Chicago Moms Blog

Two Sides to the Story

A few weeks ago I had lunch with a friend and her two young sons. She most graciously noticed how nicely Mary and Kate sit in a restaurant, and I thanked her, they do. There's no secret, we've been very consistent, they know what is expected, and they actually enjoy their food. Rarely do we resort to coercion or bribing, they try new things, they order for themselves, and they stay in their seats until we are all finished. Napkin in lap, dab your mouth, lovely.

But we can't spend our lives in restaurants and once a week or so we have to go to Target or Trader Joe's, not just to buy milk and Ivory soap, but to remind me that these children are five year old maniacs bent on destruction.

Life’s Best Experiences Can't Be Found in a Shopping Bag

I am not the type of person who puts a high value on material things; rather, I like to collect memories, because they mean more and take up less space. When I go on a trip, my time isn't spent in the souvenir shops, because my favorite mementos are stored in my camera until I have time to choose a few to hang on the wall. My husband and I have tried to raise our kids to appreciate things that you can’t hold in your hand or put on a shelf. Obviously, many people don’t share our way of thinking, but I’m always willing to try and bring them around. 

A few years ago, my in-laws announced that our niece and nephew would accompany them on their visit from Tennessee. Having two sons and no daughters, I enjoy spending time with my niece (though we’re rarely in the same city simultaneously!), and since this was her first visit to the Chicago area, I had great ideas about how we could have fun in the city on this “once-in-a-blue-moon” visit to my neck of the woods. The possibilities were endless; I just needed to narrow them down according to her preferences.

Miss Lori is rescued by another mom; Just another day in the life of a working mother.

A couple of weeks ago I had a WTTW Readers are Leaders tour concert at the Westfield Fox Valley Mall. (This is the 3rd mounting of the tour and my Playstory Time production.) My older children stayed behind in the city because they needed to be at Comedy Sportz for the Young Chicagonista launch, (for which they are contributors, along with the rest of the CAMPUS Kids). But my 6 year old JC came with me. She is always a great help at my performances. She’s become quite the photographer in fact, especially with the help of my new Kodak camera's from my Oscars' trip. Although, I have to remind her when we perform at malls that she needs to stay in the performance area. We had an incident at a previous mall when little miss JC went off to smell the candles...literally, in the Hallmark store. Nightmare! Luckily the older kids were at that show and got security involved to help find her. This all happened while I was performing in front of an unsuspecting audience full of smiling families. Surreal.

Anyway, back to this particular mall performance.

If you give a mom a sales rack

If you send a mom of two to Target and she sees a sales rack, she just might take a look. 

While taking a look she might think to herself, hmm this is a great purse, she'll start to day dream about carrying purses.

Her daydream will be interrupted by a little child "I haf to go potty! I haf to go potty!"

After that potty break she will think to herself, I have successfully potty trained two children, I deserve a purse!

She will buy that cute purse (the first in 5 years that didn't come with a changing pad!).

And if you give a mom a purse, she's going to want to go home and clean out her diaper bag. 

I Believe in Santa & Make-A-Wish, Not Macy's

 You know it's a bad sign when there's no wait for the Walnut Room during the holiday season. Years ago it was a child's special treat to go to Marshall Field's, wait for hours to sit down in the beautifully historic restaurant and dine by the glow of the enormous holiday tree. Even as an adult I continued the tradition and it felt as special and elegant as all the years prior. That is, until Macy's invaded my beloved Marshall Field's wonderland. 

Disclaimer: I gave Macy's a shot. Even attended their grand opening runway show. But no dice. After Macy's brought their branding, it felt like a vanilla box to me. Void of all luxury and service. It just felt cheap. 

Despite my dislike for Macy's, I admired their partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization that enables children to do things otherwise impossible. After my kids wrote their letters to Santa I thought it would be a special to mail their letters and make a small contribution to a phenomenal organization. The kids agreed. Hey, we could even pop by and see Santa if the lines aren't too long! Maybe hand the letter to the Big Man himself. I should have known it was too good to be true.

The path to Santa was relatively uneventful. I didn't expect trumpets to sound mind you, but I thought there would be a smattering of goodwill, or dare I say, cheer on this shopper's paradise known as Sunday afternoon. Nothing. Not a single person talked with us. No smiles. No warm welcomes. Nothing. Strike 1. 

Santa Knows You're a Sucker

Santa is already in his chair at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg.  He's earlier than ever and so are all the holiday decorations and jolly music. The economy is so bad, even Santa is working longer and harder. He's no dummy. Retail research shows such tactics work in getting people in the mood to shop.  

According to the Wall Street Journal, stores like Wal-mart, Target and Gap are spending far more on holiday advertising this year. Kmart is not only spending more, its ad blitz is 30 to 40 days earlier than last year.

At least WLIT 93.9 is holding off on the Christmas music... for now.  It'll likely start soon.  The station website is a clear sign executives are ready to cash in.  Last year, ratings tripled after The Lite switched over to all holiday music.  Maybe we need artists like Kanye, Lady Gaga and Taylor to write some cool Thanksgiving songs!

Suspended American Girl Boycott For Charity

My child is savvy. When we planned her birthday party last month the issue of presents came up and we had a long talk. Considering she has over 30 children in her class and all of them are invited, I felt that we should suggest a book donation for charity in lieu of presents for the birthday girl. When I made her the offer, I paused and looked confidently in her eyes. C'mon, show me that all of our conversations about humanitarians made a difference. Be the bigger person. Say you are game. 

She paused for a moment and said "Of course. That's a good idea." Exhale. "Can I look at the books before we give them away?" she quietly inquired. I was so amazed by her candor and acceptance. Pride swelled within me. That is, until her next question. "Seeing as though I am not getting any presents at my party, may I choose a special present for my birthday?" she asked, innocently enough, but I sensed a catch. Filled with such admiration for her generosity, I blindly agreed. 

"Then I will have my birthday dinner at American Girl Place and buy a doll to join us." the words came out like she was a prosecutor that had just been given special evidence linking the defendant to the crime. Now she glared into my eyes with what seemed like bravado. I was familiar with the thoughts swirling around her head. Be the bigger person. Say you are game.

Epson Artisan 800 Printer GIVEAWAY!

.... this is a sponsored ad by Epson.

Premium printing can be available at home - and we are giving away the Epson Artisan Series 800 All-in-One Printer to one lucky winner to have it "all".

"Artisan is a line of premium all-in-ones perfect for all your household’s printing needs, including creative projects, photo lab quality prints, and even work taken home from the office. Elegantly designed, they fit seamlessly into the living room or home office. Plus, everyone in the home can easily share one Artisan thanks to the built-in wireless and wired networking."

Here are the Epson Artisan Series 800 features:

"Featuring a smart 7.8” touch panel and 3.5” LCD, premium features, total flexibility, and a sleek and chic appearance, the Artisan 800 is designed to fit the lifestyles and décor of creative households, photo enthusiasts and professionals who bring work home. The Artisan 800 excels at everyday photo and document printing, copying, scanning, and faxing needs, offering Ultra Hi-Definition prints with Epson Claria™ ink, a range of exclusive creative capabilities, and built-in Wi-Fi and wired networking. It also comes with a special Epson PreferredSM program offering a two-year warranty with toll-free support. "

One2One Network provided one Silicon Valley Moms Group blogger from each region an Epson Artisan 800 printer to try it out for themselves, and just look at what they had to say: 

• Michelle from Deep South Moms Blog thinks the Epson printer rules
• Leticia from DC Metro Moms Blog thought the Espon was easy to use, even for a 2 year old!
• MJ from Chicago Moms Blog discussed hearing of the term "smart phones", but said now you'll hear "smart printer"
• Heather S. from LA Moms Blog wanted to marry the printer
• Amy O. - New York City Moms blog can’t imagine another printer in this price range doing more or doing it better
• Sheila from the soon to be launched Rocky Mountain Moms Blog noticed the sleek design and found the Wi-Fi installation to be easy
• Cate from New Jersey Moms Blog thought that it printed remarkably well
• Donna from 50 Something Moms Blog thought the printer ROCKS
• Sarah from Philly Moms Blog livedblogged the install
• Beth B. from Silicon Valley Moms Blog won't need to make late night trips to Kinko's after the kids are asleep because she can print professional level documents at home
  

Interested? CLICK HERE TO ENTER at the Silicon Valley Moms Blog to win an Epson Artisan 800 Printer.

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.