A papier-mâché Saturday Art School project.

By Amy L. Hatch

When my husband and I decided to relocate to Urbana so that he could pursue an advanced degree, one of the aspects of living in a college town that most appealed to me was the opportunity to take advantage of the arts and culture offerings of a big university.

The University of Illinois did not disappoint, and one of the most exciting opportunities we’ve run across is the Saturday Art School Program.

Established at the UIUC School of Art And Design in 1964, the program offers art-enrichment class for kids ages 4-18. Taught by students and overseen by their professors, Saturday Art School meets (of course) 0n Saturday mornings for nine weeks during the fall and spring semesters, and on summer weekdays for about two weeks.

Each session culminates with a gallery show at the Krannert Art Museum and the Link Gallery, featuring works of art from each student. We’ve been to two gallery shows and I can safely say that you’ll be astonished at the high quality of the works displayed.

Our daughter loves the program (we’re awaiting our third session) and she’s brought home number of really beautiful projects. Of course we’re biased, but the point is that the level of instruction goes well beyond coloring in the lines.

And the best part is that for the kids, it’s all fun. Never once has Emmie indicated that her time spent there has been an hour filled with dry lectures and instruction. It’s all about creativity and freedom.

The spring 2012 session begins on Feb. 11 and registration materials are available online. Classes will be two hours this semester instead of one and the fee is $79. To register, you’ll also need to submit proof of your child’s age, so keep that birth certificate handy.

And hurry–these sessions fill up fast, which is one reason Saturday Art School is one of the best-kept secrets in town!

Do you have a best-kept secret you’re dying to share? Tell us about it!

Related posts:

1. 2011 Local Black Friday/Small Business Saturday Deals
2. Public School vs. Private School, Round 2: Schedules
3. Public School vs. Private School, Round 1: Uniforms

Credit: Mulberry24, Flickr

We know we’re cutting it close to the deadline, but it’s never too late to make a holiday wish list, right? We love Chambana just the way it is, of course, but we do have a few requests for the new year. We’re listing our Top Five Holiday Wishes for Champaign-Urbana and we’d love to hear yours!

Related posts:

1. The Chambanamoms Bucket List
2. Picture Perfect: How to Get Great Holiday Photos
3. Top 10 Chambanamoms Stories of 2011

Photo provided

By Erin Nieto

“Mommy, where are we going to have my birthday party?” asked my 3-year-old.

He is turning 4 in October, which is still far enough away that I can’t quite know where we’ll actually be living by then. We love to host his birthday parties, but which address shall I include in the invitation?

Please join us for Mario’s 4th birthday! To be held wherever it is that we are living in October!

“I don’t know, sweetheart,” was my answer. And I don’t. And it drives me crazy.

After a year and a half of househunting, it’s the uncertainty that wears on us. What makes a house search so exciting in the beginning (I wonder where we’ll live!) ends up making it just miserable if it goes on long enough. Do we plant a vegetable garden this year? Buy a bunk bed for the kids? Plan a birthday party in advance?

I like to think that I have plenty of what we called in the teaching field “ambiguity tolerance,” but after 18 months it’s worn to a pulp. I’m almost to the point at which I’d be willing to let someone else just tell me what to do. Give me guidance.

Make the decision, already.

Last week my 1-year-old was engaging in one of his favorite things — pulling all of the books down from the playroom shelves. “Cat in the Hat” flew by. Then “Three Little Pigs.”  Then “The Best Nest.” Wha? I thought. The Best Nest? That’s the book for me!

And so I set about reading this decades-old children’s book, aging masking tape on its spine, hoping to absorb some kind of message about which direction to take in our move.

“I’m tired of this old place,” said Mrs. Bird. “I hate it. Let’s look for a new place right now!” And so Mr. And Mrs. Bird go about looking for a new house, which just becomes a comedy of errors: Oops, that shoe belongs to someone else! Oops, that’s where the mail goes!

Until they find the perfect house in a church steeple, and actually build a new nest, and then…CLANG goes the church bell. Another nest fail. Lucky they weren’t stuck with a mortgage.

That put Mr. And Mrs. Bird probably right about where we are now in our search. The downward momentum had left them frustrated, beaten down, with only a glimmer of hope remaining. I was ready to learn from their misadventure and take their cues. What happens next? Where do Mr. And Mrs. Bird finally land?

I turn the page, and…nothing. Where the resolution of the book should have been, were just a few loose, dangling threads of binding, the rest of the book having been ripped out at some point over the decades by one tiny pair of hands or another.

So, with no guidance from Mr. And Mrs. Bird, we’ll have to write our own last chapter. In the meantime, this here is the best nest. The place where I’m sitting, the place in which my family spends its days and nights, continuing to wonder and often fret over what that last chapter will look like.

And when, on earth, those dangling threads will be replaced with a resolution.

Erin Nieto has lived in Champaign-Urbana for nearly all of her life, and heads Erin S. Nieto Fine Art Appraisal in addition to being a busy mom of two.  More of her essays on motherhood and culture can be found at www.cheapisexpensive.net.

Related posts:

1. Househunting Mom: An Open Letter to Champaign
2. Househunting Mom: This Is It

My 5-year-old can’t remember where she put her lovey a few minutes ago. But there’s nothing wrong with her long-term memory. She can recall the random park we stopped to eat at during a road trip to Indy — three road trips to Indy ago.

Where art thou, oh Champaign-Urbana ice cream truck? Photo by PburghStever on Flickr

As we were driving to a friend’s house tonight, her 2-year-old sister, out of the blue, was pointing at a van and saying “Ice cream truck.” And so I wasn’t surprised when I heard my almost kindergartner say, “Mama? Do you remember when the ice cream man came?”

Sure, we’ve talked about it since then, so maybe it’s not so distant a memory. But it’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two years since that night, when I heard a sound I had never heard in six years living in this older Champaign neighborhood.

It was a sound that was magical. It was quite literally, the sound of summer I had read about in plenty of novels and seen on television. It was a sound that I want to remember hearing in my own childhood, but I can’t seem to decipher if that’s fact or fabrication.

I peaked out the front door window slats, suspicious yet optimistic. And sure enough, next door, there was an ice cream “truck” doling out some treats for the neighbors’ grandsons. It was an old beat-up van with stickers all over it and a very loud sound system that broadcast its presence to anyone who wanted it to be there.

We reached the van and me, giddier than my 3-year-old, surveyed the menu options. They ranged in price from $1.50 to $4. It was a wide range of goodies, and it was difficult to narrow it down. I decided on a cup of cookies’ n’ cream for us to share, and gleefully turned over the money.

As it turned out, I wasn’t seeing things — this really was this van’s first visit to Champaign. The college-aged guy driving the vehicle said he had come all the way from Springfield, and his company planned to visit Champaign-Urbana “a lot more” that summer.

We haven’t seen him since, or any other ice cream truck around these parts.

I keep hearing rumors that they exist and perhaps frequent other neighborhoods, newer subdivisions that have more kids than ours.

So, dear readers, please tell me. Have you seen an ice cream truck? And where? It’s time to make more special summer memories.

Laura Weisskopf Bleill is the co-founder and editor of chambanamoms.com. You can reach her at laura@chambanamoms(dot)com

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Editor’s Note: Just in time for summer break, we’ve joined a group of mom-owned sites from across the country who have all written articles about the perfect staycation in their community. Tomorrow, we’ll post the entire list so if you’re going to one of those cities this summer — perhaps to visit friends or relatives — you can take advantage of their staycation wisdom.

By Rachael McMillan

A couple of general tips about making your staycation feel like the real deal: First, secure childcare for at least some of the time off so that you and your s/o, girlfriends, or own self can enjoy adults-only activities. To keep costs down, enlist the aid of grandparents or aunts/uncles, or let a friend watch your brood and promise to return the favor.

Also, consider getting a hotel room for at least one night, even if you’ll never cross city the limits during your time off. Every vacation should include some time when doing dishes and making beds just isn’t your concern.

The boats at Crystal Lake Park, Urbana. Chambanamoms.com photo

Some area hotels, such as Drury Inn and Hawthorn Suites, offer happy hour drinks/hot food in the evening (Hawthorn Suites does this on Wednesdays) and hot breakfast every morning. If you can get a great rate on the room, you’ll almost get back what you spend on the hotel in meals. Make sure your facility offers these perks and a pool, and you’re set.

Now, onto the plans. Although you may have to tweak this to fit your situaiton, let’s say your week off begins on a Saturday. My recommendation for day one: Get thee to the Market at the Square in Urbana for breakfast, to check out the fresh local bounty, and to chat with representatives of local non-profit organizations, many of which offer free treats and fun activities for kids.

While you’re there you can buy some of the freshest possible ingredients for your staycation meals, including grill fare from local faves Triple S Farms and Moore Family Farms. If you’re in need of good recipes for the fruits and veggies you’ll find at the market, this guide from epicurious.com will point you in the right direction.

You may want to cash in some of your kid-free time on Saturday afternoon to hit (mostly) complimentary tastings at local wineries/wine shops such as Alto Vineyards, Sleepy Creek Vineyards, The Corkscrew (they charge a small fee), Sun Singer, various Piccadilly stores, and Wines at the Pines. Be sure to pick up a special bottle or two to enjoy during your week of relaxation.

Before planning for the rest of the week, learn what special events will be going on during your break from work. Chambanamoms maintains a regularly-updated calendar of local happenings, many of which are free. Festivals.com is a good site for finding out what fairs or carnivals may be rolling into nearby towns during your staycation.

Once you’ve got a clearer picture of what will be going on during your time off, fill in the blanks with the choicest of cheap local activities, only some of which are listed below.

–Swimming, waterslide-ing, and/or floating in the lazy river at Sholem Aquatic Center in Champaign. Bad weather? No problem—enjoy the spectacular facilities at the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center instead.

–Hiking at scenic Allerton Park. Lovers of nature and art will find much to admire at this popular spot which integrates sculptures and architecture with woodland, prairie, meadows, and gardens.

–Grilling at chilling at area parks. My personal pick for the park with the best mix of adult and kid facilities is Clark Park in Champaign, where grown-ups can whack a few tennis balls back and forth while the kids play close by. Hessel Park also scores major points for its free water play area, which operates from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day during the summer. Meadowbrook Park in Urbana is also a favorite for its fanciful playground and walking path which winds around gorgeous restored prairie. Crystal Lake Park in Urbana offers a little something for everyone: boating, fishing, hiking, picnic areas, and the super-cool Anita Purves Nature Center.

–Bathing in the perpetually-warm waters of Clinton Lake Beach for a mere $1/person.

–Taking in the sites at any one of a number of excellent Central Illinois museums. Do your research; some are free always, offer free days, or have reciprocal membership programs.

–Animal watching at Prairie Farm in Champaign, which is free and available every afternoon in the summer beginning Memorial Day weekend and ending on Labor Day. At the farm, families can check out horses, cows, rabbits, goats, peacocks, and llamas. Special free programs allow families to explore the farm in greater detail.

–Free bowling for kids at Old Orchard Lanes in Savoy (sign up soon to take advantage of this offer). Buying a family pass for $24.95 will allow up to 4 adult family members to bowl alongside the kiddos until Sept. 13, 2011. Be sure to try the pizza while you’re there.

–Digging not-too-deeply into the wallet to treat your family to $1 kids’ movies at the Beverly Cinema or Savoy 16 Theater. Or, take in a recent release (which may be a more adult-friendly selection) for $3 at the historic Virginia Theatre in Champaign on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

–Picking your own fruits or veggies at local farms/orchards. This guide to area u-pick destinations should help you plan your family’s visit.

–Scoring some cheap eats/golfing/spa treatments. Two good sites for buying half-price gift certificates to local businesses are cusavings.com and cham.sagadeals.com.

Rachael McMillan is a former high school teacher, social worker, cake decorator, and just about any other profession you can think of do-er. In addition to writing, tutoring, and giving talks about fair trade, she is currently staying home with the highly entertaining Jack and Kate.

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Making a craft at Class Act Interactive. Photo by Laura Weisskopf Bleill

Want help with your child’s birthday party? Don’t want to have 20 of your 5-year-old’s nearest and dearest in your house? Here’s our guide to children’s birthday parties in Champaign-Urbana. Want to submit a review? We’ve made it easy. Visit our Birthday Party Review submission page.

Amara Yoga & Arts: Customized birthday parties featuring kids yoga and arts/crafts. Urbana. Chambanamoms.com Reader Review!

Arrowhead Lanes: Cosmic bowling and miniature golf packages. Champaign.

Campus Rec: Utilize U of I facilities including CRCE pool, ice skating rink, and the ARC climbing wall. Champaign and Urbana.

Champaign Park District: Indoor and seasonal outdoor party packages, from tennis to pool parties to theme packages. Room/gym rentals.

Champaign County YMCA: Gymnastics, sports and pool parties. Champaign.

Class Act Interactive: Face painting, improv, creative play. Champaign. Chambanamoms.com Review!

Cookies By Design: Tour of cookie baking facility, decorate-your-own-cookie, party room. Urbana.

Curtis Orchard: Seasonal party packages available. Champaign.

First Christian Church Indoor Park: Open to the public for free during the week; rental available on Saturday mornings. Champaign.

Hot Slots: Racing themed parties year round for kids 8+. Urbana.

I.D.E.A. Store: Personal parties for 6-year olds to adults. Girls, boys, moms and dads or any combination will have fun with a creative, age-appropriate eco-craft or class tailored to you; add-ons available. Champaign.

I-Force Cheer: Cheerleading parties. Champaign

I-Power Gymnastics: Gymnastics parties – trampoline, parachute, more. Champaign.

Jupiter’s at the Crossing: Pizza and arcade games. Champaign.

The Little Gym: Group activities and free play on equipment. Savoy.

Mettler Center: Bake your own cake; games, exercise. Champaign. Chambanamoms.com Reader Review!

Michaels Crafts: Arts and Crafts. Champaign

Old Orchard Lanes and Links: Bowling or miniature golf parties. Savoy.

Orpheum Children’s Science Museum: Facility rental; available to members only. Champaign.

The Pink Poodle: Makeover parties for girls. St. Joseph. Chambanamoms.com Review! (now under new management)

Pretty in Pink Parties: Themed parties for girls. Mahomet.

Putt Zone: Seasonal miniature golf and batting cages parties. Champaign.

The Pottery Place: Paint-your-own-pottery. Private room; minimum age 5. Champaign.

Savoy Rec Center: Various party packages for kids ages 2-17.

Savoy 16: Party rooms available for before and after movie viewing.

Soccer Planet: Indoor soccer. Urbana

Skateland: Laser Tag or roller skating parties. Savoy.

Top Star Training Center: Trampoline and tumbling parties. Ages 4 and up. Champaign.

Twist and Shout: Dance, tumbling or cheerleading. Mahomet.

Urbana Park District: Indoor and seasonal outdoor party packages, from the indoor pool (our review) to a dino-themed party at the Anita Purves Nature Center (our review) to creating tie-dye shirts. Room/gym rentals.

Western Bowl: Cosmic bowling and pizza. Champaign.

William M. Staerkel Planetarium: Includes 20-30 minute program in the dome featuring a live sky talk under the stars. Champaign. A chambanamoms.com review!

Women’s Basketball Games: Have a courtside party at selected University of Illinois women’s basketball games. Champaign.

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Related posts:

1. Champaign-Urbana Area Free Indoor Play Guide
2. 2012 Champaign-Urbana Valentine’s Day Guide
3. 2011 Champaign-Urbana Winter Holiday Fun Guide: December

Editor’s Note: We love birthday parties! If you would like to write about your child’s birthday party, drop us a line at editor@chambanamoms.com.

Let's do a birthday tree pose! (Photo provided)

by Aida El-Khadra

We recently had our 6-year-old daughter’s birthday party at Amara Yoga. The price for the basic package ($125) includes a yoga class (which we renamed yoga games), an arts and crafts activity (of the child’s choice), and the use of their space for two hours. The space is beautiful, and worked really well for our birthday party.

My daughter wanted a fairy theme, so the craft activities included making wands, little fairies, elves, or gnomes, and coloring fairy pictures. Kathryn, who hosted the party with her daughter, decorated the rooms with fairy houses (made of wood bark, leaves, etc …) and paintings of fairies. When we arrived, she had set up tables with fairy houses as center pieces, and cloth tablecloths, for eating the snacks and cake.

We started with the yoga games, which (following my daughter’s wishes) included readings from the Tiptoes books and acting out part of the stories. Afterward, the children were allowed to play with all the blocks, mats, cushions, and blankets in the yoga studio.

The party was a big success, the children were engaged the whole time. They loved the crafts and also loved playing in the yoga studio. Owners Kathryn and Theresa were both very accommodating (my daughter changed her mind a couple of times on what craft activities she wanted), and put together a great birthday party for my daughter. She was very pleased (as were her parents).

Aida El-Khadra is a mother of two girls (6 and 18 months) who lives in Champaign. She is a professor at the University of Illinois, where she teaches physics.

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By Trish Wilkinson

Women’s (strongest) feelings (in terms of their birthing), positive and negative, focus on the way they were treated by their caregivers.

Annie Kennedy and Penny Simkin

If you are an expecting mom, know your options for prenatal and birth care providers. (Photo provided by Trish Wilkinson)

Birth is one of the most intensely important times in your life, and the person who provides your prenatal care can make such a difference in how the whole experience is perceived. It is essential that women know the resources and the caregiver options available in their community in order to help them make the choice that is right for them. And this subject has really made me look at my own experiences — I realize that I have taken more time deciding on paint samples for my bedroom than I did when I looked for an obstetrician 20 years ago!

Champaign-Urbana has a fairly progressive medical birth community for a Midwestern, semi-rural university town. There are a number of obstetricians, certified nurse midwives, women’s health professionals, nurse practitioners, and family practice physicians that practice at the two major hospitals, Provena Covenant and Carle Foundation Hospital. Choosing a caregiver in the case of home birth is more difficult — home birth is technically not legal in Illinois. Therefore the availability of attendants is scarce — it is harder to find support in this arena, but not impossible.

Whether you are choosing a hospital or home birth, taking the time to seek out a caregiver with whom you are comfortable will go a long way in boosting confidence and feeling reassured when it is time to give birth. Asking questions and seeking answers is a woman’s right and responsibility.

I have had clients lament that they did not more thoroughly research the options available to them, and that they did not interview more caregivers. If a woman feels this is important to her overall birth experience, there are so many ways to “investigate” the possibilities available for care. Utilize Web sites and books that list questions to ask potential providers; talk to mom’s groups who have experienced birth in the area, getting feedback on who they used; talk to family, friends, social/spiritual networks; call doulas that have experience with providers in the area. And interview, interview, interview!

If you are established already with a provider, be sure to keep up communication with them. Do not be afraid or intimidated to dialogue — while some caregivers may give off an “aura” of inapproachability, you won’t know for sure until you try. And be sure to tap into your partner/support system throughout the process — they can give you additional feedback with their impressions.

Knowing the options for the services in an area can go a long way in helping a woman find a provider with whom she is comfortable. It can be so detrimental to a woman to basically open up the phone book and settle for the first name on which her finger lands. Be sure to be proactive wherever you live — your comfort level with your provider can definitely help you as you travel through your pregnancy journey.

Trish Wilkinson (photo provided)

Trish Wilkinson has been married for 24 years and is the mother of two boys ages 18 and 14 (first born by unplanned cesarean; the second was a VBAC). A child and family therapist for 15 years before becoming a doula in 2001, she started Tree of Life Doula Services and Birth Resources in 2005 and has attended more than 250 births, including cesareans. She is a certified doula through Doulas of North America, as well as licensed clinical social worker for the state of Illinois. This is her second column for chambanamoms.com.

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A doula can be critical for mom and her partner. (Photo by mikesalibaphoto on flickr)

Editor’s Note: Please welcome our newest contributor, Chambana mom and certified doula Trish Wilkinson.

Main Entry: dou·la
Pronunciation: \’dü-lə\ Function: noun Etymology: Mod Greek, female helper, maidservant, from Greek doulē female slave Date: 1981:
a woman experienced in childbirth who provides advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth. (Webster)

I love being a doula. When asked why I became a doula, people often assume it is because I love babies. Well, while I do hold babies in fairly high esteem (for which my two sons will someday realize they are eternally grateful!), the main reason I do what I do is because I love being with a woman and her support system during the awesome and life changing experience of birth.

When I gave birth to my wonderful sons, I had two completely different pregnancies, labors, deliveries, and postpartum. But the common thread through both experiences was the amazing pride I felt in myself as a woman.

Even though I had an unexpected cesarean with my first child, and delivered my second vaginally, I felt the same feelings of enpowerment, wonder, and awe after both.

As a doula, that is my professional goal – - for every woman to feel proud and empowered after they give birth, no matter what path the birth journey takes.

Now as I embark on this new branch on my tree of experiences, I hope that I can help address questions and issues in our birthing community here in the Champaign-Urbana area. I welcome suggestions, comments, and just plain chatting as I dip my writing pen (I think I just dated myself!) into the well of information we have available regarding pregnancy, labor, and birth. I don’t have all the answers, but I will do my best to find the resources to address them.

Thanks to all you moms out there!! We rock!

Trish Wilkinson (photo provided)

Trish Wilkinson has been married for 24 years and is the mother of two boys ages 18 and 14 (first born by unplanned cesarean; the second was a VBAC). A child and family therapist for 15 years before becoming a doula in 2001, she started Tree of Life Doula Services and Birth Resources in 2005 and has attended more than 250 births, including cesareans. She is a certified doula through Doulas of North America, as well as licensed clinical social worker for the state of Illinois.

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Did you hear us this morning on the radio with Holstein & Company? (Photo by jpcorreacarvalho on flickr)

by Laura Weisskopf Bleill

We’ve had some pretty fun stuff happen to us since we launched chambanamoms.com, and one of the newest highlights was our visit today with the WIXY 100.3 FM Holstein & Company morning show.

Co-host Andy Roberts invited Amy and I to be in-studio guests after we profiled him as a Chambana dad to know last week. We chatted about the site – how it got started, why we’re doing this, and how much we love our readers. Steve Holstein even got some private propietary information out of us – you’ll have to go listen to hear what we’re talking about.

Ever the wonderful host, Steve captured our interview and put it up on the WIXY Web site for all perpetuity. Even though we were a little intimidated to follow comedian Jeff Dunham, I think we rose up to the task. Warning: women and children may run when they hear our voices, ha.

Thank you to Steve, Melissa and Andy. We had a blast – and we’d love to be back anytime.

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