Fantasea at the Shedd Aquarium

Hurry! Head to the Shedd before it's too late and check out Fantasea, a holiday show that showcases our amazing aquatic friends at the Shedd Aquarium. Watch as Santa Clause makes a spectacular entrance via canoe, as festive ballerinas swirl and twirl before you, and as the stars of the show - dolphins, beluga whales show off their talent.

We caught an early show today, arriving before the holiday crowds and grabbing a parking spot along the street leading up to the Adler, hence saving money on parking too. The show itself was a treat for both my 9 year old and my toddler, who also loved the Polar Play Zone. Afterwards, we wandered the aquatic galleries and took in some marine life. It was a great start to our winter break! 

A Holiday Fantasea runs from Friday, Nov. 26, through Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011.

Check showtimes for A Holiday Fantasea at Sheddaquarium.org

on imprinting

My husband has often jokes with me that I've "imprinted" the kids. He's a molecular biologist and can't help but to think in genetic terms. Like genomic imprinting, have I really passed on say - a love of StarWars or a fascination with writing and bugs - to my children? Just as Chiara inherited her Papa's sparkly blue eyes and wispy, pin-straight blonde hair and Daniel my thick, wavy hair and one dimple, did my son also inherit my tendency to lose things (especially winter gloves) and Chiara my busy-bodyness? Whatever the case, while I was once fascinated with the bug family that lived in Ernie and Bert's windowbox, Chiara's current fave book is a non-fiction tome for older kids entitled Bugs and Insects. She asks me to read it to her at least five plus times per day. Daniel, meanwhile, lost his second pair of gloves in a week (and I lost two pairs of gloves this week, too. Like an ass, I went off to work today with one glove, which I figured would at least be good for holding the stick shift - having lent Daniel my last remaining pair of gloves). Chiara, like her mom, moves from task to task, nonstop: she sits at a desk and works - on her novel we like to say (it's bizarre - she focuses and scribbles and holds a pen perfectly and I swear I never taught her this - she just grabbed a pen once and now does it every day for a spell) - then moves on to organizing her set of mini-books, then reads for a bit on the sofa, then pulls some more ornaments off the tree and places them in various spots around the living room, then takes out her Mickey Mouse Christmas cards, studies them, then puts them back in the box - she's a busy-body on a mission at the ripe old age of one. Thankfully, Daniel was imprinted with a tad of Brazilian chill: yesterday, while in a rush of a trip to Walgreens, he asked me if we could please finish listening to "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree" - his fave holiday song, which was playing on the station we must, according to Daniel, listen to anytime we are in the car, 93.1. So we sat in the car for three minutes, and just enjoyed listening to the song together. That's my boy! - he at least is an expert on stopping and smelling the roses, and what a gift that is. Also extremely clumsy (he spilled a half gallon of chocolate milk on the kitchen floor yesterday, too...) at least he doesn't get down on himself over it like his mom tends to do when her clumsiness gene causes trouble. And Chiara - we'll have to work together on stopping and smelling the roses more often - maybe Daniel can help us with this. 

I'm simply still left wondering Is it all nurture, nature, or simply random? while I relish watching my two littles grow into bigs.

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Mindful Metropolis / December 2010

The holidays have become, in many ways, a reflection of some of our worst habits: conspicuous consumption and glaring materialism. Start fresh this December and keep the true spirit of the holidays as well as our environment in mind by following these ten tips for a more mindful Christmas. May your holidays be merry, bright, simple and green!

1. Decorate with minimalism in mind. Avoid turning your home into a cluttered red and green tchotke vortex by keeping decor simple and tasteful. Choose natural materials over manmade – holly, ivy, pine cones – and recycled/reused over new. Switch to LED Christmas lights or forgo Christmas lights altogether and bask in the light of homemade candles on the dining room table and a fire in the fireplace.

2. Celebrate the beauty of nature. For an unforgettable evening, don your winter gear and head outdoors to make snow angels under the stars. Enjoy a winter hike through a forest covered in a blanket of white snow. Grab a thermos of hot cocoa and set off snowshoeing. Winter is a wonderful time to rejoice in the beauty of nature. “We also make sure that the animals get gifts this time of the year!” shares Oak Park based writer Marla Rose, “We make peanut butter-spread pine cones - roll ‘em in birdseed or sunflower seeds, too! - and hang them from the trees.”

Check out the rest of my article, which appears in the December 2010 print edition of Mindful Metropolis magazine by clicking HERE.