Embracing the Crazy

Our lives are so nuts right now. So. I'm teaching part-time, working in the office part-time, working from home part-time, and I have a 3 year old and a four month old. Joe is preparing for his dissertation defense and also working full-time. Rumor has it, he has a wife and two kids as well.

WE ARE NUTS.

This weekend, we decided to say FORGEDDABOUTIT. On Friday, we went to the lakefront and let Nathan run around like a loon. Can you see the crazy in his eyes? Or is the crazy of the hair behind him overpowering the picture? Cute boys, though. Right?


On Saturday, I scheduled an awesome playdate for Nathan and his BFF, a little girl he's gone to daycare with since he was five months old. She was actually at the new daycare when we switched in November. We went to our local park, which has an awesome water feature, and played and played and played. Nathan fell asleep at 7:00 that night.

Yesterday, we played tourist and went downtown. We took a water taxi on the Chicago River, walked along Michigan Avenue, ate lunch at a downtown cafe, and then took the water taxi back to the West Loop. Seriously, the best $8 we've ever spent. If you get to Chicago when the weather is comfortable, do this. It was a lot of fun. The water taxi is more for transportation than the tour boats. It goes from the west loop to Chinatown, with a few stops along the way.

It was a weekend of refreshment that I so needed. What did you do?

SnOMG

I haven't been outside since last Friday, but Joe took Nathan out to enjoy the snowmageddon on Wednesday. He had a great time. I mean, really, what's more fun to a three year old than several feet of snow drifts? NOT MUCH, I tell you.


He crazily didn't seem to mind the cold. It was pretty cold too. But this kid? He'll lie down and make a snow angel at any opportunity... snow pants or not.


And, hey... Let's build a snowman! Why not?


Joe said that he wasn't so into the sled, but enjoyed pulling it himself, and falling down about a dozen times.


Nathan's favorite part? Shoveling! We bought a ridiculously expensive kid-sized shovel from a local toy store a few weeks ago. He was "helping" Joe shovel the walk, and then dumping the snow on himself. Why can't we all be this easily entertained?


I'm so glad my big boy got to enjoy the snow. The little screamer and I were holed up, cluster nursing. But, that's another post for another day. I hope all of you Chicagoans got to enjoy the Snonami a little bit. And I pray that none of you were stuck on Lake Shore Drive.

The Other Chuck-E-Cheese

The worst thing about winter, to me, is that it gets dark at 2:00 pm. Okay, not really, but seriously, 4:30. So, by the time we get home from work, we can't take Nathan to the park or do anything outside. This has been a problem for us since he started his new daycare. At the old place, the husband would take the oldest two boys to the park, the library or an indoor gym every day. For an active 2 1/2 year old, this was so necessary. At his new daycare, which is wonderful, they stay inside (because it's winter in Chicago) and do more organized activities, like crafts. When we get Nathan home, he's insane! He meeds (needs) to RUN!!!! Sometimes, this desperate need results in him crazily ping-ponging off the couch and the chair and having some sort of head trauma.

About a month ago, Joe decided to take Nathan to the Chuck-E-Cheese in Lincoln Park. As long as he avoided the nasty-ick-a-lot ball pit, I was cool. Well, he decided to do this on a Saturday night and the line was crazy! Joe said he soon realized his mistake. Nathan was getting impatient and this woman in front of him kept throwing the N-word around like it was the word "the." She said things like "they'd better let me in soon, because this "n-word" is getting pi$$ed off!" Joe was pretty horrified. To make it worse, the group of people the woman was with joined in, using epithets and profanity to voice their outrage at having to wait in line. Joe left quickly because he was so afraid Nathan was going to repeat the words.

When he got home, we talked about needing to find a new evening activity. We agreed that worst case scenario, we can go to the icky Play Land at McDonald's. One night, we did just that. Except! The McDonald's had remodeled! Instead of the slides and tubes that certainly were never cleaned and that Nathan was afraid of anyway, they had a soft-surface area with the soft rubber/plastic/whatever climb on animals, race car, and slides. It's awesome. Also, they request that it's just children 3 and under. Nathan calls it "the other Chuck-E-Cheese."

The first night was GREAT. Nathan sort of hogged the race car, but Joe got him out and ran around with him. We decided we would try to go there once or twice a week. Most of the time, it's been fine. There are often children who are too big (like 9 or 10) to be in there with crawlers and new walkers. Also, there are often children whose parents aren't watching them at all.

But the other night, there was a mother of four kids. I'm guessing they were 4, 3, 2 and a newborn. The mom stayed in the restaurant with the newborn while the older three played in the area (a whole different room). The oldest two were girls and were just fine. The youngest, likely just turned two, was a little boy and he was awful. Nathan was sitting in the race car minding his own business, when the boy came up to him and grabbed his arm. He shouted "NO!" in his face and then walked away. Nathan, who we refer to as a gentle giant, just sat there and looked confused. We said it's okay, just keep playing. But, every few minutes, the little boy would come up to him and do something physically aggressive and yell at Nathan. This little guy was about a head shorter than Nathan, so he wasn't hurting him, but he certainly did confuse him. My last straw was when Nathan was playing in one of the tunnels and the little man walked up to him, yelled at him, and then SPIT on him! WHAT IN THE WORLD? I'm guessing little kids hitting and yelling at one another is fairly normal, but spitting on each other? At 2? Is that normal? So, I said to the little boy "That's not nice" and then I played with Nathan for the next fifteen minutes. I told him that he could play on what he wanted to, but that he should be polite and share. But really, I was mad at this (undoubtedly) tired and overwhelmed mom.

I wondered if she had just been in the same room, would her little boy - her toddler - be that mean. I wondered too if he was that mean because he was treated that way, or neglected at home. Whatever the answer, Nathan is none the worse for wear. But, it's such a careful balance. Maybe I should have said something to the mom? I'm not sure... but I do feel bad for the two year old shouting for attention.

But We Didn't Watch The Daytona 500

My parents came to town this past weekend. We had a really good time. You know you're an old married couple when your Valentine's Day is spent with your parents (or in-laws) and you really enjoy it.

This was a really good weekend for us, because both The Targo's and my family have been marred in sadness for the past couple of months. Couple that with the normal seasonal affect disorder-like sadness that hits many Midwesterners this time of year, and a good weekend is the exact prescription. We had a nice dinner out on Saturday at one of my favorite family-friendly restaurants. On Sunday, my mom, The Targo and I took Nathan to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park. It's a pretty reasonably priced venue, for Chicago. And hey! The two-year-old was free! The best things included the butterfly room and the hands-on-habitat. I really recommend this place to parents with small children. And also, it's right next to the Lincoln Park Zoo (I don't like zoos), so you can make a day of it.

The Targo and Nathan in the butterfly habitat

The Targo had Monday off for Presidents' Day, so he took Nathan to the Family Grounds Cafe, a wonderful play area for toddlers and preschoolers that has an attached coffee shop. The best part? It's close to our house, so we can pretty much decide to go, oh, right now.

It's weekends like this one, where we can just do things spur of the moment, that remind me how happy I am to live in Chicago. I don't know if this is where we'll spend the rest of our lives, or even the rest of our parenting years, but I know that it fits us this season of life.

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I feel like I need to talk about my lack of blogging for the past, um, I don't know, 6 months. Why? It's not that I think you care, exactly, but I feel the need to talk, whine, disclose... something. While The Targo was in India, I was so steeped in my single-parentness that I didn't know what to do, what to write about. Every day was about making life as normal for Nathan as possible. And also, to hold things together for The Targo, who felt immeasurable guilt about being gone. Also, I feel so ridiculously normal. Who would want to read about the everyday challenges when people who are really crazy interesting write so much more eloquently? I mean, I can talk about deaths in our family and the cancer curse, but does anyone really care or want to read about that? Nahhhhhhhh. And also, I don't write about poop. I just don't. So, my mama issues are just not cool/fun enough to read about, so I haven't written about them. And lastly, The Targo's computer died, so he had to take my laptop to finish his dissertation. So, yes, I have the interwebs at home (we don't live in a cave!), but I don't really have access. This is what I've been up to.

Doing Good Things

Growing up, my family was not wealthy. Not at all. I always felt like we had plenty of money, but I now realize that my parents didn't have much money and saved very little. They also spent much more than they should have. But, when the new school year rolled around, I always had a couple of new outfits, new shoes (for my ridiculously LARGE feet), and school supplies.

While The Targo and I live pretty frugally, Nathan has every thing that he needs. But as I watch him grow, it grieves me to know there are so many kids out there who aren't as lucky as he is. Is there something I can do? Yes! Orphan Outreach in Chicago has a yearly mission. They provide brand new backpacks and school supplies for children in need. Their goal this year is to reach 5,000 children. I remember how the truly poor children were treated in school, and I grew up in a working class community. I can only imagine what it must be like to be a poor child living in a depressed neighborhood on the fringe of wealth. Actually, I can't.

So, my family and I are contributing to this charity this summer. There may be similar programs in your area. If not, please consider contributing.

It's True.

This morning, I was stopped at a stop light. The car behind me was stopped too. But for some reason, the car got rear-ended. It's true! I know! I'm certain this time that I had nothing to do with it. While I felt a little culpability the previous two times (even though they weren't my fault!), this had nothing to do with me. I was simply there.

In Which I Re-Evaluate My Driving

*EDIT* I really should add that during #1, I didn't stop suddenly - at all. I slowed into a stop. #2 --- I stopped rather suddenly, but seriously, I didn't want to hit that guy. This was also on a street that has a stop sign nearly every block. I'm not sure why anyone would either follow that closely, or drive too fast to stop.

I admit it. I used to be Ms. Lead-Foot. I got three speeding tickets in a year when I lived down in Memphis. With my current job, it's probably pretty important that I don't get a ticket... and also, I think The Targo would KILL ME if our car insurance went up. So, I'm a reformed speeder. Like most people who are reformed, I'm a total jerk about current speeders. But that doesn't excuse what's happened to me in the past month.

Incident #1 --- about 3-4 weeks ago. Nathan and I were driving home from work. We were in Chicago, just about 4 blocks from home, when I had the audacity to stop at a red light. I should mention that I was in the left turn lane, a lane that has an arrow, so I didn't feel the obligation to run a red light. The people behind me, apparently, disagreed with me and my perfectly legal decision to stop. The car right behind me stopped just before it hit me. And the car behind him didn't stop. So, yeah... rear-ender right behind me. Was it my fault for stopping at a red light?

Incident #2 --- just this morning. Nathan and I were driving to work. Were only about 6 blocks from home when a pedestrian decided to cross the street at a crosswalk. I stopped, rather than hit him, which was the legal and moral decision. The car behind me stopped just before it hit me. The car behind him did not stop. Again, did I cause a traffic accident? I think so. But was it my fault? I don't know.

What say you, Interwebs, in all of your wisdom? Are you now afraid to drive behind me because I follow the traffic laws?

Baby Loves Disco

Are any of you Chicago mommies interested? Baby Loves Disco is going to be on the North Side at Club Metro (3730 North Clark) on Sunday, March 8th from noon to 3:00. It's for children 6 months to 7 years and it sounds like loads of fun. It's $12 for anyone who is walking, except grandparents. Because it's Grandparents' Month, grandma and grandpa get in for $5 each! Go here to find out more information or buy tickets.

Question #2 - What Did You Miss Out On As A Kid?

There are many reasons why I love living in Chicago: the availability of things to do, even in the winter, is one of them. This weekend, The Targo, Nathan and I went to Navy Pier for a winter festival. It was a blast! The center of the room (?) was full of Christmas trees, there were three gigantic inflatable slides. There was ice skating, rock climbing, and a huge Ferris wheel. For the littles, they had a couple trains, inflatables, and flying dragons. Nathan was a little too little for almost everything, but he really enjoyed the candy cane tunnels. I put him down, and he zoomed right through... I so didn't need to go to the gym yesterday! He got to walk around (yes, he's sans shoes) a lot, and he had his first carousel ride. He was fine until he started clapping, then slipped, then got a little scared.

I'm not sure if you can see it in this picture, but there was much maniacal laughter. It was pretty pricey ($12/person, even for Nathan, and $23 to park), but I considered it my New Year's Eve, since we didn't go out. Also, the crazy belly laughs we got out of Nathan were totally priceless. I so wish I would have been able to go to something cool like this when I was a kid.

So, this brings me to today's question: What sorts of thing(s) are available now that you wish was around when you were a kid?

Firsts

(With a title like that, you'd think I'd be talking about my baby... But, no.)

While driving home from work yesterday, I saw two things I'd never seen before. And quite frankly, they're both bad, but I'm not sure which is worse.

For about seven miles of my 11 mile trip, I was next to this woman in a burgundy Corolla. The entire time we were next to each other, she was reading a book! While driving! In traffic!

During this same drive, our lanes of incredibly slow traffic came to a stop. A taxicab driver decided that things were moving (or not moving) way too slow, so he drove up on the sidewalk to get around all of suckers who were waiting in line.

I'm so glad you folks don't give a damn about the other people with whom you're sharing the road. You get my "So Awesome" award of the day.

I-55 Series

Or as I like to call it, "GO CARDINALS!"



The Targo has a half day and I'm working from home. So, we've got the TV on and Nathan and I are decked out in Cardinal regalia. Again "GO CARDINALS!"



We almost had tickets, but it didn't pan out. So, I'll have to settle for being an antagonistic fan from home. Heh.



FYI: I posted Nathan's 6 months post. If you could (really, if you feel like it), please leave a comment. I plan on printing them out for his baby book. Grazi!

First Date and Other Events

The Targo and I had our first date - post baby - a few weeks ago. One of his friends from college got married at - wait for it - the Sears Tower. It was gorgeous. The views were just phenomenal. I've lived in Chicago since 1999 and I'm still not tired of the views.

We got all dressed up and I wore make-up, which for me is lipgloss. Heh.


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Nathan isn't sitting up by himself, really, but he's been "tripodding" for about 3 weeks. It's pretty cute watching him wobble like a drunken sailor.



~~~~~

The other day, I took Nathan to the little kid (soft-surface) park nearby. As I was walking in, a little girl and her mom held the gate for me and my monstrous stroller. I thought they closed the gate behind me. About 20 minutes later, a mom came up to me and said "Um yeah, when you came in you didn't close the gate behind you and my friend's son almost ran out into traffic." I was all "Omigosh. I'm really sorry, but I thought someone was behind me." After she rolled her eyes at me she said, "Yeah, well, it's kind of a rule." I managed to remain patient and said "I understand and thank you for letting me know." I was a touch annoyed by the dressing down, but what could I say because no, I didn't close the gate behind me. The Targo said I should have stood up for myself. I think she could have said something to me when I walked in. The playground wars begin!

Urban Jungle*

While I was at a meeting this afternoon, I heard a National Weather Service Warning about a tornado watch in the neighborhoods just south of mine. When I returned to my office, the sky was black and the wind was very still. On the way home, I ran into a couple down traffic signals, but other than that, the ride was uneventful. Until I got to my neighborhood. I was greeted with this:





I called my parents and my dad said his entire backyard was destroyed and they're without power. We've obviously got power. And fortunately, I had The Targo's car; so it's not buried under debris. I've just never seen anything like this close up before. Now, I realize it's not the devastation of a hurricane or a war zone, but it was a pretty stunning welcome home.

*EDIT FRIDAY 8/24* - I realized this was a better title. And also, we're totally fine. It looks like the people in our neighborhood are fine. The blocks around ours have downed powerlines and the trees look even worse. The bad part is that we're supposed to get more storms during much of the day and this evening.

Brewing

The Chicago weather has alternated between a million trillion degrees and this. Photo taken by The Targo, while on a booze cruise. So jealous.

New Home: Before and After

"Moved in" is such a relative term. I mean, The Targo and I are officially "moved in," but there are still boxes galore. We have a kitchen, very nearly a living room, just about a bathroom, almost a bedroom... and we shall not speak of the office. Lord.

Between 1999 and 2002, I moved at least nine times. So, I'm not really used to unpacking. I can totally work with chaos. The Targo is, how shall I put this, a little more anal orderly. The boxes and disarray make him want to flee. Flee right now!

My point is, I don't know when we're going to be "moved in" enough to take pictures. But, here are some before pictures that we took while our landlady was cleaning and repainting.

Dated kitchen with modern amenities. The room has five times as many cabinets as the mole hole did. I heart it very much. And also? Do you see what that is in the corner? Yes, that's a window! It's one of two in the kitchen alone. That was the total number of windows in the entire mole hole.


This is the living room. I don't know how much detail comes through on these pictures, but there's gorgeous moulding (molding?) throughout the apartment. It's just one of the several nice vintage details. One of the bedrooms, that cannot be called a "master" due to its 8'x12' dimensions, has a built-in chest of drawers.


Okay, these next two are "after" shots. This is Magic, surveying his new domain.


And this is the focal point on our about-to-collapse front porch. And you'd just better beware, buddy.

Globes!

The Targo and I ventured down to the Museum Campus on Saturday morning. Every year, the City of Chicago has some really unique art exhibit going on downtown. My first summer here, there were several cows (scroll halfway down the page) which of course represent the frame job Mrs. O'Leary did on her cow starting the Chicago fire.

This year, the pieces are globes. I'm not sure what inspired it, but all of the globes had some sort of earth friendly theme. But first, the cutest globe there:


This globe could be an M&M. (If you click on these - at your own risk - they're HUGE. I was too lazy to reformat the pictures.)


I LOVED this one. I thought it was amazing from far away and then we got close up and it was just incredible.


Trees!


And then, we have two crazies. I was having a rough (hair) day. I'd like to blame the heat on my looking horrible... but ah, no. Goodness we look alike! Our child is going to be a clone!

This Weekend in Chicago

Hi kids. The first thing about this weekend is that it's HOT. Perhaps I should spell that HAWT, because Good Lord, it's about a million degrees outside. Mystic has spent much of her day in front of the air conditioner, letting her whiskers blow.

But stinky, sweaty hotness aside, there are several fun things going on this weekend. We're going to try to attend two festivals today, if I can pry myself away from Mystic's A/C...

The first is the Lake View Music Fest. If you're in Chicagoland, this party of much alcohol and fun bands will be at Barry and Ashland in Lakeview. The admission is a ridiculously low $5 and you'll get to see some local talent, as well as the Verve Pipe (I didn't know they were still together), and Hello Dave. If you haven't heard of Hello Dave, check them out. They're folksy in a hip sort of way. I love the tune "Sweet Saturnalia."

Just a half mile north is the Wrigleyville SummerFest. Again with the booze, the food, and the live music. And also, the $5 cover. The best thing about this festival is the feature act: Elevation is one of the best U2 cover bands around. I think Targo is much more likely to get me to this one because Elevation comes on at 8:00, so it might only be 90 by then. Sweet God.

In completely unrelated news, The Targo and I went to see Transformers last night. Okay, I didn't hate it. In fact, I had a good time. I would agree with the rest of you who said the script was pretty bad, but I watched the show when I was a kid and totally got nostalgic. Again, the worst part of the movie, was going to the movie. The theater was pretty packed and there were these two guys in front of The Targo and me who took up five seats - for no reason. Several couples asked them to scoot down one so they could sit there, but I guess the ONE "I'm a heterosexual seat" just didn't cut it. Twenty-something men can be really dumb sometimes.

I hope you all get outside today and have fun. Happy Saturday.

A Good Hallmark Holiday

After work today, I'll take the Amtrak to visit my parents. Really, it's just an excuse to go see my nephew, Sammy, who turns two the day after my birthday. He's so CUTE. Oh and, good things? My parents have central air and a pool and it's 9 bajizillion degrees today. HATE SUMMER.



There are couple of things going on in Chicago this weekend.




This week has been Fiestas Puertorriquenas, essentially a Puerto Rican Pride festival. On the west side of the city, there's a gigantic, flourescent Puerto Rican flag that spans the street. It looks pretty cool and all, but it's kind of a sketchy neighborhood.



Also, in the West Loop, an area that used to be meat packing plants and warehouses, there's the Taste of Randolph Street. Now peppered with trendy lofts and fabulous restaurants, the West Loop is one of the "it" neighborhoods. The newspaper says it's a $10 "suggested donation," but they won't let you in unless you pay. I think it's a bargain though because you'll get to hear a lot of good local music. And OMG the food. The Targo and I went a couple of years ago and there was some amazing barbecue, southern cooking and some other pretentious dishes. I don't remember those; I'm a little low-brow.


Go here for more info.


Anyway, have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to you, your spouses, or your dads... wherever applicable.

Oh ICK! ICK a Hella Lot!

While walking home from my train this evening, I saw an icky - and I mean VERY icky - sight. It should have been a tranquil walk, especially having to endure 25 minutes of pompous Ivy League college boys. But no. Not today. Not along this street.

As a woman was riding her bicycle on the sidewalk, a rat the size of a chipmunk (tiny by Chicago standards) threw itself under her tire! Was the rat injured? Aw hell no! It just wandered away, like that was par for the course.

And really, it's times like this that I know rats will survive nuclear fallout; along with cockroaches, Twinkies, and polyester leisure suits.

*gag*

*EDIT* I should add that The Targo squealed (perhaps, like a little girl) when I told him this story. Rats freak the bejeebus out of him.

Frustration Is...

Photo from http://brattononline.com/photos.php

Waiting 20 minutes for the Red line train and praying you don't miss your transfer. Seeing the Purple line train outside your window and watching it blow by. Then knowing you're going to have to wait another half hour for the next one.

Bottom line? Frustration is Chicago Transit Authority construction and how it makes getting anywhere three times as long.