Brice and Harry check out the livestock.
Brice has a time out.
The boys ride the incredibly expensive rides.
Cow feed. My attempt at an artistic shot.Friday, August 27, 2010
county fair
Brice and Harry check out the livestock.Brice has a time out.The boys ride the incredibly expensive rides.Cow feed. My attempt at an artistic shot.
the 'burbs
I've been thinking about this alot. The more we settle into Wheaton and find a routine, the more i've thought about what the real differences are between suburban living and city living. Then, with prompting from Robyn, I figured I'd blog it. Just for you, Robyn!!
I can't speak for anyone else's experience, but I feel like I can breathe out here. City living, with kids, wasn't for me. I always thought i'd live in Chicago, or any city for that matter, for life. Raise my kids there, send them to school, the whole bit. It just didn't turn out that way.
When Seth and I moved back to Chicago (from Brooklyn), we fell in love with the West Loop. It reminded us of Brooklyn. It was warehousey. It had a cool vibe. And it was a 15-minute walk from the Sears Tower where Seth worked. I was 6 months pregnant when we bought it. If we had already had a kid, maybe we would've ended up in Lincoln Park (think Park Slope) or Lincoln Square. But we were thinking "cool" not "kid friendly." So we bought a second floor condo with only two bedrooms. No room to play outside. Not a lot of room to play inside, either.
Then we found out it had a leak. Then the whole building leaked. Then we were in a very long, stressful, expensive lawsuit. Then our front wall was ripped out and replaced with plastic sheeting for 5 months. All that to say, it was stressful. And I wanted out. I wanted to move to the 'burbs, where we could have a yard and a basement. And we could own a house. And if the house leaked, so be it. At least we wouldn't be part of an association and have to fix it right away.
It was also really hard for us to find community. It took a long time to settle into a church. And after we moved to the West Loop, my two closest friends moved. One moved to the 'burbs. One moved to Denver (thanks for nothing, Lindsay!!). So for me, city living meant lack of community, stressful living situation, and very limited options of things to do with the kids. Because we were in the West Loop, we weren't close to the el. So we had to walk everywhere or drive (and thus pay lots in parking everywhere we went).
And life is more expensive in the city. Impossible to buy a house. Crazy expensive preschool. Very limited options for schooling. Chicago city tax.
Then, we finished the fix on the condo and could put it up for sale. And Seth got a new job in Itasca, by O'Hare. And he worked normal hours now. Yea!! A move to the 'burbs, cutting commuting time, would give us another two hours together. So, we put it up for sale and crossed our fingers. Ten weeks later, we sold it.
Now we live in Wheaton. It's lovely. It's green. The schools are great, the parking is free, the people are nice. We love it. We love our church (it's charismatic Anglican; how cool is that? Susan Howatch would be so proud!!). We're renting and it's so great to not have to worry about anything housing-related.
So, all that to say. We are really glad we made the switch. The boys love to run around in the yard. It feels more manageable. Less stressful. And we get more time together. Maybe if we had moved to Lincoln Park, which is more family-oriented, and Seth continued to work in the city, and we hadn't had any condo issues, we'd still be in the city. There are ways to make it work; lots of families love to raise their kids in Chicago. We just weren't one of them.
I can't speak for anyone else's experience, but I feel like I can breathe out here. City living, with kids, wasn't for me. I always thought i'd live in Chicago, or any city for that matter, for life. Raise my kids there, send them to school, the whole bit. It just didn't turn out that way.
When Seth and I moved back to Chicago (from Brooklyn), we fell in love with the West Loop. It reminded us of Brooklyn. It was warehousey. It had a cool vibe. And it was a 15-minute walk from the Sears Tower where Seth worked. I was 6 months pregnant when we bought it. If we had already had a kid, maybe we would've ended up in Lincoln Park (think Park Slope) or Lincoln Square. But we were thinking "cool" not "kid friendly." So we bought a second floor condo with only two bedrooms. No room to play outside. Not a lot of room to play inside, either.
Then we found out it had a leak. Then the whole building leaked. Then we were in a very long, stressful, expensive lawsuit. Then our front wall was ripped out and replaced with plastic sheeting for 5 months. All that to say, it was stressful. And I wanted out. I wanted to move to the 'burbs, where we could have a yard and a basement. And we could own a house. And if the house leaked, so be it. At least we wouldn't be part of an association and have to fix it right away.
It was also really hard for us to find community. It took a long time to settle into a church. And after we moved to the West Loop, my two closest friends moved. One moved to the 'burbs. One moved to Denver (thanks for nothing, Lindsay!!). So for me, city living meant lack of community, stressful living situation, and very limited options of things to do with the kids. Because we were in the West Loop, we weren't close to the el. So we had to walk everywhere or drive (and thus pay lots in parking everywhere we went).
And life is more expensive in the city. Impossible to buy a house. Crazy expensive preschool. Very limited options for schooling. Chicago city tax.
Then, we finished the fix on the condo and could put it up for sale. And Seth got a new job in Itasca, by O'Hare. And he worked normal hours now. Yea!! A move to the 'burbs, cutting commuting time, would give us another two hours together. So, we put it up for sale and crossed our fingers. Ten weeks later, we sold it.
Now we live in Wheaton. It's lovely. It's green. The schools are great, the parking is free, the people are nice. We love it. We love our church (it's charismatic Anglican; how cool is that? Susan Howatch would be so proud!!). We're renting and it's so great to not have to worry about anything housing-related.
So, all that to say. We are really glad we made the switch. The boys love to run around in the yard. It feels more manageable. Less stressful. And we get more time together. Maybe if we had moved to Lincoln Park, which is more family-oriented, and Seth continued to work in the city, and we hadn't had any condo issues, we'd still be in the city. There are ways to make it work; lots of families love to raise their kids in Chicago. We just weren't one of them.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
"my dad dressed me"
Tonight the boys had a naked dinner (long story) so when Seth got home, he was in charge of dressing them for our post-dinner library/ice cream run. Brice came bounding down the stairs first, "mom look at my cool new shirt!" Um, it's 75 degrees outside. And he's wearing two different shades of green. It's definitely a look!
Then Harry comes down. He's wearing Brice's black T-shirt, that is still too big for Brice. And his too-small, navy sweats (!!) He could barely walk, the shirt was HUGE. I felt like sticking a sign on each of them that said, "my dad dressed me. "
Harry's birthday. Six weeks late...
One of the best things about living in the 'burbs is the space. We threw Harry's 2nd birthday party in our backyard (something I never thought i'd be able to say!). Both sets of grandparents were there, along with friends, neighbors, and their swimsuit-clad children. Perfect. The kids played in the pool, made mudpies in the sandbox and climbed the playsets. Was there ever a better way to celebrate a 2 y/o than by making mudpies and splashing around in a pool? No.
Brice got full access to the potato chip bowl, and occasionally came up for air to eat some cake and take custody of Harry's new Yo Gabba Gabba dvd. The kids had a great time. The adults had some great drinks, and much merriment was made by all.
Happy Birthday, little Harry. We love you SO SO much.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
South Beach, baby
So, Seth and I have been doing the South Beach Diet for the past few weeks. I've dieted on and off before, but never with any results. Last month I had my blood drawn and was told my cholesterol was ridiculously high. I tried to explain it was genetic, but she wasn't sympathetic. Around the same time, Seth's life insurance guy suggested he go on the SBD in order to get a better rate on life insurance. Ouch.
So, we both started this together. The first week was rough. Seth was in a rotten mood and I kept sneaking ice cream. But now it's actually working. We don't crave junk anymore. We've stopped eating "white" carbs and eat mainly veggies, lean meats, dairy, and some fruit. Even my pants are starting to hang on me. Yea for South Beach!!!
So, we both started this together. The first week was rough. Seth was in a rotten mood and I kept sneaking ice cream. But now it's actually working. We don't crave junk anymore. We've stopped eating "white" carbs and eat mainly veggies, lean meats, dairy, and some fruit. Even my pants are starting to hang on me. Yea for South Beach!!!
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