We had a pretty crazy weekend. I'm glad I have today and tomorrow off the paying job to recover!
Saturday, we went to a former coworker/friend of Tim's wedding. It was at a country club up north a ways. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was inside! Made me a little sad that I left my camera at home. The wedding itself was sort of eh. I didn't know anyone and I always feel kind of stupid in those situations. While I did enjoy talking to some of the people at the table, Tim's current coworker and wife who were seated with us basically froze us out for whatever reason which added to my discomfort level.
The meal was great as was the music. After dinner and dancing together to a few songs, we ended up leaving. Our son stayed the night at his grandparents. By the time we got back down south, it was past his bedtime and I didn't like the idea of waking him up to take him home, so we enjoyed the rest of the evening together watching some documentary on South Park and eating clearance Christmas candy.
Yesterday was a challenge! Tim worked a 12 1/2 hour shift which meant overtime in the mommy department for me. Honestly, I have to give major credit to stay-at-home moms. While part of me wouldn't mind working outside the home less, I don't think I could give it up completely. This past week off work with Tim working has further convinced me of this!
Tim got John around 11 am and left shortly after that. We went upstairs and watched some Thomas while I cleaned/relaxed. Then, we packed it up and went to the library to return some movies. We ended up playing with the puzzles, picking up a few new Thomas shows and watching the newts. John was pretty good about leaving, especially after last time when he threw an epic fit.
We then stopped briefly at my mom's where we had an early supper. Then, it was back home again for some more relaxing/cleaning/playing until we had to get ready for 6 PM Mass.
My key for going to Mass is to get there early, find a small pew so we don't disturb others and leave late (it's easier to have a toddler screaming about getting his coat on when it's over and not as many people are there). I had thought about going to 10 AM by myself and couldn't go to 11:30 since Tim had to leave for work. So, we ended up at our back up Mass at our back up parish. I sure wish that our parish did a Sunday evening Mass, but it really was a good experience for us.
John cried first when I changed his pants and then again when I shut everything off. I ended up calming him down with a glass of milk which he carried with him for the next half hour but which also brought serenity to our home. I packed his bag and him up in the car and took off. The parking lot was nearly empty and we managed to get a great spot. We came in and settled down.
John had decided that it was his job to greet each and every person walking pass our pew. Since we were in the back near the door, that was an awful lot of people. I was kind of amazed at how many people actually responded back to his enthusiastic Hi! He kept doing this and I was getting a bit embarrassed as he did this to everyone arriving late as well. It's always hard walking in late and I didn't want him to call attention to it.
He also decided it was his job to flirt with the elderly lady behind us for most of the duration of Mass. He certainly is a charmer. He managed to be fairly well behaved and I actually walked away remembering some of the messages in the Gospel and Homily. This is a rarity when attending Mass alone with John.
Towards the end, he became rather anxious when he realized that there were no kneelers. The horror! I managed to calm him down long enough to receive communion without his screams echoing through the church. He was sort of calm after that, but then did not want to go home. He pulled his hat off a few times before I chucked it into my own pocket and bundled him up in his coat. We got back into the car and I was surprised to find that it was only 6:48 when the Mass started at 6:00!
As well behaved as John was, I'm looking forward to going to Mass as a family next week. I always feel incomplete without my Tim besides me. Plus, he makes going to church with a two year old SO much easier!
Well, somehow, John fell asleep on the way home. I held him for awhile but when he wouldn't wake up, I put him down. He managed to sleep until pass 7 AM this morning! I took it upon myself to clean up majorly. Between cleaning and lugging laundry upstairs last night along with kneeling on a hard ground at church, I sure am sore this morning. Thank goodness for the New Year's holidays!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
It's Christmas!
Tim and I both are blessed to have a lot of family. As much as we enjoy it, Christmas is rather overwhelming. We are lucky that Tim's dad's family gets together on a weekend rather than Christmas and unfortunately, my dad's side doesn't get together. Even with that, we ended up visiting four (five for Tim and John) in two days!
Tim and John started the day early. Luckily, Tim worked super hard the day before (and into the morning of the 24th) and was able to take the day off work. He took John to see his grandpa and grandma. His immediate family usually gathers with them in the evening, but so does my mother's family, so Tim stopped by with some gifts. He visited for awhile and I was able to get the last of my wrapping done and dropped gifts off at my mom's so I didn't have to in the morning.
When they got home, I told John that Santa had made a special stop. My mom oftentimes made Bill and I and later my sisters new pjs to wear on Christmas Eve night. John's mom won't be doing that, but that doesn't mean I can't keep the tradition of snazzy new pjs alive. Since we planned on putting his jammies on at my aunt's, I let him open them before we left.
Finally, we headed over to my Aunt's home. The food had an Hispanic theme this year and we enjoyed homemade tacos, salsa and tamales. It was really nice to visit with my mom's family. My cousin is a few years older than John. Playing with him was a real treat for my son, mostly because it meant new toys to play with. However, John decided all he wanted to do after awhile was to sit on my aunt's step.
I finally got back to sleep for a few hours and we all work up by 9. It took awhile to open gifts. John wanted to stop and look at each one. We pulled out the tripod and got our first ever picture as a family in front of our OWN Christmas tree!
Tim and John started the day early. Luckily, Tim worked super hard the day before (and into the morning of the 24th) and was able to take the day off work. He took John to see his grandpa and grandma. His immediate family usually gathers with them in the evening, but so does my mother's family, so Tim stopped by with some gifts. He visited for awhile and I was able to get the last of my wrapping done and dropped gifts off at my mom's so I didn't have to in the morning.
When they got home, I told John that Santa had made a special stop. My mom oftentimes made Bill and I and later my sisters new pjs to wear on Christmas Eve night. John's mom won't be doing that, but that doesn't mean I can't keep the tradition of snazzy new pjs alive. Since we planned on putting his jammies on at my aunt's, I let him open them before we left.
Finally, we headed over to my Aunt's home. The food had an Hispanic theme this year and we enjoyed homemade tacos, salsa and tamales. It was really nice to visit with my mom's family. My cousin is a few years older than John. Playing with him was a real treat for my son, mostly because it meant new toys to play with. However, John decided all he wanted to do after awhile was to sit on my aunt's step.
Our little guy was getting tired, so we left early to get him to bed. We all got to bed by 11 PM. I ended up waking at 3:30 AM! I am not sure why. Maybe because my internal clock still thinks that is the time one wakes up on Christmas morning. I got to see the most amazing sunrise from my bedroom window and thought, "Now THAT'S Christmas morning!" It was truly an amazing experience.
I finally got back to sleep for a few hours and we all work up by 9. It took awhile to open gifts. John wanted to stop and look at each one. We pulled out the tripod and got our first ever picture as a family in front of our OWN Christmas tree!
We had to get going to Tim's grandmother's house. We enjoyed visiting with his grandma and her twin sister as well as Tim's uncle and his family along with all of Tim's. His grandma treated us to a delicious meal. John was so well behaved and sat on a folding chair like a big guy. Only thing was that he kept stealing food off mine and my mother-in-law's plate. LOL! Tim's grandma lives on a busy street and John loved looking at all the cars passing by through the window. Before we knew it, it was time to get to our next get together!
Next up, my parents'. We wasted no time and dove right into presents (since they were waiting on us!) Our boys really enjoyed all their gifts. My brother's little one was into taking the gifts from John while John was more interested in opening them. So, since they both got mostly the same thing, John would open his gift, G would take it, we'd give him G's gift, he'd open it and keep it. Then they had to play with their toys.
We had some snacks at my mom's. We also enjoyed a few episodes of Curious George, with the adults commenting on the action. Not quite the Die Hard Christmas of last year, but fun none-the-less.
Then, it was off to Tim's parents' to cap the night off with more presents and snacks. I was so tired that I almost fell asleep on poor Tim!
We really were very blessed this Christmas. Not only were we blessed by the presents we received (and boy where there presents!) but by the presence of so many loved ones in our lives.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Santa Love
Christmas as an adult kind of looses its magic. That is, until you have kids of your own. Experiencing the magic of Christmas through the eyes of my nearly two year old has been exciting.
Yesterday, we got together with my father-in-law's family. There were lots of different cousins to play with, a Christmas tree, a train and of course Santa. Watching John's eyes light up, seeing his excitement at the arrival of Santa and him sadly saying, "Bye, bye train," before we left was so special.
Yesterday, we got together with my father-in-law's family. There were lots of different cousins to play with, a Christmas tree, a train and of course Santa. Watching John's eyes light up, seeing his excitement at the arrival of Santa and him sadly saying, "Bye, bye train," before we left was so special.
John really LOVES Santa. He had to be the first on his lap (it does help that he's the youngest). Then he stood right in front of Santa and stared at him while he gave the other kids their gifts. It was pretty dang cute and our "Santa" really got a kick out of it!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Sisters
They say that when you have a child, it's like your heart walk outside your body. However, I kind of feel that pieces of my heart left me and travelled with those I loved long before I gave birth to my son.
When I was seven, my mother had my two sisters. I like to define it as my first taste of the miraculous. After having my brother, my mother was told she'd wouldn't have any more children. I can't imagine being 23 years old and being told that! Of course, I couldn't imagine being a mother at 23, but I digress.
I had prayed so hard that they'd be girls. I'd often question the wiseness of this decision as we shared a room up until I married at nearly 25. However, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way except maybe the sharing the room part! My sisters have greatly enriched my life in ways I could never imagine.
Today, my sister Kelly is graduating with her BSN. Last December, Elyse received her Bachelors. I am really proud of them. Knowing a little bit about obtaining a degree myself while living at home and holding a job, it's damn hard! A lot of people tell you that they grew up by going away to school, and I'm sure they did. However, to manage to complete a degree while doing something outside of school really grows you up pretty quick too.
I am proud of what they both accomplished. I am proud of what my parents have accomplished. Today is a day of celebration and I could not be prouder of Kelly. Plus, think of all the free medical advice!
When I was seven, my mother had my two sisters. I like to define it as my first taste of the miraculous. After having my brother, my mother was told she'd wouldn't have any more children. I can't imagine being 23 years old and being told that! Of course, I couldn't imagine being a mother at 23, but I digress.
I had prayed so hard that they'd be girls. I'd often question the wiseness of this decision as we shared a room up until I married at nearly 25. However, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way except maybe the sharing the room part! My sisters have greatly enriched my life in ways I could never imagine.
Today, my sister Kelly is graduating with her BSN. Last December, Elyse received her Bachelors. I am really proud of them. Knowing a little bit about obtaining a degree myself while living at home and holding a job, it's damn hard! A lot of people tell you that they grew up by going away to school, and I'm sure they did. However, to manage to complete a degree while doing something outside of school really grows you up pretty quick too.
I am proud of what they both accomplished. I am proud of what my parents have accomplished. Today is a day of celebration and I could not be prouder of Kelly. Plus, think of all the free medical advice!
 |
| My sisters graduate from 8th grade. 2002. |
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Sunday with John
I managed to get a lot of things done today. Part of working full time means getting so little time to clean and shop. I try to alternate Sundays between major cleaning and major shopping. Also on Sundays, we go to church. To be honest, since Tim started working on Sundays, it's been increasingly difficult. Sometimes I go at 6 PM, sometimes at 11:30 AM and sometimes, well, it doesn't happen. With Advent starting last week, I am trying to make an effort to go.
I managed to wake up a sleepy Tim just after eight. We both got in our showers before John woke up. We ate breakfast, packed his bag, dressed him and we were off. The weather was quite icky! I felt sorry for our little guy.
We went to our pew and I noticed that there was babysitting. I knew there was sitting, but we never seem to make it to 10 AM (the Mass with the babysitting). Since John spent most of the previous week's Mass being a challenge, we decided to give ourselves a break and let him play. Babysitting is for 15 months to 5, so mostly for those kids at the most challenging ages. I thought a baby was challenging, but babies usually don't want to get up, walk around, chat people up and the like. It was nice to have a break and focus on the Mass. However, I kind of felt like I was missing my right arm the whole time.
Usually, around the Feast of St. Nicholas, there is a homily featuring John the Baptist (usually a deacon or the Father) and Santa Claus. They discuss their perspective roles in Christmas. John, leading the way for Jesus and St. Nicholas discussed his start as a bishop and talked about the virtues of gift giving. It was really nicely done this year and the banter between the two deacons was amusing. (Santa talking about how he is younger than John and getting a few laughs.) It is really one of my favorite homilies of the year. I'm kind of glad John wasn't there because it might have been hard to keep him from Santa.
Surprisingly, we found out that the Men's Club was hosting cookies with Santa. We picked John up, who according to the Babysitting Monitor was very well behaved. We ran into another young couple and their son who is a bit older than John. The two of them shared some cookies, which was cute. Finally, John got to see Santa and liked it. I wonder since he does know the Deacon if he knew who he really was! Okay, he's not even two. LOL!
We really enjoyed the cookies and some juice. Most of all, I liked the treat bags they gave away. It was Happy Birthday Jesus bags with some color books and crayons. Despite Jesus being a blond (Maybe God's a blond?), it was really fitting since all these Christmas books out there tend to be more secular in nature. John colored in them most of the evening!
We stopped and had some sandwiches as I had to go shopping and Tim had to go to work. It's funny how meaningful times like those where we get to have an outing as a family really are. It was over all too soon and we went our separate ways.
First on the agenda was Costco. I have a love/hate relationship with Costco. I try not to go too often because I end up spending more than I'd like. We got diapers, pop, water, apple sauce, chips, some treats for work and a few other small things all for $120. The best part is that John got to see Auntie Kiki twice!
Then, it was off to Walmart, another money pit! We got a few more groceries and some Christmas gifts and called it a day.
We mostly relaxed. I did some chores and made dinner for the two of us. It was really a nice and relaxing evening.
I managed to wake up a sleepy Tim just after eight. We both got in our showers before John woke up. We ate breakfast, packed his bag, dressed him and we were off. The weather was quite icky! I felt sorry for our little guy.
We went to our pew and I noticed that there was babysitting. I knew there was sitting, but we never seem to make it to 10 AM (the Mass with the babysitting). Since John spent most of the previous week's Mass being a challenge, we decided to give ourselves a break and let him play. Babysitting is for 15 months to 5, so mostly for those kids at the most challenging ages. I thought a baby was challenging, but babies usually don't want to get up, walk around, chat people up and the like. It was nice to have a break and focus on the Mass. However, I kind of felt like I was missing my right arm the whole time.
Usually, around the Feast of St. Nicholas, there is a homily featuring John the Baptist (usually a deacon or the Father) and Santa Claus. They discuss their perspective roles in Christmas. John, leading the way for Jesus and St. Nicholas discussed his start as a bishop and talked about the virtues of gift giving. It was really nicely done this year and the banter between the two deacons was amusing. (Santa talking about how he is younger than John and getting a few laughs.) It is really one of my favorite homilies of the year. I'm kind of glad John wasn't there because it might have been hard to keep him from Santa.
Surprisingly, we found out that the Men's Club was hosting cookies with Santa. We picked John up, who according to the Babysitting Monitor was very well behaved. We ran into another young couple and their son who is a bit older than John. The two of them shared some cookies, which was cute. Finally, John got to see Santa and liked it. I wonder since he does know the Deacon if he knew who he really was! Okay, he's not even two. LOL!
We really enjoyed the cookies and some juice. Most of all, I liked the treat bags they gave away. It was Happy Birthday Jesus bags with some color books and crayons. Despite Jesus being a blond (Maybe God's a blond?), it was really fitting since all these Christmas books out there tend to be more secular in nature. John colored in them most of the evening!
We stopped and had some sandwiches as I had to go shopping and Tim had to go to work. It's funny how meaningful times like those where we get to have an outing as a family really are. It was over all too soon and we went our separate ways.
First on the agenda was Costco. I have a love/hate relationship with Costco. I try not to go too often because I end up spending more than I'd like. We got diapers, pop, water, apple sauce, chips, some treats for work and a few other small things all for $120. The best part is that John got to see Auntie Kiki twice!
Then, it was off to Walmart, another money pit! We got a few more groceries and some Christmas gifts and called it a day.
We mostly relaxed. I did some chores and made dinner for the two of us. It was really a nice and relaxing evening.
Cranky Boy and Beautiful Lights
Yesterday was one of those action packed days.
First up, Lunch with Santa at our local park district. I really feel lucky to live in a town like TP where we have so many options to do things with our children. Everything they put on so far has been so well done.
We got seated with a sticker project that I think Tim may have enjoyed more than John. Then, we had a wonderful lunch of chicken, pasta, fruit, Italian sausage, salad and rolls. John LOVED the pasta. He kept placing the noodle on his fork with his hand and then taking the fork up to his mouth! By the time he was done, he had the chair, his pants and his shirt COVERED in red sauce. Thank God for wet wipes.
Soon, Santa came. I'm not quite sure he "gets" the concept of Santa, but he's pretty crazy about the guy. I am also trying to teach him about St. Nick, but all we got to this year were coloring some pages and a stocking with a few small gifts for St. Nicholas Day. We got some cute shots of him with the big guy. Don't mind the roll in my hands. John wouldn't give it up.
First up, Lunch with Santa at our local park district. I really feel lucky to live in a town like TP where we have so many options to do things with our children. Everything they put on so far has been so well done.
We got seated with a sticker project that I think Tim may have enjoyed more than John. Then, we had a wonderful lunch of chicken, pasta, fruit, Italian sausage, salad and rolls. John LOVED the pasta. He kept placing the noodle on his fork with his hand and then taking the fork up to his mouth! By the time he was done, he had the chair, his pants and his shirt COVERED in red sauce. Thank God for wet wipes.
Soon, Santa came. I'm not quite sure he "gets" the concept of Santa, but he's pretty crazy about the guy. I am also trying to teach him about St. Nick, but all we got to this year were coloring some pages and a stocking with a few small gifts for St. Nicholas Day. We got some cute shots of him with the big guy. Don't mind the roll in my hands. John wouldn't give it up.
After Santa, we started playing Santa Bingo. John was the first person to win (well, Tim was). We got a bag of stuff and then the personality shift began. John started hitting Tim with a toy. Then, he got mad and spilled his juice all over on purpose. I tapped his hand and told him that we didn't do things like that and we'd be going home. Do you know how hard it is to make an exit with a child, a camera and all kinds of little things? It's darn right comical. By the time we were done packing up, he was back to sweet boy mode, but we left and told him we were going because of his behavior. It's kind of hard to discipline such a young child. I felt terrible afterwards. But sometimes, you got to do what you got to do.
John was actually pretty good the rest of the day. He just played and we watched some old sitcoms. Tim and I had wanted to take John to Zoo Lights at Brookfield Zoo last year, but we didn't make it. Since John was behaving and well, really, we wanted to go, Tim called up his folks. Tim's mom ended up joining us and we had quite a good time. The extra pair of hands sure did come in handy.
The lights were AMAZING. Unfortunately, our little guy fell asleep! I felt bad he was missing out, but he woke up soon enough. I don't know how he managed to sleep with the cold and the noise!
We mostly just walked around for two hours and looked at all the lights. It really was an awesome experience. We had some fun with photos too though.
Despite the cold, we all had an excellent time. It was nice to spend the evening together with my boys and mother-in-law taking in the lights. It was almost like being in Disney at night. We had a terrific time and capped the evening off with a McDonald's dinner. I wish every Saturday night was quite that magical.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Pearl Harbor
Today is Pearl Harbor day. When I was in eighth grade, my Grandpa Bill gave a talk at my Junior High about his experiences in the Marines during WWII. He later came back and joined a panel of veterans, including one that had been AT Pearl Harbor. That vet talked to me at length about his experiences. I wish I could now remember more about that man and his story.
I've always been interested in history and especially my own family's role in it. Grandpa Bill was at Iwo Jima where he was wounded and he eventually made it to Occupational Japan. His brother was at Guadalcanal. Meanwhile, my other grandpa's Aunt Catherine was a WAC in the Pacific.
I'm lucky to have heard their stories and I wish I recorded things better. They say that a picture is worth a 1000 words, so here they are.
I've always been interested in history and especially my own family's role in it. Grandpa Bill was at Iwo Jima where he was wounded and he eventually made it to Occupational Japan. His brother was at Guadalcanal. Meanwhile, my other grandpa's Aunt Catherine was a WAC in the Pacific.
I'm lucky to have heard their stories and I wish I recorded things better. They say that a picture is worth a 1000 words, so here they are.
This is my Grandpa Jack's Aunt Catherine. She was a nurse and joined with the WAC. The story I remember most from her is when she got so sick with an illness (I think it was malaria) she almost died and how she and her fellow WACs would patrol armed only with heavy flash lights.
The tough guy in the middle is my Grandpa Bill. He dropped out of high school to work on the war effort and later joined the Marines. He fought in the battle of Iwo Jima and still has particles of sand in bedded in his hands! He would tell us how well they were all fed and how they got sick on it with the boat rocking. He'd tell us about being wounded, how he recovered at Pearl Harbor and after recovering, went to Japan as an occupational troop. He'd tell how this Japanese gentleman came up to him and another guard with a sword and how terrified they were that he'd try to use it. He ended up surrendering it to them. I'm so lucky to have this guy in my life.
This is my Uncle Laurel. He was one of the bravest and kindest people I have ever known.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Monday Funday
Ok, I have to admit, I am totally into Christmas this year! I've always been into Christmas, but this is the first Christmas that I've been a mother to a child who grasps some of the concepts of Christmas. We've done a ton of things, especially this weekend, which I will get back to. However, the magic of Bass Pro Shop really ranks up there as one of our best experiences.
Monday night is usually either date night for Tim and I or a family night for the three of us since it's the only night during the week that we are all together. Tim insisted that I get my oil changed, so by the time I got home and we were ready to go, it was almost seven! Santa ends at eight. Guess who decided not to take the Expressway? Ugh!
We got there and thankfully they had extended their Santa hours due to high demand. They only had four passes left by then! We REALLY lucked out.
Everything there seemed so magical. New this year is a carousel. A FREE carousel! Although it made me dizzy, John was enthralled with it! First, he rode a moose. Then, a polar bear. He got pretty angry after not being allowed back on for a THIRD time, but calmed down quickly when the operator, a teenage girl, talked to him! Tim got a fantastic picture of the two of us!
While the boys enjoyed their train time, I snagged some color pages for John and my new nephew. We did our second go round and then John stood and stared at this display for quite awhile.
We then headed out of the Winter Wonderland and explored the store. John loved seeing the tank of live fishes and the waterfall. He wasn't too fond of the stuffed brown bear. Scary! He also wanted to take a turkey cup holder home. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. We ended up getting some candy (they have the BEST saltwater taffy in Illinois) and going.
It's odd how something so small could be so magical for a little one. Seeing Christmas through a child's eyes is really the best!
Monday night is usually either date night for Tim and I or a family night for the three of us since it's the only night during the week that we are all together. Tim insisted that I get my oil changed, so by the time I got home and we were ready to go, it was almost seven! Santa ends at eight. Guess who decided not to take the Expressway? Ugh!
We got there and thankfully they had extended their Santa hours due to high demand. They only had four passes left by then! We REALLY lucked out.
Everything there seemed so magical. New this year is a carousel. A FREE carousel! Although it made me dizzy, John was enthralled with it! First, he rode a moose. Then, a polar bear. He got pretty angry after not being allowed back on for a THIRD time, but calmed down quickly when the operator, a teenage girl, talked to him! Tim got a fantastic picture of the two of us!
Then, we visited the big man in red himself! St. Nick, Santa Claus, Ho Ho, whatever you call him, John enjoys seeing Ho Ho. He had quite an animated conversation with him. Mostly about Ho Ho and Choo Choo.The nice thing is that they give you a free picture and lets you take some of your own. Again, Tim rocked the shot.
Of course, our train obsessed child loved the Lionel train they had displayed. He kept pointing at it and telling us about it while we were in line and we knew we had to stop.
While the boys enjoyed their train time, I snagged some color pages for John and my new nephew. We did our second go round and then John stood and stared at this display for quite awhile.
We then headed out of the Winter Wonderland and explored the store. John loved seeing the tank of live fishes and the waterfall. He wasn't too fond of the stuffed brown bear. Scary! He also wanted to take a turkey cup holder home. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. We ended up getting some candy (they have the BEST saltwater taffy in Illinois) and going.
It's odd how something so small could be so magical for a little one. Seeing Christmas through a child's eyes is really the best!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Memories of Ice Cream Past
For the first five year of my life, we lived in beautiful Oak Lawn. However, the house wasn't so beautiful and my mom wanted to be closer to her parents which has lead me to live in the TP/OP borderlands for the past 26 years (seriously, my parents' house is two houses down from TP and OP is directly behind my building).
One of the things my mom did enjoy about Oak Lawn was a little hole in the wall type of joint called Premo's. While she was pregnant with my brother, she'd throw me in the stroller and walk the mile or so there and order a chili cheese dog and a chocolate shake. She'd share the shake with me. It was then that my love for Premo's ice cream began.
Fast forward to years later and I'm a teen growing up in the OP. My mom never forgot her love affair and was excited when a new location popped up about a mile north of us. This Premo's was more than your hole in the wall however. It had an extremely classy 50s theme complete with the booths and everything.
We'd go there occasionally for their dogs and ice cream, but my most vivid memory is of going there with my Grandma Mary when I was fourteen. We had just gone to see Grandma Mary's mother Grandma Kelly who was in the nursing home and it ended up being the last time I saw her on this side. I don't know what we ate, but that night stood with me. Also, the owner yelled at me for putting my feet on the cute booth. So there's that.
Unfortunately, the OP location went out of business a few years later and we were again without ice cream. It's now a Lovers Lane.
A few years ago, I got pregnant and gave birth at Christ Hospital which is just down the street from this amazing ice cream place. I remember making Tim stop there for ice cream after our birthing class and asking my mom for a chocolate shake as soon as I could eat after giving birth. However, I was so out of it, I forget if I got it or not...
This September, my dad and I found ourselves in Oak Lawn and he treated me to a large soft served cone. I mean, this stuff is the best soft serve ever. And they put those candy eyes on it. I mean, those eyes are like ice cream crack. How could you resist? My dad treated me and it felt oddly familiar. The guy gave me a stack of napkins and my dad quipped, "He must of remembered you from before." Funny Dad.
Recently, I found Premo's on Facebook. Lately, they've been featuring a mouth watering Santa cone. With my son's love of "Ho Ho" and ice cream, and frankly my love for the same, I've been dying to go up there. Another post of theirs about getting a free cone if you sang to them got me up there tonight. I totally chickened out on the singing part, but I ended up getting myself a cone and John a baby cone.
John's verdict: Delicious. Company great! Nothing beats yelling, "Ho, Ho! See! Ho, Ho!" to a scruffy stranger. Well done, John, well done.
One of the things my mom did enjoy about Oak Lawn was a little hole in the wall type of joint called Premo's. While she was pregnant with my brother, she'd throw me in the stroller and walk the mile or so there and order a chili cheese dog and a chocolate shake. She'd share the shake with me. It was then that my love for Premo's ice cream began.
Fast forward to years later and I'm a teen growing up in the OP. My mom never forgot her love affair and was excited when a new location popped up about a mile north of us. This Premo's was more than your hole in the wall however. It had an extremely classy 50s theme complete with the booths and everything.
We'd go there occasionally for their dogs and ice cream, but my most vivid memory is of going there with my Grandma Mary when I was fourteen. We had just gone to see Grandma Mary's mother Grandma Kelly who was in the nursing home and it ended up being the last time I saw her on this side. I don't know what we ate, but that night stood with me. Also, the owner yelled at me for putting my feet on the cute booth. So there's that.
Unfortunately, the OP location went out of business a few years later and we were again without ice cream. It's now a Lovers Lane.
A few years ago, I got pregnant and gave birth at Christ Hospital which is just down the street from this amazing ice cream place. I remember making Tim stop there for ice cream after our birthing class and asking my mom for a chocolate shake as soon as I could eat after giving birth. However, I was so out of it, I forget if I got it or not...
This September, my dad and I found ourselves in Oak Lawn and he treated me to a large soft served cone. I mean, this stuff is the best soft serve ever. And they put those candy eyes on it. I mean, those eyes are like ice cream crack. How could you resist? My dad treated me and it felt oddly familiar. The guy gave me a stack of napkins and my dad quipped, "He must of remembered you from before." Funny Dad.
Recently, I found Premo's on Facebook. Lately, they've been featuring a mouth watering Santa cone. With my son's love of "Ho Ho" and ice cream, and frankly my love for the same, I've been dying to go up there. Another post of theirs about getting a free cone if you sang to them got me up there tonight. I totally chickened out on the singing part, but I ended up getting myself a cone and John a baby cone.
John's verdict: Delicious. Company great! Nothing beats yelling, "Ho, Ho! See! Ho, Ho!" to a scruffy stranger. Well done, John, well done.
I wonder if thirty years down the line John will have his own tale to tell around ice cream.
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