Chicago Moms Blog

Blue Skies, Nothing but Blue Skies?

For as long as I can remember growing up in Chicago, Memorial Day has always been a rainy day.  Based on what Weather.com is predicting, this is still going to be the case.  We're nothing if not predictable, I suppose.

So, what do you do with toddlers on a rainy day?  Beats me.  There's always Day Frog or finger painting at home or visits to the nearby grandparents.  I'm hoping that the weatherperson/guy/gal is wrong about the rain especially since this weekend looks like it's going to be so nice!

With the recent onslaught of nice weather, I'm praying that the prediction is wrong.  Celebrated Chicago weather guy, Tom Skilling says that it's probably going to rain, so I believe it.  After all, if Tom says it's going to rain - it's going to rain.

Original Chicago Moms Blog post. Irene blogs at Marketing Mommy.

Stormy Weather in Chicago

I'm a grouch.  I'm sure my mood has to do with work (stressful) or home (dealing with a stay at home dad and 2 toddlers).  But, more than anything it has to do with the fact that there has been no sun in I'm not sure how many days.  I'm not a big fan of summer, let alone spring, but the fact that we've had gloomy days and rainy days one right after the next in Chicago o is wearing on me.

Recently I joined the Chicago Area Runners Association and am running with a group of fun people every week.  But, running in the gloom by a beautiful lakefront is getting a bit annoying.  This past week, it was raining so hard during the group run that I just decided to skip out.  Again, the weather is wreaking havoc on my good mood.

I know that I shouldn't really complain because at least it isn't ridiculously humid and hot.  I know those days are coming quickly because Chicago seems to be the only place where you can go from rainy and cold to hot and humid and back to rainy and cold in the same day.

This is an original post to Chicago Moms Blog.  Irene tries to post regularly on her blog, Chicago Chick.

The Onslaught of "Fests"

Growing up in Chicago, there weren't a lot of events to attend.  By this I mean that there was Chicagofest which was the precursor to the Taste of Chicago.  There weren't a lot of neighborhood fests, but we did have a lot of block parties.

Shortly after I graduated from university and moved back to the city, I realized that May through August was the "fest" season.  Not only is there Taste of Chicago and the Sheffield Garden Walk, but there are a zillion other "Taste ofs" that take place.  

I love the city, but I'm not so sure that I'm thrilled about all the fests that go on and honestly, I'm not totally for the Olympics coming to Chicago.  I think that the aftermath of the Olympics is something that people FOR the Olympics think about.  Not only will there be a huge influx of traffic, but there will no doubt be infrastructure "improvements" and venues being built that the Chicago taxpayers will need to foot the bill for.  I suppose the more I think about it, the onslaught of the "fests" isn't so bad.

My Kind of Town Where We Leave Furniture Out

My kind of town.  Yeah, I know it sounds cliche and trite, but I love Chicago.  And, even though I now live in Chicagoland, I still consider myself a Chicagoan - a Northsider to be exact.  Yeah, yeah it broke my heart to move to the 'burbs.

Last week I went out with a group of co-workers to a local watering hole and then stopped off at the Wiener Circle.  I had to explain to the co-workers I was with that a Chicago hot dog does NOT have ketchup on it and that the neon green stuff was relish and edible.  I quickly realized that of the 5 other people I was with, that I was the only one that grew up in the city.  When someone else realized this fact, it quickly turned into a game of "Why do you guys . . . " 

Why I Hate Spring

The warmer weather is upon us - or at least about to be upon us - and I'm happy to have more sunshine, but I HATE spring.  I hate it because I can't hide in my comfy sweaters anymore and I have to put my cute boots away.  Granted this time last spring I was 30 pounds heavier, so I should be happy that I can fit into smaller clothes.  However, I still have a way to go and I still dislike spring.  Not only am I STILL fat but allergies in Chicago (and I'm sure almost everywhere according to an article that I've read) have been really bad this year.

I know that it should be motivation for me to get my butt in gear again, but I'm tired and (honestly) lazy.  So, to provide a little motivation I went to a nearby mall and stopped by the Ann Taylor.  I was able to get into a "normal" size and for a moment was happy.

But, Sunday morning I got up and was ravenous. 

I Thought I Was Crazy

I thought I was crazy because my heart was constantly racing and I was on the verge of yelling, "WHAT DID I JUST SAY!?!?!" for the billionth time.    It turns out that I'm NOT crazy, I just have toddler boys who are cooped up in the house.  For those of us who have small, active children, the loooong Midwestern winters often feel as though our heads are going to explode during the months of February and March.

Nevermind that February seems to mean that every week there will be some kind of Valentine's day festivity in preschool classes.  Not only are the boys served sugar-laden juice (which they don't get to have at home), but they also get oodles of chocolate, cookies, and suckers.  Then, there are the cold days when there isn't a whole heck of a lot to do inside.

Day Frog to the Rescue

In Chicago, winters are long and they seem longer when you have toddlers at home and it's too cold to go outside and play.  There are only so many warmish days that have snow where the boys can make snow angels.  Lately, there aren't a lot of those days and it doesn't look like there will be some any time soon.  My patience is frayed and David's sanity is on thin ice.  We've done the museums and have gone on long, LONG car rides, but yesterday I found the best place on earth for active toddlers and tired parents.

David and I took the boys to Day Frog late yesterday afternoon and they had a blast!  My oldest boy's eyes bugged out of his head in excitement the moment he set foot in the very large room.  I think it was the large blue and green slides in the middle of the room and soon after he found the play kitchen and the Plasma Cars.  My youngest boy fell in love with the train area and refused to leave.

There's a kitchen area where you can finger paint or eat.  And, the place is open early and closes late (8:00 am to 8:00 pm).  After looking at the kitchen, I realized that this is would be a great place t have an after work date with my husband.  David and I never get to sit with each other and have dinner, so this may be the place to keep the boys occupied while David and I have dinner.  Yeah, it's not the most romantic idea, but just sitting at a table to have a meal would be a nice change of pace.

Is Anyone Else Tired?

I know that what I am about to say is going to sound like stating the obvious, but I have to say it anyway.  People, I  AM  TIRED.  Tired, exhausted, overwhelmed, whatever word you want to use to call the state that I'm in - it's all the same to me.  My next question is going to sound insane, but I'm asking it anyway.  Is anyone else out there tired?

I don't know if it's the after holiday exhaustion or the parent exhaustion or the working outside the home and trying to balance life exhaustion, but I know that I'm not alone in this feeling.  My issue is this: if I don't try to figure out how to stop being exhausted, I don't think that I will be able to make it through to Spring.  Seriously, it is that bad.  So, my question to you all is this:

Why Do New Year's Resolutions Fail?

Last year I started going back to the gym.  It was late March and most of the people who had made New Year's resolutions to lose weight and go to the gym had pretty much quit.  Today when I got to the gym it was shockingly crowded.  There were a lot of people on treadmills who looked like they hadn't been on one for years.  And, there were people on elliptical trainers who were huffing and puffing like their resolution was to lose all the weight on that elliptical trainer in one day.

It was nice to see so many people there and I hope that come March many of those people are still there.  I hope that I'm still at the health club with them!  I have no idea why New Year's resolutions fail and can only say that, for me, I just get lazy or busy.  Life just gets busy and I don't have time to make it to the gym or I get completely stressed out and the next thing I know I'm reaching for handfuls of chocolate.

No Year in Review for Me

I'm not sure if I'm alone in this line of thinking, but I truly believe that this New Year's Eve was different than any year.  It's different for me because most of the personal blogs that I've read had almost NO year in review posts.  Sure there were the odd onsey-twosey ones, but overall there wasn't the usual year in review post.  Last year, I did a year in review post, but this year I just didn't have the energy for it.  Actually, I didn't have the stomach for it.

I always hope that the coming year will be better and in some respects it does turn out that way.  The years seem to go by so quickly since we've had the boys and just when I think that things have stabilized, I take a look at my sons and marvel at how tall they've gotten.  I think my new thing for 2009 is to try to enjoy the present.  As a parent with 2 preschool aged boys, I am painfully aware that time is beginning to fly by at an increasing pace.  If I worried or stressed out about every little thing, I would make myself completely crazy.  And, I'm already half-crazy so . . .