Chicago Moms Blog

When Did the Library Become Barnes and Noble

I spent part of yesterday at the library studying for a certification exam.  It was after I had attended the all day training class and my brain was a wee bit fried - okay it was past fried.  I found a cubicle at the library and started taking some practice tests only to get through 10 of them before there was a ruckus.

It wasn't so much the toddler that was screaming for her mommy because little kids don't always know to be quiet in the library.  Nope - it was the grown up patron shouting across the room to the library asking where a book was.  On top of that, the library shouted back to the patron several times on where the book in question was.  I was shocked and annoyed and couldn't figure out why the library couldn't get of her lazy duff and attend to the patron or why the person couldn't walk 10 feet over to the desk where the librarian was sitting.

Stay At Home Dad Needs Help

My husband, God love him, gave up his career to stay at home with my 2 toddler sons.  He's a great guy and is a lot of things, but organized and able to follow a schedule he is not.  Case in point - our 3 year old is scheduled to attend speech and occupational therapy sessions for his very slight developmental delay.  Because my husband cannot adhere to a dinner/bedtime schedule and I am often late getting home from work, my son has slept through the last 2 appointments.

It's frustrating only because I know that my son's "developmental delays" will only be helped by consistency and because of the inability of my husband to stick to a schedule, this consistency is compromised.  Yesterday I came home early from work and was able to get the boys fed, diapered, pajama-ed, and in bed (asleep) by 7:30 pm.  And today, I came home early again and accomplished the same thing.  I cannot understand why this is difficult for him.

Feeling Puffy

It's been really warm outside in Chicago lately and yes, I am fully aware that it is summer but still.  For whatever reason, the warm weather makes me even more acutely aware that I need to lose some poundage.  It's tough because just when I get going on a routine of going to the gym and eating right something happens.

Something in the form of drinks with co-workers or a local Greek Food Fest.  We wait ALL year for the Greek Food Fest at a nearby Greek church.  Actually, David waits all year for it and I endure him mentioning how wonderful it was and how he can't wait until next year.  It's funny, but true.

The event is an annual thing for me too because it usually marks the time of year when I tell myself that I will diet and exercise and take better care of myself.  What is it about this particular event that makes me take a "healthy vow"?  It's because it's hot and humid outside and I'm watching uber-skinny people in tank tops and shorts eating lamb on a stick.  I always end up feeling like a troll.  So, I'm right on schedule because I feel very puffy and this is the weekend of the Greek Food Fest.

I'm Very VERY Sorry

In addition to the phrases, "Please" and "Thank You" I've made sure that my sons know how to say "I'm Sorry".  Sometimes they forget to say those 2 magical words but overall they're pretty good about it.  Today was a pretty stressful day because the house is a mess, laundry isn't done (or started), and David has been spending all day out in the back yard putting the boys' playset together.

In the meantime, I have been left with the boys and they've been in foul moods today.  Someone is grabbing someone else's toys more often than they should and both of them seem to have over-active bowels.  In addition, to poopy diaper duty I've loaded and unloaded and loaded and unloaded the dishwasher a zillion times; made 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies; and played referee between the boys.  It's a typical Saturday but for some reason I've gotten nothing accomplished and I'm exhausted.

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Pissed Off Mother

It's taken me a little time to pull myself together and decide to write about my 3 year old's first day camp experience.  I can be unreasonable and angry which tends to throw my judgment completely off, but now that it's been a couple of days I think I can write this with a clear head.  My 3 year old attended a nearby preschool and enjoyed it very much; my husband and I love, love his preschool teachers and think that they do an excellent job.  I need to say this because the day camp that I signed my son up for is run by the same place as the preschool and I want to make it perfectly clear that it is NOT my son's preschool teachers that I am upset with - nor am I upset with the person who is in charge of running the day camp.

So the story goes like this: my son missed the first day of day camp and my husband dropped him off on the second day.  The room that the campers were in was the exact room that my son had preschool in and there is only ONE door that you can enter and exit from.  David, my husband, saw that my oldest son was settled into a game of cars with another child, scooped up my youngest son, and walked out the door.  The door leads to a large lobby and then to TWO sets of double doors.  David walked through the lobby and through the first set of double doors.  When he turned around to push the second set of double doors

Tight Times Call for Spam

The economy is not doing so great - it's a sentiment that I'm sure most families are aware of.  The price of everything, not just gasoline, has gone up dramatically this past year and as a one income household we feel the pinch.  My husband is a wonder with stretching a dollar and his favorite store is Costco.  Ask my sons what Daddy's favorite store is and you always get the same answer.

My husband has told me funny stories about going grocery shopping at the Costco and the boys embarrass him by squealing, "I love Costco!  Costco is Daddy's favorite store!" while sitting in the cart being wheeled down the aisles.  Hmmm, I wonder if I could turn that into something that would help pay for college.  One of the staples that the hubby loves to buy is Spam - the edible kind and not the kind that you get in your e-mail box.

New Meaning to the Word "Tired"

I remember before David and I had the boys and there were times when I felt so tired that I wondered how in the world I could ever keep my eyes open.  When we registered at Babies R Us one afternoon, we had to go home and take a nap.  Then we had the boys and tired had new meaning.  During the first trimester of my first pregnancy I wasn't just tired - I was TIRED; so tired that often times I couldn't stay awake past 7:00 pm.  There were times that I wondered how it was I was going to drive home from work (I left at 4:30 pm) because I was so tired.

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

Why Won't These Allergies Go Away

Since it started getting warmer and the trees and flowers started budding, I have had what feels like a perpetual head cold.  Once or twice this year I have had something severe enough to take antibiotics but the stuffy head, coughing feeling has yet to leave me entirely.  Yesterday I went out to my car and saw what was a nice thick coating of pollen on my car windows.  This is after I've driven the car the day before.

When I mention the inability to shake whatever it is I seem to have, I've been told that it has been a horrible allergy year.  So, here is my question - when does the allergy season end because I can't take more of this.  I'm sick and tired of not being able to breathe; sick and tired of coughing and not getting a descent night's sleep; and sick of feeling like I'm hung over every morning that I wake up.  I suppose it wouldn't be such a bad thing if I were actually hung over because that would mean that I had fun the night before.

Not Sharing Mother's Day

This is the first year in 30 something years where I won't be spending Mother's Day with my mom.  No, no - it's not like that; my parents decided to up and move to another state and took 2 of my aunts with them.  As much as I gripe about how overbearing my mother is, I have to say that Mother's Day without her is a little - well - weird.  This is my first eggroll-less Mother's Day.

It is also the first time since I became a mother that I don't have to split Mother's Day between 2 mother (mine and my husbands) and the first one that I don't have to share.  One would think that it would be a great feeling.  Today I can do anything that I want because it's MY Mother's Day.  Uh yeah right.  It didn't turn out that way.

Made in the U.S.A.

Growing up we had 2 American made cars and both of them were lemons compared to our Toyotas that we went through every 6 or 7 years.  In our family, we passed cars down so it wasn't a surprise when we kids were driving cars that were 10 or 12 years old.  For us, our American-made cars that lasted 5 years did not hold a candle to our beloved foreign-made cars.

As an adult, I still hold that value as do my sister and brother; we don't usually drive American cars.  The term "American-made" is now an oxymoron because most Toyotas and Hondas are made in southern United States.  Still, it isn't likely you will see any of us driving around in Dodges.  Even though I still hold this belief, I have another belief that there are A LOT of things that are made in the USA that are better made than anywhere else in the word.