Sunday Sound Out

From Chicago, where the Cubs actually won a game, it's your host, the woman who found a pistachio behind the TV (It's been ten years since I've had pistachios in the house. Yeah.), Dawn Damalas Meehan!

Okay, about 50,000 of you have asked me something along these lines - I must have missed something. I thought you were not moving b/c of the housing market being so bad and the loan and what it would sell for didn't match up? Did that change and I missed that post?

I never said I wasn't moving. I said, "Because the economy sucks and the housing market sucks and life sucks, I'm not going to be able to sell my house since I owe more than what it will sell for. Not to mention the fact that houses are on the market for a good year or more around here. My options are limited now and it just sucks."

It doesn't look too promising that I'll be able to sell, but unfortunately that has precious little to do with the fact that I still have to move someplace cheaper. I'm talking to experts about my options - try to sell, rent my house, short sale, deed in lieu of foreclosure, foreclosure, etc. But in the end, yes, we're moving this summer.

I can barely squeak by with child support, but there's no way I can continue living here without it. I'm not counting on my ex to stand up, get a job, and help support his children. (In fact, he told me yesterday that he's had TWO whole interviews since losing his job mid-January. I know, right! Impressive!) Anyway, I'm not waiting around for him.

I was offered a job at a middle school in Orange County, FL that I've excitedly accepted. I'll have a steady paycheck as well as health insurance, and the same hours as my kids. I'm happy to leave winter behind! It looks like I'll be able to cut my housing costs in half by moving there. There are many, many benefits of moving to Florida and no drawbacks that I can see (other than the drawbacks of moving in general which just can't be avoided). I already had it put into my divorce agreement that I can move the kids out of state because I just knew something like this would happen. I remember telling my lawyer a year ago that I was sure he would stop working and abandon the kids. I guess you really get to know someone after living with them for nearly twenty years, huh?

The kids are actually excited about the move. I know all that might change after the novelty wears off and they start missing their friends, but for now, they're looking forward to it. Well, all the kids except Austin, that is. He understandably doesn't want to leave his girlfriend.

So, there ya go. I hope that clears up any confusion.

The surprise with which they greet a daily announcement is starting to get to me. Why is “Make your bed!” (repeated each and every morning) always a brand new concept?
My theory is that they believe we're old and inept. They keep thinking that maybe today will be the day that we lose our minds and forget to tell them to make their beds, brush their teeth, hang up their coats, etc. When we don't, in fact, forget, they're flabbergasted that we've maintained our sanity for yet another day. Either that, or like Bill Cosby says, children are brain damaged.

It looks great! But how long will the boys keep it looking that way?
If they value their lives, they'll keep it that way until we move. Oh, who am I kidding? I doubt it'll last a week.

What did you do with the IKEA shelving unit?
I shoved it in the dishwasher until we move.

Wait a minute! I just realized something. You have THREE boys. Where does boy #3 sleep? And did you buy new comforters and valances? And hang them yourself? I wouldn't have the first idea how to do that. Very impressive!!!
Austin has his own room. I haven't set foot in there to clear out clutter yet, but his room is usually pretty neat and clean so it should only take an hour or so. They've had the comforters for many years. What, you couldn't spot them in the "before" pictures??? They had the valances too, but they were removed years ago when we replaced the windows and they were never hung back up. With Savannah's help, I was able to drill holes and install the hardware to hang them. In case I haven't mentioned it lately, I HATE doing stuff like that! I could live happily without ever touching another power tool. Ever.

why is he [Austin] wearing a ring on a significant finger?
Yes, my sixteen-year-old got married and is wearing a dollar bill wrapped around his finger as a ring. All the elite, famous celebrities are doing that these days. William and Kate will be doing it too. Except they'll be exchanging British pound rings instead of American dollars. You know, because they're English and all.

where exactly in the minivan did that swedish fish land? was it really wasted?
It didn't even make it in the window! I love Swedish fish, but I wasn't about to create a traffic jam so I could stop my van, get out, and search the pavement for a piece of candy.

Have a great week filled with fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles!

Flying Fish

Tonight, I was sitting on the couch, reading a backlog of email, and wondering why we never have any chocolate in the house. I jokingly told Austin, “Go to 7-11 and get me some chocolate.”

Now, Austin doesn’t drive and I didn’t really expect to him to walk to 7-11 or anything. I was joking and I’m pretty sure he knew it.
Still, he hopped up, grabbed his shoes and said he’d run to the store. I told him, “I was just kidding, but if you want something, I’ll drive and you can grab me some chocolate too.”

I got my shoes and keys and started out the door when he ran past me.

“Austin, I said I’d drive!” I called after him. “Get in the car!”

But he was already a block away. I hopped in the car and drove toward the store. As I passed Austin, I rolled down my window and called, “Really, Austin? Get in the car!”

He insisted he wanted to run. Okay then. I drove on to the store. I got to 7-11, grabbed a pack of peanut butter cups and a Coke Zero (to balance out the Reese’s, of course) and put my items on the counter. The cashier asked me if I was ready to check out.

“Uh no. No, I’m um, waiting for my son. He’s jogging here.”
The cashier stared at me, not fully understanding what I was saying.

“He thought I wanted him to run. But I was kidding. Um, he wanted to jog. I was too lazy to jog. I drove.”

He continued to look at me, wondering just how drunk I was.

“Um, I’ll just wait, thanks.”

I stood there playing Words With Friends on my phone while waiting for Austin. The cashier kept looking at me, wondering if he should call the police, as he stocked shelves. Finally, Austin came through the door.

“Nice, Mom!” he said. “You tell me to go to the store for you so I do and then you fly by me in the car!”

“Whaaat? I told you, but you said you, but I said, I tried to get you in the car!” I sputtered.

He smirked a little. Punk.

“Do you want anything?” I asked. He grabbed a snack and we went to pay for our purchases. As the cashier rung up my health food, Austin piped up and said, “This is separate.”

“No, it’s not,” I insisted. “I’ll pay for your stuff, Austin.”

He refused. What kind of teenager refuses money from their parent??? But Austin has always been super-conscious of money. He knows we’re moving because I need to cut my housing costs and he would never ask for a thing from me. I glanced up at my son, mixed emotions playing through my head when he leaned forward and put some money in a jar marked “Japanese Relief Fund”. I just love that kid. I’m so proud of him for so many reasons.

We walked out of the store and he insisted he wanted to jog home. I sighed.

“Fine, Austin. I’ll see you at home.”

As I passed Austin, on the way home, he whipped a Swedish fish at the open window of my van. And in that moment, I realized he’s not quite as smart and awesome as I thought. I mean, hello? He just wasted a perfectly good, red, chewy glob of deliciousness by throwing it at my van!

"AFTER"

Tada! I still need to do a little patching and painting, but THIS doesn't look like a house with six kids living in it, does it?

"BEFORE"

I've decided that this will be my first move AND my last move. Going through and packing up seven people's belongings is a lot of work! I am rocking on this packing thing though! I keep forgetting to take before and after pictures of each room so you can see the difference. I remembered to take pictures while working on the boys' room though.

This was the state of the boys' room yesterday. Warning: The following pictures are intended for mature audiences only. Some viewers may find the following scenes disturbing. This is not for the squeamish or faint of heart.

Tomorrow, I'll post the "after" pictures. You won't believe it's the same room! I still can't believe it!

It's Bedtime Already?!

I’ve been cleaning and packing like a crazy woman lately. Today, I tackled the boys’ room. Well, I started on the boy’s room anyway. This is going to be a twenty-seven day project, at least. Because I got stuck cleaning the cesspool that is the boys’ room, I lost track of time and before I knew it, it was bedtime. I tried to stand up, but after sitting on the floor for over an hour, my knees yelled at me and refused to bend. I called my teenage son to help pull me up off the floor. He told me I was old. I told him he was grounded. It’s what we do. 


My old-lady, creaky knees carried me out to the family room where I announced it was bedtime for my youngest three.  I was met with utter incredulity.

“What?!  It’s only 8:00!  Why do we have to go to bed?”

“Seriously?  Why do you always act so surprised when I tell you to go to bed?  I’ve told you to go to bed at 8:00 for like the last nine years!” I said, exasperated.

“But Mom, it isn’t 8:00!  It’s only 7:58!” came their feeble attempts at stalling.

I stared at them with my best mom look.  You know, the one that says, You’d better get moving now or I’m going to shout idle threats at you.

They continued to sit there, disbelieving that I was actually going to send them to bed.  Sure, I’d been putting them to bed at 8:00 their entire lives, but maybe tonight would be the night I’d decide to let them stay up and drink pop and watch R rated movies all night.
“Go brush your teeth now!”

One by one, they slowly trudged toward the bathroom as if on death row, walking to their execution.  The only time they walk more slowly is when they make the trek from my car to the front door of their school each morning.

After brushing their teeth (and by “brushing their teeth”, I mean messing around in the bathroom, laughing hysterically, and making a concoction of lotion, shampoo, water, and toothpaste in the sink which they stirred with their brother’s toothbrush), I made them clean up their mess.  Then I expounded on my instructions.
“Brush your teeth.  With toothpaste.  AND a toothbrush.  For more than 10 seconds.  And don’t wipe your toothpastey mouths on the towels.  And rinse the globs of toothpaste down the sink when you’re done.  And put the cap back on the tube.  And rinse your toothbrushes.  And hang them up too!  Oh heck, here!” I said, thrusting Pep-O-Mint Lifesavers at them.  “Just have these and call it night.”

After I snuggled and cuddled and talked to and hugged and kissed my girls repeatedly, I walked toward the door of their bedroom. 

“Mom, don’t close the door, okay?”  came their request.  It’s the same thing they say every night.  Again, I’ve been leaving their door open since the beginning of time, but you just never know when (what with me being so old and all) I’ll go senile and forget and *gasp* close the door.

Then I walked into the boys’ room to tuck in my youngest son, but he wasn’t in bed.  He was hiding.  Like he does every single night. 
“Where, oh where could Clayton be?” I asked, knowing full well, he was hiding in the corner of his room.

He jumped out, I clutched my chest and staggered back a bit, doing my nightly “fake heart attack” routine, and then I snuggled and cuddled and talked to and hugged and kissed my youngest son.
I love bedtime (and not just because it means I get some quiet time to myself).  I love it because it’s a great time to connect with your kids and share some special moments you’ll always remember.  It’s because I know this time literally flies by!  I mean, if I were to try to snuggle or have a tickle fight with my teens, they’d surely think I’d lost my mind, so I try to enjoy every last fun, frustrating, happy, crazy moment I can.

Bark Bark

I have sick kids. I have three sick kids to be exact. I haven't slept for a couple nights. I've been packing like crazy, calling realtors, getting hung up on daily by AllKids (state insurance). Sports season has started which means freezing my butt off at hockey, softball and baseball practices pretty much every night. But you know what? I'M the one comforting my kids when they're sick. I'M the one taking care of their needs. I'M the one providing for them. I'm the one cheering them on and taking pictures at their practices. ME. And I'm so thankful for that! I cannot even imagine choosing to miss out on all this. Or showing up a couple times a year like a distant uncle to just say "hi". I wouldn't trade it for anything. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Two nights ago, as I was working on a blog post, I heard seals barking back in the girls’ bedroom.  This was concerning to me because I don’t generally keep seals in the girls’ bedroom, or you know, any room in my house.  A couple minutes later, Lexi came shuffling out of her room, and in between her seal-bark coughs, she cried that she couldn’t breathe.  I calmly led her into the bathroom, put a pillow on the floor for her to lie on, and turned on the shower as hot as it would go.  She lay in the steam while I grabbed her some Motrin, and wondered how I got so calm about these things. 

I mean the first time one of my kids awoke in the middle of the night with that tell-tale croupy cough, I freaked out and called the pediatrician’s answering service.  When the doctor called me back, his groggy, sleep-laced voice gave me the advice to put him in the bathroom with steam and/or take him outside to breathe in the cool night air.  Then he told me I was an idiot new mother and he immediately fell asleep before he actually hung up.  I kept the phone off the hook and listened to him snore for a while because I was certain I was going to need to talk to him again when my child stopped breathing and I figured it would be easier to scream into the phone to awaken him as opposed to calling the answering service all over again. 
But now that I have more kids, am more experienced, am sane, I know that as scary as that barky sounding cough is, croup is no big deal.  Until it spreads to another kid.  And another kid.  And another one.  Germs: the one thing my six kids share.  Then it’s the broken record that just keeps repeating.

“I need more Motrin.”

“Can I go in the shower again?”

“I want a cool washcloth because my eyes burn!”

“My nose is stuffy.”

“Can I have some chicken soup?”

“I want Jello.”

“No, not green Jello; red Jello.”

“No, I changed my mind.  I want pudding.”

“My lips are try.”

“My throat hurts.”

“Sorry, I just sneezed on your computer, Mom.”

I’d love to finish this story, but Lexi and Brooklyn just got up, crying to me that they can’t stop coughing.  I imagine this virus will have made the rounds through all six kids and me by sometime in June, at which point, strep throat will take over.  It’s the way it works in big families.

Eating Salad

"Hey Brooklyn, do you want some more sala...what the heck??? What are you putting in your mouth?"

"I'm eating my salad, Mom."

"Where's your fork?"

"It's right here, Mom," Brooklyn answered, pointing to her unused fork sitting next to her plate.

"Ummm, what are you using to eat with," I asked, a little scared to hear her answer.

"I'm using my mermaids!" she happily announced.

"I see," I said, shaking my head. "Makes perfect sense to me."



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To read my Babble post on the new Abercrombie push-up bathing suit for little girls, click here!

Going on an Adventure

I love my home that sits in a nice, quiet suburb. And I love being only a few minutes from a major city. In my opinion, it's the best of both worlds! I enjoy going downtown for the museums, the culture, the wonderful restaurants, and the weird sights!

CONTINUE READING HERE

Sunday Sound Out

From Chicago where it snows over spring break, it's your host, the woman who likes her eggs salmonella-free, Dawn Damalas Meehan! And now, here are the answers to this week's questions.

Have you thought to ask the older kids to get jobs to help support the family? In times past, that's what kids did.

I've already put all six of them to work in a sweat shop.

Please tell me that you put up your smoke dectetor. :) My firewife inside of me is cringing when I think about it.

You have a firewife inside of you? I have a woman who likes to eat cookies inside of me. I wish I could get her out. And of course I put the smoke detector back! That's why I wrote the post reminding everyone to change their batteries.

I wanted to ask you about your children. I have three and one is in a stage where he is so stubborn! Not sure if you have/had one like that? My son is 4 will be 5 in June. He wants everything to go his way and if he doesn't get his way he does nothing. Older brother was not like this. Also if he does not get his own way then he tells me I hate him and don't love him. Sorry this probably is not blog material but I think you are an awesome person and wanted to see if you had gone through anything like this. Thanks for any advice!

If being a mom of six children has taught me one thing, it's that all kids are different! What works for one will not necessarily work for another. Austin was a stubborn child who is much more laid back now. Brooklyn is my stubborn one now. My best advice (which I admit is easy in theory, but much harder to put into practice in real life), is to say what you mean and mean what you say, be consistent, and keep emotion out of it.

Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say - When your child is lying on the floor of the toy store, crying for a toy, don't say something like, "If you don't get up, I'm never taking you out in public again!" It will obviously be impossible to stick to that threat. I know; I've tried. Instead, say something like, "I hope, one day, you have a child who acts just like you!"

Be Consistent - If you give in to your child and buy them that toy, then you should expect another all-out tantrum the next time you go to the store and tell them no. All bets are off when it's your sixth child and you no longer care about consistency; you only care about quiet.

Keep Emotion out of It. You're the adult. When your child screams, "I hate you!", or "You hate me!" when you don't give in to their demands, they're trying to get a reaction from you. If you scream back how ungrateful they are and how you don't have money for the toy and how you would never have been that disrespectful to your parents when you were that age, blah, blah, blah, what message are you sending them? If instead, you say calmly, "I'm sorry you feel that way", while removing them (kicking and screaming, if need be) from the store, you're sending the message that their tantrums aren't going to move you to give in. You're the adult and you're in charge. What you say goes and if they don't like it, well, sucks to be you.

Be loving and consistent and they'll get past this stage, I promise. They might always be strong-willed, but as long as they learn how to handle it when they don't get their way, they'll be fine. If not, they'll be that guy who gets mad and staples his boss to the bulletin board by his necktie.

Omg, that was you [who posted the Pokemon auction on eBay]?? I used to hang out on the Ebay discussion boards and I remember that auction being posted and watched. I didn't know what a blog was back then. Once I started reading blogs and found yours I just kept reading because I thought you were funny. I had no idea until just now that you were the Pokemon lady!

Yes!!! When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being known as the Pokemon Lady!

Are all those kids yours?

Yep and I have seven more at home.

Your ex was/is really a piece of work!

He is a piece of work, but he was a decent dad (a lousy husband, but a good dad). I think that makes it so much worse on my kids. He did a 180 degree change when we got divorced.

Question for you Dawn :) If you get paid per impression over at Babble does that me if I read it on one computer, then comment from another computer and then update the comments for yet another one each of those would count as a separate impression?? We have 5 computers here at home, and 4 at my office....lol

LOL! I'm not sure, but I think it would count on all five computers.

I'm headed back to Chicago soon with the almost 4 & 6yo kids...any must-sees downtown at the moment?

The Field Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier, Buckingham Fountain, Sears Tower, and Millennium Park are staples. I'm pretty sure the first four all offer free days where you can visit for no charge. If you want to visit a bunch of those places, a good way to see the sights is by getting a CityPass.

The winner of the Suave giveaway is -

Kim said...

I have no idea what my favorite is. It's usually whatever is in the shower that still has enough shampoo in it. Not one of the bottles that have been dumped and refilled with with cold water. Definitely not the bottle that's a combination created by son of all liquid found in the shower, including the dog shampoo.
Life as a single mom is a rat race, so I use whatever I find available at the moment. :)

Congratulations! Email me at dawn@dawnmeehan.com with your shipping address.

Thank you to all of you who have placed your ads on my blog! Please check out these great companies advertising on the right side bar of my blog! Thank you!

There's one day left to vote for your favorite funny mom on Circle of Moms HERE!

Potty training? Here's a must-read article about potty training by yours truly!

You can my blog over Babble.com too!

Court Stinks

I had to go to court yesterday. It was a mess. My ex-husband was trying to get his child support obligation modified (read - instead of getting a job and paying it, he was hoping to have the amount lowered). I already have a court date set up for the end of April to prove he's in contempt of court on multiple issues. A couple days ago, he dropped off papers stating he had a court date for Thursday. Thanks for the notice, buddy. I tried calling my lawyer many times, but he never returned any of my phone calls. So, I went to court.

I got there half an hour early, went into the court room and had a seat. From 10:30 until after 12:00, I sat there, waiting for my turn. My ex wasn't there. When I was one of the last ones left in the room, the judge called me up. I showed her the papers that my ex had given me and she said that I must have just missed him because he checked in earlier and the case was dismissed. I'm not sure why, but I think it was because he couldn't file a request while I already had a court date set up. I'm really not sure about this. All I know is that I wasted four and a half hours going downtown when I could've been having fun with my kids on their spring break. Ticked me off! And I don't know who I'm more mad at - my ex for wasting my time or my lawyer for not returning my calls about this.

I usually blog about something that has happened during the day that I find amusing. (I amuse easily.) I’ll get a general idea that I think is funny like the kids’ inability to change a roll of toilet paper, or how a five-year-old is incapable of just walking without hopping, skipping, or galloping down an aisle. Then I’ll sit down and just write about it.


Occasionally, however, I’ll take notes so I don’t forget what I want to write about. I don’t really like the note method though because I have horrible handwriting when it comes to taking notes. I have beautiful penmanship if I’m trying to write nicely, but when I scribble out a note it looks like something a blind monkey with a crayon drew. Wait, monkeys have opposable thumbs. My notes look more like something a platypus with a ADD could have drawn. Anyway, you get the picture. When I take notes, I have a hard time deciphering them later, and they don’t usually make much sense.

I had to go to court yesterday. But, for some reason, I took notes while sitting on the L, heading downtown. As far as I can tell, this is what the notes say. . .

The L is empty, but it still smells like pee. Is that a perpetual thing? How have I never noticed that before? And even more importantly, why did this woman sit next to me when the whole car is empty? Does she not have any clue about personal space? Is this the seat she sits in every day, no matter what? Maybe she just likes me. Or maybe she knows the train will fill up with weirdos so she figures if she sits next to me (a totally normal looking person HA!) she’ll avoid having to sit next to an ax murderer later. Or maybe I remind her of her estranged daughter. Maybe they got in a fight twelve years ago because the woman didn’t like her daughter’s fiancé. And the fiancé stole all her daughter’s money and left the country and then she followed him to Greece, but her daughter never knew she went to those lengths for her and she was too proud to tell her daughter and. . . Hmmm, do normal people make up stories about everyone they see?

I wish I could put tickets on the cars that parked over the lines in the parking garage. How stupid, selfish, and oblivious do you have to be to not notice that you’ve taken up enough space for two cars, a bus, a herd of water buffalo, and a pair of Kim Kardashian’s jeans. I don’t even know who Kim Kardashian is, let alone what her butt looks like. I’ve just heard. Whoever she is, I’m sure my butt is at least fifteen times the size of hers. Am I the only one in America who has no clue who this is? Why do I even care? Oh my gosh, the lady next to me is singing. Or chanting. How weird. I hope she’s not reading over my shoulder. Maybe if I write that I’m planning on pushing her off the train at the next stop, she’ll move. Nope, she didn’t move. Either she’s not looking over my shoulder or she just can’t read my writing.

I think the guy across the aisle has the hots for me. Surely he’s looking at me and not the lady singing/chanting next to me. Why IS she chanting? Darn, I wish I had my earbuds with me. He’s looking over here again. I probably have something on my face. Ohmygosh, did I put makeup on?! Why do women (or is it just me) freak out if they think they may have accidentally left the house without makeup? What would I do if I’d actually forgotten? I have a Sharpie in my purse. I could totally use that for eyeliner.
I have mixed feelings about all the graffiti on the walls. It’s kinda cool looking, but I wouldn’t like it if some punks came along and wrote on my house. Why are things always written in bubble letters? Is that a graffiti law?

Hmmm, the guy that just got on has a man bag. I wonder if he’ll get the part. Or a date with a man? “Joey comes with a bag!” I think I might watch too much Friends. Nah.

Oooo, my stop is next!

And this, my friends, is why I don’t generally use any notes that I take.

Jelly Beans, Mammoths, and Snow, Oh My!

It's spring break here and as much as I've wanted to do fun things with my kids, I just don't have the money to spend on entertainment. Instead, we've gone to the library for movies, we've used gift cards to eat out at Sonic, and of course, there have been the family room camp-outs.

But yesterday, we did one of our favorite free things; we took a trip to the Jelly Belly factory in Pleasant Prairie, WI, which is about an hour from Chicago.

The Jelly Belly factory offers a free tour that shows you how Jelly Belly beans, taffy, and other candies are made. Guests ride on little trains around the warehouse while watching interesting videos about the famous beans.

And the best part? Everyone gets a sample bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans and a snazzy little hat to wear while on the tour. (No, there’s no way on earth I’ll share the picture of me in the hat.)

Jelly Belly makes some dis-gust-ing jelly beans! You know how Jelly Bellies are so true-to-life? Cherry tastes like cherry, pina colada tastes like pina colada, peach bellini tastes like a bellini. Well, the same is true with pencil shavings, rotten egg, and canned dog food flavored beans. These flavors, I’m convinced, were made for teenage boys who like to do stupid things to impress other teenage boys.  Case in point. . .


This is Jackson after popping a Canned Dog Food flavored Jelly Belly in his mouth.

This was Jackson as the flavor hit him.  The next picture was just a blur as he made a beeline for the garbage can.

Yeah, that was fun.

After we sampled a couple thousand candies, we made our way to tropical Kenosha. Kenosha has a couple free museums right on the lakefront. The Kenosha Public Museum and the Civil War Museum are small, but fun. The kids love the Public Museum which houses a Woolly Mammoth fossil and a great hands-on room where kids can explore, do different learning activities, play, and run around like crazy in an attempt to get kicked out (that last one is optional).

“Hey, Mom! That looks like you in the morning hee hee hoo hoo ha ha ha!”

I looked at my little funnyman, Clay, then turned to Austin. ”Feed him to the prehistoric fish,” I instructed.

So he did.

Savannah was attacked by a dinosaur, Clayton found a Beavecoon, and Brooklyn almost climbed into a Mammoth carcass. We likely won’t be back there for a while. It’s probably best to wait until the wanted posters with our pictures have been taken down.

After the museums, we usually like to walk around the lake and take a ride on Kenosha’s street cars which only cost a quarter for kids and fifty cents for adults. However, since it’s spring break in Chicagoland, we didn’t get to do those fun summer-like activities. Nope, we got snow instead. And walking around a lake in thirty degree weather with snow and sleet is not fun, so we loaded up and headed home (after I did my traditional ‘getting lost’ detour, that is).

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun.  Go online and search your area for free activities you can do with your kids.  Then go get yourselves kicked out of some museums have yourselves some fun!

Circle of Moms Contest

There are a couple more days for you to vote for your favorite funny moms on Circle of Moms. I'd love to be number one! (It's my inner Monica that feels the need to win.)
If you have a minute, click here and vote for me, please!
Thank you!!!