Oh what's a few more...

What is a few more Chicago pictures among friends...one of the things we did while we were there was take a water taxi and let me tell you it was a great little trip. It doesn't travel up the river very far but it is a nice view, the kids love it is a boat, and it is only 2 dollars a piece!! So there are a couple of images above of our taxi trip!

The other two photos were from the Science and Industry museum. The Submarine exhibit (bottom) was awesome. 3 out of 4 of our family liked it best out of all we saw...it was very well put together. I enjoy museums but rarely spend time reading everything about an exhibit but the way this one was staged I was riveted! And the size, as you can see is enormous!!

And we ate at Kitschn and had the coolest, nicest waitress I have ever seen named Erin!! The food was really nice (I had a fried chicken blt which was served on a pizza dough bun and had really good honey mayonaise and applewood smoked bacon and rosemary garlic mashed red potatoes on the side), the decor funky, and the kids actually could get real veggies (think steamed broccoli),they also had very nice beer (Goose Island Matilda) and above you will see photos of our uber yummy desserts. I bet you will never guess what they are...take a few seconds think about it study it...put your culinary hats on...and you will still not get it...

The top one is tiramasu, you think you had that one figured but wait...it wasn't just lady fingers and the usual fare...it was Twinkies...yes the everlasting shelf life snack cake!! And it was really good! We had to share though and still couldn't finish it! The girls each got a dessert as you see...and it is lovely and chocolatey...and looked so elegant...and this one was not any choclate cake...it was yes you are getting it now... Ding Dongs!!! So fun and dessert too! So we recommend the Northriver Kitschn for grownups and kids!! Everyone was really wonderful it was reasonable and the food was good!!

So pardon the rambling post the ladies are doing the loudest most distracting yoga I have ever heard!! I think somehow they may be missing the point of yoga...just me though...

Home!!!!!!!!

Well we survived the attack on Chicago!! I truly felt like every other word out of my mouth was "Stop" "Don't touch that" "Come here"or the big one "Be quiet you are too loud!!" Sigh...but all in all it was good for the ladies to see their are cultures other than their own and that there is life outside our little town. Both of them were amazed by all the languages being spoken around them and Bronwyn even spent part of breakfast one morning counting in Spanish to a lovely couple from Argentina!! I must say the ladies adapted to the perks of city life quickly and Bronwyn even hailed a cab to dinner one evening. Ella even went up to the cue and opened the door to get in!! So truly public transport was their favorite part of the trip (they may say otherwise but I know the truth).

It was so very nice to sleep in my own bed last night! I am not good at sleeping in hotels! I just never seem to completely settle in and our hotel Hotel 71 in Chicago was lovely... I liked eating food that had seen vegetables... And the girls are hot to garden this year...so we spent today making room for our plantlings to poke through the still cold ground, although today felt balmy at 47 degrees!!

I am not thrilled to have plans before I go back to happyland (work). My friend is putting on a belly dance workshop and to be supportive to her and all her hard work I need to get myself up and presentable and go take a few classes before I have to come home and get ready for work! Ugh! Any other Saturday it would not seem so bad but I just want to wander around my house for a bit...lounge...relax...find my stuff for work!! Oh well sacrifices!!

Photos: top very very good oatmeal at corner cafe we ate at every morning. It had everything in it!!! Second: John and B at the Shedd Aquarium, she is looking so so big!! Third: Dolphin show Fourth: We did manage a carriage rid with Reebok the horse!

Trip Day two...

Today has been busy...but I think any day that begins with Lego store (second photo) right after breakfast and the American Girl store right after that... has to be a parental day of exhaustion!!

I always love the lego store but couldn't commit to anything that we "need" so we left after a lot of play time. And headed to one of the best run, best place to give away copious amounts of money without really noticing store I have ever been in. The American Girl Store really is well organized. They are uber friendly!! And they have everything you could think of or maybe not think of for a doll or child. The hair salon (photo 3 Ana at work) was like a group of miracle workers as they recovered our lovely Elizbeth's hair and made her all lovely and clean just in time for lunch. And lunch was beyond words. The cafe (photo 5) itself is done in pink, black and white stripes and polka dots. It is decked out and you are treated like royalty. But I must say they have this so timed and are shoving you out but you do not feel shoved out...just efficiently run...and the dessert plate was gorgeous!! And they give you 3 desserts!!!!!!!! What's not to love it you get 3 desserts!!! (photo 1) We then had to narrow down the shopping and escape with our aching feet back to the hotel for a recouperation period.

Ella's favorite thing for the day was escalators we spent over 45 minutes going up and back down them at the shopping center before Lego opened! (photo 4)

We hope to wander back out tonight for a carriage ride, a surprise for the ladies. Who knows what dinner will entailed I feel like all we have done is eat, which isn't such a bad thing!! Too bad I have a physical when I get back!! Yikes!! It is a misty rain kind of day today and Bronwyn and I have a serious curling issue of the hair today, did I mention our napkin ring at the American Girl Cafe was a black and white polka dot scrunchie we got to take home??? LOL is there anything they don't have covered??? More as days warrant!!

A Day Truly Seized!!

We left early this morning from Ann Arbor, after a really bad night in a dorm like hotel, to arrive in Chicago at 12pm. We checked in at the hotel and took a very long meandering walk to The Field museum. (Which after joining the hands on museum in Ann Arbor, I found is a sister museum and we got in free and will also get into Science and industry on Wed for free!!!) The girls very happily saw Sue as Ella puts it "For Real" and Bronwyn soaked in all the exhibits, this place was entirely up her alley especially since she can read most of it all by herself. The ladies were completely exhausted but very pleased to get to sample the public transportation in form of taxis, buses, and trains today! We did make it to my favorite restaurant Earwax, and I had butternut squash and bean quesidillas (seen above). Also above scene from the train, and milennieum park forgive my spelling this evening I have a headache and am so very very tired!!

Tomorrow we get American Girl...and who knows what else we may add...the girls have high hopes of riding a "Dicker Decker" or "Ticker Tacker" ie double decker bus...they each call it so weather may be good enough on Wednesday...

B has been keeping a scrapbook of everything she has done and it is turning out really quite nice!! More as events warrant!!!

Break time

It is spring break!!!! Usually, this doesn't have a huge impact in our world as I am usually busy and work and John is fending off the lovelies! But this year we are packing up for a little escape! We are going to a hotel in Ann Arbor for a night and hoping to take in the hands on museum there and one of our favorite restaurants (Seva) plus the hotel has a pool!! Then we are hopping a train for the slow road to Chicago for a few days of exploration and hopefully rest!! I am looking forward to a meandering break with the gang! Just get caught up on the down time! I have spent today tidying the house so it doesn't look like a bomb went off and so when we get back I can relax and get ready to go back to the world of work!!

More as we wander!!