So let's see, where were we? When I last wrote, it was Monday night and I was peeved about my failed attempt at charity work, but proud of my mock Thanksgiving dinner. Since then ...
On Tuesday the boy and I had to go to the Toyota dealership to have two things fixed: (1) the driver's side door handle broke off nearly a year ago, forcing me to open the window and reach through to the outside in order to get out of the car, and (2) I had smashed off the passenger's side mirror last week backing out of the garage. I had called the previous Friday and scheduled an appointment for the repairs. So you would think that the woman on the phone might have mentioned that they would need to order the necessary parts in order for them to be there on time.
You would think. But after an hour of chasing the boy around a car showroom, I was informed that the parts were not in stock, and that we had to come back later.
In an attempt to salvage the day, I used my GPS to locate this awesome pool I had heard about near the car dealership. The Centennial Park Aquatic Center is Orland Park's public community pool, but it's actually a full-on waterpark! I mostly went there for myself, but I think the boy had fun, too.
Wednesday and Thursday were a whirlwind. I had blog parties downtown both nights, and I had to get all gussied up. Okay, I was overdressed for both, considering I was wearing my full-on party dresses and other people were wearing jeans. But my wardrobe only has two speeds, schlubby mom and "going to the prom." I don't pull off those middle-of-the-road looks well.
Thursday night's party featured some drinking. It was so fun to just let loose. I cheated on Weight Watchers, big time, not just with the 15-ish points worth of drinks but also with this 700-calorie box of chocolates I got in a random swag bag from a party at the Sheraton. (Contents of swag bag: chocolates, lip gloss, cleaning products, and some, uh, "marital aids.")
Oh, and all of these parties were for the larger BlogHer conference that was being held at the Sheraton. I did not go. Why? Because I am not a super-blogger and I don't really promote myself. Note how I did not even hyperlink there for the word "BlogHer." I don't know what an RSS feed is, and I canceled my Twitter account. I didn't even install a site meter on this new blog.
But I love my blog friends anyway. I'm sure some of you think this is weird, but I have met quite a few people via blogging, and not in a creepy "we all have to dress up like pirates when we meet" kind of way.
Anyway, back to my real life. Late Thursday night after the party, I took the Metra back to reality, which included our last day of toddler swim lessons Friday, followed by a pre-vacation orientation visit from H-F Pet Sitters. By Friday I was starting to feel like I was leading a double life: regular suburban housewife by day, fun party girl by night.
Well, Friday night wasn't so much a party, but it was super fun. I got tickets forever ago for a concert in the park, back when it was May and I was all in my "we are having non-stop fun this summer if it kills us" frenzy. The performers were a Beatles cover band. (Or is that tribute band?) That concert had it all: fun rocking music for me, a bouncy castle for the boy, and a chair to sit on for my less-than-rhythmic husband. Oh and they sold cotton candy there, which I think is Weight Watchers-friendly because a big old puffy stick of cotton candy is actually made from like half a cup of sugar. (I learned this from watching Unwrapped on the Food Network.)
Then yesterday we went to the Indiana Sand Dunes. Now, I tend to look down on any beach that is built around a lake, but this one was actually very awesome. It was almost ocean-like, save for the non-saltiness of the water. They had waves and everything! Now, my mom told me once that when my brother and I were young, they took us to the beach every opportunity they got, because it was hard for kids to get into trouble there. I totally see where she was coming from. They boy and my friend's kids played happily on the sand and shore, and, as the boy will point out, there was only one time out assigned. And I got my fix of the wave-crashing sound, which is what I used to fall asleep to every night in college.
Following the beach, we all went to a really fun train restaurant I had heard of, Tyler's Tender. I took the attitude of, "Well, we're in Indiana, and it's in Indiana, so we must seize the opportunity to check it out." In actuality, I live about 10 minutes from the Indiana border and could go there anytime, something I find infinitely fascinating because I grew up in a place where it took 4 hours to get to the nearest state. Anyway, I have been to a lot of "served by train restaurants," but Tyler's Tender was my favorite because they have a real ride-on train! (Fun side note, I accidentally typed "severed by train" at first, which I don't think would be a popular theme for a restaurant.)
The non-stop fun continues today as we head to Millennium Park downtown for a real-life meetup of one of my favorite blogs, Ask Moxie. If you're a parent, you should read Ask Moxie.
So, this post was really more of an update than a snarky commentary on life. I'll try to grow a little bit of cynicism in the coming days so I'll have something to blog about.
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