. Unless of course she was just enjoying being in civilization and not at home.

Sweet Find at World Market

Did I mention my new laptop? My husband bought it for me for my birthday and I'm in love with it. It is so adorable in fact that I am embarking on an all out Bag Hunt on my other site on Geekgirlfriends.com in its honor.

This cute laptop bag I found completely by accident while I was shopping for tea and wine at the World Market at Mayfaire shopping center last night. (That's my 9-year-old daughter modeling it.) It fits my shiny red (approximately 15" x 11" -- outside dimensions) Gateway M series laptop perfectly and has two outside pockets to stash small extras in. It's constructed from pleasant-to-the-touch, quilted 100% cotton. I got the red floral but there were other colors, including a staid grey if you this is too loud for you.

This is not a bag for hauling the laptop, charger, extra work gear, and sundries on a cross-country trip. But it's perfect for grabbing the laptop to take to a lunch meeting or to hang around waiting while a kid takes piano lessons. And at this price ($10.99) I see no reason not to own this little satchel as well as a more substantial bag for commuting or traveling.

These are not available on the World Market Web site but they had lots of them—and also some cute sleeves made from a similar fabric but with no handle—in the store.

Lego for Lunch

 

My kids have been spending some time this summer at some terrific summer camps. They are happy. I'm getting work done. But every morning someone has to make a lunch. And since I won't use plastic cutlery anymore, we are rapidly losing flatware. So I can't resist these. I would order somethis minute if I could but they don't seem to be available yet.

Meanwhile here is some other cool stuff from Fred:

To PDA or not to PDA

This week I’ve been spending time at Wrightsville Beach with my in-laws. It is an amazing family atmosphere.

With a small baby who naps regularly, I’ve had some downtime while the others are out at the beach or the sound. Even 15 minutes from our house, I feel like I’m on vacation, but I’m still trying to finish some work that is due (yesterday a real estate story, today automotive pages for the newspaper).

I realize how much I like to have access to my e-mail so I can check information that is coming in from a client or from a colleague…or even a friend. I’ve decided I need to buy a handheld. I’m much more interested in a PDA than a Blackberry, iPhone, or other phone device. I carry my phone all the time. I don’t always want to be connected, but it would be nice to follow my e-mail while my kids are swimming. And, as Wilmaville readers may notice, we’re now Twittering.

Any suggestions for a WiFi device (no phone!) that will also allow me to use Microsoft’s Office OneNote 2007 program (which Christina has me hooked on)?

Another Salad Catch

This salad may be my favorite so far. It is the ho chi min salad (6.95) from Catch and it's delicious, with a Thai Kaffir Lime dressing, fresh Holy Basil, grape tomatoes, won ton crisps (on top), and mandarin oranges. I added grilled scallops (extra) but you can add whatever fresh seafood they are offering while you are there to make this a more filling meal. You can even add the Calamari that is so yummy on my previous Catch salad.

I know that I'm over representing Catch here but they have such a great selection of scrumptious salads that it isn't really my fault.

I also learned while I was eating this salad that Catch plans to relocate to Front Street and begin serving dinner. They have already acquired the location that used to house Szechuan 130 (130 N Front Street). I can't wait for that and they promised it would be soon. Meanwhile they are open for breakfast and lunch.

If you have a salad you would like me to eat, please tell me in the comments. If you have a picture of a salad that you want to share, email it to christina[at]wilmaville[dot]com.

In the Spirit of Salad Quest

I think it's obvious that this is not—by any definition—a salad. It's in the spirit of the Salad Quest, though, because this taco platter makes it possible to eat at Flaming Amy's without leaving so stuffed that a nap immediately becomes priority one.

This is two grilled chicken tacos ($5.50) with side orders of chipotle chilies and guacamole (extra). It's delicious and (relatively) light. It took me years of eating at Flaming Amy's to finally realize that I can eat there more often if I eat this.

I don't want to rain on anyone's Flaming Amy's parade or anything but, for me, the knowledge that there is upwards of 1500 calories in a burrito put a real damper on the fun—especially since a burrito is really best consumed with a nice, frothy beer. Of course, that estimate could be wrong. (That link is about Chipotle burritos since Flaming Amy's doesn't publish nutrition information.) I don't know what exactly goes into a Flaming Amy's burrito. Do they use lard in the beans? How much rice is that exactly? Frankly I'd like to know and this fact-finding mission if just the sort of job we like at Wilmaville.

Does anyone but me care, though?

I'll go find out, if you say you want to know in the comments. And which burrito should I look into?

Recycle Your Old Running Shoes!

This week (through Saturday) you can drop off any running shoes to be recycled at the Wilmington Athletic Club. You don't have to be a member. So save yourself the guilt of throwing your smelly running buddies in the trash, save the planet a little, and contribute to Nike's effort to turn what might have been landfill into athletic surfaces all over the world.

If you aren't a member of WAC, you might also like to know that you can not only get a great workout, a massage, private Pilates instruction, fencing, racket ball, and some awesome Yoga classes here but you can also drink beer by the outdoor pool.

Elizabeth enters Salad Quest 08

Christina’s not the only one in town that eats salads, is she? Not this week!

Because I actually had one this time. And I’m really going to do it…let the world know that the Cobb salad from the downtown Courthouse Café’s is definitely a contender in Wilmaville’s Salad Quest 08.

I love this salad and I love the Courthouse Café’s execution of this salad. Enough that I am jealous that my husband, who works downtown, gets to eat at this restaurant on a fairly regular basis. In fact, I might actually go to an extra effort to make his lunches so he won’t get to eat there without me. Every time I go there, I order the Cobb. I’ve introduced a colleague to the Courthouse Café and I think he goes without telling me.

My husband brought me the Cobb salad earlier this week when I volunteered at the kids’ swim meet (so keep in mind this was take out…) and it had to sit in his work refrigerator for a couple hours. It still looked and tasted yummy. This salad is so fresh when it is made that, obviously, it can be carted halfway across Wilmington, eaten several hours after being made and still taste good.

The dressing (they provided two containers, but I only used one) is an excellent balsamic vinaigrette that does not overwhelm the fresh ingredients. The meats are fresh and don’t have that overly processed taste.

And even our one-year old enjoyed the bits and pieces of the salad. (Not too crazy about the blue cheese she bit into while her curious hands picked through the goodies.)

I highly recommend this salad—in the restaurant and as take-out.

Welcome to Wilmaville...the social network

Is your Facebook profile crowded full of people you barely know? Want to connect with people you actually know in town. Check out the Wilmaville social network.

Wilmaville Marketplace Goes Live

Readers have been asking for it. We've been hankering for it. And it's finally here: The Wilmaville Marketplace.

Look under the heading photo for the new Marketplace [beta] section. There you can recommend everything from breakfast spots to plumbers. Looking for a babysitter? Got one you'd love to recommend? Want to know what everyone else does on date night? It will all be here in our marketplace. But the marketplace is yours, not ours. You have to tell us where to go and what to do. Tell us if a category is missing. Tell us what car repair places are great and which lawn jockey is a slacker.

So check it out and make some recommendations to get things rolling.

The marketplace is in beta because if beta is good enough for Google, it's good enough for us. If there is something wrong, something you'd like better, or, even if you think it's perfect, let us know. When you tell us it's good, it won't be in beta anymore.

New idea: Tift

I have a list the length of my arm of topics I want to write on the blog. I sat down at my computer after a long day at a swim meet, planning on posting something intelligent. Then Philip mentioned that Tift is coming to town. Sure she is. But the details seemed sketchy. Then he mentioned she would be playing at the newly remodeled Greenfield Lake Amphitheater.

Here. In Wilmington. Again.

We saw her in concert when she played Kenan a couple years back (around the time of her Grammy nomination). I think she is 5-foot-3, and is as amazing a performer as I've seen (I've seen Prince in concert, The Reverend (and the Blind Boys of Alabama) at the Biltmore, as well as Elton John at some resort in the middle of South Africa with simulated waves…). Tift is great and doesn't use any of the additional props that Prince or Elton John used.

She's considered a local (has lived in Carolina Beach) and she'll be helping to celebrate the Penguin's 5^th anniversary. (Anyone else remember how dire the dial in this town was before the Penguin took to the air waves? The Penguin gave WHQR a run for their money…it all evened out when they had to add commercials.)

Okay, so it should be an awesome show….It's 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 24. Tickets are $20, if purchased before the day of the show. Kids under 12 get in for free. (No outside food, but since we won't have to pay for babysitters…woohoo!)

Get your tickets…see an awesome show.

We'll see you there!

The Best Lebanese Salad Ever…

This Lebanese salad ($9.95) from Nagila: The Kosher Moroccan Café on Wrightsville Ave is not a salad I found during my Salad Quest '08. It is the salad by which I measure all other salads in the Quest. It doesn't look as pretty in this photo as I wish it did but that's mostly because I'm not photographer enough to take a good shot in such low light. (Though I'm learning, thanks to the amazing Me Ra Koh, her blog, and her how-to videos on photography.) I am addicted to this salad. If I don't get my regular fix, I start to feel something important is missing from my life. So I've eaten it several times since the start of Salad Quest. But every time I go to get a picture of it, something gets in the way: my camera's battery is dead, Shai (chef and owner) is out of lettuce, or I'm so happy to get my salad when it arrives that I eat the whole thing before remembering to get my camera out. Here it is, though. It's heaven on a plate: lettuce, cashews, and the indescribably delicious Shawarma chicken.

Cracks in the walls of mommy-dom

Lately we've been feeling the strains of summer-itis.

The kids swim every morning, on the team and then often free swim afterwards. The day then melts into an unstructured morass. Now there is a fatigue and edginess that is setting in. One friend has counted how many days (as of this week) the kids have actually been out of school. It is a mere 18 days.

Only 18 days.

In that short time, my kids seem to have locked into the cycle of "battle to the death." It is as if one child has determined that by becoming the reigning child, the television or spider web-encrusted home will be his or hers. [Insert maniacal laugh track here.] Little did I know that petite Veronica (7) is such a formidable wrestler.

Next week Veronica partakes in the UNCW MarineQuest camp and it is not a moment too soon. But in the mean time, the kids are circling each other, ready to pounce at the earliest sign of weakness.

Only I'm the weak link. For a bookish, non-retail gal that I am, I relished walking around Mayfaire with Petra (1) in a stroller on Wednesday. For two hours. No agenda. I had dumped Veronica and Mac (4) (unceremoniously) on their sweet and unsuspecting Coach David (not sure of his age) for the movie "Wall-E." Then were dragged to a swim meet at Porters Neck.

Towards the end of the week, Philip and I had tried to arrange each child spending special time with Philip's parents (ages unavailable), including a sleep-over for Mac. Then I was to steal away to share beers poolside.

Except (when Veronica was having her special time) Mac quietly walked himself into his room and fell asleep. And slept for about four hours. I thought about pulling my hair out and waking him when his grandfather stopped by to pick him up and around the time to meet friends. But I was lulled by the silence…it was too pleasant. I had the nurturing thoughts of a mother considering her child was in desperatie need of the sleep.

Then the other shoe dropped.

This son of ours, who notoriously can nap, eat and then go straight to bed and sleep until 8 the next morning, wouldn't go to sleep after dinner.

Then he woke us up early. Buoyed by his newfound energy, he showed up in our room around 6 a.m.

Don't look for me at the fireworks tonight. I'll have the covers pulled over my head, trying to catch up on my sleep to patch up some of these signs of weakness in the walls of mommy-dom. If you're looking for the kids, they'll probably be giving a wrestling demonstration on Front Street around 9:45 p.m.

Happy Fourth of July! (And Happy Birthday, Chris!)

A Little Peace and Quiet

It's only July but I already miss school. My son and I are in a constant battle over how much time he can spend playing games on his computer. And my daughter is constantly bored and in need a play date—even when she has just spent 5 hours with her BFF. But this week, I'm getting a little much-needed peace and quiet.

Ava is at a UNCW summer camp called Mind for Design: Designer Greens Camp (there is another design camp in August). She had to bring in some cast-off clothes, fabric, old curtains, or pillow cases and is spending the week turning these old things into new ones by dyeing, sewing, and reconfiguring. I never would have signed her up for this because it sure doesn't appeal to me. But she and I sat down at the UNCW Summer Camp list at the beginning of the summer and she picked that one. I just signed her up (online), paid, and provide taxi service to and from.

I don't know what they are doing to her in there but she is happier this week than I've seen her in months. She leaps out of bed in the morning, chatters through dinner about her projects, and just looks happy. So happy that I keep thinking she just stole some candy. Today she is off with her cohorts rummaging for goods and—yikes (for Ava)—tomorrow is the last day. I expected her to be tired after these 8:30-5:30 days but she isn't. She is energized, discovering hidden talents, and thrilled with her new friends. She is living large. And I'm sitting in my nice quiet office working again. I think they call that a win/win?