So much for sunny weather at the Sun Bowl

Sun Bowl news

Wow, they got them about a good inch of snow in El Paso....perhaps they should have played here in Chicago as it's about 60F up here! Well, this is short lived weather as the weather can change from current said 60F to an icy 20F in a matter of a few hours. Been there, done that...in fact, own a few of the T-shirts. The weather in El Paso, Texas was a cool just above freezing 36F, while it touched 60F here in Chicago.

What are you doing for New Years Eve? We're going to watch Notre Dame beat Miami(sorry, guys; love my some Fighting Irish), eat some good frozen 'Za, popcorn, other munchies, watch "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" w/Happy, the big-eared baby New Year, some laundry, clean a bit and then just HANG w/the clan. Since the kids are a bit older this year will have them up to midnight to welcome 2011....

I wish all of you a wonderful, blessed and prosperous NEW YEAR and so forth!

HUGS and thanks for reading and making my blog experience for 2010 wonderful and fun! Next year I'll have more freebies, coupons, reviews, and just plain old rants and raves about a whole bunch of nothing! Just what you've asked for, no?

Thanks again! See you next year!!!

Love, Tonks, aka ChiTown Momma/AnaMarie

Why is there always death during the Christmas season?

Now, I use the term "Christmas" season as, well; constitutional-wise, I can! But is it me or does it just seem to be a lot of death, celebrity or otherwise during the Christmas/holiday season? Perhaps it's just that we're so inundated with all this cheer and joy, jingles and bells and out shopping for the perfect gifts for whomever...we're probably just not accustomed, for the most part to that sort of sadness, or perhaps just not aware of the fact that someone either we know or know of, famous or not...has passed on.

Teena Marie, Motown singer and first white woman to do so for Motown, Barney Miller's Steve Landesberg, Neva Patterson(actress from "An Affair To Remember"), Blake Edwards, Elizabeth Edwards(not related to Blake), my neighbor and friend Gus' father David, Chicago firefighters Edward Stringer, 47, a 12-year department veteran, and Corey Ankum, 34 who just joined over a year ago.

God bless all of you and your families during this difficult time.

I have just one thing to say....

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a great night!

A toy is born!

In 1982...waaay back when the internet was a term used to wonder why dolphins were getting caught in tuna nets and computers were as antiquated as a Queen Anne Chair from the 18th century with it's blocky chunky graphics and two colors; yellow and green on a black screen; Hasbro, Inc, was looking for a foreign toy line to not only outsource(bastards!) but for one they can base cartoons with, then actual toys. They bought rights to several Japanese toy companies; Takara Tomy Car Robots, Micro-Change and Bandai's Machine Robo, which were all die-cast metal robots that operate with a twist here and there making them into some sort of vehicle, like an airplane, or a car. Nearly 20 million sold in Asia alone. Toy company corporate reps thought Hasbro's "Transformers" would be a huge bomb(in a bad way, btw..not "da bomb," but actually crap out) in the good ole' USA as the executives thought the toys were too complicated, too exotic and just not enough for our kids' feeble brains to work or play with in any capacity. The suits just thought all that mess to go through and the "fact" a parent would NEVER pay 10 bones for a dumb toy robot that turns into a car or tank or something like that was just not worth the investment, or the time. Mainly the moolah.

Boy, were they wrong!

By Christmas season 1985, almost 400 MILLION American dollars(when the dollar was worth more than the Canadian dollar) worth of Transformer toys have been sold....along with that you can also add a couple of television cartoon shows, an animated movie and a couple of hit action CGI movies(starring Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox) that have earned collaboratively over $1.5 BILLION BONES, who was wrong, yeah?

Talk about "more than meets the eye," right?

Dreams do come true! No matter how small or large you dream or where you dreams come from...just keep working to make that dream of yours come true!

And may all your Christmas dreams come true for you and yours!

Love, ChiTown Momma and her clan of misfit dreamers....

So much is happening in this crazy old world....

And just before Christmas? Four firefighters in Chicago are in serious condition after a wall just fell on them and this being the 100 year anniversary of the worse firefighter casualty fire, we just saw last night a couple of cars get a boot, Steve Landesberg from "Barney Miller" just died, Blake Edwards died, the weather has been ABSOLUTE CRAP everywhere in the world(in fact, the Eiffel Tower was closed a few days ago due to too much snow...and not enough smokers), my son jacked up my iPod Touch(which I finally got to restart as it wouldn't even turn on!!! Bleh!!), rain all up and down California, and my cough isn't getting much better....OY. Perhaps I should be more aggressive w/my asthma treatment, hmm?

Enough of that negative jazz; I will have a good Christmas w/my clan as I wish that upon you and yours....last minute stuff to get? Get thee to "Target" as you can get a $40 Target gift card if you pick up an iPod Touch of your very own for the itty bitty price of only $229, a nice selection of board games are $9, loads of DVD's for $12 and under, and much more discounts for your Christmas meal(Archer Farms turkey boob is .98 a lb!). Check out the sales ad HERE!

BEARS WIN!

BEARS WIN BEARS WIN BEARS WIN BEARS WIN BEARS WIN BEARS WIN BEARS WIN BEARS WIN the Division Title!!!!

Anyone else....?

Looking forward to the Bears/Vikings game? Not only with the bizarre method of how the game will be played tonight, which is like HUGE news here in Chicago, BUT...I want to see Hank Baskett, aka Mr. Kendra Wilkinson play.

It's not looking too bad; I did just hear there will be no beer at the stadium. NO BEER? Oy!!!! How horrible! Anyway....enjoy the game!

How come....

When you go to the grocery store and stock up, everyone just wants to eat everything...at once....before you even pull it out of the bags? I swear my kids and husband have such bad gas now due to eating everything they can get their hands on today...as if I don't feed them, ever...nor allow them to eat anything in the house. I just don't buy any junk food/crackers, etc,...and this time I did, so they ate all of the crackers, and now we're crackerless...a bunch of crackerless crackers. Plus, my son is now off for Christmas/holiday(he's in a charter school so it's holiday/winter break...separation of church and state. Back in the day my mother said her class used to say "The Lord's Prayer" when they said "The Pledge of Allegiance") and he's going to want to have three square meals a day. How dare he?

BTW, just kidding...

Another "cheap and easy" for you to enjoy...PLUS......

Some bonus material, if you will. Yes, the bonus material I speak of is just me rambling a bit if I may. Or is it ranting.....

Part of the "R" detailing I have included in this here blog.

First, ya gotta read my stuff...heh, heh.

I was searching far and wide for excerpts from the TV show "Everybody Loves Raymond" for the episode in particular called "The Letter," from season 2. This was the one where Debra held the Tupperware party but didn't invite Marie(her "out-law") as Marie is...well, a pain in the butt...big time. You know what I'm talking about...you've seen the show I'm sure. After the whole fiasco about Maria barging into Ray and Debra's house going on about how she didn't know about the party, she wasn't invited, she could have "saved" Debra's party because of the crap food she served, ripping one of the party goers nighties for the "guess the nightie" game, you know; the usual intrusive crap Marie puts Debra through; Debra decides to write a letter telling Marie off, and mails it. I think personally, that's sort of a whimpy way to get your point across, in particular with someone like Marie Barone, BUT, it's in the script. I personally would have shoved her out....literally! Yeah, I would! I'm always yelling that when I watch Marie make a fool out of Deb. There have been many a times where I yell at Debra on TV like Joe at the Blackhawks playing against the Detroit Red Wings when they miss a goal.

Well, what made me take notice is Frank. Frank is the real reason I watch the show as he is an equally hilarious yet cantankerous version of my Grandpa Pinky(my daughter and my son's namesake, God bless him!). His constant outburst of "Holy Crap" at the simplest occurrences and his insane remarks(like when he's amazed, he'll say "what in hell's bathroom was that?" Or when Ray was preaching to him about acting the fool at church Frank asks, "since when did you start wearing sandels?" Classic! Yeah, I know it's good writing, BUT work with me, yeah? Plus, it's the fantastic comedic delivery of Peter Boyle)! He just cracks me up every time! Anyway...so to continue about the episode; Debra was angry with Marie and put it down...on paper...and mailed it...to Marie.

Ray went over to his parents house as he was trying to intercept the very angry letter Debra wrote and was using the guise of some of his mail along with coupons may be sent by accident to his parents house, which made everyone all upset and concerned, in particular, Frank. He hollered at Ray for being wasteful with coupons as Ray didn't even have any idea as to what the coupons were for with Ray replying he tosses them if he doesn't use them with Frank flipping out and saying, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? COUPONS ARE MONEY! DO YOU THROW OUT MONEY?"

Needless to say, I laughed my butt off. Frank's anger about Ray's flippant attitude toward coupons resonated with me, as that is my other part-time job; "Coupon Clipping Goddess." Since finally getting ink for my printer, I actually do save more printing online and for the past month just figured w/all that printing from a raggedy little $25 box of black ink, I have saved our household well over $500! Just in coupons! I swear by them, I've been mocked because of them and constantly get dirty looks from other customers in line at the grocery store when I display my tome of coupons w/out the book binding. I swear, I need me a T-shirt with writing on the back that says, "YO! I'll be in line for a while because I'VE got COUPONS, so ya may wanna move..."

Tough crap. It's my time and money, so they can wait. They don't like it? They can bite me where the sun doesn't shine.

Anyway....just a bit of ranting...or rambling...

"Cheap and easy?" Here goes!

Speaking of coupons, I just won a month's worth of Toaster Strudels! Well, I won four coupons for four boxes, so it may or may not last ME a month, as I can eat four of those bad boys in one sitting! Especially the raspberry! Mmmmm! Anyway....Here's the link HERE TO WIN TOASTER STRUDEL

Just fill in our email, fill in the form and play the little "match game" they have set up. You match all three images, you WIN! We've actually won like five times thus far and just got 16 of the coupons via snail mail...so there is no limit to how many you can win, total, but you only play once a day until February 7th.

Good luck!

Sick old girl....once again!

A huge, warm shout out to Lisa Marie Miles for allowing me to borrow this image, as it's totally me....as we speak.

Yup! Sick again...this time it's ALL asthma related. Turns out my asthma has become worse w/the colder than usual weather here in Chicago, thus making it almost impossible for me to breathe. Thank God though it's nothing too serious or contagious, etc...the damnedest thing is one thing that has helped ease my cough is an old wives' tale remedy with a slice of lemon covered with powdered black pepper and salt...you suck on that and you'll stop coughing for a couple of hours. Crazy, no? But it works! I wonder why....anyone?

A bit earlier than usual I'm including this week's "cheap and easy" w/an actual freebie you can redeem at your local grocery store.

A free avocado! YUM! Get you some healthy fats in you this holiday season! Make some guacamole or just chew down on it!

Click on this link HERE FOR A FREE AVOCADO!

Also, I'm waiting for some comments re: the Zabar's girl in "You've Got Mail." Who was the cashier in that movie? First correct comment/answer will receive a free $10 off "Il Vicinato" in Chicago restaurant.com gift certificate.

Get 'er done!

Cheater chili/chili dogs for dinner!

Well, it looks like an easy peasy dinner night as I'm still sick as a dog, my family is completely hopeless and helpless when it comes to...anything in the house that needs to be done, IE, laundry, cleaning, putting dishes away, putting toys/books away, ANYTHING to do w/cooking, etc... Goodness! What will they do when I run off and marry either George Clooney or Daniel Radcliffe?

Along with my impending illness of Cooties Maximus, I thought I'd make something to warm up my DH as he's outside shoveling snow in a tantrumesque manner due to the fact the Chicago Bears are playing quite poorly. And they have home advantage! Anyway....want the recipe for my "Cheater Chili?" Here goes:

One LB of ground beef(or ground turkey, or a mixture of both!)
1 15 Oz can of chili beans(must be chili beans. You can use generic, store brand, Aldi brand, etc...)
Chili powder 1/4 teaspoon(to taste actually)
Onion powder or 1/4 cup diced onion(optional)
1/2 cup of chunky tomato/spaghetti marinara sauce.

Brown your ground beef on medium heat until it's pretty much completely cooked, adding your onions about half way(if you're using onions and not onion powder). Drain and put back on stove, adding beans, sauce, chili powder and onion powder now(if you're not adding real onions) and cooking beans to can instructions.

Serve as is, on hot dogs, w/a garnish of more onions and cheese and of course...crackers!

Let me know if you tried this and how it came out, yeah?

Wow, this is some year thus far...

That image above really does look like me, IE, long reddish hair, green eyes, sick, sick SICK! Ugh...

How has your year been thus far? Let me tell you a bit 'bout mine, yeah? Well, between the stress of my kid and his autism and seizures, the stress of running after a toddler at my old age, my husband's crap job(over worked, reeeally under paid) and having to move out of our huge and great apartment to one w/one less bedroom, no dining room and less than feasible storage and room, I think my stress levels are way up there, thus making this past year utter crap..for the most part. It hasn't been all bad but let me tell you, it could have been much better.

Therefore, I am SOO looking forward to New Year's Eve.

RE: Stress: It's probably also the reasoning behind my constant cold/illness and lung infections, which I have, AGAIN! I am currently on a steroidal therapy of sorts(cough syrup and Prednisone for my hacking, constant cough) so with that infection going down and the fact I've dramatically lessened my nicotine intake via my foo-foo ciggies(yes, boys and girls; I do believe I am finally done with smoking!), I have been coughing up so much stuff I think I coughed up a shark or a license plate(ala "Jaws?") and Jimmy Hoffa... I seem to resemble Doc Holliday from the OK Corral/Tombstone era. After all, Doc Holliday was a notorious gun-slinging, phlegm hacking-from-his-consumption(aka tuberculosis) tough old dentist and I'm a tough cookie so right now I do not mind being equated with such an individual...Plus, Val Kilmer played him in "Tombstone," and ya cannot get much cooler and cuter than Val Kilmer, IMO.

Well, I may be tough but I really do wish I could stop this hacking!

I don't know about you, but has anyone had the effect of extreme sleepiness from taking Prednisone? I actually prefer the steroidal cough syrup over the Guaifenesin cough syrup that's laced with codeine. The codeine just doped me up and made me groggy whereas the Prednisone syrup lessened my cough and actually helped me sleep peacefully with me not having to wake up in the middle of the night choking on phlegm(yeah, I know, sorry; gross-a-roo). So, along with this treatment I am OD-ing on hot tea and honey, water, Jewish penicillin(aka chicken soup) and just loads of rest, which is not quite possible with the household I have. Now, I did try the gargle w/peroxide/H20 mixture for my sore throat, but that's gone, thank God! After all that, I still feel like crap.

To make matters worse, "I Dream of Jeannie" isn't on today! Bleh....

OKIE DOKIE! A couple of "Cheap and Easy" items to mention: Live near me(Bridgeport area of Chicago), or even in the surrounding 'hoods(Garfield Ridge, Midway, Brighton Park, etc..) and don't mind taking a bit of a car ride to not only get great deals on video game and movie rentals and support a small, local business, check out Joe's "Video Strip," located at 3307 S. Archer Avenue(Archer and Wood Streets respectively).

Their facebook page, directions, etc.. are right HERE FOR VIDEO STRIP INFO Right now they have 49¢ MOVIE AND GAME RENTALS!!!!

The wind and snow are here...but get your videos before the subzero temps kick in!

Come in now and when you rent one video at regular price each additional video is only 49cents! Limit 6!

Also, here's a coupon for free cheese or butter from Kerry Gold Farms, an Irish based dairy farm which sells their products all over the US. Click HERE to get to the skinny of things and complete a short survey(hey, it's not totally free as you have a couple of hoops to jump, but it's only a couple of hoops. Don't be so lazy) to obtain your coupon via mail for either cheese or butter. The site also has info on the company, products available and store locations to purchase their products.

Now, back to me attempting to watch "You've Got Mail" w/Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. It's taking me two hours to watch the first half hour. That's a record as it took me three days to watch "La Rose En Vie." Speaking of "You've Got Mail," notice the part where Meg Ryan is shopping for Thanksgiving and went into the "cash only" line at the store but didn't realize where she was so the entire line and the cashier got on her case, then Tom Hanks shows up to help her out by being all charming to everyone(including the cashier?) and the cashier gives Meg the stink eye? I think the Cashier who's name was Rose had like two lines...anyway. The first person to identify the cashier by commenting her name just below (no cheating! No googling please..use your beautiful brains) you will get amazing accolades from me AND if you live near me (Chicago, that is) you'll also win that $10 restaurants.com gift certificate to "Il Vicinato" located right in the heart of "Little Tuscany" on Western Avenue. Awesome Italian food, fabulous prices and very healthy servings AND 10 bones off your order of $20+. You can have a couple of free drinks, or an appetizer, or dessert gratis!

Have a good one, stay well, de-stress anyway you possibly can without choking or killing anyone, eat butter and cheese and rent vids and games from Joe!

I almost forgot.....

HAPPY HANUKKAH!

I thought the moose menorah would be cool as I'm half Canadian, so...there ya go!

I almost forgot as, well; all the stress of my kid having another seizure(Turkey Day) and worrying about him and his report card, the baby getting into everything, our landlord still acting like the Gestapo, and I've been sick on and off for two weeks, I had no idea Hanukkah was so early this year! Today is actually the fifth day of Hanukkah, so...

ברוך אתה ה' א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להדליק נר (של) חנוכה.‏

Transliteration: Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha‑olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner (shel) hanuka.

Translation: "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light[s]."

BTW....

I have the WORSE sore throat! Darn kids getting me sick. Anyone got any homeopathic remedies that actually work aside from the gargling w/salt H20?

Thanks...

May the force be with you...Go BLACKHAWKS!!!

My first give-away!

Everyone ready for Christmas yet? Ya got your tree up? Shopping done? Baking, cooking, dog grooming, housecleaning, you grooming, car ready and packed w/the hidden Christmas toys for the kiddies? Decorating done? Presents wrapped? Donations made?

Well, do NOT ask me because I'm not even half done, y'all.

I do, however; have a goodie to go w/a bonus "cheap and easy" for you followers, but I do need more followers, so give out the good word about my blog and the more followers I get, the more give-aways I can give! Plus, you can see who's following me, whom I'm following(as I am following some pretty cool bloggers here!) and get some great give-aways from them, shopping/coupon advice and just a good old fashioned chuckle; which believe me YOU w/the poopy economy we've got goin' on, we need to laugh much more often.

OK, this giveaway is open to my first 50 followers, so make sure you follow and use the words "I LOVE ITALIAN FOOD" somewhere in your comment. When I get up to 50 followers I will raffle off a $10.00 restaurants.com gift certificate to the legendary "Il Vicinato" restaurant, located at 2435 S. Western Avenue in the "Little Tuscany" neighborhood of Chicago.


Here's the Metromix link for "Il Vicinato" HERE!

Wanna free toilet paper extender? Thanks be to Heather from "Freebies 4 Mom" blog you can have a Charmin toilet paper extender sent to you in the mail. I LOVE freebies via snail mail! It's like Christmas when I bring up envelopes and boxes of samples, coupons and other free goodies! Here's the link to that HERE FOR CHARMIN FREEBIE!

So sorry to be a Debby Downer, BUT...

...I was perusing the 'net to see what went down w/the "Toys 4 Tots" parade that goes down every December(the first Sunday of December to be exact; and they drive from the Dan Ryan Woods on Western all the way down Western to the north-side of the city) when I came across this article talking about one of the victims of Thanksgiving week's murders of a police officer and a former CHA officer, Stephen Peters.

Turns out, Stephen was working on his antique Mustang and getting it ready for the "T4T" parade when he was robbed. Stephen called the police where CPD officer and evidence technician Michael Flisk came to investigate when the both of them were shot in the head by suspect/robber and parolee Timothy Herring, Jr., who returned to the scene to continue stealing from Mr. Peters garage but had his plans foiled when both of the officers were present. Herring shot the both in the head, and when he saw one of them was still moving, went back and shot them....in the head, a second time!

So much for parole, huh?

It just saddened me to see this article, and hope and pray their families are coping the best way possible with this horrible tragedy, especially near the holiday season.

This is the "Toys 4 Tots" article on Stephen and his beautiful Mustang..

Stephen's Mustang

Link for "Toys for Tots" if you wish to give this holiday season:

Chicago branch of "Toys for Tots"

This weeks "Cheap and Easy" and blog entry: So, NOW the kid is off for Christmas vacay...

...and I have to figure out some free things to do with him and the baby. After the Turkey Day fiasco(he had a seizure...we were wondering why the dog was all pesty with him as my son's dog is his service/comfort dog..but is such a pest and has been one so it's like the dog who cried wolf) we were handling boo boy w/kid gloves..not being "punny." So, we're going to do things for cheap or almost free...or free like get movies from the library(books too!), riding one of the train lines until the end of the line(like the CTA Brown Line or the Blue Line to O'Hare) or even the holiday train as CTA has a Santa/holiday/Christmas train that rides pretty much on every train line, so if you're in Evanston or near Midway you can ride any of them. Want more info/details? Click HERE for CTA Holiday train info

The Christkindl market is open and ready for business this season in Daley Plaza. This too is free aside from buying the occasional hot chocolate and/or Sternthaler Glühwein(hot wine/cider which reeeeally warms you up if you happen to be freezing and over the age of 21)...and it's so festive! You'll be in the Christmas spirit in no time hanging out there. Want you some more info on this? Well, just click your little finger to this link RIGHT HERE They also have a 'facebook' page.

Another free thing(well, almost free if you're living in Chicago, then it's just a car ride out to Hammond, Indiana) to do is visit the Indiana Visitor's Center in Hammond off I94 and Kennedy Avenue to see a very cool "A Christmas Story" exhibit. They have a pretty cool display of the movable animated window decor from "Macy's" way back in the day as well as showings of "A Christmas Story," contests(Mommy's Little Piggy eating contest, ugliest lamp contest to name a few) and if you're not into "A Christmas Story," there's a very small yet cool Dillinger museum to scope out. That's a fairly low price(about $2 a person) and they have some cool items of his on display(clothing, guns, etc..). More info? Check the link right here Yeah, I know it's not Chicago, but it's nearby, and free/cheap, etc...

Do you have plans for this holiday season w/the kids? Let us know!