About

Take a walk on the fun side with a Charlotte mom of 3.

  • Pinkalicious is Pinky Sweet

    Pinkalicous is the tale of a red #40-addled little girl, all jacked up on her favorite cupcakes and other pink treats.  It’s her world, and it’s all pink, all of the time. A dancing cupcake trio, singing with Chipmunk-like voices, is a good visual of the buzz that Pinkalicous lives in with her constant state of sugar high.  We get a glimpse of her good brother, Peter, overshadowed by his sister’s attention-stealing antics.  I’m not sure to be relieved o...

    More...
    Apr. 16, 2013 | Permalink | RNTCharlotte

  • Auto Fair A+ for Boys

    It’s hard to miss promotions surrounding the massive Food Lion Auto Fair – they're everywhere.  But is it good for families? Lured by the intense marketing, we decided to give it a whirl. A few factors influenced my decision.  My parents are in town for Spring Break and Papa is definitely a car and flea-market kind of guy.  My sister is also visiting with her “energetic” 2-year old.  With so many guests, I was looking for a big, outside activity th...

    More...
    Apr. 05, 2013 | Permalink | RNTCharlotte

  • Enjoying the Craziness of St. Patrick's Day

    “I don’t suffer from insanity.  I enjoy every minute of it.” I had to laugh out loud when I read a t-shirt with that saying at today’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and “Charlotte Goes Green” festival.  It was a fitting way to describe the circumstances that brought us to the parade. I’ve been on the fence about going all week.  My husband is out of town for work, which means that I was looking at trotting out three kiddos in the mid...

    More...
    Mar. 16, 2013 | Permalink | RNTCharlotte

  • Mid-Winter Hilton Head Getaway

    Last month, I was inspired to look for a long weekend getaway at the last minute.  My kids had been talking about wanting to see the snow, so I checked out condos at Sugar Mountain.  At close to $400 by the time cleaning fees and taxes were factored in for just one night, we wound up with a no-tell motel situation that looked basic but clean.  I double-checked the hotel on TripAdvisor and boy, was I glad that I did.  It turns out, it was a time-share where all of the room...

    More...
    Mar. 02, 2013 | Permalink | RNTCharlotte

  • Seeing Stars at the Fairy House Festival

    Brangelina could walk down the street and I don’t think I would blink.  During the random moments that I read People magazine, I feel kind of silly because I’m at a loss for who the latest reality “celebrities” even are.  I just don’t get star-struck very often. But, then, scanning the Charlotte Mecklenburg Parks & Rec 5th Annual Fairy House Festival flyer the other day, I paused.  I wasn’t planning to go. We’ve enjoyed it so much...

    More...
    Feb. 20, 2013 | Permalink | RNTCharlotte

  • Passionate About Passion 8

      Do you ever wonder when the million chain “sit down” restaurants around Charlotte are going to just give in and install a drive through? Or when the sputtering “real food” movement is finally going to ignite here?  The annual Queen’s Feast gives a glimmer of the handful of original, quality eats around town.  But even many of those menus weren’t exciting enough for me to call a babysitter for a big night out. And, then, like a scene in a ...

    More...
    Feb. 06, 2013 | Permalink | RNTCharlotte

  • Scouting for Food: Do Your Best

    Did you get an empty grocery bag on your doorstep this weekend? You know, the one with a note stapled to it asking to be filled with food? Before you ignore it or use it to recycle yesterday’s Observer , take a minute to think about how it got there, and where it’s going. A week or so before its journey to your doorstep, hundreds (thousands?) of boys and their parents at Boy Scout Troops and Cub Scout Packs in the Mecklenburg area got together for a “stapling” party ...

    More...
    Jan. 29, 2013 | Permalink | RNTCharlotte

  • The Hobbit for Families

    Several months ago, long before the first trailers of the Hobbit began to run, I had the bright idea to read JRR Tolkien’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” aloud as a family.  I knew it would be a little ambitious, and it was.  But, it also turned out to be fun.  I did most of the reading with my six and eight year olds taking turns once in a while.  The whole book took us about two months to read.  I can’t say how much of the book they did...

    More...
    Jan. 19, 2013 | Permalink | RNTCharlotte

  • Goodnight Lights…Goodnight Speedway…

    Last week, our family jammed in one last extension of holiday cheer – a trip to the fantastic 3.5 miles of lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Compared to our visit a few years ago, it was, well, quiet.  After Christmas there were no lines for Santa, and no Santa’s workshop.  And, this year, it looked like the “South Pole” was shut down altogether. The Speedway has the effect of a good book on us – even though we reached the zenith of Christmas, we j...

    More...
    Jan. 03, 2013 | Permalink | RNTCharlotte

  • Hallelujah! @Charlotte Symphony

    My husband and I had the extreme pleasure of going to Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s “Handel’s Messiah” last week. What a treat. Was I the only one who didn’t realize that “Hallelujah!” is more of an Easter song, about Jesus rising from the dead, than His birth?  Either way, it was a moving, awe-inspiring performance that launched us right into the holiday mood. The kids and I have been belting out “HAAA-LE-LU-YAH!” every time we h...

    More...
    Dec. 21, 2012 | Permalink
Next