Grandma Naperville came to visit and babysit today. She got some quality time with The Baby, and I got to do a series of playdates with my own children.
First up, I went on a Mommy-The Girl playdate. We didn't have enough time to go to the Butterfly Museum, but we did engage in the 3-year-old version of the "spa day" and went for mani-pedis together at Lee Nails in Six Corners. The Girl often asks me to paint her fingernails, so I thought she'd be into getting her nails done professionally. She liked to pick out the nail polish color, and she likes the end result, but the process was rather lackluster an adventure for her. She sat in the chair by herself -- did not want to sit on my lap, held her hands out to be buffed, and patiently allowed the gal to paint her nails (and then to paint cute white-and-silver-glittery daisies on each nail), but she was not terribly interested in or excited by the prospect. She did conceded to sit on my lap for part of my pedicure.
Afterwards, we picked up The Boy and all went to lunch at McDonald's. Then I had a playdate with The Boy. Like his sister, his ideal destination (Nickel City) was too far away to reasonably get to in the span of time we had, so we had to come up with a Plan B. With the weather (cold, windy), and my health (head cold), it was hard to come up with something. So I defaulted to the cool mom standby -- a trip to the toy store, capped off with a trip to the book store. I think he had a good time; he kept picking out toys for The Baby and The Girl, although we just got a small train for him and some party favors for The Girl's upcoming birthday party.
When I got home, The Baby greeted me by not crying -- a departure from the usual. Instead, he toddled around the house, sat at his little table, and brought Grandma books to read.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Rainy Days and Mondays
Today, it rained, and The Baby had a cold. I took The Boy to school, and then stopped at "the ham store" with The Girl for groceries on the way home. Later, on the way to bring The Girl to school, I stopped off at the dry cleaners to drop my new finds off to be cleaned, and pick up last week's bags. Except for a 3-minute stop at the Crafty Beaver (who came up with that name? must have been a Wisconsinite or Minnesotan) later in the afternoon to get Closetmaid brackets, that was the extent of my industry for today. Instead, The Baby took a nap and I puttered around the house.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Grandma and Grandpa come to visit
My parents came into town this weekend on a whirlwind trip to attend an elegant wedding in Andersonville and squeeze in a visit with their three grandchildren. Unfortunately for them, they heard the most dreaded sentence uttered by any pilot flying in North America: "There's weather in Chicago," on Friday and were 6 hours late flying into O'Hare.
By the time they drove here from their Evanston hotel on Saturday, my kids were stuck to the ceiling in joyful anticipation of a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Texas. Grandpa Texas, who has been working long hours on a power project in Connecticut, arrived, turned on opera on NPR, and promptly fell into dozing on the couch. The Baby took a nap. The Dad and The Boy spent some quality time together playing games and doing puzzles. And I took The Girl and Grandma with me to buy $4 worth of secondhand treasures at the Mayfair Presbyterian Church rummage sale. Then we all had a cuppa, and Grandma and Grandpa returned to their hotel to get ready for the wedding.
They came back again on Sunday, and we took them to meet Grandma and Grandpa Naperville at the Curio Cafe for brunch. It was very good, as usual. And, at just under $100 for 6 adult entrees, 3 kid meals, 8 cups of coffee and tea, and tip, a good value as well. For perhaps the second or third time in my life, I have become enough of a "regular" at the Curio Cafe that they recognize me as such, and know the names of my children, if not my name. I've never particularly felt like a regular anywhere, even when I went to Farley's in Potrero Hill on a weekly basis, so it's a nice feeling to have someone recognize me. Despite what this person may think, I am all for supporting businesses and organizations in my immediate community and its surrounding area.
After brunch, we headed back to our house for a bit before G&G had to catch their plane. Grandpa came with The Dad, The Baby, and I to look at a couple of expensive open houses in our neighborhood, while Grandma made tea for the kids and gave The Girl her birthday presents (2 Strasburg Children dresses, one of which is pink; she is in love!).
By the time they drove here from their Evanston hotel on Saturday, my kids were stuck to the ceiling in joyful anticipation of a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Texas. Grandpa Texas, who has been working long hours on a power project in Connecticut, arrived, turned on opera on NPR, and promptly fell into dozing on the couch. The Baby took a nap. The Dad and The Boy spent some quality time together playing games and doing puzzles. And I took The Girl and Grandma with me to buy $4 worth of secondhand treasures at the Mayfair Presbyterian Church rummage sale. Then we all had a cuppa, and Grandma and Grandpa returned to their hotel to get ready for the wedding.
They came back again on Sunday, and we took them to meet Grandma and Grandpa Naperville at the Curio Cafe for brunch. It was very good, as usual. And, at just under $100 for 6 adult entrees, 3 kid meals, 8 cups of coffee and tea, and tip, a good value as well. For perhaps the second or third time in my life, I have become enough of a "regular" at the Curio Cafe that they recognize me as such, and know the names of my children, if not my name. I've never particularly felt like a regular anywhere, even when I went to Farley's in Potrero Hill on a weekly basis, so it's a nice feeling to have someone recognize me. Despite what this person may think, I am all for supporting businesses and organizations in my immediate community and its surrounding area.
After brunch, we headed back to our house for a bit before G&G had to catch their plane. Grandpa came with The Dad, The Baby, and I to look at a couple of expensive open houses in our neighborhood, while Grandma made tea for the kids and gave The Girl her birthday presents (2 Strasburg Children dresses, one of which is pink; she is in love!).
Queue the Darth Vader music
The application submission date for Disney II just ended on Friday. I confirmed The Boy's application with the Office of Academic Enhancement a few weeks ago, and walked The Girl's pre-K application into the office last Monday. And now I wait. It's nervewracking. Especially as my friend Allison met with Ms. Chkoumbova last week and reported back that they had received 300 applications for 50 kindergarten spots.
I pass IPMS/Disney II at least four times/week on my way to drop off or pick up a child from school. And every time I do, my brain plays the battle music themes from Star Wars, my stomach clenches, and I think a little prayer.
I pass IPMS/Disney II at least four times/week on my way to drop off or pick up a child from school. And every time I do, my brain plays the battle music themes from Star Wars, my stomach clenches, and I think a little prayer.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Dance, Baby, Dance
The Girl started ballet class this week. Apparently, dance class is all-the-rage among the under-5 girlie set. Perhaps because I had a boy first, or perhaps because I took a single 6-week session of ballet as a child (and hated it; what I really wanted was to wear a tutu!), ballet class was never on my mama radar until recently.
But an outpost of ARCC just opened on Irving Park Road in Old Irving Park. I love my neighborhood, but Lakeview (or even Lincoln Square), it is not. I'm thrilled to see something other than a megachurch, laundromat, or greasy spoon. And Allison has been sending her daughter to ARCC's Saturday morning class in Wicker Park for the past six months, so it came well-recommended.
When I asked The Girl if she wanted to take ballet with Allison's daughter, her answer was an enthusiastic yes. So I signed her up, and she started today. I have no idea what they did in class, and I don't think The Girl particularly cared -- she got to flit around in a uniform of pink tights, pink leotard, pink skirt, and pink ballet shoes with a gaggle of similarly dressed 3-year-old girls.
The Boy, The Baby, and I headed across the street to Starbuck's to snack on milkboxes and cookies. The Baby sat nicely in his own chair -- so cute! so big! -- and flirted with the usual Saturday morning crowd. When the girls were finished, Allison kindly brought The Girl and her daughter over to join us.
But an outpost of ARCC just opened on Irving Park Road in Old Irving Park. I love my neighborhood, but Lakeview (or even Lincoln Square), it is not. I'm thrilled to see something other than a megachurch, laundromat, or greasy spoon. And Allison has been sending her daughter to ARCC's Saturday morning class in Wicker Park for the past six months, so it came well-recommended.
When I asked The Girl if she wanted to take ballet with Allison's daughter, her answer was an enthusiastic yes. So I signed her up, and she started today. I have no idea what they did in class, and I don't think The Girl particularly cared -- she got to flit around in a uniform of pink tights, pink leotard, pink skirt, and pink ballet shoes with a gaggle of similarly dressed 3-year-old girls.
The Boy, The Baby, and I headed across the street to Starbuck's to snack on milkboxes and cookies. The Baby sat nicely in his own chair -- so cute! so big! -- and flirted with the usual Saturday morning crowd. When the girls were finished, Allison kindly brought The Girl and her daughter over to join us.
On Foot
After taking The Boy to school and Jamming with Julie, I dropped The Great White Moose off at Purr-fect at 11 a.m. this morning for a reluctant (on their part) detail job. And then spent the rest of the day without wheels.
On the walk home, we stopped at McDonald's for lunch at The Girl's request. Once home, we spent the rest of the afternoon puttering and getting ready for my Lia Sophia party-that-wasn't. The Girl's friend Charlotte came over for a bit while her mom ran a few errands and then picked up The Boy from school and brought him home. They hung out for awhile, which was nice.
By 5 p.m., the humidity that had been building all day turned into threatening thunderstorms. A semi-truck rammed into a bus station, half my guestlist had canceled due to illness, and my co-host was stuck in traffic. With those odds, what is a mama to do? Cancel the party.
By 7:30 p.m., the weather was awful. Four of my neighbors came over to drink wine with me anyway. All mothers, we talked about schools, real estate, childcare, and the neighborhood. It was a great time.
On the walk home, we stopped at McDonald's for lunch at The Girl's request. Once home, we spent the rest of the afternoon puttering and getting ready for my Lia Sophia party-that-wasn't. The Girl's friend Charlotte came over for a bit while her mom ran a few errands and then picked up The Boy from school and brought him home. They hung out for awhile, which was nice.
By 5 p.m., the humidity that had been building all day turned into threatening thunderstorms. A semi-truck rammed into a bus station, half my guestlist had canceled due to illness, and my co-host was stuck in traffic. With those odds, what is a mama to do? Cancel the party.
By 7:30 p.m., the weather was awful. Four of my neighbors came over to drink wine with me anyway. All mothers, we talked about schools, real estate, childcare, and the neighborhood. It was a great time.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
There I go again...
This happens to me every couple of months: I take the kids somewhere and realize that I am the only mother-of-(three)-small-children in tow there. It happened again today, when I took The Boy, The Girl, and The Baby to Just Indulge on North Avenue for ice cream (custard) after an impromptu late-afternoon visit to the Treasure Store. I was feeling pretty cool mommyish today. Not because I looked great or because I was in Bucktown, but because I was letting my children eat frozen custard and cheese popcorn essentially for dinner. The kids loved it and were surprisingly good while sitting in the car, in traffic, in the pouring rain, on the way home afterward. Mommy scored some points with the progeny.
In fact, even before he finished his vanilla custard with rainbow sprinkles, The Boy asked if we could come back again sometime. The Girl had chocolate custard with rainbow sprinkles. They both shared with The Baby, who begged mercilessly for spoonfuls of the cold, creamy stuff. I skipped today's flavor of the day (mocha) and went straight for a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. The custard wasn't as fantastic as Custard Cup, but it was good, simple, and surprisingly for that neighborhood, cheap. I actually thought they undercharged me at first because it didn't seem possible to get what we got for under $8 (with nearly 10% sales tax!) in the city these days. Heck, even taking the kids to Starbuck's for a milkbox and cookie each (and a coffee for me) is a $13 outing. But Just Indulge was a bit more reasonable. I hope it's still around for next time.
So how did we end up eating ice cream at 6 p.m. on a Thursday, anyway?
I once offered to take The Girl out for ice cream if she did not complain during a trip to the Treasure Store. In the mind of a nearly 3-year-old, apparently, this created a permanent link. When I say, "Do you want to go to the Treasure Store?" She responds, "Ice cream!" This afternoon, we spent a couple of hours digging through the racks, which is how we ended up eating frozen custard for dinner.
I picked up The Boy from school before lunch today, and we all headed southeast to the Nature Museum, to meet our friend Becky & her three kids, have our packed lunches together, and play. We did all that and after three hours of chasing, Becky and I were beat. Not surprisingly, The Boy, The Girl, and The Baby all fell asleep in the car before I could even get to Clybourn and Fullerton. I parked the car and let them sleep, while I did some work.
When they woke up, we went shopping. The Boy complained nearly the whole time, although he changed his mind when he found a treasure of his own -- the Plan Toys airport, for a mere $5. I think I'll make a convert out of him yet.
In fact, even before he finished his vanilla custard with rainbow sprinkles, The Boy asked if we could come back again sometime. The Girl had chocolate custard with rainbow sprinkles. They both shared with The Baby, who begged mercilessly for spoonfuls of the cold, creamy stuff. I skipped today's flavor of the day (mocha) and went straight for a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. The custard wasn't as fantastic as Custard Cup, but it was good, simple, and surprisingly for that neighborhood, cheap. I actually thought they undercharged me at first because it didn't seem possible to get what we got for under $8 (with nearly 10% sales tax!) in the city these days. Heck, even taking the kids to Starbuck's for a milkbox and cookie each (and a coffee for me) is a $13 outing. But Just Indulge was a bit more reasonable. I hope it's still around for next time.
So how did we end up eating ice cream at 6 p.m. on a Thursday, anyway?
I once offered to take The Girl out for ice cream if she did not complain during a trip to the Treasure Store. In the mind of a nearly 3-year-old, apparently, this created a permanent link. When I say, "Do you want to go to the Treasure Store?" She responds, "Ice cream!" This afternoon, we spent a couple of hours digging through the racks, which is how we ended up eating frozen custard for dinner.
I picked up The Boy from school before lunch today, and we all headed southeast to the Nature Museum, to meet our friend Becky & her three kids, have our packed lunches together, and play. We did all that and after three hours of chasing, Becky and I were beat. Not surprisingly, The Boy, The Girl, and The Baby all fell asleep in the car before I could even get to Clybourn and Fullerton. I parked the car and let them sleep, while I did some work.
When they woke up, we went shopping. The Boy complained nearly the whole time, although he changed his mind when he found a treasure of his own -- the Plan Toys airport, for a mere $5. I think I'll make a convert out of him yet.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Earth Day
In honor of Earth Day, we did nearly all of our errands on foot today. The Boy came home from school yesterday with a fever, so he stayed "home" an extra day to ensure that he was sufficiently recovered. A little sunshine (such as it was) and fresh air certainly can speed that process, too.
In the morning, we loaded up the stroller and walked in a large loop to the dry cleaner, post office, and CVS. Our local post office, the Daniel J. Dolyn station, has gotten a facelift since I was last there. The clerk helping me was still a curmudgeon, but the office itself looks nicer. I prefer to use the automated postal centers whenever possible, but they are not set up to accept media mail, and I was mailing a book to my sister-in-law in Seattle. In October, The Boy, The Girl, and The Baby are getting a new cousin!
I had prescriptions to fill at CVS and after 2 hours of pushing around the e3, I was ready for lunch and a nap. Unfortunately, the only person who got a nap was The Baby. The rest of us waited out the rain-that-wasn't as slugs on the couch.
When The Baby woke up, we loaded back into the stroller and up to McDonald's to meet our friends for a quick pre-teeball dinner, and then over to Athletic Field Park for teeball practice. I never really played softball as a kid (my mother was pretty flaky about park district sign-ups when I was a child), but I found myself itching to get a mitt and get out on the field during today's practice. Instead, I played in the dirt with Kathy, the younger sister of one of the kids' teammates -- until she and The Girl dumped themselves behind first base to do the same -- and tried to keep The Baby from grabbing the ball off the tee. The Dad met us and walked us home.
After the kids were in bed, I ran errands by myself in the car: Cost Plus for wine, Whole Foods for yogurt, and Border's for a parenting book. Being able to concentrate on a single task without interruption for 20 minutes at a time while shopping was hugely revitalizing.
In the morning, we loaded up the stroller and walked in a large loop to the dry cleaner, post office, and CVS. Our local post office, the Daniel J. Dolyn station, has gotten a facelift since I was last there. The clerk helping me was still a curmudgeon, but the office itself looks nicer. I prefer to use the automated postal centers whenever possible, but they are not set up to accept media mail, and I was mailing a book to my sister-in-law in Seattle. In October, The Boy, The Girl, and The Baby are getting a new cousin!
I had prescriptions to fill at CVS and after 2 hours of pushing around the e3, I was ready for lunch and a nap. Unfortunately, the only person who got a nap was The Baby. The rest of us waited out the rain-that-wasn't as slugs on the couch.
When The Baby woke up, we loaded back into the stroller and up to McDonald's to meet our friends for a quick pre-teeball dinner, and then over to Athletic Field Park for teeball practice. I never really played softball as a kid (my mother was pretty flaky about park district sign-ups when I was a child), but I found myself itching to get a mitt and get out on the field during today's practice. Instead, I played in the dirt with Kathy, the younger sister of one of the kids' teammates -- until she and The Girl dumped themselves behind first base to do the same -- and tried to keep The Baby from grabbing the ball off the tee. The Dad met us and walked us home.
After the kids were in bed, I ran errands by myself in the car: Cost Plus for wine, Whole Foods for yogurt, and Border's for a parenting book. Being able to concentrate on a single task without interruption for 20 minutes at a time while shopping was hugely revitalizing.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Baby Birthday!
The first anniversary of The Baby's birth was today. All of a sudden, he is a little man.
The t-shirt came from the happy folks at The T-Shirt Deli in Bucktown. I am also a sucker for Baby Cons, so he's sporting those as well. And new jeans, to match those of his big brother, from the Chicagoland Boden Sample Sale. I think it's his first outfit that didn't come from the Treasure Store.
The t-shirt came from the happy folks at The T-Shirt Deli in Bucktown. I am also a sucker for Baby Cons, so he's sporting those as well. And new jeans, to match those of his big brother, from the Chicagoland Boden Sample Sale. I think it's his first outfit that didn't come from the Treasure Store.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Class Mom
It's been a crazy week of school-momminess. On Monday, I was the "mom of the day" in The Girl's classroom at Mother's Day Out. I never thought I'd say this, but I actually enjoyed four hours in the company of 14 two- and three-year-olds. We played, we listened to a Bible story, we ate lunch, we went to the park and the kids played outside for a long time. I had a kid on my lap nearly all the time, and it almost always was not my child. The Girl was happy to share my lap with her classmates. One little boy had a hilarious (to me, probably because it wasn't my child) non-accidental "accident" that resulted in some pooper-scooper ministrations on the part of his teachers. Once the item was removed from his pants, he was happy to go play again, although Ms. Sandra brought him back early to change him.
On Tuesday, I volunteered as an art mom in The Boy's class, helping a bunch of 4- and 5-year-olds to decorate stuffed fish, sharks, seahorses, and starfish with tissue paper, glitter glue, and various other pretties. I had so much fun with watered-down glue and tissue paper that I bought some for us to do at home one day.
And today, I spent the morning at our Mother's Day Out coffee, trying on Shade t-shirts and spending a small fortune on several to wear throughout the spring and summer.
On Tuesday, I volunteered as an art mom in The Boy's class, helping a bunch of 4- and 5-year-olds to decorate stuffed fish, sharks, seahorses, and starfish with tissue paper, glitter glue, and various other pretties. I had so much fun with watered-down glue and tissue paper that I bought some for us to do at home one day.
And today, I spent the morning at our Mother's Day Out coffee, trying on Shade t-shirts and spending a small fortune on several to wear throughout the spring and summer.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Mommy-Girl Playdate
Today, The Girl and I attempted to go on a "Mama-The Girl Playdate," as The Girl calls them. While The Dad, The Boy, and The Baby went to Home Depot with the car, The Girl and I hopped the bus (and then got on another bus, and then walked) to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Unfortunately, we missed the last entry by seven minutes, but we had a great time anyway. We talked about who we were going to invite to The Girl's 3rd birthday party, and what we were going to serve for food at this event, and other little things. I have to say, The Girl took not getting into the museum fairly well (although we did have the "why is it closed?" conversation about 15 times and I also promised to take her on an open day next week).
As consolation, we stopped to get a snack (pink ice-cream for The Girl, a red velvet cupcake and 1/2 a ham sandwich [which The Girl, who didn't want any real food when we ordered, promptly devoured] for me) at the Bourgeois Pig on Fullerton. The place was full of students, 60somethings, and various singletons with laptops; I had a moment of clarity while in the cafe: it seems that I am always going to places with the kids where I am the only mother-on-duty and the kids are the only children in the place. Hrm. After our snack, The Girl and I took a different route home, hopping on the Belmont bus and then the L.
As consolation, we stopped to get a snack (pink ice-cream for The Girl, a red velvet cupcake and 1/2 a ham sandwich [which The Girl, who didn't want any real food when we ordered, promptly devoured] for me) at the Bourgeois Pig on Fullerton. The place was full of students, 60somethings, and various singletons with laptops; I had a moment of clarity while in the cafe: it seems that I am always going to places with the kids where I am the only mother-on-duty and the kids are the only children in the place. Hrm. After our snack, The Girl and I took a different route home, hopping on the Belmont bus and then the L.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Necessary Errands on a Gorgeous Day
This morning, we ran a necessary errand of taking The Boy to buy a pair of new shoes. Unbeknownst to me, his other pair were too small and, as a result, he had developed some blisters on his toes, which must have gotten scraped open at the water park. So we took him to Alamo Shoes to pick out a new pair. He chose Stride Rite Superballs, which make him run really fast. While there, I also picked out a new pair of shoes. The Baby and The Girl each got balloons.
After shoe-shopping, we headed down to the lake to enjoy the gorgeous, sunny, spring weather. We parked near Montrose Beach and spent an hour digging in the sand. Then we went to join Uncle Bad for lunch at Fat Cat.
After shoe-shopping, we headed down to the lake to enjoy the gorgeous, sunny, spring weather. We parked near Montrose Beach and spent an hour digging in the sand. Then we went to join Uncle Bad for lunch at Fat Cat.
Cultural Check-Up
Today, I enjoyed a rare treat: going to the Hopper/Homer exhibit at the Art Institute, without the kids. And with an art historian (her specialty is the Italian Renaissance, but no matter), so it was like, nay better than, having my own docent. We spent quite a long time wandering around the exhibit, and we skipped the Homer rooms entirely. Like many Chicagoans, I have always loved Nighthawks; it's starkness and unfinished conversation are just so compelling. But until the show, I never really saw much of Hopper's other works. I found it interesting that he really manipulated the angle to make buildings look much more desolate than they (perhaps?) really were. I found myself drawn to many of the architectural paintings he did during his summers in Gloucester, Maine, and Cape Cod.
Afterwards, my friend and I walked up Michigan Avenue a bit to Starbuck's, where we each had a drink and chatted for a long time about work, school, pregnancy, her children, Chicago, and Texas. The Blue Line is finally running at regular speed, so I got home in about 1/2 an hour.
And where was everyone else while I enjoyed a cultural check-up at the 'Toot? In Uptown. With their uncle, who we call Uncle Bad. I've decided it's short for Uncle Bad Influence, as they all came home acting like it was funny to see how many times they could slip the word "butthole" into conversation. But anyway...they did have a good time. The Baby took a long nap in his stroller. The Boy and The Girl went to the park and ate ice cream with Uncle Bad and The Dad. Although The Boy reported that they did not have a "crazy dance party," a signature Uncle Bad activity during football game playdates.
Afterwards, my friend and I walked up Michigan Avenue a bit to Starbuck's, where we each had a drink and chatted for a long time about work, school, pregnancy, her children, Chicago, and Texas. The Blue Line is finally running at regular speed, so I got home in about 1/2 an hour.
And where was everyone else while I enjoyed a cultural check-up at the 'Toot? In Uptown. With their uncle, who we call Uncle Bad. I've decided it's short for Uncle Bad Influence, as they all came home acting like it was funny to see how many times they could slip the word "butthole" into conversation. But anyway...they did have a good time. The Baby took a long nap in his stroller. The Boy and The Girl went to the park and ate ice cream with Uncle Bad and The Dad. Although The Boy reported that they did not have a "crazy dance party," a signature Uncle Bad activity during football game playdates.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Belding Tour
Becky (and Baby G!) and I toured Belding Elementary with the assistant principal and another out-of-boundary prospective parent yesterday morning. I wasn't too impressed with the kindergarten teacher that I saw, but if The Boy goes there next year, there's only a 50% chance that he'd get her. And if he does, then we'll cross that bridge. I asked Janine, the director of The Girl's Mother's Day Out co-op, what she thought of that teacher; she said that she thinks that she needs to retire, but that the aide in that class is great. So, we will see. For the most part, however, I liked the teachers and the school. With the exception of the kindergarten teacher we observed, the teachers were young, energetic, and engaging to the kids -- although some of these kids were, of course, distracted by us walking around and peering into classrooms through the doors.
Baby G. was a honing device for little girls in the building.
Baby G. was a honing device for little girls in the building.
Wisconsin
My dear friend Cara invited me and the kids to Timber Ridge Lodge yesterday. Going to the Auto Show by myself was daring; this was foolhardy. But, The Boy had a great time, The Girl had fun, and The Baby went with the flow. As for me, I think I need to spend more time in Wisconsin, as I found it to be truly Midwestern in a way that Chicago just isn't. Chicago no longer seems to be
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.*
But Wisconsin? Especially the southeastern end of Wisconsin, still is. Or does a darn good impression of it. Beer-drinking, cheese-eating, cigarette-smoking, hard-working, salt-of-the-Earth kind of people. Dairy farms, lots of open space, contained big-box store sprawl.
We could not check into the lodge until 4 p.m., so we met in Kenosha at Frank's Diner, where the food was great, the prices were cheap, and the waitstaff (this guy was our waiter) had the right amount of attitude to keep The Boy, The Girl, and their friends in line. They took our party of 8 in stride, seating us in the back, and serving us hearty helpings of carbohydrates and cheese.
Cara, who had read reviews of the place, got a cheeseburger and tavern fries (potato chips with salt and some kind of white cheese - yum!). I had a grilled cheese on home-made bread with tavern fries, and then proceeded to eat half of The Girl's pancakes, which were fantastic. The only way they could have been improved upon was if they came with real maple syrup instead of pancake syrup (you know, the kind that's basically colored, flavored corn syrup). And then a waiter came by and asked us if we wanted cake, so I then ate a great slab of white cake with buttercream frosting covered in coconut. Seriously, yum. The Boy had chicken fingers, which he shared with The Baby. Cara's kids all ate corndogs. All of the kids (except The Baby) had ice cream; The Boy's was plain vanilla, just the way he likes it. The Girl's and Cara's kids had vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherries.
By the end of our meal, we were the only people in the place. A grandfatherly man came by on his way from the bathroom and asked us (jokingly!) if we could please keep it down. He flirted with all the kids, and even asked The Girl who she was. She said, "Nobody." His wife came by to check out the commotion and he said, "Hey, have you met Nobody yet?" I was favorably impressed by 'Sconnies.
Until, a couple of hours later, I was floating down the lazy river in a tube, with The Baby, who was nursing, on my lap. This chubby 8-year-old looks at me and says, "That's disgusting!" Nice. This bothers me in a few ways--that an 8-year-old would be taught to think that breastfeeding is disgusting, and that he would feel that's an acceptable thing to say to an adult, especially a stranger. Oh well, I ignored him and floated downstream.
The water park at Timber Ridge was, blessedly, smaller than the one at CoCo Key in Arlington Heights. It had a zero-depth entry kiddie pool with three slides, two swings, and a bunch of fountains; two hot tubs; a tube-slide (which could be done tandem for kids under 48" tall) and a tunnel slide; a larger pool with an obstacle cross and larger slides; and a lazy river that was, unlike the one at CoCo Key, truly lazy. I spent most of my time sitting on a deck chair watching The Boy, The Girl, and Cara's daughter, G., in the kiddie pool, or floating along the lazy river with The Baby on my lap. We spent a couple of hours on Thursday afternoon/evening and a couple of hours this morning at the water park.
One complaint about Timber Ridge (in addition to The Girl getting her hand stuck in the elevator door and having to yank it out because the buttons didn't work) is that there were no signs or times posted anywhere. There were no menus for the restaurants in the rooms, and we had to ask someone every time when closing/opening hours were. This was a problem at 7:15 this morning when we were all up and in our swimsuits with cover-ups in the hope that we could eat in The Hungry Moose snackbar in the water park, which was "Open for Breakfast." The reception desk was on the second floor; the water park was on the first, so we all trekked upstairs to learn that The Hungry Moose opened at 8 a.m. Fortunately, the Grand Cafe at the Grand Geneva Hotel, which was just up the way in the same resort complex, was open for breakfast at 6:30 a.m. We sprinted outside in the cold to the trolley bus, and took a 2-minute trolley ride to the Grand Geneva for breakfast.
There was only one other party (3 guys in golf shirts) there when we arrived, so service was prompt and courteous. Cara and I both had raspberry oatmeal with a maple sugar crust, and super strong coffee. The Boy ordered a vanilla french waffle, with berries, which he didn't like. I ate it and he ate my oatmeal. The Girl ordered a scrambled egg with hash browns, toast, and bacon, most of which she did eat. A few trips to the washroom later and we were finally done and back on the trolley to the Lodge.
We swam for about 2 hours, then headed up to our room to take a quick bath and change clothes before check-out time of 11 a.m. The bathtub in our room was enormous. All 5 kids were in the tub at once, with room to spare. Once were all dressed, we headed back downstairs to use up our tokens in the arcade. The Baby loved the arcade. It was small, not terribly crowded, and had lots of shiny lights to look at, and balls to hold and throw (Skee-Ball, Bozo Buckets, Basketball). I dispensed tokens and ate too many Jelly Flops, which Cara had gotten yesterday from her tour of the Jelly Belly factory.
After the arcade, things started to get hairy as lack of sleep and too much carbs/sugar caught up with us all. We packed up the cars and headed into downtown Lake Geneva to scrounge up some lunch. Our first several options were no-goes since Wisconsin still allows smokers to do so inside bar-restaurants. We ended up at the three-day-old Egg Harbor Cafe, where everyone got something they liked and I got a lap full of water from The Baby knocking my glass over on the table.
After lunch, we got on the road for the ride back. Mercifully, everyone (except me!) fell asleep on the drive back. All was well until we hit traffic on I-94, just after the merge with 41, and we had to take the long way home down Green Bay and McCormick Roads, through Winnetka (which looks like a slightly bigger version of Flossmoor, but otherwise the same), Wilmette, and Evanston. We stopped at some point to use the bathroom, have a drink and cookies at Starbucks. The Baby was in a fantastic mood, toddling around Starbucks with a giant cookie, his mama, and his big brother and sister.
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.*
But Wisconsin? Especially the southeastern end of Wisconsin, still is. Or does a darn good impression of it. Beer-drinking, cheese-eating, cigarette-smoking, hard-working, salt-of-the-Earth kind of people. Dairy farms, lots of open space, contained big-box store sprawl.
We could not check into the lodge until 4 p.m., so we met in Kenosha at Frank's Diner, where the food was great, the prices were cheap, and the waitstaff (this guy was our waiter) had the right amount of attitude to keep The Boy, The Girl, and their friends in line. They took our party of 8 in stride, seating us in the back, and serving us hearty helpings of carbohydrates and cheese.
Cara, who had read reviews of the place, got a cheeseburger and tavern fries (potato chips with salt and some kind of white cheese - yum!). I had a grilled cheese on home-made bread with tavern fries, and then proceeded to eat half of The Girl's pancakes, which were fantastic. The only way they could have been improved upon was if they came with real maple syrup instead of pancake syrup (you know, the kind that's basically colored, flavored corn syrup). And then a waiter came by and asked us if we wanted cake, so I then ate a great slab of white cake with buttercream frosting covered in coconut. Seriously, yum. The Boy had chicken fingers, which he shared with The Baby. Cara's kids all ate corndogs. All of the kids (except The Baby) had ice cream; The Boy's was plain vanilla, just the way he likes it. The Girl's and Cara's kids had vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherries.
By the end of our meal, we were the only people in the place. A grandfatherly man came by on his way from the bathroom and asked us (jokingly!) if we could please keep it down. He flirted with all the kids, and even asked The Girl who she was. She said, "Nobody." His wife came by to check out the commotion and he said, "Hey, have you met Nobody yet?" I was favorably impressed by 'Sconnies.
Until, a couple of hours later, I was floating down the lazy river in a tube, with The Baby, who was nursing, on my lap. This chubby 8-year-old looks at me and says, "That's disgusting!" Nice. This bothers me in a few ways--that an 8-year-old would be taught to think that breastfeeding is disgusting, and that he would feel that's an acceptable thing to say to an adult, especially a stranger. Oh well, I ignored him and floated downstream.
The water park at Timber Ridge was, blessedly, smaller than the one at CoCo Key in Arlington Heights. It had a zero-depth entry kiddie pool with three slides, two swings, and a bunch of fountains; two hot tubs; a tube-slide (which could be done tandem for kids under 48" tall) and a tunnel slide; a larger pool with an obstacle cross and larger slides; and a lazy river that was, unlike the one at CoCo Key, truly lazy. I spent most of my time sitting on a deck chair watching The Boy, The Girl, and Cara's daughter, G., in the kiddie pool, or floating along the lazy river with The Baby on my lap. We spent a couple of hours on Thursday afternoon/evening and a couple of hours this morning at the water park.
One complaint about Timber Ridge (in addition to The Girl getting her hand stuck in the elevator door and having to yank it out because the buttons didn't work) is that there were no signs or times posted anywhere. There were no menus for the restaurants in the rooms, and we had to ask someone every time when closing/opening hours were. This was a problem at 7:15 this morning when we were all up and in our swimsuits with cover-ups in the hope that we could eat in The Hungry Moose snackbar in the water park, which was "Open for Breakfast." The reception desk was on the second floor; the water park was on the first, so we all trekked upstairs to learn that The Hungry Moose opened at 8 a.m. Fortunately, the Grand Cafe at the Grand Geneva Hotel, which was just up the way in the same resort complex, was open for breakfast at 6:30 a.m. We sprinted outside in the cold to the trolley bus, and took a 2-minute trolley ride to the Grand Geneva for breakfast.
There was only one other party (3 guys in golf shirts) there when we arrived, so service was prompt and courteous. Cara and I both had raspberry oatmeal with a maple sugar crust, and super strong coffee. The Boy ordered a vanilla french waffle, with berries, which he didn't like. I ate it and he ate my oatmeal. The Girl ordered a scrambled egg with hash browns, toast, and bacon, most of which she did eat. A few trips to the washroom later and we were finally done and back on the trolley to the Lodge.
We swam for about 2 hours, then headed up to our room to take a quick bath and change clothes before check-out time of 11 a.m. The bathtub in our room was enormous. All 5 kids were in the tub at once, with room to spare. Once were all dressed, we headed back downstairs to use up our tokens in the arcade. The Baby loved the arcade. It was small, not terribly crowded, and had lots of shiny lights to look at, and balls to hold and throw (Skee-Ball, Bozo Buckets, Basketball). I dispensed tokens and ate too many Jelly Flops, which Cara had gotten yesterday from her tour of the Jelly Belly factory.
After the arcade, things started to get hairy as lack of sleep and too much carbs/sugar caught up with us all. We packed up the cars and headed into downtown Lake Geneva to scrounge up some lunch. Our first several options were no-goes since Wisconsin still allows smokers to do so inside bar-restaurants. We ended up at the three-day-old Egg Harbor Cafe, where everyone got something they liked and I got a lap full of water from The Baby knocking my glass over on the table.
After lunch, we got on the road for the ride back. Mercifully, everyone (except me!) fell asleep on the drive back. All was well until we hit traffic on I-94, just after the merge with 41, and we had to take the long way home down Green Bay and McCormick Roads, through Winnetka (which looks like a slightly bigger version of Flossmoor, but otherwise the same), Wilmette, and Evanston. We stopped at some point to use the bathroom, have a drink and cookies at Starbucks. The Baby was in a fantastic mood, toddling around Starbucks with a giant cookie, his mama, and his big brother and sister.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
A Break from the Routine
Sometimes, a break from routine can offer some fun rewards. Today, The Boy went to school, The Girl went to MDO, and The Baby took a 2+ hour nap. Which didn't leave me a lot of time to run my laundry list of errands that are more fun to do without dragging three children along. One of which was meeting the photographer with whom we had a shoot back in October and from whom I finally ordered photos to pick up said photos. I met her in Logan Square at 1:30, which did not give me a lot of time after The Baby's nap to run even one errand after he woke up, let alone all of them.
I had returns to make at Target, and a short to-buy list, so I broke from tradition and headed down to the big Target just east of Logan Square on Logan Blvd. and Elston. I walked in, made my return, and got a cart. And then heard someone call my name.
It was Sarah M., who has three kids the same age as mine, although in a girl-boy-girl order. She looked great, of course. And we talked about schools, of course. Although her daughter is attending Catherine Cook, which I've heard of, but not ever looked into because I'm sure it's in the league of Sacred Heart and the like, none of which I can afford. We talked a bit about CPS, LaSalle Language Academy, and the magnets. She told me that one of our mutual acquaintances is moving to Winnetka, for schools and better quality of life. She also gave me an update on my former neighbor (and her daughter's friend), who moved to the Bell attendance boundary a few years ago when her son was ready for K.
The Baby was starting to fuss, so we finished up our chat and I zoomed around Target to get the items on my list before meeting the photographer at the Starbucks on California and Logan. She was sitting in the courtyard outside, so I picked up my photos, paid her, and went inside to get a coffee and nurse The Baby. He was more interested in people-watching, so I ended up editing for a bit before leaving to get The Girl from MDO. On my way out, I let The Baby walk a bit down the hall. When I rounded the corner past the barista bar, I looked up and there was: Jamie, The Dad's cousin.
Jamie lives in Detroit-Metro, so it was a shock to see him in Chicago, let alone at some random Starbucks outside of my neighborhood that I've never been to before. Apparently, he just moved here and got a place in Logan Square, unbeknownst to anyone in his family (I asked). I did give him my card and told him to call us/The Dad. It seriously was the oddest thing that happened to me today.
I had returns to make at Target, and a short to-buy list, so I broke from tradition and headed down to the big Target just east of Logan Square on Logan Blvd. and Elston. I walked in, made my return, and got a cart. And then heard someone call my name.
It was Sarah M., who has three kids the same age as mine, although in a girl-boy-girl order. She looked great, of course. And we talked about schools, of course. Although her daughter is attending Catherine Cook, which I've heard of, but not ever looked into because I'm sure it's in the league of Sacred Heart and the like, none of which I can afford. We talked a bit about CPS, LaSalle Language Academy, and the magnets. She told me that one of our mutual acquaintances is moving to Winnetka, for schools and better quality of life. She also gave me an update on my former neighbor (and her daughter's friend), who moved to the Bell attendance boundary a few years ago when her son was ready for K.
The Baby was starting to fuss, so we finished up our chat and I zoomed around Target to get the items on my list before meeting the photographer at the Starbucks on California and Logan. She was sitting in the courtyard outside, so I picked up my photos, paid her, and went inside to get a coffee and nurse The Baby. He was more interested in people-watching, so I ended up editing for a bit before leaving to get The Girl from MDO. On my way out, I let The Baby walk a bit down the hall. When I rounded the corner past the barista bar, I looked up and there was: Jamie, The Dad's cousin.
Jamie lives in Detroit-Metro, so it was a shock to see him in Chicago, let alone at some random Starbucks outside of my neighborhood that I've never been to before. Apparently, he just moved here and got a place in Logan Square, unbeknownst to anyone in his family (I asked). I did give him my card and told him to call us/The Dad. It seriously was the oddest thing that happened to me today.
We're in!
I applied to something like 30 schools for The Boy. He got in nowhere*. Or so I thought. I found out today that he has been accepted at Belding. Phew! The gal (Veronica) who called told me that slots 1-10 on the waitlist will get in for fall kindergarten. I'll be going on a school tour on Thursday.
* Apparently, this seems to be a common situation for parents this year. My friend Sarah told me today about a woman she met who is second or third generation legacy at Sacred Heart, and her daughter was not accepted for next fall. Competition is fierce this year, eh?
* Apparently, this seems to be a common situation for parents this year. My friend Sarah told me today about a woman she met who is second or third generation legacy at Sacred Heart, and her daughter was not accepted for next fall. Competition is fierce this year, eh?
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Errands, Playgroup
Spent today running errands like mad. Dropped The Boy off at school, took The Baby and The Girl to the Treasure Store (Lucky Jeans for $5, cute BR skirt for $3), out for ice cream afterwards (The Baby had frozen yogurt), to Trader Joe's, down to Crate & Barrel Outlet to look for bowls (no dice, but we did get a syrup holder and a set of corncob holders), and back home again.
Then, after The Boy came home from school, we hosted playgroup at our house. We talked about schools, of course, and miscellaneous other parenting things. Sarah hit the jackpot with acceptances at two schools. Although Cheryl's child goes to Latin, the rest of us played the CPS game for kindergarten. Enough, enough with the schools!
Then, after The Boy came home from school, we hosted playgroup at our house. We talked about schools, of course, and miscellaneous other parenting things. Sarah hit the jackpot with acceptances at two schools. Although Cheryl's child goes to Latin, the rest of us played the CPS game for kindergarten. Enough, enough with the schools!
Co-op, Playdates & More
Yesterday, I worked the nursery room at The Girl's Mother's Day Out Co-operative. The Baby came with me, and it was actually quite fun. I normally find the four hours spent in the company of seven babies under 2.5 to be excruciatingly long, but I now know enough of them that it wasn't quite so this time. We ordered in from Java Thai, and for some reason, having a takeaway lunch makes the whole day better. The Baby even took a 45-minute nap while we there!
I picked up The Boy from school afterwards, and then my friend Allison came over with two of her three kids. The Boy missed his cohort from Allison's family, but did well leading the two little girls. I had set out chocolate chip cookies, so The Baby and his friend were in heaven with cookies to gum and hold while walking around.
It was a good day.
I picked up The Boy from school afterwards, and then my friend Allison came over with two of her three kids. The Boy missed his cohort from Allison's family, but did well leading the two little girls. I had set out chocolate chip cookies, so The Baby and his friend were in heaven with cookies to gum and hold while walking around.
It was a good day.
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