Tip of the Week: Splish Splash!

It's finally warm enough to enjoy the first days of summer! Don't worry --
even though the nice weather got a late start this year, there's  still
plenty of time to spend days at the pool. In addition to Chicago's terrific
parks, there are also quite a few public pools. Perhaps the nicest one is at
Holstein Park, because of its baby pool. You and your tot can soak in a
little sun, and you can introduce him or her to the water.

Below is the schedule, address and phone number for Holstein Park. You can
also go to www.chicagoparkdistrict.com for more information and to find out
about other local public pools. Don't forget your sunscreen!

Holstein Park and Pool
2200 N. Oakley Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647-3236
312-742-7554

Family Swim
Monday-Friday, 9-10:45 a.m. and 4-5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Additional Family Swim Times
Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 5-5:45 p.m.

Open Swim
Monday-Friday 1-3:45 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 12:30-3:15 p.m.

Tip of the Week: Kids' Restaurant Week!

Cookie and Gourmet magazines are hosting Kids' Restaurant Week 2009 and
invite you to join them for a week-long promotion June 20-28. Enjoy an
inexpensive -- but very nice! -- dinner with your children while
contributing to local charities. Participating restaurants are listed
below.

Reservations can be made through www.opentable.com or by calling the
restaurant directly. For more, visit www.kidsrestaurantweek.com/chicago.asp.

Prix fixe menus: Adults pay $29; Kids 11 and under pay their age
Early dinner seating 5-7 p.m.
A portion of proceeds will benefit local charities.

312 Chicago, 136 N. La Salle Street at Randolph 312-696-2420
Aigre Doux Restaurant and Bakery, 230 W. Kinzie Street  312-329-9400
Big Jones,  5347 N. Clark Street  773-275-5725
Bistro 110, 110 East Pearson Street  312-266-3110
Cafe Spiaggia, 980 North Michigan Avenue, 2nd Floor  312-280-2750
Coco Pazzo Café, 300 W. Hubbard Street #1  312-836-0900
David Burke's Primehouse, 616 N Rush St  312-660-6000
Di Pescara, 2124 Northbrook Court  847-498-4321
Duchamp, 2118 N. Damen Avenue  773-235-6434
Eve, 840 N. Wabash Avenue  312-266-3383
Fulton's on the River, 315 N. LaSalle Street 312-822-0100
Landmark, 1633 N. Halsted Street 312-587-1600
Markethouse, 611 North Fairbanks Ct. 312-224-2200
One Sixty Blue, 1400 W Randolph Street  312-850-0303
Osteria Via Stato, 620 N. State Street  312-642-8450
Prosecco, 710 North Wells Street  312-951-9500
Reel Club, 272 Oakbrook Center  630-368-9400
Scoozi!, 410 W Huron St  312-943-5900
Socca, 3301 N Clark St 773-248-1155
Uncommon Ground, 3800 N. Clark St 773-929-3680
Vie, 4471 Lawn Avenue  708-246-2082

Speaker Series Summary

WHAT WE LEARNED: Booty Camp Potty Training With Wendy Sweeney
Registered nurse Wendy Sweeney led our June 2 speaker series event. Here are
a few tips I wanted to share!

- Get prepared: Children are generally ready to potty train by age 2 1/2.
- Find a simple potty for your child; bells and whistles only complicate
things!
- Set aside three days to stay home and focus on potty training.
- Tell your child that he or she is now responsible for "listening to
your body" and understanding its signals.
- Empower children to potty when they need to, and make them responsible
for their own success.
- Switch to cloth "big-kid" underwear for the training process. Do
intermittent checks and give rewards for dryness.
- If your child has an accident, he or she is responsible for cleaning it
up with your help. This will show children that going in your pants is no
longer the easiest way.
- Ask your child for exactly the changes you want. This allows a child to
know your expectations and sets him or her up for success.

Our next speakers will be baby sign language experts Susan and Rick Rizzo on
Friday, July 24, 3-4 p.m.! Call 312-944-7677 or visit our front office to
register.

Tip of the Week: Under the Sea!

In honor of its wonderful new exhibits and the redesigned Oceanarium, Shedd
Aquarium is offering free general admission June 14-19. Packages including
Wild Reef are available at a discounted rate.

Little ones will enjoy exploring and using their imaginations in the new
Polar Play Zone as they dress up as penguins or ride in a child-size
submarine. From there, they can visit the new beluga exhibit and head over
to the tide pools to touch beautiful starfish.

If you can't make it this week, don't worry -- other Community Discount Days
are scheduled for fall:

*Sept. 21, 22, 28 and 29
Oct. 4-9, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27
Nov. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 30*

For more information, check out the Shedd Aquarium Web site at
www.sheddaquarium.org/discounts.html

Tip of the Week: Words to Inspire!

As a parent and someone who works with children, I am always looking for
ways to build a child's self-confidence. It's one of the hardest things to
teach, and one of the most important life lessons to learn.

“The Dot” and “Ish” by Peter H. Reynolds<http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_m?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Peter+H.+Reynolds&x=0&y=0>are
two short books that teach this lesson in a simple and touching way.
The author received the Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in
Children's Literature, and it is well deserved.

"The Dot" is about a girl who is frustrated because she thinks she can’t
draw. All she can put on paper is a single dot. Even so, her art teacher
encourages her to sign her name and hand it in. When she comes to class the
next day, her dot is framed and hanging above her teacher’s desk.

In “Ish,” a little boy is devastated when his older brother makes fun of his
artwork. He is so ashamed that he crumples up his latest piece, and his
younger sister grabs the discarded work and runs to her room. As he opens
her door to confront her, he sees that all of his art has been hung on her
bedroom walls!

Both of these books illustrate the unlimited potential of children and
encourage them to reach it!

Tip of the Week: Baby, You Can Drive My Car!

Before you know it, you'll be moving your son or daughter from a baby's car seat into a child's booster seat. The convenience is wonderful, but as a
parent, I've wondered about booster seats' safety. However, I'm happy to share that I've found a seat that is safe and stylish.

Clek booster seats <http://www.magnaclek.com/us/english/default.aspx> are designed by an automotive-seat manufacturer, and they use the same materials
for their hip car seats. More importantly, Clek's seats have a rigid latch
system that many other boosters don't. This will secure the car seat while
it's being used and prevent an unused seat from flying out and injuring a
passenger if there's an accident. Clek seats come in lots of fun patterns,
including some created by Paul
Frank<http://www.magnaclek.com/us/english/seat_cover/index.aspx>!

You can buy Clek booster seats from several sites, including
www.babycarseats.com. Parents give them five stars!