A little trip to the Poconos

I always love exploring new parts of the country and the Pocono Mountains did not disappoint. Everything was green and pretty, there was so much to do, and we got to hang out with Jon + Adina for 3 days. Here are a few of the highlights:

Rafting trip on the Lehigh River. Molly was totally part of the team. 

Hiking in Hickory Run State Park

Taking in the view of the Lehigh River from above

Our travel companions

Family pic

Enjoying every minute 

Odds and ends

So what's new in O'Grady world?

Molly ...

• ... is alllmost finished with 3rd grade, which is hard for me to believe. It's been a pretty good school year overall. She loves her teacher (total hero worship situation) and is happy to go to school every day, though I'm still waiting for her to discover A Great Love for books. The lack of interest in reading could be related to her general lack of time, however. We've somehow managed to let Molly get completely over-scheduled this Spring. I swear, this ridiculous schedule is all her fault as she has refused to drop anything from her list of activities (except for gymnastics, because something had to go!):

• Monday: Girls on the Run from 3:30-5:00, Lacrosse from 6:00-7:30
• Tuesday: NOTHING but homework (and YouTube)
• Wednesday: Girls on the Run from 3:30-5:00
• Thursday: Origami from 3:30-5:00 OR Brownies (once a month), Lacrosse from 6:00-7:30
• Friday: Sticky Fingers (cooking) from 3:30-5:00, Swim team from 5:00-5:45
• Saturday: Lacrosse game, usually 9:00-10:00am
• Sunday: Swim lessons from 9:30-10am, Swim clinic from 12:00-1:00pm

• Next up for Molly? She is running a 5k on May 15th with her Girls on the Run club, looking forward to her first week of sleep-away camp in August, and eventually starting oral immunotherapy (OIT) to get rid of her nut allergies (yes Mom, we're officially on the waiting list 😃)

Jason ...

• ... has added a couple of new art shows to the schedule this summer and has been using every spare moment in between work, travel, and family to draw, plan, and print. See what he's been up to here: repeaterprinting.com. And if you find yourself in Chicago or Evanston this summer, come see the booths at:

• Wells Street Art Festival: June 8-9, Old Town | Chicago
• Fountain Square Artisan Summerfest: June 22-23, Evanston
• Bucktown Arts Fest: August 24-25, Bucktown | Chicago

• He's also working on a gig poster for one of his favorite bands, which is super exciting. I promise to post more about that closer to the date!

Riley ...

• ... has a really bad hair cut. But other than that, she's been loving the dog park, getting into plenty of trouble whenever Jason is out of town, and enjoying the (sometimes) warmer weather. 

  

  A girl and her scrawny dog

Maggie (ME!) ...

• ... has mostly been busy with everyone else's stuff. I decided to go All In at Molly's school this year. Partly because she asked me to, but also because I have a feeling that as she gets older, she might not ask again! Also, why else am I working a 4-day week if not to sign up for this stuff? This year I've been the class communications parent, the class celebrations parent (because no one else would sign up), in charge of bulk school supply orders for the PTA, treasurer for the Brownies, and unpaid chauffeur to the nonstop list of activities (see above). It has been keeping me busy on those Fridays "off," that's for sure. 

• I've also been sticking to my New Year's resolutions and going to the gym a good 4 days a week on average. In between the typical elliptical and treadmill work, I've been mixing in a few classes to keep it interesting -- a delightfully retro step aerobics class on Wednesdays at lunch, and a super intense group barbell class called Body Pump on Sundays.

• No matter how busy I am, you know I still find time for my books and TV. I don't think I could survive without a couple hours a day to lose myself in someone else's story. I've been reading Becoming by Michelle Obama, listening to Calypso by David Sedaris, catching up on past seasons of Schitt's Creek on Netflix, and consuming all things Game of Thrones with whatever time I have left (try this podcast if you're a fan). 

• Speaking of Game of Thrones ... sigh ... I just can't decide how I feel about the final season. The acting is so good, and I'm so invested in these characters, that part of me is just eating up all of the crowd-pleasing moments that the HBO show runners are serving up to the fans. But at the same time, I know this isn't quite the way George R. R. Martin would have wrapped everything up. I guess it's his fault for not finishing the books, and I can only hope that one day I'll be able to read the real ending. Until then ... the show is what I've got and I hope that it ends up delivering in the in the final two episodes. I have a bet going with Jason and my neighbors for who ends up on the iron throne. My pick is Tyrion - I know, I know, so many people would have to die for this to happen, but it's the kind of unexpected ending that could totally happen in the world of Game of Thrones. There's a bottle of champagne on the line, so fingers crossed that the Imp gets his act together and finds a way to outsmart the rest of the would-be kings and queens!

Vacaciones de primavera

We were lucky enough this year to spend Spring Break in Mexico with our good friends Justin + Kristie and their girls. Same place we went in Jan 2018 and once again, it was muy bueno. I think Molly lives her happiest life down there ... if only I didn't insist on breaking up the fun every 2 hours to reapply sunscreen :)

There's not too much to report from the trip. We swam, relaxed, ate good food, and laughed a lot. Molly got a couple of braids in her hair. Jason enjoyed a couple of naps in a hammock. I finished a really good book (Circe by Madeline Miller) and never once checked my work email. When can we go back?

The O'Tauber crew

O'Grady selfie

Exploring Xcaret

The three amigas

That time Molly, Chloe, and McCall were invited onstage to dance with "Elvis"

Living the dream

Celebrating 70

I received a little bit of flak from my family this weekend for not posting to the blog. But what better reason to get back to it than my dad's 70th birthday?

Betsy, Susie, and I came up with a bunch of different ideas to celebrate, but in typical Dad fashion, he picked the one that was easiest for all of us and came up to Chicago for the weekend. We had an amazing dinner at a restaurant called goosefoot -- be sure to check out the photos below.

I can assure you that the food tasted as good as it looked! One of the nice things about this restaurant was that it was BYOB, so the owner of our favorite wine shop in Evanston, The Wine Goddess, was able to take a look at the menu in advance and pick out our bottles of wine for the night.

Overbeys and O'Gradys

Diver scallop/lemongrass/coconut/lobster

Susie posing with our smoked maitake soup/marsala gastrique/potato/thyme froth

Nina's pasta/perigord truffle/parmesan/pecorino

Winter angus beef

Susie posing again with our palate cleanser - yuzu/apricot/naartjie/olive oil

goosefoot vanilla/matcha tea/truffle/rose hip/pink peppercorn

Last course: elder flower/meyer lemon/coffee/fennel ... with a candle for birthday cheer.
Happy birthday, Dad!! 

March is a big month for birthdays on my side of the family. In addition to celebrating my dad's birthday last weekend, we also met up at Dave & Buster's to celebrate James turning 6. Poor Sean was a little neglected, but he also had a bday over the weekend. Don't worry Sean, when you turn 40, we'll mark the occasion in style! And Betsy has her birthday in just a couple of days, though she will likely ignore it until after tax season :)

That's it for the big March birthday wrap-up. I'll try to write again before too much time goes by!

Thawing out

It's 20 degrees and sunny right now, and trust me, compared to where we were last few days, it feels positively balmy outside! Two days ago, I had to take the dog out in -22 degree weather, forcing me to dress like this:

I might not have worn the goggles, until my mother informed me that contacts can freeze to your eyeballs when it gets that cold. Soooo ... I played it safe and covered my eyes!  

Even Riley had to wear a coat

Overall, it was a pretty crazy week. The entire city seemed to shut down Wednesday and Thursday to wait out the cold -- school was closed, my office was closed, doggie daycare was closed. We were basically stuck in the house for 2 days straight. If it wasn't for the dog, I don't think I would have even opened the door! 

Through it all, Molly was a trooper. She wrapped herself up in a bathrobe and just carried on. I don't think she complained even once about being bored. We watched a couple of movies, played Monopoly and Yahtzee, read a few chapters of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It wasn't fun, exactly, but we definitely logged in some good family time while waiting for less dangerous temps. We did have one minor scare on Thursday morning when we realized our pipes were frozen, but a couple of space heaters and a hairdryer successfully melted the ice and got the water running again. 

So I guess that's it. We made it through the great polar vortex of 2019. I'm glad to know we can handle it, but I sure hope we don't see cold like that again!

Out with the old, in with the new

Ok, 2019, I'm ready for you!

Jason and I made a couple of quick decisions to start us off on the right foot for the year. We cut the cord on our cable and switched to an online TV service (Sling TV). It broke my heart a little bit when we discovered we couldn't watch the Rose Bowl, but you can't have it all, can you? It's probably not the worst thing in the world for our TV to be silent for a few hours so we can play a family board game and make ice cream. I WAS able to watch Northwestern come back from behind in the Holiday Bowl vs Utah, so that worked out ok.

We're also planning to join the gym at Northwestern, which is kind of funny, since I had a free membership for 4 years in college and never went. But it's totally worth it to belong as an Evanston resident because we can use the indoor tennis courts throughout the winter. We're basically taking our cable savings and using them for monthly gym fees, so I think that also works out ok.

In years past, I've tried to simplify my list of resolutions ... some have stuck, some haven't. I'm not even sure I made any last year. This year, I have a nice, long list and am planning to track my progress weekly in a notebook. Here goes:

1. No phones allowed from 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Jason and I have talked about doing this in the past, but haven't really made it a thing. Now it is.
2. Healthy eating. Kind of general, but I know what needs to be done here. (More vegetables, less sugar). Meal planning is key.
3. Exercise 4-5 times a week. I'm already pretty good about this, but now I'm going to track it!
4. Do something special with Molly every week. Of course :) This week, we made ice cream together and played Harry Potter Clue. Just want the reminder to always carve out time for my girl.
5. Date night with Jason. We were SO good about this for a long time and always made sure we planned something every month. Lately date nights been a bit more sporadic (I blame Riley - ha!), so it's back on the resolution list.
6. Long walks with Riley. It's cold and really not all that fun to be outside right now ... but Riley doesn't care. She has a warm coat and wants to explore. We've been phoning in the walks lately, just running around the block or up and down the street. But I promise in 2019 to give her the long, leisurely, smell-filled walks she needs.
7. Random acts of kindness. You want your kids to be nice people? You need to practice doing nice things. At least that's what Unselfie tells me (a parenting book I just finished for a new "Moms of Girls" book club I'm in). 
8. Family meetings. I'm hoping to do this on Sundays ... not make it a big thing, but just take the time to talk about the upcoming week, pay Molly her allowance (which has been spotty and inconsistent up to now), figure out a couple of meals, etc.   
9. Reduce and Reuse. Notice I'm not including "Recycle" here. I think the big push needs to be using and consuming less stuff -- taking the train to work more often, remembering the reusable grocery bags + coffee cups, unplugging cords and turning out lights, eating less meat, and buying fewer clothes. 

I feel good about my list. It's kind of long, but they are all easy things. I just need to turn them into habits :) Wish me luck! 

Christmas recap - a road trip to remember

I added "a road trip to remember" to the title of this post because it just might be the last long road trip we take with Riley :) She was actually really, really good in the car, but it definitely added a new dynamic to the trip having to walk her around every gas station and fast food restaurant. She also got sick our first night in Colorado and had an accident on Marsha and Steve's carpet. Doh!

For the rest of the trip, Jason and I were a bit on edge, worrying about her stomach and what she might be getting into when not in our line of sight. Honestly, it felt like having a toddler again! Luckily the O'Grady fam loves dogs and Riley had more than one fan to help out and keep her happy all week. She was basically a sweetie with everyone, but I think we'll probably leave her home next holiday :)

Overall though, it was a really nice trip. Molly had a blast with her aunts, uncles, and Colorado cousins. Jason, Riley, and I stayed in an airbnb all week, but Molly decided to ditch us and camp out on her Grandparents' floor to maximize the time she could spend with everyone. We played board games, conquered 1,000 piece puzzles, chatted, watched movies, opened gifts, ate cookies ... you know, all the good Christmas break activities. Molly went home with new Star Wars toys, an ice cream maker, and enough bath bomb and soap-making kits to last her through at least the end of January. We're happy, rested, and ready for 2019.

Here are a few pics from start to finish of our Christmas vacation.

Somewhere in Kansas

My travel buddy

These photos make it seem like Riley was roaming around the car all trip. She slept in her crate for 90% of the drive

Christmas sweaters -- I need one for next year. Love Joe's leg lamp from "A Christmas Story." Molly watched that for the first time this year. It's a classic

Cousins ready for presents. They had so much fun together and even created a "cousins, cousins, cousins" handshake. Adorable

Hiking in The Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs

Siblings dine in the private room at Four by Brother Luck (Top Chef alum) to celebrate Jon and Adina's engagement

Almost home! Molly and I at Happy Joe's (a favorite family pizza place in Moline, Illinois)