Take Me Out to the Ball Game

The whole family went to a baseball game out in Schaumburg, Illinois. Read about our wonderful time and why it doesn’t matter whether you are a Sox or a Cubs fan, and why you should take your family to a Flyers game at Chicago Moms Blog here.

My Vampire Obsession

(MILD SPOILER ALERT: if you haven’t read Twilight and New Moon and plan to, don’t read this post. However, I really don’t give anything truly important away)

At a recent girls’ night out, a friend could not stop gushing about “Edward.” Finally, I realized that “Edward” is a character in the teen literary sensation Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I enjoy Young Adult Literature and fantasy. Furthermore, just hearing someone my age so into a book intrigued me. I ran to the library to get myself a copy. Well, just a few pages into it and I was hooked. It is one of the most suspenseful books I’ve ever read. I can’t say it’s that well-written in other ways. Among other issues, I was getting quite bored of reading various forms of the word “stumble” (Bella, the main character is clumsy beyond believability, and this is coming from a fellow clumsy girl). Anyway, since the book is so suspenseful, and such an easy read, it was very hard to put it down. I took it with me in the car to read at traffic lights: I brought it to pick up Eva at the bus stop; I put the kids in front of the computer on PBSkids.org just so I could read more of it. Laundry, dinner, and my sleep were sacrificed for a couple of days until it was finished. Apparently, I’m not the only one to get this way while reading Twilight. I found a whole blog dedicated to moms addicted to Twilight. I’m really concerned about what’s going to happen with my family life, because there are three more books to this story. I couldn’t wait to read book two, New Moon, which I have almost finished, but I’ll have to take a break after this because I have to get going on Three Cups of Tea for my book group. I bet I plow through that just to get to read about my favorite Vampire again! (Jacob is actually more my type. I once dated a Seneca Indian — yummy! Besides, Jacob loves Bella for who she is not what she smells like).

Addendum:  National Public Radio just aired a book review of the Twilight series.  The reviewer is a Georgetown University professor, so it makes me feel a bit vindicated about loving the series so much.

I’ve Been Quite the Little Homemaker

I’m feeling a bit like the “happy homemaker” lately. Yesterday, Charlie was under the weather with the gastrointestinal/ respiratory virus going around (coughing fits and diarrhea, yeah!). Anyway, I kept him home from school. After dropping Eva off at school (no bus b/c it was raining — yes, I spoil her sometimes), Charlie and I went to the post office to mail a package, then on to the doctor’s office for the official, “it’s a virus” diagnosis. When we got home, Charlie rested with a DVD while I got to work making my first batch of barley soup from scratch. Two hours and two loads of laundry later, the soup was ready to eat. I loved it and I felt very proud. One load of laundry went in while Charlie napped and I folded the first two loads. Then I met Eva at the bus and began dinner’s second course, sesame udon noodles with spinach (Martha Stewart’s recipe that I have tweaked over the years). Next, I made some chocolate frosting to top the extra cupcakes I had made for my cake decorating class.

Although these were all pretty mundane tasks, I have to say that at least I felt like I accomplished something. The laundry part doesn’t count because I never feel like I’ve accomplished something there. I can do a million loads and the next day the hampers all seem full. Anyway, I quit practicing law because it took years to accomplish anything. Being a mom, there are little rewards everyday: healthy yummy soup , satisfying noodles with leftovers and delicious organic cupcakes in the freezer to enjoy on a couple of Shabbats to come (typically, we only have candy/cake/cookies as a dessert on Shabbat). Of course, non of this day’s accomplishments were as important as getting back the pension for a couple hundred employees, but what I do matters to the four of us anyway.

Fresh Flowers on the Table

As I was placing my new yellow tulips on the dining room table, I was thinking about a) what I princess I am that I have to have fresh flowers on my table at home every day and b) how truly easy it is to make me happy. When I see those flowers on my table, I instantly smile. The flowers don’t have to be fancy. Today’s flowers are a simple bunch picked up at the grocery store. Charlie was with me and he wanted yellow. I was reaching for the funky pink and white ones, but why not let him have a choice about something? Despite my mood swings, I can really take pleasure in the little things. It’s a luxury to have fresh flowers all the time, but, after all, it is a little luxury, and some luxuries are worth it.

An Upper Middle Class Tragedy

It’s nine p.m. and the telephone rings. “Sophia? It’s Liza, I’m really sick. I can’t come tomorrow. I know you were really counting on me, but I’ve been in bed for three days.” “Ok, thanks for calling. If you wake up in the morning and you feel better, please, please come! Otherwise, get your rest, get healthy, and we’ll see you next week.” “Sophia, I’m really really sorry.” “Don’t worry Liza, these things happen.” Liza is my housekeeper. She comes once a week and cleans, straightens and organizes my small house for four hours. On this occasion, she was scheduled to come the day before we were having a big party, the biggest we have ever had. I had come to rely on her, and I had become super lazy over the three years we have had help with the housekeeping. As I hung up the telephone, panic set in — I would have to clean my own house! I was in shock, denial even. “Maybe she will feel better in the morning, ” I said to Gadget Man optimistically. “Don’t worry, I’ll get the kids out of your hair tomorrow,” he offered. “Excuse me? Aren’t you going to help me clean the house?” I exclaimed. “Oh, sure,” he stammered, “I just thought it would be easier for you if we weren’t around.” What a doll.

I left the house before 8 a.m. the next morning. I had a ton of grocery shopping to do and I needed to get that done and all the other things I was planning to do while Liza cleaned my house. Cell phone in hand, I telephoned my husband at 8:15, hoping Liza showed up. “She’s not coming Sophia,” said Gadget Man apologetically. I had an idea, I hung up the telephone and dialed my best friend. “What’s Esther doing today?” I inquired of her housekeeper/nanny. “She’s home preparing for a big party she has every year. She’s not even helping me today,” she explained. She sympathized with my plight. “I’m going to make some calls,” she promised, “I know a few people, don’t worry.” Then I telephoned another girlfriend. This friend had once told me that her mom admonished her to never, never go without a cleaning lady, even if she was forced to live on beans and generic toilet paper. “Oh, I feel just terrible for you! This is just awful, the worst!” She asserted. Although she really meant it, I started to feel really stupid.

What a princess I had become! I was embarrassed and disappointed in myself. Growing up, we were one of the few households in Northbrook without a housekeeper. My mother didn’t keep the cleanest house, but she did it all herself. The idea of a stranger doing that work for her was totally foreign. Gadget Man, on the other hand, was raised by his live-in nanny. Regardless, he and I used to clean the house ourselves until I was put on bed rest with Charlie (yes, he really helped). We had to get a cleaning service to help out weekly because I wasn’t allowed to do it myself. When Charlie was born, there was no going back. I liked it way too much and we had already figured the cost into our budget.

Of course, I’m not alone. In 1996, about 9.4 million American households had paid cleaning help (this was about nine percent of households.) With the exception of a couple of households, everyone I know has a housekeeper. So much for living in “middle class” Skokie. The thing is, having a housekeeper makes our house “happy.” Apparently, it is really good for our marriage too. Some experts blame divorce rate spikes on housekeeping pressures.
I calmed down a bit and realized that this was really not a big deal. After all, we had our health, right? I could clean the house and get everything else done for the party. It would just mean that I would be up much later and be tired for the party . In between grocery store stops (no, I can’t do all my shopping at just one store anymore) I telephoned Gadget Man one more time. “Please take out the yellow pages and telephone a few maid services. Let’s just give this one last shot.” A half hour later the cell phone rang, it was Gadget Man with good news, “Skokie Maids is sending a couple of people over around 11 a.m., will that be ok?” I was saved! My handsome prince saved his desperate spoiled princess. What a relief! Tragedy averted.

My Great Escape

Did anyone hear a great sigh of relaxation at about 1:15 p.m. on Saturday afternoon? I wouldn’t be surprised. At about that time, I was getting a massage at Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Spa. All the nursing I have been doing really gives me a sore neck and shoulders (yeah, I have terrible posture and my nursing slump exacerbates the whole thing). My decadent massage kicked off a night away from everyone and everything. My plan: relax, sleep, and read for 24 hours.

When I first asked for a night away, Gadget Man didn’t hesitate to say, “yes.” I had done this once before when I was pregnant with Charlie and Eva was having sleep issues. Although I would have preferred staying in the city, I picked a place in Evanston to be closer to home. As long as I can walk to restaurants, shopping, and the lake, I’m happy. A couple of days before my escape, a girlfriend called to ask if I was free to go to dinner with a few girls. Although I love a girls’ night out, this wasn’t what I needed. “I’m free,” I answered, “but not for a girls’ night.” When I explained that I would be spending the night alone in a hotel room, she completely understood. After, all, she is a mother of two little ones too. When my parents found out I was spending a night away from home, they didn’t get it. They thought I was depressed again. It was tough explaining my need for a night away to a mother who sacrificed every bit of herself for her family.

Without my knowledge, Gadget Man had prepared the children for my departure two days in advance. When I approached the subject with Charlie and Eva, I was pleasantly surprised that they already understood I would be away from home for a little bit. When the time came to go, Gadget Man whisked the kids out the door for an adventure of their own so they wouldn’t be able to dwell on my goodbye.
I arrived early enough to buy some “guilt gifts” for the kids at Wild Child just before my massage. After my massage, I lingered in some of the shops on the way to the Orrington Hotel. Finally, sitting at the desk in my hotel room, I munched quietly on the giant salad I had picked up at Whole Foods, and sipped sparkling water out of a wine glass. After my lunch, I settled down under the covers with a novel from Sue Miller — Family Portraits. I promptly fell asleep for the next two hours. When I woke up, I turned on the television and browsed the movie selections. Then I paged through a few magazines I hadn’t had time to read at home. I phoned in my Chinese food order and bundled up for the walk outside to pick it up. I know I could have ordered it to be delivered, but walking around is part of the fun for me. I passed several Northwestern students, and wondered if they knew how lucky they were to be so young and so free to enjoy this Saturday night and all the Saturday nights to come. I considered stopping in a pub to hear some live music, but the mere idea that I could do it if I wanted to was enough freedom for me. I really just wanted to get back to the room with my sweet-n-sour shrimp and hunker down with a movie.

I was asleep by ten, and although I picked my head up at six a.m., I put it back down and didn’t get up again until eight a.m. Talk about well-rested! Since Charlie wakes up every couple of hours or so, I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in ages! Next on my agenda was a long, long walk along the water with a cup of coffee in my hand. After my walk, I stopped into the Barnes and Nobel and stayed and stayed. I can hang out in a bookstore for days if permitted. By this time, it was almost check out time and I had to return back to shower (the tub was disappointingly small). Even though I was having a great time with myself, I missed my children and my Gadget Man.

When I arrived home, I was greeted by two smiling healthy children. They had survived without me. Even the house looked good. Following the hugs, the jumping up and down, and the “Mommy’s here! Mommy’s here!”, I presented the gifts to the children. “I knew you would bring us gifts!” Eva exclaimed. As I watched Eva grab Charlie’s gift from his hand and Charlie’s tears begin to fall, I turned to look Gadget Man in the eye and pleaded, “It’s OK if I do it all again next weekend, right?”

Taking a 2 Year Old and a 5 Year Old to the Art Institute

In my child-free days, I belonged to the Art Institute and had season tickets to The Goodman which used to be next door. I took full advantage of my membership in those days. No matter what I went there to see, I had to stop by my favorite painting by Seurat. I have been craving a trip to see that happy day in the park. Sadly, until just the other day, I hadn’t been to the museum in at least three years! I had lots of grand plans for Eva and Charlie over this Christmas Break. We were going to be sightseeing tourists all over Chicago. We managed to see the Nutcracker windows twice, and have a meal in the Walnut Room, but otherwise, the break flew by. To satisfy my craving and my sightseeing bug, I bundled up the children and headed for the Art Institute.

I was fully prepared to pay for parking. The signs for the underground parking advertised $13.00 and $14.00 for the day. I thought I was following those signs and parking there. However, when I parked, my lot charged $24.00 — yikes! I have no idea what happened there. Anyway, we walked the short two blocks to the museum, checked our coats, and paid the $12.00 for my admission fee. I was delighted to discover that all children under 12 are free.

Before we arrived, I fantasized that the children would be wandering around in awe, delighting in everything they saw. Instead, they complained about the stairs we had to climb, and seemed completely unfazed by the abundance of fantastic artwork surrounding them. The Thorne Rooms captured their attention initially, though my back was sorry that Charlie had to be lifted up to see every room. Eventually, Eva exclaimed, “Another drawing room?” By the time we went upstairs to view my favorite masterpiece, Charlie was whining, “I don’t like this museum, I want to go home.” Even ballet aficionado Eva was unimpressed by Degas’ dancers. What a disappointment. Oh well, at least I paid a visit to my spotty friends in the park.

This entry is also posted at http://www.chicagomomsblog.com

Nothing Says “I Love You” Like a GPS Locater

My husband (I just decided I will call him “Gadget Man)” just bought me the Garmin 260 GPS locater. Now, I had asked him to wait until the prices really dropped on these GPS things, but he insisted I needed it. Gee, I’m not sure he’s right about that. Just the other day I phoned him at work in a panic because I was lost going to the La Leche meeting I had been to at least four times in the past. I needed him to look on a map and tell me how to get there. It turns out, I was only five blocks away, but I was completely stumped on how to get there from my location. Indeed, I have no sense of direction. Living in Chicagoland, I rely on the lake being to the east. If I can “sense” where the lake is if it is not in my view, I at least know North, South, East and West, but that doesn’t get me very far. I even get lost in the town I grew up in, even though my mom and dad still live there! Gadget Man knows his way around better than I. Anyway, I got this new GPS thing and I’m sorry for the money we spent on it, but I’m psyched to try it out. Also, I think the gesture was pretty sweet. Wish me luck!

The Sunrise

 My husband came back from a business trip last night so I got to go for a walk by myself this morning.  He leaves at 6 a.m. so, when I begin my jog/walk, the sun is just coming up. It was a marvelous jog to Starbucks and a wonderful walk home.  We don’t have this great view of the city, but the sunrise was just as pleasing.  Ah, moody mommy is in a good mood today.

Sunrise over Chicago ( from a website Tabblo by Crusing):

Simple Pleasures of a Vegetable Garden

Despite all the death, there are lots of things to celebrate around here. My children keep laughter in the house. I have my fresh veggies from the “garden.” This year, we had to relocate the garden to containers on our deck because a new storage shed covered up my garden space. I could have found another space, but I was feeling much too lazy to dig up the grass, till the soil, etc. This year we planted three different kinds of lettuce, Japanese Eggplant, two kinds of heirloom tomatos, basil, chives and a sweet pepper plant. Nothing is quite ready yet except for the basil, chives and lettuce. I’m about to go pick some lettuce right now for my salad. I think I could really like being a farmer. I’m not sure I’d be willing to work as hard as most farmers, but I really love the satisfaction of watching something grow and enjoying it. All of our plants are organic, of course.  I buy my plants from the Green City Market in Chicago every year.  I buy organic seeds from our local nursery.  No pesticides are EVER used in our backyard.  Even if you only have a balcony, I highly recommend growing something edible.  It is a delicious and satisfying way to feel like you have actually accomplished something.