The following is a sponsored post.

You probably know that I like to do lots of learning activities with Little Bear, Pufferfish and Rafael. I call it "tot school" when I do things with Pufferfish Little Bear calls it "home schooling" and says that she has two teachers, one in her regular school and one at home!

Every summer, we usually do a unit on birds. I never got around to doing it this summer, but I'm actually thinking of doing our bird unit in the winter instead. Lots of birds are still out in the winter. Plus, I think birds are even more likely to utilize bird feeders and bird houses that people put out, during the winter, because food is more difficult to find in the winter.

WInter is also a good time for bird watching because the leaves on the trees are mostly gone, making the birds more visible. Winter would be a good time for hanging bird houses or bird feeders within view of a window, and let the kids keep an eye on it. They could draw pictures of the different kinds of birds they see through the window, or even to take photos. They could check bird books out from the library to identify the birds they see, and learn about which birds fly south for the winter and which birds stay here in Chicago to brave the snow.

Now my mind is spinning! I can think of all sorts of projects and learning experiences around birds for the coming winter! We could even try to make (or at least decorate) our own bird houses! Can you think of any? Let me know, if you do!

Hi, everyone! From now on, you may occasionally find "sponsored" posts in this blog. Basically these are like commercial breaks. I get paid to write them. However, I will only accept sponsored post opportunities that are family-friendly and are somewhat relative to the topic of this blog. Feel free to skip right over them, if you don't feel like reading them!

Thanks for understanding!

- Nicki

Hi everyone! Here comes another week! I wasn't feeling too great last night, so thats why this post is going up a little late. But not too late to enjoy thiese great events! Have fun!

 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Preschool children and younger can try out Elmhurst Park District's Stay 'N' Play Gym. Located in the Wagner Community Center, 615 N. West Avenue in Elmhurst, its a gym with lots of mats, Little Tike climbing equipment, riding toys, giant balls, and other fun stuff. Its open today from 10 am to 12 pm, and costs $3.00 per child. You can also buy a punch card for 6 visits for $15.

Story time at Geneva Commons Barnes And Noble, 102 Commons Drive in Geneva, at 10:30 am. There will be stories, followed by a coloring page or a craft. 

Come eat dinner in the food court at Stratford Square Mall, 152 Stratford Sq in Blomingdale (near the intersection of Gary Ave and Army Trail) and enjoy the music of 
 Deep Blue Big Band while you're there! From 6 to 8 pm each Monday, bands will be in the mall to entertain shoppers.

 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12

Storytime at the Naperville Barnes And Noble, 47 East Chicago Ave in Naperville, at 10:30 am.

Drop in for a preschool storytime at The Bookstore, 475 N. Main St in downtown Glen Ellyn, at 10:30 am. You'll fall in love with this little store!

Story Time at Pottery Barn Kids in Oakbrook Mall, 11:00 am. Kids who attend five times get a special gift! Kids can also play in the store before and after the story time.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble,200 South Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale, at 10:00 am.

Story time at Oakbrook Terrace Barnes and Noble at Oakbrook Mall, 297 Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook, at 11:00 am.

Yorktown Farmer's Market is the happening place to be, every Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In addition to fresh produce and bakery goods being sold, there will be weekly activities and free samples! This is outside the Shops On Butterfield, by Yorktown Mall, at Highland and Butterfield in Lombard.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheaton. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

 

 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14

Preschool children and younger can try out Elmhurst Park District's Stay 'N' Play Gym. Located in the Wagner Community Center, 615 N. West Avenue in Elmhurst, its a gym with lots of mats, Little Tike climbing equipment, riding toys, giant balls, and other fun stuff. Its open today from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and costs $3.00 per child. You can also buy a punch card for 6 visits for $15.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Story time at Land Of Nod in Oakbrook Mall, 297 Oakbrook Center, at 11:00 am.

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Drop in for a preschool storytime at The Bookstore, 475 N. Main St in downtown Glen Ellyn, at 10:30 am. You'll fall in love with this little store!

Open Gym And Moon Jump Friday at Gymnasti in Carol Stream, 110 Della Court in Carol Stream. (Its off of Gary Ave.) Open Gym is 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. $5.00 per child.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center,  3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheatpn. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

The Wheaton Park District will host a Halloween Happenings night from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm. There will be Halloween games fro kids, a costume pageant, crafts, a fun and interactive presentation about bats, and kid-friendly entertainment. There will also be two trick-or-treating choices! For Trunk Or Treat, police cars, fire trucks, and other vehicles will be on hand for kids to explore, and the drivers will hand out candy. In Trick-Or-Treat Traill, non-scary costumed characters (think pirates, princesses and superheroes) will line up to greet small children and hand out candy. (There is a $2.00 fee per child for that.) All of this takes place at the Rice Pool & Water Park and Wheaton Park District Community Center, 1777 S. Blanchard Rd in Wheaton. (Its at the corner of Blanchard and Naperville Rds.)

The Warrenville Park District will host a Fall Family Fun Fest from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the Recreation Center, 3S260 Warren Avenue in Warrenville. There will be food, games, entertainment, and other fun activities!
  

Its Family Night at the Indian Boundary YMCA, 711 59th St in Downers Grove, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. There will be a preschool open gym, a Sportwall, and fun special activities for all ages. The cost is $15 per nonmember family.  

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble,200 South Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale, at 7:00 pm.

Feel free to wear your jammies to the Pajama Story Time at the Geneva Commons Barnes And Noble, 102 Commons Drive in Geneva. The theme of the night will be ghosts and witches... but this isn't a scary story time, so don't be afraid!

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16

Come to Cosley Zoo between 10 am and 12 pm for Animal Discovery Zone! Kids will have the chance to do  animal-themed activitiesand crafts. This is a drop-in event, and no registration is required. There is a $1.00 fee per child. In addition, all children are admitted free to the zoo, as are adult residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.  Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton.

Batavia's Batfest takes place in downtown Batavia from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. From 10 am to noon, kids will be able to Trick-Or-Treat at downtown stores. For the remainder of the time, there will be fun activities such as bat-themed stories, songs, art projects, games and activities. There will also be a costume contest, a costume parade, tractor rides, and a pumpkin roll! See the website for a schedule of events. All of this takes place right in Batavia's downtown area.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Halloween Story time at the Naperville Barnes And Noble, 47 East Chicago Ave in Naperville, at 10:30 am.

Halloween Story Time at the Bloomingdale Barnes And Noble, 200 South Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale, at 11:00 am.

 Halloween Activities at the Geneva Commons Barnes And Noble,102 Commons Drive  in Geneva. There will be a costume parade, trick-or-treating, and of course a story time!

Halloween Activities at the Oakbrook Terrace Barnes And Noble, 297 Oakbrook Center, in Oakbrook Terrace. (Located at Oakbrook Mall.) You can wear your costume, hear Halloween stories, and do Halloween activities!

There will be a Halloween Carnival in the gymnasium of York Center Park District, 1609 S. Luther Ave in Lombard. A party just for preschoolers takes place from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. The carnival takes place from 12:30 to 3:00 pm. This is free, but there is a small fee for games and the haunted house.

There will be a Halloween Celebration at the Itasca Nature Center, in Itasca. There will be games, pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treating, and more! This takes place from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Its free!

Wear your costume to a Halloween Fashion Show at Pottery Barn Kids, 68 Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook. (Located at Oakbrook Mall.) There will be contests, face painting, and a Halloween Parade. This stars at 2:00 pm!

There will be a Halloween Scare Walk that begins at The Cabin Nature Center,111 S Wood Dale Rd in Wood Dale. The walk for younger kids starts at 6:00 pm. A scarier walk recommended for kids ten and over goes from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. There is a fee of $4.00 per person.  

Go on a (somewhat) spooky hayride through Twin Lakes Woods in Westmont, on 55th St between Williams and Park, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. (Thats the time for the "matinee" tour for younger children. There will also be a scary version happening from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm for those who dare!)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17

Come to Cosley Zoo between 10 am and 12 pm for Animal Discovery Zone! Kids will have the chance to do  animal-themed activitiesand crafts. This is a drop-in event, and no registration is required. There is a $1.00 fee per child. In addition, all children are admitted free to the zoo, as are adult residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.  Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Have you ever wondered what Halloween was like in Victorian Days? You can find out at the Downers Grove Museum, 831 Maple Avenue in Downers Grove, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. You'll learn about the Halloween traditions of the time, and do crafts and activities. The event is free. You can also paint a gourd for $1.00.

The Glendale Heights Sports Hub is hosting a Halloween Fun Fest, from 3 pm to 5 pm. There will be games, food, music, and prizes. Tickets for games are 25 cents each. This takes place at the Sports Hub, 250 Civic Center Plaza in Glendale Heights.

Have a great week, everyone!

I'm even "on the go" on the Internet! Look at all the places you can find me!

Hi again, everyone! This week I have a double feature of Dog Of The Week, because there were so many dogs at the Almost Home Foundation adoption event, I couldn't pick just one! I already introduced you to Sharki. Now, meet Carlina!

This adorable shih tzu is nearly ten years old, and she's had a pretty tough life. She was found as a stray. She had terrible, painful tooth decay. Even worse, she had tumors in both of her ears, which caused this poor sweetie to go deaf! (Once Almost Home Foundation got their paws on Carlina, they made sure she got her tumors and her painful teeth removed, so you'll be glad to know she's not hurting any more.)

Hi everyone! Welcome back to one of my favorite features of this blog, where I introduce you to an Almost Home Foundation dog who is looking for a home! This week is a double feature! There were so many precious dogs there, it was impossible to pick just one! Ten were adopted, though, so I was able to at least narrow it down to two special dogs for the week.
The first dog I'd like you to meet is called Sharki!
This 2-year-old hound/setter mix used to live on a farm. His owners gave him up, and we got him.

Sharki is a big dog. But he's a lover, not a fighter! As I sat on the floor of Petsmart today, Sharki kept walking up to me and leaning his huge body into me, trying to sit on my lap and hug me! If I put my arm around his neck, he would lean his head on my shoulder! He greeted many people this way. He was just happy to be petted and loved!
He's a very easy-going dog. When other dogs approach him, no matter how noisy and excited they are, Sharki just stands there and calmly sniffs them. Little kids can run up to him, and Sharki will stand there just as calmly, letting them pat his head and pull his ears and whatever. He's such a good-natured boy!
One of the cutest things about Sharki is his markings. He's got spots all over him... but some of his spots are black and some are brown! It makes him very unusual looking.
Sharki is not in the best of health, unfortunately. He's got heartworm. But with modern doggie medicine, heartworm isn't as bad as it sounds. He's being treated for it, and eventually the worms will be all gone. Sharki is a good example, though, of why pet owners should take steps to prevent their pets from getting heartworm in the first place. The simplest way is to give them a monthly heartworm pill.
Sharki would love to join any family. He'd be great with kids, great with other dogs, and probably great with any animals at all. He doesn't live with any cats right now, but when he's been introduced to caged cats he hasn't shown much interest. Since he's from a farm, he's probably used to all kinds of animals!
If you're interested in meeting Sharki, call 1- 630- 582-3738, or email dogs@almosthomefoundation.org.
You may also be interested in meeting other Almost Home Foundation dogs, including the ones who have been featured in the past. The awesome news is that most of the former featured dogs from this blog have been adopted! Hillary and Smidge are the newest of the featured dogs to have found new homes! However, Anoki, Bowser, Droid and Bermuda are still looking for homes and would love to meet you.
Also, last week, I reported that Yvette had been adopted! Unfortunately, it didn't work out. Her potential new family included another dog who did not get along with Yvette at all. (Yvette is fine with other dogs and not aggressive at all. This was a case of the other dog having a problem with her, and not the other way around!) So, she would love to meet a new family as well.
Stay tuned for one more Dog Of The Week!

Place: York Commons Playground

Locaton: 665 S. York, Elmhurst, IL

Type of place: Playground

Secret: This park has a lot of neat and unusual equipment! You'll actually want to try it out yourself. Let your inner child play!

Appropriate Ages: 2 and up. (There is some smaller toddler equipment on one side of the park for the younger kids, and more adventurous and challenging equipment on the other side for bigger kids.)

Cost: Free!

I first discovered this park when Pufferfish and I were running errands. She was restless and I had promised her we could stop at the next playground we saw, for a break. When I first spotted this park, I actually thought it was a sculpture park because of the unusual shapes of the equipment. Pufferfish and I were both delighted when we realized the "sculptures" could actually be climbed on and played with!

This "sculpture" is like some sort of giant spider web for kids to climb through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We call this the "tongue slide" because it looks like a long tongue. Its a narrow slide with no sides to hang onto, so you have to use your balance!

This thing is a little like a see-saw, except you stand up on it instead of sitting down!

 

This one is a little like a balance beam, but instead of holding still as you walk across, it sort of bounces and rolls around. The heavier you are, the more it moves. Since Pufferfish weighs about one pound, it wasn't too hard for her!

Pufferfish sat down on this piece of equipment that looked like a flower, and she asked me what it was supposed to do. As she leaned forward a little, it started spinniing like crazy! I guess that was her answer. You sit on it, and use your body weight to make it spin. I tried it. Lots of fun!

Pufferfish is braver and wilder than many other three-year-olds. But if your kids are younger, or not as confident on this type of equipment, there is also a tot lot. Pufferfish enjoyed the tot lot just as much as she liked the other things. She loves pretending that this little house is a restaurant, and she serves me food made out of sand, through the window!  

 

 

 

 

 

They also have a large sand box, lots of swings, and some rocking toys like this one!

 

 

 

 

One more good thing about this park is that it has indoor bathrooms. If you have little kids, you know how important this is! (Sometimes I miss the days when Pufferfish was in diapers, so all I had to do was keep a clean diaper and wipes with me, instead of having to worry about finding bathrooms wherever we go.)

The only complaint I had about this park was that didn't see any picnic tables. There were lots and lots of benches, but no tables. We had brought lunch with us, and we had to eat it awkwardly on a bench,

Still, this is an awesome playground! We brought the older kids here a few days later, and they loved it too. Pufferfish calls it the "colorful park." This is definitely one I've added to my list of favorite playgrounds!

If you know of a cool playground near you, please let me know about it so the kids and I can review it.

I'm even on the go on the Internet! Look at all the places you can find me!

Did anyone make it out to Scarecrow Festival last weekend? I was indisposed over the weekend, but luckily, the Fest started on Friday morning, so I was at least able to take Pufferfish during the day before the big kids got out of school. It was a lot of fun, and there was so much going on, I could actually totally see renting a hotel room out in St. Charles next year and making a mini-vacation out of it! Pufferfish and I only got to do about a third of the things available.

One of the parts of Scarecrow Fest was kind of like a Cream Of Wheaton type thing, where different businesses and organizations had booths set up with information and freebies and stuff. But each business also had to have a scarecrow, of course! So there were tons of really creative scarecrows everywhere. Pufferfish was a little intimidated by some of them, but she did ask to have her picture taken by these "pretty girls."

Doesn't this look creepily like the two scarecrow ladies are shopping with their little adopted human daughter?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a sand art booth. For five dollars, you could fill a little bottle with colored sand. Pufferfish got really into this, and she made a little flower! This is one of the things I like about going places with just one kid, instead of all of them. This little bit of pleasure costed only five bucks, instead of the fifteen or twenty it would have costed if I'd had more kids with me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were food booths, of course. I kinda let Pufferfish pig out on a lot of junk food. She wanted a giant shaved ice, and then she wanted cookies... and she wanted me to take a picture of her with the cardboard cookie girl. She's a real cookie monster! I was only gonna buy her one cookie, but they had a nice scam going where you could only buy cookies in bags of four or more. So we bought two sugar cookies and two frosted ones, and Puff was in Cookie Heaven!

I love animals, and am a real sucker for petting zoos. So I was excited to see a little petting zoo set up there, where you could feed grain to goats, sheeps, pigs, and even geese! Most petting zoos don't let you do that anymore, because people are paranoid about kids getting sick from the animals. (Its pretty simple, really... just wash your hands right afterwards, as you would want to do after petting any zoo animal!) It was hard to get a picture of Pufferfish with the animals, because the animals were practically mugging us. But here she is petting some sheep!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, of course, we checked out the carnival rides. Pufferfish longs to ride the crazy rides, like the one where the boat spins you around upside down, but she's about a foot too short. In the mean time, she had to ride the kiddie rides!

Pufferfish is Bad To The Bone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took her on the ferris wheel. When she first saw it, she was afraid to go on it. I guess because it was so big, it just looked kind of intimidating. But it is so slow, I knew she could handle it! Plus, they have those new, safety bucket seets, not like those crazy old seats where you can tilt all the way forward! Pufferfish probably would have liked the old kind better, actually. In this ferris wheel, she kept trying to stand up on the seat, and I had to grab her and say, "Sit down before the carnie dude sees you and kicks us off!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, it was time to go... but as we walked out, I saw something I couldn't resist. Some church group had a booth set up where you could dress up as scarecrows and get a suvinere picture taken. If you didn't have a camera, they would even take it with their own camera and email it to you! All they asked in return was a donation. I could not resist this! Pufferfish makes the perfect scarecrow, doesn't she?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its hard to tell who had more fun, me or Pufferfish. This was our first time at Scarecrow Fest, but it definitely won't be our last. Maybe next year I'll see you there!

I'm even "on the go" on the Internet! Look at all the places you can find me!

Hi, everyone, and welcome to the feature of this blog where I introduce you to an Almost Home Foundation dog who is looking for a family! Today I'd like you to meet Anoki.

 

Anoki is a six month old Beagle mix who was rescued by Almost Home Foundation from a high kill shelter where he was about to be euthanized. His brother Inali was also rescued just in time! The two Beagle brothers lived together in a foster home for a while, where their foster parents worked with them on things like house training and basic commands. Their foster parents reported that Anoki was the calmer one of his brothers, and Inali would wake him up each morning trying to get him to play! (Of course, Anoki does have plenty of energy of his own!)

Inali got adopted a few weeks ago... but Anoki is still here! He's wondering when his new family is coming to get him.

Anoki is a good boy who loves to be petted and played with. When you meet him, he'll probably run over to you and greet you as if you're his long lost friend! He loves everyone, including kids and other dogs. He's fine with cats, too, so far, although he's not really sure what their purpose is.

Anoki is spayed, neutered, and ready to join a family who will welcome him with open arms! If you'd like to meet this awesome dog, call and leave a message at 1- 630- 582-3738, or email dogs@almosthomefoundation.org.

There are plenty of other dogs waiting for homes at Almost Home Foundation, as well! THey include some of the former Dogs Of The Week from this blog, like Bowser, Droid, Hillary, Smidge and Bermuda.

(Bermuda, by the way, is the doggie I handle every Saturday at the adoption event. She got so close to being adopted this week, but the couple chose a smaller, younger chihuahua. I really hope someone chooses her soon... but I'll miss her so much, then!)

I'm even "on the go" on the Internet! Look at all the places you can find me!

Hi, everyone! I'm glad you're ready for another fun week of family events! I finished my hard copy newsletter last week and began distributing it. So, if you came here from that newsletter, welcome! Its always a good idea to check the website, even if you have the newsletter, because there may be last minute information and events on the site.

Here are the events for this coming week!

 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 11

Come to Cosley Zoo between 10 am and 12 pm for Animal Discovery Zone! Kids will have the chance to do  animal-themed activitiesand crafts. This is a drop-in event, and no registration is required. There is a $1.00 fee per child. In addition, all children are admitted free to the zoo, as are adult residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.  Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Preschool children and younger can try out Elmhurst Park District's Stay 'N' Play Gym. Located in the Wagner Community Center, 615 N. West Avenue in Elmhurst, its a gym with lots of mats, Little Tike climbing equipment, riding toys, giant balls, and other fun stuff. Its open today from 10 am to 12 pm, and costs $3.00 per child. You can also buy a punch card for 6 visits for $15.

Story time at Geneva Commons Barnes And Noble, 102 Commons Drive in Geneva, at 10:30 am. There will be stories, followed by a coloring page or a craft. 

Come eat dinner in the food court at Stratford Square Mall, 152 Stratford Sq in Blomingdale (near the intersection of Gary Ave and Army Trail) and enjoy the music of 
 Deep Blue Big Band while you're there! From 6 to 8 pm each Monday, bands will be in the mall to entertain shoppers.

 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12

Storytime at the Naperville Barnes And Noble, 47 East Chicago Ave in Naperville, at 10:30 am.

Drop in for a preschool storytime at The Bookstore, 475 N. Main St in downtown Glen Ellyn, at 10:30 am. You'll fall in love with this little store!

Story Time at Pottery Barn Kids in Oakbrook Mall, 11:00 am. Kids who attend five times get a special gift! Kids can also play in the store before and after the story time.

Children's author Blue Balliet will be visiting the Oakbroon Barnes and Noble, 297 Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook, at 7:00 pm tonight. Her books are well-loved by children from third grade through eighth grade. Tonight she'll be speaking about The Danger Box, her newest mystery.

 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble,200 South Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale, at 10:00 am.

Story time at Oakbrook Terrace Barnes and Noble at Oakbrook Mall, 297 Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook, at 11:00 am.

Yorktown Farmer's Market is the happening place to be, every Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In addition to fresh produce and bakery goods being sold, there will be weekly activities and free samples! This is outside the Shops On Butterfield, by Yorktown Mall, at Highland and Butterfield in Lombard.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheaton. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

 

 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14

Preschool children and younger can try out Elmhurst Park District's Stay 'N' Play Gym. Located in the Wagner Community Center, 615 N. West Avenue in Elmhurst, its a gym with lots of mats, Little Tike climbing equipment, riding toys, giant balls, and other fun stuff. Its open today from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and costs $3.00 per child. You can also buy a punch card for 6 visits for $15.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Story time at Land Of Nod in Oakbrook Mall, 297 Oakbrook Center, at 11:00 am.

Its Family Game Day at the Bloomingdale Library, 101 Fairfield Way in Bloomingdale. (Off of Bloomingdale Road, just north of Army Trail.) From 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm, kids nine and up can come to the library to enjoy video games, board games, and snacks. Parents are welcome, too! No registration is required.

Got preschoolers? From 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, preschoolers and their caregivers can drop in at the Villa Park Library, 305 S. Ardmore in Villa Park, for Thursday At The Library. There will be stories, rhymes, games, singing, and crafts. If you know a family who speaks Spanish as their primary language, feel free to invite them, because a Spanish to English interpreter will be on hand. No registration required!

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Drop in for a preschool storytime at The Bookstore, 475 N. Main St in downtown Glen Ellyn, at 10:30 am. You'll fall in love with this little store!

Open Gym And Moon Jump Friday at Gymnasti in Carol Stream, 110 Della Court in Carol Stream. (Its off of Gary Ave.) Open Gym is 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. $5.00 per child.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center,  3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheatpn. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

Its time for Family Fun Night at Stratford Square Mall, 152 Stratford Square in Bloomingdale. (Near the intersection of Army Trail and Gary Ave.) Tonight, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Superstar Karate will be giving families free karate lessons. They'll also demonstrate some amazing karate moves! This free event takes place on the lower level of the mall, in Sears Court.

We all know Halloween is coming up. Many people think that El Día de los Muertos is the "Mexican version of Halloween." But its actually a very rich cultural holiday in its own right. Tongight from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, the Naperville Cultural Center will celebrate El Día de los Muertos, and teach visitors about the traditions and customs. The celebration takes place at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Ave. in Naperville.

Its Family Night at the Indian Boundary YMCA, 711 59th St in Downers Grove, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. There will be a preschool open gym, a Sportwall, and fun special activities for all ages. The cost is $15 per nonmember family.  

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble,200 South Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale, at 7:00 pm.

Feel free to wear your jammies to the Pajama Story Time at the Geneva Commons Barnes And Noble, 102 Commons Drive in Geneva. The theme of the night will be ghosts and witches... but this isn't a scary story time, so don't be afraid!

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16

Come to Cosley Zoo between 10 am and 12 pm for Animal Discovery Zone! Kids will have the chance to do  animal-themed activitiesand crafts. This is a drop-in event, and no registration is required. There is a $1.00 fee per child. In addition, all children are admitted free to the zoo, as are adult residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.  Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Story time at the Naperville Barnes And Noble, 47 East Chicago Ave in Naperville, at 10:30 am.

Do you have a kid between the ages of 8 and 14, who likes to write stories or wants to learn how? Call to register him or her for a writing group The group takes place at 1:00 pm at the Bloomingdale Barnes And Noble, 200 South Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale. Register ahead of time by visiting the customer service desk at the store, or by calling 630-671-9760. Write on!

For kids ages 8 to 12, there will be a Lost Hero Book Release Party at all Borders Book Stores in the area. The event, which takes place at 2:00 pm in every store, celebrates Rick Riordan's new Lost Hero series. (He's the author of the Percy Jackson series!)

There will be a Halloween Open House for children, from 3 pm to 5 pm at The Bookstore, 4475 N. Main St in downtown Glen Ellyn. JD Gordon, a children's author from Glen Ellyn, will be there signing copies of his book Kritterkeep. (Its a spooky book geared towards middleschoolers.) There will also be pumpkin painting, Halloween candy, scary stories, and more! Call ahead to register, so there will be enough supplies for everyone. The cost is $5.00 per child, but each child also gets a $5.00 gift certificate to the store. Call (630) 469-2891 to register.

 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17

Come to Cosley Zoo between 10 am and 12 pm for Animal Discovery Zone! Kids will have the chance to do  animal-themed activitiesand crafts. This is a drop-in event, and no registration is required. There is a $1.00 fee per child. In addition, all children are admitted free to the zoo, as are adult residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.  Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Have a great week, everyone!

I'm even "on the go" on the Internet! Look at all the places you can find me!

Place: Hampe Park

Location: 297 E. Lies Road, Carol Stream

Type of place: Playground

Secret: No secrets, really! Just a nice playground! There is an old-fashioned tire swing that the kids really enjoyed.

Cost: Free!

Pufferfish and I were supposed to meet some  friends at this playground, but we had a horrible morning and ended up getting there way too late. However, Pufferfish was glad just to play around there, and even hung out with some other little kids she met!

It was your basic playground... a couple of climbing structures and what have you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a big, swirly slide that Pufferfish really enjoyed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were swings, and a tire swing, and one of those glider things that you hang onto. I didn't get pictures of those, because by then some other kids were playing with Pufferfish and I didn't want their mom to think I was some sort of creeper. But I'm sure you can picture these parts in your head!

If you don't live anywhere near Carol Stream, I'm not sure you'd want to make a long trip to visit this playground. But if you are in the area, this would be a cute place to stop for a break from running errands, or have a playgroup at, etc. Have fun!
Know of any other playgrounds I should review? Be sure to let me know!

I'm even on the go on the Internet! Click here to see all the places you can follow me to!

Place: Kappy's

Location: 10 E Roosevelt Rd, Villa Park

Type of place: Diner type restaurant

Secret: Kids eat half-price, Monday through Friday. Also, their meal comes with an ice cream sundae afterwards! They also get a menu to color, and crayons.

Appropriate ages: Anyone old enough to eat!

Cost: depends on what you order, but similar to a restaurant like Denny's.

 

Pufferfish asks to get her picture taken next to statues, wherever we go! I guess I've trained her well???

I've always wanted to try Kappy's, since I'm a sucker for places that offer breakfast all day! But this week, the sign in front saying kids eat half price lured Pufferfish and I in.

We'd been running errands all morning, and we were hungry, so I was very happy to see that there wasn't too much of a lunch time crowd. We were seated immediately after we got there (well, after Pufferfish got her picture taken by the statue!) and a waitress came to our booth only a few minutes later to see if we were ready to order. When I dine out with kids, fast service is really important to me, because it means less time of trying to amuse the kids and keep them sitting on their bottoms in the booth! (When their food comes, that at least distracts them for a while, even if they don't eat much!)

Our food also came very quickly. I ordered the french toast stuffed with strawberries and cream cheese. It looked a little gross because the cream cheese filling was bright pink, causing Pufferfish too ask me what the heck it was about fifteen times. But it was delicious, and I gobbled it down!

Meanwhile, Pufferfish had ordered macaroni and cheese from the kid's menu. It came with french fries. Mac and cheese and french fries are two of Puff's favorite foods, so she was happy... but of course, she barely ate any. If you read any of my other restaurant reviews, you probably know that getting Pufferfish (and even Little Bear, frustratingly) to eat is like trying to convince them to drink dish soap, no matter how delicious and kid-friendly the meal is. Unless they've missed about two meals and haven't had any snacks, these kids won't eat. So, I ended up eating most of Pufferfish's lunch. (I hate to waste food!) The macaroni and cheese tasted exactly like Kraft's version. I'm pretty sure that is what it was. But the french fries were delicious... the perfect combination of crunchy on the outside and mushy on the inside.

 

Despite Pufferfish's lack of eating, I couldn't let the free ice cream sundae go to waste. She was happy to give that a try, at least!

 

Pufferfish and I enjoyed our dining experience at Kappy's. It had the feeling of a small town diner, with a lot of customers and employees who seemed to know each other. I will definitely go back! If you try it, please let me know what you thought... and also, feel free to tell me about any other restaurants or other places that you think I should review in this blog.

 Speaking of "on the go," I'm even on the go on the Internet! Click here to see all the places you can follow me to!

lace: Weber Grill Restaurant

Location: 2331 Fountain Square, Lombard, IL

Type Of Place: Restaurant

Secret: The kids meals are pretty cool. They are served on a plate that looks like a TV-dinner tray. Kids get a free ice cream afterwards, too! Also, I didn't know this at the time, but apparently they have an "open kitchen" where you can watch the food being cooked on grills!

Appropriate ages: Anyone old enough to eat!

Cost: Kid's meals, which include a drink and ice cream, are about $7.00 each. Adult meals range from about $10 to $22, not including drinks or appetizers.

Little Bear and Pufferfish won free kids' meal coupons from Weber ll, so I thought we'd go check it out! We went for lunch, which I figured would be less expensive for my meal, and also quieter (since I wasn't sure how the girls would behave in what looked like a pretty upscale restaurant.)

One thing I wish I had known was that the restaurant has pn open kitchen setup where people can watch their meals being cooked on indoor grills. This certainly would have made the experieence more memorable and enjoyable for Little Bear and Pufferfish! I wish our servers would have told us about this!

As it was, though, the servers were very friendly and patient with the girls, and our food orders came quickly, so I didn't have to worry about keeping the girls amused at the table for too long. They had crayons, and menus to color, as well. 

You know how most restaurants serve a basket of rolls to you while you wait for your food? Weber Grill serves pretzel rolls instead! These are basically rolls made out of pretzel dough. (Pretty self-explanatory, right?) You dip them in butter or cheese, and they are delicious! Little Bear and Pufferfish found them very novel!

  

The kids menu had a nice variety of choices on it. There was the standard options of hot dogs, pizza, cheeseburgers and chicken tenders, but they could also order BBQ Pork Ribs or Steak Skewers. Little Bear opted for the ribs, while Pufferfish went with the more traditional hot dog.

The kids were excited that their meals came on plates that looked like TV trays, with all of the different foods separated from one another. They were also excited that they got drinks in plastic cups with silly straws, that they would get to keep!

I

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought the food was delicious. (I had a Wisconsin Burger. I am, at heart, a Cheesehead. The Wisconsin Burger has cheddar cheese and smoked bacon, and was, although probably not quite healthy, very tasty!) The girls said they thought their food was delicious, too, but of course they barely ate. Little Bear was especially distraught that they served brocolli and fruit with her meal! I appreciated it, even though I couldn't get her to eat it! We took most of it home in boxes. Ugh! 

Finally, Little Bear and Pufferfish were amused by this gigantic Weber Grill. I read online that it could hold 300 burgers, if it was used! (Do you think it is actually operable? Hmmm....)

 

 

 

 

 

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Even though we didn't get to see the open kitchen, both of the girls said they had an awesome time, and wanted to eat there again someday. So, this is definitely a place to keep in mind when looking for family-friendly dining options! If you check this place out with your family, let me know what you think... and don't forget to tell them that DuPage Kids On The Go sent you!

Speaking of "on the go," I'm even on the go on the Internet! Click here to see all the places you can follow me to!

 

Hi, everyone! Its time for the feature of this blog where I introduce you to an Almost Home Foundation dog who is looking for a family.

Today I had the pleasure of meeting a 5-year-old poodle mix named Bowser!

The first thing that I noticed about Bowser was that he was pink! Well,really, the pink was just his skin showing through his very, very short white hair. You see, Almost Home Foundation rescued Bowser from a high-kill shelter in Chicago. A lot of times in these shelters, since the dogs are meant to be put to sleep anyway, they receive very minimal care. Bowser's fur was so dirty and matted that it had to be almost completely shaved off, leaving him with just a little peach fuzz! But his fur will grow back nice and fluffy, like a regular poodle, soon.

The next thing I noticed about Bowser was that he was staring at me! I was sitting near him, and every time I looked up, he'd be in front of me, gazing at me. When I said "hi" to him, he would gleefully plop himself down on his back, on my lap, and wait for a belly rub! Whenever I petted Bowser he would squirm and wiggle and stretch out as if he was just so blissful for the attention.

Bowser was like that with everyone. He was so happy to get hugs and pets and kisses. He got along great with the other dogs, too!

I can't imagine what happened to cause such a good, sweet poodle to end up on death row at the city pound! But it doesn't matter anymore. He's safe now, and he's waiting for a family that will do their best to never let that happen to them again.

When I wrote this blog entry, nothing had been added to Bowser's profile yet, but there might be something there now! Be sure to check it out. If you'd like to meet Bowser in person, email dogs@almosthomefoundation.org,  or call 1- 630- 582-3738.

Also, some previous Dogs Of The Week, Droid, Hillary, Smidge and Bermuda, are still looking for homes. But Yvette is in the process of being adopted! So lets keep up the good work, and find homes for the rest of these great pups!

Hi, everyone! You may have noticed a lack of entries for the past week. Thats because I was busy working hard on the hard copy newsletter companion to this blog! I printed it out, and wiill be handing it out on playgrounds and at other places where I encounter  families. I'm hoping the paper newsletter will bring more visitors to this blog
Anyway, I've got plenty of reviews lined up for the coming month, so stay tuned,

In the mean time, here are the events for the coming week!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Preschool children and younger can try out Elmhurst Park District's Stay 'N' Play Gym. Located in the Wagner Community Center, 615 N. West Avenue in Elmhurst, its a gym with lots of mats, Little Tike climbing equipment, riding toys, giant balls, and other fun stuff. Its open today from 10 am to 12 pm, and costs $3.00 per child. You can also buy a punch card for 6 visits for $15.

Story time at Geneva Commons Barnes And Noble, 102 Commons Drive in Geneva, at 10:30 am. There will be stories, followed by a coloring page or a craft.
 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5

Storytime at the Naperville Barnes And Noble, 47 East Chicago Ave in Naperville, at 10:30 am.

Drop in for a preschool storytime at The Bookstore, 475 N. Main St in downtown Glen Ellyn, at 10:30 am. You'll fall in love with this little store!

Story Time at Pottery Barn Kids in Oakbrook Mall, 11:00 am. Kids who attend five times get a special gift! Kids can also play in the store before and after the story time.

Are your preschoolers picky eaters? They may learn not to be so picky, at the free Picky Preschoolers class at the Wheaton Whole Foods, located at 151 Rice Lake Square
in Wheaton. The class, which starts at 11:00 am, will involve making parfaits, followed by a story time. Register by calling 630- 588-1500 or visit the customer service desk.

 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble,200 South Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale, at 10:00 am.

Story time at Oakbrook Terrace Barnes and Noble at Oakbrook Mall, 297 Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook, at 11:00 am.

Yorktown Farmer's Market is the happening place to be, every Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In addition to fresh produce and bakery goods being sold, there will be weekly activities and free samples! This is outside the Shops On Butterfield, by Yorktown Mall, at Highland and Butterfield in Lombard.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheaton. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

The Glendale Heights Health And Family Safety Fair takes place tonight from 5 pm to 9 pm. at the Glendale Heights Sports Hub, 250 Civic Center Plaza in Glendale Heights. There will be a Teddy Bear Clinic and free teddy bears, health screenings, emergency vehicle tours, child ID cards, and lots more! FREE! 

 

 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7

Preschool children and younger can try out Elmhurst Park District's Stay 'N' Play Gym. Located in the Wagner Community Center, 615 N. West Avenue in Elmhurst, its a gym with lots of mats, Little Tike climbing equipment, riding toys, giant balls, and other fun stuff. Its open today from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and costs $3.00 per child. You can also buy a punch card for 6 visits for $15.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Story time at Land Of Nod in Oakbrook Mall, 297 Oakbrook Center, at 11:00 am.

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8

The St. Charles Scarecrow Fest begins today at 9:00 am in downtown St. Charles. It will be open until 9 pm, and will repeat all weekend. There will be a carnival and TONS of kid and family activities... too many to list here! Visit the website for more details and a schedule of events.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Drop in for a preschool storytime at The Bookstore, 475 N. Main St in downtown Glen Ellyn, at 10:30 am. You'll fall in love with this little store!

Open Gym And Moon Jump Friday at Gymnasti in Carol Stream, 110 Della Court in Carol Stream. (Its off of Gary Ave.) Open Gym is 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. $5.00 per child.

Spot The Dog will be visiting the Batavia Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave in Batavia, at 1:00 pm. There will be stories read, and an opportunity to meet and get pictures taken with Spot!

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center,  3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheatpn. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

Its Family Night at the Indian Boundary YMCA, 711 59th St in Downers Grove, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. There will be a preschool open gym, a Sportwall, and fun special activities for all ages. The cost is $15 per nonmember family.  

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble,200 South Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale, at 7:00 pm.

If you can't make it to see Spot the Dog at the Batavia Library today, you can see him at the Geneva Commons Barnes and Noble,102 Commons Drive in Geneva, at 7:00 pm. You can even wear your jammies, if you'd like!

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9

The St. Charles Scarecrow Fest continues today at 9:00 am in downtown St. Charles. It will be open until 9 pm, and will repeat all weekend. There will be a carnival and TONS of kid and family activities... too many to list here! Visit the website for more details and a schedule of events.

Kids can sign up for Lowes Build And Grow Clinic, where they can head to Lowes from 10 am to 11 am to build a funhouse mirror! The event is free, and kids will get their own apron and goggles to take home. Space is limited, so go to the website to register ahead of time!

Come to Cosley Zoo between 10 am and 12 pm for Animal Discovery Zone! Kids will have the chance to do  animal-themed activitiesand crafts. This is a drop-in event, and no registration is required. There is a $1.00 fee per child. In addition, all children are admitted free to the zoo, as are adult residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.  Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton.

The Winfield Fire Department Open House takes place from 10 am to 1 pm at the Winfield Fire Station, 27W530 Highlake Road in Winfield. You'll be able to play games, ride a fire truck, have a free hot dog, and ice cream sundae, see the rescue helicopter, learn how to use a fire extinguisher, and more!

Come to Family Fall Fest at Elmhurst Park District's Safety Town, from 10 am until 2 pm. There will be trick-or-treating in Safety Town, pony rides, a petting zoo, and more! Safety Town is at 511 S. York St in Elmhurst.

Another Fall Fest takes place at Cantigny,1S151 Winfield Road in Wheaton, from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be hayrides, live entertainment, inflatables for kids to climb and jump on, a candy dive, face painting, and more. The activities take place at the Parade Field in front of the Visitor Center.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Story time at the Naperville Barnes And Noble, 47 East Chicago Ave in Naperville, at 10:30 am.

Biscuit The Dog will be visiting the Oakbrook Barnes And Noble, 297 Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook, at 11 am, to help celebrate Spanish Heritage Month. Books will be read in both English and Spanish, and kids can get their pictures taken with Biscuit!

The Villa Park Fire Department will host an open house from 12 pm to 3 pm, at 1440 S. Ardmore Avenue in Villa Park. Kids can try on fire gear, get their picture taken with Sparky the Fire Dog, see a puppet show, pretend to put out a fire, play games and have refreshments, and way more!

Story time at the Oak Brook Borders, 1500 16th Street in Oakbrook, at 2:00 pm.

 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3

The St. Charles Scarecrow Fest finishes off today at 9:00 am in downtown St. Charles. It will be open until 6 pm,. There will be a carnival and TONS of kid and family activities... too many to list here! Visit the website for more details and a schedule of events.

Come to Cosley Zoo between 10 am and 12 pm for Animal Discovery Zone! Kids will have the chance to do  animal-themed activitiesand crafts. This is a drop-in event, and no registration is required. There is a $1.00 fee per child. In addition, all children are admitted free to the zoo, as are adult residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.  Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Its Sunday Funday at the Elmhurst Historical Museum, 120 E. Park Ave in Elmhurst, from 1 pm to 3 pm. Kids will be able to make their own firehats! There is a fee of $2.00 per project.

 

Have a great week, everyone!

I'm even "on the go" on the Internet! Look at all the places you can find me!

Hi, everyone! The air is getting chillier, and the leaves are starting to fall, signalling the real start of autumn! In the mean time, I've been working on creating a hardcopy monthly newsletter to go along with this blog. It will list all of the free and cheap events in DuPage for the month, and some extra goodies as well! Its going to take me a while to start getting it out, though. If you know somewhere, like a local business in your town, where I might be able to leave copies for people to pick up, please let me know!

Any rate, here are our events for the week!

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Today is National Family Day. To encourage families to eat dinner together, Kidsmatter, in cooperation with CASA, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, has organized several Naperville restaurants to offer fun family conversation starters and donate a portion of their proceeds to benefit KidsMatter. Click here for a list of participating restaurants!

 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

Drop in for a preschool storytime at The Bookstore, 475 N. Main St in downtown Glen Ellyn, at 10:30 am. You'll fall in love with this little store!

Story Time at Pottery Barn Kids in Oakbrook Mall, 11:00 am. Kids who attend five times get a special gift! Kids can also play in the store before and after the story time.

If you have children with special needs, you may be interested in attending a free informational session about seeking government services and benefits for your family. Its coordinated by the Little Friends Family Council, and The session will take place at the Meeting Room C at the Naperville 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr in Napeville, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. The president of Family Benefit Solutions, Inc will be speaking.

 

 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble, 10:00 am.

Excel Gymnastics Jr. Open Gym at Excel Gymnastics in Batavia, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. $5.00 per child.

Story time at Oakbrook Terrace Barnes and Noble at 11:00 am.

Yorktown Farmer's Market is the happening place to be, every Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In addition to fresh produce and bakery goods being sold, there will be weekly activities and free samples! This is outside the Shops On Butterfield, by Yorktown Mall, at Highland and Butterfield in Lombard.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheaton. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

The Naperville Police Department will present a program about how to help kids stay safe from the dangerous side of technology (ie: sexting, cyber-bullying, chat room predators, etc.) The program takes place in the  Council Chambers at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St in Naperville, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. 
 

 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Got a baby or toddler in a stroller? Meet other caregivers and babies at Cantigny, at 9:30 am, for a short tour of the gardens. A volunteer will lead it, and the tour will be different each month. Meet at the Visitor Center if you'd like to participate! The program is free, but Cantigny has a $5.00 parking fee.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Story time at Land Of Nod in Oakbrook Mall, at 11:00 am.

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1

Cosley Zoo's Pumpkin Fest begins today, and will last all month long! The zoo will be decorated with scarecrows and other autumn decor, and apples, gourds, pumpkins, and cider will be for sale. Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton. Children are always free, as well as all residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Drop in for a preschool storytime at The Bookstore, 475 N. Main St in downtown Glen Ellyn, at 10:30 am. You'll fall in love with this little store!

Open Gym And Moon Jump Friday at Gymnasti in Carol Stream, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. $5.00 per child.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center,  3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheatpn. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

Its Family Night at the Indian Boundary YMCA, 711 59th St in Downers Grove, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. There will be a preschool open gym, a Sportwall, and fun special activities for all ages. The cost is $15 per nonmember family.  

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble, 7:00 pm.

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2

Kids can drop in at any Home Depot store to participate in a free building workshop. The program takes place between 9 am and noon. Kids will be able to build and bring home a wooden project!

Come to Cosley Zoo between 10 am and 12 pm for Animal Discovery Zone! Kids will have the chance to do  animal-themed activitiesand crafts. This is a drop-in event, and no registration is required. There is a $1.00 fee per child. In addition, all children are admitted free to the zoo, as are adult residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.  Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton.

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

In honor of Public Safety Month, Naperville's Public Safety Campus, 1350 Aurora Ave in Naperville, is hosting an open house from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. There will be fun demonstrations and hands on activities, including the chance for kids to squirt a real fire hose!

Its Super Saturday at Anderson's Book Shop! Children's author Bob Shea will be visiting both the Naperville store at  123 West Jefferson in Naperville, and the Downers Grove store at 5112 Main St in Downers Grove, to present children with stories and activities. He'll be at the Naperville store at 11:00 am, and the Downers Grove store at 2:00 pm.

Do your kids like to cook, or wish they could cook? Maybe they need to meet the Spatulatta Sisters! The Chicago tween girls became master chefs when they were only 8 and 10 years old, and created their own website and cookbook to teach other children how to cook. Look for the girls at Anderson's Book Shop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave in Naperville, at 2:00 pm. They'll be doing a cooking demonstration and signing copies of their cookbook. This is a Kidsmatter event!

Story time at the Oak Brook Borders at 2:00 pm.

 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3

Come to Cosley Zoo between 10 am and 12 pm for Animal Discovery Zone! Kids will have the chance to do  animal-themed activitiesand crafts. This is a drop-in event, and no registration is required. There is a $1.00 fee per child. In addition, all children are admitted free to the zoo, as are adult residents of Wheaton, but non-resident adults must pay a $3.00 admission fee.  Cosley Zoo is located at  1356 N. Gary Avenue in Wheaton.

You will not want to miss Glendale Heights's Harvest Festival! (This is a favorite of my family's, since we used to live in Glendale Heights!) The fest takes place at Heritage Park, Windy Point Drive and Paul Avenue in Glendale Heights, from 10 am to 2 pm. Festivities will include music by the Runaways, a hliarious marionette show for kids, a pumpkin carving contest, and a scarecrow building contest. Concessions will be sold. This one is fun!

Kids can try their hand at the types of farm chores that "hired help" might do in autumn, at Kline Creek Living History Farm,1N600 County Farm Road. The event takes place between 10 am and 4 pm, at the top of every hour. Children of all ages are invited. This event is free!

Westmont's Last Straw event promises another great time for all! The event takes place from noon to 4 pm at the Gregg House Museum & Garden, 117 S. Linden Ave in Westmont. Visitors can meet a bee keeper, see and learn all about raptors, make rope, participate in an interactive musical show, do crafts, and play games.

The Elmhurst Fire Department, Fire Station #2, located at 601 S York St in Elmhurst, is hosting an open house! From noon to 4 pm, there will be fire safety activities and demonstrations. Members of the Kiwanis Club will be on hand to create free child ID kits, as well!

From 1 pm to 4 pm, families can celebrate Aurora's Harvest Of The Acorn Moon! The festival will take place at Oakhurst Forest Preserve, 1680 Fifth Ave in Aurora. There will be  hayrides, nature crafts, pumpkin painting, games, folk music, guided nature walks and more. The event is free, but there is a nominal fee for hayrides and crafts.

Have a great week, everyone!

I'm even "on the go" on the Internet! Look at all the places you can find me!

 

Hi everyone! Its time for the feature of this blog where I introduce you to an Almost Home Foundation dog who is looking for a family! This week I'd like you to meet a cute little Shih Tzu named Yvette.

Four-year-old Yvette was rescued from a puppy mill. She was a breeder, used to produce litter after litter of puppies. The thing about puppy mill dogs is that they do not get much human contact, except to be yanked out of one cage and thrown into another cage with another dog to breed with. A lot of times when puppy mill dogs come to Almost Home Foundation, they are terrified of being touched! When you reach out to pet them, they have no clue what you're trying to do, because they've never experienced affection!

Surprisingly, this does not describe Yvette at all. She loves to be around people! This tiny dog loves people! I was sitting near her at the adoption show today, and Yvette came wandering over to sit on my lap! Other times, she'd walk over to me, look up at me with her cute little smooshy face, and put her paw on my leg, as if to say, "Hi, shouldn't you be petting me?"

Yvette loves other animals, too! She can be energetic and playful, but her foster mom says she doesn't really understand how to play. At the puppy mill, she never had the chance! She'll pounce around like a little puppy, but she's not quite sure what to do with toys. She wants someone to teach her, though!

Yvette is a great little doggie, and she really wants to be loved forever. If you think you're up to having a sweet Shih Tzu in your family, check out her profile page, and then contact Almost Home Foundation. You can email them at sharwropi@aol.com , or call them at 1- 630- 582-3738.

 

Now for some updates on the previous Dogs Of The Week... Hillary, Smidge and Bermuda are still looking for homes. But, thankfully, Parma, Treasure, and Ozzy have been adopted! So, thanks for all your help in finding homes for these great dogs!

I'm even "on the go" on the Internet! Look at all the sites where you can follow me!

 

e've all been to Borders and Barnes And Noble plenty of times. But I also like to try and support small, local businesses, run by people who have created careers out of their passions. Recently I discovered The Bookstore in downtown Glen Ellyn. Yep, its actually called The Bookstore! Its a cute little bookstore with a great children's section. There are always events going on there, and there's a cozy, personal feeling about it.

For instance, they have a preschool story time there on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10:30 am, but most of the kids who attended last school year have actually moved onto kindergarten. So when Pufferfish and I went to check it out one week, no other kids were there, and the younger employees didn't even know there was a story time. But the owner of the store came out and gave Pufferfish her own, private story time!

Anyway, last weekend they had a Fancy Nancy party. I had signed Little Bear and Pufferfish up ahead of time,  but since our family was babysitting our 12-year-old neighbor, Lulu, we brought her too. It was a lot of fun! A couple of teenaged girls were leading the party. They started by reading the newest Fancy Nancy story, Ooh La La! Its Beauty Day!

The bookstore people didn't want to give the kids actual makeovers with makeup and everything, so they had to improvise... but they got really creative! First, the kids got to color wooden dolls that were supposed to represent planning out their makeovers. Next the teenagers had the kids refresh their eyes with cucumbers!

 

 

 

 

hat,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, they got to braid each other's hair.

 

 

 

 

Finally, the teenagers gave the girls sparkly temporary tattoos... as manyu  as they wanted!

The event cost was five dollars per kid, but each kid got a five dollar gift certificate to the store in exchange. Little Bear, Pufferfish and Kimmi all spent their five dollars on glow in the dark Silly Bandz. I would have preferred that they spend the money on books, but Lulu is a really difficult kid to argue with and you have to pick your battles with her... and of course Little Bear and Pufferfish follow whatever she does.

Anyway, here they all are outside of the store, with their hair done and their tattoos on!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They all loved the event. The Bookstore hosts many events like this, so be sure to check their website frequently if you'd like to join in!

'I'm even "on the go" on the Internet! Want to follow me? Click here!

 

 

 

Place: Fox Valley Mall

Location: 195 Fox Valley Center in Aurora

Type of place: Mall with play area

Secret: This mall has a ton of entertainment options, if you've got money! There is a glow golf place, a pottery painting place, a Build-A-Bear, and an art studio. But if you're looking for a less expensive day, you can still have fun. Bring lots of one dollar bills!

Appropriate ages: Anyone who can walk, or at least crawl, or who  is content to be held and pushed in a stroller!

Cost: The play area is free, and the other entertainment options described below range from $2-3 dollars each,

I had some business to take care of in Naperville, and found myself right across the street from Fox Valley Mall! (I know the mall is in Aurora, but I guess I was on the very border. I could have stood with one foot in Aurora and one foot in Naperville!) I'd never been to Fox Valley Mall, so Pufferfish and I decided to investigate.

The first thing that caught Pufferfish's eye was the carouse.l! She has loved carousels since she was a baby. She prefers wilder rides, of course, but there weren't any rollercoasters in the mall! The carousel costed $2.00, but I was free because I was riding with Pufferfish. It was a little odd because, instead of paying the attendant directly, I had to put my two dollars into a machine that was about two feet away from where the attendant was standing. The  machine gave me a token, which I could then give to the attendant to get on the ride. I don't know, maybe they had problems with attendants stealing the cash? Anyway, here is little Pufferfish, happy as a clam, riding on her dolphin!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a picture of the carousel from far away, too, because I thought it looked so fancy!  

Beautiful, huh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Something unusual that this mall has is the Junga Rides, right upstairs from the carousel. You've probably never seen anything like this before! They're big animals that look like they're stuffed animals, but there are machines underneath the fur, and wheels on the feet. A kid sits on one, and it cruises around on the floor, while also playing somewhat creepy music. You' can potentially steer it with the handlebars, but Pufferfish could not get the hang of the steering part, so the employee had to keep catching her animal to keep it from crashing into the gate! Pufferfish thought this was awesome. The price was three bucks, or four rides for ten dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The next thing Pufferfish wanted to go to was the hurricane machine. I didn't get a picture of it because, well, I was in a hurricane... but I can describe it! Its about the size of a photo booth, but instead of being inside walls, you're inside a clear tube. Then it gets really, really, really, really windy! Its supposed to feel like a hurricane! Pufferfish doesn't really know what a hurricane is, so I told her it was a tornado machine. I thought she'd be scared. But she loved it! If I had managed to take a picture, you would have seen a picture of Pufferfish looking up at me, with a huge smile on her face and her hair blowing straight out! Since the tube is clear, people can stop and watch you, which is sort of AWKWARD! That machine costed two dollars. Its not on any map, but you'll find it on the upper level outside JCPenneys!

Finally, we went down to the play area. The play area was smallish, and very similar to the one at Stratford Square, But Pufferfish enjoyed it anyway!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh yeah, and those little quarter rides (actually they cost seventy-five cents) are always a hit! Here Pufferfish is riding with Baby Kermit! She later told me she doesn't even know who Kermit the Frog is! She just referred to him as "a frog." I don't understand that! Isn't he on Sesame Street anymore?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We didn't even visit any of the actual stores. We'll have to go back! Except then Pufferfish will probably want to do the carousel, Junga Rides, hurricane booth, play place and quarter rides all over again, and we won't have time to do anything else!

 

Even on the Internet, I'm "on the go!" Want to follow me? Click here!

I've Been Adopted!

Thanks for your help!

Welcome back to the feature of this blog called Dog Of The Week, where I introduce you to an Almost Home Foundation dog who needs a family. This week, I'd like you to meet Hillary! She'a  a beautiful, twenty month old black lab mix. When you meet Hillary, she'll probably gaze up at you with her big brown eyes, lick your hands or your face, and get a look of bliss on her face if you pet her. If you offer her a treat, she'll glady perform some tricks for you! She knows how to sit and give paw. Since she's still a puppy, she can be playful and energetic if you (or another dog) wants to play. But when the mood is calm, Hillary is happy to just follow you around and get petted and hugged. She even good-naturedly wears Halloween costumes that her handler puts on her at the weekly adoption show! She's great with everyone, including children and other dogs. This pup doesn't have a bad bone in her body! And she's even housebroken!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please help this pretty girl find a home! If you're interested in meeting her, call the Almost Home Foundation at (630) 582-3738, or email them at  dogs@almosthomefoundation.org.

If Hillary isn't the dog you're looking for, Almost Home Foundation cares for plenty more! In fact, some of the previous Dogs Of The Week... Bermuda, Parma. Smidge, Ozzy, and Droid,

 

I'm even on the go on the Internet! Click here to follow me!

Hi, everyone! I hope you had a great week! This is one of my favorite times of the year, when its not too hot out or too cold out, and fall is starting to peek around the corner. Take a look at these events for the week!

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

Nothing much happening on Monday, apparently. :(

 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

Story Time at Pottery Barn Kids in Oakbrook Mall, 11:00 am. Kids who attend five times get a special gift! Kids can also play in the store before and after the story time.

 

 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble, 10:00 am.

Excel Gymnastics Jr. Open Gym at Excel Gymnastics in Batavia, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. $5.00 per child.

Story time at Oakbrook Terrace Barnes and Noble at 11:00 am.

Yorktown Farmer's Market is the happening place to be, every Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In addition to fresh produce and bakery goods being sold, there will be weekly activities and free samples! This is outside the Shops On Butterfield, by Yorktown Mall, at Highland and Butterfield in Lombard.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheaton. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

 

 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

Got a baby or toddler in a stroller? Meet other caregivers and babies at Cantigny, at 9:30 am, for a short tour of the gardens. A volunteer will lead it, and the tour will be different each month. Meet at the Visitor Center if you'd like to participate! The program is free, but Cantigny has a $5.00 parking fee.

The Helen Plum Library,110 W. Maple Street in Lombard, is hosting a Scarecrow Party! Kids will listen to scarecrow stories and songs, and make a scarecrow art project. This is free, and you don't need to register or have a library card!

Story time at Land Of Nod in Oakbrook Mall, at 11:00 am.

 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Open Gym And Moon Jump Friday at Gymnasti in Carol Stream, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. $5.00 per child.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center,  3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheatpn. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

Its Family Night at the Indian Boundary YMCA, 711 59th St in Downers Grove, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. There will be a preschool open gym, a Sportwall, and fun special activities for all ages. The cost is $15 per nonmember family.  

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble, 7:00 pm.

 

 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

Celebrate National Public Lands Day at Churchill Park, 271 St. Charles Rd in Glen Ellyn, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Visitors will be able to help restore the park, by collecting and planting seeds, planting shrubs, and doing trail work. There will be refreshments, and each volunteer will receive a thank you gift. There will also be nature hikes and children's crafts!

The DuPage County Sheriff's Office is hosting Safety Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm! Kids will get free balloons, Halloween bags, and other goodies, and exhibits will be set up to teach children and adults about safety. McGruff the Crime Dog will be there, and you can even take tours of the jail and the crime lab! This event is free for all. It takes place at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 West Manchester in Wheaton.

Staff from the Shedd Aquarium will be at Yorktown Mall, at Highland and Butterfield in Lombard,  from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. They'll be in the center court (near the children's play area)  doing activities with children. The event is free!

Story time at the Oak Brook Borders at 2:00 pm.

York Center Park District is celebrating National Day Of Play, an event created by Nickelodeon. (They'll be off the air for the day to encourage kids to play outside!) From 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, there will be activities going on at Knolls Community Park,1416 S. Meyers Rd in Lombard. Activities include tug of war, potato sack races, relay races, three legged races, balloon toss, and parachute games. The event is free, but they'd like you to call and RSVP by the 16th so they'll know how much equipment and supplies to bring. The phone number is (630) 629.0886.

 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

Do you have a child between the ages of seven and seventeen who would like to be a pilot? The EEA has a program called Young Eagles, where they offer free twenty minute plane rides to children once a month. Kids get the chance to learn about the plane, ride in the plane, and then get a picture of themselves with the pilot in front of the plane and a certificate signed by the pilot. This all takes place at the Aurora Municipal Airport, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Click here for directions.

Visit Woodridge for their annual Woodridge Indian Summer Festival! It takes place at Castaldo Park, 3024 71st Street in Woodridge, from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Activities include Build Your Own Scarecrow (bring your own old clothes to use, and they'll provide the hay), ISF Guess Game, Miniature Golf, Pony Rides, Pumpkin Buckets, Pumpkin Moon Jump, Trackless Train Ride, Floating Frog Fun, kids' crafts, and a magic show.  

The newly restored Churchill Schoolhouse in Elmhurst is hosting an open house from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. There will be tours of the school house, musical entertainment, historical characters wandering around, and light refreshments. The schoolhouse is located at 3N784 Church Road in Bensenville.

 

Have a great week, everyone!

I'm even "on the go" on the Internet! Look at all the places you can find me!

 

I'm a little late on the draw, but this is the first time I've gotten to use the computer today, and I wanted to try out a meme and a blog carnival. The meme is called Five Question Friday, and it involves answering five questions that the blogger submits each week.

 Here are my answers for this week!

1. What is the first nightmare you remember?* I was so little, I still slept in a crib. I used to have a nightmare about a strange lady who came in and lifted me out of my crib. She never hurt me or anything, but she would do creepy things like hold me up and make me touch the ceiling, which I was afraid of because it looked dirty and spidery to me. How weird, right?

 * 2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch? *Baseball, because my dad is a raving White Sox fan. It doesn't really hold my personal attention, but when they win I am happy for my dad's sake! *

 3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be? Hats. I love hats, but because of my strangely shaped head, I think they look weird on me.

 4. Did you make good grades in school? In early elementary school I did, but after fifth grade, my ADHD started catching up to me, and I started failing!

5. What magazines do you subscribe to? Parents and Parenting for myself, because I got the subscriptions for free. And I recently signed up for ZooBooks for Little Bear, Rafael and Pufferfish, because they love animals.

If you want to try this meme for yourself, just click the picture below!

 Next, the carnival is called Follow Me Friday. Its all about discovering and "following" new blogs. If you have a blog and you'd like to participate,  just click on the Follow Me Friday link above and follow the directions! 

Place: Villa Roosevelt Park

Location: 14th and Luther, in Lombard (a few blocks west of Stevenson Elementary School)

Type of place: playground

Secret: This oldschool playground is not for people who want their kids wrapped in bubble wrap! The equipment here is similar to what many of us grew up playing on. Its not quite as ubersafe as the playgrounds we're used to now... but for adventurous kids, its a ton of fun!

Appropriate ages: Four and up, with supervision.

Cost: Free!

Little Bear, Pufferfish, Rafael and I are always on the lookout for new and exciting playgrounds for them to burn energy on! We've passed Villa Roosevelt a few times, and it seemed like a very small, older playground, compared to some of the big, bright, new ones we've been to! But the kids really wanted to try it out. And they loved it! Even though it is smaller, it has some classic playground equipment that they're not really used to. For example, here are the kids playing on an old-fashioned teetertotter... and its not the new kind that barely bounces at all! This is the kind that, when I was a kid, it was possible to break your friend's neck with by jumping off of your end when your friend was up in the air, causing his end to slam him down on the ground! Luckily, someone has installed tires underneath this teeter totter, to at least somewhat soften the blow if kids discover that trick. Even more luckily, Rafael and Little Bear did not discover that trick! They are about the same size, so the teeter totter worked perfectly for them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, the kids discovered this merry-go-round! These have been removed from most playgrounds because of the possibility of children jumping or falling from it while its spinning at a high speed, and possibly breaking their necks. But wasn't that part of the fun when we were kids? Little Bear, Rafael and Pufferfish enjoyed it. Of course, Little Bear fell off of it once. Actually, she was laying down on it, with her feet sticking over the edge, as Rafael spun it, and she sort of got sucked off of it by the forces of gravity. She thought it was funny, though! Look how much fun they're having!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not quite as dangerous but lots of fun were these monkeybars. Both sets of bars were a little taller than the kids were used to, and they could have possibly fallen off and broken their necks. But they didn't. Monkey bars are perfect for keeping my little monkeys moving!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, a nice, tall, fast, metal slide! Pufferfish has been climbing the tallest slides she could find since she was first able to walk, so she saw no problem with shooting off of this one. 

 

 

The moral of this story is, don't you at least sort of miss the mildly dangerous but crazy fun playgrounds we had when we were kids? A lot of things in life are mildly dangerous. But we can't protect kids from everything. Sometimes it is good to just take a deep breath, and let them be kids. And this old-fashioned playground is a nice place to do that! While you're there, you might want to try out the playground equipment yourself, and show the little ones how its done. the teeter totter didn't work so well for me, since I outweigh the kids by quite a bit, but I had a lot of fun letting them try to spin me on the merry go round!

Go have fun, everyone!  

Want to follow me? Click here!

I've Been Adopted!

Thanks for your help!

 

Well, the Internet is working again at our house... just in time to bring you a brand new Dog Of The Week! Today's dog is a special one hand-picked by Little Bear herself. She went with me on Sunday to volunteer at Almost Home Foundation's adoptathon, and she fell in love with this beautiful pitbull named Parma.

A lot of people think that pitbulls are mean, scary dogs who will attack at any given time. But Little Bear has never heard that story, so she doesn't have any fear of big dogs. She loves them all! What Little Bear also didn't know is that the pitbull breed gets a bad rap because of a handful of pitbulls who were either trained to be mean, or not trained correctly. This is similar to how, if you have a child and then constantly beat him and verbally abuse him, or else just ignore him and leave him to his own devices. he will turn out much different than if you had lovingly raised him and taught him the rules of society.

Parma is a good example of a pitbull that doesn't have a mean bone in her body! To believe it, you'd have to see this four-year-old doggie being carried like a baby in the arms of her foster mother, a big smile on her face. You'd have to see her being gently playful with a nine-year-old Petsmart visitor, or accepting a huge hug from Little Bear. (Well, I can show you that one!)

 

Having a pitbull is a big responsibility. To read more about adopting and caring for pitbulls, check out this page, PitBullLovers.com. If you feel like you're ready to meet a gentle, strong, loving dog, come meet Parma! Call the Almost Home Foundation at 1-630-582-3738, or email them at dogs@almosthomefoundation.org.

If Parma isn't your ideal pet, Droid, Ozzy, Smidge and Bermuda are still waiting for homes! But the good news is that Treasure has been adopted!

To try to attract attention at the adoptathon yesterday, Bermuda put on a pumpkin costume! But she's so skinny, a lot of people mistaked her for a carrot or corn on the cob!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm even on the go on the Internet! Click to see the sites you can follow me on!

Sorry I missed all of last week! The Internet is down in my house, and its been hard to get places to use it! Should be fine now though... and here are the events for the week!  

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

Nothing much happening on Monday, apparently. :(

 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

The Helen Plum Library in Lombard is hosting a popcorn party from `10:00 an to 11:00 am! There will be stories, songs, and crafts involving popcorn, and some popcorn to eat, too! THis is a drop-in program, so no registration is necessary, and everyone is welcome.

The DuPage Women's Fair will be at Yorktown Mall, at Highland and Butterfield Roads in Lombard, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. There will be free health assessments, drawings, speakers, and more. The Picture People will be hosting rock'n'roll themed crafts and activities as well.

Story Time at Pottery Barn Kids in Oakbrook Mall, 11:00 am. Kids who attend five times get a special gift! Kids can also play in the store before and after the story time.

Drop by the Bloomingdale Library from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, where teen volunteers will teach children how to make puppet out of recycled materials!

 

 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble, 10:00 am.

Excel Gymnastics Jr. Open Gym at Excel Gymnastics in Batavia, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. $5.00 per child.

Story time at Oakbrook Terrace Barnes and Noble at 11:00 am.

Yorktown Farmer's Market is the happening place to be, every Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In addition to fresh produce and bakery goods being sold, there will be weekly activities and free samples! This is outside the Shops On Butterfield, by Yorktown Mall, at Highland and Butterfield in Lombard. Today, staff members from the Shedd Aquarium will be there doing activities with kids!

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheaton. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

 

 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

Got a baby or toddler in a stroller? Meet other caregivers and babies at Cantigny, at 9:30 am, for a short tour of the gardens. A volunteer will lead it, and the tour will be different each month. Meet at the Visitor Center if you'd like to participate! The program is free, but Cantigny has a $5.00 parking fee.

Story time at Land Of Nod in Oakbrook Mall, at 11:00 am.

Its time for Taste Of Downers Grove! It takes place from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at 2001 Butterfield Rd in Downers Grove. There will be menu selections from various restaurants around DuPage. There will also be entertainment and children's activities!

 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

Open Gym And Moon Jump Friday at Gymnasti in Carol Stream, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. $5.00 per child.

Horse-drawn hayrides will be given from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm at Danada Equestrian Center,  3S507 Naperville Rd in Wheatpn. Rides are 30 minutes long. The cost is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids under 12, and FREE for kids under five years old.

Its Family Night at the Indian Boundary YMCA, 711 59th St in Downers Grove, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. There will be a preschool open gym, a Sportwall, and fun special activities for all ages. The cost is $15 per nonmember family.  

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble, 7:00 pm.

 

 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

Story time at the Oak Brook Borders at 2:00 pm.

Everyone needs to know how to be safe! Come to Passport To Safety Day, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, at the Downers Grove Park District Recreation Center, 4500 Belmont Rd in Downers Grove. Kids will move from station to station, learning how to stay safe in different situations. They will collect stamps on their "passports" as they go!

The weather is perfect for spending time outdoors! Head to Lyman Woods, 901 31st St in Downers Grove, for Great Outdoor Adventure Day! There will be lots of nature-based activities, including orienteering and Family Challenges. The event is free and takes place from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Ever wonder what life was like for families in DuPage a hundred years ago? Experience it for yourself at Lisle Depot Days! The event takes place today and tomorrow, at 921 School St in Lisle. There are too many activities going on there for me to include here, but a carriage parade, pie eating contest, children's activities, tug-o-war, and pioneer craft demontrations are just a few of the things you'll find.

Employees from Shedd Aquarium will be at Yorktown Mall, at Highland Ave and Butterfield, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, doing free activities with children!

 

 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Ever wonder what life was like for families in DuPage a hundred years ago? Experience it for yourself at Lisle Depot Days! The event takes place today and tomorrow, at 921 School St in Lisle. There are too many activities going on there for me to include here, but a carriage parade, pie eating contest, children's activities,tug-o-war, and pioneer craft demontrations are just a few of the things you'll find. There will also be a petting zoo on Sunday only!

Have a great week, everyone!

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I've Been Adopted!

Thanks for your help!

Hi everyone! Now its time for Dog Of The Week, the feature of this blog where I introduce you to an Almost Home Foundation dog who needs a home. This week, I got to meet Smidge, a sweet little Boston Terrier and chihuahua mix.

Smidge is about a year and a half old. She came to Almost Home Foundation from a high kill shelter in Kentucky, where she was days away from being euthanized. It makes me wonder, who didn't want to keep this adorable doggie?

When I first met Smidge at the adoption show on Saturday, she was shaking like crazy, because she was terrified of all the large dogs there who were barking. I could hardly hold onto her, she was shaking so much! After a while, though, she settled down a little and acted more like the lap pup she is.

I'm told that little Smidge is housebroken and crate trained. She's good with other dogs, cats, and even birds! She's actually been chased around by some of the birds in her foster home. She loves children, too!

Smidge would like to have a safe home with a family who will love her forever. She'd also like it if there are no big dogs there to frighten her... although if you feel like your large dog is particularly docile and gentle with smaller animals, it might be worth asking about. 

The people who adopt Smidge will need to be ready for her to cry and act a little odd for the first day or two. She gets very attached to whoever she lives with, and she'll probably miss her foster parents. But very soon, you'll be the object of her affections, and she'll be loyal to you forever!

If you're interested  in meeting Smidge, look at her profile, and then contact the Almost Home Foundation at 1-630-582-3738, or email them at dogs@almosthomefoundation.org .

After all, who could resist this face?

By the way, Ozzy, Bermuda, Treasure, and Droid are all still in need of homes!

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Place: Kline Creek Farm

Location: 1N600 County Farm Road in West Chicago.

Type of place: Living history farm

Secret: This is a nice, quiet, peaceful place to spend some time looking at animals... sort of an alternative to Cosley Zoo. If your kids are little, skip the tour of the house, though... its really hot in there, and they can't touch anything!

Appropriate ages: Any!

Cost: Free!

I've actually been to Kline Creek Farm one other time before this. Earlier in the summer, I took the kids, plus Monkeyboy, there for one of the summer chore events. Unfortunately, it was about the hottest day of the year when we were there, the mosquitos were out in full force, and the kids were all miserable!

I decided to try it again on a cooler day last week, this time just with Pufferfish. We had a very nice time! There weren't many people there, so it was quiet and peaceful as we roamed around and looked at the animals. The smell of wood and hay was everywhere, making us (or me, at least) feel like we really belonged on the farm. SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST TO VIEW A SLIDE SHOW OF PICTURES FROM KLINE CREEK!

There were chickens, horses, cows, and sheep. We spent some time looking at each one of them. It seems that farm animals mostly stand around and eat!

  Truth be told, Pufferfish's favorite part was going to the little, old-fashioned store, where there was a dollhouse to play with, and where I let her pick out old fashioned candy sticks (kind of like flavored candy canes without the curvy part on top) for herself and the older kids. She loved picking them out, and they only cost thirty-five cents! I bought myself a sarsaparilla. (What is sarsaparilla? It is one of the roots used in authentic root beer drinks. The difference is basically that sarsaparilla is made only from sarsaparilla root, and root beer is made from sarsaparilla plus other roots such as such as cinnamon, clove, licorice, and vanilla. The sarsaparilla at Kline Creek ie the real thing, made from pure cane sugar!)

A great time to experience Kline Creek Farm would be this coming weekend, September 4 and 5. Kline Creek is having an old-fashioned country fair. There will be races and games that you can win ribbons at, a Tent Of Wonders, a scalp reader, a flea circus, and more. I'm planning on taking Little Bear and Pufferfish!

I'm glad we discovered Kline Creek. Pufferfish and I loved spending time on a farm!

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Place: Tong's Tiki Hut

Location: 100 East Roosevelt Road, Villa Park. (On the north side of the street, in the same shopping plaza as Outback Steak House.)

Type of place: Chinese restaurant

Secret: Go on a weekday night. Its quiet, the server is very attentive, and the service is fast! Also, there won't be many people to get angry if your little one gets cranky.

Appropriate ages: Toddler and up. (People who eat solid foods!)

Cost: $9 to $15 per entre.

Are you tired of "going out to dinner" meaning going to McDonalds or Chuck E Cheese? Would you enjoy exposing your kids to a real dining out experience, and introducing them to ethnic foods? Tong's Tiki Hut would be a nice place to start. I went there last night with Jimmy, Diana, Little Bear, Pufferfish, and Monkeyboy. While this is not a restaurant most people would normally put in the "family-friendly" category, it worked very well for us! As you know, Little Bear and Pufferfish are 7 and 3, and they're very active kids who have a hard time sitting still for long, so bringing them here was the ultimate test of family-friendliness.

Here's what we experienced. When we first walked in, the kids were delighted by the Hawaiian decorations. There were interesting things, everywhere we looked! A crab in a net hung over our table, birds hovered in the air, tiki torches and totem poles were everywhere, colorful lanterns dangled from the ceiling, etc. It was enchanting! The kids all looked around, exclaiming things like, "Whoa!" and "Cool!"

The server greeted us with a smile and immediately led us to a table. The restaurant was practically empty, with only one or two other groups eating, so it was nice and quiet, except for the sound of Hawaiian music playing. (The CD skipped a lot, which somehow just made the place more charming...) While we waited for food, we had fun reading the menus that showed which animals we were born under. Me and Little Bear are sheep!

This restaurant does not have a kids' menu, but it wasn't hard to figure out things that even the younger kids could eat. We adults ordered full meals (a full meal costs $2.95 more than just an entre, and comes with egg rolls and soup)  and we poured some of our soup into the tea cups on our table, so that the little kids could try portions of it. They liked the rice soup better than the egg drop soup. (I love egg drop soup, though, and loved it even as a kid!) The little ones loved dipping their egg rolls into sweet and sour sauce, and they also loved sharing an order of sweet and sour chicken. They had fun trying to eat with chop sticks. We used this easy way to make regular chopsticks more kid-friendly! Actually, anyone who has trouble using chopsticks could try this method to start out.

For drinks, the kids ordered virgin pina coladas, which came in cool tiki cups that had faces.

If you order a full meal, you get ice cream at the end. Jimmy, Monkeyboy and I had ordered full meals, so Jimmy and I gave our ice cream to the little girls, which they liked very much. They also got a kick out of the fortune cookies!

Finally, we left, everyone full and happy. Little Bear said Tong's Tiki Hut was her new favorite restaurant!

So, if you want to include your kids in a unique and fun dining experience,  Tong's is a great place to visit.

By the way... I noticed that, ever since I moved to ChicagoNow, nobody has been commenting on my posts. I realized that many of you may not be commenting because you don't want to have to create your own ChicagoNow account. So, for those of you who don't want to make your own account, you can use this comment box instead! But please include your blog url so I can find you. Thanks!

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Sometimes it bothers me that this blog is kind of impersonal. I mean, you get to see things that the kids and I do, and the places we go... but I miss the feeling of community, of really getting to know each other... that I often have with my other, non-topical blogs. So, I'm going to start tossing in some memes! This way, I hope to get to know some of my readers, and to let you get to know me better, as well!

This is my first week of participating in Sunday Stealing. The purpose of this meme is that the writers of the meme steal a different meme from someone else each week. This week, the meme comes from a blog called Eternal Fireworks,  written by a group of high schoolers. Its called The Majorly Personal Meme. If you'd like to participate, just copy the questions to your own blog, change the answers to your own, add a link to Stealing Sunday, and then go back to Stealing Sunday to leave your link in their Mr. Linky form.

Ready? Here it goes!

21. If you were to live your life without your best friend, what would change? Most of my life would change! I live with my best friend, so without her, I would not be living with her or taking care of the kids. I'd also be really lonely! I have Aspergers Syndrome, and often Diana is like my translator between me and the rest of the world.

22. Tell us about a era of your life that you really miss. Last summer when everyone was still friends, and we used to have crazy parties every weekend, where everyone would end up sleeping over at one house or another, sometimes for days.

23. Have you ever been betrayed by someone that came as a complete surprise? Without revealing the person, if yes, tell us about it. Someone I loved and trusted got so angry at me for a minor infraction, she just totally turned her back on me, decided I was "out of the family," and even campaigned to get me kicked out of my house!

24. Do you ever think that is a good idea to hide your feelings? I hide my feelings all the time from the kids. If I am sad, upset, or angry at things that have nothing to do with them, I try to act like everything is fine. If I'm sad about something they did, I tell them, or if its something very small, I will tell them because it could be a learning experience for them. But if I'm having personal issues, I have to try hard to act happy!

25. Tell us about your favorite year when you were a student. My junior year of high school was fun. I become friends with one of the "cool" kids, and it was a genuine friendship... she liked me for who I was. We had so much fun goofing around in gym class and at lunch. She introduced me to other kids she hung out with, and for the first time, I sort of belonged... although I was still on the very margins of her circle of friends.

25. When was the last time you were in a very good mood? What caused it? This morning I was in a very good mood when I was volunteering at Almost Home Foundation. The dogs are sweet and beautiful, and it is nice to be around people who feel the same way as I do about animals!

26. Have you ever had a romantic relationship with a sibling of a good friend? Actually, no. Sorry... boring answer! 

27. Tell us about the last thing that you did that you truly regret. I regret not stopping at the store to buy Dr. Pepper on my way home today. I'm so thirsty!

28. When did you laugh today? I laughed while I was volunteering, because Bermuda (a dog I was working with) kept obsessively sniffing another dog's butt!

29. Do you trust easily? Yeah. Too easily!

30. What do you care about that you wish more people would? Animals. When you get a pet, its a little like having a child. You shouldn't get a pet because you want it to do things for you... entertain your kids, etc. Because the pet is a living thing, too, and has its own needs. A pet will sometimes be inconvenient for you. It will make noise and make messes, just like a kid. It will not sit quietly in a corner when you don't feel like dealing with it, any more than a kid will. If you get a pet, it should be because you truly love pets and want the companionship.

31. Is it easier for you to go without food or go without sleep? Food! If I go without sleep, I start hallucinating!

32. What non-alcohol beverage do you enjoy drinking the most? Dr. Pepper!

33. When you walk into a room full of strangers, generally how is your confidence? Bad. I have Aspergers Syndrome and ADHD, so my people skills aren't that great.

34. Does talking about sex with anyone but your lover make you uncomfortable? I am not comfortable talking about that with you.

35. Do you tend to believe members of the opposite sex mostly behave the same way? In some ways, yes! But not all people. There are always certain groups of people that try to act similar to each other, or act in ways they think they are supposed to act.

 

36. Did you drink any alcohol this week? If yes, what? Sherry.

37. Would yo ever consider being a vegetarian? I was a vegetarian for about two years. I went back to eating meat because, living with others and not making my own meals, it is hard to avoid meat. But when I make my own food, I still avoid meat.

38. Do you believe that there's always room in your heart for someone? Definitely!

39. Do you believe in the concept of soul mates? Yes, but I'm not sure its always a romantic thing. Your soulmate doesn't have to be a person, near your own age, of the opposite sex. It could be a close friend, a relative, a child, a senior citizen, etc. I once heard that every person has a human soulmate, a plant soulmate, and an animal soulmate.

40. Last week, we had a few players criticize our victim's questions. Which is fine to do and we value your opinion. Would you ever consider writing questions for Bud and me to post on a Sunday Stealing? I dunno! Maybe, if I think of good ones!

So, thats the end of the meme! I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe you'll participate with your own blog!

  

 

 

By the way... I noticed that, ever since I moved to ChicagoNow, nobody has been commenting on my posts. I realized that many of you may not be commenting because you don't want to have to create your own ChicagoNow account. So, for those of you who don't want to make your own account, you can use this comment box instead! But please include your blog url so I can find you. Thanks!

I've Been Adopted!

Thanks for your help!

 

 

The Almost Home Foundation dog for this week is a very special boy named Ozzy! Today was the first adoption show he attended, and he won everyone's hearts.

 Ozzy's story started out happy, then turned sad... and is now on its way to being happier again! The four-year-old pointer mix was never abused, was never a stray, and never spent time in a high-kill shelter. He was part of a loving family that included another dog, a yellow lab. People who meet Ozzy can tell he was loved and cared for, because he is so sweet and gentle, and even knows some tricks!

But the economy took its' toll on Ozzy's family. Their house was forclosed on, and they had to move out. They didn't have a place where they could bring their dogs. Intending to keep the dogs, the family left them at the house after they moved out, and would sneak in twice a day to take care of the dogs. At some point the family made the difficult choice to surrender the dogs, and that is how they came to Almost Home.

It must be so confusing to Ozzy, to have lost his home and his family! But the big sweetie takes it all in stride. If you pet him, he'll lean all of his 65 pounds against you, enjoying every minute of your attention. Scratch his rear end, and he'll be your best friend forever! Sit down on the floor, and he'll come give you a kiss... and he might even try to sit on your lap!

Ozzy is housebroken, crate trained, and good with everyone! He loves other dogs, and will wag his  tail with joy when he comes across one! He was raised with a cat, so he is fine with cats too. He knows how to sit, lay down, and come. He's such a gentle boy. He also loves to play, and likes to go on walks! Ozzy will love you, whoever you are... but he'd especially enjoy living with someone who could play with him and take him on walks. (Don't worry... he loves to cuddle, too!)  

If you would like to meet this gorgeous big guy, contact the Almost Home Foundation at (847) 437-7657, or email them.

By the way, Bermuda, Treasure and Droid are still looking for homes!

By the way... I noticed that, ever since I moved to ChicagoNow, nobody has been commenting on my posts. I realized that many of you may not be commenting because you don't want to have to create your own ChicagoNow account. So, for those of you who don't want to make your own account, you can use this comment box instead! But please include your blog url so I can find you. Thanks!

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