I’m a mom. I have a 9 year old boy and a 7 year old girl. Neither are going to be the next MVP’s of any sport yet invented. I have myself two average American kids who I am biologically required to believe are the Greatest Kids Ever!
But what my daughter, in particular, is quite good at is making people laugh. Yes, I am raising the next Amy Poehler, or so I like to believe. This is a girl who will go nose to belly with grown men with hands on hips and in her sternest most accusatory voice possible ask, “You’re not a Cubs Fan…..are you?” (My husband is raising her a Sox fan.)
So last fall we signed her up for a sketch comedy class at our park district. To say she loved it, would be an understatement. She looooooooved it! But the whole experience begged the question, “Am I actually paying someone to teach my daughter to be more of a smart a#%&?”
Nevertheless, in my infinite desire to encourage my children in any activity they show any sort of talent for, when I saw that Laugh Out Loud Theatre was offering a 7:30 All Ages Show, I immediately called the manager to see what it was all about. My daughter needed to see how the professionals do it. I was told this isn’t a “kiddy show” but it doesn’t have the language or the innuendo you get at other improv shows or even the 9:30 show. This show is along the lines of the hit tv show, “Whose Line Is It Anyway” and totally kid appropriate, totally. And, it’s grandma friendly too, for that matter.
We were seated in the front row at a nice little table, but not all squished up like some of the downtown comedy clubs. Nobody likes to be squished. Beverages and snacks are available for purchase at moderate prices and we are, of course, all asked to be kind to our waitress, who I think is the owner.
The show is fantastic. There is lots of audience participation including my daughter being called up on the stage with another young man to do a marionette like routine with the performers that will most certainly lose something in the translation but was hilarious on stage. Needless to say, a good time was had by all. And bravo to this club for offering up unique family friendly entertainment that seems so hard to come by in this day and age. My daughter can’t wait to be old enough to attend their summer camps for 11-14 year olds. Every Saturday since, she has asked me, can we go to Laugh Out Loud tonight?
Laugh Out Loud is located in the Streets of Woodfield in Schaumburg.
-Heather L.
I could be selfish and not tell anyone what a gem Mario’s in Arlington Heights is - after all, I never want to stop in only to find no available tables in this small, white-tablecloth trattoria. However, everyone really should experience the aromas and tastes in one of the best Italian restaurants in Chicagoland, owned and run by the same family that operated Aranella’s for many years.
We stopped in yesterday early (5:30) and were seated immediately, but by 6:00 there were no empty tables. As always, we pounced on the big basket of crusty, warm bread while we reviewed the menu, which we actually have almost memorized.
This time around, we enjoyed the perfectly prepared calamari fritti. The breading is light and crunchy (no hint of oil) and the calamari is sweet and fork-tender. For dinner, I settled on the sautéed clams in a garlicky sauce that was ideal for soaking up with that addictive bread. My friend ordered the chicken marsala, three big breasts covered with a rich, dark, creamy marsala sauce and succulent mushrooms. The ample portions allow for repeat meals the next day.
Mario’s menu is extensive, but not repetitive. They offer some of the usual Italian fare, but mostly the dishes are unique and unparalleled in the layers of flavor. Daily specials and fresh fish are available, as well. Prices are moderate and since it is a BYOB place ($7 corkage) until they get their liquor license, your tab will be smaller than at most restaurants of the same caliber.
Go with family or friends and make sure to sample each other’s choices. But, please don’t go the same day that I want a table. For more info on Mario Trattoria click here! - Lynda C.
Several months ago before I even worked for the Bureau, my girlfriends and I purchased Groupons for a wine and cheese pairing class at Urban Harvest-An Indulgent Food Store in downtown Arlington Heights. The Groupon offer was for either Wine and Cheese or Wine and Chocolate and so after several dozen heated e-mails back and forth in the course of a few hours it was decided that we women-of-a-certain-age ought not to have too much caffeine in the form of chocolate just before our bedtimes. And those of us who wanted chocolate anyway agreed to bring our Lactaid.
The battle then became, WHEN the six of us moms with busy schedules could come up with a time to meet. The night was agreed upon and then rescheduled and then rescheduled again and then finally we all came together on one icy Wednesday night in January. And ohhhh, it was worth the wait!
None of us had ever been in this store before. We are not residents of Arlington Heights but live close enough to have enjoyed many of the quaint boutiques and shops that line one of the most beautiful and dynamic downtowns in the Northwest Suburbs. And we were eager to explore the offerings of this establishment.
The tasting started with a Pio Cesare Moscato and a lemon stilton. The lemon stilton knocked my socks off. It had lemon rind in it and the combination tasted like summer! If only…… We then moved on to a Vinas Esmeralda and Le Roule soft cheese that was to die for. When our sommelier of the evening called the wine a “Porch Pounder” we were beside ourselves in love with it. This was no stuffy overwrought wine tasting after all. This was good wine and even better cheese. We moved on to a chardonnay and brie and then a pinot noir and raclette all the while learning about our palette and varietals and regions and vintages and aeration and lactating cows and bouquets and tannins and nice legs-well thank you sir, but I’m a married woman.
Then we tried everyones’ hands down favorite, the Matchbook Tinto Rey and Manchego cheese. After our first taste, I raised my hand and asked if I tasted pepper, and before the sommelier could answer, he was unceremoniously cut off by my bestest friend who said, “Oh ignore her, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” It’s good to have friends - but SNAP, I was right! The Petite Sirah mixed with the Tempranillo, Syrah and Cabernet offered us a spicy red berry flavor with cedar and tobacco notes pumped up with tannin. And maybe I did just learn a thing or two this evening!
The evening was rounded off by a wonderful desert of Pinto Ramos Port and English Stilton, both of which were purchased separately and came home with me.
This was an enjoyable way to spend time with my girlfriends that left no room for discussing our little ones’ temper tantrums or our husbands’ various shortcomings. You couldn’t ask for a better way to spend a Wednesday evening with good friends. I recommend it to anyone.
Urban Harvest-An Indulgent Food Store is located at 15 South Dunton Avenue in downtown Arlington Heights. www.myurbanharvest.com
- Heather L.
I am not a clothes shopper. In fact, I hate shopping for clothes. I am a short 40 year old mom who has given birth twice, who likes to eat and hates to exercise and nothing fits right and the lights are so bright and so hot in those dressing rooms and WHY OH WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO DO THIS FOR FUN?!
I have recently returned to work after a prolonged journey in the world of Stay At Home Momdom. Which means for the past several years my shirt doubled as a tissue for my children’s snotty noses and my pants a wash rag for food covered hands, paint covered hands or other unidentifiable sticky substance covered hands. The wardrobe of an average American Stay At Home Mom does not involve clothes that need to be dry cleaned or even ironed. This is a wash and go world. But now I have a job that requires me to wear a suit five days a week and, well, I have to wear something on the other days too. So here’s a quick tour of my favorite clearance racks.
As you probably already know, I work for the Woodfield Chicago Northwest Convention Bureau. This means I am only a Manola Blahnik’s throw away from the ninth largest mall in the country. I am in the middle of the fifth largest shopping district in the country when you count all the the outlots and strip malls and Ikea and Macy’s Furniture and Loft and Crate and Barrel and Carson Pirie Scott and Dicks and Nordstrom Rack and Famous Footware and Sears and Target and Jared and so on and so forth. Schaumburg wants for nothing on the consumer front. It screams consumerism! It’s got everything!
First stop: Marshall’s where I never pay full price for fabulous! Located in the Village Green Shopping Mall on the North side of Golf Road, this whole store is a clearance rack. With a little bit of digging, in a short amount of time I have found an entire week’s worth of designer business suits and dresses for less than $400!
Then I head into Woodfield Mall. My personal favorite is Anthropologie. Now be careful here. The room is creatively stunning. Their in store interior designers can do amazing things with recycled art. The boheminan chic look and ever present door knobs make me want to redo every drawer pull in my house. But the real goodies are in the back room. Now the steals are crammed two overstuffed racks on top of one another and another rack in the middle. So leave your kids with some snacks and your iTouch on the bed right outside the room and be prepared to do a little pushing and shoving. I never ever walk out of there with at least one item I didn’t know I needed and now I absolutely must have.
Now head across the aisle to Chico’s where the clearance rack is small but how do
I beat a sizing system that puts me in a 2?! I think I was a size 4 for a week and a half when I was starving myself for my wedding. And then I got married and, well, you can guess what happened next. But never ever was I a size 2! Gotta buy something just for that.
And last but not least, head around the bend to Coldwater Creek where the fits are very forgiving and can suitably pass for business casual Fridays. And the clearance area is the whole back quarter of the store. Lots of options make me very happy.
So there you have it, Power Shopping with a less than fit, forever frugal, full time working mom who just wants to get it done and move on to other things. Of course, there are lots and lots of other wonderful stores in our Northwest suburbs and we encourage you to share your positive experiences on our facebook page. Happy Shopping! -Heather L.
