50 Fun Things for Track 3 Families to Do During Their Break

Hey Track 3 families in Wake County, there's no shortage of things to do when you're tracked out during Halloween. Here's our looong and spooky list of stuff for you to do while you're on your track-out break!

1. Hill Ridge Farms Fall Pumpkin and Harvest Festival (through Oct. 31)
2. Tweetsie Railroad Ghost Train (through Oct. 31)
3. October ZooFEST at the North Carolina Zoo (through Oct. 31)
4. Museum of Life and Science Presents Halloween Village (through Nov. 14)
5. North Carolina State Fair (through Oct. 25)
6. Town of Apex Pumpkin Decorating Contest (through Oct. 31)
7. Classic Productions Presents "Junie B Jones" (Oct. 19)
8. Educational Concert by the North Carolina Symphony (Oct. 20)
9. Come See the #6 Con-Way Freight NASCAR "Show" Truck at BounceU of Apex (Oct. 20)
10. Double Author Night at Quail Ridge Books (Oct. 20)
11. The Durham Bulls Celebrate Their Triple A National Championship With a Party at DBAC on Oct. 21
12. Wild Things (Chapel Hill Author Clay Carmichael) book discussion and signing (Oct. 22)
13. "Astro Boy" Movie Releases Oct. 23
14. TheatreworksUSA Presents "Seussical" Oct. 23
15. Witches’ Tea, Oct. 23
16. New Hope Valley Railway Pumpkin Party, Oct. 23
17. Halloween Boo Bounce at BounceU of Apex, Oct. 23, 30 and 31
18. The Durham Jaycees and American Tobacco District Present the 37th Annual Haunted House, Oct. 23-31
19. North Carolina Symphony Presents "Fantastique", Oct. 23
20. BOO at the ZOO, Oct. 24-25
21. Raleigh Wide Open/City Plaza Grand Opening, Oct. 24
22. Halloween Storytime at Barnes & Noble, Oct. 24
24. Kids Halloween Spooktacular at Borders, Oct. 24
25. 2009 Raleigh Jaycees Terror at Possum Creek: Kids Day, Oct. 24
26. Magic of Michael Creech and Jeff Lloyd, Oct. 24
27. Halloween Train at New Hope Valley Railway, Oct. 24
28. Tricks & Treats Halloween Bash, Oct. 24
29. Broadway Series Youth Presents the Vienna Boys Choir, Oct. 25
30. Children’s Pumpkin Carving at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, Oct. 25
31. Museum of Life and Science Presents Science Spooktacular with a ChemMystery Show, Oct. 28-29
32. Free music and movement class for tots at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, Oct. 29
33. Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Presents "Scare-o-lina Skies", Oct. 29, Nov. 1
34. Darkside Haunted Estates Low Scare Night for Kids, Oct. 29
35. Trick or Treat at Crabtree Valley Mall, Oct. 30
36. New Hope Valley Railway Ride Day: Steam Spectacular, Oct. 31
37. BATOLOGY at the North Carolina Zoo, Oct. 31
38. Chapel Hill Creamery hosts Plow Day with the NC Percheron Horse Association, Oct. 31
39. HollyFest 2009, Oct. 31
40. 7th Annual Day in Downtown Fuquay-Varina, Oct. 31
41. The Phantom of the Orchestra! Oct. 31
42. Natural History Halloween at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, Oct. 31
43. NC Museum of History Presents "Make It, Take It: Make Your Own Fun", Oct. 31
44. Fright Night '09 at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, Oct. 31
45. Free Family Day at the Nasher Museum of Art, Nov. 2
46. N.C. Museum of History Presents Time for Tots: American Indian Life, Nov. 3
47. NC Museum of History Presents History Corner: Aw Nuts! Nov. 5
48. Raleigh Little Theatre Presents "Snoopy!!! The Musical", Nov. 6-22
49. PAGE Super Saturday is Nov. 7 at NCSU's Talley Student Center, Nov. 7
50. NC Museum of History Presents Make It, Take It: Army Dog Tags, Nov. 7

Track 4 Track-Out Fun: 40+ Fun Things To Do!

The weather is cooling and kids' activities are mounting up like piles of leaves! Track 4 families: check out all of the fun things you can do while your kids are on their fall break. For more, visit our calendar!

1. Carolina Ballet Presents "Swan Lake" (through Oct. 4)
2. Hill Ridge Farms Fall Pumpkin and Harvest Festival (through Oct. 31)
3. NC Museum of History Presents History Corner: An Apple a Day (Oct. 1)
4. ANIMALIA Golden Rod Puppets - by Hobey Ford (Oct. 1)
5. Fall/Winter Kidz Stuff Consignment Sale - Hayes Barton Baptist Church (Oct. 1-3)
6. Wild Rumpus Teacher Celebration at Borders (Oct. 2)
7. NC Museum of History Presents First Friday at the Movies: “The Pirate of the Black Hawk”
8. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and Meet Josefina at Barnes & Noble (Oct. 2)
9. Tweetsie Railroad Ghost Train (Oct. 2-31)
10. Iron Man Tournament at Dreamsports Center (Oct. 3-4)
11. October ZooFEST at the North Carolina Zoo Begins Oct. 3 (through Oct. 31)
12. Raleigh Author Tisha Duncan Reads From Her Book "My Dirty Cat Mutt" at Quail Ridge Books (Oct. 3)
13. Fox 50 Family Fest at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham (Oct. 3)
14. PETER AND THE WOLF- with face painting and crafts! $5 for performance; $2 combined for crafts and face painting (Oct. 3-4)
15. Celebration of Children in the Arts at the Cary Ballet Conservatory (Oct. 3)
16. New Hope Valley Railway Ride Day (Oct. 4)
17. Carolina Kids Consignment Sale at Smithfield National Guard Armory (Oct. 4-5)
18. Meet Author Angie Sage and New Septimus Heap Book (5th in Series, "Syren") (Oct. 5)
19. "Grease" Comes to the Durham Performing Arts Center (Oct. 6-11)
20. N.C. Museum of History Presents Time for Tots: Down in the Pumpkin Patch (Oct. 6 and 13)
21. Just 4 Kids Fall/Winter Consignment Sale at LifeSpring Community Church in Fuquay-Varina (Oct. 6-9)
22. Great Pumpkin Contest at the NC State Farmers Market (Oct. 8)
23. N.C. Transportation Museum Will Host "Disney's A Christmas Carol" Train Tour (Oct. 9-10)
24. Parent's Night Out at BounceU of Apex (Oct. 9)
25. Family Fun Night -- Curious George (Oct. 9)
26. Readers Theater: Design, Create, Perform for Your Family and Friends! At Eva Perry Library in Apex (Oct. 10)
27. Raleigh Dance Theatre's Storybook Tales (Oct. 10)
28. Cary Diwali: Festival of Lights at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary (Oct. 10)
29. Wolf Awareness Week at the Museum of Life and Science (Oct. 11-17)
30. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Book Release party! (Oct. 12)
31. Author Event: Katie Kazoo KATIE KAZOO: GOING BATTY at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh (Oct. 12)
32. Museum of Life and Science Presents Halloween Village (Oct. 14-Nov. 1)
33. North Carolina State Fair (Oct. 15-25)
34. Town of Apex Pumpkin Decorating Contest (Oct. 15-30)
35. DPAC Presents "Imagination Movers National Tour" and Buy-One-Get-One-Free Kids Night (Oct. 15)
36. "Where the Wild Things Are" Movie Releases Oct. 16
37. Taste of the Market at Wake Forest Farmers Market (Oct. 17)
38. The Second Annual Hillsborough Handmade Parade (Oct. 17)
39. NC Museum of History Presents "Government Matters!" (Oct. 17)
40. Haunting at Harris: Land of Oz (Harris Lake Park) (Oct. 17)
41. Battle of the Books Club and Graveyard Book Party at Quail Ridge Books (Oct. 18)
42. In advance of the June 18, 2010 release of "Toy Story 3," Disney Digital Studios will release a double feature of "Toy Story 1" and "Toy Story 2" in 3D Oct. 2 at theaters nationwide.

The Triangle TRACKS Fall Membership Drive is Sept. 14-30

It's time for another Triangle TRACKS membership drive, and our 1st place prize package is worth over $700! We've also got 2nd and 3rd place prizes to give away, and we've listed all of them below the rules.

Here are the rules for participating.
1. You must have become a member of Triangle TRACKS before Sept. 14, 2009 in order to participate.
2. You may invite as many friends as you would like to join Triangle TRACKS between now and Sept. 30. Just use the "Invite" tab at the top of this page.
3. When you send the invitation, ask your friends to put YOUR name as the answer to the profile question "How did you hear about Triangle TRACKS?" This will help us track how many of your friends end up joining the site.

That's it! The member with the highest number of joined friends wins! We'll announce the winner Oct. 2 in order to provide a additional time for friends who were invited toward the end of the contest to decide if they would like to join Triangle TRACKS. Questions? Email us and we'll try to clear everything up.

Here are the prize package descriptions. (Click here to link to each of the businesses providing prize donations.)

1st PLACE:
1. Four tickets to the Carolina Ballet's presentation of "Swan Lake" Oct. 3 at 2 p.m.
2. Two tickets to the "Imagination Movers National Tour" at the Durham Performing Arts Center Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
3. A Polar Ice House birthday party package.
4. Two BounceU Apex Parents Night Out admissions, one BounceU Teen Bounce Night admission, two BounceU Open Bounce admissions, and one BounceU gift set (water bottle, bag, socks and wrist band).
5. A family fun pass to Marbles Kids Museum and an IMAX documentary film (admission for up to four people).
6. Premium membership (worth $199) to "The Sitter Connection." (This consists of five one-time placements per month, which are $15 each. So throughout a full year, this is a $900 value. The client pays the sitter their hourly pay rate of $10 to $12 per hour.)
7. Two adult and two children's passes to Phillips Corn Maize and Family Fun in Cary.
8. Five passes to Winterpast Farm in Wake Forest.
9. A signed copy of the parenting book, "Ships Without a Shore" by Anne R. Pierce.

2nd PLACE:
1. A Southern Living Green Bountiful Bowl from Consultant Karyn Wolf.
2. Two BounceU Apex Parents Night Out admissions, one BounceU Teen Bounce Night admission, two BounceU Open Bounce admissions, and one BounceU gift set (water bottle, bag, socks and wrist band).
3. A signed copy of the parenting book, "Ships Without a Shore" by Anne R. Pierce.

3rd PLACE:
1. Two BounceU Apex Parents Night Out admissions, one BounceU Teen Bounce Night admission, two BounceU Open Bounce admissions, and one BounceU gift set (water bottle, bag, socks and wrist band).
2. A signed copy of the parenting book, "Ships Without a Shore" by Anne R. Pierce.

Triangle TRACKS’ Fall Membership Drive Kicks Off Sept. 14

This just went out to the local media:
Triangle TRACKS’ Fall Membership Drive Kicks Off Sept. 14
More Than $600 Worth of First Place Prizes Await Winner

Apex, N.C. (Sept. 1, 2009) Triangle TRACKS, a social network for Triangle parents located at http://www.triangletracks.com, will host its fall membership drive Sept. 14-30. All members of Triangle TRACKS who join the site before Sept. 14 are eligible to participate. Leading up to and during the fall membership drive, Triangle TRACKS members are encouraged to invite friends to join the site by Sept. 30. The member who produces the highest number of joined friends wins a first place prize package currently worth more than $600. Second and third place prizes are also awarded.

First place prizes currently include tickets to the Carolina Ballet’s presentation of “Swan Lake,” a family fun pass to Marbles Kids Museum and an IMAX documentary film, a premium membership to The Sitter Connection, passes to BounceU in Apex, passes to Phillips Corn Maize and Family Fun in Cary, passes to Winterpast Farm in Wake Forest, and a signed copy of “Ships Without a Shore” by Anne R. Pierce.

Triangle TRACKS’ content focuses on education, museum exhibits, parks, youth sports, camps, music lessons, art lessons, performing arts studios, birthday party venues, amusement centers, restaurants, childcare facilities, healthcare resources, children’s trends and much more. The Triangle TRACKS calendar is updated daily and offers the Triangle’s most comprehensive accumulation of children’s events in the region. A team of Triangle TRACKers blog regularly about education, sports, trends, health, food, technology and travel destinations. You can learn more about them at http://www.triangletracks.com/notes/Triangle_TRACKers.

Triangle TRACKS hosts a page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Triangle-TRACKS/61147979949?ref=ts, and a Twitter account at http://twitter.com/triangletracks.

Let the Triangle TRACKS Blog Carnival Begin!

Welcome to Triangle TRACKS first blog carnival! We have eight participants who manage their own blogs. Some of their posts are extremely insightful, others incredibly creative! But ALL of them focus on kids and parenting. We've listed excerpts from each below with a link to the rest of their posts on their blogs. If you like what you're reading, post a comment and let these talented ladies know!

The top three posts that generate the most discussion (in the form of comments or questions) will be awarded their own promotional box on the Triangle TRACKS home page for two weeks, and include a link to the winning blogs’ RSS feed or subscription page. We'll announce the winners Sept. 4. Here we go...

Where My Heart Rides Away
By Janel Bunten from her “Dandelion Dayz” blog

Tinted windows make it hard for me to see the faces inside.
The driver waits for the activity to die down before she pulls away from the curb.
I'm just staring and waving at faces I cannot see. Hoping for a couple just to see me.
Then I see him.
He must be on his knees because I see his whole face now.
He is waving to me. Smiling.
My heart leaps out of my chest.
I wave back. Smile back. Blow some kisses.
He blows some back.
He waves again.
Suddenly, I only see the top of his head. I'm sure the driver has told him to sit down now.
Then, she pulls off and just like that my heart rides away in a big yellow bus.
Read the rest of Janel’s blog here.

You Might Be Cute, But Your Sh*t Still Stinks
By Cyndi Soter O'Neil from her “Junius and Pippi Take the Cake” blog

When Junius was about 10 weeks old, we took him to my cousin's wedding. Because he was prone to spitting up in quantities that defied his tiny body, I didn't dress him in his fancy clothes until we were in the church parking lot -- didn't want to ruin the look. It was one of those beautiful white, pintuck oufits that requires ironing and has impossibly tiny buttons up the back -- one that my husband had worn when he was a baby and his mother saved for us. Completely impractical, but Junius looked so sweet.

So sweet, that is, until his enormous pooplosion leaked out all over the fancy clothes (did I mention it was white?) and onto my husband's suit.
Read more of Cyndi’s post here.

2009 Raleigh-Area Consignment Roundup
By Holly Ross from her “Holly’s Golden Twig” blog

It's that time of year again... back to school shopping will start all too soon and parents will be sorting through clothing & toys to decide what still fits and what needs to be replaced. Almost a year and a half ago I discovered a new favorite hobby in bargain shopping called Children's Consignment Sales. I posted a blog last summer about my initial experiences with consignment shopping. Since then I can easily say that I've been to more than a dozen sales total, which are kind of like giant cooperative yard sales. I'm still by no means an expert, but do eagerly look forward to the chance to get nearly-brand-new clothing and toys for my child for about 25% of the original retail cost. Even toys or "play clothes" that look a little worn work fine for a toddler... she doesn't care or know the difference!
Read more of Holly's post here.

Creepy Toys and Mommy Guilt!
By Lindsey Hignite, from her “Mama Sews: Random Goodness from a Mama Who Sews…” blog

So I've been going through all our old toys and clothes for an upcoming consignment sale.
(BTW, if you're in the Cary/Apex, NC area, you simply must stop by the Twice as Nice sale this Friday and Saturday to pick up great deals on children's toys and clothing. And make sure you follow them on facebook or twitter so you know about upcoming sales. Fabulous!)
As I was going through my daughter's toys, I ran across some that I find truly creepy. And, no, I'm not talking about plastic snakes which my kids love to hide in my bed in hopes of hearing me scream.
The newest is the Polly Pocket dolls and pets with interchangeable heads and bodies.
Then there's the Barbie dog that was gifted to my daughter by my oldest brother.
First, Barbie feeds the dog a treat. And then, you guessed it, the dog poops the treat out. But what's so disturbing is that Barbie is to scoop the poop into the doggie trash like a responsible pet owner. But look what is on the other side of the trash can. The doggie treat box! All the poop is diverted from the can into the food box. The poor dog has to eat his own poop.
There is something wrong with that.
Read more of Lindsey's post here.

Fresh Air
By Janice Dusseau Jones from her “Jan About Town” blog

Last year, I left a 14 year career in television- to get some fresh air.
I am now a stay-at-home mom.
A write-at-home mom?
Professional mom?
Domestic engineer?
Bon-bon eater?
I don’t mind “good wife” either.
Why did I leave?
One January day, I admitted to myself that I no longer liked my job.
In fact, the normal stresses of being a broadcast meteorologist now seemed unbearable.
But, specifically, I could not think of what was really wrong. What needed to be fixed? Why was I unhappy?
That’s when I admitted it. I WAS unhappy. As soon as I admitted it, it got worse.
Read more of Janice’s post here.

S.O.A.P. Episode One – All My Children
By Jackie Bedard from her “North Carolina Wills and Trusts" blog

Welcome to the first episode in our series, Soap Operas About Planning. I thought I’d try out something a little different to show how taking the time to prepare today can be a huge gift to your family and loved ones. Through a series of stories, I will compare and contrast the lives of families that have not adequately planned and those that have. Although thinking about one’s own demise is a scary and uncomfortable prospect, I hope you’ll find the stories (and my attempt at fiction!) interesting and educational. This post is also part of the blog carnival being hosted by Triangle TRACKS, a website full of resources and ideas for parents in the Triangle area. Finally, be sure to see our raffle details at the bottom.
Read more of Jackie’s post here.

Do Your Children Have Goals?
By Eileen Batson from her “Batson Group Marketing and PR Blog”

A friend of mine sent me an email describing what she has been up to and I thought it very useful to pass the content on.
She has been delivering a series of workshops to school kids for several years. One of the questions she asks them to to is to write down their goals in life.
Sadly, more than once, she found herself surprised when a child said he has no goal. They come to school because that's what kids do or because their parents will be angry with them if they don't. They go through the day suffering because they are forced to do things without any understanding, and without having any idea as to how it will really contribute to their lives.
After working with thousands of children, adults and businessmen, she observed that when a boy/girl, teenager, or an adult has no goals in life - they get bored easily. From this point on, the person's interest declines and the individual begins to look for games and "interesting" things to occupy themself.
With the lack of goals and without encouragement and guidance in their life about how to set worthwhile goals, the person - feeling emptiness - goes hunting for excitement. And this is the shortest road to violence. It starts with teasing others, using dirty words and cursing and moves on to strikes, alcohol, drugs, stabbing and worse.
Read more of Eileen’s post here.

Let’s Shop! Tips for Shopping at Consignment Sales
By Kelly Rives from her "The Divine Children’s Show" blog

Well, we have discussed the details of selling your children’s outgrown clothing, but now we need to get to the important stuff! SHOPPING! There are several things that you can do that will make you shopping experience super efficient.
Know your kid’s sizes.
Spend some time before the sale trying last falls clothes on your children. Have they really gone up a size, or are they still about the same? What size do you think they will be wearing next February/March at the end of the winter season? It is much easier to shop if you do not have your kids with you. However, this can make the “size” question tough. But we have seen several people come up with some clever ideas.
Read more of Kelly’s blog here.

A Touching Father-Daughter Book Based on "King of the World" Song

A beautiful song by the Christian rock band Point of Grace titled "King of the World" has direct ties to a new children's book titled "Dance Me Daddy." Barnes & Noble's synopsis of the book states the following:

“If I am your princess, then you are king of the world.” Singer and songwriter Cindy Morgan celebrates the love God blesses between a girl and her father in this picture book that families will treasure from childhood to wedding day. Includes a CD of the song King of the World performed by Point of Grace and author Cindy Morgan reading the book. (Source: Barnes & Noble)

You can watch Point of Grace sing this song via YouTube here. The song, sung in the sweetest harmony by the band's three women with one guitar in the background, features the following lyrics.

Spinning around on the tops of his feet
smile of the angels can not be so sweet
wide blue eyes and piggy tail swirls
shes her daddy´s girl
cuz he knows the jokes that always make her laugh
takes her for ice cream instead of her math
at the end of the day by the light of the moon
they turn up the music in their living room
and she yells

dance me dance me around till my feet dont ever touch down theres nothing better than being your girl and if i am your princess then daddy you are the king of the world

its funny how life moves in circles of time to think so long ago that face was mine houses get smaller we take different names but some things in life stay the same

dance me dance me around till my feet dont ever touch down theres nothing better than being your girl and if i am your princess than daddy you are the king of the world

some day she go off and find a life of her own and marry a good man and make a happy home until she comes back and sees with those same eyes what time can not disguse she walks through the door with that look on her face cuz daddy´s brown hair has all turned to gray they talk for hours they cry and they laugh watchin old movies and thinking back, just as she turns to go she says hey dad how bout one for the road

dance me dance me around till my feet don´t ever touch down

dance me dance me around till my feet dont ever touch down cuz theres nothing better than being your girl oh theres nothing better than being your girl and if i am your princess than daddy you are the king of the world
king of the world
Spinning around of the tops of his feet
smile of the angels could not be so sweet

Source of book image: Amazon.com

The Blog Carnival Submission Deadline Has Been Extended to Monday!

Due to a very busy weekend, I'm extending the Blog Carnival submission deadline to Monday. This will also give our members more time to submit a link to their blogs.

The BLOG CARNIVAL will link to one blog post from each participating blogger. If you have a blog and would like to drive traffic from Triangle TRACKS to your blog, consider participating in this blog carnival. Here are our rules:

1. You must be a member of Triangle TRACKS to participate. To join, click here.
2. Your post—but not necessarily your overall blog—must be related to children in some way. It could cover a topic relating to or combining topics focusing on parenting, child development, children’s trends, childhood memories or other related topics.
3. Your blog must allow comment-posting so our members and visitors can post their thoughts and/or questions.
4. You must link to Triangle TRACKS somewhere in your blog entry or on your blog’s front page.

Email your blog post link to epshugg@triangletracks.com by Monday, Aug. 24. We’ll review the entries then post the blog carnival on the Triangle TRACKS home page Aug. 25-Sept. 4. The top three posts that generate the most discussion (in the form of comments or questions) will be awarded their own promotional box on the Triangle TRACKS home page for two weeks, and include a link to the winning blogs’ RSS feed or subscription page. This is a wonderful way to use your blog to reach out to other Triangle parents. We can’t wait to read your posts! Got questions? Email them to epshugg@triangletracks.com.