All work and no play make for a crabby Yaya

Once in a while I just have to LEAVE. I usually don't go far and I always come back. Well, sometimes I go far, or I did before we were "self-sufficient" AKA having limited funds, but another trip to Ireland is now WAY off but still, short trips are doable.

So we loaded up the kids, slung our backpacks over our shoulder, hopped the rail out of Pontiac and ended up on Michigan Avenue in one of the most wonderful cities in the world. A weekend trip to Chicago and all is well again. Oh, and a big THANK YOU to Amtrak. Four RT tickets only $16 each.

View from the 36th floor of Chicago Marriott Downtown
Very cheap stay thanks to priceline.com.
 Oh how I love Captain Kirk !

My sister Teresa and her kids accompanied us. The math would therefore be five kids and two adults; ooutnumbered for sure. But with Teresa's loving ways and my military -like approach, "You ! Yes You ! Stop going through the revolving doors on your hands and knees and go get your brother off the escalator. MOVE IT, MOVE IT , MOVE IT. !"  We managed to keep all 5 of them out of danger while exposing them to (instead of them being exposed at)  the culture and refinement Chicago is well known for.

Such as : Ed Debevics

At Ed's the waitresses and waiters are experts at  being rude. If you cross them they'll toss a wadded up menu, or stack of straws at you. They'll make fun of your order, or your name or your clothes. They'll interrupt their work to dance nonsensically on the counter tops.

Not that different from meal time here.

After that, a visit to Rain Forrest Cafe. The large robotized critters freaked out the 3 yr old a bit but proved very entertaining to the rest of us.

Saturday evening we walked over to The Lego Store. Lots of things to see and do for free if you stand  strong to the requests for a life size (PLUS) Lego version of Andy.

All those Lego's. Amazing partner.

Sunday we stormed the Museum of Science and Industry. $45 for the four of us to entre' vous and worth every dime. We saw only half of the exhibits but came away exhausted and a bit further smarticated. The kids learned about tornadoes, tidal waves, color refracting, robotics etc...The highlight for me was taking my GK's through the coal mine. The same old coal mine my father took me through in the late  60's, the same one I took my kids through in the late 80's and early 90's. Holding Wesley on my lap in the rickety coal train car as it bumped along the tracks in the pitch black with his little hands holding tight to my face for security . (Yeah, he likes to hold faces when he is scared. What to make something of it ? Do you huh, do ya ?) Made me think of my own dad's big arms wrapped around me in that same old train car when I was just 4 or 5.  So a few more pics and I'll let you off the hook. Tomorrow, back to work.



Sister Teresa. Yes as a matter of fact.
 She is a saint





Niece Bridgette and nephew Connor best helpers 2011. Wes on crane



Allana and assistant run their first light show