OK. OK. My house is far from decorated for Christmas, but my calendar is telling me that the holiday season is here.  We may not have a lot of snow in North Carolina, but Christmas in the Triangle area is truly magical. You may find a lot less blog posts in this space in December because I plan to be out and about this month. Here are some of the places you may run into the Hines this year so be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.  

Raleigh WinterFest: Downtown Raleigh (December 1-Jan.31 2013)

Grab your mittens and scarves and make your way to the heart of the center city for Raleigh's premier holiday event—the AT&T Raleigh Winterfest. Winterfest is a two-month long extravaganza featuring an outdoor skating rink with natural ice. This family-friendly celebration of fun-filled activities at the AT&T Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink kicks off with a memorable event in City Plaza on Saturday, Dec.1. Visit Raleigh Winterfest for more information. 

Ole Time Winter Festival: Cary, NC (December 1)




The Heart of Cary Association is holding their 9th annual Ole Time Winter Festival on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. It will take place along Chatham Street right in the heart of Cary from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Visit http://www.carydowntown.com/ for more information.

Dinner with Santa at Ruckus Pizza, Pasta, and Spirits (December 3 and 4)

Santa Bob

My neighbor,Tomma, is a six-year lung cancer survivor. Her story is remarkable, and it was recently shared by our local TV news for Lung Cancer Awareness Month.   When she was diagnosed, she was given a 15 percent chance of survival. She works daily to bring awareness of this deadly cancer that kills more people than all other cancers.  Each year, she invites Santa to the local Ruckus Restaurant in Cary as a fundraiser for the NC Lung Cancer Partnership. Get your photos taken with Santa, Make a donation, Get a CD of great photos and help Free to Breathe Raleigh!  Santa will be there from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Monday, December 3 – Ruckus in Morrisville
1101 Market Center Drive Morrisville NC 27560

Tuesday, December 4 – Ruckus in Cary
8111-208 Tryon Woods Drive Cary, NC 2751

I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving! My family spent our holiday on North Carolina's Crystal Coast in the coastal community of Emerald Isle, located on Bogue Island. This island is bustling in the summer months, but is quiet in the off-season which makes for a great fall/winter escape at a reduced rate.



We celebrated the holiday with Will's extended family. Every other year, seventeen family members make the trek to Emerald Isle.  The oldest person is not quite 80, and the youngest just turned 3. This year, we switched to a new rental house on the island.

The house is named 1 Angel's Haven with Emerald Isle Realty.

Honestly, it was as if we rented our own bed and breakfast inn.  This home had 10 bedrooms, and 10 bathrooms. It was amazing! The decor was bright and cheery, and it had so many spaces to escape from the children.  Did I just say that?  Well, in reality, we have some teenagers in the family now so they actually escaped from us in their own rooms.  It was an ideal house for a large group of people. I loved it. We've stayed in beautiful homes before on Emerald Isle before, but we've never had the bedroom space that this home allowed.  And of course, the ocean was our playground.



We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, a shrimp and oyster night, and a margarita night. In this luxurious house, the days flew by, and now my own home seems so small, and noisy.   Here's a peek into our special holiday.

My children discovered "Shirley Temple" cocktails.  We made this little one sing, "On the Good Ship Lollipop!"

The walls were quite colorful in the house, but they are not as bright as photos make them appear.

On the way back to Raleigh, we stopped briefly in the historic town of Swansboro, NC so I could get a cup of coffee for an afternoon break.  I also wanted to look around. What can I say? I am a travel writer.  This is a quaint town with lots of shops, and an adorable bakery and cafe called Boro.  They certainly greeted me with a smile.  The Church Street Inn on the waterfront certainly caught my eye.  It has only five rooms, but they are well-done, and would be great for an overnight escape.



For more on Emerald Isle, visit http://www.crystalcoastnc.org/ and to learn more about the town of Swansboro in Onslow County, visit http://visitswansboro.org/

We’re off to grandma’s house through the woods this week, or, in our case, I may want to say through the waves.  

This will be our Thanksgiving view.  Beautiful Emerald Isle, NC

As I told you last week, my daughter had only one wish for her third birthday.

We have a bonus room/playroom in our home, but it's not the most organized, and could use a new look.  I also want to create reading nooks in my children's rooms.  Today, I have a guest post on how to help me with my goals.  I love these two rooms.  Since I am a travel writer, I'm really drawn to the maps.  As you probably guessed, my son loves maps, too.



When space is a precious commodity, a playroom for the kids is wishful thinking. But just because you can't devote a whole room to the kids doesn't mean they can't still have their own space. You just have to think outside the box — or the room.

Small Fun Space
Find a nook where children's activity will easily fit in. Tuck shelving beneath a stairwell and stash toys and games on shelves surrounding a small play table against the wall. Or take the door off a walk-in closet and decorate as a mini-playroom with light and bright colors to make the small space seem larger.






Reading Nook
Place a pretty padded window seat with storage below a low sunny window. Use colorful window treatments to make the area feel child-friendly, and fill the storage area in the window seat with books and toys. Add a few soft microfiber pillows on which to curl up with a book. Encourage the children to read on their own, but also find some room on the window seat to stop what you're doing and read to them.

Multi-Use Rooms

Set up a room for double duty. Fill a guest room's closet with children's toys, games and activities. When you have no guests, the kids can play within the room, cleaning it up faithfully each night in case it needs to be used. When you do get guests, let the kids take some toys out to a different part of the house or play with the toys in their bedrooms.

Kid's Corner

Let the children take part of a room for fun and games. Place children's seating with storage in a corner of the living room, family room or dining room. Decorate to complement the living room while still capturing the fun of childhood. Consider a rug that separates the play area from the rest of the room but isn't a permanent change. Be sure to keep the children's activities away from high-quality window treatments or furniture that could be damaged by active play.

If you have a large stair landing, set up a child's table and chair set, a toy box and a couple of small bookcases. Decorate with sunny wall decorations surrounding a chalkboard. If you have room, add a beanbag chair. Tuck in a few stuffed animals to make the area inviting.

Storage

When your kids are playing, drawing or reading near you, whether in the same room or a cozy nook down the hall, you're able to keep an eye on them, and you have the opportunity to interact with them more than if they were shut up in a separate playroom. Perhaps having to grab space wherever you can find it isn't the ideal situation for keeping active kids occupied. The more interaction you have with your children the better, especially when they're very young. Any home has pockets of space that can be filled by children and their fun and games. Leave the door open to creativity and you'll find a great spot for your kids to enjoy themselves.

Kimberly, has some great ideas.  And here's one last photo I picked for inspiration.  Hmm..should I tackle some projects in 2013?

Bio: Kimberly Howard Kimberly is a graduate of Purdue University and lives in the Chicago area. She is a freelance journalist who specializes in K-12 and higher education.

Sometimes kids say the most random things.  My son, whom I refer to as Mr. Cool on this blog because he is never without sunglasses, asked me from the backseat of our car last week: “When are we going to go to another hotel?”