Chicago Chick

What a Weekend!

The boys have their spring break this week and for the first time I wish that I took the entire week off.  Normally, spring break is just another week for me but this year something has shifted.  Maybe it's because the boys are at an age where they want to do something other than watch their toy trains go round in circles or play forever with their model airplanes.

On Saturday we went to the Shedd Aquarium where the youngest one conquered his fear of the beluga wales and the sting rays.  He also had a fit when we wouldn't buy him yet another toy from the gift shop.  I quickly picked him up and announced that we would be going home.  Yes, I am THAT parent that actually leaves when their child misbehaves.  When I say that we're leaving if you don't behave, I MEANit.  Much to my children's surprise and the surprise of parents around me, I have ended an evening out to eat early and taken the food to go when the boys' misbehave.

This Sunday we went to Legoland Discovery Center and it was fun with the exception of the shoving and pushing as well as the parents who cannot be bothered to parent.  It's a long story and one that I don't want to go into since this post isn't about that.  We bought a couple of Lego kits (a sonic boom kit for the older son and a police helicopter kit for the younger son) and I - I repeat I- spent about 3 hours putting them togetherer.  It was a labor of love.  The look on the boys' faces was priceless and I am about ready to look for a new one to assemble.

We also went to a classmate's birthday party.  I love the local store, Hip, Hip, Hooray! in Northbrook.  They have such unique gifts; the owner is a doll; and they have free gift wrapping.  When it seems as though every weekend you're running to a birthday party, this store is awesome.  We ran in from our little Legoland outing right to the store, bought a gift, and were on our way to the party.  No muss - no fuss.

Today I decided that I'd take the day off and spent the morning at Spa Space for a massage and manicure.  I love going to this place - the people are so friendly and parking is not too hard.  It doesn't hurt that the hours are perfect and it's a couple of blocks away from where I work.  Also, it's a block from either of the train stations.  But, maybe I'm a bit biased since I've frequented this spa on and off since it opened in 1999.

It's been a great weekend and I'm sad to have to go back to work tomorrow.  The boys have been fun to spend time with - except for the few moments of discourse. 

Chicken Dance

So, I had grandieous plans for today; after all, I DID take the day off.  I did get up and shower and I left the house.  I also tried to write the funding request, but didn't have all the information I needed so I scheduled a meeting for tomorrow morning to find out what exactly the project is about.  I also answered a few work emails and phone calls.  I also set up some short term goals - nothing as meaningful as I'd hoped - and we decided that the boys would be taking some swim classes and hanging out with friends this summer.

Overall, I did not have as productive a day as I had hoped.  So, what DID I do today?  I did this:

Actually, right after the youngest boy came home from school we played Let's Dance 2 and then took a nice loooong break until the oldest boy came home from school.  The oldest one quickly tired of trying to figure out dance moves and then both of them decided to play Wii golf.  I was quickly muscled out of  the game and they've been at it for the past 2 hours.  Maybe it will make them sleepy and they will go off to bed without complaint.

Although my day wasn't entirely productive, at least I had a good time. 

Birthday Parties and Playdates - What Have You Been Up To?

This weekend has been a whirlwind of activity.  Friday was spent at a play date with one of my oldest son's classmates.  Is it possible to spend 2 hours at an Oberwies with 4 small children and not get kicked out?  Yes it is.  Thank you to the patient people at Oberwies who put up with my oldest son and his classmates playing airport and then trying to learn to play chess.

Yesterday the boys went to a birthday party held at a gymnastics center.  It took a little while for them to warm up but 5 minutes into it, they were both jumping into the foam block pool, jumping on the trampoline, and rough-housing with the other kids.  Then, it was off to my parents' house where we all spent some time with my parents and my sister and her family.  I've got at least 4 rolls of black and white film to develop and twice as many loads of laundry to do.

Sadly, next week end is more of the same.  When is spring break?  I could really use a trip to someplace where I don't have to BE somewhere at a designated time.

Feet and Found Childhood Memories

Today was a very busy day for us here.  There was the 10:00 am podiatrist appointment - sadly my oldest son has the same flexible flat feet as me and needs orthopedics.  We spent 90 minutes at the doctor's office which was a good hour away from home.  Normally, I would not make that kind of trek for a doctor but Dr. Schoene is awesome.  Of course it helped that my niece's 3rd birthday party was shortly after the appointment and was 20 minutes away from the doctor's office.

We don't really have a lot of girls in our family.  There are 6 grandchildren on my side of the family and 4 of the 6 are boys.  The last girl we had - excluding my 3 year old niece - is now 20 years old and is NOT a girlie-girl, but fortunately my 3 year old niece is.  For her birthday, I bought a very cute dress and leggings with a matching headband.  I also purchased a Barbie doll and 2 packages of 3 outfits.  It was nice for a change to buy something so girlie.

I debated whether to purchase an Easy Bake Oven, but decided against it because she IS only 3!  But, the more I thought about it, I realized how much I really wanted one.  I had one when I was 5 or 6, but after I used up all the mixes that came with the oven my parents really weren't that hot to purchase more.  Looking up the cost of refill mixes now, I can't say that I blame them.  They're like 2 packages of cake mix and 2 packages of frosting for $5.99!  Seriously, I can buy a real package of cake mix and frosting for less than that.

So, on the way home from the birthday party, the oldest boy and I were dropped off at the Toys R Us and we purchased our very own Easy Bake Oven.  Yes, it's a little kooky but what the heck.  We spent the last hour making 3 little cakes.  It wasn't completely a self-indulgent exercise.  The oldest son read the instructions, measured out the water, mixed, filled the pan, set the timer, and put the cake into the toy oven.  He also poured out the frosting mix, measured out the water, and mixed.  For a 6 year old he did rather well.

Sadly, the cakes did not turn out like I remembered back when I was 5.  The water to mix ratio needed to be adjusted and the chocolate frosting was a little gritty.  But, we had a great time and now that I am the adult, I can go and buy (or make) my own cake mix refills.  Who knew that there were a lot of sites that are related to the Easy Bake Oven.  Here are some of my new found favorites:

- Easy Bake Oven Recipes (this place has links to packaged mixes and bakeware)
- Children's Recipes
- The Fun Place
- Kitchen, Crafts n' More

Bleary-Eyed

Although this past week was rough at work (lay-offs and whatnot), I STILL have things that I need to complete.  I am now responsible (again) for pulling together forecasts for projects.  I am also doing it with one less person since the person who used to report to me now reports to Accounting and has a new boss.  Then there is the work that needs to get done that the person that I had to lay-off on Wednesday used to do.

The forecasts are due next week and I have spent probably a good week on them.  I got up this morning at 1:45 am since I couldn't sleep.  The due date and the items that I need to complete for this forecast kept popping into my head.  So, after almost 4 hours of working on them - and making good progress I may add - I am so bleary eyed that I can't seem to keep my eyes open.  I am sure that I made mistakes, but at least I am better off than I was a few hours ago.

I'm off to get some sleep and then get up to go to church.  It's Catholic Schools week and my son is participating in some of the festivities.  I am sure that there is a better way of accomplishing all that is on my plate.  I just don't know what it is.

Happy Birthday Mini Me

Today my youngest boy turns 5 years old.  When I had my first son, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I could love someone so much.  When I had my youngest son, I was shocked to find out that I could have the ability to love more than one person so much. 

He loves trains and can tell you the difference between HO scale and O scale trains.  He can tell if something is derailed and can recouple cars that have been decoupled.  He can melt your heart with his big brown eyes, his dimples, and his cheesy smile.  He can read and is smart as a whip, but will ask you to read him a story because he wants to look at the pictures.  He will read his brother's school books just to make my oldest son mad (I used to do my brother's math problems just to annoy him). 

My youngest is so much like me; happy-go-lucky one minute and mean as a snake when he's crossed.  It's humbling to me that there is a person who could reflect what I'm like to me.  Happy birthday to my mini-me.

It's the Holidays

Me: Are you finished eating your dinner?
Oldest Son: Yes
Me: I see you've eaten all your noodles.  Do you want some more?
Oldest Son: No thank you.  I'm stuffed.
Me: Stuffed?
Oldest Son: Yes, stuffed.  Stuffed like a turkey.

He said it in such a matter of fact manner that I couldn't help but smile.  Not surprisingly, he still had room for dessert.

Let's Just Say I'm Thankful

I wrote a deliciously long post in which I listed all the things I accomplished today and ended with all the things I was thankful for.  But, I think Typepad ate my post because I don't see it.  YES, I published it!  So, I'm writing a new post.  One in which I say Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Life right now is good.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Today my oldest son turns 6.  I can hardly believe it.  Last night we took him to a restaurant by a local, regional airport where he could watch the airplanes take off and land.  There was also a patio where we could sit after dinner and enjoy the weather.

It's hard to believe that this boy who knows the names of airplane builders and the capacity of each model of commercial airplanes, but cannot manage to remember to flush the toilet, was once the little burrito that we brought home from the hospital 6 years ago.  I look at him - and my youngest son - in amazement all the time.  Both of them are smart, funny, and engaging little boys.  There are times when I look at them (especially after they say something that is so typically something I would say) and marvel.

Happy birthday to my oldest son.  I love you with all my heart!

Jumping for Joy

Today I threw my youngest son a birthday party.  His birthday is really in December but with the holidays and the drama at home, I could not get organized until February.  I am sure that the birthday police will understand.  It was a nice event at a place where they had those huge inflatable contraptions that kids could slide down and bounce on.  I think that these venues would rake in a huge bankroll if they had an adult's night where drinks were severed and adults could jump for a couple of hours.  I know I'd be sold.

The birthday party went well, but given the STBE hubbyand my circumstances, it was a bit awkward.  Okay, FINE - it was a bit awkward for me.  Being around family is not the most comfortable situation especially when the STBE mother in-law walks past me and tells my sister in-law that she's surprised that I wasn't there.  WTF!?!?!  Who the H-E- double hockey sticks does she think planned the shin-dig?  If she thinks that te STBE hubby did it, she is not only clueless but completely insane.

At least the boys had a good time and I would relive a zillion uncomfortable moments to see them happy.

Girl Power is Exhausting

Erin Kotecki Vest's post is my favorite Valentine's Day post.  It's my favorite because it is in line with my thoughts about being a woman in 2010.  Back in the day - the 1980's - I was taught that girls could have it all.  By "all" they meant that we could work outside the home and be good mothers; we could be wives that were powerful at home, in the bedroom, and at work; and we were just as good (if not better) than boys.  There was talk of women being in the military and on the front lines, fighting next to our fellow men.  Strong women were everywhere - in sports, in the boardroom - and Murphy Brown showed girls my age that we didn't need a man.  We could be parents without a man.

To this day I don't disagree with the message that was being taught to me as a 9 year old.  I think that there was one part of the message that was missing and it is this: to be and have it all is exhausting and to want it all means that you had better be prepared to be okay with all that comes with having it.  As the sole breadwinner (and for most of my marriage the bigger breadwinner), it is not easy.  It's stressful and at times depressing.  I suppose that to some extent the feelings I have would be lessened if my marriage were strong, but it's not.

Yes, my husband does do a lot as the stay at home parent.  He dresses the boys, feeds them, and takes them to school and their doctor appointments.  He does the dishes, the laundry, and cooks for the boys.  But, I still make the doctor appointments, sign the boys up for school, plan the summer activities, plan the birthday parties, buy their clothes, and buy the presents for birthday parties that they attend.  All the while, earning a paycheck and dealing with the stresses of work.

And, while there are MANY reasons for the failure of my marriage, I know that a tiny part of it is the lesson I learned while I was barely 10 years old.  As a girl I can do and have it all - I just wish that I was given the choice to say that I didn't really want to.  In all the excitement I had forgotten to remember that I have a choice.  The guilt that I felt because "all the women who came before me worked so hard" so that I could do and have it all was huge.  While I recognize the opportunities afforded me because of Susan B. Anthony and Sally Ride, it wasn't my obligation to do and want every opportunity.

I'm not sorry that I am able to earn a living and take care of myself and my sons.  I am sorry for the choices I made and often times I wonder what it would have been like to chose a different path for myself.  I wonder if I would be okay being a stay at home mom and how my life would have been different.  I wonder if I would have been happier or less tired or more fulfilled.  I wonder, but I will never know.

My Boy's Chubby Hands

Today my oldest son is 5 years old.  It may not sound like a big deal, but it is.  We were playing and I was tickling him and making him laugh and I glanced over at his little hands and realized that he was getting so big.  I realized the chubby toddler hands were gone and he had regular "little boy" hands.  It made me sad.

It sounds silly, but I instantly realized how quickly time is passing and before long he will be out with friends and having girlfriends; graduating from high school and going off to college; getting married and having kids; and on and on and on.  It was enough to make my heart break and my head reel all at once.

Happy birthday baby!  I love you MORE than enough and MORE than all the time!

Perfection

This past weekend the boys (hubby included of course) went on a long weekend trip.  With the school year starting up in a matter of days, it seemed like the most logical thing to do.  We went go-carting (new verb) and ate lots of sugar.  The boys went to a water park while I got a pedicure and tried not to think about work.  It was easily the best 3 days that I had in a long time.

When we got home, I looked at my calendar and realized that not only did I have a full day of meetings scheduled for my first day back at work but that I needed to leave work early to get to the boys' school.  Today was the day that fees needed to be paid and paperwork needed to be turned in.  All I can say is that I'm happy that I had the foresight to complete the paperwork a couple of weeks ago.  I even remembered to send the request in to the pediatrician to have her complete the health examination forms.

All the prep work that I did was ridiculously helpful because today's work day started with a scathing e-mail from one of the consulting firms that is working on a project.  Then there was the collection of e-mails that I needed to weed through and the status meetings that I needed to attend.  TWO hours after I had arrived and logged in, I was able to leave my desk for a cup of coffee on my way to yet ANOTHER meeting.

I brought the series of photos that the boys (hubby included of course) and I took in a photo booth during the weekend trip and looked at the strip of photos often.  It was a perfect weekend even if there were minor skirmishes between the boys and sometimes between the boys and me.  Yes, someone (the hubby) stepped on my newly manicured toe and I had to get it repaired, but it still was a great weekend.  The fun memories carried me throughout the day and before I knew it, it was time to leave.  I never once thought, "I wish I was still on vacation" during the day.  I wish I could bottle up the weekend and whip it out during the bad days.

Discussions With the Boy

Today as I asked my 4 year old to pick up his toys, he stomped his foot in protest.  As harried as I have been, I didn't yell - I told him to come over to me so we could "talk".  When I'd see parents do this with their children it would make me cringe because I didn't think that children that young would understand reasoning.  Actually, it's when parents try to "reason" with a 2 year old who is having a full-on tantrum.

But, my son is 4 (soon to be 5) years old, wasn't throwing a full on tantrum, and actually responds better to a calm me.  Trust me, CALM is not my normal state.  So we had a chat where I told him that if he is upset about something that I've told him then he needs to tell me.  There doesn't need to be any feet stomping or God forbid throwing of anything.

After our chat he said, "Mommy, I'm upset with you."  When I asked him to tell me why he said, "because I don't want to pick up my toys."  When I explained that he needed to put away the toys that he wasn't playing with anymore so that he could find them easier when he wanted to play with them later, he nodded his head and started to put away his toys.

When did they start to grow up and why does it happen so quickly!?!

What Do the Topics You Blog About Say About You?

I have been told that I write a lot about work and not about my family.  I've also been told that because I don't write about my family that my work is more important than my family.  Interesting.  But, I would disagree.

Just because I choose not to write about my husband or boys, that does not mean that they aren't the most important people in my life.  Nothing can be further from the truth.  In the beginning, I wrote a lot about my husband (because we didn't have the boys yet), working out, my eating disorder, and other really personal things.  I didn't write about work a lot because I wasn't comfortable about talking about work.  I'm still not completely comfortable about writing about specific work topics.

I don't mention names when I talk about work (or about my family, parents, etc.) because I would hate to write something that could be completely misunderstood.  In a world where instant celebrity can be had by doing something funny or stupid and posting it on You Tube, I don't want any celebrity for posting an entry.

So, the topics of the boys and my husband are pretty much off limits unless it's something that I can write in a general way.  I rarely post pictures of the boys because it is easy to lift them off my page and use them for other * gross * and I-don't-want-to-think-of-what-other-types-of-yucky purposes sickos would use them for.

What do the topics I blog say about me?  They say that I need an outlet and I type way faster than I write.  The topics that I write about say that my life isn't for sale or for public consumption.  If I write about something that I'm going through and someone else can relate to it or if it brings other people comfort, then I'm good.  It isn't the purpose for why I blog, but it's a happy outcome.

Inexpensive but Priceless Art

The boys and I spent this afternoon finger painting a couple of pictures for my office at work.  There are 2 finger paintings from the summer before last hanging on my wall and I thought it would be fun to spend the day making new ones.  The results are outstanding and it's cheap and easy to do.  Plus, they really like spending a couple of hours getting messy.

I have the boys use regular tempera paints and paper that we use in our printer.  When the paints dry, I mount the masterpieces on archival mounting panels that have adhesive that activates in a hot oven.  The end result is pretty cool and people who stop by my office always comment on how clever they are.

Total cost of toddler masterpieces: $40.00.  It's even less expensive because I use the same boards over and over; you just need to heat up the boards and the old painting comes off.  Then, replace the old painting with the new one and viola, as they say.  Plus, they really love seeing what their finished art looks like.

Clean up was pretty easy too because we put the boys in the tub with a couple of capfuls of Mr. Bubble.

All in Good Time

I've been spending a lot of time in the bathroom lately.  I wish I could say that it was because I was taking time for myself and sitting in a luxurious bubble bath, but it wouldn't be true.  We've been potty training on and off for the past 2 months and just when I was about to give up, I found the Peter Potty.  Yes folks, it's a urinal potty.

My sister recommended it when we were talking about how frustrated I was with trying to train my 3 year old to sit on the potty.  He would sit and sit and sit and then get annoyed because his bottom was sticking to the vinyl seat.  I would be frustrated and near tears that I couldn't get him to go.  The urinal potty was the last resort for me.  When I ordered it, I realized that I will have to get him to sit on the potty eventually because he'll have to do other things like #2 (I hate that term).  But, I was desperate! I've learned that especially with my oldest son, things will happen in time.  He cannot be rushed.

So the urinal came a few days ago and I put it together hoping that this would be the answer for our "pee-pee" dilemma.  I really didn't expect it to work, but within 5 minutes of assembling it and doing a test flush, my son was happily pulling down his pants and using it.  I  WAS  SHOCKED!  I also thought that it was a complete fluke and that he wouldn't do it again.  I was wrong; I ask him if he has to pee and when he says yes I walk him over to the urinal and there's no fighting or squirming on his part. 

Are we completely "pee-pee trained" yet?  Nope, but at least it's a step in the right direction.  When we had boys I was thrilled because I didn't want to deal with the tough puberty years with a girl.  I never expected having boys to be this difficult.  They whine and cry just like girls and I'm sure their teen-aged years will be as challenging as if we had girls.  But for now, I'm happy that my son likes his plastic urinal.  The other stuff we will deal with when the time comes.

New Meaning to the Word Tired

I remember before David and I had the boys and there were times when I felt so tired that I wondered how in the world I could ever keep my eyes open.  But then we had the boys and tired had new meaning.  Actually, during the first trimester of my first pregnancy I wasn't just tired - I was TIRED; so tired that often times I couldn't stay awake past 7:00 pm.  There were times that I wondered how it was I was going to drive home from work (I left at 4:30 pm) because I was so tired.

Then, when we first brought our oldest child home from the hospital I wondered if we were ever going to get any rest.  I thought that until then I hadn't know the real meaning of tired.  Now after 2 kids back to back, tired means something entirely different.  Tired for me isn't tired as in "I can't keep my eyes open" but more like I'm sick and tired of saying the same thing over and over and when is this going to get better."

I come home and I'm tired because of the challenges of work - which don't hold a candle to the challenges of being a parent.  But, it's a kind of tired that is more mental than anything.  Today at work I was talking to a coworker who told me how tired he was.  Seriously, he couldn't keep his eyes open.  And, during lunch he had his head down on his desk and was napping, which isn't terrible because, hey, it was his lunch time.  When I asked if he was feeling well, he told me that he was just really, REALLY tired.

My co-worker doesn't have any children.  The reason he was so tired was because he walked a little over 3 miles in the Corporate Challenge yesterday.  Apparently the walk took a toll on him and he was just - well - tired.

Mister Rogers Rediscovered

As I child I loved watching Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Mister Rogers Neighborhood.  I especially loved The Electric Company and think that it contributed to me learning to read at an early age - think the silhouettes speaking parts of words.

I worked a half day at home today since it was my oldest son's last day of preschool.  We had "TV time" and watched some of my favorites; it was a nice flashback into my childhood.  I even took a nap in the afternoon with them.  But, the best part of "TV time" today was watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood not only because it was cool to see the Land of Make Believe and Mr. McFeely, but because I could see my sons' eyes light up with happiness when Trolley made an appearance.

The thing about kid's television when I was younger was that it was good without having to resort to sex or swearing.  Yes, I realize that it's not reality but when you're a toddler I think that reality IS Mister Rogers and Sesame Street.  There is time enough for "reality".  Plus, I love the fact that my 2 year old sings the "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" song with such gusto!

What Did I Say?!?!

The boys are getting so big and with this comes the expectation that they will do things that bigger kids do like listen or come when you call them.  I know that I was not the most obedient child, but I didn't blatantly ignore my parents when they were talking to me or disregard what they were asking me to do.  I may have grumbled, but I actually did what they asked and came when they called.

With my sons it seems to be a different story and it is incredibly frustrating.  They're the same with David and it makes him crazy.  For example, the older one likes to chase the cat around the house and tease her.  Luckily, the cat is extremely patient and never hisses or nips at him.  Unluckily, the younger boy likes to imitate his brother and now we have 2 little boys bothering the cat.

This morning before preschool, my oldest decided that he was going to play with the blinds in the front window.  He was fiddling with it and it came unhinged and hit him on the head.  All I can say is that it must have hurt because he had a medium-sized bump on the top of his head.  One would think that he would have learned his lesson and wouldn't want to touch the blinds, but when I got home he was playing with them again.

It would be heaven if I didn't need to keep asking either of them to step away from the television or constantly ask, "What did I say?"  Seriously, I am starting to sound like my mother and it's not a pleasant feeling.  I'm starting to get frown lines and wrinkles from trying to make that face that made us think twice about doing something that my mom didn't want us to do.