Jack and I might be banned from Jo-Ann's

The last time I checked, the Christmas spirit did not include my purse strewn on the floor of Jo-Ann's, a box full of ribbon rolls upended onto the floor, and me grabbing a toddler by his winter coat and sticking him in the grocery cart. A grocery cart that is filled with at least 25 things from the dollar bin that Jack has thrown in, which I will dutifully return to their rightful places.

It's Tuesday night after work and I made the unwise choice to make a quick stop at this craft store. It's pre-dinner and Jack is cranky. My "quick" stop turns into 45 minutes of hunting down craft supplies. I am totally that woman who cannot control her child. I thought 2 years old was hard but 3 seems to be a roller coaster ride so far.

But by goodness, I got all of my supplies for my homemade Advent calendar - an idea I "borrowed" from this great blog.

Toddler mittens from the dollar bin, a pretty ribbon and mini clothespins will help us count down the days until Christmas. Each mitten holds a treat for Jack and for his cousin Andrew when he visits us mid-month.

And what's the first treat for December 1? Well, a dreidel, of course, to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.

Must be doing something right

After a whirlwind Thanksgiving holiday in New York with Yaya and Papa, we're back  in Chicago. We did so much in the city - the circus, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Jeremy and I had time to ourselves and more. Our flight got cancelled yesterday and by some miracle, the booking attendant (perhaps sizing up my belly) rebooked us on a flight one hour later in first class. Today, Jack has Maria to himself as Nate and his family travel home from visiting their grandparents.

As Jack and I were eating breakfast, I told Jack that Maria would take him to the museum today. He answered, "which one?"

Okay, so that made me feel good - we're taking our condo off of the market soon and will probably stay put for a bit. I worry about us not getting into a house right away but we're also getting by in our condo. We have Chicago as our backyard and we can make that work for a bit longer!

(And if you're curious, they are headed to the Museum of Science and Industry.)

Thanks for Thanksgiving

This is probably one of the easiest posts I've ever written. Today and every day, I'm grateful for:

• God for giving life.
• My parents for creating a warm family home and giving my sisters and me the gift of empathy.
• My sisters - we have our ups and downs but we'll always be each other's life partners - and their families who keep life full and interesting.
• Jeremy's family for welcoming me as their daughter and sister.
• My closest group of girlfriends who give the best hugs, share the tastiest recipes and provide the strongest support.
• Jeremy's and my network of friends and family spread throughout the country.
• Maria, a stay-at-home mom gone pro, who has cared for Jack as if he were her own and has helped me to find some balance as a working mom.
• A workplace that helps the greater good and coworkers who are friends.
• Good smells from the kitchen, all things Food Network and the celebration of the home cook.
• Quiet moments in the early hours in the morning with a steaming cup of coffee and a sunrise as my only companions.
• Roscoe the cat who waits by the door for our return and keeps my feet warm at night.
• My unborn daughter, whom I pray for good health. 
• My son, my Jack, who is smart, handsome and funny. Whose first word is "Mommy" when he's tired, hungry or sad. Who says "But I'll miss you" when I told him this morning I was going to stay home while he, Papa and Daddy headed to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• My college sweetheart-turned-husband, who has enough patience for the both of us and whom I love more each day.

Happy Thanksgiving!