Out of This World!

The title is a good description of our day--and not just because we went to the Adler Planetarium!

Before our trip, Evan learned about an event at the planetarium called "Civic Hack Day." He signed up for two workshops and earned us all free admission. I thought it was brave of him. I never would have done something like that at his age! He spent the day with local teens and had a great time. He especially enjoyed the Rube Goldberg challenge.

One of the employees was nice enough to let John, Lavender and I into one of the space shows for free. Then John headed to work while Janey and I explored the museum. I am so grateful that they have an amazing children's wing! It is the best I've ever seen in any museum. She spent hours playing and we didn't cover it all!

Evan joined us for lunch and I tried to get a picture of the kids touching a moon rock. I never know what face she'll pull when I ask her to smile! We closed down the museum and then joined the crowds outside for a selfie with the skyline view. There were lots of wedding parties and prom goers getting their pictures taken on this beautiful afternoon/evening.

Evan put our exhausted girl to bed while John and I went out to celebrate our 27th anniversary. We ate a great meal at the Walnut Room in Macy's. We have fond memories of eating there with Susan and Dave (John's sister and brother-in-law) when we took a trip together back in 2009 (I think I've got the year right!?)
The restaurant isn't quite the same without the giant Christmas tree, but it was still beautiful! I loved spending time with my sweetheart in this fantastic city. We decided it has the sights, shows, parks, museums and shopping of NYC, but it is cleaner, cheaper, less crowded and less crazy!

Almost Perfect

It was a wonderful, busy day. Here are the highlights. I'm sure you can figure out how the pictures fit in.

We started out with a trip to the Hancock Tower. The views were spectacular and we tried the "Tilt" where you lean out over the city. It was definitely worth the extra 5 bucks. We bought lunch at an Italian deli and ate it next to a waterfall while Lavender napped in her stroller. The sun was shining and Evan fed little birds out of his hand.

We walked all around the Tribune Tower where rocks and pieces of monuments from around the world are embedded in the walls. Then we walked down to the shore of Lake Michigan where scores of teenagers thought it was perfect beach weather even though the temperature was barely 70. Evan had fun with the awesome mural.

Next up was an architectural tour down the river. Our guide was awesome and we loved learning about the city. Just as we got started, the little ladies in front of us pulled out an umbrella for shade and completely blocked the view ahead of us. Evan and I just started laughing. Fortunately Evan had his GoPro on an adjustable pole so he still got lots of pictures!

In the evening we headed out to Chicago's other favorite skyscraper, the Willis (AKA Sears) Tower. We enjoyed the sunset and took lots of pictures out on the glass ledge. Evan even did a handstand! Lavender ran around and around and made lots of new friends.

On the way back to the hotel we saw several cool sculptures and finally met up with John. He was the only thing lacking from our practically perfect day!

PS

This is the view from our room. City lights + river = simply splendid

The Windy City Really Was

These 10 little piggies are cute as can be, but they drove me crazy during our four hour flight. We talked repeatedly about not kicking the seat in front of us. So she didn't kick, but those little toes could not hold still. They wiggled and bounced and tapped in a way that I'm sure felt nothing like kicking. Otherwise, she was very happy with the 59 snacks, toys, activities and constant attention I provided. We don't have to mention those ear-piercing shrieks, do we? They only lasted a few seconds . . . each and every time.

Let's skip ahead over a few more rough patches, shall we? Here's the good part:

We had a lovely evening in Millennium Park. We enjoyed a concert while Lavender ran and played on the grass. There was no kicking involved and nearly everyone smiled at her. Then we played at the bean while she ran some more and jumped on the stairs. Finally the wind got so cold that we headed to Panera for a bowl of soup.

We're ready for tomorrow--a day of adventures that doesn't include a cross-country flight!

Say Cheese

This girl loves the beach and she loves looking at pictures of herself. That's a little tricky because lately she doesn't want her picture taken. She frowns, ignores me or runs away. She finally did agree to smile and this was the result:

A Silly Song for Mother's Day

My mom never considered herself a musician, but she blessed her children's lives with music. She sang to us, took us to concerts and provided us with piano/voice/flute/trombone lessons.  We knew music was important to her, especially when she told us childhood stories of carrying her heavy accordion on the bus on the way to her lessons.

When she miraculously awoke in the hospital we all sang together. My mom loved to sing hymns and Primary songs, but our favorites were always the silly songs.  Now I get to sing them to Lavender and my granddaughters!  One of Lavender's favorites is "Mairzy Doats."  She likes it when I sing to her, but she loves this old video from the Lawrence Welk show.

It really is a cute song.  Here are the funny and confusing lyrics:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey 
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you? 
Oh, mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey 
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you? 

If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey 
Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy" 

Oh! Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey 
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you? 
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

So Happy Mother's Day to my sweet mom.  Here are a couple of previous  Mother's Day posts and best of all, mom lovingly commented on each of them. It is a treasure to have her words on my blog.

Thank you to my husband and children for giving me the opportunity to be a mother.  They have given me so many wonderful gifts over the years. (Be sure to click on this link if you want a good laugh!)

Finally, happy Mother's Day to all of the women and mothers in my life. I know that I am a better mother because of each of you. I am grateful for your examples.  I wish I could give you each a lanyard! 

Little Helper

Lavender poured herself a bowl of cereal. Independence is a good thing, right?!

Yum!

I've been eating gluten free for over a year now, but that doesn't mean I've given up desserts.  I don't mind skipping the cake if I can have ice cream!  But now that I've set a goal to eat sugar free, things have gotten a little trickier.  Here are a couple of recipes that I really love.  They're not just "okay".  I think they're delicious!

Lemon Meltaways

Makes about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups almond flour
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (plus extra for rolling)
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, gently melted (not hot)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the almond flour, coconut, coconut flour, and salt until finely ground. Add the honey, coconut oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Process until a rough dough forms.
2. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in shredded coconut if desired.
3. For a no-bake treat, simply refrigerate until firm and enjoy!
4. For a more traditional meltaway cookie texture, place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 250ºF for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Here is a link to the original recipe.  She explains why this is a healthy treat and gives options for using alternate ingredients.


Next up is the perfect dessert when I want something chocolately!  It is very rich, so I am usually satisfied with one piece.  My kids really like this and my husband is happy because there's no coconut involved.

Sugar Free Peanut Butter Fudge

1 cup softened butter 

1 cup honey 

1/2 cup cocoa powder  

1/2 cup organic, creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp sea salt 

Mix ingredients in a large bowl until smooth. Spread in a 8X8 pan and freeze for 2 hours. Cut into squares and enjoy! Keep in the freezer.  

Here is a link to the original recipe.