Thief

I use a commercial shared kitchen for the business, and it's a great concept. Except that it's a little like living with roommates again. You never quite know who's drinking your milk or eating your frozen burritos. And you want to maintain a good relationship, so if someone drinks your milk here and there, who cares?

So anyhow, I bought a case of mini chocolate chips. 12 bags in a case. So when we open it up and use one, there should be 11 left. 12-1=11. Basic math. But... there were only 10.

Okay, no big deal, I tell my bakers. It's fine. Just one bag. It's bound to happen. It's like $2. Whatever.

And then we go back the next time. I count. Only nine bags.

My one baker says, "Leave a nasty note! They're STEALING from you! From US!!!"

I mulled over it for the next couple of hours and finally wrote this:
Hi. :) We're so flattered that you love our chocolate chips so much. Next time we go in on an order, we can definitely order more for you. Just call us ahead of time: xxx-xxx-xxxx. Thank you so much!
And then I left it inside the box.

I don't want to be rude, and I really don't want to rock the boat. But honestly, I feel a little bit like Ross:



I don't know. Maybe I was too snarky.

Chi-town

Reasons I love Chicago:

1. The people. I really think Midwesterners are nice. Especially once the snow has melted and we can all come out of hibernation.
2. The food. Really. There is an abundance of amazing food here. It's a wonder more people aren't totally overweight and broke.
3. The energy. I can't really explain it. You just have to almost get hit by a cab during rush hour in the Loop to feel it.
4. The sports. Particularly the Cubs. I've adopted the Lovable Losers.
5. The museums. We have a Seurat!
6. The water. Lake Michigan might have higher levels of E. coli on some days other than others, but it's still a body of water that's big enough to fake us Californians out as being an ocean.
7. The summers. They make the winters worth enduring.
8. The neighborhoods. I love how people say, "I live in Lincoln Park" with a certain air of arrogance. It kind of makes me want to move to Lincoln Park. Same goes for "Gold Coast."
9. The fact that we get lots of visitors. Because this is the crossroads of America. And because lots of people we know fly through O'Hare and get stranded.
10. The festive-ness. I love how the city celebrates whatever the big thing is that's happening. Like a Presidential candidate who wins from Chicago. Or the 10,000th Cubs win. Or the IOC in town to evaluate Chicago as a host for the 2016 Olympics. Or St. Patrick's Day.

And here's one final plug. Just in case the IOC is reading this blog.

D, please - let's not move again. Especially not to Houston. I like it here.

Preschool Report

C got his first report card from preschool last month. He's doing pretty well. But curses that balance beam!

We'll work on it, Mrs. Peterson. Promise.

Dear Michigan State:

You had me worried for 38 minutes that I might have picked the wrong team to round out my Elite Eight.

But in the end, you managed to (barely) pull it off. Way to bring it home. Now, if you wouldn't mind stepping it down and losing to Louisville this weekend, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,
Restless Mom (who is currently in the top 42 on ESPN.com's leaderboard)

Pajama Wednesday

One Wednesday morning when C was two years old, I was just too lazy to get out of bed, get dressed, and do anything besides pour cereal. It was probably a gross day outside. So I declared that day to be "Pajama Wednesday."

And ever since that day, we've maintained this Wednesday tradition of staying in our pajamas all day and lounging around. Usually, this means he gets to eat breakfast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, too.

Last week, however, for some reason, we couldn't do Pajama Wednesday, and since we've been sick for the last several days, we've had a lot of Pajama (Fri-Satur-Sun-Mon)days this week.

The poor kid is out of pajamas. Time to do some laundry!

Happy Birthday, Bud!

Four years ago, our little C was born.

The minute he was born, he was our "Bud." Who knows why, since I don't necessarily see a resemblance:

But really, kiddo, you really ARE my favorite Coco in the whole wide world. We are so happy you're a part of our family.
I'm so glad you had a wonderful day at preschool and with Mimi, Daddy, Baabaa, and Grandpa. We all love you SO VERY MUCH.

I Beat the President - Day 1

President Obama, Day 1: 11/16 (D average)
Me, Day 1: 15/16 (A average)

I know better than to be too confident after the first day of March Madness. But I kind of really want to beat him.