A Great Day....

I was driving through the Starbucks drive thru sipping my iced latte when I ran into a friend who had walked there. She was about to start walking on the bike path with her baby and stroller after she got her latte, so I decided to join her. I quickly drove home, changed, put Alyssa in her stroller, and ran to the bike path to meet her. We walked for almost a mile and then her baby started screaming. So she went to go feed him and I continued to walk. Alyssa was being really good in the stroller. Reading a book, sipping her Starbucks ice water... everything tastes better in a Starbucks cup. Anyway, I walked to the next major street and then turned around to walk home. Alyssa kept pointing to dandelions so I stopped and picked some for her. Truthfully my left calf has been killing me lately, so I kind of needed a break anyway. I continued along jogging, walking, jogging, walking, complaining about my leg to Alyssa..... When we were 3/4 mile from home, Alyssa started getting a little bored and kept trying to climb out of her stroller. So, since my leg was killing me, I decided to let her walk the rest of the way home. She picked flowers, pointed out all the garbage people left on the ground, and walked on the yellow lines. She really liked picking flowers, and I felt that liking flowers was a good thing to encourage, so I helped her and we made a beautiful bouquet which we put in her cup of water....



















Now I have pretty flowers for Shabbat! Thanks Alyssa! :)

A Day Out With The Kiddies

I went to the Art Institute yesterday on the lovely June 11th, rainy, 52 degree day with Will, Alyssa and my SIL..... saw a little Picasso, Van Gogh, Seurat, Monet, Renoir. The SIL and I were making a scavenger hunt for Jessica and Emily. It was actually kinda fun making up clues for each painting....





It probably would have been a little more fun had there not been some pooping in the Picasso's, a crabby "let's go" every few minutes, a pretzel that went flying, an attempt to break the security ropes, gameboy advance sound effects, and the need to take the elevator instead of using the stairs.

Seriously, not using the stairs! that was the worst! And this is why... It was time to leave. My SIL already left about 10 minutes before me. I needed to leave through the Monroe Street exit on the first floor. I was in the Pritzker Gallery near the Michigan Street exit on the second floor. I walk all the way through the impressionists, through the stone idol stuff, down a long hallway, took an elevator to the first floor, then got stuck by some stairs, took an elevator to the lower level, got directed by an idiot a security guard to go "up the stairs and to my left and down a long hallway" all the while explaining I had a double stroller with 2 crabby kids and still was told "up the stairs... blah blah blah" got back in the elevator and went to the first floor, looked at all the stairs, went back into the elevator and tried the second floor, and to my surprise was back in the Pritzker Gallery!!!

It took a lot of self control to not scream out in frustration!!! I asked a woman at the information desk how to find the fucking door the exit and she said, "Oh, take the small elevator over there to the first floor and the exit will be right there." AAAAARRGGGG !!! So I got downstairs and looked outside at the pouring rain coming down from the MICHIGAN Street exit. Of course we did not have raincoats, or umbrellas, or anything that might freakin help the situation so I decided to just run for it. It was a block and a half of crazy rain falling on the only person in all of Chicago without an umbrella. When we got to the car my kids were dripping, and I was totally drenched... my hair was looking pretty gorgeous let me tell you. The makeup... like a supermodel. Will actually said that he was too wet to move and I had to pick him up out of the stroller and put him in the car. Alyssa just looked at me with that smile... you know it by now. Head to toe... sopping wet.

I pulled out of my parking spot and said, "don't worry guys we'll be home soon, and I'll put you in some warm clothes." I looked at them in my rear view mirror and they were out cold.


Ahhh, to be a kid... to be able to fall asleep in a moment's notice.....


To be the Mom with the sleeping kids... that's pretty sweet too. So I drove home... cold, wet, but without any whining.