Old Orchard

I headed up to Old Orchard this morning for a mom-only appointment. As a favor to me (and another perk of working from home), The Dad stayed home with the kids. Then, because he had a Very Important Conference Call and asked me to take the kids out of the house during it, I turned around half an hour after returning and went back up to Old Orchard with The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot.

We hit Nordstrom for back-to-school shoes from its Anniversary sale, and then headed over to the cafe for "the usual." We meandered to the center play area so the kids could climb on the dragon. Unfortunately, it was 90+ degrees outside and the dragon was in direct sun. I tried to convince the kids to veer off into Pottery Barn Kids to play, but they were not interested.

So we got our photos taken at The Picture People instead. I made a quick dash through Janie & Jack for coordinating outfits from their sales rack. The Tot has a photo deficit. He's had two formal photo sessions since birth. As The Dad says, he's the neglected 3rd child. Today's photo session remedied that. I had not been to the PP since before The Girl was born; they've changed over to an all-digital format that reduces the wait time for photos. While we waited, we went to Starbucks for a snack (mama needs her occasional latte!) and then wandered around Restoration Hardware, where the kids annoyed the (patient, older) clerks and amused their patrons by asking a million and one questions.

Then it was time to go home. Traffic on the Edens was bad, as usual.

On Foot

After taking The Boy to school and Jamming with Julie, I dropped The Great White Moose off at Purr-fect at 11 a.m. this morning for a reluctant (on their part) detail job. And then spent the rest of the day without wheels.

On the walk home, we stopped at McDonald's for lunch at The Girl's request. Once home, we spent the rest of the afternoon puttering and getting ready for my Lia Sophia party-that-wasn't. The Girl's friend Charlotte came over for a bit while her mom ran a few errands and then picked up The Boy from school and brought him home. They hung out for awhile, which was nice.

By 5 p.m., the humidity that had been building all day turned into threatening thunderstorms. A semi-truck rammed into a bus station, half my guestlist had canceled due to illness, and my co-host was stuck in traffic. With those odds, what is a mama to do? Cancel the party.

By 7:30 p.m., the weather was awful. Four of my neighbors came over to drink wine with me anyway. All mothers, we talked about schools, real estate, childcare, and the neighborhood. It was a great time.