Roving Cooks

Grayson and Madelyn spend July 30- August 7 with Grandma and Grandpa in Tinley Park, IL for a fun-and-treat-filled week.

Special Guest writer: Grandma Geri Magnuson

Friday, July 30: Jackie, Grayson, and Madelyn arrive in Tinley Park. We unload Big Red and bring bags, shoes, stuffies, and a Harry Potter broomstick up to the guestroom to set up camp. Then it’s out to the yard to run around and play with trucks on the deck, while Grandpa grills burgers and dogs, and the grownups enjoy a glass of wine.
Cheers to the start of the week! Grayson reminds us that Friday is movie night, but accepts the disappointing message that it is just a bit too late for tonight.

Saturday, July 31: Grayson rises at 5:00 to greet Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa, the morning person, has prepared by outfitting his bike with an attachment where Grayson can sit behind him and help pedal (or not). Sort of a tandem-in-training. Off they go for a morning ride and breakfast at The Star. By the time they return, the girls have slowly risen. Grandma and Madelyn snuggle and read books in bed, while Grandma sips her coffee. Jackie gets a much-needed sleep-in. (maybe till 7:00). Madelyn and Grandma bake corn muffins. The boys return and the day begins in earnest. After breakfast there is the transferring of car seats, instructions for Grandma, hugs, and Jackie heads home.
It is barely 10 am, and Grandma and Grandpa are craving a nap! Banish that thought. It is time to pack the snack bag and head out to the Frankfort Children’s Museum. It is surprisingly uncrowded for a Saturday and we spend a couple of hours there. Sadly, Grayson has almost aged out of many of the activities, but they both enjoy dressing up as firemen and veterinarians. After the museum, we head out to the village green, where live music is playing. A perfect accompaniment to our ice cream cones! Saturday winds down with mac and cheese and a movie for the kids, and Indian take-out for Grandma and Grandpa.

Sunday, August 1: We are blessed with perfect summer weather for all of camp. We are able to enjoy a number of playgrounds in the area, as well as t-ball in the yard, and toys on the deck. Madelyn entertains herself for long periods of time, playing with the “little people” and holding conversations out loud (much to the delight of our neighbors). Grandpa and Grayson maintain their bike and breakfast habit all week. Sunday afternoon, we’re off to Ozinga Field in Crestwood for the Windy City Thunderbolts baseball game. It’s Family Day! $40 buys four tickets, four hot dogs with chips and a soda, and four baseball caps. Not only that, there is a playground complete with an inflatable batting practice booth, face painting, and a reptile show. We force the kids to sit through a couple of innings of the game. They like the mascot and the music. The experience includes a lesson in standing and removing your hat for the national anthem. Jackie and Greg call as we are en route to the playground area for the second time. Grayson and Madelyn can barely pause to say hello.

Monday, August 2: This morning we are off to The Little Red Schoolhouse Nature and Education Center. There is a little whining about hiking the outdoor path. Fortunately, there are some stumps to climb and jump off along the way. Hike accomplished, we visit the owl in her outdoor cage. Next, we mask up for the indoor displays. Some of the
glass enclosures contain live serpents, lizards, and birds, but many of the displays are of stuffed mammals native to the area. It’s a decent museum for the price (free), but I wish they would provide kids to see better. Madelyn is becoming a lot to lift. Back to the car for water and snacks, then home for lunch and a short rest before heading to Lifetime Fitness for an outdoor swim. We all enjoy the pool! Grayson and Madelyn have improved their skills since we last swam with them in March. Showers in the Family Locker Room mean that we can count this as bath night. An early dinner that may have come out of a purple box, bedtime rituals are observed and Grandpa and Grandma are asleep before the kids.

Tuesday, August 2: Today, we have a triple-header planned. McCarthy Park is the morning outing, for the playground, the skate park, and mini-golf. Grayson is on a mission do all three in record time. Although we encourage him to slow it down a bit, we know he has endless energy to burn and this is a great place to do it. The last time we played mini-golf here, Madelyn was in her stroller and now she is playing the game. After hitting the ball a few times, she picks it up and drops it in the hole. She faithfully takes our balls out of the hole and hands them to us after our turn. In the afternoon, we check out the Yunker Park splash pad in Mokena. It is small, but not crowded. Madelyn tiptoes around the perimeter before deciding to approach a spouting camel. Grayson is less tentative, but becomes bored with it more quickly. Some older boys arrive and begin roughhousing with each other. Grayson looks tempted to join them, then appears to decide they are out of his league. This activity seems better suited to Madelyn’s age than to Grayson’s, and once again my grandma heart feels a little funny. Back home for an early dinner (hot dogs on the deck) and then we are off to the Tinley Park chapter of “The National Night Out“. Numerous community groups have booths with free toys and treats for the kids. We visit the library’s Bookmobile, and the kids choose a couple of books for their stay. Luckily, I happen to be carrying my library card! Every branch of law enforcement and firefighting is represented with full gear and trucks, along with the canines who put on a show. A delightful and free family event!

Wednesday, August 3: We are headed to Naperville for the day. First stop: Cantigny Park, a beautiful place to stroll through gardens and for kids to climb tanks! We visit the War museum and walk through the simulated WWI trenches and take a “ride” on a D-day landing craft, which Madelyn says is scary. (Indeed). We have lunch at the cafe, which, of course, includes ice cream. Then it’s on to the Naperville Children’s Museum. This provides a couple of hours of non-stop stimulation. Grandpa shadows Grayson and I follow Madelyn. We all take a snooze when we get home, and the evening is uneventful.

Thursday, August 4: Today, we are headed to Navy Pier. We drive downtown, pointing out landmarks along the way. (Sox Park, The Field Museum, Soldiers’ Field, Buckingham Fountain…) We park in the pier garage and stroll a bit before boarding the Sea Dog. Our guide is charming and funny, the music is festive, and the cruise is a combination of informative tour of the skyline and wildly fast thrill ride. During the ride, it is hard to tell if the kids are enjoying it, as the wind is loud and fierce. We were warned of the possibility of getting wet, but we don’t. Grayson gives the ride high marks and Madelyn says the slow parts were good. We walk to the end of the pier and have lunch at Offshore. It is a huge rooftop restaurant with great views. The lunch is good and kid-friendly. The kids are well-behaved and they eat! Do I sound surprised? After lunch, we ride the giant Ferris wheel, the carousel, and the tea cups. Navy Pier may be the world’s priciest carnival, but you can’t put a price tag on memories. The fine young people who work there cheerfully give the extra turns and allow me to ride the horse next to Madelyn without a ticket. We end our visit with gelato; that’s a fancy name for ice cream.

Friday, August 5: Today’s activities are closer to home. We revisit a favorite playground and the Lifetime pool. The week is winding down and it feels like summer is too.

Saturday, August 6: Today we drive the kids back to Cedar Grove, WI. Grandpa and I will stay the night and head home in the morning. We pass this morning packing up and reading books. Grandpa finishes the final chapter of the Star Wars book that Grayson got at the Bookmobile and Madelyn and I read El Perro in Sombrero AGAIN. The ride to the lake goes smoothly with a lunch stop at Culver’s; of course, we get milkshakes. We arrive in the afternoon and visit with Nana Jan, and cousin Ellie comes down to play. Jackie and Greg arrive for dinner with the U-Haul for tomorrow’s move back to Madison.

Sunday, August 7: After breakfast, we say our goodbyes. Our fun-filled week has come to an end. Jackie, Greg, and the kids are packing up and moving into their new condo in Madison. New adventures lie ahead for Grayson starting Kindergarten and Madelyn going to preschool.

And Grandma and Grandpa head home for a well-deserved rest!