Random Tidbits

I keep a running list about things I want to blog about, and I'm down to a few that aren't post worthy on their own, but if I throw them all together might be good enough. Oh, and I can't find my camera cord, so this is a good filler post.


First, surprisingly baby friendly places around Chicago. We're not afraid to try to take Lily just about anywhere. Fifty percent of the time it's a disaster, but we've discovered a few places along the way that we weren't sure were going to work but did, and in amazing ways: 


1) Yolk, at least the one on Michigan is. I LOVE breakfast food, and they have the best in the city. There is a huge entryway where you can park a stroller, unbundle your child, and then get a table. There are about ten thousand high chairs, so they always have enough. It's kind of loud, in that busy diner sort of way, not a music-thumping club kind of way, so when your kid is loud it's not a big deal. We don't really do the kids menu thing, so I can't write about that, but Lily loves their potatoes and fruit bowls. We go here for breakfast or lunch before heading off to the museums nearby on a fairly regular basis.


2) Goose Island on Clybourn. It's so much more than just a brewpub. Delicious beer, yes. Even more delicious food. For example:
Duck Poutine $15
Slagel Farm duck conft, roasted, shallots, duck demiglace, cheddar curds, pomme frites
Mac’n Cheese $14wild mushrooms, parmesan, bechamel, breadcrumbs, arugula
Pretzels $9Kim & Scott’s Bavarian, Cheddar Jalapeno, stout mustard 
They also have ridiculously good soups and vegetable sides. Not to mention sweet potato fries. And did I mention they have a Sunday brunch? There has been more than one occasion where we were there during inclement weather and just stayed for hours. They put most of the families with small children in the back dining room all together. Lily has fun looking at the other kids, playing peek-a-boo, LOVES to eat some of everything we get from there, and it's just so cozy and pleasant inside. This is probably our favorite place to go after church on Sundays. A little on the pricey side, but soooo good. 


3) The Morton Arboretum. I've written about them before. The Children's Garden, the mazes, the cafeteria, I love it all. You should go. 


Second on my list, oatmeal baths. Lily has developed some 'seasonal eczema' is what the pediatrician called it. Basically her skin is dry and itchy. So we bought some Aveeno oatmeal bath packets. They cost a small fortune! And turn the water this icky grey color. So I decided to make our own oatmeal baths. I bought some old fashioned oats, put them in the food processor until they were pretty fine, then sifted it to get out any large remaining chunks. Last night was the first time we tried the homemade stuff. The water turns a milky color, not grey, and it smells delicious, like oatmeal! It also seemed to work better, she was less itchy over night and less red in the morning. The only hitch is, it seems no matter how much you process it, it doesn't all completely dissolve. Our tub doesn't have a hand held sprayer so I've just been using a small pitcher to rinse Lily's hair from the bath water. I did that this time, and little tiny pieces of oatmeal immediately clung to her hair. I just wasn't thinking. I should have filled the pitcher from the tap, which I then promptly did, except the damage was done. No amount of rinsing was going to get those little itty bitty clumps of outmeal out of her hair. They came out after she was dry, though, so no harm done. I would highly recommend this to anyone. It's literally 1/100th of the cost of the Aveeno stuff, and works better. 


So... this is actually turning out to be a pretty long post with just these two things. Expect another random post in the near future. Have a great weekend!