This morning at Target we passed all these carts full of toys…
It was St Vincent De Paul buying toys for Christmas.
I know it happens all around us all the time, but witnessing such a great act of selfishness first hand made me all giddy and happy and also a bit sad that I don’t do anything for charity. Maybe something to think about changing when I get all of the kids into school…
Pin ItWhen I used to say “We had dinner out on a saturday night with another couple”, it never used to look like this…
Chipotle after the Park
My how our lives have changed!
Pin ItI’m not sure how many people believe in horoscopes. My husband feels they are written so general that anyone can fit into them. Perhaps, but I personally can’t help feeling there something more to them than just mumbo jumbo.
Take my signs for example. I’m a Rat/Sagittarius combo. Both signs say I’m full of energy, and besides this pregnancy I would have to say that’s true. I remember when I was still single getting a lot of “bulging eye-ball” looks when I used to routinely stay out until 2am on a Saturday night then wake up three hours later, at 5am for a long bike ride – sometimes as much as 90 miles. The Rat lives for the moment, and the Sagittarius is an adventurer. Everyone knows I love to travel and unlike my husband, have absolutely no idea where the future will lead us. And not knowing is the most fun part of it all.
My Rooster/Gemini husband, on the other hand, has an exact plan for us. When I met him he already had a retirement plan! The Rooster is confident, motivated, honest and organized. Geminis are highly cerebral and charming. When I first met Adam he told me I was coming to Chicago. I laughed at him openly. I was dating someone else and lived in Shanghai! Six months later I was here. True to his signs, he had vision, determination, and skill. Luckily I was also true to my signs and was adventurous and willing to live in the moment.
Our first born is a Pig/Pisces combo. Both signs have a compassionate, sensitive and submissive nature. He often can not decide what toy or dessert he wants, preferring that we decide for him. It also explains why our second born, a Ox/Cancer combo can often wrestle him to the ground even though he is 2 and 1/2 years younger. Oxen are strength, determination, and dependability. Cancer is home loving and nurturing. Our Cancer born son is a big snuggle bunny.
As I incubate this next set of kids, I couldn’t help checking out their horoscopes. Turns out I will most likely have a Dragon/Taurus combo. I remember living in China the last time it was year of the Dragon. Couples everywhere were scrambling to get pregnant for their one and only precious alloted baby. It is considered the mightiest of signs.
The Dragon is defined by dominance and ambition. They prefer to live by their own rules and if left on their own, are usually successful. They’re driven, unafraid of challenges, and willing to take risks. They’re passionate in all they do and they do things in grand fashion. They have tempers that can flare fast!
As a compliment (or perhaps complete nightmare) to the Dragon is the western sign, Taurus. Defined by solidity, practicality, extreme determination and strength of will. Generally dependable, steadfast, prudent, just, firm and unshaken in the face of difficulties.
If the signs are true, we are looking at not one, but two very determined, willful children. To be mothered by a flaky Rat/Sagittarius. How will that work? Well, I guess if we are believing in horoscopes, I can assume no matter how our signs match or clash, we’ll all have lots of energy, motivation and/or determination to keep up with each other…
Pin ItThanks to everyone for all your concerns about me right now.
As far as this pregnancy goes, it seems that everything is earlier and everything is much more. Double, in fact!
With the first two pregnancies, there were no signs of pregnancy before my missed period. This pregnancy found me spitting from nausea into a CVS bag on the way home from a date with my husband well before I missed a period. It was too early even to take a pregnancy test. Yet the hormones were working on me already.
My cravings barely have time to root themselves before I’ve moved onto something else. Sometimes a craving will gross me out mid-bite. We have a lot of opened, half eaten junk food around right now.
The exhaustion is much, much more pronounced as well. I know I’m older, and I know I also have two kids keeping me up all night so it’s hard to say exactly where the exhaustion comes from. But most days it feels like the middle of the night all day long.
Still, I can’t complain too much. I am not nauseous anymore. Sometimes queasy, but nothing like the horror stories I hear from some woman. I’m also very lucky to have a husband who is so considerate. I feel like the pedestal he normally keeps me on has been given a big riser. He’s really been stepping it up around the house and watching the kids more. All while trying to close nine different deals at work. And he does it all without complaint or expecting any thanks in return. Thanks Adam!
Next week I have another check up with my OB/GYN and I am also giving blood to another doctor for genetic testing. This blood along with an ultrasound they do in 2 weeks replaces the normal Amniocentesis and will let us know if our babies have any genetic abnormalities.
Pin ItMy friend Pam suggested we try the Midnight Circus in the Park one of these weekends. Finally this weekend we made it work, along with a handful of our mutual friends. I’m not sure where she finds all these great things to do in the city but I feel lucky to have such a great resource.
Cotton Candy!
Once again Jack surprised me with his maturity. It was such a joy to watch him engaged in the show. He totally got the slap stick clown humor. Ben was mostly interested in dancing to the music, but he was fairly containable. Enough for us to enjoy most of the show.
Tickets were $15 per person for anyone over 3 years of age. The show is in a tent so rain is not a factor. There are bleachers and also open spaces in front to sit. As our friend Cindy suggested, bring a blanket to spread out, it can get muddy. It lasted about 2 hours with a 15 minute break. They change location every weekend and there is still one weekend left. Next weekend they perform at Chase Park. I highly suggest it and if they do it again next year I’ll definitely go again.
Pin ItFor once the roles were switched.
Instead of our kids torturing our guests, our guests tortured the kids!
Jamie and Morgan come by for dinner
When Jack woke up in the morning he was very disappointed to see his tormentors were gone.
Pin ItRight now my husband and I are busy trying to apply for magnet schools for our oldest son, who will be in kindergarden next year.
It’s surprisingly not that difficult a process. The CPS Access and Enrollment has a really easy to use website. If you want to apply online, all you do is hit the “Apply Online” box in the top, right corner of the screen. Request a PIN. Five days later it is sent to your house. Then you can register as a returning user. You only need the PIN once. If your child is already in a CPS school, get their student # first. You’ll need it.
Here are a few tips and useful bits of information that might be helpful for you when applying.
1. The maximum amount of magnet schools, magnet cluster schools, and/or open enrollment schools you can apply to is 20.
2. I found ratings under a few different websites, including Great Schools, Chicago Tribune Rankings and Chicago Magazine Rankings
3. The latest ruling on magnet schools states that if you have a sibling in that school you are guaranteed to get in. Of the remaining seats after siblings, 40% will be admitted based on proximity – within 1.5 miles of the school. The final seats are chosen also by lottery but broken into 4 different socio-economic groups. The tiers are complicated, based on a number of things including family education and income.
Even though the process is not that difficult, to get in is another story. Chicago Magazine wrote, “Last year, Chicago’s 39 magnet elementary schools received 13,678 applications for 2,097 slots for the 2010–11 school year.”
4. You can also apply to other school besides magnets, namely Selective Enrollment Schools. You can apply to a maximum of 6 of these schools and your child will have to test in. There is no preference for sibling or home address.
5. Last day to apply is December 16, 2011. You should hear back by April 1st, 2012.
6. The CPS website states that you do not need to apply to your neighborhood school. I’m not sure how you enroll yet but I’ll let you know when I get there.
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Me and My Pumpkins
Yesterday we were invited to join our friends, the Smiths, at Bengtson\’s Pumpkin Farm. I have only been to one other pumpkin farm before so I didn’t have much to compare it too. The one I went to was called Sonny Acres and it was quaint and country-like. Bengtson’s, by contrast, was like arriving at a theme park in Orlando. The rides were much better, but the lines were much longer. It made me realize the Jack is ready for a place like Disney. He had a blast, didn’t mind the lines, actively sought new rides and laughed hysterically when he rode them. Ben is definitely not ready. He did not appreciate us telling him where to stand and for long periods of time, or getting ushered around in any sort of time frame that was not his own.
Frog Jump Ride
Petting Zoo
As usual, our city born and raised kids were too scared to feed the animals at the petting zoo. In fact, after I fed the Alpaca carrots and it thanked me by spewing carrot chunks out of his nose at me, I didn’t blame them. Adam tried to protect me by threatening to turn it into a nice sweater.
The price for admission was free for ages 2 and under, $10.99 for kids 3-11, and $11.99 for age 11 and up. They do have a coupon online which gives you a $1 off each admission price. Some things were free like the playground, slides, hay ride, pig races, and much more, other rides like the Frog Leap and Train were $2 per person. Pony rides were $5. There was lots of naughty food to eat and I took full advantage of my ‘eat for three’ status and enjoyed a funnel cake. Mmmm.
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With Thomas, Our Driver
Last night we experienced a night of culinary delight, lovely conversation, and great decoration.
We were invited to a very unusual Halloween party.
Our host’s property was so large that we were driven from the house to the barn in their own private golf cart.
This was no ordinary barn. There were no horses. It was clean and pristine with a make-shift kitchen and lounge chairs outside overlooking the beautiful scenery.
Ghoulish Poker
The barn was decorated to the hilt with Halloween decorations. Most were battery powered and operated by the clapper technology, or any loud noise for that matter. When someone made a joke at the table, the ghouls, ghosts and witches laughed right along with us.
We were served a traditional German meal. It was so delicious, I kept thinking how pleased I was to be eating for three at that point. I filled my plate to the brim and mopped it clean with my pretzel bread. Our host served us Sauerbraten, a marinated beef so delicate it practically fell apart when you speared it. Yummy potatoes that I regret not finding out the name of, beets, home made apple sauce, and green beans made an eye pleasing pile on my plate. I was completely full but still found room for the THREE desserts served afterwards and the take home halloween cookies.
The Table
Every detail was thought of. Water on the table (how many parties do you go to where they forget water?!), votive candles, little halloween decorations on our plate, which were so cute they were stolen by all the guests, halloween music, gorgeous food served at the perfect temperature by the host and her helpers, someone was always running around checking that your drink was full, even the bathroom smelled good! I kept wandering around thinking, “I must make a mental note of this for my own parties.” It was truly a lesson in hosting.
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