On Wednesday, I spent several hours of the morning at CPS, trying to gain admittance to the Board of Education meeting on the 5th floor, or the overflow observation room on the 15th floor. My patience and calm request paid off, and I was eventually allowed to sit in a rolling green chair with a crowd of other people in a large room that featured few windows, a set of fire doors, and two flat screen TVs and a sound system to view the goings-on of the board chambers 10 floors below.
It was a rowdy crowd up there on the 10th floor, and as anyone who has been around The Girl will tell you, hunger and thirst makes people especially crabby. By the time I sat through six aldermanic speeches, two CTU addresses, and approximately 18 rounds of public testimony, I was no longer muttering under my breath, but joining my fellow observers in yelling at the screen.
At least three people told the Board that they'd be forced to move to the suburbs if conditions in their schools didn't improve, get more money, or whatever. Up on the 15th floor, each of these comments elicited a response of, "Go ahead!"
And I agree with their reaction. Since I became enmeshed in advocacy for schools in Chicago, I've heard, "I'll move to the suburbs!" countless times. It is said like a threat, and perhaps it is meant as threat as well. But as a threat, it feels hollow. Threatening to move to the suburbs is a luxury afforded the generally white, generally affluent, generally mobile, and generally well-resourced parents of CPS, if not of Chicago itself. Every time I hear statements along these lines, The Tot (Who's Not)'s favorite line echoes in my head: Aw, come on! Seriously, if
you have the means and the desire to move out of the city, maybe you
should do so, instead of holding your residency up like you are a
precious gift you've decided to bestow on the city of Chicago.
I am not going to make that claim. Maybe it's because I haven't reached a level of frustration with CPS and the city that has me contemplating the move? Maybe it's because my kids attend a kick-ass magnet school? Maybe it's because Grandma & Grandpa Texas just moved six blocks away?
But if I want to move to the 'burbs and can afford to do so, I think I will just do it. And if I'm irritated with CPS and city politics and want to make a statement about it, I feel pretty confident that I'll have the means and outlet to do that as well. Certainly, I may be frustrated in my efforts to effect immediate change, as most of the speakers on Wednesday were. But as a chronic optimist, I'm neither ready to move to the suburbs nor to overstate my importance to the city by threatening to do so.
Showing posts with label suburbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suburbs. Show all posts
Friday, May 24, 2013
Saturday, June 09, 2012
...Where You Always Save More Money
TimeOut Kids Chicago didn't exist in 2006, when I started this blog. These days, I'm rarely looking for fun things to do on the weekend, but when I am, I'm so glad that TimeOut Kids has already compiled a happenings list for me.
This morning, The Girl woke up in a mood. I tell you, some days I am not sure that both of us are going to make it to the angsty tween/teen years. Which everyone seems to think are summarily awful. As I wrote another day, I think The Girl has been caught in friendship flux this year. And, unfortunately, with her personality, this means that she is fine at school or elsewhere, but bubbles into a seething cauldron of rage when at home, or with her family. I'm trying my best to soothe her emotions, but it's mentally exhausting. In fact, I'm relaxing with a glass of white wine right now.
Part of The Girl's mood was that she wanted to do something with the day. My initial suggestions (neighborhood garage sales, Wells Street Art Fair) were met with thumbs pointed down. Enter the TimeOut Chicago list!
Among the contenders were the Scandinavian Jam at the Swedish American Museum, the Chicago: You Are Here exhibit at the CAF, and my top pick: the BH&G Chill & Grill Fest with Stephanie Izard at Waveland Bowl. The winner, however, fit in with our "Saturday Sweets tradition" (gakked from our Norwegian friends): the Elmhurst Historical Museum's Sweet Home Chicago: History of America's Candy Capital.
The museum, free to the public, is in the Glos House near the center of Elmhurst. It's open on weekends from 1-5 p.m.
I grew up in the south suburbs, so I can't recall ever having been to Elmhurst before. I seriously cannot say the word Elmhurst without repeating the Celozzi-Ettleson Chevrolet dealers' tag line: where you always save more money! None of my children understand commercials, so the joke was lost on them. (Did anyone else watch copious amounts of bad non-cable TV in he 1980s in Chicagoland? When I queried The Dad as to his association with Elmhurst, his response was the word "tree.")
I even looked for mention of the slogan in the museum's other exhibit, a history of the town from the 1800s to the present. Sadly, there was no mention of it. I did learn, however, that Elmhurst started the second ever Boy Scout Troop in the early 20th century, and had GSA and Camp Fire Girls troops as well.
But back to the candy exhibit.
It was nicely done. We stopped in the gift shop/welcome desk on the way in to get a brief intro and a "treasure hunt" worksheet of sorts for The Boy and The Girl to fill out as we went. The Boy is a solid reader and could read the exhibit placards himself, but I found myself orating to a crowd as I read a brief history of the candy business in Chicago, as well as individual business histories--Cracker Jack, Williamson's Oh Henry! bar, Mars' Snickers, Ferrara-Pan (did you know the pan is the type of kettle used to make the candy?), Fannie May, Brach's, Tootsie Roll, Wrigley, Blommer's (so that's the wonderful chocolate smell drifting over River North most days!), Willy Wonka, Frango Mints, DeMet's, Bunte, and lots of others. They covered Keeler's, an Elmhurst fixture that has since shuttered. The Boy and The Girl might remember Mitchell's, the candy store and fountain that was popular in my hometown. The Boy completed his worksheet. The Girl was more interested in finding out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop ("three!") to fill out the sheet, which is just as well. Going through the museum was an hour of relative peace and air-conditioned comfort for us all.
Upstairs, the exhibit continued with a hands-on "candy twisting" timed test exhibit (I was rotten!), a guess-that-bar station, and a couple of shorts of Lucille Ball on the candy line.
We drive through what I'd guess is the main drag of Elmhurst on our way back to the highway, stopping at a cute, yet esoteric, store called "Fit for a King" or something like that, which sold chess sets, army men, and doll clothes. We rounded off the afternoon with a pair of size-gigantic iced teas from Starbucks.
This morning, The Girl woke up in a mood. I tell you, some days I am not sure that both of us are going to make it to the angsty tween/teen years. Which everyone seems to think are summarily awful. As I wrote another day, I think The Girl has been caught in friendship flux this year. And, unfortunately, with her personality, this means that she is fine at school or elsewhere, but bubbles into a seething cauldron of rage when at home, or with her family. I'm trying my best to soothe her emotions, but it's mentally exhausting. In fact, I'm relaxing with a glass of white wine right now.
Part of The Girl's mood was that she wanted to do something with the day. My initial suggestions (neighborhood garage sales, Wells Street Art Fair) were met with thumbs pointed down. Enter the TimeOut Chicago list!
Among the contenders were the Scandinavian Jam at the Swedish American Museum, the Chicago: You Are Here exhibit at the CAF, and my top pick: the BH&G Chill & Grill Fest with Stephanie Izard at Waveland Bowl. The winner, however, fit in with our "Saturday Sweets tradition" (gakked from our Norwegian friends): the Elmhurst Historical Museum's Sweet Home Chicago: History of America's Candy Capital.
The museum, free to the public, is in the Glos House near the center of Elmhurst. It's open on weekends from 1-5 p.m.
I grew up in the south suburbs, so I can't recall ever having been to Elmhurst before. I seriously cannot say the word Elmhurst without repeating the Celozzi-Ettleson Chevrolet dealers' tag line: where you always save more money! None of my children understand commercials, so the joke was lost on them. (Did anyone else watch copious amounts of bad non-cable TV in he 1980s in Chicagoland? When I queried The Dad as to his association with Elmhurst, his response was the word "tree.")
I even looked for mention of the slogan in the museum's other exhibit, a history of the town from the 1800s to the present. Sadly, there was no mention of it. I did learn, however, that Elmhurst started the second ever Boy Scout Troop in the early 20th century, and had GSA and Camp Fire Girls troops as well.
But back to the candy exhibit.
It was nicely done. We stopped in the gift shop/welcome desk on the way in to get a brief intro and a "treasure hunt" worksheet of sorts for The Boy and The Girl to fill out as we went. The Boy is a solid reader and could read the exhibit placards himself, but I found myself orating to a crowd as I read a brief history of the candy business in Chicago, as well as individual business histories--Cracker Jack, Williamson's Oh Henry! bar, Mars' Snickers, Ferrara-Pan (did you know the pan is the type of kettle used to make the candy?), Fannie May, Brach's, Tootsie Roll, Wrigley, Blommer's (so that's the wonderful chocolate smell drifting over River North most days!), Willy Wonka, Frango Mints, DeMet's, Bunte, and lots of others. They covered Keeler's, an Elmhurst fixture that has since shuttered. The Boy and The Girl might remember Mitchell's, the candy store and fountain that was popular in my hometown. The Boy completed his worksheet. The Girl was more interested in finding out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop ("three!") to fill out the sheet, which is just as well. Going through the museum was an hour of relative peace and air-conditioned comfort for us all.
Upstairs, the exhibit continued with a hands-on "candy twisting" timed test exhibit (I was rotten!), a guess-that-bar station, and a couple of shorts of Lucille Ball on the candy line.
We drive through what I'd guess is the main drag of Elmhurst on our way back to the highway, stopping at a cute, yet esoteric, store called "Fit for a King" or something like that, which sold chess sets, army men, and doll clothes. We rounded off the afternoon with a pair of size-gigantic iced teas from Starbucks.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Boy recently completed a more in-depth, take-home project for school: the lifecycle of the crocodile. The Internets was not so helpful, so we headed to the library. Mama had to work over the break, and The Dad wasn't thinking about crocodiles or libraries. Throw in a major holiday and CPL's abbreviated schedule and our only hope for book help was a library in the suburbs.
We chose the Highland Park library. One of my friends works there, and I had been there previously for a story hour with her, so I knew my way around the place, making it a good choice. Plus, it was open on Sunday. I called my friend to get the scoop, and headed up there.
The Boy and I made it a Mama-The Boy playdate of sorts. We drove up to downtown Highland Park and spent 10 minutes looking for parking. Then we had lunch at Potbelly. Except for the Potbelly, I felt like I was in a John Hughes movie. Queue up the Simple Minds.
The library and the children's librarian who helped us were both very nice. Although the public library system is open to all, regardless of residency or tax status, I felt a bit weird about being there. Probably because we didn't have Highland Park library cards (and in fact owe a mint in overdue fines on our CPL cards) and weren't checking out books. Instead, we settled down on one of the smaller tables in the children's reference section, took out a notebook and a few pencils and got to work.
The Boy read out interesting facts while I took the notes (in printing!). It was quiet in the library for about half an hour. Then a little boy came in with his father and his father's friends, who proceeded to have a loud conversation while the boy tried to get his father's attention. They left about 5 minutes later, thank goodness. Another little girl came in with her mother, who got a phone call not 30 seconds later. Fortunately, it did not bother The Boy, who was busy discerning new facts about crocodiles from those that he knew already.
We chose the Highland Park library. One of my friends works there, and I had been there previously for a story hour with her, so I knew my way around the place, making it a good choice. Plus, it was open on Sunday. I called my friend to get the scoop, and headed up there.
The Boy and I made it a Mama-The Boy playdate of sorts. We drove up to downtown Highland Park and spent 10 minutes looking for parking. Then we had lunch at Potbelly. Except for the Potbelly, I felt like I was in a John Hughes movie. Queue up the Simple Minds.
The library and the children's librarian who helped us were both very nice. Although the public library system is open to all, regardless of residency or tax status, I felt a bit weird about being there. Probably because we didn't have Highland Park library cards (and in fact owe a mint in overdue fines on our CPL cards) and weren't checking out books. Instead, we settled down on one of the smaller tables in the children's reference section, took out a notebook and a few pencils and got to work.
The Boy read out interesting facts while I took the notes (in printing!). It was quiet in the library for about half an hour. Then a little boy came in with his father and his father's friends, who proceeded to have a loud conversation while the boy tried to get his father's attention. They left about 5 minutes later, thank goodness. Another little girl came in with her mother, who got a phone call not 30 seconds later. Fortunately, it did not bother The Boy, who was busy discerning new facts about crocodiles from those that he knew already.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Amnesia
Apparently, my memory is really short, because I thought it would be fun to book an overnight at Coco Key over the break. Unfortunately, Coco Key closed on December 28th, and called me on December 23rd to tell me that my booked-in-November reservation was canceled because they closed the hotel. So after some scrambling, I booked a spot at the Mayan Adventures indoor water park at the Holiday Inn in Elmhurst, where we spent New Year's Day.
We had an OK time. The Tot took a long time to warm up to the pools, but eventually discovered that he liked the hot tub and splashing in the sports pools. The Girl loved floating down the lazy river (which was mercifully free of random water sprays). The Boy liked a lot of different things. And The Dad and I both enjoyed going down the tube slide. We ran into one of The Boy's classmates and her family on Friday, which was a nice surprise.
We had an OK time. The Tot took a long time to warm up to the pools, but eventually discovered that he liked the hot tub and splashing in the sports pools. The Girl loved floating down the lazy river (which was mercifully free of random water sprays). The Boy liked a lot of different things. And The Dad and I both enjoyed going down the tube slide. We ran into one of The Boy's classmates and her family on Friday, which was a nice surprise.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Nickels
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Pirate's Cove Playdate
Today, the weather cooperated enough for me to take The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot to Pirate's Cove in Elk Grove Village. I was first introduced to Pirate's Cove by The Dad's sister-in-law, an EKG resident and fellow employee of the EKG park district, but hadn't been again since The Boy was just over 2. We met our friend Cara and her kids in the parking lot, and our huge group of 6 kids and 1 baby walked into the park together.
The kids had a great time; with a handful of automated rides and other kid-level amusements, all staffed by fresh-faced, madly-texting teenagers, the park is perfect for kids between 4- and 7-years-old (conveniently, the age of our group). Everyone rode the Safari train and played at the playground. The Girl, The Boy, Gracie and Kenley rode the kid-size carousel for an hour straight, and did the burlup-bag slide for another 1/2 an hour. The Boy lent John his Cons so that they could both do the climbing wall, and everyone waited in line for like 1/2 an hour to go on the hand-crank paddleboats (The Girl lasted about 30 seconds before she tried to hold onto the side of the pool, while still in the boat).
We left for about an hour and went across the street to Panera for lunch. That was an experience; 7 kids and 2 moms trying to have lunch at noon at a crowded lunch place next to an office park. We managed to all eat and use the facilities and even get cookies afterward. Then we returned to Pirate's Cove for a couple more hours of playing.
Cara had to take off around 3 to visit her eldest child at Girl Scout camp, so the kids and I left Pirate's Cove as well. We made a quick stop at Jewel in EKG before heading home to take The Boy to his swimming lesson at Independence Park.
The kids had a great time; with a handful of automated rides and other kid-level amusements, all staffed by fresh-faced, madly-texting teenagers, the park is perfect for kids between 4- and 7-years-old (conveniently, the age of our group). Everyone rode the Safari train and played at the playground. The Girl, The Boy, Gracie and Kenley rode the kid-size carousel for an hour straight, and did the burlup-bag slide for another 1/2 an hour. The Boy lent John his Cons so that they could both do the climbing wall, and everyone waited in line for like 1/2 an hour to go on the hand-crank paddleboats (The Girl lasted about 30 seconds before she tried to hold onto the side of the pool, while still in the boat).
We left for about an hour and went across the street to Panera for lunch. That was an experience; 7 kids and 2 moms trying to have lunch at noon at a crowded lunch place next to an office park. We managed to all eat and use the facilities and even get cookies afterward. Then we returned to Pirate's Cove for a couple more hours of playing.
Cara had to take off around 3 to visit her eldest child at Girl Scout camp, so the kids and I left Pirate's Cove as well. We made a quick stop at Jewel in EKG before heading home to take The Boy to his swimming lesson at Independence Park.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Field Trip
Today, Grandma Naperville came in to care for The Girl and The Tot. And I took a field trip with The Boy's class to the Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview. 50 kids, 20 adults and way too many bagged lunches on a smelly yellow bus. As a child, I always lived within walking distance of school, so the thrills of the yellow school bus were reserved for the rare field trip. Fortunately for my children, the same is true for them. I managed to forget how ill a ride on the school bus can make you. Fortunately for me, I was in the first 3 rows and it was not hot.
The Kohl put on a good program. We got there, ate lunch in a program room, had an hour to explore in groups (I asked child in my group to pick one area that s/he really wanted to explore and we hit all 5 in our free time), had a 45-minute session with the museum-provided educator, and then had 1/2 hour of free time again. During our education session, the kids read a book about birds' nests, drew bird's nests and made bird's nests out of clay and bits of string, feathers, etc. They were totally grossed out by the clay; they should see me when I come home from pottery: I've usually got clay in my hair, on my face, all over my clothes, stuck to the bottom of my shoes. It was a fun day, but tiring.
The Kohl put on a good program. We got there, ate lunch in a program room, had an hour to explore in groups (I asked child in my group to pick one area that s/he really wanted to explore and we hit all 5 in our free time), had a 45-minute session with the museum-provided educator, and then had 1/2 hour of free time again. During our education session, the kids read a book about birds' nests, drew bird's nests and made bird's nests out of clay and bits of string, feathers, etc. They were totally grossed out by the clay; they should see me when I come home from pottery: I've usually got clay in my hair, on my face, all over my clothes, stuck to the bottom of my shoes. It was a fun day, but tiring.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Small Change and Small World
The Dad came down with the 24-hour stomach bug today, so I found myself on day 2 of a 3-day weekend with 3 rambunctious children. Plan A was to take Metra downtown to the water taxi, and take that over to Chinatown for lunch/walking, but The Girl, who has a pathological fear of train stations and crowds, nixed that plan. Onto Plan B.... Nickel City.
Nickel City, in Northbrook, just off the Waukegan Road exit from the Tristate, has heretofore been an outing to which The Dad takes the kids. A national franchise, Nickel City is an arcade that bridges 80s video-game parlors and Chuck E. Cheese. Thankfully for me, it's brighter than the 80s video arcade and quieter and less frenzied than Chuck E. Cheese. A $2 entry per kid (The Tot was free; this worked out to the owners' advantage as all he really wanted to do was feed nickels into the slots -- he'd take off before the game started) and $10 worth of nickels bought us about 2 hours of video fun -- the most I could stand before my head was pounding. Between the four of us, we racked up 150 tickets, which we used to "buy" useless plastic crap -- the kids were not to be deterred into my idea of trading tickets for a bag of M&Ms to be split 3 ways.
We briefly stopped into Hobbytown USA in the same strip mall, where The Boy played with gorgeous Quadrilla sets, The Girl looked at arts & crafts kits, The Tot manned the train table, and I eyed gardening and science kits. We bought 4 pieces of wooden track and went home, stopping briefly at the Starbucks in Northfield for iced tea-lemonades for the hot and thirsty crew.
Once home, boredom quickly set in so we went to Target to spend the kids' saved-up allowance. The Boy, who gets a modest $3/week, has been saving for a Bakugan case. The Tooth Fairy visited last week for the first time, and left him enough money to advance his cause. While wandering the toy aisles in search of Bakugan, a small doll for The Girl, and a Matchbox car for The Tot, we ran into Jenny Barron-Fishman. It took Jenny and I awhile to place each other, but when we did, I realized how small Chicago really is. Jenny was the proprietor of Sweet Pea's Yoga Studio. Without her, I wouldn't have found my playgroup in spring 2003, during a mom-and-me yoga class. It brought the point home to me again: the longer I stay in Chicago, the smaller and tighter my world gets.
Nickel City, in Northbrook, just off the Waukegan Road exit from the Tristate, has heretofore been an outing to which The Dad takes the kids. A national franchise, Nickel City is an arcade that bridges 80s video-game parlors and Chuck E. Cheese. Thankfully for me, it's brighter than the 80s video arcade and quieter and less frenzied than Chuck E. Cheese. A $2 entry per kid (The Tot was free; this worked out to the owners' advantage as all he really wanted to do was feed nickels into the slots -- he'd take off before the game started) and $10 worth of nickels bought us about 2 hours of video fun -- the most I could stand before my head was pounding. Between the four of us, we racked up 150 tickets, which we used to "buy" useless plastic crap -- the kids were not to be deterred into my idea of trading tickets for a bag of M&Ms to be split 3 ways.
We briefly stopped into Hobbytown USA in the same strip mall, where The Boy played with gorgeous Quadrilla sets, The Girl looked at arts & crafts kits, The Tot manned the train table, and I eyed gardening and science kits. We bought 4 pieces of wooden track and went home, stopping briefly at the Starbucks in Northfield for iced tea-lemonades for the hot and thirsty crew.
Once home, boredom quickly set in so we went to Target to spend the kids' saved-up allowance. The Boy, who gets a modest $3/week, has been saving for a Bakugan case. The Tooth Fairy visited last week for the first time, and left him enough money to advance his cause. While wandering the toy aisles in search of Bakugan, a small doll for The Girl, and a Matchbox car for The Tot, we ran into Jenny Barron-Fishman. It took Jenny and I awhile to place each other, but when we did, I realized how small Chicago really is. Jenny was the proprietor of Sweet Pea's Yoga Studio. Without her, I wouldn't have found my playgroup in spring 2003, during a mom-and-me yoga class. It brought the point home to me again: the longer I stay in Chicago, the smaller and tighter my world gets.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Justin Roberts!
I found out from a friend yesterday that Justin Roberts was in town for a concert yesterday afternoon. I checked his tour schedule, and man that guy gets around! Today, he is in L.A.
But he'll be back again soon. We all love Justin Roberts, so I am hoping to score tickets for one of his upcoming Chicago(land) shows:
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:30 AM
Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players
Skokie School Auditorium
520 Glendale Avenue
Winnetka, IL 60093
847-446-5153
Price: $15 (Under One Year Old FREE)
Winnetka Public School Nursery Musicfest!
Saturday, February 21st, 2009 10:00 AM
Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players
Tivoli Theater - Presented by Downers Grove Area Newcomers
5021 Highland Avenue
Downers Grove, IL
630-687-1920
http://tinyurl.com/6elkhy
Price: $12 in advance, $15 at the door
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 12:00 PM
Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players
Old Town School of Folk Music
4544 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
773-728-6000
http://tinyurl.com/6xdlob
Price: $15 Gen. Public/$13 OTS members
TWO SHOWS: Noon & 3:00 PM!
But he'll be back again soon. We all love Justin Roberts, so I am hoping to score tickets for one of his upcoming Chicago(land) shows:
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:30 AM
Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players
Skokie School Auditorium
520 Glendale Avenue
Winnetka, IL 60093
847-446-5153
Price: $15 (Under One Year Old FREE)
Winnetka Public School Nursery Musicfest!
Saturday, February 21st, 2009 10:00 AM
Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players
Tivoli Theater - Presented by Downers Grove Area Newcomers
5021 Highland Avenue
Downers Grove, IL
630-687-1920
http://tinyurl.com/6elkhy
Price: $12 in advance, $15 at the door
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 12:00 PM
Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players
Old Town School of Folk Music
4544 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
773-728-6000
http://tinyurl.com/6xdlob
Price: $15 Gen. Public/$13 OTS members
TWO SHOWS: Noon & 3:00 PM!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The Weather Outside Is Frightful
This morning, it was just cold and icy -- no snow -- so I headed up to Bed, Bath & Beyond in Niles to buy a slipcover for my ultimate bargain occasional chair. It was the easiest location for me to get to, but I needed help and the manager was S.L.O.W. The Tot was getting pretty bitey-grabby by the time we left and I couldn't really blame him for his restlessness.
Afterwards, because The Tot needed a snack and I still had a Barnes & Noble gift card in my purse left over from The Tot's birthday, so we headed over to the B&N in the same shopping center to use (part) of it. He enthusiastically ate half a chocolate cupcake and drank some juice, sitting up so nicely in a chair and closely observing the two other patrons in the cafe. I drank half my marshmallow latte, and then we headed over B&N Jr. to check out the books. Not surprisingly, The Tot made a beeline for the Thomas the Tank Engine section. We have many of these books already, including the complete book of Thomas stories by Rev. Audry; we ended up with Barton's Trains book instead. I let The Tot putter around the book section for about 1/2 an hour before we left to pick The Girl up from preschool.
I really need to make a book wishlist for the kids; while we were browsing the kids' section, there were several books that I was tempted to get for The Boy or The Girl, but don't have the budget for it right now.
Afterwards, because The Tot needed a snack and I still had a Barnes & Noble gift card in my purse left over from The Tot's birthday, so we headed over to the B&N in the same shopping center to use (part) of it. He enthusiastically ate half a chocolate cupcake and drank some juice, sitting up so nicely in a chair and closely observing the two other patrons in the cafe. I drank half my marshmallow latte, and then we headed over B&N Jr. to check out the books. Not surprisingly, The Tot made a beeline for the Thomas the Tank Engine section. We have many of these books already, including the complete book of Thomas stories by Rev. Audry; we ended up with Barton's Trains book instead. I let The Tot putter around the book section for about 1/2 an hour before we left to pick The Girl up from preschool.
I really need to make a book wishlist for the kids; while we were browsing the kids' section, there were several books that I was tempted to get for The Boy or The Girl, but don't have the budget for it right now.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Playgroup Reunion
This morning, we had a reunion of sorts of our playgroup. The occasion for the get-together was Ben C.'s 3rd birthday party at Pump It Up in Lisle. The Boy and The Girl had a fantastic time bouncing on the huge, generator-powered inflatables. The Tot also seemed to have a good time, although he could only climb up (and slide back down) the triangular wedges at the base of each unit. The Dad mainly helped him. Truth be told, I should not have been there as I was feeling under-the-weather.
Meanwhile, I caught up with three moms (and one dad) of our original playgroup. It's weird to think that two of our playgroup families have been suburbanites for longer than three years. It also seems strange to me that the original kid members are now all in kindergarten; it was interesting to see how much the kids still recognized and related to each other.
We all had pizza and cupcakes after the jumping bits, and then headed back into the city. We took the Eisenhower back in so that The Dad could stop by Red Eye Eyewear to pick up his new glasses. Everyone (save The Dad, who was driving) passed out in the car on the way home. When we got home, I took a much-needed 4-hour nap.
Meanwhile, I caught up with three moms (and one dad) of our original playgroup. It's weird to think that two of our playgroup families have been suburbanites for longer than three years. It also seems strange to me that the original kid members are now all in kindergarten; it was interesting to see how much the kids still recognized and related to each other.
We all had pizza and cupcakes after the jumping bits, and then headed back into the city. We took the Eisenhower back in so that The Dad could stop by Red Eye Eyewear to pick up his new glasses. Everyone (save The Dad, who was driving) passed out in the car on the way home. When we got home, I took a much-needed 4-hour nap.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Annual Apple (Pumpkin) Picking Trip
Today, we trekked up to Woodstock, Illinois for the 4th annual Chicago Mama apple-picking trip. Unfortunately, all the apples were down, so it became a pumpkin-picking trip only. The Dad and I knew about the apples before we left in the morning, but The Boy and The Girl did not learn this until we arrived at the apple orchard and learned that the shop was closed. (The Dad and I did not know the shop would be closed; we were hoping to at least buy some apples.)
It was just as well that the picking season was over. It was darn cold today, with a fierce wind. The warmest part of our day was walking through the corn maze at the Red Barn on IL-Route 47; the stalks of dried corn provided nice protection from the wind. The Boy and The Dad went through once while The Girl got her face painted. Then we all went through together, finding letters at various turns to form an anagram. Thanks to my nascent addiction to Facebook's Word Challenge, I didn't have much trouble forming witch hat out of the letters. We had lunch and pie/cake/cookies at the Red Barn also, and picked out pumpkins. The Tot was so cute trying to pull the wagon full of heavy pumpkins through the gravel on a very blustery day.
We pulled into Homestead at about 1 p.m., but the barn was completely locked and even the "Honk for Service" placard was hidden from view. We took the briefest of strolls to see the trees, and sat on the swing bench to take a family photo. Then we headed back home. The Dad obligingly swung through the parking lot of the Huntley outlets, but there wasn't anything remotely appealing on the directory list, so we headed back into the city.
It was just as well that the picking season was over. It was darn cold today, with a fierce wind. The warmest part of our day was walking through the corn maze at the Red Barn on IL-Route 47; the stalks of dried corn provided nice protection from the wind. The Boy and The Dad went through once while The Girl got her face painted. Then we all went through together, finding letters at various turns to form an anagram. Thanks to my nascent addiction to Facebook's Word Challenge, I didn't have much trouble forming witch hat out of the letters. We had lunch and pie/cake/cookies at the Red Barn also, and picked out pumpkins. The Tot was so cute trying to pull the wagon full of heavy pumpkins through the gravel on a very blustery day.
We pulled into Homestead at about 1 p.m., but the barn was completely locked and even the "Honk for Service" placard was hidden from view. We took the briefest of strolls to see the trees, and sat on the swing bench to take a family photo. Then we headed back home. The Dad obligingly swung through the parking lot of the Huntley outlets, but there wasn't anything remotely appealing on the directory list, so we headed back into the city.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Northbrook Court
The elf had some shopping to do, so The Tot and I headed directly up to Hanna Andersson in Northbrook Court after school drop-off this morning. I made excellent time on the Edens, so we got there well before the stores were open. I let The Tot explore a bit -- he dug the escalators, of course, as well as the water feature near the elevator. We swung past The Corner Bakery for a latte and a Monster cookie for The Tot (He's learned how to say "bite," which is the cutest thing. He'll say it, open his mouth wide, and shove the proffered item into my mouth) and went over to the center treehouse to eat/drink them.
The treehouse was not very busy, and the kids who were there were primarily wee ones like The Tot or 3-year-old girls like The Girl. I was thankful for this as it allowed The Tot to feel comfortable enough to explore the structure while I drank my lukewarm coffee (my least favorite thing about the suburbs: cold "hot" drinks!*). Unfortunately, he didn't get to stay and play for too long; we had to get back to the city by 11:30 to fetch The Girl from preschool, so we skedaddled upstairs as soon as the shops opened. I also accidentally left The Tot's jacket hanging on the fence by the treehouse, so we got to make an extra trip on the escalators. In the span of 45 minutes, I managed to hit HA, Gymboree, and the Stride Rite store for a new pair of shoes for The Tot. And I still got to school well before 11:30.
* in the interest of fairness, I'll note my most favorite thing about the suburbs: cheap(er) gas.
The treehouse was not very busy, and the kids who were there were primarily wee ones like The Tot or 3-year-old girls like The Girl. I was thankful for this as it allowed The Tot to feel comfortable enough to explore the structure while I drank my lukewarm coffee (my least favorite thing about the suburbs: cold "hot" drinks!*). Unfortunately, he didn't get to stay and play for too long; we had to get back to the city by 11:30 to fetch The Girl from preschool, so we skedaddled upstairs as soon as the shops opened. I also accidentally left The Tot's jacket hanging on the fence by the treehouse, so we got to make an extra trip on the escalators. In the span of 45 minutes, I managed to hit HA, Gymboree, and the Stride Rite store for a new pair of shoes for The Tot. And I still got to school well before 11:30.
* in the interest of fairness, I'll note my most favorite thing about the suburbs: cheap(er) gas.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Bounce...Bounce...Bounce
Once upon a time, we went out to the 'burbs on a weekly basis. These days, the school day is much longer and the price of gas much higher and, consequently, we don't make it out as often. Today, however, was a special occasion: Gracie's 4th birthday.
We dropped The Boy off at school this morning, but when the bell rang at 8:50 a.m., The Girl did not run inside to her own classroom, but instead hopped in The Great White Moose with me and The Tot for the drive out to the western 'burbs. Our ultimate destination was the Bounce Town in Oswego, but we made stops at both Oakbrook Centre (for sheets at PBK and in-person shopping for a friend at Hanna Andersson) and IKEA-Bolingbrook.
Until recently, I had never even heard of Oswego. It is far from the city. It is far even from Aurora. It felt like I was driving forever down Ogden, past warehouses and strip malls full of big box stores that used to be farmland and prairie. We got there a bit late, but The Girl had a bit of time to climb on the giant, inflatable structures before we adjourned to the party room for pizza, cake, and to watch the present-opening. The Tot was a bit overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar little people; he stuck close to me the whole time. The Girl hugged Gracie good-bye and we headed back into the city.
We dropped The Boy off at school this morning, but when the bell rang at 8:50 a.m., The Girl did not run inside to her own classroom, but instead hopped in The Great White Moose with me and The Tot for the drive out to the western 'burbs. Our ultimate destination was the Bounce Town in Oswego, but we made stops at both Oakbrook Centre (for sheets at PBK and in-person shopping for a friend at Hanna Andersson) and IKEA-Bolingbrook.
Until recently, I had never even heard of Oswego. It is far from the city. It is far even from Aurora. It felt like I was driving forever down Ogden, past warehouses and strip malls full of big box stores that used to be farmland and prairie. We got there a bit late, but The Girl had a bit of time to climb on the giant, inflatable structures before we adjourned to the party room for pizza, cake, and to watch the present-opening. The Tot was a bit overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar little people; he stuck close to me the whole time. The Girl hugged Gracie good-bye and we headed back into the city.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Suburbs!
Today, we went to visit our playgroup expats in the 'burbs. Darien, to be exact. As I turned onto the highway on-ramp, The Boy asked if we were going to the suburbs. When I responded in the affirmative, both he and The Girl shouted "hooray!" Half an hour later, they asked the inevitable: "Are we there yet?"
The answer was no, but 45 minutes later we were in Oakbrook; I stopped in the mall to make a return and buy a present for The Dad. On cue, The Girl declared that she was hungry. So we all got a healthful snack (Clif Kid Z-Bar for The Girl and The Baby, Organic Ducks for The Boy, a veggie wrap for me) and split a gigantic iced tea from the Nordstrom Cafe. The Girl ate half my wrap on the walk back to the car. That kid will eat anything.
We went over to Beebalm's house for an afternoon playgroup that included lunch, time in A.'s swingset "clubhouse," a crazy game of hide-and-seek, bubbles, and seeing old friends. Plus popsicles and rice-marshmallow treats. What could be better? I took the Stevenson home; they all fell asleep.
I made a pit-stop at Trader Joe's on Clybourn to load up on groceries for the crew. It was a mad shopping trip, with The Boy and The Girl each pushing a tiny cart and The Baby in the main cart squawking for more snacks. But we finished quickly and made our way home. The most interesting part of the last leg was driving parallel to two giant semi-trucks filled with...
bees! The Boy noticed all the bees flying around first. Then the rest of us began gaping. The Boy was afraid that the bees would come into our car and sting him. It was the strangest thing. The trucks were carrying stacks of large white containers, covered entirely with a blue mesh canvas, and each had a swarm of bees visible on the sides, around the canvas, and stuck in large pockets of the fabric near the bottom of the flat bed. The trucks had Maryland plates, which added to this curiosity.
The answer was no, but 45 minutes later we were in Oakbrook; I stopped in the mall to make a return and buy a present for The Dad. On cue, The Girl declared that she was hungry. So we all got a healthful snack (Clif Kid Z-Bar for The Girl and The Baby, Organic Ducks for The Boy, a veggie wrap for me) and split a gigantic iced tea from the Nordstrom Cafe. The Girl ate half my wrap on the walk back to the car. That kid will eat anything.
We went over to Beebalm's house for an afternoon playgroup that included lunch, time in A.'s swingset "clubhouse," a crazy game of hide-and-seek, bubbles, and seeing old friends. Plus popsicles and rice-marshmallow treats. What could be better? I took the Stevenson home; they all fell asleep.
I made a pit-stop at Trader Joe's on Clybourn to load up on groceries for the crew. It was a mad shopping trip, with The Boy and The Girl each pushing a tiny cart and The Baby in the main cart squawking for more snacks. But we finished quickly and made our way home. The most interesting part of the last leg was driving parallel to two giant semi-trucks filled with...
bees! The Boy noticed all the bees flying around first. Then the rest of us began gaping. The Boy was afraid that the bees would come into our car and sting him. It was the strangest thing. The trucks were carrying stacks of large white containers, covered entirely with a blue mesh canvas, and each had a swarm of bees visible on the sides, around the canvas, and stuck in large pockets of the fabric near the bottom of the flat bed. The trucks had Maryland plates, which added to this curiosity.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Morton Arboretum
I joined the Morton Arboretum right before Easter. The Boy has been there quite a bit with Grandma Naperville, and I've taken both him and The Girl several times since I "discovered" the Children's Garden two years ago. I had all these fantasies of taking the kids to the Children's Garden to run around this spring/summer. And then gas prices spiked to $4.50/gallon and a weekly trip to Lisle is suddenly less appealing.
But today we made the drive out there for the first time since mid-March to meet Cara and her kids. (Traffic tip: don't get in the express lane on I-88 after Oakbrook; you'll overshoot the Route 53 exit and there is no exit on the eastbound side. We took a 15-minute detour.) We spent all of our time in either the Children's Garden or the Gingko Cafe (which, mercifully, was air-conditioned) and, despite the humidity, we had a great time. On the car ride home at 2:30 p.m., all three kids fell asleep, which I usually take to be a sign of a good outing.
It was The Baby's first real trip to the Arb; he wasn't sure what to make of it all. Unfortunately for him, by the time he got acclimated to the area we were in and began to explore, the older kids were on to the next thing (or needed a potty-run). When we first arrived, The Boy, The Girl, John, Grace and Lily went into the hedge maze. Within 10 minutes, they were all red-faced, damp-haired and totally sweaty. Given the weather, we spent the bulk of our time in the water areas, including a long time in the "Wonder Pond," trying to catch tadpoles and looking at toads along the perimeter. Much to The Boy's chagrin, did not make it up to the treetop walk in our 3+ hours at the park.
But today we made the drive out there for the first time since mid-March to meet Cara and her kids. (Traffic tip: don't get in the express lane on I-88 after Oakbrook; you'll overshoot the Route 53 exit and there is no exit on the eastbound side. We took a 15-minute detour.) We spent all of our time in either the Children's Garden or the Gingko Cafe (which, mercifully, was air-conditioned) and, despite the humidity, we had a great time. On the car ride home at 2:30 p.m., all three kids fell asleep, which I usually take to be a sign of a good outing.
It was The Baby's first real trip to the Arb; he wasn't sure what to make of it all. Unfortunately for him, by the time he got acclimated to the area we were in and began to explore, the older kids were on to the next thing (or needed a potty-run). When we first arrived, The Boy, The Girl, John, Grace and Lily went into the hedge maze. Within 10 minutes, they were all red-faced, damp-haired and totally sweaty. Given the weather, we spent the bulk of our time in the water areas, including a long time in the "Wonder Pond," trying to catch tadpoles and looking at toads along the perimeter. Much to The Boy's chagrin, did not make it up to the treetop walk in our 3+ hours at the park.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Best Line Ever
I'm currently reading Ted McClelland's The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters, and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the Great Lakes. As a near-native Midwesterner, I've found it an interesting read thus far. I particularly enjoyed this quip:
"If Florida is God's Waiting Room, Lake View is suburbia's."
Admittedly, I've never lived in Lakeview, although I really wanted to when I was 23-24. The Dad spent 4-5 months in the spare room of Uncle Bad's Boystown flat when he was 23-24, but I was there only on the weekend and never as a resident. And another admission: our neighborhood is suburban-like. To me, it combines great suburban attributes: green space, wide leafy streets, single family houses, clean lawns, easy street parking with great city ones: proximity to public transportation, walkable shopping, close neighbors, and easy access to culture and education.
"If Florida is God's Waiting Room, Lake View is suburbia's."
Admittedly, I've never lived in Lakeview, although I really wanted to when I was 23-24. The Dad spent 4-5 months in the spare room of Uncle Bad's Boystown flat when he was 23-24, but I was there only on the weekend and never as a resident. And another admission: our neighborhood is suburban-like. To me, it combines great suburban attributes: green space, wide leafy streets, single family houses, clean lawns, easy street parking with great city ones: proximity to public transportation, walkable shopping, close neighbors, and easy access to culture and education.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
