My mid-February Mom On-the-Go column for Patch, "Knocked Up," was about how many of my friends—23 to be exact—were pregnant. In the column, I poked fun about "not getting the memo." At the time, I was completely clueless. I, too, was pregnant! I am due in early November with our second child. We could not be happier about the addition to our family of three. (Well, five if you count the four-legged hairballs.)  The news came as a total surprise, but we are over the moon with excitement. I could honestly not care less about the gender. If it's a boy, we'll have one of each; if it's a girl, we …

Well, we made it. After a quick trip to Tampa (to leave Ava with the Grandparents), we arrived in Grand Cayman for our adult vacation. I haven't been here in 14 years; however, it is far more beautiful than I recall. The water is like no other place on earth—crystal clear for as far as you can see. It is absolutely breathtaking. We've managed to do a few things in the four days we have been here. On the first night, we ate at Blue. It's one of few five-star restaurants on the island, and is owned by one of the world’s greatest seafood chefs, Eric Ripert (featured on Top Chef). Blue is …

I had another delightful experience of exploring the world around me. Last week, we spent Tuesday morning at Westmont Yard. I went there to attend a play-date and was pleasantly surprised when I walked in. From the outside, it reminded me of Windy City Fieldhouse (in Chicago). It is a big facility with indoor courts that were blocked off for different teams to play. Little did I know that they had a bounce-house-arena, though! Yep! They had at least five bounce-houses, all different kinds to cater to kids of different ages. My daughter, Ava, saw them and darted right inside. I actually had …

A few of my girlfriends suggested a new place to meet for our play-date: The DuPage Children's Museum.  We arrived to the (free!) parking lot on a Thursday morning, shortly after 9 a.m. It was pretty busy, probably because we went during the week of Spring Break. (Looked like, parents everywhere were scrambling for ways to entertain the kids!) The museum is located in the heart of downtown Naperville and is a short 20-minute drive from the Village of Clarendon Hills, which makes it a perfect spot for me to meet friends for a morning playdate. When we arrived, we checked in and I made sure to …

Hey there! My mom decided to take a mini vacation this week—something along the lines of, "If I don't get a Calgon-take-me-away-moment like yesterday, I might lose it." Therefore, I thought I would help her out by writing her column this week! Well, not that there was much choice in the matter. I haven't seen Mom for days. Can someone please put out an A.P.B. for my Mommy? Where to start? Well, I should first start by telling you how much I love our new home and town. We have been here for five months now, and I can't say I miss our condo in the city one teency weency bit. Out here, I have …

Last week, I attended a meeting of the Hinsdale Junior Woman's Club (HJWC) at The Community House.   I was told about the group by one of its members who read my column, New in Town: From City to Suburbs. She had read about my ongoing adventures to meet new people, and she suggested I get involved with the HJWC.   As usual, I was a little nervous to walk into a room where I didn't know anybody. I probably looked like a deer in headlights. Do not fear, young grasshopper, all will be well! And indeed, it was. When I walked in, I was immediately greeted with a familiar face—and then another—and …

People (well, let's admit it—women) have been clipping coupons for ages. Every week, they're skimming through weekly ads, looking for a good deal and stashing the coupon in their purse. Ahh, such good intentions. If you're anything like me, though, the coupon expires long before it resurfaces. That poor, mashed-up, crinkled and now-worthless coupon didn't stand a chance in the black hole, which is my purse.  Maybe it's the state of the economy driving it, but I've literally seen coupon-saving tips and segments on nearly every morning news program as of late touting the benefits of "snipping …

After a recent playdate, a friend of mine recommended we use a gift certificate that she had been hanging onto, to treat the four of us to dinner. It was just up the road from our playdate, so we jumped in the car and headed over.   She described the restaurant as Mexican, which meant: 1) I was pumped, and 2) I immediately put on my restaurant critic hat and prepared to get focused. If you can't already tell, I take my Mexican food very seriously. (I make a fresh batch of salsa at home EVERY Sunday, if that helps convince you.) In fact, when I was pregnant, my husband Ken and I tried a new …

When I was younger, the word "hand-me-down" had such a sour connotation. What do you mean I have to wear my sister's OLD, USED stuff??? I want my own, NEW stuff! I was fortunate enough that only a few of my sister's items survived long enough for me to wear them—which meant, I mostly sported the new stuff.  I was so happy that I didn't have to wear those "old-hand-me-downs". Now that I am a Mom, I see the HUGE benefit in hand-me-downs. Given the rate I shop, we are saving a fortune in the Ava-clothing-category—all thanks to the generosity of my sister, Stephanie.  She has literally handed …

I think the world could use a refresher course on manners.  Maybe I was just raised well, but it comes naturally to me to offer up a please, thank you, excuse me, pardon me, etc.. It makes me wonder why there are SO many people out there who don't use these words regularly.   I mean, what’s the harm in holding the door open for the person behind you or for thanking the person holding the door for you? Last time I checked, I am not being paid by this store to hold the door for you. Nope, I'm just doing it out of the kindness of my heart. Therefore, the very least you can do is smile or show …

One thing I’ve learned about Mommyhood thus far is this: The only constant about parenting is that it’s always changing. Just when you get accustomed to something the baby advances onto the next phase and you’re back to square one, reconfiguring your whole day to revolve around the little angel. Well, this little angel has recently decided that she only needs one nap a day- her afternoon nap- which begs the question: What the heck am I supposed to do with this kid all day?!  I realize it’s important it is to expose her to as many learning opportunities as possible (considering her 16-month-…

A few friends of mine (one lives in Lemont and the other lives in Darien) decided we should get all of our kiddos together for a play-date.   Typically, the girls bring the kids over to my house around 3:30. We let the kids play in Ava's playroom (future nursery for Baby #2-- No, I'm not pregnant... yet!). While the kids play, we have some adult beverages and catch up on gossip, yummy recipes, etc. This time, one of the girls suggested we try something different. She offered up a place I hadn't heard of yet: Monkey Bizness. She described it as being similar to Gymboree... an open area for …

Meeting people has turned out to be SUCH a pleasant endeavor! Through a mutual friend, I was invited to attend a "Mommy's Wine Night" in downtown Clarendon Hills at All Wined Up.   Now, I would NEVER classify myself as shy or timid- but the idea of walking into a room full of women (without my wingman, Ken) whom I don't know, is a little intimidating.   Will they like me?  Do I have lipstick on my teeth?  Is there throw-up on my shirt? Well, let me just say that I had nothing to be nervous about; the girls made me feel right at home. This particular group of Moms get together every 6 weeks …

Being that we have lived in Clarendon Hills for a mere 70+ days, we still have a lot of discovering to do.  To be more specific, we have yet to find new doctors, veterinarians, dentists, dog-boarding facilities, etc.  The list seems to have no end.  We have managed to cross one item off of the list, though: Finding a local babysitter. When we were city dwellers, my husband and I would treat ourselves to a “date night” once a week. Now that we’ve relocated, our faithful babysitter is no longer an option. This was one of the first challenges I knew I had to conquer—and FAST, as date nights are …

My name is Kristi... and I am a sucker for cheap wine, carbs and celebrity gossip. I grew up in Quincy, IL and attended the University of Missouri-Columbia. Upon graduation in 2001, I moved to Chicago and lived in Lincoln Park until October of 2010. My husband (whom I met in 2004, married in 2006) and I recently moved to Clarendon Hills with Ava (our 16-month-old baby girl) and two ornery Labrador retrievers, Biscuit and Willy.  We have settled in nicely and have found the transition from city life to suburban life a welcome change. Everything is so much easier! It’s so much more peaceful! …