Author Archives: Nikki

More Reunion Fun

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The weekend continues at a fast pace. If we keep this up for the rest of our vacation I think I’ll need a vacation after this vacation  just to get some rest!

Yesterday morning we took the boys to Quiet Waters Park Splash Adventure. It was obvious from all the giggling and smiling that the boys had a blast, and we had even more of a blast watching all that happiness.

Quiet Waters Splash Adventure

If you are ever in South Florida, it’s a great park. Since it was summer they divided the time into a little under 2 hour session. That amount of time was perfect for the age our boys are at. Anything longer would mean stopping for meals or snacks. The parking was $3 and the entrance fee was $5 a head.

That evening we called not one but TWO sitters to watch the boys. Hey, when they are free it makes the decision a lot easier. My Aunt Doris and my mom both watched to boys while we went to the second night of my reunion. There were a lot less people there than the first night but it was equally as enjoyable. At one point my high school buddy turned college roommate, Holly and I actually had a dance off on the dance floor. Maybe it will make my monthly video. Or I might bury it in case my kids see it in the future…

Two out of Three of us are pregnant...

Finally today we spent the day at the hotel pool where a small amount of people trickled in from the reunion. The best part of the day and perhaps the entire reunion weekend was a barbeque pool party hosted by our good friend Kate. Ironically she didn’t graduate in our year but hung out with us all so much she is considered an honorary member.

Adam pretending to be a Sea Monster

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Snippets

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People who see Jack’s hair often ask me where I get it cut. Believe me, Jack had a lot of lopsided haircuts before I found the perfect hair dresser. Theresa at Snippets in Lincoln Park is amazing. She is so good I’ve even considered getting my haircut by her.

Ben picks the Police Car

They have these cute little vehicles for the kids to sit in while watching G rated TV shows like Dora and Diego. On the other side there are a bunch of TVs with video games for older kids. They also have a small assortment of toys for kids to play with while waiting. And finally, stickers and lollypops for deserving, freshly cut kids.

Jack prefers the Silver Convertible

Some of you remember that I bought our Firemen Raincoat and Boots from this place. They also sell cute girly purses and hair accessories that I like to peruse, even though, sadly, I’ll probably never get the chance to buy them.

Haircuts are only $10 each and last about 15 or 20 minutes, not including tip.

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Finally! The Beach

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I know summer started over a month ago. And for weeks now it’s been the kind of heat wave just perfect for beach weather. But so far it hasn’t worked out to organize a day for one of my favorite summer past times, beach days.

Digging a huge hole is hours of entertainment

From our house it’s only a 20 minute jog in the stroller so we took advantage of the chance to multi-task, exercising our way to our destination. And miss out on the expensive and limited parking.

Since this was the first beach visit this year, the changes from last year were quite noticeable. Jack has completely lost his fear of water and is on his way to becoming a swimmer.

Conquering the Water

Ben, on the other hand, did not change much from last year. He is still eating lots of dirt. He face planted a few times, and some were even on purpose! Luckily it’s Ben and nothing seems to upset him.

Sandy Faced Ben with the Hancock Building Behind

The Chicago Beaches are great. Most are wheel chair accessible. Ben is sitting in front of the ramp that goes all the way to the water and there are little alcoves to park your stroller on. Also North Avenue Beach has bathroom in the fake boat structure as well as a place to eat and a small convenience store. And don’t forget the outdoor showers. It’s the only way to clean off a bit before heading home. Did I mention the ice cream peddlers come by often?

Morning Ice Cream Break

It was a great prelude to our trip to the Cayman Islands, where I plan to spend every day on the pristine and practically private beach in front of our resort. An endless sandpit + an endless amount of water = an endless amounts of fun.

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Blueberry Picking

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I know what you are thinking. After Strawberry picking, why would I subject myself to another round of manual labor, followed by the challenge of trying to consume a huge vat of the same fruit again?

The answer? I have no idea.

I must admit I approached today (which was well over 90°), with trepidation. I envisioned another day where I not only did manual labor, but over paid for the privilege in expensive fruit.

Well, I was delighted to learn that blueberries, unlike strawberries, do not grow on the ground. You do not need to crouch over in the heat to pick them. Much nicer to stand and forage than squat. Although they don’t fill a bucket as easily as an apple, they don’t cost an arm and a leg either.

Ben ate every blueberry he could pick, even the green ones.

Our friends, the Hutchinsons invited us on an annual tradition they have with a group of lovely friends of theirs.

The Hutchinson 4, soon to be 5...

They organize a trip to State Line Blueberries in Michigan City, IN. It took about 1 and 1/2 hours to get there, or in kid terms, the length of one movie.

In the end, after a chat about our upcoming vacation and the fact that we completely over picked with strawberries, we ended up with a 10 pound bucket of blueberries. What I learned from this is that we don’t learn from past mistakes, even after we talk about how we should learn from them.

The cost? $15 for TEN POUNDS! And that does not include all the free ones we stuffed in our faces before we paid!

State Line Blueberries

After all the doubt I will say we had a lovely time. Living in big cities for over 15 years can really make a person appreciate fresh air, open space, and the simple pleasure of gardening. Best of all, big city or not, it is always a joy spending the day with friends.

 

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The Elusive Pirate Park

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I first heard of it from my friend Pam. But after accidently wandering to it one day, she was unable to find it again. Today my playground expert friend, AKA Playground Pointers, showed me the way to the park that is such a secret that it doesn’t even have a name.

The Park with No Name

It seemed like it was in a valley, surrounded by tall residential buildings on all sides. It was not far from Millennium Park, where we jogged to this morning to see Mr. Singer. Again. That makes for 4 shows in 2 weeks.

Mr Singer Groupies

Back to the no name park. It had sprinklers in the center, a pirate shaped play structure, swings, and another boat-like structure that actually rocked back and forth. Soft surface. Surprisingly comfortable benches with shade and nice shrubbery. During our visit a Mom blew bubbles for all the kids. Another Dad filled water balloons for the whole park.

Jack pretends we are sailing to the Cayman Islands

Besides the park itself, right outside of the gate there is a great open lawn area. But the best bit was copious amounts of fountains. I think we spent as much time playing in the fountains as the actual park.

Jack, Josephine, and Lillian

No bathrooms nearby, so I found myself in a porta potty on a construction site. Crouching in that smelly cell while holding both of Ben’s hands so he didn’t touch anything was the low point of the day for sure. The good news is the construction site is building a Fresh Market and other stores so I’m sure there will be a bathroom there soon.

Surprisingly the highlight of my day had nothing to do with finding a park that I’ve wanted to see for years. It was a tense moment when I was yelling at Ben to sit in the stroller on the L platform. Jack looked over, saw him crying and gave him his Elmo. He stopped crying immediately. I couldn’t have been prouder of Jack for that display of empathy and problem solving ability.

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Adams Playground Park

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We are very lucky in Chicago to have such an incredible Park District. If I wanted to, I could go to a different playground every day for the summer. In fact I have a friend doing just that! In August my friend Mistie is launching Playground Pointers, a website directory on public playgrounds. If you want to learn more now, you can ‘like’ her facebook page to get updates on the progress. If the site is anything like the woman, it will be thoughtful, thorough and interesting.

Some are better than others and every day I’m so happy we are lucky enough to live close to Adams Playground Park.

Jack with his Cutie Patootie Friend Josephine

In the summer there is a great water park, separated by a gate. Big enough for pre-teens to enjoy and safe enough for toddlers.

Ben give Mommy a Hat

It also has a great sand box with lots of toys that are there permanently.

Soft surface, swings, a see saw, picnic benches and two play structures.

And most importantly, it has a bathroom! The bathroom has hours, only open from 9-5 during the week and sometimes if you are lucky there are weekend hours.

Be warned, one of the entrances has no gate. Also, the water park is only open certain hours. Check the schedule before you go so you don’t disappoint your kids! There is a link on the park district website for Adams Park.

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Hidden Creek Aqua Park Fun

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We had a great day at the Hidden Creek Water Park today. With the husbands along, it made for a much more enjoyable, less stressful morning. It was super hot and gloriously sunny so the water felt great.

Believe it or not, we actually decided NOT to get the membership. For our family of three (Ben doesn’t count yet) it would cost $251. And the park is only open May 28th until September 5th. With the weather in Chicago, who knows how many times you could feasibly use it.

Instead we paid $12 for each non resident over 3 years old, a total of $36. Doing the math we’d have to visit 7 times to start saving money.

The water park occupied the boys for hours, and Jack didn’t even get to the sand pit. There was also a deep pool (6 lanes) with diving board and two slides for older kids which I’m hoping the boys will grow to in years to come. What else? A water playground with dumping bucket and slide, a huge zero-depth entry pool with smaller slide, water fountain sprays and a structure that funnels water that you can move around and vary the water pressure. They have lounge chairs everywhere and we were there early enough to be able to get ones under an umbrella for shade. Also a grassy area to picnic and a concessions stand to buy a picnic at.

I’m on a mission to check out all the water parks in the ‘burbs this summer but let’s see if we run out of summer days as perfect as today before I can complete it…

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