ready to relax

My second day home...aah, it's heavenly to be back. My kindergartner has been home as well, as school is out because of parent/teacher conferences. So during the day it's just been the 3 of us again...hanging out, no schedule, no place to be or to run to. Love being around the little people here. They make me so very happy. I hope and believe they feel the same way about me.

How about that label on the bottle above? Don't worry, I took this picture a couple of nights ago, not 5 minutes ago. But this weekend we're going to be all about relaxing. Kicking back, hanging out, having FUN. No worries or cares. We're having our neighborhood dinner club over tomorrow night, but do you think I'm feeling concerned? No sir. We're staging it like a tailgate party - complete with the grill on the driveway, tiki torches lit, burgers and brats served out of the back of our car. I've asked everyone to dress in support of their favorite football team. Lots of die hard fans around here of all different schools, so it will be a real variety show. We also have 2 glam European couples, I think they may come dressed for their favorite European football league? There's also one guy coming who played high school football with my husband, and his wife tells me that he's wearing the high school jersey to the party. wow.

I've told all the couples to plan on extra long shifts for their babysitters tomorrow night. We're not wrapping things up until the cows come home!

commuting

I've got one more day of work - tomorrow. Whoopee! So today I thought I'd show you some of the steps I've taken over the last 8 weeks.

Awhile back I brought my camera to work with me. It was pretty silly - me snapping pictures in the middle of a morning commute. My camera is nothing fancy, so I couldn't pass myself off as an amateur photographer or anything remotely like it. And since I was in my work clothes I didn't look like a tourist, either. I just looked like a strange working girl taking pictures. But if anyone asked, I was all ready with a made up excuse about how this was really for my kindergartner son. Of course, no one asked. The whole crowd was much too sleepy to be inquisitive. But it was fun anyway.

Ok, so here we go. Hope you enjoy this!

Here's my view of sleepy passengers taking the metra train in from the suburbs to the city. Actually, they don't look too sleepy here.

A view from my window seat, still at the station. Park & ride to the city.

After 32 express minutes, we have rolled into Chi-town. A mad rush for exits and escalators at Union Station.

Emptying out of Union into the street. The start of my walk to work. It takes me about 25 minutes from here to get to the office building where I was stationed.

There's the Chicago "L" going by. It gets a lot of bad press and always seems to have significant operating issues going on, but when I used to live down here I never minded taking it. Nice people watching view from above, don'tcha think?

If you prefer Caribou over Starbucks, as I do, you gotta look extra hard for one down here in the Loop. Worth finding it, though.

A random look up a city street.

That one was so exciting I decided to repeat it.

Still walking. I really did look like a fool with my camera. But for the blog, there's no such thing as vanity, wouldn't you say?

Something important looking going on at Daley plaza. Maybe a job fair. My mission was too important for me to stop and find out.

Ah, yes. The corner of heartbreak and despair. Macy's in the old Marshall Field's State Street location. You can hear the sobs of Chicagoans walking by as you approach the building.

More randomness here. Look, it's the L again.

By now I've worked up a bit of a sweat. I'm all the way over by Millennium Park, which is several blocks east of the train station and right next to Lake Michigan. You can see that the sky is starting to clear up a bit. Looks like we're going to have sunshine after all.

Another view of the park.

Walking next to the old Chicago public library. This looks like a shot from Paris...or am I exaggerating here?

There's another shot of the park.

Now I leave the street and I'm up on the 39th floor of the office building where I worked. This is the view out my window. Looking due east, and a little south.

Now looking north. You can see a tiny bit of Navy Pier.

And here's a view from the conference room down the hall. Straight south. Birdseye view of Millennium Park.

Now looking a little more southeast. You can see how pretty the day turned out to be.

A couple more shots.

Too bad the view was the best part of the project!

Of course I meant to take more pictures...I should have even snapped some shots looking north on this day. But wouldn't you know, they started asking me to be productive. Nice people I worked with. Miserable project, but really great team.

The next time I go downtown, I'll try to remember to take some pictures. It's fun for me to see things like this, too. You always think you'll remember these shots forever in your mind, but then you don't.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

season's greetings

Are you ready for Halloween? After a trip to the pumpkin patch yesterday, we are. We gathered up pumpkins, apples, pies, candy corn, caramel-covered apples, hay (straw), and some corn stalks. All set. The kids ran through the pumpkins, posed for pictures with the many painted sesame street characters, and we went on a hayride through the corn field before having a picnic lunch. It felt very festive.

I've been away from my blog for awhile. No specific reason why. Things had gotten really busy with my temporary job, but fortunately that is concluding this week. The project has not been one of my favorites, but you know how it goes. You learn more from challenges than triumphs. Right? And, like I said, it's over this week. Thank goodness.

Not that I've been a terrible blogger. I have been reading your blogs, just not making myself known. But I promise to do better and get back to my comment-leaving ways.

See you in blogland, and have a great week!

week - ?

It's been awhile since my last report on the house across the street. Let's see...I believe according to the last post that we are somewhere around week 20. As you can see, the driveway has been added and most of the exterior finishes on the house look complete. Most!

Pretty exciting stuff. I know I've mentioned this before, but my kids with their Bob the Builder obsession...they just don't realize how lucky they are to have witnessed this kind of construction from their bedroom windows. I think they are taking it for granted. Big Scoop and Dizzy won't be coming around here much longer. At least, not until the next tear down...

my thoughts on Jenny

Below is a link to a NY Times column written by Cammie McGovern, the author who wrote "Eye Contact" (a fiction book I just finished and loved.) It was written last year but I just found it on her personal website. I think it sums up nicely the drawback of hearing too much about "recovery" from autism.

I enjoyed watching Jenny McCarthy talk about her new book "Louder than Words" on Oprah, and the segment she did for The View, and Larry King. I am happy that well known people like Jenny are talking openly about autism, because it makes me think that increased attention will ultimately lead to increased demand from the public for more medical research to discover how and why this disorder occurs. But hearing her mention "recovery" makes me think of the many parents I have met who are doing everything they can - everything she says she did for her son - and not seeing changes.

Jenny's commitment to trusting her "mommy instinct" is right on. Every mom knows that the inner voice is the best voice to listen to when considering what's right for her child. But her writing and speaking with such conviction about what works and what doesn't...it makes me uneasy.

I believe what I've heard and learned from the trusted professionals we've worked with over the past 2 years, people who have spent their entire medical and professional careers working with hundreds of kids on the autism spectrum. From them I have learned this frustrating truth: there so much that is not understood about autism, and every child is different. In terms of treatment, what works for one child may not work for the next.

It's wonderful that Jenny is sharing what worked so well for her son, but that's the thing - it worked for her son. It very well might not work for someone else.

Anyway, here's the link:

http://www.cammiemcgovern.com/articles_nytimes.html

a very hopeful heart

My husband my husband my husband. I see these signs around Chicago and I can't help but think of him. He is excited. And rightfully so.

Me? Of course I love the Cubbies! But he's the real tried & true, 2003-depressed-on-the-couch-with-5-outs-away-from-the-World-Series-Steve Bartman-ball-fiasco kind of fan.

As a Chicago native, he's known Cubs pain a long time. He's so excited, and very optimistic.

No jinxes here, just words of encouragement.

GO CUBS!!

lunch hour thinking

Still here at work, right now eating my lunch over the computer. I just saw this on the news wires and thought it was interesting (sorry if you are someone who also just received this in an email from me...I forget about my blog sometimes!)

I don't have a daughter, but beauty/myths/perceptions/self-esteem & the intersection of all of those issues with modern media have always been a great interest of mine. Too bad I have not had an opportunity to work on a beauty account (yet?) Imagine how it feels to be a part of this work. The entire campaign is brilliant.

happy #3

My youngest son turned 3 yesterday, and we had presents and birthday cupcakes with my family in Ohio, who we were visiting. Knowing that we were going to be away on the actual day, we had an outdoor picnic with pizza and birthday cake with my husband's parents last weekend. Then, today there was a third celebration - this time at his Kids Day Out program, where the kids and teachers sang to him and made him this crown.

He is very excited about his birthday being stretched out so. When I got home tonight he told me excitedly, "Mommy, it's my birthday again!"

How great it is to be 3!

little furry fellow

Seeing a lot of spider webs around your house these days? We sure are. The first picture is one of those 'click to enlarge' instances, but the second picture speaks for itself.

This little - no, BIG! - guy worked like crazy over the last couple of days, because we don't remember seeing a web this big over the weekend and now it is here.

I don't mind that he's set up shop down the side of my awning. As long as it helps to keep the ladybug population from sneaking inside my house, I'm all for it. But if he (or any of his brothers) decides to take his operation inside, I'll have to kindly escort him back out.

sunday night sleep syndrome

As I type I'm listening to son #1 toss and turn in his bed. We had a great weekend for sleeping, with both boys sleeping later than usual on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Then, don't you know, here it is a school night and there's trouble again.

This is a common problem around here, as I'm sure you're starting to understand. Sometimes I think it's getting better. Last summer - a year ago - we went through a phase where, when my son would wake up in the middle of the night, his first instinct was to get out of bed and run down the hall to see what we were doing. I'd escort him back to bed, cover him back up, whisper a few words of encouragement, try to get him back to sleep. He'd be back in about 15 minutes later and the cycle would repeat itself for the entire length of time that he was awake, usually about 2 hours. Eventually I'd stop talking to him and just silently take him back to bed each time. After the second visit or so I'd be pretty much wide awake, unable to go back to sleep for the rest of the night. This would happen repeatedly throughout the week.

Now he doesn't wake up as often, and when he does he stays in bed and talks to himself. But even though he doesn't come in anymore, I wake up because I hear him. I try not to go in unless his talking gets too loud and there is danger that he'll wake up his little brother. It drives me CRAZY with worry that he is up, usually for hours, in the middle of the night. Right now he has about 1.5 hours before he needs to get up, have breakfast, catch the bus to school, and function for an entire day. Later tonight after dinner he has speech therapy. But he's been awake since about 3:30. Sigh. You know as well as I that nothing works quite right when you're feeling tired. And if you're a little person with a sensory system that makes the world sometimes seem like it's not a very friendly place, I'm sure the challenge to get through a day with a poor night's rest is ten times harder.

We've been working on different strategies to combat this problem with our pediatrician and the other professionals in my son's life for the past year and a half. My son went from being a champion! sleeper to troubled sleeper, all in the in the blink of an eye. According to one doctor, he should be growing out of this problem soon. Let's hope so.

But anyway, the thing about sleeping well on the weekends and then not so great on a week night. That problem's been following me around for years, long before kids. In college my friends and I called it Sunday Night Sleep Syndrome. As in, you have all these things swimming around in your head as you crawl into bed, preventing you from getting to sleep. Instead of shutting down you think about who to call, where to go, what to do - a general review of the entire week coming up.

I don't think it's a coincidence that my son is awake tonight and that his wakeful fits don't happen on the weekends. As I was turning out his light last night he said something about going back to kindergarten tomorrow (today), very softly into his pillow. So clearly he's thinking about his week, too. Even a little 5 year-old boy is thinking about the week ahead.

snoopy visits the LC

Meet Snoopy.

(You already know him, I know, but meet this Snoopy.)

Snoopy lives at kindergarten and visits a different boy or girl from class every day. Last week was our first Snoopy visit. When Snoopy comes to your house, you are supposed to entertain him for the day and write about what you did with him in Snoopy's accompanying journal.

We played, we ate, we read books with Snoopy. He helped us feed our beta fish, Dorothy.

And enjoyed a late afternoon session on the trampoline with the little chickens (chicken #1 is in the shorts, chicken #2 is wearing pants).

I think he had a good time. We'll have to be creative and think of something new to do the next time he visits. Maybe by then a pumpkin carving contest?

Have a great weekend, every body!

middle name meme

Thank you to Laurie Anne over at Tinker's Piggies for bringing me out of blog drought. Ladies, this working thing is nice and all, but I feel as if my blog is suffering. Look, no fun picture to add up top. I should bring my camera to the office.

Without further ado, let's get going with some interesting tidbits about moi, spelled out through my middle name, Patricia.


P. Pretzels. I used to love 'em. Always the perfect accompaniment to a packed sandwich from home. But lately I've been on a pretzel hiatus, a little burned out. One day I'll go back to them, I'm sure.


A. Anniversary party. Coming up at the end of the month to celebrate my parents' 40th. Looking forward to seeing all the uncles, aunts, and cousins. And of course the couple of the hour, too.


T. Train. Turns out the best part of my work day is getting uninterrupted reading time on the train. What a luxury! I've finished 3 books so far, all from a pile I've been meaning to get to for ages. But you know, now I think my blog reading is suffering...


R. Robert Edward II. That's his full name, but I call him Rob. The love of my life.


I. Good question. The Ice Storm, perhaps? That was a movie we were just talking about the other night with our friends.


C. Chicago. I don't live here, I live in the suburbs. This fact made all too clear by my working down here lately. It's like being in another world. I'm just minutes away by train, but for how different it feels, I may as well be living in another state.


I. There's that pesky letter again. Hmmm...how about iceberg lettuce. I don't get the point of it, what with the almost-all-water-no-nutritional-value thing. You can see I don't go much for salads.


A. Annie. Little Orphan Annie, that is. I was obsessed with her and the musical when I was a kid. Still have a fondness in my heart for both, actually. Do you?


Not sure if you've been tagged already, but tagging Violet lady, Tommiea, Belle-ah, and new blog friends H & H and Tres Poshe.

highrise

As I sit here at work today (39th floor) in my capri jeans* (Lucky's), I wonder...

How long will the low-rise waist thing continue? And, is it really all that flattering?


*low-rise

the sky that day

was a brilliant, crisp, blue, like it often is in early September. I remember it.There wasn't a cloud to be seen. The air was sweet and soft, like it is in late summer.It was the kind of day you took notice of as you stepped outside and walked down the street towards the train. You took notice of it then, and you are happy that you did. Happy now that you took the time to appreciate how beautiful it was, instead of letting your mind wander towards unimportant details. Happy now that you remember it so clearly, because you will always remember what happened that day. You will always remember the events of the day, and how you felt then, and how you feel now, and how you've changed from then to now. Because of that, you may not have remembered the day itself. What it looked like at the beginning. How it felt to be striding up the sidewalk. That beautiful sky.

Had it not been so lovely.

out of step

So, I know you know that my month-long job started on Friday (and, by the way, isn't a Friday a very good day for a first day? You go through all that paper work and figuring out where you'll sit and who's who and what your password is, and then before you know it, it's time to go home and you can think about it all later), and I am the "one of these things doesn't belong here" person. And it's not because I have been hired to fill in for a new mom who is on maternity leave (so really, I don't belong...permanently, that is). Rather, it's because it's my old company and we've both had some major changes happen to us since I last left the building. My company and me. Major changes since I left it and it said goodbye to me. That was a few years ago, and yet a lifetime ago.

It is strange to come back to a place where your memories of it are all the people inside, and now those people are gone. And you are gone, sort of. The person you used to be is gone, anyway. Your friends have moved on, the business has changed, you've gotten a little older, hopefully wiser. I see ghosts as I move about the hallways. A ghost of me from that not so distant past: wearing stylish clothes, talking to her boyfriend on the phone, making plans for the weekend (new restaurant? cubs game? movie? see friends? it was all possible, especially sleeping in on weekends.) Ghosts of my former colleagues and friends, people I loved who have moved, or moved on, and who I only keep up with in distant e-mails or by way of a not so up to date grapevine. Ghosts of the clients we used to keep, the businesses I worked on that have now changed so much.

Around me I see younger girls, gentle reminders of what I must have been, must have looked like, must have appeared to be. They are young and hip, talking about their weekend plans at places I don't know, neighborhoods I haven't been to in ages. They are bright and ready to take on the world. I look at them and wonder, what will your story be? How will it unfold for you?

As I walk to and from the train station now I think about my commute during my city days. Light steps on the sidewalk, upturned collar and chin down to face the Chicago winter wind, hurrying up the stairs to the L platform, changing out of my snow boots once I arrived at the office. Or catching the bus at Dearborn/Lake with the other Lincoln Park twenty somethings, each of us clutching our Tribune as we wove our way up through rush hour traffic.

My life has changed in many ways since my days as young girl in the city. But don't misunderstand, I'm not sad about it. Instead, I'm enjoying the walk down memory lane, the chance to reflect on a past tense "me" that I don't think about very often. Once in awhile it's a good thing to open the memory book up, dust off the pages, and immerse yourself in what used to be. How it all used to feel back then.

Some day I'll think about my life in the Little Cottage and what it felt like on a night like tonight. And I know those memories will be just as sweet, if not sweeter.

anniversary wishes

a public Happy 40th Anniversary today to my dear parents. Congrats congrats congrats to my favorite couple!

hello

It's the end of the weekend and somehow I didn't get around to spiffying up my blog any more. But I have intentions to. Libby has been kind enough to offer some advice, and my husband says he can help me, too. But, where does the time go? During busy days, blogging always takes a back seat to more important things in life. Which is pretty much everything else.

We did have such a nice weekend here. It was one of those picture perfect weekends - bright sun, clear air, gentle breeze, perfect temps. Couldn't be topped. This is how I always think of September, it's the prettiest month. And so we spent a lot of time outside, in our shorts, letting the open windows freshen up the house a bit while we went about our business.

So....no, I didn't work on my blog look (and thanks for your nice comments about it, btw...what you're seeing is somewhere around version #4 from the other night, I played with the templates for about an hour before going to bed), but I was so practical and efficient over the last two days (being the Virgo that I am) - cleaning, cooking, organizing, changing sheets. I think we're all set for a busy but good week. Hopefully I'll seize another moment to catch up with you before too long.

insomnia

7:45 p.m. Two little boys go to bed

10:00 p.m. Mommy goes to bed

1:00 a.m. Daddy goes to bed

1:15 a.m. Son (oldest) comes into Mommy and Daddy's room (has to go to the bathroom)

1:16 a.m. Son goes back to bed

1:20 a.m. Son starts talking to himself in bed

1:35 a.m. Talking continues. Mommy (light sleeper) goes in to see Son, says "time to go back to sleep"

1:47 a.m. Talking continues, and now a little giggling too coming from Son's room

1:55 a.m. Mommy goes back in, "no more talking, buddy". "Ok" says Son.

2:03 a.m. Chatter continues

2:10 a.m. Mommy hears a shout, "ah-la Peanut Butter Sandwiches!!!!" followed by giggling! laughter!

2:15 a.m. Mommy, back down the hallway to Son's room, pleads for him to be quiet

2:23 a.m. More chatter from Son's room (he can't help it, he's not tired)

2:30 a.m. Any possibility of salvaging the night and getting (at the very least) a good night's rest is now officially out of the question, as Mommy tosses from side to side and tries to not think about her son being wide awake and the demands of his busy day tomorrow (he needs his rest!!)

2:45 a.m. chatter chatter chatter

2:50 a.m. Mommy gets up and heads down to the computer.

2:55 a.m. Son gets up and starts heading down, too.

2:55 a.m. Mommy intercepts Son on stairs, scaring him unintentionally

2:56 a.m. Son flies back into bed, terrified about stairway meeting with Mommy

2:57 a.m. Mommy and Son cuddle a little on his bed. He's Ok now and maybe getting a little tired, too.

3:00 a.m. Mommy goes back downstairs to read about Luciano Pavarotti

3:07 a.m. Mommy clicks on http://www.blogger.com/

3:16 a.m. Clicking through her favorite blogs

3:20 a.m. Mommy decides to post a new entry

3:29 a.m. Finished writing, she's now thinking this might be a good time to play around with a new look to her homepage.

Good night!

week 15

So, here we are, almost 4 months into the project on the construction of the house across the street. Since my last entry you will see that the siding has gone up, and that there has been some stonework done at the front entryway. And that's just the outside! And, that's just what a nosey neighbor can spy from across the street. Imagine if I could give you an actual play-by-play of what's happening inside.

How are you today? I am fine. My boys are away this morning and I am on a mission to clean my house, top to bottom. Which is why I've chosen to procrastinate by blogging instead. I also have dinner going in the slow cooker. I just got a slow cooker last spring. Do you use yours? Any good recipes to pass on? I found a website, www.tastycrockpotrecipes.net. They have thousands of meal ideas. Good for me, as my meal ideas are nonexistent these days. Today we are trying the ultimate easy 'chicken-n-dumplings'. Doesn't necessarily sound like something you'd crave on a day when the mercury will hit 90, but then again, why not?

There is news to share. Beginning Friday I am heading into a 4-week freelance project. It will go from 9-5, M-F. Back to the advertising business, however briefly! I am not sure how this will affect my blog. I have visions of me blogging away during off hours, but maybe that is being optimistic. So perhaps my entrys will be a little spotty in the coming weeks. Don't worry, I'll still be here, and I'll for sure be reading what you have to say.

Have a wonderful day, and Happy Birthday to two special little boys....one in Ohio, one in North Carolina. Enjoy!

soon to be famous blogging mama

There was an email going around recently, maybe you saw it. It was a link to an auction on ebay, written by a very funny mom. That mom is a soon-to-be (more!) famous author, Dawn Meehan. She is a fellow Chicagoan, and a fellow blogger.

Here is her story:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-bloggermom_03sep03,1,987830.story?page=1&coll=chi_tab01_layout

Here is her blog:
http://www.mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/

Check it out!