Schaumburg IKEA, or the best place to shop with Kids in Chicago

Ranking: Value - 5; Dad Fun Factor - 4 out of 5; Kid Fun Factor - 5 out of 5

I don't want to take much of your hard earned pro football playoff weekend to describe the best shopping experience in Chicago so I will keep it short. We went to Ikea in Schaumburg (they are all the same so the location is not that important) today to look for a couple of magnetic bulletin boards so we can put up loose photos in the boys' rooms. Not important. What is important is that you can drop your kids off (as long as they are potty trained and between 3' and 4' tall) in a safe, secure, fun, and stimulating play area while you do your adult thing. Ikea has been doing this for some time now (how long I don't know) and it works great. You fill out a detailed form with your personal information and your child's name. You sign it and anyone else (like a spouse) whom you want to be able to collect your child. They take their shoes and coat and off they run and play. A wrist band and sticker with claim in for is put on your child. There is only one way in and out and there were at least 5 care workers on duty with about a dozen rug rats. They have puppet shows, movies, slides, and toys all about (like the kinds Ikea sells). You get an hour of peace and quiet while you shop or have a bite in the cafe. It's a great chance to have a little mommy-daddy time without hiring a baby sitter.

I know I sound like a cheap bastard here. Fact is, I am sometimes. In this case, we bought the stuff we needed and still had time to poke around. Not too shabby.

Have fun! For an Ikea near you go to www.ikea.us

Out without the Boys to Kmart in Rockford

Quick note today. Not much for the parental units but I made in interesting discovery today. I was i Rockford doing some me stuff and dashed into a store I never go into: Kmart. I usually go to Target and Jewel for my "stuff" but I was right there at Kmart and dashed in. I was an old store but with some really new stuff. It's much more open, has a new floor, and is brighter and fresher. It still looks a little dated but I liked it better than more local Target which is a big step. The staff all have new uniforms in a cool blue color and there is a lot of new technology things. I checked email at their "Internet" cafe. The connection was slow but it worked. That's half the battle. I give them a thumbs up. Check it out if you can. I guess they did this only in Rockford so don't bother looking anywhere else in Chicagoland. Enough of the commercial for the once crusty Kmart. It's a lot cooler now. At least here.