Self-Made Mom

I know Monday morning sounds so much better, but I didn’t have time to post some of my favorite links on the web until now.  Following is a list of some good Monday afternoon reads.  

• Take a bow, or kirtsy:  The site formerly known as sk*rt is back with a new name! Go check out kirtsy.  The site’s as cute and fun as it sounds.
• SWAT this:  I still am hesitant about becoming a SWAT, but the conversation continues. Check out the dialogue here on BabyCenter and from a SWAT participant herself, Mojomom.
• Some good news for the PR flacks: I’m so sick of PR getting such a bad rap on the blogosphere. Is a PR-blacklist wiki really necessary?  Do we bloggers really want to align ourselves with such McCarthy-like behavior? I think there are better ways to educate the PR field about blogger outreach, and so does Maria Bailey. Check out her new site, Mom Select, which helps companies and PR folks connect with moms and mom bloggers.  It’s opt-in so everyone wins.
• Public schools may not be for me: I have a new post up on Chicago Moms Blog today where I voice my opinion on the right to choose a private education over a public one for my son. 
• How many different feet you meet: If you’re in my hood, check out the new shoe store, a pied. Your shoes and wallet will thank you!

Tags: Mom Select, kirtsy, Maria Bailey, PR spammers , Chicago Moms Blog

I remember fondly the days where I looked out of my office window into the vastness of the South Side of Chicago.  The cars! The lake! The daydreaming! Fortunately or unfortunately, I’ve left that great view behind me and onto a different kind of office. The coffee shop.

The noise! The uncomfortable wooden chairs! The expensive beverages!

I never fancied myself as the kind of person who could hang out in a coffee shop for the afternoon just killing time on the internet catching up on e-mails and writing. I have admired those who can.  Those who can pop out wonderful work amidst the cell phone calls, the espresso machines whizzing and the god-forbid-its-mainstream music.

But on a day with not so many errands to run and a babysitter (not a nanny, no no!) at home with the kid, I figured I’d shlep my computer around and try to find a spot where I could settle until the “free” wi-fi (which is only free if I spend too much money on a not-so-good croissant sandwich) runs out. 

Of course, I’m the idiot who couldn’t figure out how to get the “free” wi-fi code activated and had to bother the man behind me to help me out (Vista firewall issue, go figure).  And of course, I haven’t gotten a lick of my new “work” done, but in reality my new little office isn’t so bad. It’s warm, the sun is shining in (finally) and there must be a new beverage on the menu that I haven’t tried yet.

I see that this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. If only they hadn’t run out of chocolate scones.

Considering I live in the host city of the 2007 BlogHer conference, and I blog with many fine Chicago mommies, I thought it was my duty to share with all visitors some things to see or do in the city outside of meeting our favorite bloggers and partying it up. I even recruited a few friends to help expand my short and narrow-minded list.  Trust me, we’re better than any concierge at the W.

Sadly, my hubby nixed the idea that I camp downtown Chicago for the weekend. Boo.  But, if you are so lucky to be staying just off the Magnificent Mile, you might just enjoy the following in the Windy City.  (I personally believe the nickname is derived from politics, not by the strong winds off Oak St.  Just be glad you’re not visiting us in December!)

Eating Out: Why watch what you eat? You’re going to be hanging out with all women for the weekend, anyway.

• Pizza-  Although I prefer New York Style pies, many like Chicago-style pizza, with its oddly square-cut pieces that leave you with only a few crust options and center pieces of all cheese. But I digress.  Some choices for the ‘za: Giordano’s, (Rush St. location), Lou Malnati’s, or Gino’s East (East Superior location).  I like Lou Malnati’s the best, but you’ll have to take a cab. The deep-dish pepperoni pie just might be worth it, though.
• Quick bite or snack- My friends at the Chicagoist turned me onto this neat little market off the Mag Mile called L’Appetito.  Seriously, the sandwiches rock.  And they won’t cost as much as the peanuts from your snack bar.
• For the serious foodie in you - Head on over to Randolph St.  A short short cab ride away will offer you 3 consecutive blocks of some of the best eats in the city.  I’m partial to the sushi at Sushi Wabi.  But I realize that if you’re flying in from California, you’re probably laughing at the idea of sushi in Chicago.  So go to Red Light or Avec instead. Your stomach will thank me.

Out and About: You don’t have any kids with you… steal away for a few!

• Millenium Park- Everyone was skeptical when Millenium Park was built, but even the harshest critics were proven wrong. This free, 24.5 acre park has some of the coolest outdoor art I’ve ever seen.  And a free 8 a.m. exercise class will help you burn off all that great food you ate.  For more information about what to do at Millenium Park, read Kim’s great round-up.
• Lincoln Park - I know it’s like so cliche Chicago and all, but really, this park is ‘da bomb. There’s a free zoo, (petting zoo too!) a beach and conservatory.  And, oh yeah, every Saturday morning there’s a fresh “Green City” market.  (It opens at 7:00 a.m. so you have no excuse!)
• Architectural Tour - Chicago’s got some of the best architecture around, and the best way to see it is from our beloved river.  Take one of these river tours because it gives you the prettiest (and most relaxing) view of the incredible Chicago skyline.  You could take a walking tour instead, but well, I’m feeling too lazy right now to recommend that one.
• Navy Pier /Lakeshore Drive - Oh right, most of you are staying right next to this quintessential Chicago landmark and wonderful walking/ bike path. If you can break away from all the great speakers for a moment or two, tour around the Navy Pier grounds, ride the ferris wheel or rent a bike.  The view of the pier is great from any angle!
• Be like the paparazzi - If you don’t have time to do any sightseeing, the ladies at Cool Mom Picks are giving incentive to stalk out your favorite bloggers at the conference. Go on a BlogHer scavenger photo hunt and earn points to win cool stuff.

Shopping: You would all be lying if you didn’t want to do a little shopping while you’re all alone in the nation’s third largest metropolis.  Unfortunately, we don’t have that cool “no sales tax thing” that New York City does, but we do have some good places to get some great duds.  Trust me. I like to shop. A lot.

• State Street - Believe it or not, State Street between Wacker and Madison has some of the best discount shopping in any 4-block radius I’ve seen.  Besides checking out the summer sales going on at our beloved Marshall Fields, er, Macy’s flagship store, you’re just a stone’s throw from Nordstrom’s Rack, Filene’s Basement and H&M.  You didn’t come all the way to Chicago to go boutique shopping, right? 
• Oak St. - If you’re hitting it rich from your blog, you can probably afford to buy a thing or two at one of the chic boutiques on this famous Chicago shopping block just off the Mag Mile.  I’m not yet, so I just go down there and drool over the diamonds in the window at Graff. (I wonder how many more click-throughs I’ll need for that canary yellow one?)
• Boutiques - Unfortunately, most of the good boutiques in Chicago are a cab ride away.  But if you’re in need, check out Wicker Park (stretch of Division St. near Damen Ave.) or Armitage Ave. between Sheffield and Halsted streets.  Lori’s Shoes is still my favorite place to shop in the city.  Even if it’s worse than O’Hare’s security lines on a Saturday.

Most of all, enjoy the conference and your visit to our wonderful city!

Tags: blogher, Chicago, sightseeing, blogher conference 2007
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Cross-posted at Chicago Moms Blog where you can meet my fine Chicago mom blog friends!

I usually drive to work.  It saves me about 20 minutes on my commute, and I don’t have to deal with the public transit system in Chicago known as the “El.”  Or, as I call it, “the thing formerly known as the ‘El.’”  Because the El is different these days.  It’s getting a makeover.  More like a gazillion dollars worth of reconstruction, but a makeover nonetheless.  Many of us in Chicago have been dismayed by the El’s recent ongoing transformation.  Not only don’t the stations look as pretty, but the service and quality have been tremendously diminished.  There’s even a whole blog dedicated to the topic. 

Which is why it is strange that I voluntarily chose to ride the “El” to work last Thursday. It was a nice day out, and I had to stay downtown for an event after work and really didn’t want to deal with car-hopping from location to location in downtown Chicago.  So I put on my tennis shoes and headed out for my commute.

And it wasn’t that bad.

I thought for sure I would witness many levels of elbow-slinging and seat-stealing by riding the train at the height of morning rush hour.  But after I switched from the Brown to the Red line at Belmont, I actually got a seat.

To my surprise, an empty-ish El car.

And no man tried to take it before me.  I’ve written before that the El is not a chivalrous place.  And my other pregnant friends can vouch for this.  Tales of bumping and terrorizing pregnant women on the train abound.  But on my El ride I encountered none of this.

(I am going to regret writing this, deep breath).  My El ride was actually pleasant enough that even though it takes me longer to get to work I may ditch my car once in awhile and take the train to work.  Especially if I get to see a sunset like this on my ride home. 

So what if the river is dirty and cold?

That’s just something you can’t see while driving.

Tags: the+El, CTA, subway, commuting+to+work, working+mom

There is a movement taking over motherhood. It has nothing to do with staying at home or working, and everything to do with looking hot and loving it. Ultra-feminist at best, tacky at worst, the MILF movement is sweeping the nation. From coast-to-coast, online and off, mothers are trying their best at a chance to best to be sexy.

Two New York Magazine writers commented on this trend in a recent article. They question the movement and it’s timing “…why the hot mom and why now?”  I agree with their rationale that is has something to do with women having babies later in life and the need to rebel against traditional mommy stereotypes. I think we can all agree that there’s nothing sexy about June Cleaver.

Or me. I am not MILF-y.

I may be at my pre-baby weight, and I may not look a day over 28 (I’m hanging on to my twenties, here, people.) But I’m nowhere near the hotness of Stifler’s mom or Kathleen Clearly of “The Wedding Crashers.” I could never utter the words “kitty cat” with a straight face.  My chest is flatter than it was before I had my son and I only wear sweats to bed.  I’m about as hot as Dora the Explorer.  Thinking that I need to do something about my lack-o-sexiness, I decided to poke around town to see how I could improve my va-va-voom.  The results?  There’s lots you can do if you want to be a MILF in the Windy City.

• MILFs must have very toned abs.  I need to spice up my workouts a bit, so I might listen to the pro Chicago trainer Jim Karas and try his “cardio free” diet.  Or, I may just sit on my couch and watch the season finale of “The Bachelor.”  Both, I assure you, will be equally stimulating for my heart.
• I don’t have very many MILF-y accessories, and I like to shop, so I may stroll to The Pleasure Chest in Lakeview.  It caused waves when it moved to my ‘hood, but getting sexy without having to drive somewhere sounds very pleasurable to me.
• MILFs and strip teases go together like Barney and purple.  So if I want to get sexy, I’d better learn how to move my booty.  My friend tipped me off to Arabesque, also known as home of the burlesque dancer on “America’s Got Talent.” (You know you watched it too.)  What size pasties do you think I’d wear?
• Finally, every good MILF needs a pouty lip.  I’m all for the au natural look, and thanks to Annie at Time Out Chicago, I can get it with this incredible sounding new lip gloss.  Plus, it’s called Oxymoron, which is what me trying to be a MILF really is.

Tags: Arabesque, Cardio Free Diet,, MILF,, Pleasure Chest,, Time Out Chicago

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Cross-posted at Chicago Moms Blog. We’ve got some great stuff over there so now go on, get!

Guess what? A bunch of cool Chicagoland mommies are going to be getting bloggy together on a soon-to-launch sister site of the ever-fabulous Silicon Valley Moms Blog.  The Chicago mommy blog roster includes: Alma (Marketing Mommy), Stephanie (Adventures in Babywearing), MJ (Want Sugar), Jessica (Sassafras), Danielle (Foodmomiac) and little ‘ol me!  In fact, the founders of SVMB were not only nice enough to start this new collaborative Chicago moms blog, but they also let me guest post on their popular site here.  Stay tuned for the launch in the very near future!

Tags: Silicon Valley Moms Blog, mommy bloggers, Chicago, Chicago Moms Blog 

In my continuous kiddie boutique browsings, I happened upon a cute t-shirt:

I was *this* close to purchasing it, but at 30 bucks a pop I don’t need that kind of validation from my kid.  Well, maybe if it goes on sale.

Tags: mommy wars, working mom, honest baby t-shirt, roscoe village

I haven’t really ventured into luncheon-land since I’ve been back to work.  For the past 8 months (20 if you count when I was pregnant), I’ve avoided the “lunch and learn.” You know, those two-hour-long guest speaker PowerPoint snore-fests at fancy restaurants where you have to eat family style Italian and make small “business” talk with the person next to you who’s stuffing their face full of baked ziti?  (Yes, I know you like the manicotti, but is it worth it?) Not for me right now. I have too much to do at work and I’d rather spend my free time eating what I want to eat and well, you know what I do in my free time. But there are certain exceptions to this rule of avoidance. Like when I get the opportunity meet people like me.

See, I keep getting these reminders in my e-mail inbox for the working moms group that I’m a member of on the Northside Parents Network of Chicago.  Every month this really nice woman Sarah coordinates a meet-and-greet lunch, and well, I never go. I always have a good excuse - I don’t have time, I already have enough friends, I don’t need more advice.  You name it and I’ve used it to avoid going.  But something today got me motivated (was it the gorgeous weather?) to attend. The invite said to meet at the Merchandise Mart food court, grab food and sit at the designated table. It started at 11:30.  At 11:45 I still hadn’t left my office.  It was the perfect out - my meeting went long. Plus, I work on the other side of the Loop from the Mart (do you KNOW where the Aon Center is? Yeah, neither does have of Chicago).  I don’t need to go to this lunch. 

But I went. And you know what? Over a greek salad of my choosing, I actually learned some stuff and had a laugh or two or three. I met one woman who lives 3 blocks from me and has a daughter 2 months older than my son.  Another woman, a family doctor, told us how she tells her patients that scheduling and nap times don’t matter. Love her! Another working mom there had a hilarious personality and gave me a great tip to the Chicago Woman’s Network - a resource for us working women to network here in the Windy City. And the best part? No matter our jobs or our kids’ ages, we all had to deal with the same B.S. - find decent child care for our kid, find a decent way to get downtown from the “city-burbs” and find time to tuck our little ones into bed at night 

And thus, even though my salad was a little salty and I spent $10 on cab fare, I had a good time.  You could even say I enjoyed this “lunch and learn.” Just don’t make me eat Italian. Capiche?

Tags: Northside Parents Network, Chicago, working mom, lunch and learn, Merchandise Mart 

I really wasn’t looking cute this morning when I decided to go for a walk around my neighborhood. I hadn’t washed my hair since Thursday morning, and the only outfit I could muster up early  were some old workout leggings and an adidas sweatshirt.  But the weather was nice so I figured it was a good opportunity to move my tush. Plus I’m always trying to figure out ways to kill the time before my son’s first nap.

After walking for a good 40 minutes (aren’t you proud?) I was in desperate need of some caffeine. My son was in desperate need to get out of his stroller. Enter Starbucks, a stone’s throw from my house (aren’t I lucky?) where I go every Saturday and Sunday morning to get my chai latte sugar rush. (I keep wondering when my teeth are going to rot out of my head.) My local Starbucks is typically filled with kids at all times on all days.  Saturday mornings, though, are like a Mommy and Me class on steroids, but with better music.

The perfect backdrop at my lame attempt to make a new mom friend. I usually don’t pay any attention to the madness at Starbucks. My mission is usually to get my tea and get out of there fast enough so my son doesn’t notice those little madeleine cookies that they put right next to the cash register close enough for any kid with halfway decent dexterity to grab and shove into his mouth so you have to buy them every time. Ok, maybe that’s just my kid.

But today I couldn’t help but notice a cute young woman in front of me in line. And she noticed me and my son, who was putting on quite a hello and goodbye show. I ordered my drink, paid and waited and waited for my tea.  We then started up a conversation. We were standing pretty close as to hear each other better. I think she initiated it, but I can’t quite recall.

“Hi, how old is your son?”
“Oh, he’s about 13 months.”
“Oh, I’ve got an 8-month-old in the car.”
“Boy or girl?”
“Boy”
“Oh, cute. Name?”
“C.”
“C? I haven’t heard that before.” (Doh! Great line, Sara)
“Yeah, well, I guess this is what we have to look forward to in a few months.”
“Yes, it’s so fun. It goes by so fast.” (Could I get any more cliche??)
“How long have you lived in Roscoe Village? This is our first summer.
“Oh, it’ll be 2 years in July, so I guess this is our third!”
“Oh, nice.”
“Yeah. Hey, do you go to the park at Belmont and Damen?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, it’s a great park, so maybe I’ll see you there.” (Was I supposed to ask for a number at this point?)
“Sounds good. My name is K.” (She tried to shake my hand but I was already holding a kid, madeline cookie and tea in my hands. Hello?)
“Sara. Nice to meet you. Have a good day.”

And then I remembered I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet. Shit.

 Tags: mom friends, Starbucks, new friends, mom rants

Dear Chicago mail system,

You don’t have a great track record with delivering mail in a timely manner, and some of my friends have noticed that you’ve actually skipped their houses every once in awhile.  You bad boy, you! (You’re definitely a guy. Guys always forget to do things.) I know you’re probably trying to work out the kinks in your system and undoubtedly you’re busy.  But your lackadaisical behavior is now starting to interfere with my ability to maintain friendships with my new mom friends (NMFs, if you care).  And, well, you just don’t go there with a new mama.

See, it all dates back to a rather innocent event of my friend’s daughter’s first birthday party and a gift that was delivered there from yours truly.  As custom with my circle of friends, we write thank you notes to acknowledge receipt of the gift and to try to teach our youngsters manners.  We I look for the card in the mail.  I’m nosy, what can I say.  And I love kiddie stationary.  

Anyway, yesterday, two months after my friend’s party, it occurred to me that I didn’t get the note. I started to panic. And in my tizzy over the absent card, I began to ask myself these questions:

• Did my friend not get the gift? (You can’t expect me to remember anything anymore)
• Did I forget to include a card? (I have done that before)
• Did my friend hate the gift so much that she could not bring herself to acknowledge that someone gave it to her?
• Does my friend not like me so much as to not want to drop me a note in the mail?

Funny thing is my friend and I only live 4 blocks away from each other. She could have walked it over, I suppose, but when you’re a mom, it’s sometimes worth the 39 cents to have someone else do the dirty work for you. Don’t blame us moms for being lazy. We’re allowed to get away with it once in awhile.

I’m not saying my behavior was normal, but the erratic nature of your delivery put me into quite a frenzy. I even called up another NMF of mine to ask if she had received a note. She didn’t receive hers either (you messed up twice!) and a rampage ensued to try to figure out what happened.

Typically, I mail things of this nature from work because I really don’t trust your blue mailboxes that much.  But some of my friends stay at home, so they don’t have this option.  Don’t punish them because of the choices they make! (And don’t pin this mishap on their husbands either – they’re not big fans of carrying the load of envelopes to work. I’ve tried that before with birth announcements.)  

So my story does have a happy-ish ending, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still mad at you. After a few phone calls between us NMFs we cleared things up, but we were all left feeling a little embarassed and ashamed. No one wants their friend to think they didn’t send a thank you note.  So please, next time you’re delivering little blue and pink cards, try to remember not to lose them.  You’ll save a mom a lot of ass-ache.

Sincerely,

Self-Made Mom

Tags: Chicago mail system, thank you notes, kids birthdays, new mom friends