Spring in Louisville

Red penguins at 21c Museum Hotel

We took a four day mini-vacation to Louisville at the tail end of the girls' Spring Break last week(end). Although it's an easy 5 hour drive away (and Indianapolis offers a nice midway lunch stop), our trip started off semi-disasterously.

Ada, you see, was in a foul mood (for no apparent reason). Add the usual hotel room round of musical beds, and Josh woke up the loser, beginning a day of sightseeing in a sleeping bag on the floor of the plush 21c Museum Hotel. 

Fortunately, things got better from there. Every single person in Louisville was pumped for the Final Four matchup between University of Louisville and University of Kentucky, and blue and red tee shirts and banners were everywhere. 

On Friday, we visited the Mohammed Ali Center (so great) Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory (worth it), the Louisville Science Center (eh, but the kids liked it) and Kentucky Show! (the exclamation point is for the "Wow! You must have a thoroughbred's balls to charge $7 for 30 minutes of slick tourist propaganda!").

World's Biggest Baseball Bat

All of the above are located within a 5 minute walk of the 21c, which is a very cool boutique hotel that is also home to 2 floors of contemporary art and Proof on Main, a well-known restaurant and bar. We stayed for just one night, as it is as expensive as it is memorable (just under $300, which included a $25 credit at Proof).

Friday night we began left the downtown area, eating dinner at Hillbilly Tea (a hipster hangout where everything on the limited menu is made with tea). We then checked in at a well-equipped Residence Inn on the far east side of Louisville. It wasn't even off the highway, but buried in a nest of gated communities and strip malls.

Saturday we spent driving around the countryside, visiting two bourbon distilleries and Abraham Lincoln's birthplace.

Lincoln's Birthplace

Although the weather had been glorious up to that point, on Sunday morning we awoke to a crazy thunderstorm. Josh and the girls were afraid the horseback riding lesson I'd booked for them would be canceled, but it was at an indoor arena. Suffice it to said I had two very happy campers for the ride back to Chicago.

Just-don't-call-them-Easter eggs

One of my fondest memories from childhood was dying Easter eggs and hoping my artistic creation would be chosen for the Passover seder plate.

It's a tradition I'm proud to share with my otherwise exclusively Jewish children, and I was even more excited to get coloring when I found this tutorial for dying eggs naturally.

Zoe, Ada and I hunted around the kitchen for color-rich items we could use for our eggs and tried to predict what the results would look like after the boiling and overnight soaking was done.

Because we have a limited number of unused glass jars (we use them for salad dressing, leftovers and simple syrup) and some eggs didn't survive Ada's enthusiastic drop into the pot, we didn't dye very many eggs. But those we did are so pretty it will be hard to decide which one to pick for the seder plate.

 In case you're interested, the blue eggs were made with blueberries; the reddish-brown came from black tea, coffee beans, a cinnamon stick and whole cloves. The light green eggs were the result of green tea and cilantro, and the bright yellow egg was tumeric and a carrot. We dried the eggs and polished them with mineral oil before putting them back in the fridge. Also, this photo doesn't really do them justice--the camera on my Samsung phone is such crap.

Brownie, cake baker

Last week Zoe made her first cake. Sure, she's been helping out in the kitchen since she was a toddler, but in order to enter a cake in the Girl Scouts 100th Birthday Cake Contest and Auction at her school, she had to do all the prep work and clean up on her own. (I slid the cake pans in and out of the oven and offered advice.)

Zoe made a boxed Devil's Food Cake and iced it with a white buttercream from a Trader Joe's mix. Since the mix didn't contain quite enough frosting, she "glued" Whole Foods faux Oreos around the sides with icing.

More challenging was decorating the thing. My little 7 year old had grand plans that included roses and complicated messaging along the top, but she lacked enough strength in her fingers to press out any green icing beyond "100," and that was a struggle that nearly brought her to tears.

Since we were heading to the retreat and had to miss the judging and auction, we dropped the cake off with one of the troop leaders. Apparently it sold for $10! You can see photos from the event here. Tell me if you think all these cakes were made without a parent's help. I have my doubts...

A retreat from the everyday

Sing in Hebrew and carry a big stick

The girls and I attended our synagogue's annual retreat this past weekend, and the glorious warm weather made it feel like we really were at summer camp.

The retreat is on the grounds of OSRUI, the regional Jewish sleepaway camp that I hope to send the girls to someday. (It costs an arm and a leg, but I always regretted not getting to go to an equivalent camp myself.)

It was a really relaxing weekend, which might seem surprising to those who have traveled alone with two small children. But I gave a ride to a fellow temple member who is also a parenting coach (I know!) and the girls and I spent most of our waking hours apart. I attended the adult-focused seminars and discussions (and took one glorious one hour nap) while they played games, made crafts and otherwise had an awesome time with the other K-3 kids (4 year olds had the option to "age up").

We ate our kosher-style meals together, except when the girls ran off to eat with one of their favorite babysitters, who was there with the 6th grade group. And after putting the girls to bed, I was able to leave our spartan, dorm-like accommodations and enjoy a little adult socializing (read: adult beverages and the best New York-style deli spread I've ever gorged myself on).

Oh, and while there were acoustic guitars everwhere I looked, there was none of the folk music sing-a-longs that scared Josh from coming.

So we'll be back next year. As a foursome.

Irish-ish

Josh and I have lived in Chicago since the mid-1990s, but he'd never attended a St. Patrick's Day Parade and I last time I saw one I was still attending the University of Chicago. (And it was only because I accidentally stumbled upon the downtown parade while trying to buy bras at Marshall Fields.)

Photo courtesy of Derby Lite's own Molly Hacker 

Anyway, it was bound to happen. Josh shook off his dislike for McDonald's and became a fan of the Shamrock Shake, our kids' friends are into Irish dancing and before you know it we're bringing soda bread and honey butter to a St. Patrick's Day party and I'm sending Josh to Target to buy me green argyle socks and short-shorts and I'm skating in the Forest Park St Patrick's Day parade.

Of course, next weekend marks the real St Patrick's Day, but something tells me we won't be marking the occasion at our synagogue retreat.*

*Yes, you read that right. I'm taking the girls to our temple's annual retreat in Wisconsin. Josh declined to attend on account of there may be folk singing.

What the InkJoy pen means to this writer

Most of the product samples offered to mom bloggers are decidedly kid-centric: toys, fruit snacks, parenting books. It's rare that I'm asked to take a look at an invention directly related to my profession. So when Paper Mate offered me a chance to sample their new InkJoy pens, I jumped at the opportunity--and it wasn't just because they promised to also send me a biometric safe for locking up "the world's most stolen pen."

I use pens all day long to write headlines, take notes, edit others' work and initial on work. And I'm picky about my pens, refusing to use cheap, non-retractable ballpoints, no matter the color. Typically I use a felt tip pen--I'm partial to orange and green--and I suffer the consequences in the form of marks on my hands and stains on the inside of my bags.

I'm also an admitted pen thief--although my colleagues' pens I steal inadvertently and  I like to think that the nicer logoed pens I liberate from businesses is really more "to remember them by."

I'd be liberating a lot more pens if more companies switched to InkJoy. I've taken to carrying around my InkJoy 700 RT and showing it off to friends--it really is that nice. The colored InkJoy 300s are less special, but still a lot of fun to write with. They're now on equal footing with my green and orange felt tip pens, in constant rotation on my desk at work.

Happy house

Our new furniture arrived yesterday and Amanda Miller came over to help me "stage" everything just so. She had me pull out all my knick-knacks, bowls and art and arranged things in some unexpected ways. I may move a few things later, but for now I like her choices. Here's a peek.

This is our new sofa, a mid-century style from Rowe. The couch is bark colored with teal piping and buttons. The accent pillow is from West Elm, the bench/coffee table is a reclaimed wood piece I bought off Etsy and the rug was existing (it is from Pottery Barn).

The other side of the living room now has two chairs, one a custom chair (also kind of mid-century inspired) from Rowe and a red slipper chair from West Elm. The side table is also West Elm, purchased on clearance for $99, and the lamp was a $10 item I picked up at Target years ago. The throw was crocheted by my great-grandmother and the striped pillow was given to me a few years ago. We rearranged our art collection to showcase this Jon Langford painting of The Band and our stairway is still home to a dozen silkscreened concert posters. Brown and teal are the primary colors, but I'm using ivory and red as accents.

Viewing the room more from the front door, you can see our rearranged shelving unit, which my Mom bought for us from Room and Board back in 2000. The wall behind the unit is now teal and there is a pouf I knitted underneath, which we can pull out when we need extra (kid) seating.

The dining room now houses Josh's guitar collection. Other changes we made based on Amanda's recommendations include painting the shelf black to match the chairs and a corner shelf (not visible here), moving my Pakistani trunk over from the living room, and adding art above the hutch. What's interesting is that she paired a Chinese silk embroidered piece (inherited from my grandma) with a silk-screened concert poster and a wood carving. The contemporary IKEA table lamp makes the orange in the two framed pieces really pop. (I'll add a photo later to demonstrate.)

I'm so very happy with how our redecoration of our main living space turned out, as I think it is a real reflection of us and our personal style.

Goodbye furniture!

The Brown Elephant furniture truck arrived early Sunday afternoon to pick up our sofa, matching loveseat and ottomans, but they turned down the loveseat thanks to the cat scratches marring one arm. "We've gotten really picky," they said as they handed me a tax receipt and 25% off coupon.

Ten minutes later I had a listing up on Craig's List under Free. Five minutes after that I got my first response. The women arrived quickly and assured me that the scratched up loveseat was "nothing compared to what our 9 cats have done to our furniture." I helped them heave it onto the roof of their minivan and they "secured" it with bungie cords.

Now I'm not one to perpetuate stereotypes, but I did pause to notice that my second-hand furniture was snubbed by a gay men's charity only to be snapped up by a lesbian couple.

Anyway, last night we watched the Oscars On the Red Carpet broadcast from the rug in the middle of our otherwise empty living room. Ada oohed and ahhed over every dress, while Zoe remarked "They're showing too much of their breasts. It's embarrassing."

Our new furniture arrives on Wednesday!

Ada as photographer

We spent part of Presidents Day morning enjoying the warmth and plant life at the Oak Park Conservatory. In a moment of generosity, I gave four year old Ada my camera and let her wander away to the other rooms to snap pictures. This is her first time taking photographs, and I love to see how different her eye is from mine--and how much bigger the conservatory looks from her perspective. You can see all the photos--larger--here.

The sting of coming in last

"This is the worst day of my life and I'm the worst kid in the world," sobbed Zoe as I pulled the car off the highway. She'd just bitten her lip to the point of tears and spilled half a container of milk all over her lap and the floor mats from frustratedly tangling with a Happy Meal toy baggie. I grabbed a few handfuls of paper towels from a gas station and blotted up the soon-to-be-sour puddle as she hiccuped, coughed and howled her dismay at how the afternoon had ended.

Zoe had been looking forward to her first gymnastics meet ever since she made the GIJO Level 3 team in September. The arrival of her velvety team leotard, warm up suit and monogramed gym bag only heightened her excitement. She was so amped up when I sprung her from Hebrew school that she only ate half of her sandwich before singing along--loudly and slightly offkey--with the Taylor Swift songs I'd gamely let her play over the car stereo during our 1 hour drive to far north suburban Grayslake.

She performed well, staying focused, never falling and supporting her teammates. She beamed when her name was called out for fourth place and she stood just to the side of the awards podium and positively glowed as she placed her medal around her neck. But as the rest of the awards were handed out, my sharp little girl figured out that fourth place was just fancy adult language for last place in her age division. And, tragically for her, none of her fellow teammates got anything lower than third place. Seated across the room, I could see a change in her face as she did the math. She arranged her expression the best she could, but it was pale and her lips turn down and slightly wobbly as she walked toward me. All the excitement from wearing her uniform, from walking in a line with her teammates and competing before the judges, from digging through her goodie bag... gone. She stuffed her ribbons in her bag, scorned her "dark, ugly, non-special" medal and looked longingly for exit.

I tried my motherly best to explain that I was proud of her and that she did great for her first competition. Her coach chimed in that her score and those of her teammates were mere tenths of a percent apart and she had still qualified for State, but she was tormented. She vacillated between blaming herself for being bad and blaming the judges for being unfair and mixing up her scores with someone else's. Then she just raged against the unfairness of someone younger and less accomplished getting 1st place (which happened when the kids are divided up by age). Her rage led to the miserable lip biting, which was shortly followed by the violent efforts to open a Happy Meal toy... and that's pretty much how the milk got spilled.

So she cried over that, too.

Ultimately, this will be a character-building experience for Zoe. She's academically gifted and used to being on top. She's academically gifted. She's a big sister. Hell, even though she never studies anymore, she's never scored less than 100% on her weekly Hebrew tests. Being at or near the bottom of the ability pool on her gymnastics team is new for her.

But she's not quitting. She's got my competitive streak and having had a taste of judge's scores, rankings and medal ceremonies, she's more determined than ever to succeed. March 5th can't come fast enough.

Here's a glimpse at her routines. 4 hours of waiting and watching condensed into 2 minutes for your viewing pleasure.

Our favorite iPad apps

Zoe demos iPad apps for her cousins, who also have an iPad

I've had my iPad for a little over a month, and it's very much become a welcome member of the family. I don't commute with it (fear of theft combined with lack of wifi) and it isn't a replacement for the iBook when it comes to blogging (it really isn't for content creation at all), but it has its many uses.

I much prefer browsing my favorite internet sites, blogs and news outlets via Flipboard and Zite, both free apps that make content consumption more like flipping through a magazine than the scrolling, clicking and scrolling we're used to do when reading online. I like playing Words with Friends on a larger screen and I got a free download of Scrabble from Starbucks that I use to play with Zoe, passing the iPad back and forth.

But it is the kid apps that have made the iPad such a hit in our household, and the girls gave the device a real workout during our trip to and from Mexico (and, to be honest, there was probably an hour or two of iPad time each day as well). The following are the apps that have stood the test of time and and travel and are still popular with my daughters, 7 and 4.

Grimm's Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel by PopIris are virtual pop-up books that read aloud slightly unfamiliar versions of classic children's fairy tales and alternate traditional print pages with elaborate, interactive pop-up pages that function as mini games. Both girls are big fans and return to these story-games again and again. Although they lack the pop-up games, MeeGenius! Kids Books offers a small shelf full of free book titles that children can read or have read to them by a narrator. Since Ada still can't read independently, she likes to have the iPad read to her when no one else will.

My PlayHome is a dollhouse in iPad clothing. The girls delight in moving the family members around the virtual home, washing them off in the shower, feeding them breakfast and jumping on the bed. Easter eggs hidden throughout the house and yard and clever sound effects gives what seems like a limited interaction long-term play appeal.

Among the educational apps we've sampled, Montessori Crosswords is a great word-building app inspired by the Movable Alphabet that my 4 year old can't get enough of. Both girls have spent some time with MathGirl (technically for iPod, not iPad), which rewards correct answers with items the player can use to build a garden, and Zoe has made progress moving through Grade 3 SplashMath, a math challenge program that rewards kids with aquatic life for their virtual aquarium.

When it comes to promoting creativity, we've had a lot of luck with free apps. Toontastic is a fantastic program that lets young children storyboard a cartoon, record the VO and play it back. Drawing Pad has provided Ada with hours of contented drawing time, and Zoe, having used it to create a podcast at school, likes recording made-up songs using GarageBand. Scribble Press is another great app for school children--it allows them to write and illustrate books that can then be ordered in the mail (for a fee).

One of the apps I was most excited to purchase and experience was Alice, a beautifully rendered version of Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately, it lacks recorded narration and the moveable graphics, and, while lovely, doesn't take full advantage of the platform's capabilities. That and the kids couldn't be less interested in this $8.99 download. We've had much more fun with the iPad version of The Monster at the End of This Book.

Other apps I'd recommend to parents include the Wiggles Alphabet Adventure (which is more appropriate for 2-3 year olds), Toy Story, Paint with Time and MoodyMonstr (the last 3 are all free). Although they haven't grabbed my kids' imagination to the extent of the others, I've found them solidly build apps that are easy to navigate and take advantage of the iPad platform.

Akumal, take 4

We returned from our fourth trip to Akumal, Mexico on Saturday night, and I'm only now updating my blog, an hour after getting off a plane from Minneapolis. If I'm neglecting this space, it isn't just because Facebook is so much easier to update. It's also because work's reached a new level of busy/crazy.

Regardless, it was a fantastic trip. With cousins to play with, grandparents to babysit and naps no longer a threat to afternoon activities, we finally enjoyed a relaxing vacation with our children. Well, at least until the drive to the airport rental car return, during which Ada threw the kicking and screaming temper tantrum to end all temper tantrums.

Highlights included zip lining with Ada at Aktun Chen Eco Park, snorkeling with Zoe in Yal-Ku Lagoon and sipping freshly made margaritas and pina coladas courtesy of Josh the bartender.

The silly games of make-believe never stopped with these two

Like Aunt, like niece

We went swimming with the fishes

Snow White at the Emerald City Theatre

Saturday morning we headed out in the frozen slush and drove to Lincoln Park to take the girls to lunch and a play. Lunch was at the very affordable Salt and & Pepper Diner, which is virtually across the street from the Emerald City Theatre. Not surprisingly, nearly all of the families we saw eating at the diner also ended up in the opening day audience of Snow White.

The schtick behind this particular performance, which is officially titled Snow White as performed by Professor TJ Barker's Troupe of Theatricals, is that the actors was running late and missing many of their fellow actors as well as their entire orchestra. But because they are a dedicated group, they pitch in by playing multiple roles and all of the musical instruments. Seven year old Zoe was intrigued and kept asking me if their train really was late or if that was part of the show. And because her brain has been washed by Walt Disney, she couldn't help pointing out the inconsistencies between this stage production and the animated film. (We had a post-show discussion of "artistic license.")

Four year old Ada was unfazed by the breaking of the fourth wall and unfamiliar costumes and songs. She was so completely rapt Josh and I had a hard time keeping our eyes on the show--it was so much more fun to watch her reactions--wide-eyed wonder at the beautiful princesses, lip-biting glee at the wicked stepmother's evil plotting and smiles at the silly antics of the ragtag dwarves.

And like all of the Emerald City Theatre performances we seen, this one is designed for children 3 and up, but totally tolerable for adults (in fact, this one was quite enjoyable). The show is 1 hour long with no intermission and snacks and drinks are allowed in the theatre. Tickets are typically $16 for adults and $13 for children, but Valentine's Day weekend kids can take their grown-ups for free with the discount code SNOW.

Disclosure: I received media passes to this show.

MCA Family Day

When it comes to its art collection, the MCA lives in the long shadow of the Art Institute of Chicago. But when it comes to welcoming families, their monthly Family Day events are second to none.

Unless you take public transit there, it won't be a cheap day--we paid $32 to park in the MCA lot--but with free admission (typically $12/adult and $7/child) and coat check, hours of hands-on activities, free kids' meal with adult entree purchase at Puck's and free snacks in the Tot Room (kid-friendly fare like clementines, fruit snacks and Goldfish), it is a fantastic deal.


I was delighted by number and variety of art activities organized for the families (3-4 crafts, an artist-led tour and a scavenger hunt) and how many red-shirted volunteers were there to work with the kids. And while families streamed in pretty consistently between 11 and 2--when we were there--it never had the chaotic crowdedness of a children's museum on the weekend.

Cocktail time at the House of Klein

As a gift to our hardworking house husbands, my best friend Kate and I bought our men admission to a vintage cocktail making class at The Whistler (rated one of the 25 best cocktail bars in America by GQ Magazine) in late November.

Josh has never been much of a drinker, but the recent rise in craft cocktailing seemed to have piqued his interest--probably because he's a foodie and very plugged into the local online chatter about food, restaurants and bars.

Well, one afternoon class and he was hooked, reading the guide bartender Paul McGee sent home with his students, checking cocktail recipe books out of the library, researching liquor brands online and making daily trips to Binny's to pick up the often obscure ingredients he needed to prepare us colorfully named drinks like the Corpse Reviver 2, Jack Rose, Monkey Gland and Penicillin.

Indeed, gourmet cocktailing has stimulated all of the OCD tendencies my dear husband has previously applied toward coffee preparation (we buy awesome beans, grind them and brew by hand in a Chemex), movies (he was a Criterion Collection hoader for a few years) and guitars (he's been playing for 4 years and owns 5 instruments, all sourced from Craigslist). To be fair, like the coffee brewing, bread baking and general cookery passions, I'm a major beneficiary of this new hobby. For one thing, relaxing in the evening with a fancy drink that could have cost $10 at a trendy bar is a pretty awesome luxury. And I've discovered I'm a lover of gin drinks--who knew?

But also, I finally have some gift ideas for my infamously hard-to-shop for husband! I bought him some barware for Chanukah (we had exactly two rocks glasses, both emblazoned with logos) and there are plenty of interesting bottles I can pick up for him for special occasions.

And something tells me our Spring Break trip to Louisville may include a distillery tour.

Our 3rd Annual New Year's Day brunch

This is what our basement playroom looked like in the aftermath of our third annual New Year's Day brunch.

I guess that's what happens when 47 people--half of them under 8 and the other half sleep-deprived and/or hungover--cram into a 3 bedroom house between 10 and noon.

Believe it or not, we had the house back to rights in under 2 hours, and it was all worth it to kick off 2012 with so many friends.

I served pumpkin muffins, praline french toast, vegetarian sausage links, cinnamon coffee cake, two quiches (I riffed on Mark Bittman's instructions), a winter fruit salad and Bruegger's bagels with cream cheese and lox. And of course we were able to put the giant, 42-cup coffee percolator I bought at a yard sale years ago (for $5, best purchase ever) and serve juice, juice boxes and mimosas. Many of our guests contributed to the spread--adding more Champagne, pumpkin muffins (including a gluten-free variety), quiches, squash bread, brownies, a lemon tart and a noodle kugel.

The timing was right, too, as our modest living room rehab/redeco had reached a hospitable spot; in fact I finished knitting the floor pouf just the day before, stuffing it with an old toddler bed quilt and two $6 pillows from the dollar store. Needless to say, it was a hit with all the kids, especially the littlest ones, who took turns rolling across it.

Speaking of DIY projects, I followed up on two tricks I read about somewhere online that totally worked. First, I used a raw shelled walnut to fill in scratches on our hardwood floors. Amazing the difference it made--especially on the more superficial marks.

The second DIY project was fixing the ratty, tangled hair on the girls' American Girl Dolls. I mixed together 1 part liquid fabric softener (a horribly fragrant substance I had to buy special for this experiment) and 4 parts water in a spray bottle (another dollar store purchase). I spritzed the dolls' hair throughly and brushed with a metal doll brush (I've heard wig brushes work, too, but, um, I don't own a wig brush). The transformation was instantaneous and the girls were thrilled with their girls' silky locks. It's a little hard to see the results from this picture, but trust me--it is an easy fix and the dolls' hair looks great.

And any locals can feel free to come pick up a bottle of fabric softener from me--I'm sure I'll never use it for its intended purpose.

A sneak peek at our living room redo

I've been working with local interior designer (and friend of a friend) Amanda Miller to refresh our small, cluttered living room and dining room and I'm so excited to share a sneak peek at our progress!

We've ordered this couch in brown (with teal buttons and welt), added 6 can lights to the ceiling so the room isn't so dim all the time and picked out two chairs and an accent table to replace the loveseat (one is from Rowe and the other from West Elm). We're expecting a carpenter to get us a quote on a radiator cover for the dining room radiator so we can use that space as a bar when we're entertaining.

I'm knitting a cream-colored pouf for extra seating and Josh is repainting the tall bookshelf in the dining room a dark kona brown to better coordinate with the rest of the furniture. We're also ordering some hooks to hang some of his guitars on the wall. Check out my Pinterest board to see what we've got in mind.

But one big change has already been made--Amanda helped us rearrange our modular shelving and suggested a teal accent wall to go behind the shelves (it's actually Benjamin Moore Polished Slate). We took most of the clutter off the shelves and added baskets to contain the rest. Oh, and got a bigger TV. Looks pretty nice, huh?

The airlines wouldn't dare lose my child on Christmas

On Christmas morning, when many of my friends and neighbors were lolling about in their pajamas, opening presents and eating cinnamon rolls, I drove Zoe to Midway airport for her first solo flight. The airport was surprisingly crowded--especially after an easy, traffic-free drive to the airport--but her flight took off on time and landed early. So early, in fact, that I initially missed the "I've got your daughter" call my mom placed to my cell phone immediately upon picking up Zoe in D.C.

And I'm only half joking when I say I booked her travel on December 25th knowing what a PR nightmare it would be for an airline to misplace a youngster on Christmas. It's only been a day or so, but it sounds like my 7 year old is having a grand old time with my mom and stepdad in Virginia--reading Ramona books, looking at old photographs, learning to pick out tunes on the piano, playing ping pong and visiting my extended family.

For the record, it isn't cheap to send your child unaccompanied. In addition to the regular airfare, United and American Airlines charge an additional $100 each way, while Southwest charges half that: $50 each way (and two bags of luggage fly free). Since Zoe is only going for 4 nights, we didn't end up checking any luggage. Instead, she rolled aboard with a small child's suitcase and a backpack packed with 2 Boxcar Children paperbacks, a couple of snacks, a pack of gum and an iPod Touch with headphones. I'd also tucked her birth certificate in there, but we were never asked to show it.

A guide to buying last minute gifts at Walgreens

This is my Walgreens

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.walgreens.com/beauty.

Walgreens might not be the first (or even the third) place you'd think to shop for holiday gifts, but they're convenient and they're open late on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas. If you need a last-minute gift, you could do a lot worse. Provided you stay out of the "seasonal" aisle.

Isn't it lovely?

I happen to live 2 blocks from one of the newly redesigned Walgreens stores, so going to Wags is actually a pleasure for me now. Gone are the cluttered aisles and singing fish--instead we have bins of fresh bananas, a clinic and a tidy beauty department where I stock up on Goody hair elastics. Pretty much weekly.

And thus I present to you: The Marketing Mommy Last-Minute Beauty Shopping Guide, gift suggestions heavily influenced by what I like.

Idea 1: Create a Curly Girl Method Gift Basket

Help the curly girl in your life embrace her ringlets with Curly Girl Method-approved products. Pick up a sulfate-free shampoo like L'Oreal EverSleek Sulfate-Free or a co-wash like Suave Milk and Honey Conditioner. Add in a more moisturizing conditioner like L'Oreal EverPure Conditioner, big bottle of L.A. Looks Gel (oh, yeah) and a microfiber towel.

Idea 2: Buy the Upscale Stuff

No one will know you did your holiday shopping at Walgreens (not that there's anything wrong with that) if you buy their more upscale, beautifully-packaged lines like Fekkai, Yes to Carrots, Burt's Bees and Essie nail polish. My account director is sporting Essie's Bobbing for Bobbles, a dark bluish-slate shade, today and it is quite the talk of the office. Throw a ribbon and a gift tag on a bottle of Essie and you've got a hip hostess/colleague gift for under $10.

Idea #3: Power Toothbrush

Buy someone (okay, a close relative) an Oral-B power toothbrush. My mom bought one for me and Josh 10 years ago and we only just replaced it (with this one, actually). Your loved ones deserve the gift of immaculately clean teeth. Seriously, we've been getting kudos from our dentist every six months. 

Idea #4: Pick up a gift pack

Full disclosure: as part of my job as a creative director, I was responsible for helping design and market P&G's beauty lovely multi-brand gift packs. They've been priced at just under $10 at Walgreens and that's a pretty tremendous value--especially if you consider the booklet of coupons inside. So whether you use a lot of P&G products (think Olay, Secret, Venus) and want to stock up for yourself, or whether you want to get a gift pack to have on hand for that "oh shoot I forgot to get something for the babysitter/coach/neighbor" moment, they're a deal and they don't even need to be wrapped.

Nice cream for a cause

Illinois state regulators have made it impossible to operate a small, artisanal food business and one company is fighting back. Nice Cream is a small batch ice cream company with just 3 employees--while they've stopped production--they are looking to raise money to lobby the governor's office to change their rules so that small-batch companies don't have to follow all the same regulations as large-scale manufacturers.

As a Chanukah present to me, Josh donated $100 to their Kickstarter fund. In exchange, we were offered a custom flavor of Nice Cream--anything we could dream up. Fresh from our trip to Wisconsin, where I fell in love with Left Hand Milk Stout, I asked for a Chocolate Milk Stout ice cream with toffee and shortbread.

Four pints were hand delivered (along with a personal note complimenting my creativity) and I tucked into a dish after roller derby last night.

It was--far and away--the best ice cream I've ever had. If you're looking for a truly unique holiday gift (particularly for the activist-minded Chicagoan), I don't think you can do better than this.

And a glass of red wine

I was congratulating myself on a productive evening. Josh left to go see Wilco as soon as dinner was over. I loaded the dishwasher, put the leftovers in the fridge, read stories, supervised baths and put two "not tired" kids to bed. Then I sorted through old toys and puzzles, posted "free" and "for sale" notices, wrapped gifts for two out of three weekend birthday parties and straightened the living room rug. I addressed holiday cards for the overly ambitious folks who had already sent us theirs and put away the laundry.

Then I cut myself a wedge of brie, poured a glass of wine and grabbed the TVand Roku remotes. Of course, because I'm me, my glass of vino hadn't been set down for more than 30 seconds before I knocked it off its perch and into the wall, shattering it and splashing aromatic red liquid and tiny shards all over the wall, cabinet and floor.

On Daddy...

As a follow-up to asking Ada about me, Josh interviewed both girls with the same questions about himself.


1. What is something Daddy always says to you?

Ada: “I love you.”

Zoe: “Go to your room.” 

2. What makes Daddy happy?

Ada: “Smiling and me being happy.” 

Zoe: “When we’re good.” 

3. What makes Daddy sad?

Ada: “Being bad.”

Zoe: “When we’re crying.”

4. How does Daddy make you laugh?

Ada: “Tickling me!”

Zoe: “Sitting on me.” 

5. What was Daddy like as a child?

Ada: “Being good for his momma.”

Zoe: “Had curly hair.” 

6. How old is Daddy?

Ada: “25”

Zoe: “36” 

7. How tall is Daddy?

Ada: “100!”

Zoe: “Hmm, maybe four foot seven or eight? Is that right?”

8. What is Daddy’s favorite thing to do?

Ada: “Work at home when I’m at school.” 

Zoe: “Write on the computer.” 

9. What does Daddy do when you’re not around?

Ada: “Work on the computer” 

Zoe: “Eat.”

10. If Daddy becomes famous, what will it be for?

Ada: “Being a scientist.” 

Zoe: “His articles being in the newspaper a lot.” 

11. What is Daddy really good at?

Ada: “Being on the computer.” 

Zoe: “Guitar.” 

12. What is Daddy not very good at?

Ada: “Ice skating.” 

Zoe: “Rollerskating.” 

13. What does Daddy do for his job?

Ada: “Help Zoe do her homework.” 

Zoe: “Daddy goes to concerts and then writes about them.” 

14. What is Daddy’s favorite food?

Ada: “Chicken.” 

Zoe: “Tied between chicken and fish. I mean, salad and fish!”

15. What makes you proud of Daddy?

Ada: “To cuddle with you.” 

Zoe: “He’s the funniest daddy in the whole wide world.”

16. If Daddy were a cartoon character, who would he be?

Ada: “A mermaid.” 

Zoe: “Charlie Brown. Or Scooby-Doo.” 

17. What do you and Daddy do together?

Ada: “Eat yummy lunch.” 

Zoe: “Go to museums with Hank.”

21 Questions with Ada

Although I've interviewed the girls before (and posted their answers--though I'm too lazy now to comb my blog for the links), I was inspired by this post on DailyBuzz Moms and asked Josh to question four-year-old Ada about me over lunch the other day.

I was at work and laughed out loud when the answers came back.

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?

I love you.

2. What makes Mommy happy?

When I'm happy.

3. What makes Mommy sad?

When I yell and scream.

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?

She tickles me.

5. What was Mommy like as a child?

Hmm, being nice?

6. How old is Mommy?

Uh, 14.

7. How tall is Mommy?

65.

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?

Go to work.

9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?

Eat lunch.

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?

Washing the dishes? [Someone alert the media if I wash the dishes--it is a very rare occurrence.]

11. What is Mommy really good at?

Making me Valentines.

12. What is Mommy not very good at?

Cutting out feet. [This is probably in reference to the poor job I do cutting out the feet of paper dolls.]

13. What does Mommy do for a job?

She does work.

14. What is Mommy's favorite food?

Salad.

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?

When I hug her.

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?

A princess.

17. What do you and Mommy do together?

Go to the supermarket where there's doughnuts. [No idea what she's talking about here.]

18. How are you an Mommy the same?

We both have brown hair.

19. How are you and Mommy different?

We both have different clothes.

20. How do you know Mommy loves you?

She kisses me.

21. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?

Rollerskating. [This took four tries, at my prodding, after "work," "Super Tony's" and "a concert." --Josh]

Stay tuned. Josh asked both girls the same questions about himself and I'll be posting that gem of an interview soon.

Downtown Oak Park Cookie Walk: It's like treat or treating for grown-ups

Downtown Oak Park has hosted a Winterfest cookie walk for a few years, but this was the first year we participated. It's actually kind of a genius idea--the merchants association sells shoppers a large, branded tin and then you get to stop into all the participating shops and get a single cookie from each one.

Many of the stores are places we regularly frequent (The Book Table, Sugar Fixe, Pumpkin Moon and Penzey's Spices), but there were a few new restaurants and some retail outlets I've never been to before, so experiencing them in a casual and friendly way let me get a glimpse around without feeling guilty about leaving fairly quickly. It seems like a good marketing strategy too--get a lot of shoppers milling around downtown Oak Park and popping into every shop on Lake Street and Marion. What surprised me was how few merchants included a shop sticker, coupon or flier with their cookie. Most handed out cookies from Bleeding Heart Bakery, Prairie Bread Kitchen and Cheryl's--all lovely local treats, but why not staple a 20% off store coupon to that baggie?

Even before they got their faces painted with Stars of David and dreidels at Potbelly's it was a lot of fun for the girls--particularly after they figured out a method of receiving treats that maximized both of their participation. The highlight of the day, aside from running into friends, was watching a sleight of hand magician use Zoe as his assistant.

Also, it was about 50 degrees out there. Where's winter? It's December!

Black Friday and so much more

6 weeks of Beginning ice skating served Zoe well; the kid is fast!

Today we ate, shopped and played, pouring money into the U.S. economy every step of the way (however modestly). Although I've never had the stamina for late-night/early morning Black Friday shenanigans, thanks to my friend (and Frugalistic Mom) Carrie's urging, I did stop at CVS with my hair still wet from the shower to pick up a cart full of Free after ExtraCare Bucks items: Chex, Cheerios, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, Kleenex and the high-class L.A. Looks hair gel ("X-Treme Value!") that I've been going through since becoming a Curly Girl Method devotee. Provided I remember to use all those ExtraCare Bucks, I probably came out 50¢ ahead, even after "buying" all that stuff.

By 8am Ada and I were done at CVS, so we swung by the house to pick up the later risers and head to the Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor for their annual Day-After-Thankgiving Waffle Breakfast Bar. Josh and I got the plain waffles knowing our kids couldn't possibly eat all the ice cream on their giant DIY sundae waffles.

We got home just in time for Patty, one of our favorite neighborhood sitters, to come by and watch the girls.

Then Josh and I drove to Kohl's, where I was able to pick up all the items on the ARK wishlist. I'd adopted three needy adults for Hanukkah: an older man wanted Dockers, a woman nonstick pots and pans and a teen girl a hair dryer. Kohl's had all of the above on sale, which meant the $35 maximum I was allowed to spend on each recipient went much farther than I anticipated. We also picked up Hanukkah gifts for the family: underwear for Zoe, pajamas and a musical jewelry box for Ada, and a Fiestaware platter for ourselves. Josh, who doesn't usually care for shopping, volunteered to hit more stores, but I'd had it after CVS and Kohl's.

We paid the sitter, wolfed down some delicious Thanksgiving leftovers (starring a turkey our friend Steve smoked for 6 hours on his back porch) and headed to downtown Oak Park to ice skate at Ridgeland Commons then go to the Lake Theatre to see The Muppets. Amazingly, that was also the plan of our friends Steve (yep, same one) and Jani and their kids--the very same family who had hosted us (plus two turkey-and-pie curious Austrians and a German) for Thanksgiving the evening prior. And while Zoe and Jani's 2nd grade daughter bickered all through said dinner and declared they never wanted to see each other again (potentially putting Jani and I in an awful position), they were two peas in a pod at the rink and throughout the movie.

And what a movie! There couldn't be a more perfect film for nostalgic Gen Xers to take their children to. It really is a delight and so unlike most kids' movies today--slower paced, few special effects and nothing sexual or scatological (save--perhaps--a Whoopie-cushion shoes joke), plus all the anarchy, chaos and random, ridiculous slapstick violence us Muppets fans know and love.

*Look in the very background of the photo and you can see me holding Ada's hand as we skated--although only Ada's arm and head are visible

On loaning my house to a stranger

On Thursday afternoon I gave a key to my house to someone I didn't know so that her extended family could enjoy a comfortable stay in Oak Park.

I felt good about it, knowing I was finally repaying the karmic universe for giving my extended family a house to stay 2 summers ago when I had them here for my bat mitzvah. For those who don't remember, an older couple who spend a month in Colorado every summer lent my family their house for 4 days in exchange for 2 weeks worth of garden-tending. I found them and last weekend's family found me through MomMail, a unique community email aggregator that Oak Park area families use to find babysitters, recommend doctors and contractors and buy and sell second hand furniture and baby gear. It lacks the anonymity and skeeze factor of Craigslist.

Our invisible house guests stripped the beds as requested and we came home to our house more or less as we'd left it. And while Oscar apparently didn't sleep inside the two nights we were gone, he was adequately fed and cared for (if missing his collar--again!).

Is a house swap next?

Kohler: Vacation in the land of fancy faucets

A few months ago I won a weekend getaway to Kohler, Wisconsin from fellow Chicago mom blogger Kim Moldofsky, whose latest blog, The Reluctant Renovator, chronicles the updates she and her husband are making to their new (old) house.

If Kohler sounds familiar to you, it's probably because your sink, tub or toilet bears the name. But the 140 year old Kohler company has more than an over-the-top design showroom to lure tourists to their small company town outside Sheboygan--they've transformed what used to be housing for the single immigrant men who worked in their factories into a deluxe 5 star hotel, The American Club. To further entice tourism, they've built fancy golf courses, opened a luxury spa and installed upscale shopping and restaurants on the Kohler campus. The buildings are spread out, but a free shuttle will pick you up and drop you off anywhere within minutes.

All hail the wall of toilets

Since the package I'd won was geared toward families, we were put up at the slightly less luxurious but more child-friendly Inn at Woodlake, which serves free breakfast every day and will loan you board games (or even an Xbox). The Inn at Woodlake is also home to the weekend Kamp Kohler kids programming, which we took full advantage of on Saturday.

Since it was an off-season weekend the girls were the only children enrolled, but they had an awesome time with Ginger, racing through the woods on a nature scavenger hunt, swimming at the pool at the nearby Sports Core and putting together some Thanksgiving-themed crafts. They had so much fun they begged to be sent back for the evening "Dinner and a Movie" program, which meant Josh and I had lunch and dinner on our own (Neopolitan pizza at Il Ritrovo and fish and chips at the Duke of Devon Pub) and plenty of time to explore the amazing John Michael Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, which had a very moving exhibit on memory and memory loss. There was a great multi-room installation that reminded me a bit of the Alzheimer's novel Turn of Mind and a bunch of photographs from The Oxford Project, which I loved so much I bought the book.

Ada checks out the "quiet seat" in a lit-from-below bathroom

But back to our stay in Kohler. The staff everywhere on the resort was cheerful, friendly and eager to please. The beds at the Inn on Woodlake were comfortable and the flat screen was large, but the most memorable part of room was the bathroom, especially the shower, which was from another world--5 adjustable sprayers for a shower I didn't ever want to get out of!

We toured the Kohler Design Center with the girls, which is amazing on multiple levels. I loved seeing the history of their advertisements, we all giggled imagining ourselves rich enough to live in a house with one of their many over-the-top bathroom set-ups and the kids and Josh marveled at all the crazy technology (multi-sprayer showers and Japanese-style programmable toilets with remote controls). Had we been there on a weekday morning, we could have also toured the factory.

No trip to Kohler would be complete without a stop at the fancy Kohler Water Spa, so I sent Josh and the girls off to the Above and Beyond Children's Museum in Sheboygan Sunday morning and indulged myself in a Thai-style "stretch and flex" massage and an hour soaking in a hot tub, baking in a sauna and generally feeling pampered and relaxed.

Would we go back? Definitely. At least in this family, happy family getaways are much happier when there is a kids' club to give mom and dad some alone time. And while the Kohler Resort's stellar reputation proceeded it, we were pleasantly surprised by all that nearby (and fun-to-pronounce) Sheboygan has to offer. I've never been the type to stay exclusively on a resort property, but I didn't know that there would be genuine foodie restaurants and a couple of great museums in a small Wisconsin city just 5 minutes away.

The cute school pictures I refuse to buy

I'm a sucker for school pictures. The blue background. The gap-toothed smiles. The cowlicks and stray hairs Mom's not there to smooth out. I'm not the type to spring for the super package with the 8X10 print and keychain, but I'm good for a sheet of wallets (not that anyone keeps photographs in their wallets anymore; that's what smart phones are for).

So imagine my surprise when we received Ada's proofs from Shutterbug Studios, the company serving her Montessori school. All the poses were in front of a snowy forest scene. With evergreens. At first glance, my reaction was "Wow, these are really Christmassy." Not that the gentiles have a monopoly on snowy forests, but she is leaning up against a pile of wrapped gifts in the shot on the upper right.

And my second thought: "Gee, she looks awfully underdressed for a stroll in the wintery woods." I mean the girl's wearing a dress and leggings (which I fully did not anticipate making it into the portrait session). Where are her coat, hat and boots? Wouldn't her hands be cold as she lies facedown on the "snow?"

As darling as Ada looks, these pictures are dumb. I won't be ordering any.

On the other hand, I'm tempted to get a print of this roller derby action shot by Oak Park sports photographer DT Kindler.

I'm a convert to the Curly Girl Method

Although I've learned bits and pieces about caring for my curls over the years, until this week I've never actually researched hair care. But I needed a trim and decided to look for curly hair cuts on Pinterest for inspiration. I stumbled upon a couple of Curly Girl before and after photos and immediately put the book on hold at the library.

I'd already cut way down on my shampoo use and switched to a sulfate-free formula for those times I felt like I really needed to clean my hair. But I had been using products with silicone (a no-no) and was relying on mousse for most of my styling needs.

The big changes were as follows: "Shampoo" hair with a lightweight conditioner and then condition with a richer formula. Finger comb out any tangles and hardly rinse out any conditioner before stepping out of the shower and squeeze/scrunch your sopping wet hair with a cotton t-shirt instead of a terry cloth towel. I also switched a Curly Girl-approved gel, a giant bottle of L.A. Looks that cost less than $3 and looks like it's straight out of 1988.

Half an hour before they completely dried

Scrunch/cup the gel into your curls and let air dry. Shake the curls free from their "gel cast" when hair is completely dry.

I'm still figuring out the amount of product I need to use, but I'm happy so far. My curls are 100% frizz-free even at the day's end and I've gotten a lot of compliments.

Tuesday morning update: One of the techniques in the book lets you sleep on your hair and revive it in the morning without showering and restyling. I was dubious, as I've never been able to skip a shower and wear my hair in anything but a bun, but here's what it looked like this morning after twisting into a top knot, sleeping on it, and then spritzing with lavender water that I mixed up myself.

One year later: See how I've adapted the method to get even better results.

A sewing birthday party

Zoe got the crafting bug at Oak Park's Arts District Summer Camp this year, and one of her favorite projects was sewing. So when I found out about Angie Cataldo's sewing birthday parties, I suggested sewing as an option for her 7th birthday celebration.

Since seemingly every girl in Oak Park has an American Girl doll, we opted to invite 7 girls to bring their dolls and sew a doll-sized sleeping bag. Angie brought a variety of fabrics and each guest got to choose the outer fabric and cozy fleece interior. All the pieces were precut, so all the girls needed to do was hand sew a running stitch around the outside, connecting the two pieces. The sewing took about an hour and fifteen minutes and they each got a turn at the sewing machine at the very end. While the girls were intently focused on their projects and chattering happily, it was clear the slightly older girls were more manually dexterous. Zoe and the girl closest to her in age (they are the youngest and second youngest in the group) started to lose interest and veer away from the stitch line before they were completely done.

The sewing wrapped up just as the pizza arrived, and we followed up 3 large Papa John's pizzas with the cake I'd baked to Zoe's specifications: chocolate cake with chocolate pudding in the middle and blue buttercream frosting. The party was almost over by the time Zoe opened her presents and the girls joined their slumbering dolls to watch the American Girl Molly movie.

If you're interested in having a sewing party for your daughter's birthday, brownie troop or some kind of mother-daughter event, I'd highly recommend Angie. She was professional, energetic, and even brought along an assistant--which was key to keeping 8 2nd graders' needles threaded and knotted. Her sewing parties cost $100 plus a materials fee. The doll sleeping bags were $6 each.