See Mom Run...The Fun Continues

The See Mom Run tour took to the skies last week when I managed to hit three cities in four days. Miraculously, while I raced through four airports, I avoided any travel delays and even got to do some serious shopping! But what was really exciting was the chance to see the stories in our book come to life at the Comedy Sportz Theatre in Chicago, the Treehouse Social Club in Los Angeles and the Tot Spot Cafe in Seattle.

First stop - Chicago. I arrived in the Windy City on what felt like the windiest day in New York. The wind was howling so loud the night before my trip that I was convinced we'd never take off on time. But luckily, we did and I managed to make it to Chicago in time for an appearance on WGN-TV. We then raced over to Eli's Cheesecake Factory where we took a VIP tour and watched their bakers hard at work on some of the most delectable cheesecakes I've ever seen.  I was amazed to find out that Eli's makes 20,000 cheesecakes per day and some of their favorite customers include President and First Lady Obama.

Next, we got the chance to visit the 1-800 Baskets factory. If you're stressing out over what to buy for friends and family, trust me when I tell you to let you're fingers do the shopping! I got the chance to see first hand how all the goodies were being assembled this year at 1-800 Baskets and ironically, the place bears a striking resemblance to Santa's workshop - not that I've been to the North Pole lately but Chicago in December certainly comes pretty close. From the gorgeous baskets that you can use after the holidays are long gone, to the aisles of candy, wine, crackers, cookies, Starbuck's coffee and more, I had the best time getting a sneak peak at the baskets in store for shoppers in 2010 and even got the chance to shop their annual friends and family warehouse sale!

With the clock ticking, it was time to hit the Chicago Board of Trade. If you happen to have a child with a messy streak, have no fear - they could wind up in the finance industry! As we walked across the busy trading floor, all we could see around us were sheets of paper strewn all around us.  While the paper is used throughout the day as part of the bidding process, we learned that the floors are swept every night and all the paper is recycled to make room for the next day's mess...so think twice before you tell your kid to clean up their clutter!  Though I am far from a finance whiz, it was fascinating to find out how the prices of all kinds of food - from orange juice to pork bellies to cheese are determined by the Chicago Board of Trade.  I even got the inside scoop on the recent Eggo waffle shortage - it turns out a flood in a waffle factory wiped out a slew of waffles forcing kids everywhere to re-think their morning breakfast routine. With thoughts of chocolate waffles dancing in our heads, Fox anchor Nancy Loo joined us for a quick pit stop at Garretts, the best popcorn store in Chicago and then headed back to her office as we raced off to to get ready for the reading.

Within a matter of what seemed minutes, it was almost ready for showtime! Thanks to our incredible Chicago sponsor, Allstate and Vehicle Vibes, our local food sponsor Dominick's, and our emcee, Fox 5 Chicago anchor Nancy Loo, we got the chance to entertain a crowd of supportive moms (and dads) at the Comedy Sportz Theatre by showcasing our talented mid-western writers including Dawn Meehan, Sara Fisher and Vanessa Druckman.  Plus, the night even featured a song parody that I've written for the upcoming stage version of See Mom Run. Miss Lori, a talented professional singer and PBS host took our theme song "I Am Mommy" and in the words of Randy Jackson "made it her own." If you don't believe me, then take a look! 

There's still more to come - including our visit to Los Angeles and Seattle where my mom met up with me and we did a whole lot of shopping, eating and laughing. The perfect combination for a whirlwind weekend of fun!