Chicago Moms Blog

Nordstrom personal shopping service- good for any old mom

She had me at “You look like a size six.” And when she headed straight for the sales rack, I was in love. Maybe it wasn't love exactly, but the blend of profound admiration and gratitude as one feels for a parent, tutor or therapist- all of which she was to me in our brief time together.

I never would have thought to engage the services of a Nordstrom personal shopper on my own. Indeed, my blog buddies Devra and Pamela taught me that Nordstrom's free personal shopping service was not just for the rich and powerful or divalicious types who don’t mind shelling out thousands of dollars in a single shopping spree. It's also for shlubs like you and me (or at least me)!

My mom nearly choked when I told her I had an appointment with a Nordstrom shopper. I'm a fashion-backward type who doesn't make it out of the house much beyond carpools and, well, carpools. I hate, HATE shopping. In fact, the last time I stepped foot in Nordstrom was to have a mammogram.

Dressing The Bumps And Bruises

The hubs and I are attending the Wings Of Hope Benefit next Friday at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in honor of the American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation. The E word. Not something very popular or comfortable to talk about, but Epilepsy is real and more common than you may know. We went through the darkest of times when our son was diagnosed just over 4 years ago. Thankfully and miraculously, our son is seizure-free and medication-free now, and we are honored to wear Noah's success as a badge and share his story, one that continues to bring hope to parents wishing the same for their child. This benefit is sure to be emotional and uplifting and will not only raise awareness (with special speaker Hunter Tylo and People Magazine in attendance), but from the proceeds will also provide educational initiatives and support programs to those living with Epilepsy. And this event also has this preggy Mama wondering just what am I going to wear?

Extremely honored to be able to attend such a special night, I want to look my best. I am the face of a mother that has been through watching her child have 200 seizures a day. I saw him drift away before my very eyes and drift back and drift away again. And now I have him back for good. I want to show everyone what a survivor looks like. I didn't end up a haggardly mess rocking myself in a corner (as I seriously thought just might happen.) I made it. I'm not saying that I'm totally together, but I think I have been able to move on with life. And even if we still had the seizures as part of our everyday, we would still go on living. Life- it has this incredible ability to keep going on with or without us.

Ma Village, Let Me Show You It

Recently, CityMama wrote an ode to her small city, waxing poetic about all of reasons she is so content and happy to be living there. Well, the weather in early April in Chicago doesn't come close to matching the weather she has in the Silicon Valley, but in an effort to get myself through these last chilly days, I thought I'd talk a little bit about all of the reasons that I DO love living where I do, which is the city neighborhood of Roscoe Village. Many of my fellow Chicago Mom Bloggers are in the suburbs, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Heck, I grew up in the suburbs! But, I love the city lifestyle, and being in Roscoe Village offers the best of all worlds. Here's why:

Some think we're not that influential

I just read THIS article in The New York Times about a contact from Target's PR telling the blogosphere, in a nutshell, to buzz off.  They simply do not feel that they owe explanations to bloggers or "nontraditional media outlets".  But I really think they were just missing the point of one parent consumer's valid concern.  The concern of our children and the way the media targets them in sometimes subtle, sometimes obviously  sexual ways.  I think they may end up walking away with their tail between their legs  on this one.

Amy Jussel, Founder and Executive Director of Shaping Youth, a forum about media and marketing's influence on kids, merely expressed her concern and displeasure, as a parent and consumer, to Target's PR regarding a 20'x20'  billboard in Times Square of a woman spread-eagle with mainly her crotch in the center of Target's red bull's eye logo.

Remember to keep the lead out! And the PVC...roofies....

I know, I know, we're approaching a dead horse with this lead toy issue, but as this is Thanksgiving Eve and thus Black Friday Eve Eve, here's another reminder to check out Pickle's list of lead-free toys.

There is also an article in the latest issue of The Nation on toxic toys. "But the uproar over banned substances and rogue Chinese toy manufacturers has overshadowed an even more troubling issue: the toxins in toys that are perfectly legal. The United States remains one of the few developed countries to permit the import of plastic toys made with polyvinyl chloride additives called phthalates (pronounced tha-lates), which help make toys soft and pliable enough to be twisted or sucked yet durable enough to survive a 1-year-old's grip. A mounting body of scientific evidence suggests that phthalates impede the production of testosterone and disrupt the sexual development of infant boys."

A very "techie" holiday

The holiday season is creeping up slowly upon us and I'm starting to get in the gift-giving mode.  What will the lucky recipients receive from us this year?  Buying for family has always been a stressful thing for me.  My husband takes the backseat on this one.  In fact, if it were up to him, no one would get anything or they would get something really cheesy, picked up the day before Christmas and wrapped in newspaper.  I, on the other hand, love to shoot for the most unique gifts, ones that say, "I took the time to pick this out just for YOU".  I'm kind of into those personalized gifts.

Putting all of this thought into the perfect gift gives me a headache though.  It's a challenge to top what I've purchased the year before.  The expectations have been set and I must follow through.  Let the gift-giving season begin!

Lil' ol' me on national t.v.! - Update

UPDATE: Here is the link to the video of the show.

When I opened the email about a possible interview for a nationally broadcast television show, I thought, "That would be neat".  When I received the phone call that they were driving the 30 miles out to my house in the suburbs to film an interview, I thought, "Holy cow!  I need to clean!"  So, right away I jumped into the shower, then put the babe in the bath and made about a zillion phone calls.  The first being to my husband to tell him to high-tail it home from work and the second to my mom.  Who doesn't call their mom when they are going to be on national t.v.?

An hour later, the main floor of my tri-level townhome was sparkling clean while the other two floors left little to be desired.  Luckily, I needed to clean the house anyway for a couple of showings tomorrow because we're still on the market.  The doorbell rang and I was as ready as I could be to let in the cameraman.

Keep the lead out...Support Indie Crafters

Thanksgiving is next week people and we all know what that means. Holiday shopping officially begins. But what's a mama to do when it seems like every day that toy our lil ones have been begging for gets recalled? Even our BFF Dora was recalled over the summer!

This weekend is the DIY Trunkshow. Hit it. Hard.

Yes, yes, my BFF organizes it, but that doesn't diminish the awesomeness that is DIY. Imagine 2 rooms chock full of handmade goodies. Need a bag? Stationary?  Rings? Soaps? Yarn so you can get your DIY on? There won't be many toys, but come on, our kids have enough of them. But there will be dog sweaters!

So come on out on Saturday, shop til you drop and don't forget your tote bag to bring it all home. Or buy one while you're there! I figure that my arrival time will be around 10 am as we have a doggie event at 1 pm. Seriously thou, I look forward to this event every year because I can find handmade, quality, and unique things to buy my friends & family for the holiday season. I love my Target, but the trunk show is oh, so better.

Lead-Free & Worth the Trip

I’ve lived in Chicago a long time—long enough to see many of my favorite coffee houses, restaurants, and storefront shops come and go. But Baltika is still hanging in there (how much longer, though, is unclear). It’s moved from Wicker Park to Old Irving Park to Jefferson Park in search of reasonable rent. On Saturday, my daughters and I stopped by this gift shop, filled from floor to ceiling with European imports and folk art, to take advantage of one of its huge annual sales. The girls played with wooden popguns and wooden fruit and a charming When-Pigs-Fly mobile. And it occurred to me, as I played with the Russian nesting dolls, that I probably didn’t have to worry about lead paint on these beautiful handmade toys. I confirmed this with the proprietor, who told me most of her inventory is made for export to Germany and made to satisfy that country’s high standards. Hmm. . . high standards. There’s some feedback I can give the government on getting the lead out of our children’s toys.

Who said the suburbs aren't fun?

The husband, child and I went to this brand new shopping district today called The Promenade Bolingbrook located in Bolingbrook off of I-355 (right near Ikea).  It is nothing short of AMAZING.  No longer will we be sitting inside on these hot, hot summer days.  The Promenade Bolingbrook is an outdoor shopping area that is laid out like a little town.  It has streets running through it and a TON of shops like Janie and Jack and J.Jill.  It has some restaurants new to the area like Gordon Biersch Brewery (who provided us with exceptional service) and Teds Montana Grill.  The best part of this place for summer, however, is the children's play area.  It has fountains spouting up from the ground and the surface is nice and cushy, so there is no fear of your child getting really hurt if they fall.  The area is somewhat enclosed and loaded with benches.  Finally!  Somewhere different for parents AND kids.  Then, if all of that wasn't enough, I come to find that there is an INCREDIBLE family area!  It's inside and air conditioned.  There are couches and tables and toys for the kids, very large changing stations and even PRIVATE NURSING AREAS!  That's right, your own little room with a swanky recliner and a door.  Seriously, did a woman design this place?  But honestly, I couldn't have been more excited to be here.    I'm slapping myself silly that I haven't visited The Promenade before today.  The center just recently opened at the end of April and hasn't even had their grand opening yet.

The Promenade also has a stage for concerts and special events planned each month.  I'll be taking Hailey this week to meet Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Clifford, the big red dog, for story time.

Check out their website and have fun rolling your cursor over "Kara" on the main page.  You can make her eyes roll.  Yeah, the Chicago heat is definitely getting to me.