Must Write More

And so it has happened without any real warning, without an official moment to mark the passage: I have become boring. I started this blog as part creative outlet and part desire to record all the fun things I did with my children in the city of Chicago. But as my children have aged and my life has changed, I have less and less to say that fits in with my original objective.
 
Since I began blogging, the "scene" of kid-friendly Chicago has exploded. There's Windy City Tot to aggregate weekly tot-friendly activities. TimeOut Chicago Kids brings us a whole magazine full of kid-friendly activities and restaurant reviews each monthly (and weekly emails). And of course, there's the old standby of Chicago Parent. The Chicago momlogging world is pretty full as well, although I only really know of Momtrolfreak and Sassafrass, both of whom are prolific writers with more to say than I even think in a day. I cannot possibly keep up. I work full-time, volunteer, and have three kids and a husband.

And yet, this blog is such a great record of my children's early childhood experiences and of my own new-motherhood.  I cannot bear to give it up for those reasons alone. My posts may be sporadic, but I hope you'll keep reading.

To Mecca

Or so I'd refer to the experience that is the "new" Whole Foods in Lincoln Park. We needed groceries, dinner and to leave the house yesterday, hence the 5 p.m. trek to one of the busiest stores on a Sunday evening.

We managed to get a parking spot on the third floor next to a giant snowbank. The Boy's fear of heights is contagious, affecting The Girl on this trip. The Dad and The Boy took the escalators while The Girl, The Tot and I waited forever for the single elevator, while DINKs in black Northface jackets gave us the stink eye as they hurried past with their gourmet cheeses and bouquets of freshcut flowers (in a single brown paper bag).

We headed straight for the Riverview lunch counter for Whole Foods' take on the Woolworth counters of old: burgers, fries, dogs, shakes and rootbeer floats. The Dad, The Boy and I ordered cheeseburgers, which reminded me of In & Out - right down to the iceberg lettuce on the freshly baked buns. The Girl had a grilled cheese and The Tot nibbled fries and sucked down his dad's vanilla malt. Not bad for $30 -- far less than a similar meal at Johnny Rockets.

After dinner, we got our shopping done as quickly as was possible with 3 kids and the St. Valentine's Day gourmet foodie/yuppie crowd.