Let it snow

'Tis the season for shopping, shoveling, and sledding. We've been doing plenty of all three this December as temperatures have been dropping, snow has been falling, and Christmas gets closer every day. Here are a few pics from this happiest of holiday seasons. More to come when we hit Colorado Springs and Denver in a few days!

Sledding at Lovelace Park with James and George

Molly "sunbathing"

Me, cozy in my new HAND KNIT poncho. Second attempt using the yarn from this 2014 sweater failure: http://maggieinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2014/10/sweater-season.html

For everyone who is used to getting a fun holiday card from us ... the holiday of choice this year will be New Year's Day :) We haven't taken a good family photo yet, and since I'll have more time to design, order, and address cards when I'm on vacation, that's when I've decided to do it. The pressure's OFF and it feels good. Happy holidays from the O'Grady fam!!

Time to give thanks

Last year, I declared Thanksgiving my favorite holiday. I think it's still holding onto the top spot in 2016. So far, at least :)

We celebrated at our house again. Same crew, same menu, though we did try a new recipe for green beans (with potato chips!) and added bourbon glazed sweet potatoes. Both were keepers and will be back on the menu next year.

The rest of the weekend was fun and low key ... 5 days off felt like a week!!

Happy Thanksgiving from Evanston!!

Getting back into college hoops with an NU win vs Bryant the day after Thanksgiving. Molly was more into the cheerleaders than the basketball players, but at least she has expressed interest in going to more games!

Fly the W

I have no words to describe this!! Cubs win in 10 innings. 8-7. World Series Champions!! One of the best -- most stressful -- games ever. But they did it. Go Cubs Go!!

Happy Halloween from Molly the Cat and Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits

Here are our 2016 efforts ... what will we dream up next year?

Molly wanted to be a cat and wear a gown :)

This was Jason's idea -- I think he just wanted to wear an Art Garfunkel wig

"Are sports important?"

Molly asked me that question yesterday, and my answer was "Yes. To some people, sports are very important. They are important to me and they are important to Dad."

I know she's asking because the Cubs are in the World Series (let me repeat that ... the Cubs are in the World Series!!!!) and the excitement in this town is just out of control.

I know there are MORE important things in life, certainly, but to me, sports have always been a really big deal and a source of so many happy memories. Even the losses give you something to talk about with your friends and family (Bengals ... I'm looking at you). 

I remember growing up and listening to Reds games on the radio while my parents did yard work outside. We had partial season tickets along the first base line (to this day, that's where I prefer to sit, in any stadium). I would check the stats in the paper every morning to see what was happening with Barry Larkin's batting average or to see which Nasty Boy was the pitching hero of the night. I can still tell you the line up from our 1990 World Series team.

But it's not just the big stuff. I also remember going to a game with my mom where we got so soaked running to our car in the rain that we ended up taking our jeans off in the parking garage. Laughing all the way ...

I remember the year the UC Bearcats went to the Final Four. Everyone else was talking about Michigan and the Fab Five, but to me, it was all about Nick Van Exel, our superstar junior college transfer from Kenosha Wisconsin. I can close my eyes and still feel the excitement of him draining 3 after 3 when we needed it most.

Or, as an adult, I'll never forget the magic of the Federer/Nadal Wimbledon 5 setter that had Jason and I on the edge of our seats, watching from a bar in Colorado.

Ah, sports. I know I'm not alone. Culturally, historically, sports of all types have mattered to all types of people. They're a way to get away from the worries and struggles for a few hours ... or weeks, as in the case of this current baseball postseason, where Cubs fans all over are walking around with a new sense of optimism and purpose.

I hope Molly ends up with happy memories from this World Series. I know Jason and I will :)

Jason and Kabance in Cleveland. Game 2. Cubs win!

Fixer upper

For an old house (built in 1917), ours is in pretty good shape and previous owners did a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of remodeling and updating. But there are 2 large projects we plan to take on while we're here. The kitchen will be next year's project.... This year, we're going to combine our current master bedroom and tandem room into a master suite with a full-size bathroom and walk-in closet.

I am a little nervous about taking on a large project like this, but SO excited about the possibility of having a bathroom that's big enough for both Jason and I to brush our teeth at once and a closet that can hold clothes for all 4 seasons.

We have a contractor lined up and are close to finalizing the plans. It's probably still going to be a while before we get underway, but now that we have the plans, it's starting to feel real.

Here are the before pics ...

The tandem room.
Currently the location of my closet and Jason and my dressers.
The plan is to rip out the closet and turn this room into the master bedroom.

Current master bedroom.
Right now, we only have space for the bed and a small closet for Jason.
In the new plan, part of the space will be used for the master bath and the rest will be converted to a walk-in closet and sitting area with a vanity for ME :)

Our current master bath. Looks like it belongs in an episode of Tiny House Hunters!
The toilet is so close to the shower and sink, it's not even up to code according to the contractor.
In the new plan, the shower will be approximately twice the size and we'll have room for two sinks and shelving for towels. Heaven!

North-braska

Molly promised she'd cheer for Northwestern this weekend, but as soon as Uncle Joe, Uncle Keith, and Dianne showed up wearing Husker red, she was all about Nebraska. She chose well ... Nebraska won this year (again) 24-13. But Northwestern played their best football of the season and it was an exciting game. Regardless of the outcome, we had a wonderful weekend hanging out in Evanston and feeling the school spirit.

Posing for the camera -- Molly insists on making a goofy face for every photo

Our crew ... despite her purple face paint, Molly was chanting "Go Big Red" all game

Rainy first day of first grade

What a difference a year makes. Last year, we had tears. This year, despite the rain and chaos of getting dropped off in the gym, Molly was nothing but excited for her first day of school. Last year, we had numerous park dates and meet and greets with other Kindergarten kids and teachers. This year, I had no clue who was going to be in her class and still haven't met the teacher. Ha!

I took a half day off work today and told Molly I'd pick her up at 3:30 with the rest of the kids ... she told me not to worry about it because she wanted to see her after care friends. What's this? I'm actually getting vacation time back?

Here's the first grader:

It's no wonder she wants to work at D&D, our neighborhood grocery store -- they treat her like a princess there!

I'm sure this year will come with ups and downs, but for now, it's feeling, as Molly would say, "easy, peasy."

City livin'

These past few days, I think we've been back and forth to Chicago more times than the rest of the summer combined. We went out on Saturday night to a bar in Logan Square to celebrate our friend Mark's 40th, caught a concert (Wilco!) in Millennium Park on Sunday, and then spent Mon and Tues with Molls tromping up and down Michigan Avenue and Navy Pier. I quadrupled my normal step total!

Nothing beats an outdoor concert at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Especially when it's Wilco. 

Molly with her American Girl doll. We braved the store and Molly stuck to the plan of 1 new outfit without asking for more.

A ride on the new Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier

Water taxi, just for fun. Check out that new gap-toothed grin :)

Summer's end

Although the weather is still warm and sunny, it's starting to sink in that summer's almost over. Molly got her first grade class assignment today and school starts up again in a week!

Looking back over the past couple of months, I really couldn't be happier with how this summer went. Molly loved her camps, which was a big relief. She made a ton of progress with swimming and is pretty comfortable in the water now, diving down to touch the bottom and practicing handstands with her friends. And just like that, in the last couple of days, she started learning how to ride a bike! I'm still keeping my fingers crossed she has a similar epiphany with reading in this last week before school :)

We took a couple of road trips -- Minnesota and the Wisconsin Dells -- but for the most part, we just hung out around Evanston. It was just the right mix of home and away (for once!). The only low point was when we all got lice. That was the worst. I'll be washing our hair with tea tree oil shampoo from here on out to hopefully keep those critters from ever coming back. Eeeew.

Celebrating after lunch at Culver's -- we crashed an invite-only soft opening and got our food for free!  

Go-carting in the Dells

Summer smiles

Of course we're trying to cram in as many activities over the next few days as we can. Golf, tennis, dinner on the beach, a couple of outdoor concerts ... there's still a little bit of time left for summer fun. We're even planning a trip downtown for back to school shopping, a ride on a double decker bus (per Molly's request), and a night at the Drake using Jason's hard-earned hotel points.

What's next for the O'Grady fam? First grade, Jason's art shows (Bucktown Arts Fest and Renegade Craft Fair), and a Labor Day weekend trip to Lake Geneva. And hopefully a few more blog posts from me :)

Public service announcement

A boy almost drowned when we were at the pool on Saturday. It was awful. One moment, I saw a man sprint past me with panic in his eyes. The next thing I knew, the lifeguards were trying to resuscitate a little boy by the edge of the pool. It felt like they gave him CPR for ages. It was probably 5 minutes.

We hustled Molly and her friend outside to the car, not sure how to explain what was happening. As we were leaving, we saw a fireman running out with the boy's limp body in his arms. According to the news, he was breathing and had a pulse. I pray he's ok.

Another parent was walking around the pool muttering, blaming the father for not keeping track of his kid. But it could have happened to anyone. I was just on the other side of the pool. How was it possible that I didn't see this happening?

There are a million reasons. The pool was crowded. It was late in the day and half the pool was covered in shade. I can only feel so sorry for the family that this happened to.

In the future, I'm going to keep my eyes glued on Molly, and any other kid we bring with us to the pool, no matter how well they know how to swim. And I'm going to try to pay more attention to our surroundings.

I think it may also be time to take a refresher course in CPR. Whatever happened leading up to that point, the lifeguards undoubtedly saved his life by performing CPR until the firetrucks arrived.

I don't really have any pool safety tips for this PSA, but just wanted to put a reminder out there about how important it is to be hyper aware of everything that's happening with your kids in the pool!

The big six

Molly is six. I'll let that sink in for a minute. Six years old and going into first grade. 44 inches tall and 43 lbs. She's still a little kid, but also starting to act older too.

New birthday PJs

We had a super-packed birthday weekend (what's new?!) including a sleepover the night before her birthday party (Bad idea!! Ever hear of a little song called, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to"? Ha!).

Despite being overtired, it really was a wonderful birthday weekend, including dinner on the beach with whole fam-damily, a big party at the park with old friends and new, and a lazy Sunday to play with gifts.

Hanging with her friends at the party

Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us, or sent gifts, cards, or other happy birthday wishes!

Northwestern, through Molly's eyes

My friends Jon and Jeremy from Northwestern came up to Evanston today and we spent a couple of hours wandering around campus. I gave Molly my phone to keep her occupied and she actually ended up taking some nice pictures. There are a few funny ones in there too :) I kept them all in so you can see the progression. 

Madrid otra vez

Almost one year to the week after Jason and I took our trip to Spain, I ended up back in Madrid for work. We had a busy 2-day workshop with a group of global colleagues ... and even ended up with some free time to sight see around town. As work trips go, I must say, this one was pretty wonderful.

Tour of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium -- home of Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo

Tapas in Plaza Mayor

Photo op onstage after a flamenco show ... ole! 

The great outdoors

The summer season has officially started and we have been taking full advantage. Nights out on the back porch with friends, family, and neighbors ... dinner on the beach ... bike rides on the Green Bay Trail ... afternoons at the Skokie pool ... long runs with my sister B. We've kept our weekends pretty open and the weather has been really nice, so we've been able to pack a lot in without feeling like we're too busy. I could get used to another 2 months of this!

Look at that bad aunt drinking a beer while holding her nephew

The blog has kind of fallen by the wayside. Even during the week, there's always something I'd rather be doing. Like tonight, my mom, Molly, and I all went to see Vance Kelly & The Backstreet Blues Band at a park in Evanston and then I came home and watched clips of Hamilton on YouTube. Important stuff. Jason and I are working our way through The Wire (I'm obsessed) ... I'm still slogging through Moby Dick with a group from the library ... and I have big plans to learn alterations, bridge, golf, and travelers French from my mom this summer (haven't started learning anything yet, but I WILL).

My posts will probably be pretty sporadic over the next couple of months. If anything big happens, I'll put it out there, but if Stuff I Like goes silent for a few weeks, just assume I'm out enjoying the great outdoors :)

School's out for summer!

I started writing a post to catch up on everything that happened at the end of May, but never finished, and since today is the last day of school, that news takes over!!

Flashback ... here was Molly back in August on Day 1:

And here's Molly from earlier today ... her last day as a Kindergartner:

On the way to school

After school on the playground

Manicures on the porch -- we're having a sleepover celebration tonight

I feel like the second half of this year just flew by ... it took a few months at the beginning of the school year to find our groove, but after the holidays, things really started coming together. Molly made some really good friends this year, looooved before and after care, and made a ton of progress in learning to read.

Now on to our next adventure ... summer camp! More on that after Monday :)

One-on-one time

I took the day off on Friday to chaperone Molly's field trip to the zoo ... along with about 15 other parents. They split us into groups of 2 parents per 3 kids, which still ended up being a lot of work since the zoo was beyond crowded and the kids were all beyond excited.

Molly's favorite animals at the zoo ... the ducks!

Molly and I had a good time together, even though we started off on the wrong foot arguing about what jacket to wear (she wanted to wear a fleece jacket even though it was warm and sunny out, go figure). She reeeealllly wanted me to go on this field trip though and I'm so glad I went. I know it meant a lot to her that I was there. And since Jason was at the Cubs game all day, Molly and I also had the entire afternoon and evening together. We hung out at the park after school and then went out for pizza for dinner. It was a pretty perfect day all in all. I threw my paleo diet out the window and didn't think twice about it.

It was also good for me to have some face time with the other parents, even if all it did was make me realize how far on the fringe I am of the inner circle of PTA moms. Their kids are all in activities I've never heard of, the moms all take the same yoga class and seem to know who lives in every house in the neighborhood. I'm still trying to learn the names of all the people on my street and have to introduce myself to half the parents in the class. Ha! But everyone is super nice. I think it's a lot of work to be "involved" in the school ... I can't decide if I want to try to step it up (even join the PTA ... eeek!), or if I should just continue to be happy and clueless on the edge of things. Right now I'm leaning toward happy and clueless on the edge :) Though Jason is now at a daddy-daughter camping trip with a bunch of other dads from the school ... maybe he can do the hard work and be the one who makes all the parent friends. Good luck, Jas!