Last Days of Preschool

School is coming to an end very soon. Luke will finish preschool and move on to 4K. Elementary School here we come! I'm looking forward to working on projects and homework, after school activities, new friends, and lots of great opportunities ahead. Poor Luke doesn't even know where he's headed yet as we can't decide where to send him for 4K. Will it be public or private? We shall see. Until then we have lots of fun planned for the summer, and as soon as I'm done working in July we're going to check out many local fun places! On our short list: Racine Zoo, Elegant Farmer, East Troy Electric Railroad, Little Amerrika, our vacation to Cable, WI, Sheridan Pool (yikes), North Beach, Castle Park, Waukesha County Fair, and maybe a few more.

I don't have much to post about when I'm working so much. Life pretty much revolves around the Franklin Sabers. So until I get a minute to catch up on some free time - here is a picture of the lovely Mother's Day flowers Ronnie purchased for me. It's almost time for them to go, so I snapped a picture.

1957 I Love You

It must have been something to build this stone house in 1957. Aunt Lena, you and Uncle Karl making a home on Tomaro family land in the southeast suburbs of Milwaukee. The City of Cudahy where your father paved roads and made a name for "The Son of Italy".

It's 2010 and your great nephew and niece-in-law are admiring the home you built. A master bedroom with an attached master bathroom. 4 bedrooms, 3 natural fireplaces, a fireplace in the garage no less. The garage opens to the attached sunroom. The downstairs bar on "garden level" has an escape door to the backyard just above. A true home for entertainment. I can picture you, Aunt Lena, calling your sisters Flossie, Grace, and Jo to join you on the sun porch. Maybe your radio is playing "That Will Be the Day" somewhere in the distance. It's a time to celebrate a new home and a promise of a new life. A time just before the day the music died. I'd like to think this modern home embraced the era of rock n roll. Then again, maybe not.

Lena if I could talk with you now I'd tell you that your home is beautiful. I'd tell you that your modern 1950's life is the vintage I covet. Did you realize that the 50's would symbolize a time of goodbye? Buddy Holly, Bye Bye Birdie, the War, and glass soda bottles spiraling away from days gone by? Did you realize that your marriage was ending, that this house would be a story in a photograph, and the word feminism would fall upon the lips of every American after 1964? Were you happy here, Lena? After the end of your marriage, your move to an apartment, did you sit back and think about your time as a housewife in Cudahy when American Bandstand played in the living room of the house with the only television on the block?

For now I will say goodbye to your home. I'll keep it in my file cabinet under "family history" and wish all the while I had the answers to my questions, the secrets that are buried in the house we want to buy.

Family Fun Land

Thursday morning Luke and I took off to Germantown to explore Family Fun Land W189 N11161 Klienmann Dr. After looking over the website I was impressed by the admission rate. It is $4 for a wristband for kids to play on a huge play structure and bounce house. Considering that Monkey Joe's is $8 ($10 on Saturday and Sunday) I decided the deal was worth the drive.

We arrived a few minutes after the business opened at 10am. There were already several cars in the lot and stay-at-home-moms were unloading kids from mini vans and SUVs by the carload. Upon entrance I was a little confused where to pay but then noticed the line at the prize station. A little signage would have been helpful (and I also wonder how closely they keep track of walk-ins). However, the line was quick, we were given a waiver to sign with instructions to keep socks on at all times, and not to play on arcade games unless we are putting in tokens. Got it. Luke was given a wristband and we made our way to the bounce house.

It was a large bounce house, a little overfilled. It looked like Luke was having a hard time bouncing. Quickly we were on to the soft indoor playground. I was very impressed. It was similar to a McDonald's Play Land but much larger in my opinion. The room was VERY clean. This really speaks volumes about the care and quality of this mom and pop business. Luke took to the playground immediately, and I lost him at times in the many crevices, tunnels, slides, and levels of the structure. I did feel a little uneasy that there were multiple exits to the structure, and he could easily slip into the game area unnoticed. So, I decided to roam the area just to be certain. I did notice a little girl had lost her grandma at one point, and a staff member immediately took action to help the little girl. The employees were all wearing bright red or blue shirts with STAFF clearly written on the back.


In the soft play area there is also a mini soft structure for children 3 and under and an animal bounce house for toddlers.

In the middle of the building were a slew of arcade games similar to Chuck E Cheese. I found them a little overpriced. I haven't been to the Chuck, but I've read that they are supposed to have 25 cent games there. Here at Family Land car racing games ran from $1.00 to $1.25 a pop. Skee Ball was 50 cents. (1 token is equal to 25 cents). Again, my research is not complete on arcade expenses in the area.

We stopped our play when Luke complained of thirst and made our way to the far end of the building which houses the kitchen. Family Fun Land offers pizza (which they bake in house), a Friday Fish Fry, and many snacks, drinks, and deserts. Luke settled for a strawberry yogurt and watered down juice. I split my pretzel with cheese and bottled water with him. This cost us $7.60. Not too bad. The eating area is filled with cafeteria style tables. It would make for a great Friday night outing of dinner and exercise for the kids.

After another run in the play area we decided to leave. It was well worth the $4 spent and the drive out to Germantown. Luke had a great time and wants to visit again soon. If you go, remember to wear socks (mom and dad too if you need to retrieve your little one from the play structure).


Leanne

Brewers Opening Day 2010

Monday April 5th marked my first Opening Day experience. Ron and I packed the car early with a cooler full of Miller Lite, Johnsonville Brats, Black Bear Soda (Black Cherry flavored to be exact), and assorted condiments. I made a decadent batch of Rice Krispie Treats and we brought a few bags of Lays wavy chips for the best ever chip dip that awaited us upon my sister-in-law's arrival to the parking lot.

We were set to go! A quick stop at the gas station for ice and we were on our way. Heading to Miller Park from the southeast side of town is a heavenly ride. The Lake Parkway and the Hoan Bridge launch us to the stadium in roughly 15 minutes. We easily curve to the northwest end of the stadium and head into the lot (with no line!) at about 9:45 am. The poor souls who travel in from the west make a parking lot out of I-94 and slowly beg to make entrance to a preferred lot on Brewers territory. Who says that living on the south side is nothing if not advantageous.

Ron parks the car and before we can get out of the vehicle all cars around us begin to haul out tables, grills, camping chairs, food, and of course beer. There is even half barrel on ice in a jumbo tub at the car next to us already being primed by a college dude. Milwaukeeans waste little time.

Finally we catch word that Ron's sister has arrived and is parked a few rows behind us. We make our way over for some food, drinks and good conversation. By the time we are heading into the game I am full, tipsy, a little tired, and have already gotten too much sun. Am I too old for this?? Ron and I conclude that the tailgating is fun, but maybe next time we'll show up just for the game. Or maybe instead we will pick up a tailgate package from Skyline Catering Express. For $9.95 per person you can get a combination of burgers, brats, hot dogs, condiments, paper plates, utensils and napkins along with a few picnic style side dishes. Disposable heating units with sterno are available by request. (Minimum of 10 people per order). This was their special for opening day - we'll have to check back to see if they offer this throughout the season.

Moving on to Miller Park. Our seats are in the Loge section. We purchased a 9 pack this year and the Opening Day tickets were thrown in for free. We are split from the other 4 people with whom we purchased tickets just for this game. Our seats are directly in the sun. Joy of joy! We manage to last until the top of the 7th before we are overcome with heat exhaustion and leave the land mine lot of broken bottles, cooling grills, and food roughage galore. All in all it is a great experience. We are looking forward to the rest of the games in our 9 pack, our regular seats (which are out of the sun), and a little more laid back atmosphere. Bottom line: We can't hang with the college cats anymore. No use in denying it. This girl is a daytime party has-been.

P.S. The Brewers lost. :(

See you later Milwaukee!
Leanne

Lights Camera Keys...Let's Drive!

The purpose of this blog is to document and review the different places and attractions that I plan to visit with my family. Through the eyes of my 4-year-old superhero boy, my vacation picky husband, and my ever thrill-seeking self I'd like to give others a view of our travels. I chose Driving in Squares as the title for my blog because while we may not travel far, I plan to find the most interesting and fun places that the Great Lakes Region has to offer. Most of all I want to teach my son that you can find fun in every day life - right outside your own home. I'd also like to push myself to photograph. I believe my son may be the most cherished, yet least photographed preschooler on the face of the Earth. This is my goal, and I hope you enjoy.