Holiday Magic

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This weekend we braved the cold to see another winter treat – Holiday Magic at the Brookfield Zoo. Like everything in the suburbs, it was bigger and more crowded than we are used to in the city.

Laser Light Show

We rode the carousel, watched some ice carving, played in a playground, saw a laser light show and got some dinner.

We missed a lot, like the Holly Jolly Theatre which looked very crowded, the Great Bear Wilderness exhibit which was too far to walk too, and the Children’s Zoo. I also read there would be a magic show but couldn’t find it anywhere.

It was cold out!

Unfortunately during dinner Ben started coughing while eating and threw up. All over me. It was time to go home. It always amazes me to see him vomit. So much liquid comes out. I just don’t understand where he’s storing it all!

Unless it warms up considerably, I’m not sure if I’ll go back. If I had the choice, I’d check out the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights again instead. I felt the light displays were better designed. Also the lay out of the Lincoln Park Zoo makes for a much more quaint experience.

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Five Chicago Holiday Activities for Kids

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Seeing the Zoo Lights a few weeks ago made me wonder what other winter wonders I should seek out for the kids. I did a little thinking about holidays in the past, and a lot of research, and here is what I’m going to try to see before all the magic ends…

1. Brookfield Zoo. They also have Holiday Magic, another spectatular zoo light exhibit. In addition to the lights there are over 400 decorated Christmas trees, ice sculptures, magicians, and jugglers.  Many exhibits are also open, like the Hamill Family Play Zoo which has lots of holiday kid friendly activities. The lights run from 4pm – 9pm for three weekends. December 3rd and 4th, the 10th and 11th, and the 17th and 18th. Also open from December 26th until the 31st. Regular admission fees are $13.50 for adults and $9.50 for children over 3. Parking is $9.00 per car/van.

2. Train Exhibits at the Chicago Botanical Gardens Wonderland, open November 25th – January 1st from 10am – 6pm and the Morton Arboretum Enchanted Railroad open November 25th to January 8th, 9am – 4pm. While at the Arboretum, search for the Hidden Gnomes in the Children’s Museum and join in on their Winter Outdoor Play.

3. Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier. Open December 2nd – January 8th, exclusive of holiday hours. Most days they open by 10am. Closing times vary. Admission is free but you’ll need to buy an activity wristband to ride the rides. They go for around $15 – $20 depending on the package you decide on. If you are at Navy Pier, you can also visit the Childrens Museum. They have a fake snowball and fort exhibit as well as a ‘ice skate with your socks’ rink for kids this winter.

4. CTA Holiday Train. The train is decorated with lights and more. Santa and his elves ride the train passing out candy canes. It’s a great little afternoon activity. Normal CTA rates apply.

5. Ice Skating at Millennium Park. The rink is open on Friday, November 18, 2011 through Sunday, March 11, 2012, weather permitting. The rink is free and open to the public. Skate rental is available for $10. Hours vary so check the website.

This is posted and more on my growing group of lists for Chicago at Hidden Little Gems.

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Huggers

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Third night in the bunk beds and already we had our first night of success. Both kids slept until morning in their own beds. I hope writing about it doesn’t jinx it!

Anyway, the reason I’m thinking about the bunk beds is because I wanted to pass a little mom tip onto people with bunks or beds with sides. Get Huggers!

We got ours from Olive Kids, but if you search google for comforter huggers they are everywhere.

Look how Nicely They Tuck in!

Fitted AND Reversible.

 

 

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How Not to Do Bunk Beds

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Not sure what the proper way to integrate a 2 year old and a 4 year old who sleep in separate rooms to bunk beds. All I can do is give the advice on what NOT to do.

1. Besides measuring if the beds will fit, keep in mind what is on the wall and the floors as well. This way you will not get your new bunk beds installed and say, for example, now be turning on and off the light with a chopstick.

2. Transition is a slow process. Perhaps in hindsight I should have transitioned my 2 year old, Ben, from a crib to a toddler bed, then a toddler bed to a real bed. Because now as it stands he thinks this new arrangement is a big sleep over party and is keeping everyone up. Of course, I have no where else to put him…

3. Wednesday is not the best day to have your beds delivered. The best day to have your bunk beds delivered is a Friday. It’s already hard enough to get the used to the new sleeping arrangement. Don’t add a ‘school night’ bed time to the stress of it.

4. If both your kids wake you up all night, don’t assume throwing them in the same room will end your frequent night waking. They are of no comfort to each other. And when I finally got them both in the same bed, Ben woke up and tried to wake up Jack as well!

The New Bunk Beds!

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Pregnancy Update – Week 17

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They say everything happens earlier with twins. This week was no exception. For the first time I could feel the unmistakable flurry of movement on my belly. Oddly, most of the action was on my left side. Which makes me wonder about the position of the babies. They were transverse last time we had an ultrasound (one on top of the other). Perhaps they are both laying the same way and these are their four little feet, dancing an odd, jerky little tap dance on my left side.

I weighted in at 145. Which means I gained SIX pounds from my last weigh in a short two weeks ago. I bet my husband I would top his prediction for a 60 pound weight gain. Only 35 more pounds to go.

Mostly I’m just hoping I gain enough this time to see the bottom of my belly button. The first two pregnancies were such a tease. I waited and waited and waited but it never fully popped. This time it’s going to get the scrubbing of a lifetime.

This week I gave blood for the USA test. They send you the results by post so I’m hopeful I’ll have good news to report for next week’s update.

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Happy Birthday to Me!

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My Birthday Play Date

When you are pregnant, it really rules out a lot of options you normally consider doing on your birthday. Like drinking. Or staying out late.

But some things never change, like wanted to spend time with your good friends.

So that’s what we did. A play date with all of my girlfriends and their kids. (Those that don’t have jobs on a Tuesday afternoon, anyway.)

 

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Sittercity

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Last month there was a Groupon? or was it Family Finds? Plum District? (I can’t remember which coupon company it was, there are so many nowadays!) for Sittercity.

I had heard of the company before but never thought to use it since we hardly ever use sitters. But with the arrive of the twins looming, I know I need help.

So when I saw the coupon, which was half off a one month subscription for Sittercity (full price is $35 a month), I jumped on it.

I posted an add for summer help and got over 30 responses. It was amazing how many capable people responded! I wonder if this is what internet dating is like. Kind of overwhelming. So much choice, very hard to narrow it down to just one.

For so many years my girlfriends and I were scrounging for sitters. I can think of at least three times we missed events because we couldn’t find a single person to babysit for us! I’ll never have that problem again.

Not only did a find a great summer helper, but also a boat load of back ups as well.

I highly suggest it if you need to up your arsenal of sitters. Just paying for one month you could get enough numbers of capable people to last you years!

 

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Eleven is the New Eight

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I truly believe my husband is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met.

But he does have one flaw.

He can’t count.

I’ve noticed it a number of times. Like when we took ballroom dancing classes for our wedding and he couldn’t count to four and move his feet accordingly. (I still feel bad about laughing at him for this. The dance instructor definitely thought I was a horribly insensitive person when I did it. And actually told me so.)

Now that our family is growing, the need for ballroom dancing has diminished considerably. But the counting is still a problem. Lately I’ve noticed the counting problem has transfered to counting the days of Hanukkah.

I thought there were eight. But every year in our house the amount changes, normally they get larger. So, before my husband went Hanukkah shopping this weekend, I told him, “Remember there are only eight days and our sisters and grandparents can cover some of them. So you only really need like, six days max”. You figure with two kids, that’s twelve presents.

Here is what he came home with…

The Hanukkah Loot

What will he do when we have four kids?!

 

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Did I Mention Long Hours?

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I think my blogs over the past few weeks have hinted at how many hours my husband has been working lately. But I think it says it all when the doorbell rang this evening and I received these below. No, not from Adam…

Flowers from Adam's Boss, with an Apology for Keeping him at Work so Many Hours this Month

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