Day 177.

Back home again, and although our life is about as different here as it could possibly get from life at the cabin, it's a good life. I currently hear a baby crying as if she's in the next room, as well as a few other random conversations out the window - summer life in the city with your windows open!

I schlepped the kids on a few errands this morning, as I'm having a big reunion picnic for all my Bradley Method® couples tomorrow out at the Point. I wanted to get some brats, some steakburgers (not hamburgers...STEAKburgers), and some veggieburgers for grilling out at the lake. So, we headed up north to stop at an amazing place that was worth the 45 min drive.

I am grateful for Paulina Meat Market.

Seriously, if you are ever on the north side of Chicago for any reason, it's worth a stop at this place. I'm sure towns across America have something of this sort, but for a city as big as Chicago, it's really cool to have a place that has been locally based for 60 years, and still has that hometown flavor and customer service.

The nicest old man helped me select my Tomato Basil Bratwurst (the brat special of the month) and my delicious steakburgers. My mouth was watering, even with the raw meat everywhere (which usually just isn't my thing to see it...so in my face). And he offered my kids a free slice of their homemade bologna. Ummm...bologna. Yuck. I mean, actually YUM, I love bologna, but I also know how disgusting it is for you...and I am pretty careful about what goes into those growing bodies of theirs. Call me a little nutritionally overprotective, but they've never tried bologna. So, I figured, HEY, we're at Paulina Meat Market, it's a special occasion. We drove all the way up here from Hyde Park, why the hell can't they have a slice of bologna?!

So they did, and they loved it. And he gave them each a second slice.