If you've ever been to the Festival of Trees before, then you know it's a Sandhills "Must See" event. Each year the decorations get bigger and better. And if you have kids, it's fabulous fun for the whole family. (By the way, Family Night is Friday from 4-8 and Santa will be there!)

Now, if you've never been then you need to go at least once while living in Moore County. For no other reason than to say you've experienced a great Sandhills' tradition.

But this year's Festival is "extra" special. It has been moved from to the Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst. The increase in space as well as the beautiful holiday decorations that grace the hotel are sure to make this the best event yet.

However, that's not the only reason to go.....This year the Sandhills Children's Center has expanded their Gingerbread Village and on behalf of SandhillsKids, I've donated a Gingerbread house.

Over the past month, I've spent what little free time I have (you know, between the hours of 9pm and midnight - HA!) and built my very first Gingerbread House from scratch. I'm sooooo excited about the whole experience that I've decided to give you a sneak peak. So whether you make it to the Festival of Trees or not, you'll get to have Visions of Gingerbread and maybe be inspired to make a house of your own!

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Keep you eyes open and be on your best behavior because Santa is popping up all over the Sandhills! And check back often, because we'll update our Santa Sightings list as we learn of new locations.

• Santa Claus coming to Imagination Station in December! The dates for the play sessions he will be attending are December 11 at 6pm and 7pm, December 16 at 3pm and 4pm, and December 18 at 6pm and 7pm. All sessions with Santa are $10 for the hour during which each child gets one on one time with Santa and parents can video and take pictures. Tickets go on sale November 14 and are limited.
• Stop by Colors 'n Clay and visit with Santa, Saturday, December 8 from 9 - 11 am. $10 per child which includes an ornament, cookies, milk and a visit with the jolly ole man! No reservations required, just show up! Don't forget to bring your camera.
• If you miss him in the morning of December 8, then catch Santa that afternoon in the Courtyard across the street from The Pilot at 2 pm.
• Santa will be bringing Christmas Cheer to the Festival of Trees on Friday, November 30 for Family Night and Sunday, December 2 from 1 - 4 pm. Bring your camera!
• Santa will be at the BB&T both Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m., as well as Thursday, Dec. 13, from 3 to 5 p.m. and Friday, from 5 to 7 p.m. when the village merchants will offer extended shopping hours.
• All children are welcome to visit with Santa at the Southern Pines Public Library on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 1 to 3 p.m. Parents can bring their own cameras to take candid photos of their children with Santa.
• Santa is coming for a visit to the Inn at the Bryant House in Downtown Aberdeen! See him on Friday, December 14, 2007  6pm-8pm, before he gets ready for the big day! Have your child's picture taken, enjoy treats and hot chocolate as he tells a great Christmas Story and reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas. $5 per family.

If we missed a "Santa Sighting", then let us know or post it below. This way we can all enjoy telling Santa our Christmas wishes!

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Happy Thanskgiving to Sandhillskids.com! Or Monica and Rollie!  

When I was younger, if it wasn't for my teachers, my parents, would make me write about what I was thankful for on Thanksgiving days. I would start with ... I am thankful for ... and my mind would go blank. Not because I was not thankful, but because I wasn't able to think one specific thing that I was thankful for at that very moment. I was thankful for everything. Life would be simpler if we think in terms of "everything". I am thankful for everything that I have in my life. I am also thankful for the things I don't have in my life. However, life would be without joy if we don't have specifics, huh?  

I guess it's because I am not younger any more and that I don't have to be under the guidance of parents or teachers, so I feel apt to choose specifics. Most of the years, on Thanksgiving day, I choose three things that I am most thankful for that year. I say choose because that allows me to reflect on million things that I am thankful for and then I have to pick three of them and act upon it. One year, I picked one of the auto mechanics who has been incredibly helpful to me that year and gave his family a basket full of cookies with a thoughtful note. I am always thankful for my husband, my kids, and my life, however, there are always people out there who do special things for you unexpectedly and kindly.  

So, this year - here I am. Writing to Sandhillskids.com. I am always offering "if you need my help, let me know" and receive their polite response saying that they will. But I always put a condition "except bogging or writing". I decided to let Monica and Rollie know that I appreciate their efforts and service everyday and wanted to share with everyone that on this Thanksgiving Day, I think about how much more I appreciate Monica for creating Sandhillskids.com and Rollie for adding the voice to the site. Thanks Sandhillskids.com! Also, to those who put their voices into writing so that we could all enjoy reading laughter, smiles, and share ups and downs of life - especially with kids. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!  

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 Sports Program for Children and Adults with Disabilities

Family Support Network of the Sandhills and Moore County Parks & Recreation Department are working together to bring a new program to families in Moore County .  

As we leap forward into the planning process of this exciting new effort, we are in search of families to participate.  We are currently seeking your help in spreading the word about this developing program.  

Who is eligible? Any child who has a disability and would like to participate in a county wide sports program.

How old does my child have to be? We are currently seeking the needs of all ages, 4 through Adult.

What can I do to help the program? You can help us by volunteering your time as a member of the planning committee. We are also seeking adult volunteers to assist children on the field as well as coaches to help us pull it together.  

There are 2 ways to submit information;    

1.      Online: visit FSN Sandhills website, Click on the "Sports Program Survey" Link: www.fsnsandhills.info

2.   Mail: Print out the internet form by clicking the above link, complete the questions and mail to FSN Sandhills.

Please be sure to provide the printed document for families you know who may not have Internet access.  

Thank you for your help in networking this information!  

 For more information on support and resources for children with special needs please contact,

Christine Garton  910-692-6123  ext.25

 

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"Whoever said you can't take it with you has never packed their car for vacation!"

Isn't that a great quote? Certainly prophetic of my own impending woes as I, once again, get ready to load down the family jalopy - this time around to see The Mouse.

While we aren't scheduled to leave until Saturday, I'll start packing suitcases on Tuesday: and that's just the clothes. I still have to stockpile the snack hoard and cooler cache, videos for the portable DVD player, extra film, batteries, and medicines. Oh, and don't forget spare pillows and towels, first aid kit, each kid's favorite blanket and toy...the list nears endless.

Why is it that I go into survivalist mode whenever we have to leave the house for more than twelve hours?

It's not like we're fleeing a hurricane and have to pack up our most precious belongings for a trip of indeterminate length. I mean really, I'm leaving the comfort of home for the comfort of a Disney hotel room: not exactly roughing it!

Though I guess in everything, one can always look back on this trip or that one when a little better planning could've saved the day.

Darling hubby and I had our own Donner Party-vacation moment during our honeymoon. While planning this romantic odyssey, for some reason, the province of Nova Scotia looked deceivingly compact, and populated, on the map.

Our arrival in Halifax, a wonderfully clean and modern city, was inauspicious enough but then we turned north. Once past the municipal limits, we crossed into no-man's land. I say ‘no man's' because that's what we saw; no man, no woman, no child, no gas, no grocery store, no restaurant.

When you read in a cultural tour guide that an area's population was greatly reduced after the fishing industry bust, trust me, take their word for it.

Our first night in the Great White North was spent in a race of time between locating the quiet, little lakefront cabin we had booked and finding something to eat other than leaves and twigs.

You see unlike our usual overstuffed car excursions, this trip we flew. Rules on luggage size and weight seem to have a profound limiting effect on one's typical packing habits.

So on that October eve, we drove for hours ever nearing our cabin destination with a few darkened houses for company but no real sign of civilization, meaning no food! It didn't help that we missed the end of the traditional tourist season by a month or two.

Behold, a light beckoned to us from out in the gloom. We couldn't believe our good fortune: a restaurant! And even more unbelievably, within a mile or - oops! kilometer or two of our nuptial bed.

Be thankful for small blessings. We surely were, as we had no choice but to become first name-friendly regulars at this establishment with the two or three other people touring Eastern Canada that week. The meals were delicious, but with no other dining option for a hundred kilometers in every direction, that hardly mattered.

The remainder of our honeymoon was fraught with other exciting adventures such as moose loitering in the road, desperately searching for Petrol and then trying to calculate liters versus gallon pricing, exploring the survival huts placed with alarming frequency along Nova Scotia's roads, and avoiding getting shot - who's bright idea was it to plan a hiking honeymoon during hunting season?

So this year as I set my sights on Florida, I hope those flying missiles sporting Canuck license plates charging down I-95 will forgive our sluggish, snack-laden, toy-burdened, jam-packed van as we too head out on vacation - this year in search of a mouse and not a moose!

Laura Douglass writes for the Seven Lakes Times where this column originally appeared.

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Well, it took about a year but SandhillsKids has finally made The Pilot! So, if your looking for a little lite reading check out the article. It was in Wednesday's paper on November 7th. We appreciate the coverage.

http://www.thepilot.com/stories/20071107/scene/arts/20071107KIDSONLINE.html

No one knows the art and finesse of planning birthday parties better than a mom. And in my generation's ever escalating quest to ensure our kids have a unique and special day, the process has become downright daunting.

If you think throwing a child's birthday includes blowing up a few balloons, lighting the candles, and sharing in song, well, let's just say you probably haven't spend much time lately in the Wal-Mart toy aisle either.  

Birthday parties have become competitive sport out here in Suburbia. And I, Douglass Family Team Captain, am surely headed for the play-offs in this race to nowhere.

I think it all started with my son's third birthday when a firefighter friend offered to bring the ‘real deal' right to our house. Nothingsays birthday like a massive fire engine terrifying the neighbors and crushing your landscaped driveway plantings.

As my children have reached each successive milestone, I have attempted to provide equally amazing thrills and chills. We've rescued stuffed animals from peril in the yard, blown up mountainous bouquets of pink balloons, and laid acres of train track throughout the house.

In my defense, I do eschew the glitzy store-bought cakes in favor of much simpler Mommy-made fare. Perhaps I feel compelled by the memory of my own mother's heroic effort to craft the fantasy castle cake featured on the cover of one of her massive cookbooks: I had begged for years. Truly, it was a work of art with chocolate bars for doors and a roofline turreted with mini-marshmallows.

This year - utterly swamped with life and laundry - my fabulous Mommy varnish was duly threatened as I was flat out stumped and the clock was ticking.

A moment of inspiration!

I was headed North, up yonder towards our county seat - getting ready to improve the view at a recent Board of Commissioners meeting - when I happened upon a most unusual storefront.

‘Wow,' I thought upon entering, ‘How little we chicks know about what you men-folks do during your off hours!'

I had discovered the underground world of outlaw slot-car racing. Eyeing up this hundred-foot long, eight-laned monster, the words couldn't tumble out of my mouth quick enough.

"Can I reserve THIS for a herd of seven year olds?"

To my surprise and enormous relief, the deal was sealed with only a fair hit to my purse. Hey, it's not as if hosting eight kids in my living room was going to be a picnic, right?

So once again I have kept my self-imposed birthday party ante. As my poker friends would say, "The pot is good."

I'm thinking come March, on the occasion of my daughter's next big day, I'll be forced to conjure something even more outstanding - like delivering fresh snow.

Good thing I've still got plenty of time to plan.

Laura Douglass writes for the Seven Lakes Times where this column originally appeared.

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I've been carving pumpkins since I was a wee child on my father's knee. Back in the day, my father would grab his trusty black marker and butcher's knife to create his masterpiece. It was a childhood memory that has become a family tradition for me.

So each year (even those before kids), I have faithful handpicked the perfect pumpkin for carving. This year was no exception. Even without my husband home, I was not about to let Halloween pass us by. The girls and I picked out four pumpkins at a local farm and set out to carve them on Sunday.

This is a task that I have done every year for as long as I can remember so why would this year be any different? Well, for starters, the girls where more interested in the final product then the work to get there. So after cleaning out the pumpkins and making a mess of guts and seeds all over the garage, they bailed on me to go ride their scooters.

My sister and I were left with four pumpkins to carve. We decided to start on the largest two which turned out be too thick for our store bought carving tools. After a little cursing (on my part) and elbow grease, we finished them without any kids in sight to marvel at our beautiful creations. At this point, I had know desire to carve two more pumpkins but because they were already cleaned out I had to do something with them.

So I did what any "good" mom would do - I took a lesson from Martha Stewart and pulled out the power tools. I grabbed my husband's brand new Firestorm Drill (he's not here so who's going to complain) and three bits of various sizes. For the next 20 minutes, I worked out all my anger issues on two pumpkins. When I was done, I had two "holy" pumpkins that would have made the Queen of Domestication proud.

Tonight, our pumpkins - all four of them. graced the front porch with all of our other Halloween paraphernalia (talking head, skeleton, eyeballs, tons of lights, etc.) and the two pimpkins with holes were the talk of the neighborhood. Who knew that power tools and Halloween where the perfect match. Thanks Martha, I owe you one! 

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If you're looking for local farms or pumpkin patches for fall festivities, then check out our newest section under Kids Outdoor for area Farms.

Here's the link - http://www.sandhillskids.com/directory/Farms/

There you'll fine Moore County Farms as well as several links to NC Farm Directories as well as a Pick Your Own Produce Website.

Enjoy!

Ask any neighborhood kid and they will tell you that I am the first house they stop at when they are looking for buyers for their latest school or sport fundraiser. I always do my best to purchase at least one item per school/group. But lately, it seems that I'm spending way too much on fundraisers.

My children are only 4 and 6 so I thought for sure that I had many years before I would be out trying to convince my neighbors to buy cookie dough or the latest in wrapping paper. But in the past few weeks, I've been proven wrong!

Let's see what I'm selling (be sure to give me a call if you would like to purchase any items!)

1. Raffle Tickets for SYSL, I have a two booklets because both my kids are playing soccer. So, if I purchase the "best" deal per book then I will spend $15 each for a grand total of $30.

2. Raffle Tickets for the Elks Club - that's another $20.

3. Raffle Tickets for SPP's Fall Festival - 10 tickets for $10 (Are you seeing a theme)

4. Cheese Cake for Gymnastics (Last month they sold Champion Discount Cards). That will cost about $15 if I purchase one cake.

5. Cookie Dough and Cheese Cake for Libby's preschool. There's another $24 for 2 containers.

6. Current Gift Wrap Catalog for Southern Pines Primary to help pay for field trips since funding was cut this year. I'm hoping the school bond takes care of that problem. That's at least $8.00 for the minimum purchase.

7. The Scholastic Book Fair for Southern Pines Primary to help the library raise money (The have to sell $3000 to get 30% - a whole whopping $300!) I spent $30 - a book for each child and a gift certificate for the teacher.

8. And let's not forget SPP's Monthly Fundraiser Night at Moe's (which I enjoy and am a huge supporter of because I don't have to sell anything). But that usually cost about $12 if my husband's gone and $18 if he's home. The school get's 15% of the evening's sales. We've been average about $140/month. Not bad for showing up to dinner and hanging out with friends.

9. And of course, the QSP Magazine Sales are just around the corner. However, I boycott those after they did the big song and dance in front of all the kids at school about all the cool things they could win if they sold magazines. This sent my 6 year old into a frenzy and she wanted us to go knocking on everyone's door.

So, if I participate in everything at the minimal level I will spend $149 for fundraisers this month alone. Which is not something I budget for. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge supporter of helping groups and the school offset costs. But of the $149 I contribute to these fundraisers, less than half will actually get to the groups. That's my frustration with the whole process.

I know that some people don't mind selling stuff. But for me, it is difficult because we don't have tons of family in the area and most of my friends are trying to peddle the same goodies I am. So, I usually end up pulling out the checkbook and paying for it myself.

Personally, I would rather participate in a donation drive, write the check and get the nice letter with the organization's Tax ID # acknowledging my donation and be done with it. They get my money and I get a tax write off. Plus, it cost me less in the end.

 

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