Sunshine Playlot

Before Elijah was born, I used wonder about the merits

of raising a child in the city. Kid-friendly urban adventures abound, but how could I deprive a curious toddler of his own backyard? I stopped worrying about that. Chicago is teaming with amazing parks. There are the green sprawling types, perfect for watching dogs play fetch. There are the tiny playlots, often tucked away in the neighborhoods and convenient for quick rides down the slide. And then, there everything in between. We are lucky enough to be walking distance from 9 or 10 different playgrounds. Of them all, my favorite is the Sunshine Playlot. The playground equipment is the wood kind I grew up with, and Elijah finds the woodchips endlessly entertaining. There is a sand box too, but I am embarassed to admit that I've yet to introduce Elijah to it. In addition to the regular picnic tables, there is even one of those tables with a checkboard painted on top.

Upon entering the park, one is welcomed by a twirling, yellow brick road painted on the pavement. The big, old trees provide just the right amount of shade, and there are always plenty of leaves to pile up in the fall.

The playlot sits at the far north end of the Lincoln Park. There is a big field on one side and the beautiful North Pond at the other. The park district has been restoring the prairie around the pond, and it is an excellent place to bird watch. Just the other day, we saw 3 kinds of ducks, geese and the first red-winged blackbird of the year. Nestled in tree trunk, we saw some goose eggs too. Apparently they'd been abandoned or brushed over with oil by the park service. The goose population has swelled in the past years and this is one way the park service has been trying to keep the gosling numbers down.

Some kids like to climb and run at the park. Elijah's prefers the sticks and leaves.

Elijah and Auntie (check out the skyline)

Together at the park

Pesach with the family

Passover has always been one of my favorite holidays and this year's seders did not disappoint. On the first night, we headed to Deerfield for Savta's delicious cooking.

Notice that Elijah is not crying

Just this morning, Elijah saw a photo of Hillary Clinton in the newspaper and proclaimed "Doda!!" Am not sure that I see the resemblance, but it was pretty cute.

The Kruss sisters

Sabba is sababa

On the second night of Pesach we headed to Auntie Sandy's house where a good time was had by all. Am not sure what my Dad was laughing about, I think it was something about "Toby"

The Bensinger sisters

The little sisters

The lovely Levines

Elijah was relieved that he didn't have to read the passage with all those funny Rabbi names

Maggie looking cute

Chocolate covered matzo

This is easy. Take 3 plain matzos and break them in half. Line a large baking sheet with wax paper and place the matzos on top. Melt 16 oz of chocolate chips in a double boiler, and use a heat safe spatula to generously smother each matzo in chocolate. Now comes the fun part. You can top the matzot with just about anything. Sprinkles are cute and easy. If you are feeling fancy, try chopped nuts and dried fruit drizzled in white chocolate. Other options include: shredded coconut, sesame seeds, sweet or savory spices, mini M&Ms, colored sugar, mini marshmallows. You get the idea. Place the decorated matzot in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. After the chocolate hardens, you can use a sharp knife to break the matzos in half.

A few tips. The toppings stick best when the chocolate is warm so I usually add the toppings to one piece before smothering the next one with chocolate. If need be, you can reheat the chocolate for subsequent pieces. Also, if you are using larger pieces of dried fruit, you can cut them up with kitchen shears.

Dumpster diving

Am guessing that Lincoln Park lists amongst the top Chicago neighborhoods for dumpster diving. While taking Elijah for a stroll, Amiel and I noted several large boxes sitting beside an overflowing garbage can. Sticking out of one box was a collection of unopened wrapping paper. We figured that anyone who would throw away perfectly nice wrapping paper might toss something else of interest. So we pried open a nearby box and found a framed piece of Dr. Seuss artwork encased in bubble-wrap. It had a Dr. Seuss Art certificate of authenticity on the back and the caption reads, "There's so, so much to read." Rescued from the dumpster, the artwork now graces the wall above Elijah's bookshelf.

Three happy days

Life is good. Thursday, we joined Nicole and darling baby Peter for an outing to the Shedd Aquarium. Elijah enjoyed watching the turtle puppet show and climbing the stairs in the oceanarium. My favorite parts were the sea mammal (aka dolphin) show and the otter exhibit. On our way to the car, there was a mini-down pour of rain and that made the whole experience that much more fun. After arriving home, we switched to dry clothes, had some tea and then had a visit from Elijah's best friend, Jacob.

Jacob drives and Elijah rides shotgun

Is that rain?? I dunno, I think someone left the bath running.

On Friday, we hit a free kids concert in the morning and spent the rest of the day preparing for Shabbat dinner (sake drenched salmon, gingery asparagus, old-school rice casserole and braided challah). I was happy with the food, but the evening's vocal performances were truly memorable. Prior to his bedtime, Elijah started rolling his hands around, prompting a family rendition of Wheels on the Bus. After dinner, the sing-a-long included such favorites as There's a Hole in the Bucket, This Land is Your Land and Leaving on a Jet Plane. I haven't seen my Dad hold a guitar in years and it was quite special.

I should have let the challah bake for a few more minutes, but it still looked pretty.

If you've actually read this far, you deserve a special treat! Here is a video of Elijah, Nicole and Peter at the Oceanarium. As for today... We all went to Shabbat Shalom (adorable) and had breakfast at the city's best IHOP (Grace and Broadway). "An IHOP is an IHOP is an IHOP. Or is it? It seems like everyone who works here went to some special IHOP Academy for customer service." I just love that place.

Springtime in Chicago

Spring is here and we are loving it! Elijah has been especially enjoying our own little front yard. There are plenty of passerbys to smile at, sticks to dig with and rocks to throw. When we weren't outside, we spent the past weekend taking Elijah to his first art exhibition, enjoying Deborah's tasty cooking, visiting with our Minnesota pals Sharon & Bob, going out on a date (thank you for babysitting, Savta!) and playing with Cheryl.

Smiling at Cheryl

Elijah prowls the front yard in his new Tsukihoshi shoes

First signs of spring

Look what I found, Mommy!

Pretty paintings

Stumbled across some gorgeous artwork at the new tea shop down the street. The artist's name is Shayne Labadie. I love the whimsical characters and how she paints on directly onto pieces of wood.

Lovely Sher

Few people know this, but I was married once before. One evening during my junior year at U of I, I invited over some friends to watch the classic noodle western, “Tampopo.” It was on this fateful evening that I met Sher. She arrived at the house with a fondue pot, chocolate and fruit in tow. Needless to say, we hit it off immediately. Senior year I was lucky enough to live with Sher. Ok, so we weren't technically married, but there were times it certainly felt that way. Our relationship was grounded by a shared love of food and we sure ate well that year. I used to wonder if it was possible for me to coexist so happily with anyone else. Thankfully, I met Amiel and now Sher has her own permanent roommate too! A few weeks back, I had the honor of traveling to Arizona for Sher's wedding.

Tim & Sher, looking lovely at their lovely wedding

Last weekend, my two sweeties enjoying breakfast together

Want to see something cute?? Ask Elijah to stick out his tongue.