Like to mix your shopping pleasure with great deals and spectacular outdoor weather? Here’s a rundown of upcoming sidewalk sales this summer:

Evanston (Central Street): Thursday, July 10 – Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
What to do: Kids’ activities, Budding Artists Art Fair, Storybook Mom, Antique Fire Truck

Evanston (Downtown): Friday, July 25 - Sunday, July 27, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Glencoe: Friday, July 18 – Saturday, July 19

Wilmette: Friday, July 11 - Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
What to do: Music, kids’ activities

Lake Forest: Friday, August 1 - Saturday, August 2

Winnetka: Friday, July 18 and Saturday July 19, 2008
What to do: Jazz music in all three business districts, food, clowns, games, balloons, face painting, etc.

Highland Park: Thursday, July 24 – Sunday, July 27, beginning at 10 a.m.
Where: Central Avenue from Green Bay to Sheridan Road (and First and Second Streets, and Elm Place)
What to do: Prices at 50 - 75 percent off in most places, kids’ activities, etc.

Technorati Tags: North Shore Chicago sidewalk sales, Highland Park sidewalk sale, Glencoe sidewalk sale, Evanston sidewalk sale, Wilmette sidewalk sale, Winnetka sidewalk sale, Lake Forest sidewalk sale

I found myself gripping the steering wheel of my car tighter and tighter as the lime green door of this potentially nightmare-ish appointment came into view. And here it was- I was face to face with my enemy….the hair salon! Before you stop reading this blog.. (I get it What a wimp, baby, drama queen..etc) let me back track for a second. My hair kinda defines me- uncontrollably curly and has a mind of it’s own (compliments of my dad). I have had enough bad haircuts to cause semi-permanent hair-cutting anxiety. (bad-hair definition= leaving the salon with my very own north shore frizzy pyramid on top of my head) I walked into the Gordon’s in Ravinia Salon greeted by the faint aroma of a “relaxing” Aveda candle burning. Ill be honest..I definitely needed something stronger than that candle to relax me… and here she was…a goddess in human form. Adaku.

I didn’t even need to open my mouth for Adaku to feel my anxiety. She said everything would be fine and walked me through the hair cut. While she was washing my hair I relayed some of my haircut tragedies to her. Adaku shared some of her tricks of the trade with me (which did eventually put my mind MOSTLY at ease). Forty-five minutes later I made out a check for $35 (money INCREDIBLY well spent) and was on my way.

I’m sharing my secret weapon (Adaku) with you (curly haired girls) because it’s insanely hard to find someone who can tame a wild beast of hair with a mere pair of shears. And because its summer and everyone goes curly anyways- might as well look FANTASTIC!

Technorati Tags: Gordon Salon, Haircut, North Shore Salon, Aveda Concept, Ravinia, Highland Park

OK – so I will try to be really good this summer and blog about our various adventures around the North Shore. Some will be amusing, others just plain informative. Read them or don’t – but if you choose to, I promise you’ll come away with a “Mom-O-Rama” perspective you could find helpful should you decide to try it yourself.

So, for Father’s Day, we had purchased Kenny Loggins tix at Ravinia…

We had a ball! It wasn’t a Kraft Kids concert, but there were still plenty of young ones around. Which provided plenty of entertainment, as they toddled about from blanket to blanket looking for the best graham crackers. I was digging the people watching - people with their candles on tables, full-out floral centerpieces, etc. I bet they were wishing they could dig into our box of Brown’s Chicken;)

We bought tix for the pavilion (kids must be 7!) - and we were glad we did. Kenny put on a fantastic show, plus we got some Richard Marx action, which was all kinds of awesome! The crowd was great, but we were right behind the handicapped section, which meant having to watch someone get dinner through a tube. A little disconcerting, but the nurse was nice enough to do it before the concert started.

And should you get tix, never, ever count on the weatherman to give you the straight poop. It was supposed to thunderstorm, but we were blessed with the most beautiful weather. Yay!

If you go, remember, parking in the main lot is $20, and all neighborhood streets require a parking pass - so get buddy buddy with someone if you can! If you forget a chair, you can rent one for $7 - two will get you a free side table! And bring a sweater or jacket to throw on later at night - you’ll be glad you did.

Technorati Tags: Ravinia, Highland Park music, Ravinia Festival tips