Winter has arrived. . . finally!

Winter has finally arrived in Chicago and it is swiftly making up for lost time.  It began snowing this morning at 10:00 at is still going strong.  I love it!

The kids sped through their homework today so they could play outside, and didn't come in until I called them in for dinner (for the 50th time).  Actually, Will lasted only 10 minutes.  The rest of the afternoon he spent on the step stool looking out the window at his guys playing.

Dear Johnny,

When are you going to come to terms with the fact that we live in Chicago, not Hawaii?  Slippers?  Seriously?

Isaac had his first choir concert tonight.  I am so proud of him for sticking with it, even though he was only one of seven boys, with, "like, a billion girls".  I know in 5th grade he may not appreciate that fact, but someday. . .

He sang like a champion and this mom could not have been prouder!  He even had a solo part, which he pulled off brilliantly!

The Skunk

Last night when I came home from driving Isaac to cub scouts, it was very dark outside.  It didn't help that our backyard neighbors were not home, and John had been putting kids to bed, so there were no house lights on.  Anyway, I was on my way from the garage to the back kitchen door, when a thought came into my head to close the back gate.  Let me just say that we never close that gate unless Yummy is outside playing.  That gate is the kids' direct access to friends and fun at our neighbor's house, and the little ones have a hard time opening the latch.  I dismissed it, and stuck the key in the door.  The thought came again to close the gate.  Okay, I thought, although I have no idea why.  It's not like it can really keep out anything or anyone.  There is no lock and the fence is only like 3 feet high.  But I walked over to the gate and latched it closed for the night. 

This morning I woke up to the most foul smelling, strong skunk stench that I have ever smelled.  A skunk was wandering around in our neighbor's backyard last night and sprayed something.  This afternoon our house still smells bad.  But it could have been worse.  I am imagining a stranded skunk, wandering around our fenced yard on a dark night, not able to get out, and spraying the first thing that he sees in the morning.  My kiddos, or me, heading out to the van to go to school.  Thank you "Still, small voice."  You saved me some smelly headache and grief.

January, we love you

Who said Chicago winters were bad? 

Yesterday when I picked the kids up from school it was 58 degrees outside.  We ate our afterschool snack outside on the concrete slab while Isaac shot hoops and Avery did her homework.  Nathan dug in the mud and Brady talked to me about why his body was so healthy because he ate so many apples and carrots and not a lot of chips and queso, which is unhealthy. 

Sunshine is good for my mental health.  I sat outside and held Will all wrapped up in his beloved blanket for nearly 30 minutes.  He was a cranky pot waking up from his nap.

Because of the beautiful weather last Saturday, we all ventured out to a park just north of here, to shoot lasers at each other.  And here is where I thank Uncle Garrett, yet again, for the gift that allows my children to take out their pent up frustrations toward each other in a totally harmless way.  Best of all, it makes them run, and run hard, for however long I allow.  In this case, it was an hour!  Thanks for the exercise.

 

 

New Years Part 2: Zoo Lights and the Party

Why do my kids kick and scream and protest so loudly when we tell them that we are taking them somewhere and we don't tell them where that place is?  After all, a few years ago we didn't tell them we were going to Disneyland until a day or two before we left, and only then did we tell them because they pestered it out of us.  Then there was the whole Great Wolf Lodge thing.  Last year we took them to school, then pulled them out an hour later and started driving north.  Isaac argued.  Avery cried.  Isaac argued some more.  Brady stuck out his neck and pouted.  Nathan got mad.  And Isaac continued to argue.   We still didn't tell them.  But we did assure them that they would LOVE where we were going, and that they better stop having bad attitudes RIGHT NOW!!!!  Two hours later, they saw the water slides emerging out of the side of the lodge, and decided that, okay, Mom and Dad are cool after all. 

New Years Eve was more of the same.  Fun day fully planned (by Dad, I might add), and executed right on schedule (I did say it was planned by Dad, right?).  They enjoyed Margie's.  After we filled up on ice cream, we headed toward Lincoln Park Zoo.  They complained, and moaned.  But John and I both love to try and surprise them, even if it isn't something big like Disneyland. 

Forget about the lights and the animals.  Nathan was most excited about the indoor "climbing thing" that he played on forever last time we were there. 




You can't really see it, but the kids are staring at the crocodile.
It sat perfectly motionless at the edge of the pool.
Nathan asked me "Mom, why does the crocodile keep staring at me?"



After church on New Years day, we went to Karen's parents' home for their 30 something annual New Years day open house.   The adults sat around sharing stories and eating things like baked bologna with apricot mustard glaze (delish! I know it may sound weird if your not from around these parts, but trust me, yum!), stuffed grape leaves, asparagus salad, and sugared cranberries (which I probably ate an entire dish of).  The kids spent their time spying on the adults and stealing more deserts.  We ate, talked, ate some more, laughed, commented on how every one's children had grown so much since last year, and for a time I felt like I had a big family right here in Chicago. 

Here's to a happy, safe, inspired, blessed, hopefully slightly less stressful than 2011, new year!

New Years Eve Part 1: a.k.a. Al Capone's Bathroom

One of the great things about living in Chicago is that it is full to the brim of fascinating places to see and fun things to do.  Like Al Capone's bathroom. 

After I paid our bill, I had a dollar left, so I decided to splurge
and try out one of their pecan turtles (my favorite!) 
I did not intend to share. 
However, our very kind waitress, thinking that I was going to
try and split one turtle between our entire brood, slipped an extra one in the bag,
free of charge.

This was actually a quaint ice cream parlor called Margie's Candies, near downtown Chicago.  The place has been there since 1921 and is overflowing with nostalgia.  We ordered only two ice cream dishes to share between us, and it was plenty: a Turtle Sundae and a Coconut Banana Split (the coconut ice cream rivals Dave's in Hawaii).  YUM!  And since the place was frequented by the likes of Al Capone back in the day, we are certain that he used that very bathroom, or bath closet would be a more correct term.

So here's to Margie's, Mom and Pop.  So sorry we didn't get you there when you were here!  But we sure enjoyed it for you!   It was both delicious and delightful!

Tutorial: How to breathe through your eyeballs

There are two times each year when I really wish that homeschooling would work for our family:  about three days after school starts in the fall, and about three days after the kids go back to school after Christmas break.  I miss them.  The first day is okay, and so is the second.  But by the third day, my house is clean.  My laundry is caught up.  I have been grocery shopping, alone, and filled up the cupboards and the refrigerator.  Last week, I even took a nap and read two books.  And I missed my kids.  Even the fighting and the messes and the hectic schedule.  I love that I get to be their mom.

But now they are back in school.  And it is a wonderful school, I might add.  On Thursday I had to drop off Isaac's violin at school because he had forgotten it and it was his day for lessons.  When I went into the office, the secretary just smiled and said to me "Did you know Brady can breathe through his eyeballs?"

Well, I knew Brady was extraordinarily tallented, but this?  Who knew?

Here is the rest of the story.  Brady had gone into the nurses office earlier that morning for a bloody nose.  Apparently he had been hit in the face with a ball during P.E.  After he got cleaned up, instead of heading out into the hallway and back to class, he detoured into the secretary's office. 

Brady:  Did you know I can breathe through my eyeballs?

Secretary:  Really?

Brady:  Yeah, wanna see? 

(He then pinches his nose, and closes his lips and blows as hard as he can.  According to the secretary, his face turned bright red, and his eyes were bugging out).

Brady:  Did you see that?

Secretary:  Wow!

Brady:  Yeah, pretty cool, huh?  (Then turns and proudly struts back to class).