I was almost going to keep this little secret to myself because it makes me look like a nincompoop, but I decided that there has to be at least one person out there that will understand what it is like to have your mind race in a million different directions when you’re racing against the clock. My 14-month-old daughter is cutting her incisors and molars all at once.  Yesterday, her tummy...

July 2019 update: We're still buying cakes in my family. Nothing has changed there in eleven years. I still love Whole Foods cakes.  However, I discovered Carlie C's, and the IGA grocery store in Garner, NC a few years ago, and they have the best 12-layer chocolate cakes so now we get that about 99 percent of the time.  The price is right, too. You can get half a cake for less than $10...

I am an only child so I have no idea what it is like to have a sibling. But, from what I’ve observed in the past fourteen months, I would say it must be a love like none other. My daughter lights up as soon as she sees my son in the morning. He insists on giving her a goodnight kiss every night, and if he doesn’t get a chance to say goodnight before I put her in what used to be his old crib, he...

Georgia is on my mind! My son is learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, junior at pre-school this week. While prepping dinner, I told him that Dr. King was born in Atlanta. JH has a keen interest in travel so we talk about different places a lot, and we usually end the conversation with something like this. “Maybe we can go there!” says JH. “We sure can, and I know exactly what hotel we can stay...

As a parent, have you ever reacted to something quickly and perhaps blurted out something not very proper? You realize it as soon as it comes out of your mouth. You look around wide-eyed and hope that your child with the bucket on his head didn't hear you. Sometimes you aren’t as lucky and say the wrong thing when you just happen to have a captive audience like when your kids are in their car...

Why is it that children look like angels when they are tucked in their bed at night, but during the day sometimes, they are far from acting like angels and as parents, we just have no control over the situation? I now have two words that may shake me in my boots forever: Well Visit! My five-year-old son had his doctor’s well visit on Wednesday. It didn’t go well! Fortunately, the good news is that...

It’s been a week since I started my Hines-Sight Blog. It’s been a great week because I’ve heard from some of you, and I thank you for your kind words and support. It really brightens my day. Being a mom is my first job and my priority, but I cannot tell you how much reward and satisfaction I have experienced in one week since seeking this creative outlet. I rise a little earlier with pep in my step,...

It’s an icy day in Carolina! My hubby left the rear wheel drive car in the garage, and took the company truck that he brought home yesterday to work so that means its just me and the kids like any other normal week day. My daughter is napping and my five-year-old son is absorbing knowledge from PBS since pre-school is closed. I just had to write today about my excitement when I learned that Tilty...

It’s snowing in Carolina! This is our first winter weather of 2011, but surprisingly, Old Man Winter visited us several times in December, and even gave us a white Christmas weekend. Luckily, JH has some boots for whatever this snow decides to do today. Last month, he had to use his tennis shoes with sandwich bags on his feet to help keep them dry. He didn’t like it and I’m sad to say that it didn’t...

One of my college roommates posted a message to me on Facebook telling me that she liked Hines-Sight, but jokingly said, “Don’t talk about college-life!” Little did she know that as I was clearing the dinner dishes last night, I started thinking about those wonderful college days at UNC-Chapel Hill, and all the sudden, I looked at my one year old’s left-over macaroni and cheese, and it dawned on...

As I was reading today's daily news with my piping hot english breakfast tea, I stumbled upon a news clip that featured a learning toy made in England. It will be available right before the royal wedding. I know I said yesterday that I have grown up, and that I will not buy Prince William and Catherine Middleton books. But this? Well, I have a precious little girl that would love to play with...

It’s dreary January, and even though North Carolina is not typically that cold, and Carolina Blue skies do peak through the clouds from time to time, it’s still a long, lackluster month.  I credit the dullness to the let down of the post-holiday hoopla.  Let’s face it!  December, even though it can be crazy, is a fun and festive month.  You go to parties with your...

Published January 2011/Updated 2019 After a daunting trip to Food Lion today, I decided that it was time to relieve some stress in my life.  Some people may exercise or eat a whole box of cookies to de-stress. Well, I'm going to write. I'll probably eat some cookies and exercise, too, but being able to write my thoughts and experiences help melt my tension away....