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Archive for the ‘Sanford’ Category

Saturday Morning in Sanford

15 Aug

My husband had phone duty at the real estate office this morning, so I was left home alone with 3 kids who have tried my last nerve all week long. I knew that someone was going to come out of it scarred if I didn’t get out of the house this morning, so we loaded up in the minivan and headed downtown.

My first stop was the Farmer’s Market. Unfortunately, they’d already sold pretty much everything. Good for the farmers, bad for us! So then I decided to walk up to Added Accents and see if Amy had any goodies available.  Their new store looks great, and I was super excited to find that they have bECO Baby Carriers!  I’ve been wanting one for a very long time, so as soon as I have $140, I’m going to go get one.  I did have money for some chocograhams, so I let each of the boys pick out a treat and got myself one, too.  There were also several boxes of cake truffles, but I resisted the urge. (Sorry, Amy!)

Then I got the bright idea to hit the library since we were already downtown…anything to kill time.  The kids were all behaving well so I thought we’d push our luck just a bit and see how things went.  Unfortunately the library is closed this weekend, which is apparently the worst.thing.ever. to a dramatic 6 year old boy.  I swear, you’d think someone had just shot his dog!  I was disappointed, but it certainly didn’t warrant the reaction he had.  At that point, I decided it was time to just go home.

It was sort of disappointing in that there were no fresh veggies left and that we couldn’t get any books, but it was nice to have a morning out of the house, knowing that I can manage them all myself while we’re out and about.  Next week maybe we’ll get up earlier.  And I’ll even try to fix my hair and put make-up on so I don’t scare people I meet!

 
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Posted in Sanford

 

Fun Stuff Friday — The NC Zoo

31 Jul

Because I am having a hard time coming up with things to write lately (which is why you’ve been egtting nothing but inane rambling posts, if you get anything at all!) I’m going to start something new.  I’m still working on my system, but this is attempt #1 at a more regular blog post.

As a family, we’re always looking for fun (inexpensive!) stuff to do near Sanford.  Fun Stuff Fridays will be sharing the things we’ve found that we enjoyed.  If you have additional suggestions, please let me know!  I’ll review each one we’re able to try out and let you know how we liked it.  First up: The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro!

The zoo is about an hour away from Sanford.  To get there, we drive up Hwy 42 (aka Wicker St or Carbonton Rd) and follow the signs.  This is the quickest route I’ve found.  It takes a bit longer if you take Hwy 421 to Hwy 64 like they recommend on their website, so if you’re comfortable with old 2 lane highways you can save some time.

We’ve purchased a family membership.  It’s a great deal and we save money if we make just 2 zoo visits during the year.  We love going, so it’s not hard to make that trip 3-4 times a year or more.  The savings really add up!  And the zoo is great…they have all kinds of animals.  Elephants, giraffes, lions, chimpanzees, seals/sea lions, polar bears, and much, much more.  It’s over 5 miles of trails and nice and hilly so you get a good workout in.  (Especially if you challenge your children to race you to the top of every hill like I did last time we were there!)  It’s been the first zoo that each of my children has been to, so it holds a special place in my heart for that reason.  I have a picture of my oldest son on his 1st birthday with an elephant statue, and now we take a picture of all 3 kids with that same statue every time we go.

Take the drive and check it out.  It’s worth the time and money!

 
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Posted in Fun Stuff Friday, Parenting, Reviews, Sanford

 

Let me introduce you to my new obsession…Smartipants!

17 Jun

Several weeks ago, I found out about a new cloth diaper that was just released.  After reading more, I was really intrigued and dying to try one out.  We didn’t have the funds to purchase one, so I took a giant leap and emailed the company asking if they’d give me one to try and review in my blog.  This can be hard, because if you don’t love it you’re potentially hurting a company that was so cool that they gave you a product that you need/want!  Anyway, they were kind enough to send me a diaper to try and now I get to give you my review!

I’m going to start out by saying that I loved my Smartipants!  There was absolutely nothing to worry about because they totally lived up to my expectations.  Can’t recommend them enough, really.  If you’re looking for an easy cloth diaper, it doesn’t get better than this.

Now, to go through the top 3 features that I really liked…

  • First, they are easy, easy, easy to care for.  One thing I despise about my other pocket diapers is pulling the insert out to put it in the pail.  Gross, especially if there’s a poop.  Just last week somebody in my house (probably me!) forgot to take out an insert before washing.  It got clean enough, but didn’t dry in the time the other diapers dried.  Not a huge deal, but certainly a pain in the rear I’d rather not deal with.  With Smartipants, you don’t have to do this.  You put them in the pail in one piece and the insert comes out in the wash!  I was skeptical, but it really did work.  They call it the Smart Sleeve and it’s awesome.
  • Second, they have snaps.  I am not a huge fan of hook and loop closures.  Every diaper I’ve ever had with H&L closures ends up getting yucky and looking worn after only a few washes.  It frustrates me that no matter how careful I am to use the washing tabs something always gets hung up in the washing process.  This leads to diapers looking more worn out than they should!  Smartipants have snaps to prevent this, and plenty of snap settings to make it a truly one size fits all diaper.  My skinny kids could have worn these from birth!  The other OSFA diapers I’ve tried didn’t fit until they were about 10 pounds, which can mean a long wait for them to actually fit.  This isn’t a problem with Smartipants.
  • Third, the price can’t be beat.  right now they are selling a pack of 3 (including 3 inserts) for only $36.95.  This is a really good deal for an easy diaper that can be used from birth to potty training.  If you are a mom who intends to cloth diaper or just want to get a feel for it, the price is a good way to explore the option without making a huge commitment.  And then when you’re sure, it’s a great price to pick up additional diapers when you can.  As for myself, I admit I’m saving up my pennies to order a couple of packs of these.  I’m still building up my diaper stash and had intended to buy another brand but will stick with these now!

As for the additional information you might want to know about a cloth diaper, I’ll try to do a quick rundown!  The construction was good and I was impressed with the sewing.  No loose strings or weak seams.  This can sometimes be an issue with even the pricier diapers and I was glad to see that wasn’t the case here.  The absorbency with one insert was excellent and perfectly adequate for my heavy wetter.  The single diapers come with 2 inserts (or additional inserts are sold separately) but I felt that 1 was plenty for us.  If you use them overnight you may want to try 2, but I’m not sure it would be necessary even then.  I didn’t find that they were any more bulky than our other OSFA insert diapers, though of course they’re a bit more bulky under clothes than a disposable.  I certainly don’t think you could find anything that fits slimmer than this in cloth.  They also have some very pretty colors.  I especially want a purple one for my little Violet!  I would like to see more colors (especially brights!) as they become more popular because I find that to be one of the most fun things about cloth.

Overall, I could not be more impressed.  I still love my other diapers, but Smartipants get a solid 10 from me!  Thanks to Smartipants for the free diaper and a great cloth diapering product!

 
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Posted in Money/Finances, Parenting, Reviews, Sanford, Sites to See

 

Big doings in Sanford this weekend!

24 Apr

It starts with tonight’s “Screen on the Green.”  They’re showing the Ant Bully at 8PM in Depot Park.  Then tomorrow is the opening of the Farmer’s Market, finally!  I can’t wait to get some good, locally grown fruits and veggies.  And I hear Amy will be there with some things that aren’t quite as healthy. ;)

Then Sunday is the big bike race, the 5K, and Springfest.  Registration for the 5K starts at 6:45AM and it begins at 8:15AM.  I would do it but I have commmitments at church that morning.  I could probably finish in time to hit the 2nd service, but I don’t want to take the chance!  Next year I will definitely plan on it.  The kid’s bike race starts at 1:30, and there will be vendors and other fun stuff in Depot Park from 11AM-5PM.  We really enjoyed watching the races last year and are so excited that it’s grown so much this year, despite objections from grumpy old antique store owners!

More info is available on all of these events at the Downtown Sanford website.

 
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Posted in Sanford, Sites to See

 

Convertible Weather

06 Apr

When I was 16, I became the proud owner of a little blue Dodge Shadow convertible.  I’d been driving a Mazda minivan for nearly a year and had whined and whined until my dad relented and decided to find me something smaller and more suited to a teenager.  It was a fun car and I really enjoyed driving it for 6 years.  But it got old, the top started to leak, and I needed something a bit more reliable and “adult” once I graduated college and started my professional life.

So I traded it in for a nice, reliable, boring Mazda 626.  And that was a great car, too.  It served it’s purpose until I got pregnant with my oldest and we decided I needed something bigger to haul all the “stuff” that came with having a baby.  That one was an SUV.  And then when I got pregnant with #2, I got a minivan which I still have and LOVE, to be perfectly honest.

But on days like today, when spring has sprung and it’s warm and sunny I really miss that convertible.  Just a little bit.  The problem with convertibles is that they just won’t hold 3 carseats and frankly, I’d miss the kids a lot more than I miss the convertible.  Maybe someday I’ll have another one.  (And just to be clear, that’s another convertible, NOT another baby!)

 
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Posted in Me Stuff, Parenting, Sanford, Sites to See

 
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