I'm living a lie

Living in a "staged" home is beginning to wear on us, but our house has never been cleaner. Check out my Chicago Parent post.

Another house update

We toured our new house last Friday and since the walls have all been framed, we could finally feel what the space is like for the first time. Our living room is huge, the dining room seems like it is going to be perfectly proportioned for our furniture, and the family room off of the open kitchen is a little smaller than I'd envisioned.

All of the bedrooms are fantastic and the place is absolutely flooded with natural light from all the windows.

I've picked our siding (James Hardie fiber cement lap siding in Timber Bark), the trim (an aluminum cladding in Silver Mist) and our roofing material (GAF Timberline HD in   Weathered Wood), and every element of the kitchen has been selected save the hardware, which I continue to overthink.

Roof is on

View of living room from dining room

Me, in our bedroom

The girls, posing by two back bedrooms

The backyard looks bigger without a forest of weeds

Last weekend was a good weekend

I left work Friday a reeling a little from an unexpected reorg, but immediately met my friend Anna and headed up to Belmont Harbor for some trapeze action. We'd purchased a LivingSocial voucher 3 months ago for a picnic/Trapeze School NY Chicago experience and it was So. Much. Fun. Not only did we get to fly on the trapeze (and execute a "catch" while hanging from our knees--you can see the video here), we learned some fun partner acrobatic moves that I can't wait to ambush our friends with at the next get-together.

Then on Sunday, after spending the morning with Ada in her 1st grade Hebrew School family class, we had lunch at Smoque BBQ and spent the afternoon at the Renegade Craft Fair, which has grown absolutely enormous. The kids found all the child-friendly activities (photo booths, print-making and petting dozens of doggies) while I fingered scarves and handbags and ultimately bought some fancy soap. Actually, the kids made out better than me--Ada got a fox mask and Zoe scored a Megan Lee t-shirt to match Josh's.

House update

The roof is gone. The second floor is gone. The stucco's been ripped off and the interior walls, floors and doors have been demoed. Very little of the original bungalow will be left standing, but under the stucco and hidden behind the living room wall we did find 2 stained glass windows. They aren't to code anymore, so we can't use them in place of regular windows, but we are considering incorporating them in the house--perhaps as an attic window.

Front of the house

Living room, facing the street

Art glass on the right

Basement

After visiting the site, Josh and I drove up to Abt and ordered all of our appliances. We're getting an LG refrigerator and range, a Bosch dishwasher, a Broan range hood and a KitchenAid microwave, which will be installed in the peninsula. We also bought an LG washer and dryer, which I'm kind of giddy about. While certainly not top-of-the-line, all our household appliances are major upgrades from the mid-level Kenmore appliances we purchased from Sears in 2003.

A report on the first day of school

Ada, at elementary school for the first time, is in a multi-age combination first and second grade class called "the Big MAC." (It's Big and a Multi-Age Classroom.) While one of the two teachers is new to the class (but not the school), it seems like a wonderful and very unique combination class that has the first and second graders doing a lot together. Ada's report from her first day of school was dominated by her explanation of the classroom's behavior chart (green smiles through red frowns), but she also said she got her pick her seat (next to her Montessori buddy Ami), her teacher was "mostly nice but a little bit mean," her class "earned two big Wows," and she almost cried on the playground because she didn't know where to put her lunch box during recess. "But I kept my tears in my eyes."

My self-proclaimed tomboy, Zoe entered fourth grade. She has a well-respected, seasoned teacher and many friends in her classroom. She reported that the first day's work was "too easy" and she can't wait for the gifted program to get back underway. She's also not thrilled about sharing a locker, but her locker buddy is in gymnastics and Hebrew school with her too, so many this will kick-start a friendship. After school, Zoe had a short break before heading to gymnastics practice. She moved up a level this year and has a smaller team of only 12 girls, which means a lot more personal attention from the coaches. So she's very happy about that.

I love seeing my girls excited about school and learning, but I don't think my enthusiasm is any match for Josh's, as he was very ready for the kids to return to school. He'll be volunteering in both girls' classrooms and keeping the house spotless for showings. What, did I forget to mention our home will be going on the market in early September?!

A perfect end to summer vacation

What do you do on the last day of summer vacation when one kid wants to build sandcastle on the beach, one kid wants to hit the pool in a neighboring town (the one you don't have passes to), you'd love to take a bike ride along the lakefront and your mother, visiting from Virginia, says she "doesn't care...as long as we don't go to an amusement park like Kings Dominion"?

If you're me, you head over to the Garfield Park Conservatory. Inside, the kids played hide and seek in the fern room while the grandparents wandered around identifying some of their own houseplants. But outside was actually the highlight. We usually head to the Conservatory in the middle of winter to get a bit of a green fix, so I'd forgotten how spectacular the grounds can be. Workmen were setting up for a free Shakespeare in the Parks performance to be held later that afternoon and the goats were off duty, but the city demonstration garden was brimming with fresh herbs and vegetables (even a few surprises, like an orange tree). The kids spent over a hour playing with the sticks, logs and palm fronds in the play garden, and by the time their elaborate games of pretend were winding down, some volunteers had set up a butterfly and ant learning activity. Zoe pretended to be an ant and used her nose to follow a trail to food. (A bee hive--did you know ants and yellow jackets raid bee hives for honey?).  Meanwhile, Ada drew a beautifully detailed picture of the tabletop ant farm and butterfly cage.

And my mom and Rick? They took photos, chatted and played a bit too.

After a few hours, we had exhausted the snacks I'd brought along and we were pretty hungry. So we walked over to Inspiration Kitchens, which is just half a block away. I'd read about the nonprofit restaurant before, but this was my first time dining there. I highly recommend it for a family friendly bite to eat. The portions are on the smaller side, but everything was made with fresh, in-season fruit and vegetables from their urban gardens and all the tips help pay for meals out for families who couldn't otherwise afford it. I had a very tasty watermelon, feta and mint salad, which was served over mixed greens with a lime vinaigrette.

By the time we'd finished our lunch/brunch (the girls had pancakes and I had coffee), it was hot, so we headed over to Rehm Pool. Due to the heat and everyone being back from their various summer vacation travels, it was so crowded we had to wait until folks left before we could get it. But we nabbed a deck chair, the water was gloriously cool, and we saw a bunch of friends--one set of whom took Zoe home for a steak dinner!

Finishing our perfect end to a lovely summer: the grandparents babysat while Josh and I heading to the Publican for dinner (al fresco!) with friends.

A mini beach vacation with friends

Since a) we're buying a house before the year is over and b) summer is Chicago's best season, we've been sticking pretty close to home. But we needed a little getaway and booked 3 nights at a VRBO rental home in Sawyer, Michigan with our friends.

The 4 bedroom manufactured house wasn't that close to the beach or particularly nicely decorated, but it was just the right size for 4 adults and 5 rowdy children, aged 2 1/2-8.

Here are a few photographic highlights from our trip. Not pictured is adults-only evenings on the deck, drinking wine and stargazing (which is infinitely more interesting with a stargazing app!).

Hours upon hours of sandcastle building

BFFs Zoe and Hank

Climbing to the top of the dunes in Warren Dunes State Park (hard!)

Fernwood Botanical Garden in Niles

So much delicious food

Raspberry and apple picking

You can see all of Josh and my photos here.

Something for everyone: from Pitchfork to Shrek

Kate took this pic

This weekend had a little something for everyone, grown-ups and children alike. First, Josh and I took the kids to Union Park for day 2 of the Pitchfork Musical Festival on Saturday. It was decidedly for us versus for them, but after a lot of initial whining from Ada ("It's hot. It's loud. I hate this place."), they enjoyed their free ice cream and sunglasses. Ada rocked out to The Breeders with me and Zoe brushed up on bad words by wandering around, reading the t-shirts and rings for sale in the craft tent. ("There was the F-word and the S-word...")

 Sunday, we tagged along to a kid show, seeing Shrek The Musical at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre at Navy Pier. And just as our children ultimately had a good time at Pitchfork, Josh and I enjoyed Shrek almost as much as Zoe and Ada. I hadn't seen the movie in many years, but this live stage performance brought it all back: the farting, burping ogre; his jive-talking donkey sidekick; the diminutive Prince Farquood and all the other mixed-up fairy tale characters. Only Puss in Boots was missing in action.

It's a funny show and fast-paced--the whole thing is only 85 minutes (no intermission). I brought a picnic lunch for us to enjoy afterwards in the gardens outside of the theatre, but Ada saw a few wasps on the flowers and completely flipped out. Instead of riding the carnival-style swings as planned, we had to hightail it out of there. Which is kind of a shame because CST offers the best parking deal on Navy Pier--about $14 for the whole day.

Mom's lap/bug defense zone

Happy 6th birthday, Ada!

Ada, looking at your lean limbs and confident stance, it's clear you're growing up and ready for 1st grade.

This year you became a more capable reader and excelled in your Montessori kindergarten. Just this summer you learned to ride a bike and aced the summer camp swim test, earning the coveted green wristband of freedom. My little thrill seeker, you'll jump at the chance to hurl yourself off the diving board, go down a water slide or ride a carnival roller coaster by yourself.

You're also a ham. The only thing you like more than attending musicals is being in the spotlight yourself. You loved your dance and theatre classes at SCAW (Summer Community Arts Workshops), and you're forever sitting me down on the couch to watch an over-the-top performance in which you gleefully play all the roles--director, narrator, dancer and all the roles.

And you're pretty good, too. You stayed in character for the overly long SCAW play, you recognize and sing along to pop and rock songs on the radio, and you can pick out a lot of tunes on the piano, having started lessons this past winter.

You are a true extrovert. You make friends wherever you go and are outwardly affectionate with all of them. When I visited you at camp, I marveled to see so many other kids run up and hug you and say hello. You had a sweet way of intertwining your arm with theirs and leaning in close to whisper in their ears. And be they family, friends, teachers or counselors--you love to sit on people's laps, hold their hands and touch their skin and hair. 

If I had a wish for you this year, it would be that you expand your limited palette (like your parents) and learn to love books (as much as your sister), but keep nurturing all those other fabulous qualities that make you uniquely Ada.

Happy 5th birthday, Ada!
Happy 4th birthday, A!
Happy 3rd birthday, A!
Happy 2nd birthday, A
Happy 1st birthday, A

Interview with an (almost) 6 year old

Ada and Oscar, buddies.

Although I'm not 100% consistent, I like to interview my children around their birthdays. Since Ada's birthday is fast approaching, here's an update from the inside of her head.

What's your favorite color? Blue.

Your favorite animal? Bunny.

TV show? Phineas & Ferb

What's your favorite toy? American Girl Dolls.

What's your favorite book? Rapunzel.

Do you have a favorite song? Ode to Joy.

What's your favorite thing to wear? Dress.

What's your favorite sport? Piano.

What's your favorite restaurant? Salernos!

Your favorite cereal? Kix.

Your favorite food? Pizza.

What do you like to do at school? Draw pictures.

What are your best friends? Aminatta, Jenna and Lyric. And Ella!

Where would you like to go on vacation this year? To Australia where there is penguins.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A hair salonist.

Where do you want to live when you grow up? Oak Park.

Do you plan to have children? Yes.

How many? Two.

Boys or girls? Girls. That are twins. Wait, I mean a boy and a girl that are twins.

Will you have pets? Yes. My pet is going to be a cat.

If you could change your name, what would you pick? Violet.

What do you love about Mommy? She is soft and warm and chubby.

I'm chubby? Yeah. I mean look at your arm, it’s all chubby!

What do you love about Daddy? He’s grumpy, dark and he looks like me.

What do you love about your sister? It’s hard to think of my sister. She’s funny.

What would you like to do when you’re 6 years old? Get my nails done.

Do you have a birthday wish? A new flashlight, because my flashlight’s gone.

Fearless swimmers!

Interview with an (almost) 4 year old -- Ada
Interview with an (almost) 6 year old -- Zoe
Interview with Zoe on her 8th birthday

The Jungle Book at The Goodman Theatre

"Hey Zoe, since I took Ada to Oliver! you get to come with me to see The Jungle Book!"
"Is it at the middle school?"
"No, it's at the Goodman Theatre, near my office downtown."
"Then I don't want to see it."

Zoe missed out.

Almost 6 year old Ada and I had a wonderful time seeing Mary Zimmerman's new musical adaptation of "The Jungle Book," which is based on both the Disney animation and Rudyard Kipling's book. It's been updated with Indian-inspired music, dance and costumes for a delightful, eye-popping show that could very well follow in the paw prints of Broadway's The Lion King.

I loved every minute of the show, but the highlights for me were seeing (and hearing) "Colonel Hathi's March (The Elephant Song)," "I Wanna Be Like You," and "Bare Necessities." "The Jungle Book" was one of my very first records and I spent so much time looking at the record sleeve I can close my eyes and picture it. Now I have new imagery to recall--like the undulating hoops of Baloo's costume that helped actor Kevin Carolan lumber in a very convincingly bear-like fashion; the wolves' tails, which popped straight up when they were alarmed; and the elephants, essentially upright soldiers with large gray ears and wrinkled boots. I should note that all of the animal costumes were suggestive rather than realistic (think an orange striped maharaja-style outfit for Shere Khan), but the actors brought them to life through such convincingly animal-like movements and gestures. Look out for the scene when Kaa hypnotizes Mowgli--the snake is actually a mesmerizing dance performed by the ensemble with children's plastic balls.

The Jungle Book is appropriate for all ages, but at 2 hours 15 minutes long, it probably is best for kids old enough to sit still for extended periods of time.

Our weeklong test drive of the Ford C-MAX

Josh and I are slowly readjusting to our 2005 Honda CR-V after spending a week behind the wheel of a brand-new Ford C-MAX. Frankly, going back to an older, unsexy, non-hybrid car is hard. I'm suffering from withdrawal.

A little background on the C-MAX. It's basically Ford's answer to the Toyota Prius. Unlike the Hyundai Sonata or the Honda Civic, you don't get to choose between hybrid and traditional gas engines (paying a premium for the former). The C-MAX is all-hybrid (regular hybrid or plug-in hybrid). It's heavier and roomier and way more fun to drive than a Prius, but both Josh and I were disappointed we never quite reached the lofty 47/47 mpg promised.

In fact, driving like a cautious old lady — easing out from a full stop, gliding slowly to a halt, and generally adhering to the speed limit, with few exceptions —  Josh was once able to average around 40 or so mpg, and that factored in 10 minutes of circling around O’Hare, waiting for me to get off my flight from San Diego. Driving like a normal human, we got closer to 30mpg, which is not bad, but not great, given that is around what the much bigger and more powerful Toyota Highlander hybrid supposedly gets.

Boo: 29.1 MPG, Yay: 3/4 tank after 1 week of driving

That said, there’s something noble about a car that rewards better driving habits with better mileage. Sure, that holds true for conventional engines as well, but our CR-V would never get close to 30 or 35 mpg no matter how carefully we drove. Dashboard graphics make getting better mileage into something close to a game, and a fun one at that.

The environmental appeal of hybrids is very attractive, at least as far as emissions go (materials/battery production/disposal is another matter). But there are other positive environmental considerations as well, such as the quiet driving and idling, which cuts down on ambient street noise. We've also heard stories of hybrid drivers getting 500k to the car, which is incredible. (I believe the premium pays for itself once you make it to 75k, or somewhere between 5 and 10 years.)

Josh had read horror stories about the operation of the hands-free trunk opener, but it not only worked for us, it frequently came in handy. I loved walking up to the car with the key fob in my bag and having the doors unlock. Then, a quick kick under the rear bumper and the liftgate would swing open (or closed). Very handy for a parent carrying a child or an armload of groceries.


The backseat was spacious for two children in booster seats and quite comfortable for the two adult friends I put back there for the 30 minute drive to and from King Spa.

I miss navigating the car's large touchscreen to control the climate, browse through satellite radio and access the built-in navigation system. My next car will definitely need to have Sirius, push-button keyless start, voice command, and Bluetooth connectivity with my phone. (I should mention here than as much as Josh also enjoyed exploring satellite radio, he thought the stereo was "boomy and boxy.")

I would also like my next car to have the responsive handling and fun-to-drive pep of the Ford C-MAX. It reminded me a bit of the VW Jetta and Beetle.

But here's the rub: our next car really should be a 6 or 7 seater. With two elementary-aged girls, we're right in the thick of car pools and play dates and as nice as it would be to enjoy the C-MAX's bells and whistles...It is actually a bit smaller than our current ride. We ought to go bigger. And the pool of hybrid vehicles from which to choose is really small. It's basically the Highlander. Which is nice and all, but a whopping $20k more than the C-MAX and not nearly as fun to drive.

I guess it's a good thing we won't be making a car purchase until we close on our new home. If we wait long enough, we may end up seeing some new car options come onto the market.

The night Zoe ran away with the circus

Thursday evening at 5:15pm, I hop on the train. It's early and I've been working long hours, but I'm not going to miss Zoe's 6:30 circus show. The sun is shining under partly cloudy skies as I leave the office. By the time the El emerges above ground, around 5:40, Josh texts me to ask if I have an umbrella with me.

No, I type back, why? He replies something about noisy thunder and, indeed, I see a few sprinkles outside the train.

Then, about one or two stops from home (it's 5:50 now), the sky opens up with the biggest, most intense rainstorm I've ever experienced. It was positively hurricane like. The ramp leading from the Oak Park blue line station to Oak Park Avenue is covered and has walls about 2/3 of the way up each side. And yet, the rain was so wild, so horizontal, even those carrying umbrellas were soaked clear through in a matter of seconds.

Josh picked me up,  but I was so thoroughly drenched I had to strip off all my clothes--undies included--the minute we got home.

As soon as I'd changed and Zoe put on her "outer space-inspired" costume, it was time to head out for her 4-week Circus Performance Camp showcase. The rain stopped as we stepped outside and a beautiful double rainbow followed our route to Beye School.


And that is when my phone camera stopped cooperating with me. A combination of low battery, quick act changes and user error kept me from recording any video of Zoe's amazing circus acts. She performed a combination of tumbling, dance and prop manipulation in the opening combination, twisted herself into a pretzel while hanging in the silks and got to be the star of the acrobatics routine. At one point, she and another small girl latched onto each other--head to legs--and did a series of double cartwheels and attached front walkovers. She has video of them doing something like 40 in a row on her camera, so we'll post that at some point.

This is the sole evidence of Zoe's participation.
It was a fantastic show and Zoe loved the camp so much she's said she'd like to be enrolled every summer she's eligible. "When I'm 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13!"

Peek at the renderings of our new house

As promised, I'm sharing the 3-D renderings for our new home. Our builder will be submitting the plans to the village this week, but we've warned they've very slow to approve. Anything less than 6 weeks is considered "lucky."

Exterior view (houses on each side not pictured)

First floor, front of the house

First floor, rear of the house

Living room

The living room will have built-in shelves along the west wall, which you'll walk through/under to get to the dining room. This rendering isn't 100% accurate as I've moved the coat closet next to the stairs to the foyer. It makes the foyer a little more cramped, but opens up a lovely space just beyond the steps where we can (eventually) place an upright piano.

This view of the dining room is from the "hallway" near the kitchen versus the living room.

Family/breakfast nook

There is a family room off of the kitchen where we can watch TV from a couch and eat casual meals. Pictured is the L-shaped breakfast nook bench built into the northeast corner. If you look at the birds-eye view of the first floor, you can see the mudroom off the family room.

Second floor

Here's a fly-over view of the second floor. In the front of the house is the master bedroom, with two large walk-in closets and a master bath with double sinks. There's a second floor laundry room (!) and two linen closets, one in the hall and one in the master bath

All three of the other bedrooms are larger than my kids' current bedrooms and they also have decent sized closets. The hallway bath has two separate vanities, which initially struck me as quite unusual, but which I think my girls will love having as they grow into adolescence.

Another view of second floor

I don't have any renderings of the basement, but it will be partially furnished, with an additional full bath.

As for the exterior, the house will be sided or shingled with Hardie Board, a maintanence-free composite that looks remarkably like real wood. I haven't decided on a color yet.

Next week I start picking the finishes for my kitchen and baths. Starting from scratch might seem little overwhelming, but I joined Houzz and started some ideabooks so I could capture inspiring interiors to reference throughout the design process. Turns out I really like white cabinetry, dark countertops and industrial pendant lighting.

Zoe and Hank, then and now

Hank and Zoe, then.

At the end of a perfect Father's Day (presents, pool and movie date), as Josh relaxed with the fellow dads at a packed Scoville Park concert, I watched Zoe and Hank run around together.

And I realized they've been running around together for half their lives. Right then and there I decided to replicate a wonderful photo I took of them in the same exact place 3 years ago, when they were younger than Ada is now.

As I snapped it, they suggested I take their photo again when they're 11. And when they're 14, 17 and 20.

Hank and Zoe, now

We're moving!

I posted back in March about our adventures in house hunting. We weren't having much luck finding a bigger (but not too much bigger) house with a master bathroom, four bedrooms, an open kitchen/family room and a finished basement. In Oak Park. In our school district.

So we're building one! Sort of.

Baronger Group, the same guys who own Oak Park Bath and Kitchen, buy and renovate houses in Oak Park. Typically, those houses are mid-to-high end gut rehabs designed on spec and flipped onto the MLS. But they've also shopped their projects to local realtors. Get in early, and you can customize the house to your specifications. It turns out Baronger Group was about to buy a rundown bungalow in the neighborhood we wanted to be in. It's on a quiet street. A 2 1/2 block walk to the elementary school. A 3 block walk to the train. 

I called every one of the references Baronger Group sent me, toured a completed house and drove around Oak Park spying on other houses they've rehabbed before I felt confident enough to sign on the dotted line (and make a down payment).

It doesn't look like much now, but it should be my dream house come November!

Wanting to see it "before," we toured the bungalow with Baronger Group owner Mitch Goldstein this morning. Zoe and Ada were horrified. The greasy wallpaper, the filthy pea green sculptured carpet, the dark and frankly scary basement...they wanted to get out of there! It's hard to imagine that this place will be a two story house with every contemporary creature comfort: air conditioning, modern appliances, gleaming hardwood floors...and a enough bathrooms for everyone in the family to go at the same time!

Last Friday we met with an architect to finalize the floor plans. I'll share those and the 3-D renderings I've been promised soon.

In the meantime, we've been readying our 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath American Four Square for the market. Given that we can't move until our new house is complete, we probably won't list it until August or September. But in case you know of anyone who'd love to move to a fantastic location in Oak Park (walking distance to the Blue Line, Sen Sushi and more), here's a sneak peek at our listing photos.