Bus Line

At 3 PM on Mondays this semester, you can find LM & me at the university speech clinic.  The building is also the lab school. And the entrance to the speech clinic is also the entrance (& exit) to the preschool wing for kiddos with hearing &/or vision loss.  

The preschool serves over 30 school districts in 4+ counties.

As we arrive to enter the speech clinic parking lot, we have to pass the long line of moms in car line, as school is about to be dismissed.  I'm thankful for the little pink parking tag I have that gets me into a coveted parking spot on the university campus! 

We must have been a few minutes early one day, because the bus lane was full!  I saw four school districts represented on the buses that were there at that moment.  

My heart was full of emotion!! I remembered the day BK & I toured that preschool and realized it wouldn't meet his needs. I was overwhelmed (yet again) with thanksgiving that he was able to attend the private preschool for deaf & hard of hearing kiddos.  I prayed that the kiddos going there now will have their needs met.  I remembered sitting in car line at his preschool, and was filled with thankfulness again that my friend drove carpool most days. 

Side note: Whenever I get in our van, and push "Maps," the first option that comes up for me is the gas station 28 miles away where we met for carpool!!  And the second option that comes up is the school he attended 68 miles away starting at 3 1/2 years old!! All these years later, those are still my phone's top two default destinations!

Passing Out Info

Text from a friend:

Our neighbor is asking for some sort of extra curricular for a first grade boy who has special needs. He gets over stimulated easily but needs some socialization. Any thoughts or ideas?

A few clarifying questions & 18 recommendations later ... my friend texted back: 

You. Are. Amazing!!

You should have a job passing out info! 

My reply: 

I just had a conversation with the principal and she said the same thing and asked if she can give my number to parents. Absolutely! I’m happy to help. I know how hard parents want to help their children and yet it seems impossible to even know where to start looking.

And you've done so much leg work. You should be an advocate or liaison for kids!

Yes, it's no surprise that moms of special needs kiddos often become advocates. 

I think this might be part of my answer to the question, "What is my 'running?'"

Related to that link, what is your "running?" What is that thing, which when you do it, you feel His pleasure, and you know, "THIS is why God made me!"

I have a dream and a prayer ~

I have a dream and a prayer … of a Special Ed Christian school in Central Illinois. 

I don’t know how the Lord might answer that prayer, but I’m asking others to pray about what God’s desire is for Central Illinois.

Promise Christian Academy in St. Louis (https://www.promisestl.org/) is a state-of-the-art special ed Christian school that strives to provide an on-ramp for life for individuals with special needs.

Promise began with one person recognizing the need to make a difference for the "sake of our Jesus" and asking others to pray about what God's desire was for the St. Louis area.  This became the first board of Promise. It was seven years later that Promise opened its doors to two students in a half-day program, and the rest is His Story.

 
Will you join me in praying about what God’s desire is for Central Illinois? And/or in sharing this request with others who might want to pray? 

Christmas cards

Each of our first three years of marriage, we handled Christmas cards differently.  One year we sent a photo, one year a card, and one year a letter.  I'm not sure what happened after that.   

Every year we had good intentions.  And most years we purchased photo cards. (And some years we did send photo cards, with or without the letter I wrote, I am not sure - ha!)  And every year that we didn't get cards sent, I would think, "Oh, we'll send New Year's cards!" or "We'll send Valentine's cards this year!" or "This year we'll send Easter cards!" or "This year we'll be early and send Thanksgiving cards!" 

In December 2025, I went through the box of all those photo cards we ordered & did not send over the past decade.  I saved a few from each year of our collection of photo cards (& threw away the rest).  

In 2025, we sent both a photo card and a letter ... before Christmas!

In 2025 ... the photo cards arrived November 25, and I had the bulk of them addressed before Thanksgiving! 

But it wasn't until December 8 that we bought paper. On that day I did a massive assembly line and mailed most of the cards.  The rest were for friends & family whose address had changed since the last time we sent cards.  But, by 4 PM on December 10 they were in the mail ... along with 20 Christmas cards from my mom (sent by me) to various friends & relatives. :) 

We LOVE receiving Christmas cards! Hopefully we are on a new trajectory. And hopefully we won't keep losing addresses of people we hold dear!  If you would like a (belated) 2025 Christmas card & letter from us, & we somehow missed you (or had lost your address), just let me know.

IEP team

I had an IEP meeting this week.  Since attending my first one nine years ago, I estimate I have sat around the conference table at least a dozen times (and at least once on Google Meets), usually with quite a large number of professionals.  

Several meetings I have cried. At a couple meetings I have been on the receiving end of unkind and unprofessional comments. The first meeting was completely botched, and despite BK's diagnosis of hearing loss (which is an automatic IEP), the speech therapist was reticent to find him eligible. (She resorted to using his frequent drooling [as a 2 year old] as one of three supposed reasons she needed.) One meeting was handled very unprofessionally ("the worst one I've ever seen," according to an adjunct faculty member who teaches IEP prep at the university level & was my parent advocate at that meeting). For three meetings I have had parent advocates attend.  Very few meetings have been cut & dry. 

I try my best to look professional.  Well-groomed & well-dressed. Makeup & nails done. And jewelry. Those things don't affect the IEP, but they affect me, and I like to think it helps the team see me as competent. (This special ed advocate agrees.)

My Nozomi necklace (made from broken pottery from the Japanese tsunami). ♥️

The OT was on Google Meets and had another meeting at the same time, so she went first.  I was impressed that she had read the eye doctor's letter with suggested accommodations, and she deferred to the team, but said she agrees with the suggestion of using cursive writing (not just learning it, but incorporating it in schoolwork). Kudos to her!

The educational audiologist had another meeting to go to, so she went next. Her main concern had to do with behaviors in the past. Everyone sitting around the table was aware of them, and we all laughed (now) at the bad memories.  Thank the Lord things have changed, so it's a go for her recommendations. 

Then we got into the nitty-gritty. The team appreciated the fact that I had read all 31 pages of evaluations & suggestions which they had emailed me in advance. I assured them they did not need to read every word out loud in our meeting! 

The rest of the meeting was perfunctory.  And thankfully I was in agreement, and only had a few clarifying questions to ask.  The evaluations in all these areas show x, the suggested goals are y, the recommended accommodations are z, the new primary eligibility is abc, everyone please sign on these three lines.  The ELA teacher left for lunch. 

And then, as we were signing in triplicate, we had conversation.  I see these people more than I go to family reunions! So we chatted. :)

I asked about a different accommodation which we don't currently need but is on my radar. It turns out there is a simple solution which doesn't even involve an IEP. I enjoyed hearing the principal's report of daily interactions with our child. I told of my recent participation in a research project for parents of a child with an IEP. The team was impressed by the research & proposed project. We talked about how every parent is different. Some come in begging for an IEP for their child who does not need one. Others refuse an IEP for their child who needs one.  

I expressed my appreciation for all they do, and mentioned that I feel like I ask a lot. They assured me that I am advocating for my children, and that's my job. Amen! Jim and I are not young, and our children, who face extra challenges, need to be equipped to live in the real world.  May the Lord be pleased to use their FAPE (Free & Appropriate Public Education) to help them thrive to the best of their God-given ability in this life.

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #42

411.  5 year anniversary of the start of LM's speech therapy journey. <3 Thankful for all the speech therapists who have been part of her team! And all the progress she has fought hard for!

412. Very thankful for two professionals in our lives (one for BK & one for LM) who complimented me last week on all I do to advocate for them. I am often weary, so it felt good to be seen.

413. The privilege of scheduling maintenance things like mammograms & oil changes. Ha!

414. Good lab work. (Praise God my body is tolerating the scary meds!)

415. Wise counsel & advisors in tricky situations

416. The discipline of Awana memory verses week after week

417. Libby app + Kindle :)

418. Prayer warriors & seeing God overcome obstacles!

419. Tea with lemon + honey

420. Prednisone - it's how I'm breathing these days!

How our children learned to swim

How did you learn to swim?  I took lessons at summer camp one week. End of story. Then I played in the water every opportunity I had.  In high school, we had to take 3 weeks of swimming, but I placed in the advanced group, and don't remember learning anything new.  (Of course, neither do I remember knowing any of the strokes.) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In March 2018, BK took a series of weekly swim lessons at a local indoor pool.  He wasn't ready to put his head under water, so we didn't sign up for the next session. 

In October & November of 2019 he took two sessions of Nervous Beginner Lessons (2-3 lessons per weekend times two) at a swim school in the city, and was approved to start in a Level 1 weekly class. 

(I have vivid memories of his teachers at the school for children with hearing loss telling me never to let him stop because it was such good sensory input for him.)

Of course, in March the pandemic put an end to that...

Until the end of August 2020, when they resumed with protocols in place.  He continued weekly lessons until May 2023. (I think we took summers off, excerpt for one year.)  Thank you to my friend R for carpooling!!

He was FINISHED with lessons, so I suggested that he do swim team in the summer of 2023.  And that was the ticket!! He FLOURISHED!  He loves the water, has built muscles, and is proud of how much he has accomplished that he didn't know he could do!

In the summers of 2021 & 2022 LM took lessons (3-6 each summer) in someone's backyard pool. It was nerve-wracking, because she just wanted to play, not listen. And the high school instructors, although great swimmers & teachers, had no training in special needs.  

In the summer of 2023, she took 2 weeks (eight 30 minute lessons) at a nearby town's pool. She passed Level 2.  Then she took 2 weeks of Level 3.  Didn't pass. We waited 2 weeks, and then she took another 2 weeks of Level 3.  Didn't pass. She would swim 2-3 strokes, and then stand up, whether she was in 3 feet of water or 10 feet of water.  

But learning to swim was ESSENTIAL for her safety.  In January 2024, she began weekly lessons at the swim school where BK took.  Jim and I made it very clear to the director that we would try it for a few weeks, but we were not going to waste our money or their time, if it were obvious she wasn't ready.  

She FLOURISHED!! Last week she swam the length of the pool.  She is strong, has good form, and is determined!

Stay tuned to find out if she qualifies for summer swim team in 2024! (That's her goal. :) )

Certificate Binder

What to do with all the papers your children bring home?! 

I have to ask myself, "Do I wish my parents had saved any of my kindergarten papers for me?" No.  So, into the trash they go. :)

Each child does have a small keepsake box with some special baby gifts, Awana vest with badges, etc. 

And on the top of our tall bookcase in the living room lives the Certificate Binder.  It's just a 1.5" 3-ring binder filled with sheet protectors.  

It started out when BK's teacher would send home a page of photos from special events at school or field trips.  We have pages with dozens of photos from bowling, a field trip to the University greenhouse, making apple muffins, visiting the apple orchard, and tractor day (both 2018 & 2019 tractor days!).  Attending a Listening & Spoken Language school, each photo page allowed the parents to ask appropriate questions after school so the child could practice using spoken language & new vocabulary. 

We started saving them in sheet protectors in a binder.  

Over time, we added random certificates that came home from school.  And then he started swim lessons and was given a paper to keep each coveted sticker on until he reaches level 10.  

BK graduated from his first school, but the Certificate Binder continues to keep awards from school, the class photo each year, the group photo that comes home from day camp at a local Bible camp, LM's swim certificates each summer, Awana certificates, LM's 1000 Books Before Kindergarten pages, etc. 

Both children delight in looking through the Certificate Binder, whenever I get it down off the tall shelf.  

What do you save for your children? Where do you save it?

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2022 version

Places where I spent one (or more) nights in 2022:

 

*Kingsport, TN

Richmond, KY

in our van along I-75

Madeira Beach, FL

a motel somewhere in south Georgia

* Chicago

* Williams Bay, WI 

* Georgetown, KY

Erlanger, KY 

Lake Geneva, WI

Elkhart, IL 

Harrison, OH

Lexington, KY

and home

(italics - stayed there more than one night)  
(* stayed there on more than one occasion) 

   
2022 travel ...

The first week of January we made the trek home from Tennessee, breaking up the trip with a motel stop.  

In February, we took a 9-day trip to Florida (post here).  

We spent a few days of spring break in Chicago (post here).

Our traditional Memorial Day weekend in Wisconsin turned into a <36 hour trip.  While it was good to get away and be with my people in a different place and at a different pace, it was also exhausting, truth be told.  We marked the start of summer by enjoying a road trip, hiking, healthy meals in restaurants, the beach, the church, "my" coffee shop, and simple fun activities around the kitchen table.  

We broke up our June trip to Tennessee with motel stops both going and coming. There are pros & cons to that plan.  In order to maximize time, we left here Sunday after church, so only made it part way.  On the way home, we left my parents' Saturday morning, spent the afternoon at the Ark Encounter, found a motel (although it was harder than we expected, and the children were afraid we were going to sleep in our van again ...), found a great church Sunday morning in Cincinnati, had a sit-down restaurant meal after church (in Harrison, OH) and then finally made it home Sunday late afternoon. 

Back to WI for a long weekend June 30 - July 3 ... packed with family time, beach time, walking the shore path, riding an electric trolley, eating in the park at a pancake breakfast, eating hot dogs at the beach, enjoying the lovely children's room at the local library for the first time in 3 years, and my morning tea time by the lake (thanks to Jim!).

And back to WI again July 8-10 for family reunion.  Whew!  And again July 21-23.  And again August 11-14 and September 3-5.  That's a lot of packing & unpacking. ;)

Our anniversary getaway was the best yet. (I say that every year!)  Jim found a vacation rental in the middle of nowhere!  So restful!  I made breakfasts (as good as any B&B I think), and we went out for the other meals.  We both read a lot. We talked.  We gazed at the space and pastoral scenes.  We basked in the quiet.  We explored history.  We reviewed the past and dreamed about the future and thanked God for His grace these 12 years of marriage.  

The road trip part of our August trip to Tennessee was the best in years, thanks to two headphones and a stack of Playaways (& Hidden in My Heart Scripture lullabies at the end of the trip when everyone had reached their limit!).  Going, we drove straight through, for the first time in awhile.  Our 4 1/2 days there were filled with doctor appointments, time with cousins, and a special anointing service.  

Our September trip to Tennessee was somber, as we set out less than 24 hours after receiving the news that my dad was in heaven.  We drove straight through both going & coming.  Our five days there were packed with emotion & relatives, and we were sustained by the prayers of the Lord's people. 

No fall family getaway this year, but Jim & I made a quick trip to Chicago for two doctor's appointments while the children had a fun overnight with their grandparents. 

Jim's side was together on Christmas Day 2021, so we spent New Year's 2022 in Tennessee.  So 2022 was our year to spend Christmas Day in Tennessee with my side, bringing our Tennessee trip tally to 5 - five - for 2022 (12/29/2021- 12/29/2022). Whew!

And that wraps up our 2022 travels.  Here's to even more exploring in 2023! 

Where did you go in 2022?  Anywhere new? Any place we should put on our list?


Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2009 version
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2010 version 
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2011 version 
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2012 version
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2013 version  
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2014 version 
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2015 version 
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2016 version
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2017 version
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2018 version   

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2019 version  

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2020 version

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2021 version

Summer daze

Today is the last day of school!

Our June looks to be quite full with VBS, a week of camp, a day of daycamp, weekly speech therapy, 6 swimming lessons, weekly library program, baseball practice & games, and a few medical appointments. 

But on days we need ideas ... and in July ... I have more plans than we can do.  It's the first year I feel proactive.

Daily List:

daily room pickup

brush your teeth

Do you need a bath/shampoo? (Mom gets to answer)

daily play a game

daily work a puzzle

daily chore - Mom's choice

summer BrainQuest workbook

LG - typing practice (summer homework from the school OT) &/or summer math & language arts apps from school

LM - learning activity

30 minutes reading 

20 minutes art

Read aloud 

Devotional book (Exploring the Bible)

Memorize books of Bible with Awana song

Prayer cards

{Screentime, on days we have it, will only be permitted after completing this daily list.}

FUN Ideas or Ideas for bored children:

water play

sidewalk chalk

bike riding

go to park

playdate

cooking

library

work on farm

visit Grandpa & Grandma

do the mile loop - your choice: walk, run, bike, or scooter

practice baseball

write a letter

write a thank you note

learn to tie shoes

learn to swallow pills (practice with sprinkles & then mini M&Ms)

science experiments 

hike 

nature center

Chore ideas:

empty trash

wipe sinks

bring down dirty laundry

take up clean laundry

clean out van

sweep garage

empty dishwasher

wipe light switches & doorknobs

 

What else would you add to this list? :)

 

Next to the last day of school

I heard someone today mention taking "Last Day of School" photos.  That doesn't fit in the category of "survial," so it's not on my agenda... 

On 5/25 (our last day of school) I have my monthly infusion, so I won't be accomplishing any great household tasks. 

On 5/24 (which we'll call "my" last day of school), LM is home recovering from a fever & tummy bug... We worked some puzzles, and then she has gotten to do ABC Mouse & watch Right Now Media.

I have kept moving ... putting things where they belong. How can so many items NOT be where they belong?!?  (And, of course, I have filled a huge garbage bag for the thrift store!)

As my body continues to fight scelroderma and mysositis [Edited: those diagnoses have been ruled out and replaced with morphea and eosinophilic fasciitis], the Lord has provided a one-day-a-week babysitter this summer and now, in answer to prayer, a girl who can clean our house.  But a housecleaner can only do her work if the surfaces are clean.  Ahem!  That is the sticking point in our home.

And I have washed the winter coats.  Hopefully it's not too early for that! :) 

My next goal is to wash the soft-sided fabric lunchbags that were used in the tractor and are waiting, dirty, in the garage, to be used again.  They're not being used now, so if they don't survive the washing machine, it won't be any different.

My afternoon goal is to cut LG's hair (many weeks overdue...) and then take him & the second cousins to their various sports activities, arriving home just in time to put LM to bed.

Off to hydrate! {see part about IVIG tomorrow... need to have good veins}

Sleeping in ... or not

It's 5.30 AM Monday, and I know LM is awake ... She woke up at 12.30 and announced cheerfully at my bedside, "I'm glad to see you!"  And at 4.30, she was there again, and just needed to be tucked in again.  When Prednisone woke me at 5.15, I tried to close her door which was ajar, but she sat up in bed with a smile ready to wake up.  I told her I was just checking on her, and she quickly frowned and said, "I not okay."  :)

...

Now it's 5.50 and I've only had to go back and put her back to bed once. We'll see if she can stay in bed until 6.30.  It could be a long summer!!

When Mom is sick ...

When Mom is sick for 2 weeks and counting (influenza A and the cough that never ends ...), things go downhill. 

I managed to load the dishwasher every couple days.  And we ate somehow. Any energy I had was spent on doctors appointments. (Seriously! Monthly IVIG, monthly labs, sick visit with PCP, sick visit with immunologist.) And a lot of energy I didn't have was spent on arranging childcare for said appointments (it was a puzzle!) and driving to & from.

Antibiotics helped.  And then thanks to an unrelated condition & new lab numbers, my prednisone dosage increased.  So now I feel like I'm re-entering life. 

What am I doing now? Taking lunch to the field.  Paying bills (that were untouched for 2-3 weeks - yikes!).  Holding the children's feet to the fire to do a few chores ... cleaning the living room which was a DISASTER area!  (And then I vacuumed for the first time in probably 3 weeks once the carpet of stuff was off the floor. It was as gross as it sounds.)  Ordering a Walmart grocery order to pickup.  Going to baseball practice. (Sigh!)  Placing a Sam's delivery order for all the paper goods we were out or almost out of (kleenex, t.p., and paper towels).  Thinking about summer, locating materials I have on hand, and ordering a few supplies (both educational & gross motor, i.e. outdoor play).  Gathering the dozens of library books & preparing for a big apologetic trip to the library with fine money in hand... (Sigh!)

Kids' Consignment Store books

I miss three things from LG commuting 65 miles each way to school ... daily interaction with my carpool friend, the amazing education he received, and the shopping I did on days I drove.  One store on my rotation was the kids' consignment store in that city. 

Since then, we have a new kids' consignment store in the city closest to us.  I rarely make it there, but popped in this week.  I found $12 almost new Keen sandals for LG for this summer. Woo-hoo!

And I found books! :) 

Adventures of a South Pole Pig is one I read-aloud from the library last year.  We love it!  And have started re-reading it aloud. <3 

LM has another Muddle & Match book. This one scores higher because there are mermaids and fairies! 

 

 

LG is into graphic novels, so I was excited to find adaptations of classics!  And I'll be looking for others in these series, to request from InterLibrary Loan.

And for pre-literacy practice, we added a few new books to our rotation. 

I love finding deals on books! :)

1000 Gifts, Vol. 6, #55

541.  He is risen!

542.  triumphant Easter music

543.  skilled surgeons and Jim's ER/ OR stay being only 13 hours long (Farewell, kidney stones!)

544.  family time on Easter

545.  our tradition of making Resurrection rolls & LM's shock & awe each time she opened one, "He's alive!"

546.  an afternoon at the "big park" with bikes

547.  our daycare/ swim/ soccer/ Happy Meal carpool with second cousins - it's really beautiful

548.  hot tea as I fight congestion

549.  great speech scores for LG!!

550.  friends & relatives who pray

Braille

It's a rare week when we don't listen to all the free weekly stories on Your Story Hour. 

 

This week while driving to town for an oil change on Friday morning, we listened to a historical fiction episode of Simon of Cyrene.  The story drew us all in, and as the characters were discussing what was happening in Jerusalem, Little Miss asked incredulously, "God be punished? God not be punished!"  What a lead in for a great discussion!

Later in the day, as the kitchen table was covered in play-doh, and I was preparing food for our church potluck, we listened to the story of Louis Braille.  LM stopped her playing, ran over to the bookshelf, and brought back this book. 

She and I had read it months ago, and it made an impression on her, because he disobeyed his dad and played with the tool that caused his blindness. She had asked where our tool like that was. !?!

She brought the book over, and then LG leafed through it and showed us the illustrations for each part of the story we were listening to at that moment.

1000 Gifts, Vol. 6, #54

531.  walking through the Japanese gardens just before the cherry blossoms bloomed

532.  PTO pie fundraiser - yumm!

533.  a wonderful day of testing for LG at his annual testing at the pediatric hearing & speech clinic

534.  running into 3 audiologists, 2 speech therapists, and 2 of his former teachers - I love that place!

535.  happening upon a huge display of economical fidgets at Walmart when I was shopping for Easter baskets

536.  moms to pray with for our school

537.  slow cooker!

538.  Easter week

539.  LM's exuberance ~ about everything!

540.  albuterol & mucinex

Week

It is going to be a week!  And last week was a week, too!

This week is Holy Week.  Oh, for time to meditate.  Listening to "Your Story Hour" stories about the last week before the Resurrection may be how I meditate this year. :) 

Last Sunday Jim was at Prompt Care and came home with steroids, antibiotics, and an inhaler. :(  He is still recovering.

I'm not sure what we did the rest of the week, but it seemed like a lot!  Oh, I had my IVIG on Monday (and my favorite provider prayed for me!!).  And while there, I had a very sobering visit with my rheumatologist.  The upshot of it is that he is referring me to a tertiary care center.  

This week ...

Monday ... annual speech, language & academic testing at the Pediatric Speech & Hearing Clinic for LG, while I visited some of my favorite haunts in that city (15 minutes at a time).  It was a packed schedule, but fun & exhausting.

Tuesday ... injections at the hospital infusion center (for me). 

Tuesday afternoon ... pick up & deliver pies from the PTO sale, attend Kindergarten Roundup, take LG to meet his aunt (3/4 of the way to swim lessons) so she can take him to swim lessons. 

Wednesday ...  morning holds a follow-up dermatology appointment from last summer, and then Awana in the evening. 

Thursday ... monthly labs 20 miles west and then pick up Little Miss from school and take her to speech therapy 20 miles east.

Friday ... oil change in the morning, potluck & Good Friday service in the evening. 

Whew!

How's your week?

1000 Gifts, Vol.6, #53

521.  daffodils coming up in a few yards I pass on the way to town

522.  feathery green leaves on trees in a few places

523.  an alternative road when my backroad to town is closed for construction for the next 5 months!

524.  finding Teavana English Breakfast tea at Marshall's

525.  children playing outdoors

526.  Sunday afternoon family time at the playground

527.  small town pharmacy that delivers to our door

528.  small group that prays

529.  Sunday School teachers that love our kids

530.  spring is coming!

Adventures & Misadventures in Chicago

We took a 2-night, 3-day trip to Chicago during spring break!

First stop: Museum of Science and Industry.  The children enjoyed many parts, but none as much as the Idea Factory, where they could play with water, a crane, pulleys, etc.  My favorite was the U-505 exhibit, even though we reached that exhibit too late in the day to take a tour of the inside. 

From the MSI, we found our VRBO, after navigating the maze that was the VRBO's parking garage, parking garage elevator, building lobby, and building elevator.  Later we walked to Chipotle for supper. 

On the second day, we walked 2-3 blocks to breakfast at a place Jim had researched online.  He had looked at the menu online, but couldn't see any prices.  That was our first clue that it was a lot more than we expected! 

Next we walked to the Field Museum where we spent most of the day, eating lunch while there.  After resting at our VRBO for awhile, we set out to ride the train (!), a new experience for both of our children.

Walking home from the train station at 5 pm, I *finally* got a good cup of hot tea for the day, when we stepped in Starbucks.  :)

For supper, Jim ordered pizza, and we ate in.  The children enjoyed the streaming services & MeTV while Jim went to the CSO to hear Tchaikovsky!

On the third day I walked to Trader Joe's to explore & buy a few things (Ranch seasoning mix, coconut cream, etc.) and then got the largest hot tea I could get at Starbucks. :)  I brought grocery store breakfast back to the VRBO.

We packed up the van (in the parking garage) and then used Uber for the first time and went to the Children's Museum, but were unable to get tickets.  So we walked around Navy Pier, enjoying the fresh air and scenery and a place to run. And ate McDonald's there. :) Little Miss spotted a Starbucks and pointed it out to me, saying, "There's hot tea, Mom. Do you want to get hot tea?" So considerate!

We took a taxi to Shedd Aquarium, where Jim said, "After awhile, the fish all look the same."  Shedd tickets have to be purchased online for timed entry.  Our tickets were on Jim's email on his phone (which had died).  Thankfully he remembered his email password, and I was able to pull it up online on my phone ... or we would have lost a lot of money!  

After the Shedd, it was frigid and our legs were tired, so we Ubered back to our van, and attempted to leave the parking garage.  

We ended up third in a line of 6 vehicles waiting at the unmanned pay station.  The hydraulic gate was broken and would not lift.  Finally a car coming in stopped, and the young man ascertained we needed help.  He acted like it was old hat, as he moved the gate permanently up. 

And, just like that, we were on our way home ... back to a different world.  A world where we don't have religious refugees from Jordan driving our Uber.  A world where we don't share an elevator with others (& their city dogs).  A world where we fall asleep without listening to sirens.  A world where we cannot walk to Starbuck's, Trader Joe's, or the Museum Campus.  A world that is home. <3