Moms: Go Away!

So, fellow moms, here's something you might not have heard... Moms need vacation, too! If you can carve out a long weekend or even a day just for yourself, you'll come back refreshed, less grouchy, and more smiley (and in my case, hungover), and your loving family will dote on you and tell you how much they missed you. It's a win-win.

I want to say thanks to my wonderful husband for taking on both Mom and Dad jobs while I was gone, and to my kids for (mostly) behaving for him. And to my pals, thanks for a fantastic weekend! It felt great to be lazy, eat delicious food, stay up til 4 AM *by choice*... you girls (and very tolerant guy) are the best.

Zak Goes To Chicago!

Well, the rest of us went too, of course, but this was Zak's first trip to Chicago... or anywhere for that matter. Packing for two kids is a pain, and getting them through the security line is even harder (it seems so sad to me that we are required to take off baby shoes and screen them in the x-ray machine). But the short flight to Chicago was a breeze.

It was a fun trip, and we did some things we hadn't done on previous trips: playing on the beach by Lake Michigan, an architecture tour by boat (thank God the kids fell asleep so Kyle and I could actually hear the tour guide!), and eating a "pancake flight"... ok, that last one was just me, but it was delicious.



Besides visiting my Dad, Pam, Licha, and Tony, we were also there so Kyle could participate in the Chicago Half Marathon. He and Tony both ran and it was fun to cheer them on... and even more fun to stuff our faces afterward.