Ada graduates from Montessori school

WSMSGraduation from almaklein on Vimeo.
It's the end of an era. After six straight years with a child enrolled at WSMS (including 2 during which I served as board co-president), we're leaving this amazing community. At the Graduation picnic, Ada and her fellow kindergarteners sang (see the snippet above) before getting their white "Graduate" t-shirts and handing out slices of cake (all school traditions).

Ada and her teacher for the past 3 years, Ms Orfei

Ada upon entering preschool

We've made our best friends among the parents at WSMS, so moving on is definitely bittersweet. But Ada's looking forward to summer camp and then first grade, and she'll be at the same school as her big sister for two whole years before they're on completely different schedules again.

I'd like to thank my Mom

My mom and dad

The longer I mother my two girls, the more I appreciate my own mother. So, in honor of Mother's Day, here's a list of things I'd like to thank her for. I'm not my mother's spitting image and our personalities, career paths and lifestyles are pretty different, but there are quite a few ways I'm doing my best to follow her example.

Thank you, Mom for...

1. Cooking from scratch and expecting everyone to show up for dinner.
2. Never once mentioning your weight or dieting.
3. Teaching me how to write. And rewrite.
4. Reading to me long past when I could read to myself.
5. Enrolling me in piano lessons and renting me a cello despite my utter lack of musical talent.
6. Making sure I was capable of cooking, laundry and checkbook balancing before I left home.
7. Attending almost all my high school plays and yet skipping 90% of my athletic games, and refusing to feel guilty about it.
8. Talking about how much you enjoyed your job.
9. Exposing me to the arts.
10. Never once apologizing for letting the grownups have more fun.

My overly personal and specific Mother's Day gift guide

One of the "perks" of being a mom blogger (even a lazy, part-time blogger like myself) is the onslaught of unsolicited Mother's Day gift guide pitches for items I would never in a million years wish for or recommend anyone else buy.

But what makes me happy may very well work for another like-minded mom and I'm not above dropping hints, so here's my highly personalized guide to Mother's Day gifts.

1. A new handbag. I am not one of those amazing women who coordinates her handbag to her outfits. I pick a bag and I wear. It. Out. My current crossbody bag, purchased at an art fair last November, is getting pretty dingy, so I'm eyeing a new one. Like this hippy-chic turquoise bag on Etsy or this orange crossbody from Fossil. Tip: don't try and substitute a cute tote for a handbag; a girl like me needs lots of pockets--interior and exterior--to keep things like my CTA card, my keys and my phone organized.

2. A fitbit. A growing group of friends and relatives have been singing the praises of the fitbit, which is basically a high tech pedometer. It tracks your steps and uploads them to your computer or mobile device and the information can be synched with an app like MyFitnessPal so you can track calories in against calories out. I'm not trying to lose weight, but I find that quantifying what I'm doing (or not doing) is highly motivating. Now if the mom you're buying for is sensitive about her size, you may want to tread lightly here. Either talk in general terms about the movement toward Quantified Self to gauge her interest or buy 2 fitbits and promise to compete for the most activity.

3. You can't go wrong with a highly useful and tasteful accessory like small gold hoop earrings or a striped summer weight scarf.

4. And you definitely can't go wrong with a gift certificate for a mani-pedi or massage (Well-Come Spa is my favorite place in Oak Park). Better yet, book the appointment and arrange to take the kids elsewhere while mom gets pampered. I don't believe I've ever let a gift certificate expire, but I've heard some martyr moms have. Don't let it happen!

If my overly specific ideas don't appeal, let me suggest you shop at my friend Alana's brand new Nest Vintage Modern storefront in LaGrange for an amazing selection of vintage inspired home and personal goods. Or memorialize your mom's best advice on a custom piece of art from my cousin Ann's new mixed media Etsy store. 

The Vidal Sassoon Pop-Up Salon is coming!

Once in great a while my blog and my job intersect, and this week is one of those times. I've been helping work on the relaunch of Vidal Sassoon hair care, and one of the ways we're bringing the brand to life is by bringing actual Vidal Sassoon pop-up salons to unexpected places—like your local drug or grocery store—and surprising women with a transformative hair styling experience.

We're doubling down on the Chicago event this Thursday to make it extra special, and to help get the word out I was able to engage my friends Sara and Caitlin from 2 Moms Media (both of whom I met through this here blog). They are helping Vidal Sassoon throw a VIP preview party and promote the event. Follow along on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #VSChi or better yet, come to the flagship Walgreens at the corner of State & Lake between noon and 7pm this Thursday and get your hair done by a genuine Vidal Sassoon stylist.

I'm so excited for this event because I feel passionately about hair and its power to make women feel good about themselves, and this pop-up salon has really dramatized that for so many women. Discovering the Curly Girl Method made me love my hair for the first time, and cutting my curls super short a few months ago still garners me near-daily compliments (thank you Sonya!). But whether or not anyone says a word about my appearance, how I feel about my day is closely tied to how I feel I look. And how I feel about my look is at least 50% related to my hair.

Oliver! review -- It's like Annie with boys!

I've written before about my girls' obsession with musical theatre. It hit fever pitch this year after I took them to see OPRF's 110-person production of Les Miserables and Fenwick's The Wiz.

But after treating myself to The Book of Mormon (not for kids!) I wanted to check out more professional family-friendly fare in addition to our steady diet of high school and middle school productions.

So last Sunday Ada and I attended Oliver! at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrance (near the mall). "Why are there so many grandmas and grandpas here?" asked Ada, as we entered the sparkling, Vegas-like lobby. Indeed, the matinee audience was at least three-quarters retirees, with the rest composed of families with elementary-aged children.

Within the theatre, we found plush seats, great sight lines and well-calibrated sound. And when the lights went down, we were captivated by a very solid, very professional production. Oliver!, as you might surmise, is based on the story of Oliver Twist. Even my five year old identified the parallels between this story of a poor young orphan from long ago who discovers his real family quite by accident and that of a certain red-haired orphan and her "Hard-Knock Life." While I'd never seen the musical before, I recognized songs like "Food Glorious Food" and "Consider Yourself."

Ada and I were both impressed by the kid actors. Oliver is played by a very talented 11 year old from Wisconsin, but the Artful Dodger and all the boys from the workhouse and Fagin's gang were great and ranged in age from 7 (maybe younger?) to 14.

In addition to all the young talent, this production of Oliver! is a family affair. The show is directed and choreographed by Berwyn resident Rachel Rockwell, whose son Jake Helm plays one of Fagan's orphans and whose mother Glory Kissel has the role of the grandfather's housekeeper Mrs. Bedwin. And that's not all: the director's husband is the sound designer and her son's godfather is an actor and associate director.

As much as we enjoyed it, Oliver! ticket prices start at $35 and no kids under 5 are permitted, so if you're looking for a specifically child-friendly, low-cost show, you're better off waiting for Suessical, which opens at Drury Lane on April 24 and features $12 tickets and $22 character brunch + show packages.

Mortality

This isn't a post about Roger Ebert, may his memory be a blessing.

One of Ada's Montessori classmates--the younger sister of one of her best friends--has leukemia. She was diagnosed a month ago and the chemo is already working. It's not my daughter, but it hit so close to home. To know she's virtually guaranteed to recover--something we learned yesterday--I can finally exhale.

Mostly. Because one of the risks of getting older is that mortality sneaks up around every corner. I've had 3 friends experience stillbirth. Another one's baby died of SIDS. Brain cancer claimed a colleague. And a heart attack took my dad at 55. And while Aria is going to kick cancer's butt, I have another friend whose child's brain cancer may prove incurable. It's awful and terrifying and heartbreaking, and all I know how to do is send food and the occasional awkward message of support.

Ada, Grandpa and his beloved cat

And then there's my father-in-law. He's been diagnosed with  posterior cortical atrophy, a variant of Alzheimer's disease. He's only 70, but suddenly seems much older. We visited with him--and over a dozen other relatives--last week for spring break.

Josh with John, 23

And while it was sad and  frustrating to see such an accomplished physician requiring sticky notes to remember the day of the week and his favorite TV channels, life marches onward and upward. The cousins I cradled as babies are enrolled in college. One's graduating next month!

Playing "rich people" in a creek

Josh's cousin, whose bar mitzvah I attended a decade ago, is working in finance and living with roommates and seems like such a nice, well-adjusted grown up. My mother is semi-retired. And perhaps most importantly, my children are potty trained book readers who can buckle their own seat belts, carry their own suitcases and disappear for whole hours in a land of make-believe.

Does this mean I'm a grown-up too? And if so, why do I still feel like an impostor half the time?

Adventures in house hunting

A few weeks ago I come across a house for sale listing that really appealed to me. I emailed my friend and neighbor Michelle, and she offered to show it (as well as a nearby house) to me and Josh that weekend.

We fell for the house--the first one we'd looked at since we bought ours almost 10 years ago--but felt we were being crazy. You can't just buy the first thing you look at! Especially when you haven't even decided to start looking! 

So we quickly toured every other house in our price range on the south side of Oak Park. We saw everything from an obscenely large, spanking new 6 bedroom McMansion in a grimy, lonely corner of the village to a bank owned house where the roof was literally caving in. We saw lovely decks and ugly bathrooms and walk-in closets and crazy, fancy granite kitchens that were apparently designed without the advice of an architect. Each house made us like the first house even more, and we finally put an offer on it. Well below asking, but not an insultingly low ball offer.

We heard back fairly quickly that the seller was going to hold steady on her price and was only offering us $2k below list. So we walked. And honestly, we felt a little relieved. We wouldn't have to change elementary schools. I could keep looking for a house with a mudroom. We decided we'd focus exclusively on our own elementary school district. Then, 12 hours later, we heard from our realtor again. The seller wants to meet us halfway, price-wise. We waffled. The price was close to what we were willing to pay. But we'd emotionally already let go. So we withdrew.

I've seen a few houses since, and nothing comes close to being as nice as that first house. Heck, most aren't as nice as our current house, which we've put so much work into.

In the meantime, I'm kind of enjoying the hunt. Walking through open houses is fascinating. The flip jobs are so clean and modern and empty, while the downsizers are museums of 1978 kitsch (one had a pink hair washing sink built into the dressing room vanity!). And then there's the moving-out-of-towners who should probably take down some of their religious iconography and the short sale and foreclosure listings that seem so tempting online...but in person you see the sloping floors, cracked stucco and crumbling walls.