An Extra Day

I hate Columbus Day. I think it's pointless -- except that it's a day off of school. I'd like to say the holiday is for something more exciting, but I guess I'll take what I can get.

Yesterday, we dropped X-man off at his friend I-nstein's house. He got to have a sleep over there, which included a trip to the Savoy Recreation Center (so I-nstein's parents could get some time together) and then to the 10 a.m. movie at the Savoy 16. He had a great time and has been so worn out from the constant play (minus the 10 hours of sleep they got) with his buddy that I can barely understand the words that are coming out of his mouth. So, I just plopped him down in front of Superhero Squad and started cleaning off my desk and doing laundry.

While he was off playing, MacTroll and I went to our friend's mother's funeral. It was sweet and peaceful, and I'm glad we drove to Mendota for it. Then on our way into the city, MacTroll got peckish, so we stopped in Naperthrill to have dinner at Meson Sabika (Hey, we were dressed up, so why not?). We enjoyed ourselves and then drove downtown to stay at the Swissotel. I had pre-paid for it, so we were definitely going. It's a nice hotel with pretty awesome views, so if the front desk asks if you want to upgrade to a "room with a view" say no. It's likely you'll enjoy your view just fine. As it was, we got to see Navy Pier all lit up. We dumped our stuff and took off to head that way to watch some fireworks. MacTroll had never been further on Navy Pier than the Children's Museum. It was a beautiful night for a walk and since it was the night before the Chicago Marathon, it was pretty crowded. We grabbed some treats and then walked back to the hotel, where we watched an episode of Friends and promptly fell asleep.

This morning we woke up around 7:30 a.m. when the sun came though the window. We could see all the airplanes and their advertisements zooming around as the 40,000 runners were 30 minutes into their marathon adventures. As far as our hotel went, escaping without traffic issues was as easy as pie. Wacker to LSD -- to the highway. No one was on the roads at all at 9 a.m. on a Sunday, even with the marathon going on.

We picked up X-man and took him home for lunch and then to the Grand Opening of Skinni Girl Yogurt at University and Cunningham. It was pretty decent and one of my co-workers from MMO works there, so we got to say hi. They were giving away 4 oz of free yogurt to each person. X-man also got a balloon, so he was really happy. I liked that there was a sugarless yogurt option and a non-dairy one.

We headed to Target to get some paper towels and to check out the halloween decorations. I managed to pick myself up a non-scary witch costume. But MacTroll still can't figure out what he wants to be. My choice was simple. It had a skirt that went to the floor. Last year, with the Leia costume, I liked it for the same reason. I don't have the kind of thighs to wear a miniskirt that I can't sit in, and really, I'm a pre-school teacher -- I don't want to get all stripper like for Halloween, and I can't sew. So, really? Can I have another option? Leave it to Target to have a good witch costume.

I think at this point MacTroll is seriously thinking of going as Charlie Sheen. He's desperate for an idea. And most of the costumes are highly inappropriate for the under 16 audience. Sigh.

We picked up Lily on the way home and now we're all exhausted. I would otherwise be depressed about having to go back to business as usual tomorrow, but it's a holiday, so instead, we're going to have fun.