Category Archives: Daily Fun

The Cousins are Here!

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Jack and Ben have had a walloping good time with their cousins from LA visiting. Jack has been desperately trying to keep up with the non napping, late bed time (jet lagged) sleeping cousins. Poor thing will be dead tired when it’s all over, but I can’t blame him one bit – it’s non stop fun in our house right now!

The Cousins

We managed to pack in the Butterfly Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, the water park at Adam’s Park, a picnic, a sail boat tour, Ben’s birthday party, and for me the best part was one glorious evening adult evening at Perennial Virant while the kids terrorized the babysitter.

I think the best part for the kids was that, through some loophole in math laws, more parents around somehow meant less parental supervision.

There is nothing more important or greater than family and this visit made me so happy to be together, yet so sad that we live so far away from each other.

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Ben’s Second Birthday

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Having a kid born in the summer in Chicago is great for birthdays. It opens up all kinds of possibilities that could never occur during a winter month. We used the weather to our advantage. Adam spent a ton of time cleaning up the deck, arranging play mats, cutting branches and much more. His biggest feat, which shows what a determined husband I have, was to blow up a 6 foot pool with his lungs alone.

This expanded the area for play greatly. Of course, the kids thought the best part of the party was to run up and down the back stair well, using the various entrances to our house as ‘secret passageways’.

It was a zoo theme and we ended up arranging for the singer who plays at the zoo every week to come to our house.

Mr Singer playing for Ben's party

Do you remember the best sound in the world during summer when you were a kid? The music of the ice cream truck, right? Instead of cake we arrange to have the ice cream truck come by.

Who wants some Ice Cream?

We decided not to get cake, since an ice cream truck enough dessert for one day, but when Adam saw this bad boy in the supermarket he HAD to have it. I vehemently opposed. I let him buy it, figuring we could break it open in the privacy of our own home, but after his heavy handed pours of Skinny Girl, it didn’t seem so bad after all…

Ben's Hamburger Cake

 

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Tooth Fairy Time

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Once again, you can read a million books and still never be prepared for the next thing that surprises you child rearing. I’m actually reading three toddler rearing advice books right now and still wasn’t able to respond properly this morning when Jack, at the young age of 4 and 1/2, showed me his wobbly lower two teeth.

He was pretty upset about this recent development. He couldn’t stop crying. After smiling and telling him it’s a good thing I realized I ought to be empathizing with him. That trying to explain to him he shouldn’t be upset was just upsetting him more, belittling his fears.

I tried next, “It can be scary when your teeth fall out.”

That put him in a tailspin where he felt the need to go brush his teeth for 20 minutes while crying the whole time.

No matter what I did he could not be comforted. Letting him know it’s normal and everyone goes through it did nothing. (I guess while feeling labor, hearing that every mom went through it is no consolation either). Nor did boasting that he’s getting his ‘big kid’ teeth in.

In the end I resigned to the lap cuddle. Jack cried on my lap for even longer while Ben tugged at my back, crying from lack of attention.

Even the explanation of how the tooth fairy came and left money under his pillow scared the crap out of him. He replied, “I’m going to keep my window shut!”

Which made me wonder who came up with that crazy idea anyway. It is kind of a scary concept to think that, once you go to bed someone will sneak into your room in the middle of the night.

In hindsight I hope he’ll be happy we had the tooth fairy in our house. When I lost teeth my father wouldn’t just put money under the pillow. He would leave a note with an elaborate scavenger hunt. I hope I can pass that tradition on.

 

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Father’s Day 2011

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I’m sure you will all be surprised to hear that, for Father’s Day, my husband wanted to take us all strawberry picking.

The boys 'Helping' Papa pick berries

I realized our kids were city kids when Jack was too scared of bugs to help. I wasn’t watching Ben closely because I was too busy crouched over, sweating and picking, having a new respect for the profession of strawberry pickers and vowing never to waste a single strawberry ever again, but I am pretty sure based on the red hands and face that Ben will have strawberry butt tomorrow.

What the hell am I going to do with all these?!

This year was better than last for Adam. Last year he had the unfortunate fate of his birthday falling on Father’s Day. I think I even remember going for a run in the afternoon that year which probably wasn’t very nice of me.

You’d think I would have had some residual guilt. But I married a very kind, thoughtful man. The kind of man who actually is happy just making us happy. I’m a very lucky woman.

After berry picking we ended up in Gurnee Mills. Home of the outlet mall! I’ve lived here 7 years and never managed to make it out there. The temptation was to great. After lunch I ended up once again doing something for myself – shopping for clothes while my husband took the kids to Toys R Us.

Ironically our gift to him this year was a wallet.

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The Master Cleanse, an update

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It’s been a week since I finished the Master Cleanse and I just wanted give a quick update.

My initial plan was to get down to my illusive 115 goal, which I had been trying for 6 months unsuccessfully to get to, then start eating and counting calories daily to maintain.

My sister did warn that you gain some of the weight back, but I guess I didn’t realize I would gain HALF of it back right away. My understanding now is that I slowed my metabolism which made it need less food. I also cleaned the pipes, making them more efficient and therefore needing less to function again. So when I went back, I should have eaten EVEN LESS. Ugh.

I was never tired on the fast, but afterwards I felt a bit light headed at times, like if I got up too fast. Not sure why. It was never anywhere near faint level, just noticeably different.

I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I instinctively know there are no shortcuts to weight loss. Just a bunch of hard, hungry work.

Having said that, I have been able to keep the rest of it off and more importantly I have been able to keep the other nagging, recurring problem in my life at bay – no one has asked me if I am pregnant.

 

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End of School Days

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School is out for the summer!!!

Having a kid in school makes me remember the incredibly wonderful feeling that the end of school brings. Accomplishment, the sense of everything easing up a bit, the thought of balmy hot days and endless ways to waste them.

All these end of school day festivities seem to signal that summer fun is about to begin! Here is Jack dunking his P.E. teacher. Pretty good aim for a 4-year old, eh?

Dunk Tank at Field Day

Finding Jack’s first school was an exercise not that dissimilar to a trying to find your way blind folded to the nearest Starbucks. There are so many pre-schools in the city to choose from. Location is key but you are willing to go a bit further if the menu or service is better at a Starbucks further away.

After this first year I’m pleased to say I feel we’ve chosen well. Jack has learned a lot. He’s also met many nice kids that he gets to hang out with every week day.

Family Picnic (in the library due to rain)

I was so proud of this crown Jack made for me I wore it all the way home. A non-english speaking construction worker with a wide toothless grin called me ‘Diana’. I regally gave him a royal wave back.

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The Master Cleanse

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I’ve been talking about this fast for some time with my sister. She swears by it. I take her advice with a grain of salt because in the past she has done a lot of different diets like mostly Vegetarian and the Aitken’s Diet which sounds… well… nasty really… and now she’s following a more Macrobiotic Diet. She’s on a major food and health journey.

However, when I saw her last year she had just come off the cleanse and she looked fabulous. And more importantly she seemed to eat a lot better, with a lot more consciousness.

So, after a particularly naughty weekend of two kids birthdays both complete with cake, one of which I took the leftover fried and cheesy bar food home from AND a visit to a cupcake shop ALL IN ONE WEEKEND, I decided it was time to clean out the system. My sister did say it would reset me and make me think about what I was eating.

The Master Cleanse suggests 10 days but I did the cleanse for only 3. On the 4th I was back to solids.

I did feel better and had more energy, one of those days I ran 30 minutes behind a stroller in 92 degree weather. No problem.

I also never felt that hungry. Anytime I started to feel hunger I just drank more lemonade.

In total I lost 7 pounds. I’m back to my WEDDING WEIGHT, baby! Of course, after two kids your wedding weight is a bit different. In a cruel twist of redistribution fate my boobs got smaller and my feet got bigger.

WEDDING WEIGHT, sort of...

I’m curious to see if I gain it all back. I guess it depends if I can keep mindful about what I put in my body or not. Stay tuned….

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