From the get go, we were pushing our luck.
Of course, with my luck (it is a four letter word), I should have known the day would fall flat; just like my hair. Bad hair days always spell trouble.
I’ve tried the Pollyanna approach, but optimism is a tough act to follow with flat hair. Grant wasn’t buying my feigned optimism either when I hopped into my daughter’s car and greeted my grandson with an enthusiastic, “Hi Granters. Hi Grace.”
"Where’s Grandpa,” he immediately tossed back, worry creeping into his eyes.
I’ve been chopped liver ever since Grandpa started watching Grant at 3 months of age. At least my grandson didn’t say anything about my flat hair.
Of course, with my luck (it is a four letter word), I should have known the day would fall flat; just like my hair. Bad hair days always spell trouble.
I’ve tried the Pollyanna approach, but optimism is a tough act to follow with flat hair. Grant wasn’t buying my feigned optimism either when I hopped into my daughter’s car and greeted my grandson with an enthusiastic, “Hi Granters. Hi Grace.”
"Where’s Grandpa,” he immediately tossed back, worry creeping into his eyes.
I’ve been chopped liver ever since Grandpa started watching Grant at 3 months of age. At least my grandson didn’t say anything about my flat hair.
Best buddies, Grant and Grandpa.
At two and a half, Grant could care less, which is one of the reasons he’s the best part of every day we spend together (despite his blatant favoritism). Today we were headed to LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
“We’ll see Grandpa when we get back,” I offered, trying for a positive spin on the bad news. “He has a tummy ache and a headache,” I added.
Grant’s worry turned to outright disappointment as the corners of his mouth dropped along with his chin.
Fortunately the attention span of toddlers is close to that of a gnat; and Jennifer is a pro at her new job as a fulltime mom. She selected Grant’s favorite song from the soundtrack playing as a knowing look of victory passed between us and Grant’s face lit up. We were on our way.
You’d think at these prices ($19 for an adult ticket, $15 for children between the ages of 3 and 12) the anthill we’d stepped into at LEGOLAND Discovery Center 30 minutes later wouldn’t be crawling with so many of the two-legged variety foraging for fun like it was their last picnic.
The prices were obviously way over the head of the giraffe we found leaving the premises when we arrived. Those are some steep prices considering giraffes are the tallest animal on the planet.
“We’ll see Grandpa when we get back,” I offered, trying for a positive spin on the bad news. “He has a tummy ache and a headache,” I added.
Grant’s worry turned to outright disappointment as the corners of his mouth dropped along with his chin.
Fortunately the attention span of toddlers is close to that of a gnat; and Jennifer is a pro at her new job as a fulltime mom. She selected Grant’s favorite song from the soundtrack playing as a knowing look of victory passed between us and Grant’s face lit up. We were on our way.
You’d think at these prices ($19 for an adult ticket, $15 for children between the ages of 3 and 12) the anthill we’d stepped into at LEGOLAND Discovery Center 30 minutes later wouldn’t be crawling with so many of the two-legged variety foraging for fun like it was their last picnic.
The prices were obviously way over the head of the giraffe we found leaving the premises when we arrived. Those are some steep prices considering giraffes are the tallest animal on the planet.
Halfway home!
Even Einstein tried to warn us when we entered the building, but as luck would have it . . . Well, you know how our luck was going that day.
Raspberries!
The cost of admission was no small change even by Chicago standards. This is obviously not a place to drop off the kids while mom does a little shopping along the Streets of Woodfield (who would do that!?) in Schaumburg, Illinois. A sign boldly proclaimed, ‘Every child must be accompanied by an adult.’
I assumed that admonition didn’t mean a one-to-one ratio, because the adults were definitely outnumbered 1000 to 1 (okay, I admit, I’m slightly prone to hyperbole). Jennifer and I were obviously the only adults doing our part to keep the chaos and ratio manageable although in all honesty (not my strongest suit) Grant was running around like he had ants in his pants.
In hindsight, what kid doesn’t know he’s on a short leash when they hit the jackpot, in this case a jackpot filled with Lego hard candy (400 million people around the world have tapped into that jackpot). It was enough candy (7 Lego sets per second are sold every day around the world) to cause extreme hyperactivity, which is probably why Grant took off like a runny nose at the height of cold season. It turned out Grace had the runny nose, and a fever. The clock was ticking; the Tylenol started flowing.
I assumed that admonition didn’t mean a one-to-one ratio, because the adults were definitely outnumbered 1000 to 1 (okay, I admit, I’m slightly prone to hyperbole). Jennifer and I were obviously the only adults doing our part to keep the chaos and ratio manageable although in all honesty (not my strongest suit) Grant was running around like he had ants in his pants.
In hindsight, what kid doesn’t know he’s on a short leash when they hit the jackpot, in this case a jackpot filled with Lego hard candy (400 million people around the world have tapped into that jackpot). It was enough candy (7 Lego sets per second are sold every day around the world) to cause extreme hyperactivity, which is probably why Grant took off like a runny nose at the height of cold season. It turned out Grace had the runny nose, and a fever. The clock was ticking; the Tylenol started flowing.
This is all they give me to play with - the brochure?
Grant tore through the first floor in under 5 minutes (which averages to approximately $4 a minute for entertainment), skipping right past all 1.5 million “bricks” (official Lego-leese terminology) used to construct this miniature version of the Chicago skyline in the Miniland Exhibit.
Just when I thought the city of Chicago was one of a kind, Lego proves me wrong.
He was in no mood to hang out with the monkeys in the Jungle Expedition either.
Grant wasn't going ape for the displays.
He did pause briefly to bond with one happy hippo.
Perhaps dental school is in Grant's future.
But Grant seemed most attracted to the manly figures hanging out in the Hall of Fame, like these Lego legendaries Dumbledore,
Yes, this is THE key to #4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey.
Batman and
Batman appears to have a new Robin sidekick.
Santa.
Is this the button that dispenses presents?
I think he was missing his hero, Grandpa. Not to mention, as a former construction manager, Grandpa was the best choice when it came to realizing the dreams of grandeur hoped for at the hands of imaginative kids young and old alike with those 19 billion Legos produced each year.
Things started looking up when we reached the second floor, to just over 36 inches in Grant’s case; which meant he could ride LEGOLAND’S Technicycle if accompanied by a responsible person. And as luck would have it, you guessed it - I was the responsible adult. Where's Grandpa when you really need him?
Things started looking up when we reached the second floor, to just over 36 inches in Grant’s case; which meant he could ride LEGOLAND’S Technicycle if accompanied by a responsible person. And as luck would have it, you guessed it - I was the responsible adult. Where's Grandpa when you really need him?
Okay, let's get this show on the road.
At least circling the room at 100 miles per hour (according to my inner ear) my hair was no longer flat.
And of course, once our ride was over, Grant hit the ground running again, this time to the opposite side of the room, where the LEGOLAND’S playground afforded him ample opportunity to flex his cramped muscles after all that time in the air crammed into a seat designed for a small kid (oh wait, that was my experience, not Grant’s).
Friends were definitely more exciting than all those Lego bricks.
The playground was crawling with the kid variety of ants.
Did you know ants, like kids, can’t hear? Ants don’t have ears; they “hear” by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet. Kids have ears, but their hearing goes in and out like a cell phone call during a solar flare whenever they’re in motion – too many vibrations perhaps; or information overload.
It was definitely information overload for one big kid as I tracked Grant’s movements while mommy ordered lunch at the LEGOLAND café just in time; our little sprinter was rapidly losing steam.
It was definitely information overload for one big kid as I tracked Grant’s movements while mommy ordered lunch at the LEGOLAND café just in time; our little sprinter was rapidly losing steam.
Grant's battery was rapidly running out of juice.
Yum, yum – cardboard pizza topped with some semblence of cheese, washed down with milk; fits the bill for our little worker ant. I was hoping for a tastier spread for today’s picnic. Not that lucky, AGAIN!
This picnic is finally getting down to business.
The Lego artwork along the walls said it all for Jenny and me.
My sentiments exactly on this over priced anthill. Maybe I'm just an over aged party pooper.
We missed the tour of the Lego factory ( a line of ants longer than the drive here was wrapped around the hall outside the theater), but not to worry; this link offers your very own tour of the Denmark manufacturing plant where the 19 billion Lego bricks are produced annually.
This is the link to the official Lego site. Did you know the word Lego loosely means play?
And if that isn’t enough, take a peek at the 10 neatest Lego facts with this link.
If all else fails, simply grab a handful of Lego “bricks” and build a bridge out of that cubicle or stale afternoon to a world that matches your dreams.
_________________________
The bottom line on the LEGOLAND Discovery Center:
- Verdict:
Too many kids, too much money. Spend your money buying more Legos and then spend
the afternoon on the floor at home making some memories.
- How to Get There:
From Chicago take I-90 West (toll road) toward Rockford. Take the I-290 East exit toward
Western Suburbs and merge onto I-290 East to E. Higgins Road. Turn right onto E. Higgins
Road, then another right onto N. Martingale Road to LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
From the Southwest suburbs, take 355-N to I-290 West via the Rockford ramp. Take exit
1B for IL-72/Higgins Road. Turn left onto E. Higgins Road, then right onto N. Martingale
Road to LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
From the Northwest suburbs, take IL-53 South to I-290 East. Exit on Higgins Road onto
West Frontage Road. Turn right onto Higgins Road, then right onto North Martingale Road.
Destination on the right.
From the west, take I-88 to 355-N. Pick up I-290 West via the Rockford ramp. Take exit
1B for IL-72/Higgins Road. Turn left onto E. Higgins Road, then right onto N. Martingale
Road to LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
- Ideal for:
Budding engineers and construction managers between the ages of 5 and 9; possibly for
those hoping to celebrate their birthday on the premises where money is no object.
- Insider tips:
Online tickets offer a savings of $2.10 per ticket (adult or child). The best value for the
money is an Annual Membership for $40 (adult or child) which allows unlimited visits,
discounts on Lego purchases, birthday parties and food at the cafe. But the annual
membership will not eliminate the crowds.
- Nearby food:
There are no fast food restaurants for kids in the Streets of Woodfield. There's Shaw's
Crab House, Chipolte's, Maggiano's Little Italy, Big Bowl and Omah Steaks. Woodfield Mall,
several blocks away, does have considerably more food options, including fast food.
This is the link to the official Lego site. Did you know the word Lego loosely means play?
And if that isn’t enough, take a peek at the 10 neatest Lego facts with this link.
If all else fails, simply grab a handful of Lego “bricks” and build a bridge out of that cubicle or stale afternoon to a world that matches your dreams.
_________________________
The bottom line on the LEGOLAND Discovery Center:
- Verdict:
Too many kids, too much money. Spend your money buying more Legos and then spend
the afternoon on the floor at home making some memories.
- How to Get There:
From Chicago take I-90 West (toll road) toward Rockford. Take the I-290 East exit toward
Western Suburbs and merge onto I-290 East to E. Higgins Road. Turn right onto E. Higgins
Road, then another right onto N. Martingale Road to LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
From the Southwest suburbs, take 355-N to I-290 West via the Rockford ramp. Take exit
1B for IL-72/Higgins Road. Turn left onto E. Higgins Road, then right onto N. Martingale
Road to LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
From the Northwest suburbs, take IL-53 South to I-290 East. Exit on Higgins Road onto
West Frontage Road. Turn right onto Higgins Road, then right onto North Martingale Road.
Destination on the right.
From the west, take I-88 to 355-N. Pick up I-290 West via the Rockford ramp. Take exit
1B for IL-72/Higgins Road. Turn left onto E. Higgins Road, then right onto N. Martingale
Road to LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
- Ideal for:
Budding engineers and construction managers between the ages of 5 and 9; possibly for
those hoping to celebrate their birthday on the premises where money is no object.
- Insider tips:
Online tickets offer a savings of $2.10 per ticket (adult or child). The best value for the
money is an Annual Membership for $40 (adult or child) which allows unlimited visits,
discounts on Lego purchases, birthday parties and food at the cafe. But the annual
membership will not eliminate the crowds.
- Nearby food:
There are no fast food restaurants for kids in the Streets of Woodfield. There's Shaw's
Crab House, Chipolte's, Maggiano's Little Italy, Big Bowl and Omah Steaks. Woodfield Mall,
several blocks away, does have considerably more food options, including fast food.
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