Friday Free Stuff!

It's Friday and it's date night. There was a time I would just leave the office, go right out on a date, and look just as pulled together as Liz does in this date with Richard. But these days I require lots more primping. In part that's because I work at home so half the time I'm still wearing workout clothes at the end of the day. But there are also some inexorable-march-of-time issues going on here, too. I have, in fact, lately been thinking about ratcheting up the primping by taking some drastic measures. That's another story but if any of you want to share your cosmetic miracle stories—chemical peels? laser light treatments?—I'm all ears. Nothing Brazil extreme. Just a little pick-me-up is all I need.

Today though, I have to tear out of here in order to have time to primp, pluck, style, and install pneumatic underwear. (Okay, I'm kidding about that last one. Sort of.) Like I said, I've got a hawt date with this guy I've lived with for what seems like 200 years and see all day—EVERY DAY! What's the point you may well ask? Our 9-year-old is at a sleepover! We can do anything we want! Woo-hoo! We are as excited as puppies on a rabbit farm.

Before I go, though, I want to remind you all that we are giving away a 6-month subscription to the awesome SitterCity.com to one randomly lucky reader. To win? All you have to do is scroll to the end of this post and add your two cents. You can say freekin' anything you want—but keep it clean. How hard is that?

No one is getting anything though until we get to 100 comments and we have a LONG way to go. In fact, I'm kinda bumming about how few of you have played my little game yet. I'm not feeling any love. **Sniff** Come on, peeps! I'm trying to give you stuff here. So go comment! If you win and don't need the prize, you can always give the subscription to that person in your life who REALLY needs a sitter and never gets one. We all know one of those. (You know who you are.) Or maybe if you already commented you need to get all those people who keep telling you, "Get a sitter!" to play so you can win?

And like I said in my last post, everyone who plays will win something. Don't try and make me say what that is. There is only one way to find out and that's to COMMENT!

It is the sanest of times…during these insane 37+ days

• Wheat.
  
• Corn syrup.
  
• Sugar.
  
• Dairy.
  
• Soy.
  
• Egg.
  
• Chocolate.
  
• Food coloring.
  
• Peanut.
  

On the advice of a healthcare practitioner, for the past 37 days Veronica (7) has eliminated all of these items from her diet. Take a look at the ingredients in some of your favorite foods and then imagine going without for a week, much less five weeks.

A doctor asked Veronica not to eat any of these items to (hopefully) clear up a recurring issue. I joined her trial diet for solidarity reasons. (She's given me a "pass" though and I was able to enjoy some key lime pie one night.)

In any event, for a family that thought they were eating pretty healthy, it has added a new dimension onto our lives and in more ways than just: what can we fix for dinner tonight since we had rice and beans the previous 10 nights? It especially illuminated some interesting issues we chalked up to the parental costs of having a rather intelligent and oftentimes saucy seven-year old.

For the first week, Veronica did a fabulous job listening to what she could and could not eat. She was helpful, her memory improved, and she slept in (which is unheard of for her!) The first weekend was easy when we had a beach picnic with a family whose mother had to give up the same items…and has done so for several years (improving her health issues, as well).

During this time, Veronica hasn't always remembered that ice cream has dairy and sugar and sometimes eggs. (In that respect it has helped teach her what is and isn't in foods.) She has done a fabulous job at understanding that this diet would help her. Then I attended a short meeting and during the time I was gone, Veronica managed to get her hands on a medium-size neon blue icy drink.

The next four days were…. I can't really say in this post as we would like to keep this a family-friendly site. But, needless to say, if Veronica never has sugar or corn syrup, Philip and I will be overjoyed. (That is an understatement.)

Since then, she's balanced out again. But it really taught us a lesson that we thought we already knew about the connection between food and our bodies. I guess sometimes we need to re-adjust and fine tune to listen to our bodies.

In case you are curious:

• The easiest item to give up: corn syrup. Even though it is in a lot of processed foods already, it was one we had already consciously removed from our grocery cart. And peanuts, since I already have an allergy, we have a peanut-free house.
  
• The hardest to give up: wheat. Veronica loves toast…fortunately she also loves oatmeal.
  
• Biggest surprise: how healthy and unprocessed the Harris Teeter home brands are.
  

And the next challenge…keeping Veronica on this diet while at school until her next appointment when (hopefully) we'll get the green light to add some items back in. (Ice cream Fridays are going to be a bear…but we've already got an idea…I'll keep you posted!)

Salad Takes on New Meaning

When I was in San Francisco earlier this month, I got together with a girlfriend I hadn't seen in ages. The last time she and I got together, she was going through a rough time. She'd decided to divorce her husband while she was pregnant with her second daughter—not an easy decision but absolutely the right one. And when I saw her, she was newly single, had a newborn in arms, and had just started a new job. She had gained weight and was, understandably, grumpy. I have been vaguely worried about her for years. But this time—that baby is now almost 4—she was gorgeous! She looked happy—ecstatic even—calm, and as thin and fit as I've ever seen her. See what a strong woman can accomplish in a few short years? Yay Angela!

Her secret? Well, she's not someone who takes adversity lying down, she met and recently married a wonderful man, and she was already talented and beautiful. So I'm not going to pretend that a diet was her secret cure all. But she did advocate her diet, which she believes in strongly. I'm not usually one to fall for the "after" picture. But if ever there was a terrific spokesperson for a diet (or anything else,) Angela was it.

She had read the book Good Calories, Bad Calories after seeing an article in the New York Times by the author. She described the books as, "An impressive scientific and historical survey of what people eat and the evolution of illness and weight gain." The books recommendations, based on the idea that a lot of health problems started in humans when we started storing grain, are essentially low-carb. (Though I haven’t yet read the book; I could have that all wrong.) But, according the lovely Angela, it's not one of those crazy low-carb diets that don't allow healthy stuff like fruits and vegetables.

I've always resisted low carb because it strikes me as a fad but what can I say? Angela was inspirational. So I ordered the book and till it comes Dan and I are following the basic guideline Angela handed us over Thai food (where she didn't eat rice or drink beer): Avoid grains and processed sugar.

We started as soon as we got back from our food-fest vacation because (Wow!) we needed to. And we do cheat a little because life is life. But I've already lost 4 pounds.

So now Salad Quest has taken on new meaning for us and this Greek Salad with grilled chicken ($6.25 + $2.99 for the chicken) from Laterna Mediterranean Grill and Tavern got me happily through yesterday. It was delicious. I would eat it again today.

Need a Sitter? How does Free Sound?

I recently discovered the amazing Sittercity.com where I was surprised to find that there are 261 qualified sitters looking for work within 10 miles of my home. Yes! I'm talking about Wilmington. How is that possible? I'm not talking about teenagers who can't scramble an egg and probably need more supervision than my smart and level-headed 12-year old here either. The ones that made me leap out of my chair and grab the phone had college degrees and were starting out on cool careers here in town. But they want to earn money after work, too. Not just sitters, role models. They have cars, experience, and references!

Sweet!

I was so impressed with the site, in fact that I felt I had to do more than just tell you about it. I contacted Sittercity.com and persuaded them to donate a six month membership to one lucky Wilmaville mom. Yep, as my son would say, that's how I roll.

Actually, it was way easy to talk them into it. They were super nice over there at Sittercity.com. Suzanne sent me this little blurb that explains the service:

Sittercity.com, America's largest and most trusted online sitter network, makes it fast, safe and simple to find the perfect sitter.  With hundreds – even thousands – of babysitters and nannies right in your own neighborhood, Sittercity.com puts the best local sitters literally at your fingertips. Find the perfect sitter with Sittercity's four-step screening process and detailed sitter profiles that feature background checks, reviews from other parents, references, distance from you, availability schedules, photos, training and certifications, and more. All sitters are 17 or older with a wide range of skills and specialties -- the options are more varied than your child's excuses for avoiding bedtime.


Your perfect sitter is just a click away!

It's a subscription service—with a free trial period. The cost starts at $7.99 a month. But one lucky Wilmaville.com reader will get 6 months of the service absolutely free thanks to Suzanne. If you are more interested in a dog, house, or senior sitter, they have those too.

Here's what you do to enter this awesome contest: Comment at the end of this post. I will use my snazzy Randomizer 9000 to choose a lucky winner from those comments. But here's the catch. I'm not ending the contest till we get 100 comments. That should be pretty easy, right? But, hey, you might have to tell a couple of people to get it done. And, don't worry, even if you don't win the grand prize, I will have something for everyone.

Concert at Greenfield Lake

There was a great turnout for the Tift Merrit concert at Greenfield Lake on Sunday. I had never actually heard of Tift Merritt before Elizabeth posted here that she was getting tickets but I'm always up for something new. So I hauled the kids out there on our first Sunday back from vacation in crisp and cool Northern California. We aren't quite re-acclimated to the heat here yet. But judging from the river of sweat, the cranky patrons, and the unbelievably long line at the concession stand, I don't think I was the only one who found sitting in the sun at 3pm on a hot and steamy day in August uncomfortable. And that brings me to the line at the concession stand.

It was beyond a long a line. It was a completely broken system. It wasn't the only broken system of the night either. But let's start there. Outside food (even water) wasn't allowed and it was way hot so my dutiful husband Dan got in that line the minute we got there. And that's where he stayed for the entire first act. I sent the kids to visit him. But he completely missed the terrific Chatham County Line—the band [pictured—(picture credit and $5 go to my 9-year old for that shot) that opened for Tift Merritt. And these guys were great! I am a frail creature, sensitive to sun and heat, and I was being baked and steamed alive during their act but I still enjoyed these guys.

Tift was also delightful. The music was fun and she was a gracious and beautiful creature. She was so gracious in fact that—even though she was "glistening" profusely—she thanked—abundantly—the sound guy AFTER he shut her vocals off completely in the middle of a song. We could see she was singing…but: No sound. That was only the worst of the things he did to this hard-working band in the course of the evening. He also shut down at least one guitar solo. Maybe it wasn't his fault? Maybe it was an equipment problem? It was bad enough that someone should have apologized or something. No one said a word.

The part the kids liked best of this evening, though, was when the cockroaches and frogs fled the sewer system—in advance of the overflowing sewage. That was right before the toilets started overflowing but we were fleeing the area by then.

I think some people may have complained to The Penguin about the failure of services at this sold-out concert because Dan—our ticket buyer and concession waiter—got this unsolicited email from the radio station:

Hello All,

We want to say Thank You So Much for attending our 5 year anniversary party.  Chatham County Line and Tift Merritt were honored that so many of you attended!  As We're sure you noticed, the concessions area was quite an issue.  Being the first large concert there, it is safe to say that the City, nor The Penguin were prepared in that department...For that we apologize.  On the bright side, the few kinks we did experience will easily be avoided at the next concerts we host.  For example, we will have a beer truck solely dedicated to serving you the fastest and coldest Beer possible.  We will have separate coolers for the sole purpose of vending H20.  That will leave the concessions area free to serve Food and non-alcoholic beverages only.  We will be improving in a few other areas as well.  If you would like to drop us a line with your suggestions, please feel free to do so. 
We were truly honored you all stopped by.  Cheers to the future!

Sincerely,

Beau Gunn and the rest of The Penguin Crew

 

Dan loves to complain. So he responded to that letter. I can't print his letter here because this is a family site. So I'll summarize: He pointed out the sound problems and the hot and sunny start time. He got an immediate response from the Penguin, which is admirable. Apparently the show started in the heat of the day because the crickets and frogs like the cool of the evening too and they were likely to drown out this rock concert. Gotta love nature! And the sound problems? Those will be dealt with for future shows, we are assured.

Okay, I've complained. Would I go again? I would--though maybe not in August. Greenfield Lake is a STUNNING place to see a show. The new facilities are super nice and I'm an optimist. I believe the city will eventually get it all working all at the same time.

 

 

Juggler, anyone?

When I quit my job at the Star-News in January, I knew that I'd be doing a lot of different things to make up for the salary I was giving up. Granted, I wanted to focus on just freelance writing, but bills come first.
I was asked to teach a communication studies class at UNCW -- OK! I was asked to continue freelancing with the Star-News -- OK! Public Relations Director for Cucalorus -- OK! (I have had a few writing assignments since January, but the majority of work I have had is consulting in the public relations/marketing sphere.)
As a mom, whether it is working from home or from an office, I understand that chaos tends to reign. Now there is just a few extra zigs and zags: find work, get paid, find work, get paid and launch my family's "dream" life...Mom at home.
Though I'm working from home, I'm zigging and zagging during the day, trying to get the baby's nap(s) in; feeding; washing; keeping the home somewhat neat; sending pithy e-mails to land writing work; trying to fit in a workout; and so forth.
So, why was it such a surprise when I described what I was doing to someone she said to me, "Wow, you must do a lot of juggling!"
I guess many days I'd like to deny that what I'm doing--running the kids to drop-in daycare to make a meeting or an interview with a source or lunch, picking up the kids at school, grocery shopping, cleaning up--is keeping a lot of balls in the air. And I think that is why I was surprised.
As a mother of three, as much as I might try to deny it, my life revolves around finding a way to be around in this renovation-challenged home for my kids.
If I can try to keep my eyes on them, it feels much less that I'm juggling and much more like motherhood.

Jet Lagged and Late for School

When we planned our trip to California, I'm sure we looked at the school schedule and allowed plenty of time to get home, get unjetlagged, shop for supplies, and do the laundry. But something went terribly wrong. The day before we left, someone mentioned that school at CFCI starts on the 21st. What!?

So we went back to the Web site and looked and a NEW calendar said, sure enough, school started on the 21st. So we had to do our back-to-school shopping in San Francisco. That was sort of fun since we got some neat lunch box stuff in Japan Town.

But getting home at 1am the night before school started was another matter. We were very late for school on the first day. (I can still feel the evil eye I got from the school staff.) Even today, the kids went off looking confused and shell-shocked because their body clocks were still telling them it was 4am when I hauled them out of bed at 7. Our living room looks like it's been shelled, my brain feels soggy, and we had to scrape lunches together from canned beans, croutons, and boiled squid in a can. Not pretty. Not even in those cute Japanese containers.

Who do I write a strongly worded letter about this? Why did they steal 5 days of our summer? Where is the complaint department? How did this happen to us?

On a more positive note, I have stuff for you: I am giving away a sweet Sony digital picture frame on my other blog GeekGirlfriends.com. And my favorite cosmetics and lotion supplier is also offering this cool giveaway. It's not as cool as the one at GeekGirlfriends.com but check it out:

Kids excited about school?!

Is this a dream?
It can't be? Did I make my kids so miserable this summer that they are excited about starting school next week? Yes! And I'm excited too...YAY!.
We visited Mac's classroom Tuesday and meet his teacher. He'll be in pre-K in his sister's school and, more specifically, he'll be in her former first grade classroom. The two teachers have sent us a letter and Mac his own postcard to introduce themselves. (Very nice touch!)
The classroom is festooned with primary colors and bright numbers. There is a puppet house, a sand table and a lot of other fun touches. He is very excited and the visit before school started was a wise move. The teachers were setting up, looking for reasons to take breaks and happy to meet a new student. It is the first year the school is offering pre-K classes.
Veronica also has a new teacher at St. Mary this year and we had a chance to meet her--without the mad crush of parents meeting her for the first time. Veronica was able to see who will be in her class and where she will be seated. It is fun to recognize the names and get warmed up for another school year.
We wandered the hallway then went to check out the new pre-K playground. All three played and had a blast.

Then they went to have their new school haircuts at Fantasy Hair Land (4609 Wrightsville). If you haven't been there, they rock for young kids. We felt as if we had discovered a local secret when we found them in their old location. It's one of those places that has space ships, fire trucks and other places for kids to sit while they have their hair cut. After a haircut, girls get their nails painted.
It's now located where the Puppy Palace on Wrightsville and College (kind of behind the Ted's Exxon station and another bonus since kids can watch the puppies through a window while they get their hair cut).
The kids have been begging for haircuts for a couple weeks. Glad that whining battle is over.

Police in the neighborhood

I thought that headline would grab you! ;)

Every so often you have a day where you realize how cool this town is, how small town it can feel...and how expensive gasoline has become.



The kids loved seeing the Wilmington Police Department horses...and their riders...as they passed the house. They seem to move pretty darn fast because I wasn't that slow to get my camera and they were already in the next block before I took this.

And then they came back through and posed with the kids....

One of those days...

Yesterday was "one of those days." I started teaching my UNC Wilmington Strategic Writing online course, only there were a couple "i" and "t" crossings that didn't get made.
Nothing like teaching an online course in real time...sitting at your kitchen table, amidst the dust and chaos of the renovation, my kids happily napping or checked into a video, and knowing that 20+ students are looking out the window [of a UNCW classroom] at the sunshine on the first day of class...waiting and waiting for their professor to show up. Only, I was staring at my computer screen and wondering if they were going to show up.
Then there is the Catch-22. I need to go to UNCW on Friday morning (at 9 a.m.! Gulp!), show up in the classroom on Friday, speak to the students to return it to its virtual state.
Well, since it will be Friday, I hope they don't mind seeing me in my pajamas and bathrobe.

Neighborhood storytime

As the renovations continued Friday, I strolled along Park Avenue with Petra while Veronica and Mac rode their bikes. We visited Two Wheeler Dealer and Pomegranate Books. The folks at both stores were amazingly attentive and patient with the three kids.
The ladies at Pomegranate Books were so amazing, when Petra made it known (by her distinctive screams) that she wanted to get down and explore, they took turns holding her. They found toys for the older kids to play with and told us about Saturday's storytime.
We skipped back on Saturday at 3 p.m. with the son of one of the guys working on our house. He went begrudgingly.
But it was worth the effort. The storyteller was engaging and warm and friendly. I thought we'd be out of there within half an hour, but she was going strong at 3:45. There were kids arriving throughout the time...it seemed to be one of the best kept secrets in our neighborhood (which also includes Hanover Square and Independence Mall).
Next storytime is Saturday, Sept. 6 (I think they said at 10 a.m.)
We'll be there, I'm sure!

Introducing, Veronica, the model

While the house has been under renovation (we’re on 8 years and 3 weeks and still counting…), the wife of one of the workmen stopped by one afternoon. Lesley had worked in the New York fashion world for 12 years. She is just amazing, funny and super sweet. (Her husband is cool too, but I’m not sure how he would feel if I called him “sweet.”)

They moved here, as many of us do, because they visited friends and fell in love with Wilmington. But what’s a fashionista to do in Wilmy-wood?
Design, design, design. Lesley has opened her virtual clothing store, Just Like Honey Clothing...but she would also love to meet and talk...and sew for any of her new (and soon-to-be-new) Wilmington friends. And Tuesday night she invited Veronica to be one of her models at a fashion show at the Wilmington Tea Room. (We love the tea room, by the way, and it has a perfect location: right on the Riverwalk.)

Okay, moms and dads, these are cute clothes. The colors are vibrant and the cloth, purchased in New York during Lesley's buying binges, are funky and fun.
What's even better is a lot of the outfits can be up-fitted for moms, without looking like you are wearing the identical outfit as your mini-me. (I covet the outfit Lesley was wearing at the fashion show.)
Cool, one-of-a-kind clothing and a super neat person to deal with: priceless!
As for Veronica, her brush with the catwalk may not have launched her modeling career. Since Tuesday she's decided she needs to practice her acting skills and wants to try out for any local plays.
But I know Veronica will be glad to donate her time on the catwalk any time Lesley asks. (Even if my daughter missed the cookies.)

P.S. - These photos are from Veronica's fitting with Lesley, not from the fashion show. My pictures didn't turn out well from the fashion show.

Thai Food Mecca

As you all know, I have been on a salad quest. And of all the salads I've ever tasted, the Thai Papaya Salad may be my favorite. So one of the first things we did when we got to the San Francisco Bay Area was line up outside a nondescript Thai Buddhist Temple in Berkeley on a Sunday morning for what the locals (the foodie locals, that is) refer to as the Thai Church Social. Every Sunday, the local Thai community comes here to attend temple, cook, and eat. And anyone else in the Bay Area who is as devoted to food as to life, comes as well. You have to get here by 10 am or the line winds down the street. The first thing you do is exchange cash for tokens. Then line up for the food of your choice.

Unfortunately that's not the best hour of the day for a super spicy salad but I managed. This papaya salad doesn't look pretty on that paper plate but it was made to order by a delightful Thai woman in a mortar and pestle. She asked me to taste it several times as she was preparing it to be sure she was getting it spicy enough for me. And it was both spicy and delicious. The kids stuck to mango and sticky rice (black and white) but our foodie friends didn't hold back.

They ordered several plates of curry, stir fry, fried chicken, Pad Thai, and other delicacies. And we all picked away at anything within reach.

This crowd has the Thai Social down to a science and it was a privilege to be part of their Sunday Morning. They coordinate
(in a combination of Chinese, Swiss German, and English) who will get in what line via cell phone on the way over so that once the entire crowd has arrived, there is little but eating to be done.

To give you a sense of just what a food orgy this vacation is, I will tell you how the rest of this day went. After the Thai Social, we split up for separate activities: My family went for a train ride in the hills (I'll post about that later). Then 3 hours later, we regrouped to car pool and drive across the bridge. Once in San Francisco, we feasted on oysters at the Hog Island Oyster Company in Market Hall in the Embarcadero. And from there, we went to a friend's house where we ate some of the finest BBQed salmon, leeks, and other delicacies I've eaten in a long time.

These are a few of my favorite things…

Our family had a triumphant return from Asheville last night—all three children were asleep by the time we pulled into the driveway. And we were only slightly frazzled.

The kids only asked 9,945 times: Are we home yet? (And that was just on the way home….) It made me think, though, while we enjoyed our visit away, we were glad to get home. These are a few of my favorite things about coming home:

1. The familiar traffic patterns of Wilmington, which are so much better than Asheville. Really.
   
2. The comfort of our heat and humidity; it's 24/7.
   
3. Wearing my house shoes and pajamas into the late morning.
   
4. Crawling into bed with my husband and knowing that a loud, hotel heater is not going to kick on at 2 a.m.
   
5. The big bath and shower we have in our house.
   
6. Not having to remember where everything is in someone else's house.
   
7. The rhythm of my kids and my days.
   
8. Knowing that Veronica won't try to call the front desk of the hotel from our home phone…just to talk or update them on our activities.
   
9. Unpacking and knowing I won't have to re-pack for four or five for a while.
   
10. Being closer to the beach.
    

What are some of your favorite things about coming home?

Marshalls New Mega Shoe Shop

Elizabeth started it with the shoes. But I have a cool shoe-thing too! Marshalls has just launched a Shoe Mega Shop in their stores and to get it rolling have asked us (oh and probably some other blogs too) to run this cool contest where Wilmaville readers can win $250 worth of Marshalls gift cards. That would just about cover my back-to-school expenses so I'm in. All you have to do is play this game to enter:

Shoes galore!

I just received an e-mail notice from Shoe Shak in Hanover Center. The shoe store, where I purchased my fabulous rhinestone summer shoes of a previous post, is having a $12/$15/$19 sale for spring and summer shoes.

You better get there before I do or there may not be any shoes left! (Though I may get sidetracked when I pass Temptations...I love their pecan and mandarin orange salad, which has yet to make the Salad Quest 08.)

Living in the anti-McMansion

As I mentioned before, we live in a Craftsman—three bedrooms (two in usable condition), 1.5 baths. It's cute and we enjoy that it is an old house.

Often I think of the stories the previous owner told us, of three boys growing up in the house alongside their parents, and marvel at how or when they must have outgrown the house. Even back then, he told us, only part of the home was in use by the family. When he was growing up, one area served as a screened in side/back porch and was later enclosed and is now our laundry room.

We're only discussing 1,200 square feet, on its best days. But the backyard is fabulous with fig trees, grape arbors and a once stately pear tree. We turn the kids out of the house any chance we get. (I remain weary of the mosquitoes these days.)

Yesterday, a friend e-mailed and wanted to know if we had painted the living room Christmas colors as Veronica had requested. I wish we had gotten that far. Unfortunately, we're not there yet, but we had an amazing family weekend. We spent time (while Petra napped) working together on those front two rooms. Veronica (7) and Philip (undisclosed) weaved in and out of each other—Veronica always darting up the ladder for some reason or the other; Philip trying to actually do the work he needed to on the ladder. Mac (4), our clean-up king supreme, making sure the work area was swept up and neat. It was pretty cool. (A cost-effective weekend event for the family!)

Having written about the Wilmington-area real estate for almost three years, I've seen a lot of the homes being built in the new developments. I've also read a lot about living spaces. Admittedly, one article has stuck with me: the relationship between space and family relations. I think it is probably true that family living in a small space can probably help "facilitate" parents, brothers and sisters getting along. (I also think having doors would help, too, but that's for another posting.)

My kids are adjusting (well, we think) to temporarily living in half of the house. And, while tempers flare and I find myself longing for the calm school days approaching (three weeks!), I think I'd rather have the tight living spaces than the five of us getting lost in the rooms of our McMansion, each child cocooned (with his/her own cable-wired television and bathroom).

Besides, I think the silver and gold walls, accented with mirrors would feel empty and impersonal in a McMansion. But I hope to vacation in a McMansion, one day…I don't mind the kids getting lost in cavernous rooms for a little bit of time.

Sayonara Wilmaville!

Today I am headed to the San Francisco Bay Area for two weeks. So no more Wilmington salads this month! (Is it time to vote?)

I do plan to torture you all with images of terrific Thai, Cambodian, Ethiopian, Mexican, and Japanese food that prevails there. So get ready to salivate! (I wish I could upload the heady scent of a great hole-in the-wall Laotian restaurant but photos will have to do.) And even though we lived there for more than 15 years, we rarely did any touristy stuff—like Alcatraz—but we intend to do all that on this trip. We are even planning to sleep at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, let the kids get a taste of diving the Monterey coast, and camp under the redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains. So look forward to dorky tourist shots too.

So it's goodbye to the warm waters of the coast of Wilmington, NC and hello to the fog, frigid ocean, and food fun that is San Francisco.