Thursday, July 9, 2009
Aging out
My little guy turns 3 next week & will officially age out of the Early Intervention program. He's progressed so much recently, but verbally only still says "mama" and "baby." It was always difficult to come straight home from work & have the therapists waiting right when I get home. Now that it's over, I feel so vulnerable and like I'm facing this alone.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Podcasts
A list of podcasts I like, all available on ITunes:
A Quiet Mind
Autism Podcast
Autism Research Institute
Green 960 - Rachel Maddow
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews
Meditation Oasis
NPR: All Songs Considered
NPR: Most E-Mailed Stories Podcast
NPR: Story of the Day Podcast
NPR: World Story of the Day Podcast
RTE - Morning Ireland
The Bugle - Audio Newspaper for a Visual World
The Onion Radio News
A Quiet Mind
Autism Podcast
Autism Research Institute
Green 960 - Rachel Maddow
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews
Meditation Oasis
NPR: All Songs Considered
NPR: Most E-Mailed Stories Podcast
NPR: Story of the Day Podcast
NPR: World Story of the Day Podcast
RTE - Morning Ireland
The Bugle - Audio Newspaper for a Visual World
The Onion Radio News
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Lloyd's
Going to meet an old work friend I re-connected with through Facebook. We're having lunch at Lloyd's on Wacker. I remember last time I was there, the seafood was very fresh & well-priced, hard to come by in Chicago. That said, the last time I had lunch there my firm paid for the lunch. For a while, I was the welcome wagon for new employees & one of the perks of that was to take them out to lunch on their first day. In this economy, we haven't hired anyone new in quite a while.
A sad side note, I wore makeup today - I'm not sure my friend will recognize me in my usual daytime state as the last time we saw each other was before I had kids. :)
A sad side note, I wore makeup today - I'm not sure my friend will recognize me in my usual daytime state as the last time we saw each other was before I had kids. :)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Berry Chill today!
If you don't know, Berry Chill is a frozen yogurt place. Today if you ask for the Obama Special, you will get a free frozen yogurt with blueberries, pomegranate & coconut free!
I have never tried Berry Chill before, but the free dessert I received today was absolutely delicious! The yogurt was tasty & the fruit was very fresh. I'll definitely be back!
I have never tried Berry Chill before, but the free dessert I received today was absolutely delicious! The yogurt was tasty & the fruit was very fresh. I'll definitely be back!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Dells 5/08
On our most recent trip to the Dells, we stayed at the Polynesian Resort. This is a nice hotel and very reasonably priced, especially during the week where you can get a room for under $100 per night. There are both indoor and outdoor water parks, pools & hot tubs. The water parks are oriented more toward little ones, as opposed to Kalahari or Wolf Lodge which have something for all ages. That said, Kalahari & Wolf Lodge are considerably more expensive, so if all you have are little kids, you can save a significant amount of money staying at the Polynesian. One nice feature is following check-out at 11 a.m., you are still welcome to use the water parks for the rest of the day.
The rooms are decent-sized, clean and all have a microwave, refrigerator and coffee maker. The fridge comes in handy for storing juice boxes, cold snacks & restaurant leftovers. Room service is pretty good. We ordered a pizza, fries & mini corn dogs for the kids. It arrived quickly.
The front desk service and food service at this hotel were excellent. The water parks were clean and fun, but if I have one criticism, it would be of the lifeguards. I understand they have a job to do, but they were extremely unfriendly to the point of hostility towards children and definitely need an attitude adjustment.
A tradition for breakfast (or dinner) is Paul Bunyan’s. This place has been around since my childhood. Get there early, the line is long, although it moves very quickly. They’ve been doing this for a long time and the crowd is managed efficiently. The menu is family style. First you are given a plate of yummy homemade donuts. Breakfast consists of eggs, sausage, ham, potatoes, pancakes, biscuits and gravy.
The “Original Wisconsin Ducks” tour is my favorite boat tour for this area. The scenery is beautiful. Check with the front desk at your hotel, as there are often discount coupons available up to 25% off for various local attractions. On that note, I would avoid “Passport to Savings.” I received a 25% coupon from our hotel, but every Passport to Savings kiosk I went to was unfortunately unattended. There are also jet boat tours, dinner cruises and sunset champagne cruises.
The Tanger Outlet Mall is worth a visit. I’ve gotten great deals at Banana Republic, Sketchers, Adidas, Bali and many more.
We had dinner at Buffalo Phil’s which is adjacent to the mall. The restaurant is slightly upscale while still being family friendly. I had the blackened catfish which was a little salty (and I’m a saltaholic), but still tasty. They have a decent wine list, reasonably priced, and good beer on tap, i.e., Stella Artois. Buffalo Phil’s is in the same building as Knucklehead’s, a place I can’t wait to go to when my kids are older. There’s a bowling alley, go carts, video games and more, plus this place is open year-round.
There are so many things to see and do in the Dells. It’s just over 3 hours by car from Chicago and a perfect short trip for those who live in the Midwest.
The rooms are decent-sized, clean and all have a microwave, refrigerator and coffee maker. The fridge comes in handy for storing juice boxes, cold snacks & restaurant leftovers. Room service is pretty good. We ordered a pizza, fries & mini corn dogs for the kids. It arrived quickly.
The front desk service and food service at this hotel were excellent. The water parks were clean and fun, but if I have one criticism, it would be of the lifeguards. I understand they have a job to do, but they were extremely unfriendly to the point of hostility towards children and definitely need an attitude adjustment.
A tradition for breakfast (or dinner) is Paul Bunyan’s. This place has been around since my childhood. Get there early, the line is long, although it moves very quickly. They’ve been doing this for a long time and the crowd is managed efficiently. The menu is family style. First you are given a plate of yummy homemade donuts. Breakfast consists of eggs, sausage, ham, potatoes, pancakes, biscuits and gravy.
The “Original Wisconsin Ducks” tour is my favorite boat tour for this area. The scenery is beautiful. Check with the front desk at your hotel, as there are often discount coupons available up to 25% off for various local attractions. On that note, I would avoid “Passport to Savings.” I received a 25% coupon from our hotel, but every Passport to Savings kiosk I went to was unfortunately unattended. There are also jet boat tours, dinner cruises and sunset champagne cruises.
The Tanger Outlet Mall is worth a visit. I’ve gotten great deals at Banana Republic, Sketchers, Adidas, Bali and many more.
We had dinner at Buffalo Phil’s which is adjacent to the mall. The restaurant is slightly upscale while still being family friendly. I had the blackened catfish which was a little salty (and I’m a saltaholic), but still tasty. They have a decent wine list, reasonably priced, and good beer on tap, i.e., Stella Artois. Buffalo Phil’s is in the same building as Knucklehead’s, a place I can’t wait to go to when my kids are older. There’s a bowling alley, go carts, video games and more, plus this place is open year-round.
There are so many things to see and do in the Dells. It’s just over 3 hours by car from Chicago and a perfect short trip for those who live in the Midwest.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Craig's List Babysitters
Something off-topic from what I usually write about on this blog.
Nowadays, it’s hard to find a good babysitter. Word of mouth, if you’re lucky, a friend of the family – these resources are few and far between.
Usually if you call your church, they will have someone you can talk to. Some parishes even have a print-out they can fax to you. Unfortunately, very often the women on these lists are booked solid.
Through the recommendation of a friend from work, I utilized Craig’s List to find daycare. I was spoiled the first time around. I found a great babysitter who was loving and wonderful to my kids. Due to logistical problems related to school, I had to find someone else. Since I had a good experience with Craig’s List the first time around, I placed an ad again. Long story short, this time around, it was a complete nightmare.
I was really shook up. It dawned on me that it’s hard to see a person’s true character in an interview. It’s an interview – they’re on their best behavior and they want the job and they want the money. This is serious, because obviously, your child’s welfare is at stake.
That said, aside from the one bad apple, I have found other back-up sitters on Craig’s List who are truly devoted moms or non-moms who love kids and give your child the care you would give them if you were at home.
Lately there have been a few incidents on Craig’s where people were offended by certain ads. It was interesting reading the various posts and I came to realize that there really should be a forum of some sort for the moms and babysitters to communicate with each other. It makes it less likely for us to be misunderstood.
I broached the subject on Craig’s and got many positive responses from both moms and sitters who were interested in writing something for this blog to help both moms and sitters make the whole daycare experience better for everyone.
More to come.
Nowadays, it’s hard to find a good babysitter. Word of mouth, if you’re lucky, a friend of the family – these resources are few and far between.
Usually if you call your church, they will have someone you can talk to. Some parishes even have a print-out they can fax to you. Unfortunately, very often the women on these lists are booked solid.
Through the recommendation of a friend from work, I utilized Craig’s List to find daycare. I was spoiled the first time around. I found a great babysitter who was loving and wonderful to my kids. Due to logistical problems related to school, I had to find someone else. Since I had a good experience with Craig’s List the first time around, I placed an ad again. Long story short, this time around, it was a complete nightmare.
I was really shook up. It dawned on me that it’s hard to see a person’s true character in an interview. It’s an interview – they’re on their best behavior and they want the job and they want the money. This is serious, because obviously, your child’s welfare is at stake.
That said, aside from the one bad apple, I have found other back-up sitters on Craig’s List who are truly devoted moms or non-moms who love kids and give your child the care you would give them if you were at home.
Lately there have been a few incidents on Craig’s where people were offended by certain ads. It was interesting reading the various posts and I came to realize that there really should be a forum of some sort for the moms and babysitters to communicate with each other. It makes it less likely for us to be misunderstood.
I broached the subject on Craig’s and got many positive responses from both moms and sitters who were interested in writing something for this blog to help both moms and sitters make the whole daycare experience better for everyone.
More to come.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Indian Lakes
Spent a pleasant weekend at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort. The golf course view is worth paying a few extra bucks, it’s a great view. Our room was ready when we arrived. Within 10 minutes of arriving in our room, the crib was delivered. Shortly after that, guest services called to make sure we got the crib and that everything was fine. Nice touch. The coffee for the in-room coffee maker was Lavazza brand and the toiletries were by Crabtree & Evelyn. I am very fond of Hilton quality.
Ordered room service a few times, all good. The appetizer combo is typical, but tasty, with buffalo wings, potato skins and mini cheeseburgers. The spinach-artichoke dip was just right. The kids enjoyed the chicken fingers meal, which came with both fries and a bowl of fresh fruit. The cheesesteak sandwich came with caramelized onions and a spicy chipotle sauce. I liked the grilled chicken sandwich with avocado, onion & tomato.
We were there for Party in Parrot-dise. My husband is a big Jimmy Buffett fan. There were events starting Friday afternoon through late Saturday night. Nice, fun crowd.
The Cave is a little bar in the lobby atrium area. Small, very cute, dark, an old-fashioned tiki bar. Good drink specials.
Had breakfast on Saturday as well as Sunday brunch at the Master’s Clubhouse. The breakfast buffet was excellent with usual stuff like eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, etc., but also lox and assorted cheeses including Gouda. The Sunday brunch was even better. There was an omelet station, a carving station with roast beef perfectly cooked, prime rib hash (delicious), tortilla-crusted tilapia with a slight lime flavor, and a to-die-for dessert table with several flavors of cheesecake, banana cream pie, tiramisu, fruit tarts and a chocolate fountain. The prices were very reasonable and the service was impeccable.
Sunday morning, I hit the pool area. The only criticism I have is that the hot tub was lukewarm. There were also adults and children diving in the pool, even though there were clear signs stating not to. There was a hotel employee watching this who did nothing.
My husband played golf on Sunday morning and loved the course. It’s one of the best in the area. There is also a spa on site called Spa Vargas which will have to wait until my next weekend trip to Indian Lakes. There are activities for children in the summer months. I recommend this resort if your family loves good food, fun, spas and golf.
www.indianlakesresort.com
www.chicagoparrotheads.com
Ordered room service a few times, all good. The appetizer combo is typical, but tasty, with buffalo wings, potato skins and mini cheeseburgers. The spinach-artichoke dip was just right. The kids enjoyed the chicken fingers meal, which came with both fries and a bowl of fresh fruit. The cheesesteak sandwich came with caramelized onions and a spicy chipotle sauce. I liked the grilled chicken sandwich with avocado, onion & tomato.
We were there for Party in Parrot-dise. My husband is a big Jimmy Buffett fan. There were events starting Friday afternoon through late Saturday night. Nice, fun crowd.
The Cave is a little bar in the lobby atrium area. Small, very cute, dark, an old-fashioned tiki bar. Good drink specials.
Had breakfast on Saturday as well as Sunday brunch at the Master’s Clubhouse. The breakfast buffet was excellent with usual stuff like eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, etc., but also lox and assorted cheeses including Gouda. The Sunday brunch was even better. There was an omelet station, a carving station with roast beef perfectly cooked, prime rib hash (delicious), tortilla-crusted tilapia with a slight lime flavor, and a to-die-for dessert table with several flavors of cheesecake, banana cream pie, tiramisu, fruit tarts and a chocolate fountain. The prices were very reasonable and the service was impeccable.
Sunday morning, I hit the pool area. The only criticism I have is that the hot tub was lukewarm. There were also adults and children diving in the pool, even though there were clear signs stating not to. There was a hotel employee watching this who did nothing.
My husband played golf on Sunday morning and loved the course. It’s one of the best in the area. There is also a spa on site called Spa Vargas which will have to wait until my next weekend trip to Indian Lakes. There are activities for children in the summer months. I recommend this resort if your family loves good food, fun, spas and golf.
www.indianlakesresort.com
www.chicagoparrotheads.com
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