What's New?

I have not been posting lately because we have not been doing much. There are two reasons for this. The first is that “the economy” has highlighted my own budgetary shortfalls. The second—and bigger—reason is the logistics of three children makes it difficult to plan outings. With The Girl in preschool everyday for just 2.5 hours, The Tot needing a nap every afternoon, and The Boy in school until nearly 4 p.m., there's no time for adventuring. Compounding the issue is that I dislike crowded places and have been spoiled by 5 years of going to museums during quiet weekdays; it's hard for me to muster the energy to schlep through a crowded museum on a weekend afternoon.

I've been spending my mornings running errands, taking The Tot to the occasional class, and puttering around the house with The Tot. And my afternoons watching Dora episodes with The Girl and performing miscellaneous household tasks while The Tot naps, with playdates (either hosted or drop-off) thrown in here and there to mix things up. By the time The Boy gets home from school, there's enough time to do a load of laundry and a sinkful of dishes, start dinner, and supervise homework before dinner and bedtime.

Partially because of this -- and partially because I've realized that there is so much in Chicago for little kids that I don't know about -- I've decided to shift the focus of this blog. I hope that doesn't bother my readership -- all five of you! I remember how disappointed I was when a blog I had been following -- American Expat -- shifted its focus from a subject I was interested in (Americans living in The Hague) to one that I wasn't (Ukraine adoption). I still plan to post about our adventures in Chicago, but I'll also include more information about our daily lives -- so if you're still reading, consider this fair warning of impending boredom. :) If nothing else,* it will give me a nice record of my days as a harried mother of 3 small children.
* My mother is decidedly not among my readership. She thinks that blogging is the worst sort of egotism.