Nothing like experiencing baseball with my boys

For some moms it's a quiet spa that offers a feeling of calm. For others it may be a relaxing day at the beach. Some may enjoy a cup of coffee in a quiet house while the kids aren't home. All moms have different ways of chillaxin and different environmental characteristics that induce a state of calmness. Call me strange, but for me it is Wrigley Field. Yes, the Friendly Confines. The home of the Chicago Cubs. I feel at home there. I can relax and put the rest of the world out of my mind when I'm there. I can go to a game with one of my sons and enjoy giving them some undivided attention.

This past week, my oldest son and I attended a game. They lost. Hey, that's nothing new. It is the Cubs we are talking about. Losing is something they do more than winning. It's part of the tradition. Part of the curse - if you believe in that sort of stuff. Even though the game didn't end the way we would have liked (and let me add that a horrible call by the ump in the 8th inning cost them the game!), it was a bonding opportunity for me and my son. We've been bonding through baseball since he was about 5. Now he's 17.

In recent years, my sister, a season ticket holder has given me several sets of tickets each season so that I can take the boys to the games. It serves as birthday gifts and I get as much enjoyment out of it as my boys. We always have the same seats in the upper deck. Sure, you can get a better close-up look at things in box seating or a suite, but I love our seats. We are under a canopy, so if it happens to rain a little, we are covered. If it's hot and sunny, like it was on our last visit, we are shaded. I don't even have to lather on sunscreen for a trip there. There have even been games I've been at early in the season when there was snow coming down, but not a flake ever fell on us. I also attend an early season game each year with my dad. It's become our baseball ritual. We always freeze our behinds off in April, but spring just wouldn't be the same without our annual trip to Wrigley.

My oldest turned 17 in May and got his driver's license last month, so I'm seeing less of him these days. He's enjoying the new found freedom that comes with having a set of wheels. This will be his last year of high school. Who knows what's to come next year...more school, perhaps military service. I know our days together as we now know them are numbered. It makes it even sweeter when I'm able to be with him and be in my favorite place all in one day.

There are so many life lessons that come out of a game of baseball:
Honor your country and your flag (as your stand for the National Anthem).
Good guys sometimes finish last (a frequent lesson on this team).
Life's not always fair (like that bad call in the 8th inning!)
Hard work pays off (sometimes in the form of a multi-million dollar MLB contract.)
Heroes never die (Just look at the flags hanging on the foul poles.)
Never give up (need I say more?)
I could go on and on.

After the game, we went on try and get autographs by the players parking lot as we usually do, but as we were exiting, several of the players wives and children were entering for a special family event on the field, so we figured it would be a while before they came out. We split and went over to McDonald's for an ice cream cone. At the next table was an older, well-dressed African-American man with a large black case beside him. I listened in to his conversation with a couple ladies. He was a trumpet player. He may have been playing out on the street after the game, but he was really dressed a little too nice for that. He was wearing a suit and tie and it was about 96 degrees outside. He showed no signs of being out in the heat playing -- no wrinkles or signs of set on his neatly pressed suit. He told the ladies that he plays all over the area in different clubs. One lady said that her son also plays trumpets and she is always on his case to practice each day. He explained that he started playing late - at age 19. He assured her that she was doing the right thing by making him practice even if he complained. "If he's got talent, he's got to do it. You got talent, you got to use it," he said. He sounded so sweet and gentlemanly, I had to try hard not to tear up. Talented people always seem to tear me up -- whether it's a young child performing in a school play, an amateur giving a shot at karaoke or a musician playing in a club. Even outside the ballpark, there were more life lessons from a well-dressed old man carrying a trumpet case.

You can have your spa or your high-priced coffee. I'll take a ball game any day.

Moms never stop learning lessons

Wow, it's been a while since my last entry. Don't I always say that? Guess motherhood and writing keep me quite busy. Happy New Year!

I've been busy keeping up with regular deadlines and trying to keep up with all the digital media out there these days...tweeting about my travel articles, creating a fan page for my book and just the fun of keeping up with other moms on Facebook. The boys have been busy with a science fair project, cub scouts and the regular homework and I can't believe baseball season is right around the corner.

I was talking the other day with my husband about opportunities our kids have that we didn't and how kids today seem to take such opportunities for granted. I was not a real confident kid, but I did like to try new things. I always wanted to try band, takes classes and lessons of different kinds, etc. I did Girl Scouts one year and remember how much I loved it. When it was cookie season, I was all over the neighborhood determined to outsell everyone and I did.

I have to remember, though, that even thought I was the type of kid who wanted to try everything, not every kid is that way. As a parent, you have to gently push them into new endeavors, recognize where their talents lie and help guide them in a direction that will nourish them in many ways. Signing them up for a class they're not interested in or registering them for a sport they aren't into sometimes backfires. When they're little, it's good to get them to try something, but you also need to learn when to back off. Parenting is a journey where you never stop learning such lessons...

Bye for now.

On the road again (and in the air)

I am so blessed to have an opportunity to see so many new things and places as a travel writer. Last week while the kids were on their Easter break from school, we took a short trip to Indianapolis. I hadn’t been there in nearly eight years, but the last time around I was there checking things out for a family travel piece I was writing and I remembered that it was a very family friendly city.

The Indianapolis Zoo was a blast, especially when the boys were able to pet a shark. Sometimes, coming from a big city like Chicago, you expect big things elsewhere. Sometimes it can be a disappointment, other times it’s refreshing. This was the latter. While Chicago has two great zoos, often getting there and parking are dreadful. My last few trips to Lincoln Park Zoo have been on field trips with the boys where I arrive via bus and don’t have to worry about parking. Once I’m there, I love it, but getting there is the tricky part. Brookfield is also a wonderful facility, but it’s so large, we never make it through everything we want to see in one day. We spend as much time walking from place to place as we do enjoying the exhibits and animals. So, the Indianapolis Zoo was a refreshing change. On a warm April day, we found parking just five spots from the entrance. Once inside, the zoo was easy to maneuver and packed with exhibits that excited the kids – and me.

Parking was only $5 and once you were in the admission gates, you weren’t charged extra for other exhibits, like the farm area or dolphin show. We also were awed by the butterflies that filled a conservatory in the White River Gardens. This was also free with zoo admission. We just had to get our hand stamped while exiting the zoo to go next door.

In the evening, my oldest son and I attended a game of the Indianapolis Indians, a Triple-A team of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The park, Victory Field, has been called the “Best Minor League Ballpark in America” by Sports Illustrated. The city skyline looked stunning from our seats behind home plate. And to top it off, the Indians pulled off a 4-2 win over the Louisville Bats.
On our walk back to the hotel after the game, it was apparent that there were many options for dining and nightlife. I also had to stop to gaze at the capitol building all lit up at night.

Indy is a great walking town, especially for sports lovers. From our hotel room on the 12th floor of the Omni Severin Hotel, we could see both Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers and Lucas Oil Stadium, which is the new home of the Indiana Colts. We were also able to take a skywalk across to the Circle Centre Mall. The historic Union Station was right out the hotel’s front door. It’s no longer a functioning train station. The building now serves as a banquet hall and sits beside the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which has several authentic Pullman cars that have been converted into guest rooms. The architecture is gorgeous, though, and it was a treat to look out the hotel window at it.

On day two, we visited the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. The boys were in heaven between the temporary Lego, Star Wars and comic character exhibits and the permanent dinosaur exhibit. We could have easily spent a full day there.

Next it was on to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I’m not a huge racing fan, but of all the places we’ve been and cool things we’ve done, one that still ranks near the top was taking a ride around the speedway track on our previous visit. We were in a bus rather than a racecar and were going quite a bit slower, but it was still quite a thrill. On this trip, we didn’t get to do the racetrack lap, but went for a behind the scenes tour and were able to see some cars doing practice laps. I even was interviewed by a local television station while we were there. The Helio Castroneves verdict had just been announced and they were out looking for reactions from fans. I rattled off a few goofy lines about how I loved him on Dancing with the Stars.

The morning after we returned, I was to head out to the Lansing Municipal Airport to meet with the crew of the Great Lakes Wing of the Commemorative Air Force for a ride aboard the Black Sparrow, a replica of the C-47 lead plane of the D-Day invasion.

The ride was much smoother and quieter than I anticipated. I met a lot of interesting people and heard a lot of interesting stories. I even talked to a guy who reported to basic training in 1941 in California and was trained by legendary Hollywood actor Jimmy Stewart.

After the first flight took off, they loaded up a van of photographers and reporters and took us out to the runway at the southeast end of the airport to get some shots of the plane taking off and landing, which was quite exciting to see close up. I went on the second flight which took us along the lakeshore for some amazing views.

This week I’ll be heading down to Springfield with a busload of fourth graders on their long-awaited class trip. I’m looking forward to revisiting some of the great historic sites there and exploring some I haven’t been to. That’ll be visits to the capitals of both Indiana and Illinois within a week. Whew! That makes for a busy week, but a very fascinating one.

There's nothing like a day at the ball park

For someone who was raised listening to Harry Caray and worshiping guys like Ryne Sandberg, Ron Cey, Keith Moreland and Andre Dawson, there’s nothing quite like a day at a ball game – preferably a Cubs game.
My sister has been a season ticket holder for several years, so each year I pick out a few dates to purchase and she gives the three oldest boys each a set for their birthday. And my Dad and I have a tradition of getting there in early April to watch a game in the frigid cold. So, I make a few trips to the North Side each season. At Christmas, I surprised my oldest son by letting him know I had reserved a set to a Cubs/Sox game. He was thrilled.
We attended that game last month and it was great. It was the first in the series of which the Cubs swept the Sox. Then, of course, the Sox did the same the following weekend. Both Chicago teams are having good seasons, boasting thriving bullpens, a strong defense and with some good power hitters on their rosters. They’ve both managed to maintain the central division lead – as of today, the Sox by a game-and-a-half and the Cubs by a hefty 5-and-a-half game lead over the Cardinals. Last year, it wasn’t until early August that the Cubs squeaked past Milwaukee to lead the division. It’s pretty funny to think that this season a Chicago world series is a real possibility.
On Friday, my 9-year-old and I headed up the Friendly Confines to use his birthday tickets. My 14-year-old is a die-hard. He knows all the players and their stats – even the minor league players. Basically, baseball is his life. And it’s not a bad hobby to have.
My 9-year-old is a fan, but not as hard core as his big brother. He was as concerned with catching the peanut vendor as the score (although it’s easy to lose interest when the game is scoreless until the bottom of the 8th.) And when I screamed and cheered at Derek Lee’s double and Aramis Ramirez’ game-winning three-run-homer that was hit way out onto Waveland Avenue, he sat there unimpressed and complained that I was hurting his ears because I was so loud. He did enjoy himself, though, and showed some enthusiasm calling out “Let’s go Cubbies!” and singing “Go Cubs Go” after their victory.
No matter how many times I visit Wrigley Field each year, I still get a sentimental, sappy feeling each time I’m sitting in a seat looking around and taking it all in. It’s usually a bright, clear day (I’m an old school Cubs fan, strongly opposed to night games) with the sun shining, the lake breeze blowing the retired jersey flags on the foul line poles and the occasional sea gull swooping down. Sometimes the Cubs Dixieland Band passes by playing jazzy tunes. The food vendors (who I easily recognize now) stroll by with their $3.75 hot dogs and the $4.00 Lemon Chills – and beers that have now hit, or maybe passed, the $6 mark. The score is changed by hand on the scoreboard and the lack of technology and advertising is something I’ve come to appreciate. I always get teary-eyed as Wayne Messmer belts out the National Anthem and I love to see the whole crowd rise during the seventh-inning stretch, inserting “Cubbies” for “Home Team” in the lyrics.
When I’m attending a game with one of the boys, our post-game ritual involves making our way down to a little pocket of the park where players occasionally emerge on as they make their exit from the game. In that spot, they’ve snagged autographs from Bob Howry, John Leiber, Kerry Wood and others. Then we move out to the fence next to the players’ parking lot, where the kids watch the players get into vehicles, mostly large black or white luxury SUV’s with tinted windows. Sometimes a player will give in to the pleas of the crowd and step over to sign a few balls, cards or tickets stubs for the young fans. Mike Fontenot and ex-Cub Matt Murton are the ones we encountered most recently.
On a good game day, the “W” flags are flying around Wrigleyville and the lively crowds of people seem to linger in the neighborhood. It’s enough to send me home singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” and counting down the days until my next visit.