With Grandma & Grandpa Texas at lunch with Grandma & Grandpa Naperville yesterday, we found ourselves with nothing to do on a late-fall Saturday. While I'd normally take this opportunity to go to a museum, I think that's what the rest of the non-shoppers would choose also, so The Dad, The Boy, The Girl, The Tot, and I headed up to Northbrook for our quarterly trip for arcade fun at Nickel City.
It was a slow-moving start in the morning, so we didn't leave until about 11 a.m., which is The Girl's and The Tot's usual lunchtime. Cranky kids + a 25-minute car ride does not for a fun time make. We were all much cheerier after lunch at Panera in Glenview.
We got to Nickel City about 1 p.m. and stayed until just after 2 p.m., playing Skee Ball, Bozo Buckets, Spider Stomp, and various other games. In the free section in the back, I discovered an ancient Japanese game that was a precursor/combination of Bubble Bobble and the iPhone app Bubble Pop and played that for a bit until The Tot and The Dad came to find me. Normally, I get a headache within an hour, but I was actually not ready to leave when The Dad declared that it was time to go. That said, an afternoon at Nickel City is one of my favorite ways to spend $20 and time with my family. We racked up just over 300 tickets between the five of us, enough (with $1.50) for 3 Ring Pops as consolation for having to go home.
The Dad took the kids into Hobby USA adjacent to Nickel City while I ran into Hancock Fabrics (great prices, a massive line for the cutting table and only two people working in the store) for a bodkin. Then we went home - and score! The Tot fell asleep on the way.
Showing posts with label grandma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grandma. Show all posts
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Mobile Misses
Cell phones only work if you remember to charge them. I planned my morning around an 11:30 a.m. appointment with my friend Sarah M. to return her kids' Kettler tricycle. Despite otherwise careful planning -- up at 8, The Girl's lunch made, weather checked, trike in the car and ready to go -- I failed to charge my cell phone and was unable even to text her to say we were there. She got there at 10:30, we got there at 11:00. I paged her at 11:40, but she'd already headed back to the Gold Coast.
Grandma Texas is coming today so that The Dad and I can leave The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot in her competent care while we travel to Madison, Wisconsin for the weekend. It's an ever so slightly belated celebration of our 10th wedding anniversary. I should clean my house in anticipation of her arrival, but Grandma Texas is my mother and, fortunately as such, she's taught me everything I know about housekeeping. Which is that life is too short to spend it scrubbing the floor more than once/month or so.
The Tot, The Boy and I brought The Girl to camp at Kilbourn Park, then headed south to do a little Treasure Store run. I bought 4 dresses, a Cynthia Rowley jacket, and a sweater for me, all for less than the price of one dress elsewhere (and by elsewhere, I mean Target or TJ Maxx). Given the number of trendy young women at the T.S. today, I'd say that the folks there have gotten wise to us bargain-hunters -- the prices I paid were a bit higher than usual as well.
After our failed Target meet-up, we also ran to the Carter's Outlet to pick up some short-sleeved PJs for The Tot; he's been sweating in his Hanna zippers every night. PJs were on clearance, so that was good news for me. I also checked out the new fall stuff for girls. It's very Mini Bodenesque.
Grandma Texas is coming today so that The Dad and I can leave The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot in her competent care while we travel to Madison, Wisconsin for the weekend. It's an ever so slightly belated celebration of our 10th wedding anniversary. I should clean my house in anticipation of her arrival, but Grandma Texas is my mother and, fortunately as such, she's taught me everything I know about housekeeping. Which is that life is too short to spend it scrubbing the floor more than once/month or so.
The Tot, The Boy and I brought The Girl to camp at Kilbourn Park, then headed south to do a little Treasure Store run. I bought 4 dresses, a Cynthia Rowley jacket, and a sweater for me, all for less than the price of one dress elsewhere (and by elsewhere, I mean Target or TJ Maxx). Given the number of trendy young women at the T.S. today, I'd say that the folks there have gotten wise to us bargain-hunters -- the prices I paid were a bit higher than usual as well.
After our failed Target meet-up, we also ran to the Carter's Outlet to pick up some short-sleeved PJs for The Tot; he's been sweating in his Hanna zippers every night. PJs were on clearance, so that was good news for me. I also checked out the new fall stuff for girls. It's very Mini Bodenesque.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Spring Break in Seattle
Last week was The Boy's and The Girl's spring break from school. We had been planning to visit Grandma and Grandpa Texas in Houston for our annual escape-from-Chicago-winter trip, but Uncle Chris's new baby was baptized on Easter Saturday, so we headed to the Emerald City instead, leaving The Dad at home to work.
Apparently, as anyone who reads this blog already knows, I am a brave soul to take 3 children on a 4-hour plane trip by myself. Especially because, unfortunately, The Tot woke up on the morning of our trip in a crib full of sick. The Dad and I discussed leaving The Tot at home with The Dad, but ultimately decided that he'd be happier with me. He slept most of Tuesday, both on and off the plane, but rallied on Wednesday. Unfortunately, he got sick again on Thursday, and woke up on Friday morning screaming. I took him to see the folks at Wallingford Pediatrics, around the corner from our flat, on Friday morning, and they very kindly squeezed a sick out-of-towner walk-in into their schedule. The doctor we saw, Dr. Hadley, was wonderful with The Tot, getting on the floor to do the exam and waiting until he warmed up to her to let her do the diagnostic checks she needed to perform. I was very impressed, even The Tot's regular peds are not that good. As it turns out, he had a viral bug and no ear infection, and was just crabby from feeling crummy. Unfortunately, he later passed his bug onto Grandma Texas.
Because Uncle Chris still lives in a vertical 2-bedroom apartment, and because the thought of 3 kids in a hotel room gives Mama fits, we stayed in a little apartment in nearby Wallingford. So cute! After we settled in to the apartment, we walked up to Wallingford Center for cupcakes (and a latte for me) at Trophy, and then down to the park to enjoy the rare (so they tell me) warm, sunny day. Only in Seattle would you see a mom nonchalantly nursing a 3-year-old in a public park; Chicago is not nearly that crunchy.
More after the jump.
Uncle Chris picked us up for dinner; we joined Aunt J. and Baby N. at Ivar's Seafood on the pier. It was too cold by then to eat our fish-and-chips outside, but we took The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot down to the drive-in pier to see the boats. The Boy wasn't "so sure about this." And The Girl kept disappearing among the tables on the patio, which made my heart flutter, especially as there had been an attempted child abduction at Pike Place Market only a day earlier.
Grandma Texas arrived on Tuesday night. She had rented a car, so she drove us all down to Pike Place Market on Wednesday morning. I had given each of the kids some spending money, and The Girl was especially excited at the thought of spending it at Pike Place Market. The Boy had regaled her with tales of the market from his trip last year. They both bought stuffed snakes and Seattle market t-shirts. I talked to pottery vendors about the art of throwing while admiring their work and drooled over the beautiful produce. We had lunch at 3 Sisters cafe (The Boy complained), and got mini donuts and lattes at the Daily Dozen. Then we met my old friend Valerie at Seattle Center, where there was an indoor carnival of sorts. The Boy and The Girl tired themselves out on the various bouncy castles ($15 for 2 all-access wristbands? priceless), got twisty balloon shapes, and The Girl got her face painted as well. The Tot took a naplet while Valerie and I talked. We visited Uncle Chris and Aunt J. at their apartment for dinner.
On Thursday, we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island, and drove the 11 miles down the road to Poulsbo, a seaside village with Scandinavian roots. We stopped for pastry at Sluy's Bakery, spent an hour looking at and buying used kids' books at the Book Stop, and had the best mac & cheese in town at MorMor's Bistro.
Our adventure for Friday was to Mecca: the flagship Nordstrom, where we had lunch at the loudest Nordstrom Cafe I've ever been to, and bought The Girl and The Tot shoes. Afterward, we headed out toward the airport to visit the Museum of Flight. Both The Girl and The Tot fell asleep in the car and while The Girl slept for awhile with me in the car when we arrived, The Tot woke up and wanted to go with Grandma Texas and The Boy into the museum. At the museum, we checked out the Blackbird and other amazing planes, made the hot air balloon go up, and test piloted a mini Blue Angel plane. All of the museum's docents were men in their early 60s, wearing khaki pants, blue buttondown shirts and navy blue blazers; an entire docent staff of retired enginerds. For the record, I am very thankful for those enginerds, but it made me chuckle nonetheless.
At the end of the day, Grandpa Texas arrived from his 6-hour flight from Connecticut, and we went to dinner with him, Grandma Texas, and Uncle Chris. Aunt J. and Baby N. stayed at home to work on projects. We ate flat-bread pizzas at the cavernous Bella Terra. The Girl, a normally adventurous eater, does not like pizza, but still managed to try several pieces. Afterwards, Uncle Chris chased The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot around the lawns of Lincoln High School.
Apparently, as anyone who reads this blog already knows, I am a brave soul to take 3 children on a 4-hour plane trip by myself. Especially because, unfortunately, The Tot woke up on the morning of our trip in a crib full of sick. The Dad and I discussed leaving The Tot at home with The Dad, but ultimately decided that he'd be happier with me. He slept most of Tuesday, both on and off the plane, but rallied on Wednesday. Unfortunately, he got sick again on Thursday, and woke up on Friday morning screaming. I took him to see the folks at Wallingford Pediatrics, around the corner from our flat, on Friday morning, and they very kindly squeezed a sick out-of-towner walk-in into their schedule. The doctor we saw, Dr. Hadley, was wonderful with The Tot, getting on the floor to do the exam and waiting until he warmed up to her to let her do the diagnostic checks she needed to perform. I was very impressed, even The Tot's regular peds are not that good. As it turns out, he had a viral bug and no ear infection, and was just crabby from feeling crummy. Unfortunately, he later passed his bug onto Grandma Texas.
Because Uncle Chris still lives in a vertical 2-bedroom apartment, and because the thought of 3 kids in a hotel room gives Mama fits, we stayed in a little apartment in nearby Wallingford. So cute! After we settled in to the apartment, we walked up to Wallingford Center for cupcakes (and a latte for me) at Trophy, and then down to the park to enjoy the rare (so they tell me) warm, sunny day. Only in Seattle would you see a mom nonchalantly nursing a 3-year-old in a public park; Chicago is not nearly that crunchy.
More after the jump.
Uncle Chris picked us up for dinner; we joined Aunt J. and Baby N. at Ivar's Seafood on the pier. It was too cold by then to eat our fish-and-chips outside, but we took The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot down to the drive-in pier to see the boats. The Boy wasn't "so sure about this." And The Girl kept disappearing among the tables on the patio, which made my heart flutter, especially as there had been an attempted child abduction at Pike Place Market only a day earlier.
Grandma Texas arrived on Tuesday night. She had rented a car, so she drove us all down to Pike Place Market on Wednesday morning. I had given each of the kids some spending money, and The Girl was especially excited at the thought of spending it at Pike Place Market. The Boy had regaled her with tales of the market from his trip last year. They both bought stuffed snakes and Seattle market t-shirts. I talked to pottery vendors about the art of throwing while admiring their work and drooled over the beautiful produce. We had lunch at 3 Sisters cafe (The Boy complained), and got mini donuts and lattes at the Daily Dozen. Then we met my old friend Valerie at Seattle Center, where there was an indoor carnival of sorts. The Boy and The Girl tired themselves out on the various bouncy castles ($15 for 2 all-access wristbands? priceless), got twisty balloon shapes, and The Girl got her face painted as well. The Tot took a naplet while Valerie and I talked. We visited Uncle Chris and Aunt J. at their apartment for dinner.
On Thursday, we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island, and drove the 11 miles down the road to Poulsbo, a seaside village with Scandinavian roots. We stopped for pastry at Sluy's Bakery, spent an hour looking at and buying used kids' books at the Book Stop, and had the best mac & cheese in town at MorMor's Bistro.
Our adventure for Friday was to Mecca: the flagship Nordstrom, where we had lunch at the loudest Nordstrom Cafe I've ever been to, and bought The Girl and The Tot shoes. Afterward, we headed out toward the airport to visit the Museum of Flight. Both The Girl and The Tot fell asleep in the car and while The Girl slept for awhile with me in the car when we arrived, The Tot woke up and wanted to go with Grandma Texas and The Boy into the museum. At the museum, we checked out the Blackbird and other amazing planes, made the hot air balloon go up, and test piloted a mini Blue Angel plane. All of the museum's docents were men in their early 60s, wearing khaki pants, blue buttondown shirts and navy blue blazers; an entire docent staff of retired enginerds. For the record, I am very thankful for those enginerds, but it made me chuckle nonetheless.
At the end of the day, Grandpa Texas arrived from his 6-hour flight from Connecticut, and we went to dinner with him, Grandma Texas, and Uncle Chris. Aunt J. and Baby N. stayed at home to work on projects. We ate flat-bread pizzas at the cavernous Bella Terra. The Girl, a normally adventurous eater, does not like pizza, but still managed to try several pieces. Afterwards, Uncle Chris chased The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot around the lawns of Lincoln High School.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Trying on Houston
My parents, Grandma and Grandpa Texas, live in Houston. More accurately, they live in Spring, which is just outside of Houston. I am not from Texas; they moved there in 1998, the same year that The Dad and I moved to San Francisco. I've been trying ever since to get them to move back to Chicago(land). Until that happens, however, we'll enjoy escaping the Chicago cold during our grandparent visits.
The purpose our visit this time was to fete Grandpa Texas's 60th birthday. Which we did by spending lots of time with him, and lots of time outside. On Friday, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Sam, The Dad and I took The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot to the Children's Museum of Houston, which is one of my favorite children's museums in the country. We spent most of the time outside in the newly redesigned water works area. The Tot was especially enthralled with this area. We also ate a lot of good food, went to the park, and visited with Aunt Jenna, Uncle Chris and the kids' new cousin, Baby N.
Despite the warm winter weather, I don't think I could ever live in Texas. I need public transportation and big, tall buildings. But it's nice to visit.
We flew home this morning at 7 a.m. The kids, especially The Tot, did not do as well on this flight as they did on the flight down there. He was really fussy during takeoff, although he eventually did take a nap on the flight (as I did, too).
The purpose our visit this time was to fete Grandpa Texas's 60th birthday. Which we did by spending lots of time with him, and lots of time outside. On Friday, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Sam, The Dad and I took The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot to the Children's Museum of Houston, which is one of my favorite children's museums in the country. We spent most of the time outside in the newly redesigned water works area. The Tot was especially enthralled with this area. We also ate a lot of good food, went to the park, and visited with Aunt Jenna, Uncle Chris and the kids' new cousin, Baby N.
Despite the warm winter weather, I don't think I could ever live in Texas. I need public transportation and big, tall buildings. But it's nice to visit.
We flew home this morning at 7 a.m. The kids, especially The Tot, did not do as well on this flight as they did on the flight down there. He was really fussy during takeoff, although he eventually did take a nap on the flight (as I did, too).
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Today, we braved the weather* and flew to Houston from O'Hare. The Tot flew as a lap-child and did remarkably well on The Dad's lap during takeoff. He even napped a bit toward the end of the flight. The Girl and The Boy were both excited about take-off, and watching Chicago get smaller outside their respective windows.
We landed in Houston a few minutes ahead of schedule. And it's warm here! Grandma and Grandpa Texas picked us up from the airport. W00t for warm weather!
*The five most dreaded words in the traveler's lexicon: There is weather in Chicago.
We landed in Houston a few minutes ahead of schedule. And it's warm here! Grandma and Grandpa Texas picked us up from the airport. W00t for warm weather!
*The five most dreaded words in the traveler's lexicon: There is weather in Chicago.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Day 1
Today was really the first day that I felt like I was flying solo with The Dad out of town. While Grandma Naperville took her first L ride to the Art Institute for the day, I took The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot to Trader Joe's to stock the larder. When we arrived, there was only 1 kiddie cart available, so we left it for the next family to squabble over. Mercifully, The Boy and The Girl were OK with that decision, although The Tot was pretty upset at having to sit in the cart while we shopped. A banana and cookies mollified him a bit.
After TJ's, we headed home for lunch and a nap. We had planned to go to Adams Playground Park with Becky and S&F, but of course The Tot took a super long nap and by the time he woke up, it was too late to haul ourselves down to Lincoln Park (especially as Becky and I had planned to take all 6 kids on the L rather than park 2 minivans in that area).
Instead, we spent the late afternoon running around the spray park/splash pad at River Park. The Boy and S. and The Girl and F. were ecstatic to see one another. They all played quite happily in and around (The Girl, The Tot) the area together for about 90 minutes and in the middle we had a snack of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, chocolate milk, cookies, and blueberry cereal bars. Toward the end of our visit, an older boy was deliberately knocking over The Boy as they slid through one of the water elements. It was the kind of move that was deliberate, but made to look accidental. Since it didn't seem to bother The Boy, I refrained from stepping in.
We headed home about 4:30 to see Grandma Naperville and have dinner. The Boy and Grandma had a nice cuddle and talked about K before he went to bed. She had wanted to see his new school, but he'll have to show her another time.
After TJ's, we headed home for lunch and a nap. We had planned to go to Adams Playground Park with Becky and S&F, but of course The Tot took a super long nap and by the time he woke up, it was too late to haul ourselves down to Lincoln Park (especially as Becky and I had planned to take all 6 kids on the L rather than park 2 minivans in that area).
Instead, we spent the late afternoon running around the spray park/splash pad at River Park. The Boy and S. and The Girl and F. were ecstatic to see one another. They all played quite happily in and around (The Girl, The Tot) the area together for about 90 minutes and in the middle we had a snack of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, chocolate milk, cookies, and blueberry cereal bars. Toward the end of our visit, an older boy was deliberately knocking over The Boy as they slid through one of the water elements. It was the kind of move that was deliberate, but made to look accidental. Since it didn't seem to bother The Boy, I refrained from stepping in.
We headed home about 4:30 to see Grandma Naperville and have dinner. The Boy and Grandma had a nice cuddle and talked about K before he went to bed. She had wanted to see his new school, but he'll have to show her another time.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Crazy Long Day in 'Burbs
Had a crazy long and hot, but fun day in the Western 'burbs today. I had three reasons for going out that direction today. The first was that I partook in the Best Brands Resale consignment sale, leveraging my love of both bargains and kids' clothes, and my drop-off appointment was at 10:00 a.m. in Wheaton. The second was that we have barely seen Cara and her kids this summer, so we had planned to spend part of the day together. And finally, The Boy and The Girl had a sleepover at Grandma-and-Grandpa Naperville's house.
After we dropped off my Rubbermaid bins of clothing, I made the mistake of getting on the express lane on I-88, thereby missing the Morton Arboretum exit. I had to turn around a couple of times before I resigned myself to driving on surface streets to get there. The Tot, The Girl, The Boy and I shared a yogurt-granola parfait and a coffee before we went into the Children's Garden. Last time we were there, we never made it into the Treetop Walk, so we started today's visit up there. The Tot was amazing; he was unafraid about walking through the rope maze and eventually did it all on his own, "racing around and about again every minute or two"* with his big brother. Cara & the kids met us up there and they raced around as well. We gradually made our way down through the sections in the garden, although we were all quite hot and sweaty (and Cara's kids were soaked!) after catching tadpoles in the swamp section, so we decided to get lunch.
We caravanned over to the Colonial Cafe in Naperville to have lunch. The place was crowded with moms and kids eating lunch in the air conditioned cool -- so much so that we had to wait 10 minutes for a table, even at 1 p.m. Even in such an environment, I think our party of 8 (6 kids, 2 moms) overwhelmed our waitress. It was loud and chaotic, but everyone ate fairly well and we all got ice cream (frozen yogurt for The Tot and me) afterwards.
I took The Boy and The Girl over to their grandparents' house for their sleepover, then circled back to meet Cara at Fox Valley Mall (my least favorite Chicagoland mall) to shop the Gymboree sale. Cara and I were supposed to go to the BBR pre-sale at 6 while Cara's husband watched her kids and The Tot, but he was late getting the train and The Tot was pretty tired. So I took him with me to the sale and Cara met me later. Afterwards, I realized that I was starving, so I took The Tot over to the Wheaton Town Center to have dinner at Potbelly. It's so rare that I get to spend one-on-one time with him, but it was really enjoyable. Across the open patio area were a couple of large dogs (collies, I think) and although The Tot is usually quite scared of dogs, he wanted to go up to these dogs (but didn't want to pet them).
It was a long day. We didn't get home until about 9. Grandma Texas and Aunt Sam showed up from Texas (in for Lollapalooza) about 10.
* Dr. Suess' The Sneetches. "They kept paying money, they kept running through. 'Til neither the plain nor the star-bellies knew, whether this one was what one, or which one was who." Does anyone else find that lines from children's books seem to commentate on their daily lives?
After we dropped off my Rubbermaid bins of clothing, I made the mistake of getting on the express lane on I-88, thereby missing the Morton Arboretum exit. I had to turn around a couple of times before I resigned myself to driving on surface streets to get there. The Tot, The Girl, The Boy and I shared a yogurt-granola parfait and a coffee before we went into the Children's Garden. Last time we were there, we never made it into the Treetop Walk, so we started today's visit up there. The Tot was amazing; he was unafraid about walking through the rope maze and eventually did it all on his own, "racing around and about again every minute or two"* with his big brother. Cara & the kids met us up there and they raced around as well. We gradually made our way down through the sections in the garden, although we were all quite hot and sweaty (and Cara's kids were soaked!) after catching tadpoles in the swamp section, so we decided to get lunch.
We caravanned over to the Colonial Cafe in Naperville to have lunch. The place was crowded with moms and kids eating lunch in the air conditioned cool -- so much so that we had to wait 10 minutes for a table, even at 1 p.m. Even in such an environment, I think our party of 8 (6 kids, 2 moms) overwhelmed our waitress. It was loud and chaotic, but everyone ate fairly well and we all got ice cream (frozen yogurt for The Tot and me) afterwards.
I took The Boy and The Girl over to their grandparents' house for their sleepover, then circled back to meet Cara at Fox Valley Mall (my least favorite Chicagoland mall) to shop the Gymboree sale. Cara and I were supposed to go to the BBR pre-sale at 6 while Cara's husband watched her kids and The Tot, but he was late getting the train and The Tot was pretty tired. So I took him with me to the sale and Cara met me later. Afterwards, I realized that I was starving, so I took The Tot over to the Wheaton Town Center to have dinner at Potbelly. It's so rare that I get to spend one-on-one time with him, but it was really enjoyable. Across the open patio area were a couple of large dogs (collies, I think) and although The Tot is usually quite scared of dogs, he wanted to go up to these dogs (but didn't want to pet them).
It was a long day. We didn't get home until about 9. Grandma Texas and Aunt Sam showed up from Texas (in for Lollapalooza) about 10.
* Dr. Suess' The Sneetches. "They kept paying money, they kept running through. 'Til neither the plain nor the star-bellies knew, whether this one was what one, or which one was who." Does anyone else find that lines from children's books seem to commentate on their daily lives?
Saturday, July 05, 2008
How did I not know this was here?
Today, The Dad, The Boy, The Girl, The Tot, and I all piled into the car to attend our playgroup friend S.'s 2nd birthday party. It was at Adams Playground Park, on Seminary, tucked into a corner of Lincoln Park. It was an awesome space, with a shaded sandbox, two playground sets on recycled tire hardscapes, and a separate water playground within the lot. How have I lived in the city for this long and not known what a gem was lurking around the corner from my favorite strip of Armitage (with its Paper Source, Art Effect, Old Town School, and CBA)?
We got there late, so we had pizza and cupcakes with bright blue frosting, and then changed into our suits and played. The Girl, who normally does not like water features, was having a blast going down the water slide with The Boy and A., while The Dad and I enjoyed chatting with R. and M., and The Tot alternately walked around the water park and explored the traditional playground features.
After the park, we headed out to Naperville for a post-4th BBQ at Grandma-and-Grandpa's house. I had not planned to be out of the house for more than just the party, so we stopped at Meijer in Naperville to pick up disposable diapers and fresh clothes for everyone. The kids had a great time at G-and-G's house with their cousins.
We got there late, so we had pizza and cupcakes with bright blue frosting, and then changed into our suits and played. The Girl, who normally does not like water features, was having a blast going down the water slide with The Boy and A., while The Dad and I enjoyed chatting with R. and M., and The Tot alternately walked around the water park and explored the traditional playground features.
After the park, we headed out to Naperville for a post-4th BBQ at Grandma-and-Grandpa's house. I had not planned to be out of the house for more than just the party, so we stopped at Meijer in Naperville to pick up disposable diapers and fresh clothes for everyone. The kids had a great time at G-and-G's house with their cousins.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Trying on Seattle
This weekend, I took The Boy with me on an extended Mama-Son date to Seattle. The purpose of the trip was to watch my brother, Uncle Chris, graduate from B-School at UW, but we also did some touristy things (Pike Place Market, the ferry to Bainbridge, the Museum of Flight, Seattle Center [where the space needle is located]), ate out, and shopped a bit. And, of course, visited with my sister-in-law, parents, and my friend Cranky. It was a good trip/visit.
Whenever I visit a new city, or re-visit one that is not one I call home, it always seems to be on-approval. I find myself evaluating the whole time: Could I live here? Would I want to? I've been there a handful of times and I'm still not sure about Seattle. Part of me thinks that I could live there, but then I don't want to leave Chicago. And that gets me every time. As far as visiting goes, however, it's a nice place.
Uncle Chris and Grandma and Grandpa Texas picked us up at the airport on Friday morning. We went straight to the Museum of Flight, where The Boy and I went straight to the cafe for lunch (early by Seattle time, but we were hungry!). We explored the museum for quite awhile -- I think Grandpa Texas, a current engineer and former Navy man, enjoyed it more than The Boy did -- until travel/jet lag hit me hard and my body demanded that I nap. Uncle Chris took The Boy to the playground in Fremont while I took a giant nap. After that, I felt much better.
When Aunt J. got home from work, Uncle Chris took us all out to dinner at a Thai place, Jai Thai, in Fremont. We got everything family-style, but the Swimming Ra dish (sliced chicken on sauteed spinach, with peanut sauce) was especially good. The Boy ate a plateful of rice vermicelli noodles -- he even tried them with soy sauce this time! -- and nearly passed out in my lap. He rallied for gelato at a nearby establishment, and even walked most of the way back up to my brother's place. We stopped to visit the troll under the bridge as well.
On Saturday, we visited the Pike Place Market. My favorite part of the market is the Daily Dozen mini-donut and coffee stand. The Boy and I split a dozen mini frosted donuts. (We went back again on Sunday and got 1/2 dozen, of which I ate two and we brought the rest home for the troops, and a short latte for me [good foam].) Then we headed to Ballard to meet everyone for brunch. As Aunt J. pulled into a parking spot near the restaurant, a Thrift Shop was in front of us, so of course I had to stop in! I let The Boy get a Batmobile, which he played with for the rest of the trip.
Brunch was at Volterra, a new-Italian restaurant that has won a bunch of awards. I had the avocado-tomato-cheese omelette with hash browns and toast. Really though, I was so full from the donuts that I managed to eat only the eggs. Afterward, we wandered around the main drag in Ballard looking for Knitters' Circle, which Cranky had recommended. Along the way, I managed to find a shoe store and bought myself a pair of J-41s, my one splurge of the weekend.
On Sunday, we all took the ferry to Bainbridge Island, but The Boy and I left my parents and Uncle Chris & Aunt J. behind there and returned on the ferry to meet my friend Cranky. Despite our attempts to amuse him, The Boy was by this time quite in need of interaction with other kids. As we disembarked from the ferry, The Boy asked if Seattle had any museums. I suggested asking the throngs of kids leaving the pier bound for the Mariners game, but The Boy declined. Instead, we asked Cranky, a native Washingtonian, longtime Seattle resident, and local PBS-affiliate employee, for suggestions. She knew where to go: the Children's Museum at Seattle Center. We walked a bit and then hopped a bus (a curious thing -- you pay only as you exit; there is a free-zone around downtown) to Seattle Center, stopping within the complex to let The Boy run through the foundation sculpture. He was soaked and shivering (but happy) at the end; there is no way you could have gotten me to run through a fountain in 70-degree temps, even with the sun.
The Boy really enjoyed the Children's Museum, and later running around with some little kids at the food court auto zone. I think he just needed some kid time. We spent most of our museum time playing with the balls in "Cog City," while Cranky and I caught up. Aunt J. picked us up afterward and took us to Bothell for a barbeque.
For the most part, The Boy behaved beautifully, despite a time difference, staying up way too late, and being stuck in the company of 5 (and sometimes 7) adults. He rocked Uncle Chris's graduation ceremony, sitting mostly still for the 8 speeches, awards, and presentation of the candidates that comprised the 2+ hour ceremony. At the start of the ceremony, they asked the audience to silence cell phones, pagers, and children (as if they have a power-off button!?!) and despite this preemptive admonishment, a fair number of graduates had young family members present (and loudly unhappy), so it became a running joke among the speakers of the evening. But they had no cause for complaint about The Boy.
Whenever I visit a new city, or re-visit one that is not one I call home, it always seems to be on-approval. I find myself evaluating the whole time: Could I live here? Would I want to? I've been there a handful of times and I'm still not sure about Seattle. Part of me thinks that I could live there, but then I don't want to leave Chicago. And that gets me every time. As far as visiting goes, however, it's a nice place.
Uncle Chris and Grandma and Grandpa Texas picked us up at the airport on Friday morning. We went straight to the Museum of Flight, where The Boy and I went straight to the cafe for lunch (early by Seattle time, but we were hungry!). We explored the museum for quite awhile -- I think Grandpa Texas, a current engineer and former Navy man, enjoyed it more than The Boy did -- until travel/jet lag hit me hard and my body demanded that I nap. Uncle Chris took The Boy to the playground in Fremont while I took a giant nap. After that, I felt much better.
When Aunt J. got home from work, Uncle Chris took us all out to dinner at a Thai place, Jai Thai, in Fremont. We got everything family-style, but the Swimming Ra dish (sliced chicken on sauteed spinach, with peanut sauce) was especially good. The Boy ate a plateful of rice vermicelli noodles -- he even tried them with soy sauce this time! -- and nearly passed out in my lap. He rallied for gelato at a nearby establishment, and even walked most of the way back up to my brother's place. We stopped to visit the troll under the bridge as well.
On Saturday, we visited the Pike Place Market. My favorite part of the market is the Daily Dozen mini-donut and coffee stand. The Boy and I split a dozen mini frosted donuts. (We went back again on Sunday and got 1/2 dozen, of which I ate two and we brought the rest home for the troops, and a short latte for me [good foam].) Then we headed to Ballard to meet everyone for brunch. As Aunt J. pulled into a parking spot near the restaurant, a Thrift Shop was in front of us, so of course I had to stop in! I let The Boy get a Batmobile, which he played with for the rest of the trip.
Brunch was at Volterra, a new-Italian restaurant that has won a bunch of awards. I had the avocado-tomato-cheese omelette with hash browns and toast. Really though, I was so full from the donuts that I managed to eat only the eggs. Afterward, we wandered around the main drag in Ballard looking for Knitters' Circle, which Cranky had recommended. Along the way, I managed to find a shoe store and bought myself a pair of J-41s, my one splurge of the weekend.
On Sunday, we all took the ferry to Bainbridge Island, but The Boy and I left my parents and Uncle Chris & Aunt J. behind there and returned on the ferry to meet my friend Cranky. Despite our attempts to amuse him, The Boy was by this time quite in need of interaction with other kids. As we disembarked from the ferry, The Boy asked if Seattle had any museums. I suggested asking the throngs of kids leaving the pier bound for the Mariners game, but The Boy declined. Instead, we asked Cranky, a native Washingtonian, longtime Seattle resident, and local PBS-affiliate employee, for suggestions. She knew where to go: the Children's Museum at Seattle Center. We walked a bit and then hopped a bus (a curious thing -- you pay only as you exit; there is a free-zone around downtown) to Seattle Center, stopping within the complex to let The Boy run through the foundation sculpture. He was soaked and shivering (but happy) at the end; there is no way you could have gotten me to run through a fountain in 70-degree temps, even with the sun.
The Boy really enjoyed the Children's Museum, and later running around with some little kids at the food court auto zone. I think he just needed some kid time. We spent most of our museum time playing with the balls in "Cog City," while Cranky and I caught up. Aunt J. picked us up afterward and took us to Bothell for a barbeque.
For the most part, The Boy behaved beautifully, despite a time difference, staying up way too late, and being stuck in the company of 5 (and sometimes 7) adults. He rocked Uncle Chris's graduation ceremony, sitting mostly still for the 8 speeches, awards, and presentation of the candidates that comprised the 2+ hour ceremony. At the start of the ceremony, they asked the audience to silence cell phones, pagers, and children (as if they have a power-off button!?!) and despite this preemptive admonishment, a fair number of graduates had young family members present (and loudly unhappy), so it became a running joke among the speakers of the evening. But they had no cause for complaint about The Boy.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
A Strong Community
Can I just say that I love my local community? I've been a resident of my neighborhood for nearly 6 years, but it's only in the past year or two that I've felt like I've been a community resident. Today proved it yet again.
I brought The Girl to her ballet class yesterday morning. I had planned to walk there, but The Boy was limping along, so we had to abort the mission and drive instead. I passed Allison and her kids along the way. The Girl, The Baby, and I waited for them after parking The Great White Moose, but they had stopped to chat with Caroline D. and her family, who were on their way home from the YMCA. So we went into ballet instead, where we ran into Beth T. and her daughter, and a few friends from various other classes. As soon as we got inside, The Girl told me to "go," so I walked over to Starbucks with The Baby and Allison.
Afterwards, I picked up The Dad and The Boy, and we joined Allison and her family at Caroline D.'s house to hang out. The Boy stayed behind to play with the boys, and The Dad and I took The Girl, The Baby, and Allison's daughter, Peri, with us to lunch at our favorite breakfast-lunch spot, Curio Cafe. The Dad was quite cute with the girls, holding hands with each one across the street. I had the Plato Tipico ($7.95), which has become my new favorite CC dish, The Dad had his favorite CC dish, the steak sandwich ($7.50), The Girl got the alphabet noodles and cheese ($3.50), The Baby had eggs-potatoes-and-toast ($3.50), and Peri got the grilled cheese ($3.50). Yum! Afterwards, we came back to our house to let The Baby nap and let the little girls play: kitchen, dress-up, and coloring.
Peri's mom picked her up, and we took The Baby and The Girl and headed back to Caroline D.'s house, where we dropped off the little ones and picked up The Boy. Then we headed to Uptown to attend Uncle Bad's birthday BBQ. The Boy left with Grandma and Grandpa Naperville after about 1/2 an hour; they took him to visit Super Grandpa in Indiana. It was odd being at an adult party! I think The Girl and The Baby may have had a better time attending a birthday party at Caroline D.'s neighbor's house.
It was a great day. I also fell asleep at 8:30 and got a solid and rejuvenating 12 hours of sleep.
I brought The Girl to her ballet class yesterday morning. I had planned to walk there, but The Boy was limping along, so we had to abort the mission and drive instead. I passed Allison and her kids along the way. The Girl, The Baby, and I waited for them after parking The Great White Moose, but they had stopped to chat with Caroline D. and her family, who were on their way home from the YMCA. So we went into ballet instead, where we ran into Beth T. and her daughter, and a few friends from various other classes. As soon as we got inside, The Girl told me to "go," so I walked over to Starbucks with The Baby and Allison.
Afterwards, I picked up The Dad and The Boy, and we joined Allison and her family at Caroline D.'s house to hang out. The Boy stayed behind to play with the boys, and The Dad and I took The Girl, The Baby, and Allison's daughter, Peri, with us to lunch at our favorite breakfast-lunch spot, Curio Cafe. The Dad was quite cute with the girls, holding hands with each one across the street. I had the Plato Tipico ($7.95), which has become my new favorite CC dish, The Dad had his favorite CC dish, the steak sandwich ($7.50), The Girl got the alphabet noodles and cheese ($3.50), The Baby had eggs-potatoes-and-toast ($3.50), and Peri got the grilled cheese ($3.50). Yum! Afterwards, we came back to our house to let The Baby nap and let the little girls play: kitchen, dress-up, and coloring.
Peri's mom picked her up, and we took The Baby and The Girl and headed back to Caroline D.'s house, where we dropped off the little ones and picked up The Boy. Then we headed to Uptown to attend Uncle Bad's birthday BBQ. The Boy left with Grandma and Grandpa Naperville after about 1/2 an hour; they took him to visit Super Grandpa in Indiana. It was odd being at an adult party! I think The Girl and The Baby may have had a better time attending a birthday party at Caroline D.'s neighbor's house.
It was a great day. I also fell asleep at 8:30 and got a solid and rejuvenating 12 hours of sleep.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother's Day
This year, Mother's Day was not all about me as a mother. But that's OK. It was a nice day anyway.
The Dad's 35th birthday happened to fall on Mother's Day this year. And his octogenarian grandmother was visiting from Florida, so we skipped our usual Mother's Day brunch at Ina's Kitchen in the West Loop and went out to the suburbs for a huge family gathering at the Holiday Inn instead. I was a little frightened when I walked into the hotel and saw large rounds and other tables scattered around a cavernous banquet room. But the food was good for what it was (mass buffet), and the dessert table was even better. Uncle Bad Influence riled up The Boy, The Girl, and their second cousin, while The Baby snuggled on Uncle Fuzzy's lap. The Dad and I got a rare moment of peace (but only a moment!) and some adult conversation.
Afterwards, we headed back into the city to clean the house before The Dad's friend and former colleague, Ranga, came to visit. Ranga used to be a software engineer, but now does IP work for a respected Silicon Valley firm. He was in town to depose an expert witness for the defense (his client), so we talked about people and places we used to know back when The Dad and I lived in San Francisco. We ordered Chicago's famous stuffed pizza and, afterward, had an ice cream cake to celebrate The Dad's birthday. The Dad took his friend back to his hotel and I put the kids in bed.
The Dad's 35th birthday happened to fall on Mother's Day this year. And his octogenarian grandmother was visiting from Florida, so we skipped our usual Mother's Day brunch at Ina's Kitchen in the West Loop and went out to the suburbs for a huge family gathering at the Holiday Inn instead. I was a little frightened when I walked into the hotel and saw large rounds and other tables scattered around a cavernous banquet room. But the food was good for what it was (mass buffet), and the dessert table was even better. Uncle Bad Influence riled up The Boy, The Girl, and their second cousin, while The Baby snuggled on Uncle Fuzzy's lap. The Dad and I got a rare moment of peace (but only a moment!) and some adult conversation.
Afterwards, we headed back into the city to clean the house before The Dad's friend and former colleague, Ranga, came to visit. Ranga used to be a software engineer, but now does IP work for a respected Silicon Valley firm. He was in town to depose an expert witness for the defense (his client), so we talked about people and places we used to know back when The Dad and I lived in San Francisco. We ordered Chicago's famous stuffed pizza and, afterward, had an ice cream cake to celebrate The Dad's birthday. The Dad took his friend back to his hotel and I put the kids in bed.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Cheap Day at the Shedd
Ah memberships to museums, how I do love you.
Today, I pulled The Boy out of school for a special treat: a day at the Shedd Aquarium with me, The Girl, The Baby, Grandma Naperville, and Super-Grandma. I dropped $2 in quarters in the parking meter, spent $1.75 for popcorn inside, and that was my total expenditure for the outing (plus gas, of course, which at $4+/gallon, is no small expense these days).
We met the grandmas there about 10:30 a.m. While there were lots of school groups, it was still significantly less crowded there than it is on the average weekend (the only other time we've really gone). The Boy wanted to see everything and we did our best to accommodate that desire. There was a bit of fear of missing something that he wasn't always able to fully enjoy (or let us enjoy) whatever we were doing at the moment, but we did get to see pretty much everything (except the IMAX movie, which I always skip because I find them nauseating).
First, we saw the old-fashioned aquarium bits: the center tank (The Baby was entranced), the frogs, fish and iguanas. The Boy really liked the wave machine in the iguana habitat. Then we went down to the Coral Reef to watch the sharks. The Baby was scared by the wave machine down there, so we quickly moved on. They were cleaning the coral, so there were several divers in the tanks, their pates exposed by the water's motion, scrubbing the habitat's rocks with little bristly brushes and wiping down the glass of the tank that is in the ceiling. A couple of them waved to The Boy, so now we know that the fish can see us just as we see them.
After the coral reef, we went over to the Oceanarium to check out the penguins and belugas, including baby Miki. It was quite peaceful to see the belugas swimming around in the underwater viewing area, Miki swimming just under his mother and, at one point, nursing. I thought that was rather neat, being a nursing mother myself. Super Grandma treated us to lunch in the Bubblenet Cafe. Then we sat down to wait for the Dolphin Show to begin. The Dolphin Show was quite different than the ones we've seen thus far; it was more about how they train the dolphins to do "tricks" for the crowds.
At that point, I was pretty tired, and so were The Baby, The Girl and Super Grandma, so we did a quick tour through the Dragon exhibit and called it a day. It was a good one.
Today, I pulled The Boy out of school for a special treat: a day at the Shedd Aquarium with me, The Girl, The Baby, Grandma Naperville, and Super-Grandma. I dropped $2 in quarters in the parking meter, spent $1.75 for popcorn inside, and that was my total expenditure for the outing (plus gas, of course, which at $4+/gallon, is no small expense these days).
We met the grandmas there about 10:30 a.m. While there were lots of school groups, it was still significantly less crowded there than it is on the average weekend (the only other time we've really gone). The Boy wanted to see everything and we did our best to accommodate that desire. There was a bit of fear of missing something that he wasn't always able to fully enjoy (or let us enjoy) whatever we were doing at the moment, but we did get to see pretty much everything (except the IMAX movie, which I always skip because I find them nauseating).
First, we saw the old-fashioned aquarium bits: the center tank (The Baby was entranced), the frogs, fish and iguanas. The Boy really liked the wave machine in the iguana habitat. Then we went down to the Coral Reef to watch the sharks. The Baby was scared by the wave machine down there, so we quickly moved on. They were cleaning the coral, so there were several divers in the tanks, their pates exposed by the water's motion, scrubbing the habitat's rocks with little bristly brushes and wiping down the glass of the tank that is in the ceiling. A couple of them waved to The Boy, so now we know that the fish can see us just as we see them.
After the coral reef, we went over to the Oceanarium to check out the penguins and belugas, including baby Miki. It was quite peaceful to see the belugas swimming around in the underwater viewing area, Miki swimming just under his mother and, at one point, nursing. I thought that was rather neat, being a nursing mother myself. Super Grandma treated us to lunch in the Bubblenet Cafe. Then we sat down to wait for the Dolphin Show to begin. The Dolphin Show was quite different than the ones we've seen thus far; it was more about how they train the dolphins to do "tricks" for the crowds.
At that point, I was pretty tired, and so were The Baby, The Girl and Super Grandma, so we did a quick tour through the Dragon exhibit and called it a day. It was a good one.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Grandma and Grandpa Naperville
After we left Maria back at her hotel, instead of heading back into the city in Friday afternoon traffic, we headed southwest, to Naperville.
We had a playdate with Grandma and Grandpa, had dinner, and they had a mini birthday party for The Girl. Since I didn't have to make dinner, I got to play two rounds of Candyland with The Boy and The Girl. We ate cupcakes and ice cream, and The Girl opened her present from Grandma and Grandpa, a Dora Big Wheel.
Then it was time to go home. Mercifully, they all fell asleep on the way home and The Dad and I were able to transfer them all into their beds.
We had a playdate with Grandma and Grandpa, had dinner, and they had a mini birthday party for The Girl. Since I didn't have to make dinner, I got to play two rounds of Candyland with The Boy and The Girl. We ate cupcakes and ice cream, and The Girl opened her present from Grandma and Grandpa, a Dora Big Wheel.
Then it was time to go home. Mercifully, they all fell asleep on the way home and The Dad and I were able to transfer them all into their beds.
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